Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She can't keep them all safe
They will die and be afraid
Mother, tell me so I say (mother, tell me so I say)

“Get back here you brat!”  

Atsushi swiftly turned to his left, The men were right on his tail. He couldn’t afford to get caught.

How did he even get here? The last thing he remembered was the Orphanage headmaster kicking him out.

”Nobody wants to be around a good-for-nothing like you.” He said to Atsushi, who was only seven years old, and of course very distraught.

Living on the streets wasn’t easy for him, he missed his bed, he missed the little amounts of food he’d received if he’d been a good boy. He missed the headmaster.

But now, he’s had to resort to sleeping in cardboard boxes and stealing money from unwilling passersby’s. 

He felt bad about it, sure. But, he had to do what he could to survive.

Unfortunately for him, his luck has just about run out. He had just gotten caught stealing from the wrong people. Who don’t exactly seem to care much about beating up little kids.

So now, here he was, running for his life over 1,538 yen. Just great.

Atsushi looked back, they were gaining on him.

This was bad, like really bad. Were they going to kill him?

He doesn’t want to die.

Oh god. Is it one of the thugs? 

Atsushi fearfully looks up, he freezes.

That’s…odd.

It was a man, he looked to be around in his early 20’s, And he didn’t really look all that bad? So he must not be with that group.

The man looked down at Atsushi, smiling.“Are you alright?” He asks, holding a hand out for him. 

Atsushi hesitated, the man looked wealthy. He had a suit and tie on, like the men who would inspect the orphanage sometimes, and he was covered in bandages. Which was pretty weird. But, Atsushi wasn’t one to talk.

“There he is!” Atsushi jumped, They found him.

The bandaged man’s smile sharpened, he looked up at the group of thugs.

”I’m sorry, do I know you?” He asks politely.

The thugs share a glance, one of them pull out a pocket knife. “Listen, kid. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave us alone with the brat.” He says.

Atsushi stiffens, he does not want to be left alone with these guys.

He looks back up at the Bandaged man, who tilts his head. “Now why would I do that? If you ask me it looks like you’re about to hurt this boy.” He smiles eerily.

”This ain’t your business.” They circle around the two, surrounding them. 

The man stands in front of Atsushi protectively. “It is now.” 

Atsushi notices the man reaching the inside of his coat pocket. What’s he reaching for?

The men scoff, “Suit yourself.” They lunge at him.

Atsushi closed his eyes, he couldn’t watch!

-Bang!-

-Bang!-

-Bang!-

…

”Hey kid, you can open your eyes now.” 

Atsushi reluctantly opened his eyes, he looked around. All three of the thugs were on the ground, bleeding out. What happened to them?

He heard the man sigh, “Jeez, what a nuisance..” He pulled out a phone, dialing a number. 

“Hey, I need you to come clean up a mess.” He says, eyes flickering down at Atsushi. “Go to XXX st. you’ll find it.” 

He hangs up, gaze never leaving the younger. Atsushi shifts uncomfortably, should he say thank you? Or does he just go?

”Hey, you.” The man speaks.

Atsushi doesn’t respond, but he does look up at the man. He feels a sweat drop down his brow, he hadn’t realized how unsettling the man looked until now.

He crouches down, “Are you hungry?” He asks.

Huh?

Thats weird, no one’s ever asked him that before. He doesn’t know how to respond, especially not under the watchful gaze of such a scary man.

Alas, his stomach answers from him, growling loudly, which causes them both to freeze.

Atsushi quickly covers his stomach, blushing in embarrassment. Why must his stomach betray him like this?

The man chuckles, ruffling Atsushi’s hair. “Come on, let’s go.” He pulls Atsushi up.

Atsushi tilts his head, he lets out a noise of confusion, wondering where the man was taking him.

The man snorts, “We’re going to get something to eat.” He says.

Huh.

“So kid, what’s your name?” The man asks, resting his head on his hands as he watched Atsushi scarf down a bowl of Chazuke.

Atsushi put the bowl down, looking up at the man cautiously. The orphanage director always told him to never give his name to strangers, and this man was technically a stranger.

The man tilted his head, smirking. “How about this, I’ll tell you my name first then you’ll tell me yours.” He says.

That doesn’t seem like a bad idea..

Atsushi nods, it’d be good to know his name anyway, so he can stop referring to him as ‘The Man.’ 

The man’s smile grew wider, “Perfect, my name’s Dazai Osamu. Pleasure to meet you...” He trails off, clearly wanting Atsushi to finish the sentence.

”..Atsushi.” He whispers.

”Atsushi! Nice to meet you, Atsushi.” Dazai winks.

Atsushi nods again, not wanting to be rude.

…

”Say, Atsushi.” Dazai drawls, “You’re homeless right?” He says abruptly.

Atsushi paused, It felt weird hearing somebody call him homeless, though that is what he is.

Homeless.

Without a home.

Without anybody at his aid. Even if they were mean to him sometimes.

Atsushi’s eyes watered. He’s homeless. 

Tears trickle down his face, he’ll never see the orphanage headmaster again. It made him sad.

He whimpered, covering his face with his hands as he sobbed loudly.

Dazai’s eyes widened, he shifts uncomfortably. “Uh, don’t cry..?” He didn’t mean to make Atsushi cry. He was just asking him a simple question, and now everyone in the restaurant was looking at him all weird.

Atsushi sobbed harder, great.

He needed this kid to stop crying. So, he said the first thing that came to mind.

“How about this? Why don’t you come and stay with me?” 

What.

Atsushi sniffled, he looked up at Dazai with big teary eyes and nods.

Dazai, you fucking idiot.

What the hell have you gotten yourself into?

Chapter Text

I am hungry
I have been hungry
I was born hungry
What do I need?

“Here we are!” Dazai swings the door open, “Home sweet home.” 

Atsushi looks around. When Dazai told him that his living predicament was weird, he didn’t think that the man lived in an actual shipping container.

Atsushi isn’t one to judge, but even this is too much.

Dazai walks over to his bed, sitting down, he motions for Atsushi to join him. “So, Atsushi. Now that you’re here, I figured we’d lay some ground rules.” He says.

Atsushi nods. As long as he doesn’t have to go back on the streets, he’s fine with anything.

He raised a finger, “Firstly, I figured I should let you know what I do for a living  before you stay here permanently.” 

Atsushi tilts his head, surely it can’t be that bad.  

Dazai sighs, “I’m a mafioso. More specifically, A port mafia executive.” 

A what? 

His confusion must have shown on his face because Dazai raised an eyebrow, “Do you not know what a mafioso is?”

Atsushi shakes his head.

…

“Atsushi, How old are you?” he must think about his decisions very carefully right now.

Atsushi ponders for a moment before holding up seven fingers.

Great.

Dazai smiles, “So..to put it simply, My job is to kill people.” 

Atsushi’s eyes widened, though he’s not really surprised. Earlier, with those thugs..he definitely killed them.

”So..” Dazai drummed his fingers against his thigh, “I’ll give you two choices.” He raises one finger, “First option, you can stay with me and I’ll take care of you, but. I can’t promise that you’ll be completely safe, A lot of people hate me.” He explains.

Atsushi stays silent, he doesn’t know what to think about this.

Dazai raises a second finger, “Or, I can send you off to a good orphanage and make sure that you’ll inherit a trust fund for when you turn eighteen or at any time you may choose.” 

Atsushi nods along, for some reason he doesn’t really like the second option.

”So, which one do you pick?” 

Atsushi looks down, He doesn’t know. I mean, does he even want to go back to another orphanage? What if they hurt him again?

And having money does sound nice. But, he’d much rather prefer to have some company. And Dazai seems like a nice guy, even if he can be scary sometimes.

He bites his lip, He’s worried he might make the wrong decision.

”Atsushi?” Dazai interrupts his train of thought.

The boy looks up at Dazai. He picks at his wrist, “..stay.” He says.

Dazai pauses. He hadn’t expected Atsushi would actually want to stay. He figured after he saw where Dazai lived, he would run away in fear. Which would work out in Dazai’s favor, save him the trouble. But now, he has to actually take care of this kid. How do parents do this?

God, He needs a drink.

There’s no way in hell that he can take care of a kid, let alone a traumatized one. Hell, he can barley take care of himself! Do you see where he lives?

Ugh, why did he have to say that? He should’ve just left this kid to rot. 

Just then, his phone rings, thank god. He’d do anything to get the hell out of here.

He scowls when he reads the caller ID, Mori.

”What do you want.” 

A chuckle came from the other line, “Now, Now Osamu. That’s no way to speak to your boss, now is it?” 

Dazai sighed, “Spit it out, Mori. I don’t have time for this.”

Mori hummed, “Are you busy?”

Dazai’s eyes flickered to Atsushi, then back to the phone. “No.” He doesn’t want Mori to know about Atsushi. That’ll only cause more problems.

“That’s good, because I have a mission for you.” Mori says.

Dazai rolls his eyes, sighing dramatically. “Yeah, okay. Send me the details.” He supposes that he has the time, Atsushi should be fine.

”Great!” Mori chirps, “Also, I was wondering—“ Dazai hung up, he didn’t care.

He looked back down at the brunet, “I’m gonna be out for a while, okay?” He stands up. “There’s money and a phone under the pillow, buy a pizza or something if you get hungry.”

Atsushi doesn’t say anything, he just watches Dazai intently. He has no idea what pizza is, is it some sort of food? He wouldn’t know. The only food he’s ever had was rice and bread. And if the headmaster was in a good mood, he’d receive crackers as well.

But nevertheless, he nods like he understood. He doesn’t want to cause anymore trouble for Dazai.

Dazai opens the door. Giving Atsushi one last look, “Bye then.” He shuts the door, leaving Atsushi behind.

…

Atsushi looks around. There’s nothing to do here.

There’s just a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Is he just supposed to wait for Dazai to come back? 

Atsushi sighs. Well, maybe he should just take a nap. He definitely needs one after the day he’s had.

Atsushi crawls under the thin sheets. It’s cold in here, I miss my bed. 

He wraps his arms around himself to keep warmth. Well, it’s certainly better than the cardboard boxes he used to sleep in. He needs to be grateful, Dazai is doing so much for him. He doesn’t get to complain.

Atsushi closes his eyes.

 ‘I wonder when Dazai-san will be back..?’

5 hours later

Dazai sighs, finally done. That old man Mori purposely sent him on that mission knowing that he’d run into trouble.

Those damn bastards, He can’t believe that they thought that they could sneak attack Dazai.

Of course, Dazai predicted this. So he wasn’t caught off guard, but it did take longer than he expected. And he did end up getting shot because of it.

”Ugh, that old man knows that I hate pain. The least he could do was give me some antiseptics.” Dazai winced, limping back to the shipping container.

I wouldn’t have gotten shot if Chuuya was there.

No. Don’t think about him.

Dazai quickly shakes the thought of that traitor out of his mind.

He opens the door. It was pitch black in there, which made sense considering this place has no windows. Or little to no air circulation..

Why does he feel like he’s forgetting something?

His eyes land on his bed. He sees someone sleeping under the sheets.

Right, him.

Dazai quietly enters the shipping container. Not wanting to accidentally wake Atsushi up.

It seems as though Atsushi is already fast asleep so Dazai, luckily, doesn’t have to worry about explaining the gunshot wound right now.

He moves to sit up against the wall, resting his head in between his arms. He missed his bed already.

How much longer until this kid gets bored and leaves? 

Dazai hopes it’s soon.

Chapter Text

Villain and violent, infant and innocent
Baby, both arms cradle you now
Both arms cradle you now

“Here, eat up.” Dazai slides a can of crab towards Atsushi.

The boy takes it eagerly, he’s not that big of a fan for crab, but it’s the only food here so he’ll take what he can get.

Dazai turns his attention back to his food, he picks at it lightly.

It’s been one month ever since Atsushi got here, and nothing’s really changed between them. Dazai goes to work, Atsushi sleeps, Dazai comes back from work, sleeps, then he leaves for work again. And then the cycle just repeats.

It’s pretty mundane, but it works. For him at least. 

There’s just one problem…

’This kid really stinks…’ Dazai grimaces, when was the last time this kid had a bath? Or changed his clothes?

Who the hell takes care of this kid?

..

Oh right.

It’s him. 

Dazai wishes he could slap himself in the face right now, how the hell did he forget to give this kid some clothes? And a bath, Jesus.

Caretaker of the year, everyone.

I mean he could just buy a house, that’d solve his problems. 

He sighed, he really didn’t want to do that. Houses are too much work, and don’t even get him started on apartments. Why in the world would he willingly choose to live under someone? Sounds like hell. 

Luckily, he has a second option.

”Hey, Atsushi?”

Atsushi looks up, staring at Dazai with his big wide eyes, Ew.

Dazai’s eyebrows furrow, he averts his gaze. “Tomorrow, we’re going out.” He says.

Atsushi tilted his head. Going out? Where?

Dazai sighs, “To see an acquaintance of mine. She owes me a favor.

Atsushi nods. Dazai has never taken him out before, this must mean that they’re becoming friends!

I’ll be on my best behavior, I don’t want to disappoint him.

THE NEXT DAY

“Knock, Knock!” 

Kouyou sighs, she knows that voice.

”Come in.” She says, setting her teacup down.

Dazai peeks his head in through the door, “Hope I’m not interrupting anything, Ane-san!” 

Kouyou glares at Dazai, “What do you need?” She asks.

Dazai grins, “Just a little favor~” he says in a sing-songy voice.

Dazai opens the door fully, revealing a young boy who looked no older than seven. He stood there, clinging onto Dazai’s leg as he gave Kouyou a shy wave.

Kouyou shot a glare at Dazai, ”Explain, now.”

Dazai waved his hand dismissively as he not-so-subtly tried to move Atsushi off his leg. “Long story short, I got a new roommate. And I sorta kinda forgot to bathe him, change him, and yada yada..” he trailed off.

Kouyou narrowed her eyes, “And you came to me why?”

Dazai smirked mischievously, “Don’t play coy Kouyou. I’ve seen you turn rocks into diamonds, and trash into decorations. You’re telling me you can’t fix this boy up in a matter of seconds?” 

Kouyou tilted her chin up, “Flattery won’t get you anywhere.” She says, walking up to the boy who hid deeper within Dazai’s pants the closer she got.

Her eyes softened, “Where’d you find him?” She asked.

Dazai hummed, “The streets.” 

She crouched down, this boy reminded her of..

”Does Mori know about him?” 

Dazai scoffed, “Of course not, That’d only cause more trouble for me.”

Kouyou nods, “You’re right. If he finds out about this boy..” 

“They’re dead Ane-san. My friends are gone..!”

She shook her head, “Okay, I’ll clean him up for you.” She says, standing back up.

Dazai grins, “I knew you’d pick the right choice!” He nudges the young boy who was still clinging onto him for dear life, “ Atsushi, you’re gonna go with Kouyou now, okay?” 

Atsushi looks up at Kouyou, then back at Dazai, He whined. He doesn’t want to go with her, he wants to stay here with Dazai. 

“Come on now, dear.” Kouyou holds out her hand for him.

Atsushi looks up at Dazai, as if he’s asking for his help or something, Funny.

Dazai sighs, “Go with her, she’ll take care of you.” He nudged him again.

The young boy hesitantly took Kouyou’s hand, his other hand still clutching at Dazai’s pants.

Kouyou smiled, her hands were soft. Like silk, Atsushi liked the feeling.

His other hand slowly released itself from Dazai, as he allowed himself to be pulled by Kouyou.

Kouyou looks back up at Dazai. “You owe me.” She says.

Dazai smiles pleasantly, “Of course.” He waved her goodbye.

Kouyou sighs, “Let’s go, boy.” She leads Atsushi over to the next room.

Atsushi turns his head, giving Dazai a goodbye wave. 

Dazai waved back as the door shut behind him.

—-

-Splash!-

Atsushi kept his eyes shut, just as Kouyou instructed. The feeling of water splashing on his face, was not a nice feeling.

”Oh goodness..” Kouyou grimaced as she ran her fingers in between Atsushi’s brown locks. How long has his hair been like this?

”It’s truly a wonder your hair hasn’t fallen out yet, boy.” She says, taking out a shampoo bottle.

Atsushi doesn’t say anything, he just nods along.

 She sighs, ”Though it’s no surprise, considering that you live with Dazai.” 

Atsushi perks up at the mention of Dazai’s name. 

Kouyou begins massaging her hands through Atsushi’s hair, “I swear, that boy doesn’t know the first thing when it comes to hygiene.” She chuckles.

”He lives in a shipping container for heavens sake, that can’t be good for his health.” 

Atsushi closed his eyes, he enjoyed the feeling of her hands massaging his head.

”He’s treating you right though?” She asks, looking down at Atsushi.

He nods, Dazai is his best friend. He’s never hit Atsushi once, he doesn’t get mad when Atsushi sleeps in, and the best part is, Dazai feeds him everyday!

If this is what paradise feels like, he doesn’t ever want to leave.

Kouyou smiles, “Good, I’m glad. I can’t help but worry for him you know? Ever since his friend died, and when Chuuya left. He just hasn’t been the same.”

Who’s Chuuya?

Kouyou doesn’t seem to notice her slip up as yet as she continues washing Atsushi’s hair.

After a while, Kouyou removed her hands from Atsushi’s hair. Atsushi watches as she grabs a bucket of water. “Close your eyes, dear.” She says.

Atsushi closes his eyes.

-Splash!-

-creek-

Dazai looks up from where he’s sitting, Finally. 

He watched as both Kouyou and Atsushi walk out of the dressing room hand-in-hand. With Atsushi who, ran up to Dazai when he spotted him. 

And wow, does he look different.

He almost looks like an average kid, happy and healthy. His hair was softer, his skin’s clean, and he had changed into some different clothes. All in all, he looks better than before.

Atsushi smiled brightly at Dazai, hugging him tightly as if he was saying thank you.

Ah, sweet young naivety. 

Dazai awkwardly pats Atsushi head, unlatching the arms that were wrapped tightly around him.

He turns back to Kouyou, “Thank you for you service, Ane-san.” He says, pulling out his checkbook. “How much do I owe you?” He asks.

Kouyou shook her head, “Don’t worry about it, your boy is a delight to be around.” She looks down at Atsushi, “Quiet and cute, just how I like it.” 

Dazai nods, “Okay then..” he puts the checkbook away, “Let’s go, Atsushi.” He says. 

Atsushi jumps up, holding out his arms for Dazai. 

Dazai arches an eyebrow, this was new. “What do you want?”

Atsushi whines, he continues the gesture. Moving closer towards Dazai.

”I can’t help you if you can’t tell me what’s wrong.”

Atsushi gives him an exasperated look, he tries again.

Kouyou chuckles, “He wants you to pick him up.” 

Dazai stiffens, “No.” he says. 

Atsushi frowns, he reaches out for Dazai again. Dazai sighs, “Don’t be clingy, Atsushi. You can walk perfectly fine, you don’t need me.” 

The young boy sniffles, he drops his arms in defeat. He looks down solemnly, you’d think Dazai told him that he killed his parents or something.

What an overreaction. 

Kouyou gives Dazai a look, why’s she looking at him like that?

”What?” 

Kouyou gives him another look which screamed, ‘Are you kidding me?’

Dazai shrugged, he looked back down at Atsushi who was still, sulking. His head hung low and tears were threatening to spill from his eyes as he sniffled softly.

Seriously?

Dazai doesn’t get why this is a big deal. His mother never picked him up when he was a child and he turned out perfectly fine!

Well..

Okay, he can see the problem now. 

Dazai sighed, “Okay, fine.” He kneeled down, opening his arms for Atsushi. This is what you’re supposed to do, right?

”Come here.” He mumbled.

Atsushi perked up, he threw himself onto Dazai, wrapping his arms around his neck immediately.

Dazai wheezed, how the hell is this kid so strong? Isn’t he like..malnourished?

Dazai shook his head, he’ll think about that later.

“Well, if there isn’t anything else, we’ll be on our way.” He says, standing up with Atsushi in his arms.

He glanced at Kouyou, who was grinning at him all knowingly. Dazai’s eyebrows furrowed and his face grew red in embarrassment. He’s never ever doing this shit again.

“Well, Bye.” Dazai makes his way for the door.

”Actually,” Kouyou hums, stopping Dazai in his tracks. He sighs, “Yeah?” 

She hands him a bag, “Here, this’ll have all the basic necessities that boy needs.” She says. “Just so this doesn’t happen again, okay?” 

Dazai nods, taking the bag. “Yeah, I’ll try.”

LATER

Damn, We’re outta crab.

Dazai frowns, after the long day he’s had, he was really looking forward to some crab. And now, there’s none left. And that’s probably his fault, considering that he was supposed to get more of it yesterday when he was out, but..here he is.

‘What to do, What to do..’ He tapped his chin in thought.

Well, the convenience store isn’t too far away. If we hurry, We can make it back before 20:00.

’That’s good, yeah, we’ll do that.’

His eyes drift over to Atsushi, he was playing with a toy monkey that Kouyou gave to him earlier, he didn’t really seem all that interested.

”Hey, Atsushi. Im going to the store, you wanna come with me?” Atsushi’s eyes widened, he hadn’t expected Dazai to take him out again.

Were they going to meet more people?

Atsushi nods, hopping off of the bed.

”Come on then.” Dazai holds the door open for Atsushi. 

——

-ding!- 

“Welcome!”

Atsushi gapes at the store in awe. He’s never seen such a bright place before, not to mention that the shelves are filled different sorts of food!

How has he never been here before?

He looks up at Dazai, who doesn’t seem all that interested in this wonderful store. Which makes sense, considering that he’s been here a million times before.

He follows Dazai closely as they walk through the aisle, oohing and aahing at everything he sees. Dazai watched him curiously, What’s so interesting about a ratty connivence store? 

Eventually, they got to the back of the store. Where they kept all of the refrigerated items, which meant crab!

Dazai ran up to the seafood section, jumping in joy as he grabbed every can that he could find. Atsushi watched him silently, leaning back and forth on his heels.

He sometimes wondered why Dazai liked crab so much, is it that good? It must be his favorite food since it’s the only thing he eats.

What others things does Dazai like?

Atsushi wants to know.

“Hey, Atsushi. If you want anything, hurry up and grab it.” Dazai calls out.

Atsushi stiffens, something he wants?

He looked around, all of the food looks good but..

“I..Ic..?” Dazai looks at Atsushi, He’s holding a box of icecream and seems to be struggling with the kanji.

”Icecream.” Dazai corrects, “It’s a frozen treat, made for the summer. You want it?” He asks.

Atsushi hesitantly nods, Why is it frozen if you’re supposed to eat it?

—-

“Aahhh..” Atsushi opened his mouth wide, shoving the spoonful of Icecream into his mouth.

His eyes lit up, this taste amazing!

Dazai grins at him, “Good, huh?”

Atsushi looks up at Dazai with a wide smile on his face, nodding ecstatically.

He takes another bite, it’s just as good as before!

Atsushi’s cheeks turn red as he jumps up and down from excitement.

Dazai chuckles at the sight, he looks down. He hasn’t even eaten his crab yet, which was odd, considering he threw such a fuss about it.

Atsushi turns to look at Dazai. He picked up his bowl and placed it on Dazai’s lap. Dazai’s eyes widened, “Oh no, I don’t want it..” he pushes it back over to Atsushi, ”It’s yours.” He says.

Atsushi’s eyebrows furrowed, he nudged it back over to Dazai. What’s the point of enjoying something if others can’t enjoy it with you? 

Dazai sighs, “Atsushi, you really don’t have to..” He really doesn’t want to keep playing push and shove with this kid.

Atsushi’s eyes watered. Dazai deserves Icecream too, so why won’t he accept it?

Dazai stills, Oh god. Is he gonna cry again? 

“Okay, fine. I’ll have some.” He picked up the spoon and took a small bite. Atsushi’s eyes lit up, he wanted to see Dazai’s reaction.

Dazai gives him a small smile, “mmm, soo good.” He says.

Atsushi smiles back at Dazai, nodding excitedly.

—-

Later that night, when Dazai was getting ready for bed, he felt something nudge his back. Dazai turned around, “Atsushi? I thought you were in bed.”

Atsushi shook his head, he held up a book.

A book? Where’d he get that from..

Atsushi nudged the book at Dazai again. It was a story book, The Tiger Prince.

”Uh, do you want me to read it?” Dazai asked, can’t he read it himself?

Atsushi nods, He hops back on the bed patiently waiting for Dazai.

Dazai sighs, “..Alright, just this once though..” he stood up, sitting on the edge of the bed while the young boy looked up at him expectantly, He’s supposed to read now, right?

Dazai opens the book. He’s never read a story book out loud before, so he might not be that good..

But, Atsushi doesn’t look like the type to care that much. So he’ll try to do his best .

Dazai cleared his throat, “Once upon a time…”

—-

“And then they went POW! POW! BOOM! BOOM!” Dazai yelled dramatically as he made loud bomb noises.

Atsushi laughed, he covered his mouth to muffle his giggles while he leaned over Dazai’s shoulder. Dazai was funny when he made those weird noises.

Dazai smirked, “The prince gulped, Oh boy. The king was angry, So angry that his face turned red! This wasn’t good..”

Dazai continued reading to Atsushi, while he speaking in dramatic voices and sounds. Atsushi listened carefully, he enjoyed this, He enjoyed being around Dazai, it made him happy.

Atsushi wished this moment could last forever.

“..And they lived happily ever after, The End.” Dazai finished, turning back to Atsushi. 

Atsushi frowned, he didn’t want it to end.

He nudged at the book, hinting at Dazai to read it again. Dazai chuckled, “Sorry, Atsushi. It’s too late for a re-read.” He says.

Which, isn’t false considering that it’s almost 00:30. 

Atsushi’s frown deepens, he looks up at Dazai with big teary eyes.

Dazai ruffled his hair, “We’ll read it again, tomorrow, don’t worry.” 

Wait, huh?

Tomorrow?

What the hell happened to ‘just this once?’ 

Atsushi nods meekly, not even realizing the weight of those words. 

Dazai chuckled sheepishly, “Well, uh—you should be getting to bed now, yeah?” He stands up. “Goodnight.”

Atsushi watches Dazai silently, he was being weird. Atsushi pulls the blanket closer to himself, hugging his monkey plush tightly.

”..goodnight..” He whispers.

Chapter Text

Weren't we the stars in Heaven?
Weren't we the salt in the sea?
Dragon in the new warm mountain
Didn't you believe in me?

“Hey Atsushi, What you got there?” Dazai leaned over Atsushi’s shoulder in curiosity, the boy seemed to be reading a fashion magazine. He held it up to Dazai, pointing aggressively at a picture.

Dazai squinted his eyes to get a better look, he tilted his head. “I don’t get it..?”

Atsushi points directly at the model’s hair  then at his, Ah.

So that’s how it is.

Dazai chuckled, “You want me to dye your hair?” Atsushi nodded excitedly.

Dazai hummed in thought. Now, normally. Any sane parent wouldn’t even consider dyeing a seven-year-old’s hair. Which made sense to Dazai, sorta.

And any responsible adult, would immediately turn it down no question. 

…

Good thing he isn’t an adult though.

Dazai nodded, ”Okay, let’s do it!” 

Atsushi jumped up in excitement, he hadn’t expected Dazai to say yes!

Dazai stood up, “I’ll just have to make a quick run store first, kay?” He said, moving to the door.

Atsushi frowned nodding slightly, he wanted to come to.. 

—-

Dazai’s eyes glanced over at the boxes on the shelves, he hummed thoughtfully. “Which one should I get..?” He pondered.

”Hello, sir! do you need any help?” A nearby store employee walked up to Dazai. She looked young, probably still in high school. 

Dazai nodded, “Yes actually. Tell me, which one do you think would look better, White or Black?”  He asked.

The teen smiled, “Ah, that depends. Who’s it for?” She asks, “A family member, perchance?”

Dazai stiffened at that comment, now that he thought about it..Who was Atsushi to him? He’s certainly not just a random street kid to Dazai anymore.

So who is he? A friend, A brother? Or a..

”My friend.” Dazai said abruptly, “It’s for my friend.” 

The girl nodded, “Then what’s their personality like? Better yet how old are they? It’s good to pick up plainer colors for adults rather than teens.” She explains.

Dazai tilted his head, “Teen? Oh no, Atsushi’s seven.” He says.

The girl freezes.

”Ah.”

——

I think the store is over here? Atsushi turned a corner, nope.

He’s been trying to find the connivence store for what felt like hours and he still can’t find it.

He huffed, I should probably just go back home, I’m not gonna find the store anyway. Atsushi thought, turning around to walk back in the direction he came from. 

..

Wait,

Where’s home again?

Atsushi froze, Oh no. Is he lost?

He looked around frantically, he hadn’t even realized that he was in a different area! There’s so many people here, is he in the city?

 Atsushi whimpered, Oh no..this is bad. why did he leave the container? He shouldn’t have had and now, he’s lost forever! 

He’ll never see Dazai again.

His eyes watered, Atsushi backed up into a corner, hugging his knees. He’s so stupid, why is he like this? The headmaster was right. He’s just a good for noth—

“Hey!” Atsushi paused, it was a voice. He looked up, it was a girl. She looked a few years older than him, and her hair was golden yellow. Is she an American?

”Why are you sitting on the floor?” She asked. “It’s filthy there, get up.” She held out her hand for Atsushi to grab. 

Atsushi wiped his tears away, hesitantly taking her hand. 

The girl smiled, “There! Now you won’t be dirty.” She said as she brushed a few specs of dirt off of Atsushi. 

Atsushi meekly nodded, his head still hanging low. He misses Dazai..

The girl tilted her head, “Why are you so sad? You lost or something?” Atsushi nods again.

She hummed, “Oh, that’s too bad.” She said, voice laced with sympathy. Though, something about it felt fake almost like a mimic of the real thing.

Atsushi shifted uncomfortably, he wanted to go home.

The girl, noticing this, grabbed Atsushi’s hand. “Well, you can play with me instead! I’m Elise.” She announced.

Atsushi stayed silent, should he tell her his name?

It would be rude not to, but, she’s kind of weird..

Elise didn’t seem to care as much though, she led Atsushi through the bustling crowd of people, talking about random things. “..He’s pretty annoying but, he’s really smart so he can help you find whoever you’re missing.” She says.

Atsushi perked up at that, someone who can help him find Dazai? That’s great news!

Elise kept on talking, leading him to a small cafe. “This is where I left him! He’s probably still in here whining like a baby.” She snickered, opening the cafe door.

Atsushi followed her through the door, it smelled nice in there. He looked around in awe, the first thing he saw was a man running around the cafe frantically.

”..Excuse me, have you seen my daughter? She’s about this high, and has the cutest little blonde curls! The last place I saw her in was the bathroom..” 

“Rintaro!” Elise yelled.

The man (Rintaro?) spun around quickly, “Elise-chan!!” He beamed, running up to the girl. “I thought I’d never see you again..” he trailed off, “Who’s your friend?” 

Elise pulled Atsushi forward, “This is Kyusuke! I found him on the side of the street.” Atsushi fumbled, his name was not Kyusuke.

Rintaro smiled, “Nice to meet you, Kyusuke.” He said, holding his hand out for Atsushi to shake.

Atsushi hesitated, this man..he was giving off the same vibes Dazai did when they first met. The only difference is, is that this man is scarier.

But, Dazai is a nice guy, so maybe Rintaro is too?

He shook his hand, smiling slightly.

Rintaro hummed pleasantly, touch lingering against Atsushi before he slowly pulled away. “Say, Kyusuke. What were you doing on the streets alone?” he asked.

”He said he was lost or something.” Elise interjected, answering for him. 

Rintaro nodded, turning back to Atsushi. “So, you must have a parent then?” 

Atsushi paused.

A Parent? Like a mommy and a daddy? 

Atsushi nodded. He wouldn’t know anyway, according to the headmaster his parents didn’t want him. And ever since Dazai, the headmaster was all he’d known.

So..does that mean Dazai is his daddy? 

He wouldn’t mind that.

Rintaro smiles, ”Is that so? Well Kyusuke, mind telling me their name?” 

Atsushi nodded, Dazai wouldn’t mind right? 

He opened his mouth, 

”..D—“ A loud ringing sound cut Atsushi off.

Rintaro took out his phone, “Ah, my apologies.” He glanced at the caller ID and sighed. “Im sorry, I have to take this. Why don’t you two go sit down and order something? I’ll be there in a minute.” He suggests, accepting the call.

Elise nods, taking Atsushi’s hand. “Come on, Kyusuke!” She drags him over to the table, passing him a paper and some crayons. “So, Kyusuke. What’s your real name?”

Atsushi picked up a crayon, he didn’t really know how to write, the only thing he could write in Kanji was his name. Which is good for right now he supposed.

”Atsushi, huh..” Elise drawled, “That’s a nice name, I guess..” She pouted, Kyusuke fit him better.

Atsushi nodded along, Elise leaned back. “So, do you have a mommy or a daddy?” She asked.

Atsushi raised two fingers.

“A daddy?” 

He nodded. 

Elise smiled, “Cool! What’s he like?” 

Atsushi hummed, he looked around on the table. He spotted a menu, on the cover they were advertising a ‘free’ vacation to an island, ‘We have everything! Come eat your favorite foods, Crab, Shrimp, Sushi, and more! All here at..’

Atsushi pointed at the crab option. Dazai loves Crab!

“Crab, huh…” Elise tapped her chin in thought, “ooh! I know! His favorite food is crab.” 

He nodded excitedly.

“What else?” She asked, Elise liked this game, uh…what’s it called? Charades?

Atsushi made a finger gun, “Pew! Pew!” He shouts, making a gun motion.

Elise tilted her head, “Is he a police officer?” 

Atsushi shook his head.

”A detective?”

He shook his head again.

Elise scoffed, crossing her arms. “I’m stumped, Give me another one.”

Atsushi picked up a few napkins on the table and wrapped them around his arms, and he placed one over his right eye. 

“…Bandages...?” Atsushi nodded.

Elise froze, “Your dad is covered in bandages..?”

He smiled, nodding again. Wow, she’s really good at this game!

Elise grinned eerily, “Atsushi, is your Dad’s name, Dazai Osamu?” She asked sweetly.

Atsushi gaped, how did she know that? So cool..

He nods, turning his attention back to the blank paper. Maybe he could draw him and Dazai together!

…

”Sorry about that, guys!” Rintaro sits down. “Now, where were we?” 

Elise turns to Rintaro, “Rintaro. I have some, Interesting, news to share with you..”  She says monotonously.

“Oh? Do tell.”

LATER 

“Atsushi! I’m back.” Dazai opened the door with bags in hand. “You wouldn’t believe what happened at the sto—“ He freezes.

Mori was sitting on his bed, Atsushi was right next to him absentmindedly playing with his monkey. He doesn’t seem to realize the danger that he’s in, yet.

Mori smiled, ”Oh please, don’t let me stop you.” He says, “I’d love to hear about your little trip.”

Dazai narrowed his eyes, “Mori-dono, what brings you here?” He took a step forward, placing the bags on the floor. He needed to get Atsushi away from him.

Mori hummed, “You should keep a better eye on your kid, Osamu.” He deliberately ignores Dazai’s question, choosing to get straight to the point.

Dazai bit the inside of his cheek, “He’s not mine, I’m just..taking care of him.” 

Mori tilted his head, “Why’s that?” He stood up leaving Atsushi on the bed. The young boy looked up, he could tell that Dazai was uncomfortable. Atsushi frowned, does he not like Rintaro?

Dazai looked away for a moment, a normal person wouldn’t have caught it. But Mori did, his smile grew wider. “Why so nervous, Osamu? It’s not like you have anything to hide, right?” 

Dazai clenched his fist, “No sir.” He says.

Mori nods, “Don’t worry, I won’t take him away from you..I’m just a little hurt that you lied to me.” He said.

Dazai looks up at Mori, “I didn’t lie.” He states, his tone a bit too defensive.

Mori grinned, “Are you saying I’m wrong?” 

Dazai froze, shit. 

He shook his head quickly, “No sir.” He said, why does he have to do this here?  In front of Atsushi of all people..

Mori sighed, he took off his glove. “Osamu, come here.” He ordered. Dazai was immediately by Mori’s side, his bit his lip. please not here.

”Tell me, Osamu. How long have you been lying to me?” Mori asked, turning to face Dazai.

Atsushi watched nervously.

Dazai shifted uncomfortably, “..seven months..” he whispered.

Mori’s gaze hardened, “Speak up.” He demanded 

Dazai straightened up, ”Seven months.” He spoke, this time louder.

…

”Ah, is that so?”

-SLAP!-

Dazai stumbled back, his cheek was stinging, and he felt a metallic taste running down his mouth.

Mori had just slapped him. In front of Atsushi.

His ears were ringing, he felt someone grab his hand, it was Atsushi. He looked up at Dazai fearfully, face laced with concern.

“I..I’m fine..” Dazai said, squeezing Atsushi’s hand softly,“..I’m fine.” He assures.

Atsushi sniffled, he didn’t like Rintaro anymore. He hurt Dazai, just like the Headmaster did with him. 

Mori watched in silent amusement, he turned back to Dazai. “I’m sure I shouldn’t tell you this but, it’d be best for you to get rid of him now.” He smirked, “You and I both know what happens to people who get a bit too close to the fire.” 

Dazai nodded numbly, “Yes..sir.” He mumbled.

Mori stared at Dazai for a moment, taking in his facial expressions. Dazai’s face stayed blank, though his eyes didn’t meet Mori’s.

Mori hummed in satisfaction, he’d won. His eyes flickered over to Atsushi, “I hope to see you again, Atsushi. I’m sure Elise-chan will also be very excited.” He cooed.

Atsushi gripped Dazai’s hand tighter, he just wants him to leave already!

..

”Not much of a talker, huh?” Mori sighs, he turns around giving the two one last look before leaving. Once he was gone Atsushi heard Dazai sigh in relief.

He looked up at Dazai, his eyes watering.

Dazai ruffled Atsushi’s hair reassuringly, “It’s okay.” He says, “I’m not gonna get rid of you.” 

Atsushi shook his head, whimpering softly. he didn’t care about that. He cared about Dazai, and Dazai just got hurt. Because of him.

This is all his fault.

Tears fell down Atsushi’s eyes, he sobbed. He didn’t mean for this to happen, if only he had just stayed home..

Dazai crouched down, he held Atsushi’s face gently. “Hey, Hey..don’t cry, this isn’t your fault.” He said, concern painted across his face.

Atsushi looked up at Dazai, tears still rolling down his face. “…’m sorry..” he choked. 

“The only thing you do is hurt people, Atsushi. It’s the only thing you’re good at.”

”Worthless.”

”Why are you still here? Nobody needs you.”

”Go die in a hole.”

”This doesn’t even count as abuse.”

Atsushi threw himself against Dazai, wrapping his arms around the older. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Im sorry!” He wept, the headmaster was right, he’s a horrible person.

Dazai’s eyes widened, he hadn’t expected  Atsushi to be so distraught over this. Does he care that much?

He lifted his arms up, hesitantly hugging the boy back. He’s never hugged someone before, not like this.

It felt…nice?

The two stayed like that for a while, with Atsushi’s sobs dying down each passing moment. Dazai felt the younger’s arms loosen a bit around his neck as his body leaned against Dazai’s. 

Ah, he fell asleep.

Dazai poked at Atsushi’s side just to make sure. The boy still didn’t move.

Dazai sighed, we didn’t even get to dye his hair yet..

He picked the boy up, carefully placing him against the bed. The boy murmured incoherently, Dazai lightly huffed.

He tucked Atsushi in, brushing a few strands away from his hair. “Goodnight, Atsushi.” He whispered, moving away.

He felt something grab his hand, he looked down. Atsushi pulled at Dazai’s hand gently, his eyes were barley open and it looked like he was seconds away from passing out again. 

He shifted over to the side, pulling at Dazai’s hand again. He wanted Dazai to lay besides him. Dazai complied, awkwardly laying down next to Atsushi.

Atsushi moved closer to Dazai, shifting himself under his arm, and burying his face into his chest. Dazai went stiff, he’s never been cuddled with before.

It’s an odd experience to say the least. 

But..

He slowly became more relaxed, wrapping his arms around Atsushi.

He could get used to this.

Chapter Text

2 YEARS LATER

“Chuuya..”

“Chuuya-kun!”

“Chu-Chu~”

Chuuya groaned, “ What do you want. ” He snarled.

Ranpo smiled, “I’m out of snacks, go get me some more.” He says.

“Hah?! Who do you think I am? Your errand boy? Get your own snacks.” He grumbled.

Ranpo frowned, “But I have to stay here!” He whined.

“And why’s that?”

“Because.”

“Because, what?”

“Because, I said so.“

Chuuya’s eyebrows furrowed, this won’t ever end, will it?

“If I get you your snacks, will you leave me alone?”

Ranpo nodded, “Pinkie swear!” He held out his pinkie in emphasis.

Chuuya sighed, “Fine.” He stood up from his desk. 

Ranpo smiles, “Good boy!” He teases. Chuuya resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

“Oh, Chuuya-kun, you’re going out?” Yosano poked her head through the door, “I’ve actually been meaning to get a few things but I haven’t found the time. Would you mind picking them up for me?” She asks.

Chuuya grimaced, he really didn’t want to say no to Yosano..

”Yeah okay..” he said, albeit reluctantly.

”Great! I’ll write a list.”

”Eh, Chuuya-kun’s going out?” Kenji walked into the room. “Can you pick up something for me too?” He smiles.

Great.

“What’s this I hear about running errands?” Naomi grins cheekily, “I too have a few things I might need, what about you Onii-chan?”

“Haha, well..” Junichiro chuckled sheepishly.

Chuuya groaned, “Does everybody just need something?!” He yelled.

…

”Well, yeah..”

“Sorta, kinda, yes..” 

“A few things would be appreciated, yes.”

Chuuya pinched the bridge of his nose. Why am I here again? 

 “Just..write it down.”

“That’ll be 1,000 yen, please and thank you!” The shop owner said, smiling widely.

Chuuya inserted his credit card, holding a box of chocolates and flowers in his arms. How did I get here..

”Thank you, come again!” 

Chuuya sat by a nearby bench, and pulled out his list.“Okay, so I’ve got Yosano’s scalpels, Kenji’s fertilizer, Ranpo’s snacks, and Naomi’s flowers & chocolates..who else?” He murmured, the last people should be Junichiro and Kunikida.

Chuuya sighed, who the hell needs 50 pens? Waste of money if you ask me..

-tug-

Chuuya paused, he felt someone tugging  at his shirt, he looked down. It was a little girl, no older than fourteen maybe.

He arched an eyebrow, “Uh, yes?” He asked.

The girl pulled out a flip phone, dialing a number. “Found you.” 

—-

“Nakahara has gone missing?” 

Junichiro nodded, “I’ve called him like a million times, and he’s still not picking up.” he said.

Kunikida sighed, “That is odd. He should’ve been back by now.” 

“You don’t think he got himself into some trouble do you?” Naomi asked, concern etched on her face. “With the mafia running around all over the place recently, I can’t help but feel worried..”

Kunikida placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly, “I’m sure he’s fine, right Ranpo?” He looked up at the older detective, who was currently snacking on a lollipop. He shrugged, “How should I know? I’ve never been in the mafia dungeons before.”

…

”HE’S WHERE?!”

”Ugh..” Chuuya squinted his eyes open, his head was throbbing like crazy, where was he?

”Morning, sunshine.” He stiffened, that voice.

He looked ahead, he saw Dazai. His Dazai, standing only a few inches away from him.

The man was watching Chuuya carefully, eyes fixated on Chuuya’s face. Something about the look made Chuuya feel, vulnerable? He couldn’t explain it.

“Dazai..” he mumbled, He never really thought that he’d see him again. Not after everything.

The younger man smiled, walking closer to Chuuya. “How’s it going, Chuuya?” He waved.

Chuuya groaned, “How did I..” 

“You got knocked out, honestly I expected more from you Chuuya.” Dazai sighed, “Getting caught off guard by a child? Let alone by a girl who’s barley even killed 50 people yet, tsk tsk.”

Chuuya rolled his eyes, “Oh, don’t act like you don’t have anything to do with this.” He said, tugging at the restraints. He could get out of these things in seconds. Were they even trying? 

Dazai chuckled at that, “Don’t bother, your little Agency friends are coming to save you soon.” He said.

Chuuya’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “Then what’s the point? Why kidnap me if you knew I was gonna be rescued?” He asked. There has to be an interior motive. 

Dazai hummed, “Well, you are a Port Mafia traitor. I think your punishment is a little bit over-due, don’t you think?” 

Chuuya grumbled, “Bullshit. You and I both know that isn’t the reason.” 

Dazai grinned, “Well, you’re not wrong, Per se.”

”..The real reason why you’re here is because I have a proposal for you.”

Chuuya arched an eyebrow, “A proposal? What is it?”

“Come back to the Mafia, Chuuya.”

Chuuya froze, “What?” 

Dazai titled his head, “Did you not hear me the first time? I said come back—“

”I heard you.” Chuuya interrupted, glaring at Dazai. “There’s no way in hell that I’m ever coming back.” He spits out. Dazai’s smile fades slightly. 

”Chuuya, you—“

-BANG-

“Nakahara!” 

Chuuya looked behind Dazai, his eyes widened in shock. “Kunikida?! What the hell are you doing here?”

Kunikida pulled out his notebook, “Here to get you out, of course.” He summoned a gun, pointing it directly at Dazai.

Dazai grinned, “Chuuya, who’s this?” He asked.

Kunikida’s eyebrows furrowed, First name basis?

“My partner, Kunikida.” Chuuya replied, eyes flickering back and forth between the two.

Dazai’s smile grows wider, “Oh, really?” 

Chuuya watches as Daza reached into his coat pocket, assumably reaching for his gun.

Kunikida shot near Dazai’s foot, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” He warned.

Dazai pursed his lips, raising his hands in mock surrender, “I can’t allow you to take Chuuya back.” He says.

“He’s right where he belongs, after all.”

Kunikida’s eyes flickered to the left, he lowered his gun. “No worries, we already have him.” He says.

Dazai’s head spun around, Chuuya was gone. He chuckled, of course, an illusionist.

He turned back around only to find that Kunikida was gone too. So he was just a decoy? Clever.

Dazai’s hand trailed down to his gun, he tapped it inconsistently. Man, this isn’t good.

If he just had a little more time, maybe he could’ve convinced Chuuya. Or at the very least have him think on it.

His tapping became more aggressive, But that stupid pencil got in the way. Couldn’t he see that they were having a conversation?

That guy can’t actually be Chuuya’s partner. 

He’s way too stuck-up. Dazai could tell, just from the way he carried himself.

What does Chuuya even see in that guy?

-Ping!-

Dazai paused, he pulled out his phone. His eyes softened, it was Atsushi.

He sent Dazai a picture of some pigeons, it was completely random yet, endearing. Dazai huffed softly, ”You always know how to make me feel better, Atsushi.”

He put his phone away, well, it’s probably about time I get back to work anyway.

Chuuya’s situation can wait after all.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Ooh, don't you find it strange?
Only thing we share is one last name
Did I beat you at your own game?
Typical of me to put us all to shame

“Mori.” 

Mori looked up, he smiled. “Ah, Osamu~! What brings you here?” He asks, setting his tea cup down.

Dazai pulled out a file, handing it to Mori. “It’s the Guild.” He says. Mori’s eyebrows raise, “The Guild, you say? I thought you said they weren’t a threat.”

Dazai frowned, “I was wrong.” 

“The demon prodigy being wrong? That’s a sight you don’t see everyday.”

Dazai’s eyes flicker to the side, “Ah, Kouyou. I didn’t even notice you!” He chirped.

Kouyou chuckled, “No worries.” She rest her hands against her lap. “Tell me, how’s your boy doing?” She asks.

Dazai pursed his lips, “He’s doing okay, nothing new.” He says, tone lacing with disinterest and boredom. No matter how much he wished to blabber on and on about Atsushi.

Kouyou hummed in acknowledgment.

Mori set the file down, eyes gleaming with excitement. “This girl, Lucy Montgomery. She was the one who transferred you and some others into this one dimensional space, correct?” He asked.

Dazai nodded in confirmation, “Yes sir. From what I overheard it seems as if she was specifically targeting the Agency members.” 

“And they were?”

”Doppo Kunikida, Kenji Miyazawa, and Nakahara Chuuya.” Kouyou’s eyes widen, “Chuuya?” 

Ah, right.

Kouyou wasn’t informed about Chuuya’s recent kidnapping, so she wouldn’t know about him being apart of the Armed Detective Agency. 

Dazai sighed internally. Man, this is gonna be a pain.

Stupid slug, always leaving me to clean up his messes…

”Yes, Chuuya is now an Armed Detective Agency member.” Dazai confirmed, knowing Kouyou, she’s most definitely going to try and get him back.

Mori clapped his hands together, catching the attention of the other two. “Right, So here’s what we’re going to do…”

“Here you go.” Chuuya says, passing the coffee grinds over to the Store manager.

Uzumaki smiled. “Thank you, Nakahara.”

Chuuya nodded, resting his head on his hand. “I thought I told you to call me Chuuya, old man.” He corrected.

Uzumaki chuckled, “Sorry Sorry. Old habits die hard, as you youngsters say.”

Chuuya rolled his eyes playfully, “It’s whatever, don’t worry about it.”

-ding!-

Just then, the cafe door slammed open, “Chuuya-san!” Chuuya looked up, tilting his head in confusion. “Junichiro?”

Junichiro collapsed on the table, breathing heavily, did he run here?

”Come—“ gasp, “Quick—“ gasp, “Port—“ gasp, “Mafia—“ he wheezed.

Chuuya immediately straightened up at the mention of the Port Mafia, “Tell me Where.”

-crack!- 

“How pathetic, and here I thought you would last longer.”

Kunikida grit his teeth, coughing up blood. “You..”

Kouyou’s smile sharpened, she inched her katana closer to Kunikida’s neck. “I wonder how the Agency will hold up without you…”

She inched further, blood drew.

”Considering the fact that you’re the glue that holds them together, right?”

Further—

“Ane-san!” Kouyou paused, she turned her head around slowly. She knew that face. Her eyes softened, “Chuuya…”

Chuuya was standing a few inches away from her, but she could see him clearly. He looks more mature from when she last saw him.

Chuuya took a deep breath, “Kou—Ane-san, what are you doing?” He asked, inching closer. He knew fighting her wasn’t the best choice for right now.

Kouyou’s lips drew into a thin line, she didn’t move her katana away from Kunikida just as yet. “Why, I’m getting rid of this pesky detective of course, per the bosses orders.” She says.

Chuuya’s eyebrows furrow in confusion, “He hasn’t even done anything!” He argued, taking another step forward.

Kouyou sighed, ”It’s not just the him, lad. The boss has ordered the eradication of every single member of the Agency,  the Guild as well.”

What?

”This is war.” She says, “All of the executives are already in motion, you can’t stop this Chuuya-kun.”

Chuuya stilled, A war? 

Kouyou smiles, “But don’t worry, the boss has granted me permission to take you back to the Port Mafia.” She chirps.

Both Chuuya’s and Kunikida’s eyes widened, “The..Port..Mafia?” Kunikida strains, it all made sense now. The way Chuuya acted when he first joined, the subtle casualness to the thought of murdering someone. Being on guard 24/7, it makes sense.

It’s because he came from the Mafia.

“No..I’m not..” Chuuya murmured, great, now Kunikida knows.

Kouyou’s smile deepened, “It’s alright, Chuuya dear. There’s no shame in accepting who you are.” 

“A mafioso, a ruthless monster in the flesh.”

A killing machine.

“You’re wrong!” Chuuya yelled, “I’m not that person anymore.” He says, clenching his fist.

”And I’m not a monster, not anymore.”

Kouyou twitched slightly. Her grip on the katana getting tighter as she set more pressure against Kunikida’s neck.

”I knew it...” She whispers.

“I should’ve never waited for Mori-dono’s permission to come and get you. If I didn’t you wouldn’t have been—” She trembled, “—blinded by the light.” 

She applied more pressure, Kunikida screams in pain. If she goes any further, he’ll die. 

Kouyou grins devilishly, “Say your goodbyes, boy.” 

More pressu—

“WAIT!” 

-shinck!-

Kunikida hesitantly opened his eyes, he wasn’t dead?

But, Kouyou’s katana was still there? No, it was enveloped in a red glow. His eyes widened, Gravity Manipulation!

Kouyou strained, “Lad, what are you doing?”

Chuuya narrowed his eyes, “I don’t want to hurt you, Ane-san...” But if I must.

Kouyou frowned, she knew what he was planning. “Chuuya, if you do this...”

”There’s no coming back.”

…

Chuuya grit his teeth, activating his ability, For the Tainted Sorrow. “…I know.”

Kouyou’s eyes widened, she also summoned her own ability, Golden Demon.

She didn’t think it’d ever come to this.

”Very well.”

—-

“Hey, I think it’s about time we go in…don’t you think?” 

“…Ugh…let’s just get this over with...”

—-

-Slash!-

“Why’re you holding back Chuuya?” Kouyou yells, straining under Chuuya’s gravity.

Chuuya tsked as he dodged another of Golden Demon’s attacks. “ ‘cause I’m not trying to kill ya’.” He says, throwing a piece of a building at Kouyou.

Golden Demon slashes through it, making sure no stray rubble gets on Kouyou. She grins, “You’ve grown soft, Chuuya. Caring about the enemy? Showing mercy? Haven’t I taught you anything?” She asks, sending another attack at the younger.

Chuuya blocks the attack with another piece, He grumbled. It’s no use attacking Golden Demon, can’t physically hurt her.

He jumped a few inches away from her, trying to analyze the best course of action. If that mackerel were here, what’d he do?

Kunikida, who’s been observing the fight since the beginning, watches intently. There must be a way where I can help!

Kouyou stepped back, ceasing the fight temporarily. “Listen to me Chuuya, I know how you feel.” She says, furrowing her brows. “But, trust me when I say, joining the light isn’t the answer. They’re just using you, all they want is your ability. It’s the only reason why they keep you around, you know that don’t you?”

Chuuya stills, That’s not true..is it?

“The Agency…they’re not using me, they’re not like that!” He says, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

“They’re my family.”

Kouyou scoffs, narrowing her eyes. “Then, you leave me with no choice.” She raised her hand, signing a gesture that Chuuya knows all too well. She’s calling for backup.

-skirrtt!-

In an instant, multiple cars and people emerge from the shadows. They took out their guns and aimed them directly at Chuuya and Kunikida.

”Shit.” Chuuya curses, gravitating over to Kunikida who, for the record was still recovering from previous stab wounds. 

I could take them all out, but..I don’t know about Kunikida. Can he even stand?  

Kouyou stood between the low-ranking grunts, “This is your last chance, Chuuya.” She says, “Surrender, or risk your friend’s demise. Your choice, really.” 

Chuuya clenched his fist, “Damnit..!” 

Was this her plan all along?

“Don’t do it, Nakahara…I’ll be fine.” Kunikida coughed.

How can you say that when you’re on the brink of death?

“Kunikida..”

”Heads down, please!”

Eh?

-CRASH!-

Chuuya jumped back, a straight ass car just came flying right at them! Who the fuck?! 

“Wow! That really flew, huh?” Chuuya’s face visibly relaxed in recognition, “Kenji-kun?” 

Kenji waved over at Chuuya, “Chuuya-san, We’ve come to rescue you!” He beams, running up to the two.

We? 

Just then, Tanizaki appears behind Kenji, smiling sheepishly. “Yosano is on her way as well.”

”We have your back, Chuuya.”

Chuuya gaped at them in shock, “Oh…”

Kouyou grit her teeth, “You Agency vermin…” She signaled the rest to ready their guns. “Blinding Chuuya with your empty promises and false hope!”

Chuuya frowned, “Ane-san, that’s not—”

“Sorry to interrupt your little chit chat, but perhaps we can join in on the fun as well?”

They all jumped in shock, Who?

Two men stood between the group, one of them smiling widely, while the other looked like he could collapse at any given moment. The one who is smiling, who Chuuya will call ‘smiley’, tosses a potato in the air.

”It seems to me like y’all are about to fight. Shame really, if we had arrived just a little bit later, this woulda been easy!” Smiley says.

What the hell is he talking about?

Smiley turns to the other, “Let’s get started, yeah?” He chirped.

Skeleton nods, “Very well…but, all this attention…makes me feel itchy…” he muttered.

Fuckin’ weirdos. 

Smiley laughs at that, “Yeah well, let’s hurry on quick then! Gotta earn our Guild salaries after all.” 

Chuuya’s eyes widened, These guys are with the Guild?

”Hey, move over!” Smiley warns, gesturing over to Kouyou’s men. “The ‘package’ is almost here, after all.”

Huh?

“Chuuya-san! Above us!” Tanizaki shouted, touching Chuuya’s shoulder. Chuuya looked up, Now what the fuck is that—

-BOOM-

“Agh, fuck!” Chuuya coughed, hesitatingly opening his eyes. “Who the hell is that?”

Four figures emerged from the rubble, they all were dressed strangely. Were they other members of the Guild? 

Kouyou’s eyes widened, “Oh no…!” This wasn’t good.

She raised her hand in order, pointing directly at the Guild members. “FIRE!” She commanded. 

The grunts immediately started shooting at them, Smiley grinned. “Well, this’ll be fun…”

“So, where are Mr. Poe and Ms. Alcott?” A man asked, walking ahead of the others.

Someone scoffed.

“Well, Apparently they’re afraid of heights, so they chose to stay behind.” A woman responded, sighing heavily “Honestly, I’d rather they just die...” She murmured.

Another man jumped in the conversation, “Hey! How about we all take this extra time to go on a little drive, huh?” He beamed, waiting expectantly for their answers.

….

”Hey, are you all ignoring me?”

More silence, the others continued walking away from him.

”Hey! Don’t leave me~!” He yelled, running after the group.

What.the.hell

Chuuya groaned, what just happened? 

The last thing he could remember was Tanizaki tackling him to the ground and the sound of gunshots being fired. Did Junichiro use his ability on him? 

He looked around, eyes widening in shock. Everyone was dead. Kenji, Kunikida, Junichiro..

“Shit!” He got up, looking around for any signs that someone might be alive. No response from any of them, Chuuya trembled. “No..No..” 

Not Again.

”Nakahara!” Chuuya spun around, his shoulders sagged in relief. “Doctor…!”

Yosano quickly ran up to Chuuya, “What happened?!” She asked. 

Chuuya stammered, “Mafia..the Guild..It doesn’t matter, we need to get everyone out now.” He says.

Yosano eyes him suspiciously, but nods nevertheless. “Yeah, you’re right.” She sighs, bending down to check Kunikida’s pulse. “He’s still alive—“ Chuuya breathes a sigh of relief, “—But, not for long. I’ll heal him, but I need you to gather the others as well.” She requests.

Chuuya nods, “Yeah, okay.” He says, using his gravity manipulation to place the other two in the center.

Yosano smiles, “Thanks, is that all?”

Chuuya pauses, he forgot all about the mafia members. “Let me check.” He says, wandering around to see if anybody else survived.

He soon stumbles upon a familiar looking red head. Chuuya bites his lip, leaning down to check her pulse, is she…?

-thump-

His eyes lit up, she’s still alive!

“Doctor, there’s one more person I need you to heal!” 

“…Boss, we’ve lost contact with Kouyou-sama’s team, What do we do?” 

Mori grits his teeth, “…It seems like we’re going to have to bring out the big guns, huh?”

”How exciting.”

Chapter Text

You ain't ever gotta lie to me
I'm everything that I strive to be
So do I look like him?
Do I look like him? (Like him, like him, like him, like him)

A FEW DAYS LATER

-click!-

Atsushi’s eyes widened in surprise, he finally did it!

Dazai smiled, “There! Now you know how to pick any lock, pretty cool right?” He exclaimed, handing Atsushi the hair pin.

Atsushi nodded, tucking the hairpin up his sleeve. just like Dazai taught him. 

Dazai ruffled his hair, sitting back against the wall, his hands fidgeting with the lock. Atsushi also went back to playing with his toys. Mimicking quiet action noises as the toys ‘fought’.

“Hey Atsushi,” Dazai spoke. Atsushi looked up momentarily before going back to his toys. Though, Dazai knew he was listening. 

“Did you know that I used to have a partner?” He said, “Chuuya, that’s his name.”

Atsushi paused for a moment, he recognized that name. Didn’t Onee-san say his name once? 

Dazai continued, “I used to hate him, I still do. It’s just…” he trailed off, Atsushi ceased his playing and looked up at Dazai with curiosity. Just?

…

Dazai shook his head, standing up. “It doesn’t matter, forget about it.” He said, quickly changing the subject. “Hey so, what do you want for dinner? I don’t know about you but I’m starving.”  

Atsushi shot him a knowing look, while Dazai waved his hand dismissively. “I’m fine ‘Sushi, seriously.”

Atsushi eyed him suspiciously, choosing to drop the subject for now. 

Dazai hummed in satisfaction, opening the fridge. “So! we have crab, rice, tofu, aand that’s about it…”

Atsushi stood up from where he was sitting, and made his way over to the fridge to observe the variety. He hummed in thought, pondering for a moment before inevitably choosing the canned crab.

Dazai grinned, “I knew you’d pick that, wise choice my boy.” He praised, picking up the two cans of crab.

Atsushi giggled, smiling back up at him.

——

LATER THAT NIGHT

“Hey, Atsushi…”

…

“Atsushi?” Dazai nudged the sleeping boy.

Atsushi squinted his eyes open, looking up at Dazai in confusion. “Hm?” He hummed, though he did look like he was seconds away from passing out.

Which did make Dazai feel a little guilty for disrupting his sleep, I’ll keep this short then.

“I have a very important meeting I must attend tomorrow, so I won’t be able to pick you up from school.” Dazai says, “Which means, you’ll have to take the train back home all by yourself, is that okay?” He asked.

Atsushi nodded, shifting closer towards Dazai. He really didn’t care, he just wanted to sleep.

Dazai smiled, “Good.” he says, running his hand through Atsushi’s hair gently.

Atsushi closed his eyes again, hoping to get back to bed.

”One more thing.”

Atsushi grumbled against Dazai’s chest, will he ever get the sleep he oh so desires?

Dazai huffed lightly, “Just, be safe.” He murmured, he doesn’t want to lose Atsushi too.

Not after Odasaku.

He doesn’t know what he’d do if something were to happen to him. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

Is this how Odasaku felt?

Atsushi pursed his lips, glaring up at Dazai. His face screaming with utter annoyance. Did he seriously interrupt my sleep for this?

“Please?” 

…

Atsushi begrudgingly nodded, resting his head back on Dazai to hopefully get some shut-eye.

Thankfully, Dazai let him rest.

THE NEXT DAY

”Kyouka.”

The girl jumped, she immediately pulled out her dagger, throwing it in the direction of the voice. 

Only people in the mafia knew her name.

The mafioso smiled, catching the knife effortlessly as he tossed it back to her. “Kouyou taught you well, it seems.” He says, leaning against the alley wall.

Kyouka narrowed her eyes in suspicion, “What do you want?” Was he here to kill her? It made sense, considering the fact that she defected from the mafia after all.

The stranger hummed, tapping his fingers rhythmically against his arm. “I have a job for you.” He said, “I need you to watch over someone.”

Kyouka arched an eyebrow at that, “Is it an assassination?” If so, why would he ask her? She’s a traitor.

The man shook his head. “No, not like that. Quite the opposite actually, I just need you to make sure that he gets to his destination safely. Without any unwanted trouble.” He corrected.

Kyouka frowned, “I’m sorry but I don’t do that sort of stuff anymore, I can’t help you.” She says.

“Oh.” the man’s eyes darkened. 

”I’m not asking.”

“Please enjoy your ride!” 

Atsushi glanced outside the window, eyes lighting up in admiration. Wow, the view is so beautiful! He thought.

Dazai would’ve loved to see this.

“Excuse me, is anybody sitting here?” Atsushi looked to the side, there stood a young child. They appeared no older than 13, their hair an odd mix of brown and white, and they were holding a very creepy looking doll.

Atsushi eyed them suspiciously, what’s with the doll?

”Well?” They asked again, snapping Atsushi out of his thoughts. He shook his head, patting the spot next to him, and inviting the stranger to sit.

The child smiled, sittingdown next to Atsushi. “Thanks! I’m Yumeno by the way, Yumeno Kyūsaku. But my friends call me ‘Q’ “ 

Q? Like the letter? 

“What’s yours?” They asked.

Atsushi pulled out his notebook, holding it up for Q to read. ‘Atsushi Nakajima.’

Q tilted their head, “Atsushi, huh?” They murmured, amusement laced in their tone. “Tell me, Atsushi. What do you do for fun?” 

Atsushi paused for a moment. Thinking about how he should explain. He pulled out a paper and some crayons, offering it over to Q. He liked to draw.

Q blinked in suprise.

”Jeepers! is this for me?” They asked, taking the offered items. Atsushi nodded, writing down a few words on his notebook. ‘Maybe we draw together?’

Q smiled, “Yeah, totally!” They said, patting Atsushi’s back. 

Atsushi smiled back at them.

“Haruno-san, grab on!” Naomi held her hand out for her to grab. Haruno strained, trying her best to catch up.

-clasp!-

Naomi pulled her up, both of them panting heavily. Haruno heaved, “That was a close one, huh?” She said.

Naomi chuckled, opening the train door. “Definitely.” 

-creek!-

Q’s head perked up, they looked ahead of the train. There, they saw two girls, a brunette who looked to be in her early 20’s and a girl wearing a high school uniform.

Bingo.

”I have to use the bathroom.” They said, sitting up abruptly, and leaving behind a confused Atsushi. That was…odd?, he thought, shrugging it off.

“I think it’s safe here, no one should be following us now.” Naomi reassured.

Haruno smiled, “Thank goodness, I was so wo—“ 

-bump!-

Haruno winced, “Ah, I’m sorry..!” She says, turning around to look at the person she bumped into.

A kid?

The child turned around, “You’re sorry?” They said, eyeing the two girls curiously. 

“Oh no, I should be the one apologizing.” They smiled.

”You’re not hurt are you?”

Haruno nervously shook her head, “No, not at all, just a little…shaken.” 

The child hummed thoughtfully, “Why don’t you come sit with me and my friend? It’ll take your mind off of things.” They suggested.

The two girls shared hesitant glances, Naomi spoke up. “Are you sure? We wouldn’t want to impose…” 

They waved their hand nonchalantly, “Nonsense, we just love company! Come on.” They took the girl’s hands, leading them to a nearby cart. 

“I’m back~!” They chirped. 

The two girls peered into the cart, their eyes falling upon another young boy. He appeared to be around nine or ten years old, with silver-white hair tipped in brown. His outfit, slightly more formal than the other, makes them believe that he might come from a wealthy family. And like the other child, he had a plush toy. A monkey, though it was less creepier than the former.

The young boy looked up, eyebrows raising in slight surprise. He waved over at them sheepishly, the other child stepped in. “This is Atsushi, he’s not much of a talker so don’t expect much from him.” They explained, sitting down next to the boy. “And I’m Q!” 

Naomi nodded, sitting down across from them as well. “It’s nice to meet you two, Atsushi and, Q?” What a strange name…

”I’m Naomi, and this is Haruno.” She introduced, Haruno waving over at them as she sat down as well.

They all fell into a comfortable silence, Atsushi passing the other two sheets of paper to color on. What a nice boy.

”Now arriving, Yokohama City.” 

”Ah, seems like our stop is here!” Q chirped, setting their crayon down. 

“Seems so.” Haruno said, grabbing her bag.

They all got up, the two girls walking ahead of them. Once they were out of sight Q grabbed Atsushi’s arm, “Atsushi, wait.” 

Atsushi stopped, he tilted his head in confusion. What does Q need?

Q smiled eerily, “You wanna see something cool?”

Like a magic trick?

He nodded excitedly, He loved magic tricks!

Q’s smile grew wider, “Look.” They began slowly rolling up their sleeve, blood dripping on the floor.

Atsushi’s eyes widened, “Pretty cool, right? Now I want to show you something even cooler.”

-slide!-

”Haruno-san, Naomi-san!” They looked ahead, it was Chuuya. He walked up to the two, “Are you two alright?” He asked, giving them a once-over. 

Naomi nodded, “Yeah, just a little frightened that’s all…” She said. 

Chuuya hummed, “Well, don’t worry, I’ll make sure you two make it back to the evacuation site safely.” He assured.

Naomi smiled, “Oh right! I almost forgot. We struck up a conversation with some cute little kids on the train…” She says, turning around waiting for the children to come out. 

…

-step-

A young boy stepped out, head hanging low. Chuuya narrowed his eyes, something was wrong. 

”This is Atsushi! He doesn’t talk much but he’s a lovely little boy.” Naomi cooed, patting his head.

Chuuya nodded, forcing himself to relax. He smiled down at the boy, holding his hand out for him to shake. “Nice to meet you, Atsushi. I’m Nakahara Chuuya.”

…

Atsushi didn’t say anything, “Atsushi?” Naomi nudged gently.

Still nothing.

Chuuya pursed his lips, “Hey kid, you alrig—“

“Oh, the…~” Chuuya froze, that voice.

A child stepped out, singing a tune. “Bird innn the..baaaas-ket~!” They sung.

Chuuya immediately moved the rest away, “Q.” He spat out, how the hell did they get released? 

Q giggled, “Chuuya-nee~!” They beamed, “I’m so happy to see you again!” They said, reaching out for the older.

Chuuya recoiled in disgust, “What are you doing here.” He asked, Did they touch anyone yet? 

Or activate their ability?

Q laughed again, “I’m just following orders! You know how Mori can be, rigghht?” They drawled.

Chuuya grit his teeth, “You..!”

”Atsushi-kun?!” Chuuya paused, spinning around quickly. Shit.

Atsushi was sprawled on the floor, his voice was screaming out in pain while his fingers tugged harshly at his hair. Like always, his eyes were bleeding as he had a crazed look on his face. Chuuya has seen this one to many times but, something was different…

But what?

Kyouka, who was watching from afar hurriedly pulled out her phone. That must be Q. 

-click-

“Kyouka-chan? What is it?” 

“It’s Atsushi, he made contact with Q! Something’s wron—” 

”Where.” 

Kyouka frowned, “At the train station—“

-beep-

He hung up. 

Kyouka looked back at the commotion, Atsushi was still on the floor. And Chuuya had restrained him with his gravity, will that hold him?

”Atsushi! Can you hear me?!” Chuuya shouted, “Listen to me, whatever you see isn’t real! It can’t hurt you.” He assured, hoping it would somehow reach the boy.

The boy’s screams got louder, his fingers   clawing at his skin, As if he was trying to tear something out.

Chuuya furrowed his brows, what is he—?

-BEAM-

Suddenly, a blue light surrounded the boy with kanji written all over it. ‘Beast beneath the Moonlight’ 

Oh no. 

Naomi screeched in horror, “Atsushi-kun?!” Atsushi began to transform into something, other-worldly. 

His hands began expanding, with his skin shifting to a mottled gray as his eyes glowed a vivid yellow, and his body began to grow bigger and bigger, muscles rippling beneath his skin.

Chuuya protectively stood infront of the clerks, ready to use his ability. Whatever this boy is turning into…it won’t be good.

Atsushi’s transformation continued, his body stretching outwards with fur sprouting everywhere on him.

Chuuya’s eyes widened in shock, the once boy who stood in front of them was now gone. Now he had morphed into a massive white tiger, a white tiger that didn’t look friendly.

Chuuya bit his lip, “Fuck…” he muttered. Am I really gonna have to kill a kid? Let alone an innocent?

The tiger snarled, lunging directly towards him. Before Chuuya could do anything, a figure leaped between them, halting the tiger in its tracks. With a swift motion, he placed a hand on the tiger, and in an instant, another blue light appeared.

-WOOSH-

The tiger soon began reverting back to the little boy it was before, disappearing without a trace.

Now, it was just Atsushi.

The boy still seemed to be out of it though, just not under Q’s control anymore. He stumbled around before letting himself fall completely into the stranger’s arms, collapsing from exhaustion. 

Chuuya eyed the stranger suspiciously, I swear I’ve seen this guy before…, He thought.

The man turned his head around, which made Chuuya’s eyes widened in recognition. “Dazai?!” He yelled in surprise, what in the world was Dazai doing here?!

Dazai’s eyes lit up, “Chuuya…what are you doing here?” He asked, the audacity.

”Me? What are you doing here?!” Chuuya stood up, pointing at Dazai accusingly.

Dazai frowned, “I was in the area and I just happened to hear the commotion going on.” He explained.

Chuuya raised a brow, he just happened to be in the area? Bullshit.

”Speaking of…” Dazai’s eyes darkened, he gently placed Atsushi on the ground, turning to Q who was watching the whole time.

Q’s eyes widened in fear, they stepped back.

Dazai walked closer.

”Kyūsaku.” He glowered, glaring down at the teen. Q jumped at the mention of their name, they stammered. “Y-You can’t hurt me! It’s not allowed!”

A step closer.

Q backed up into a wall, Dazai moved closer. 

They smiled nervously. “I’m serious, if you do, Mori-san will punish you! Don’t you remember?” They taunted, hoping that would get Dazai to back off.

Dazai smiled sharply, “How cute.” he knelt down in front of them. “You think I care.”

Dazai then roughly grabbed their hair, speaking lowly so Chuuya wouldn’t be able to hear. But judging from the way Q reacted, it couldn’t be good.

Chuuya frowned, he almost forgot how aggressive Dazai was with Q. So much so that he almost felt bad for the poor kid.

Almost.

Once Dazai was finished threatening Q with god knows what, he moved to pick Atsushi back up.

Chuuya fumbled, “Woah woah!, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Last time he checked, this kid was not Dazai’s.

Dazai sighed, “He’s mine, Atsushi.” He said, like it was the most casual thing on earth.

What.

Chuuya furrowed his brows,”The fuck do you mean he’s yours? I don’t ever remember you having a goddamn kid.” He argued.

Dazai’s gaze on Chuuya sharpened, he smiled sharply. “Maybe you would’ve known if you didn’t leave.” He replied.

Chuuya paused, “That’s not fair, don’t do that.” He mumbled, crossing his arms. “You know I had my reasons.”

Dazai snorted, standing up with Atsushi still in his arms. “Whatever you say, partner.” He smiled, Chuuya froze. The fuck?

Dazai waved him goodbye, leaving him confused and conflicted. Chuuya wanted to run after him, and maybe punch him in the face.

”Chuuya-san…?” Chuuya jumped. Crap, he forgot all about the clerks.

”Sorry, you guys alright?” He pulled the two up, checking for any exterior injuries.

Naomi shook her head, as did Haruno. Chuuya sighed in relief. ”Good, we should get going then.” They nodded.

He turned around to look at Q, who was still sitting on the floor, they looked scared, sad even. Is it right to just leave them here?

”Chuuya-san?” Naomi called out, snapping Chuuya out of his thoughts.

He shook his head, turning away from them and back to the girls. 

“Yeah, I’m coming.”

Dazai stopped in front of the shipping container door, someone was here.

He turned around, “You can come out now, nobody’s here.” 

…

-shuffle-

Kyouka hesitantly emerged from the shadows, ever since Dazai left the train station he felt someone watching him. He figured that it was Kyouka.

She didn’t say anything, it was clear that she felt guilty for something.

Dazai sighed, “Don’t worry, you’ll still get the same amount of money that was promised.” He assured.

Kyouka nodded, she didn’t really care about the money.

“Is he…” She tugged at her kimono, “Is he okay?” She asked sheepishly.

Dazai’s eyebrows raise slightly, he looked back down at the sleeping child in his arms. “Physically? Probably, Mentally? Ehh…” He joked.

Kyouka cracked a smile, still not moving from her spot as yet.

Dazai nodded at her, turning back around to enter the container, which should’ve indicated that the conversation was over.

She still hasn’t left.

…

Oh my god.

Dazai sighed, “Would you—“

Don’t.

“Like to—“

Dazai, I swear to god.

“—Come in?” Her head perked up, she looked around curiously before pointing at herself. “Me?” 

Dazai deadpanned, “Well, you’re the only one here aren’t you?” 

Kyouka blinked up at him.

“Well?” 

She nodded, “Okay.”

Now’s a perfect time to jump off a bridge.

——

Atsushi groaned, his body hurt a lot.

He squinted his eyes open and looked around. He was back in the shipping container…

”Morning.” He looked to the side, it was Dazai.

Atsushi didn’t say anything, though he looked a bit distant.

Dazai figured this would happen.

He sighed, “How much do you remember?” He asked, it’s best to get that out of the way first.

…

”…monster…”

Dazai paused, did he see a monster in his hallucinations?

“…me…?”

Ah.

Dazai frowned, “You’re not a monster Atsushi.” He affirmed, “You’re just…special.” 

Atsushi looked at him curiously, what did he mean by that?

“So, you have what we like to call, an ability. Which means you possess a…superpower, like an anime character.” Dazai explained. “Only a few people possess an ability, I for one have one myself.”

Atsushi’s eyes lit up, Dazai has an ability?. Dazai smiled, “My ability is super cool you see, I can nullify abilities.” He says, wiggling his fingers around in emphasis.

Atsushi grins, nullification is pretty cool.

”And plenty of other people I work with have abilities too, like Kyouka here for example.” He pointed at the girl standing across from them.

Atsushi jumped, he hadn’t even realized that she was here!

He quickly clung onto Dazai for protection, he’s had enough run-ins with strange people to know not to let his guard down.

Dazai pat his head, pulling him closer to provide a sense of comfort. “Don’t worry, she won’t hurt you.” He assured, “She’s with me.”

Kyouka nodded, bowing slightly. “Nice to meet you, I’m Kyouka Izumi.” She introduced graciously, she reminded Atsushi of Kouyou.

Atsushi hummed in an acknowledgement, still not letting go of Dazai, in fact he moved closer. He doesn’t trust her.

The latter sighed, “Listen Atsushi, Kyouka is gonna be here for a while, okay? There are some…complications happening at work right now that I have to deal with. Which means that I can’t keep you safe completely, so I asked Kyouka to watch over you. Just for a bit.” He explained.

Atsushi pursed his lips, he didn’t know if he could trust her. 

“So will you be good?”

But, Dazai looked like he did.

Atsushi begrudgingly nodded, even though he didn’t like it.

Dazai smiled, ruffling Atsushi’s hair. “Good, now I just have to go make a quick call, okay?” He said, standing up. 

Atsushi looked up at him with teary eyes, he didn’t want Dazai to go.

Dazai shot him a sympathetic smile before temporarily leaving the container.

-shut!-

-ring-

“Ah, Osamu? To what do I owe the—“

”Did you send Q to Atsushi, yes or no?” Dazai interrupted. 

…

A pause.

That’s all Dazai needed to know.

“Is that what this is about? I sent Q to the Agency, not your boy.”

“Do you really want to lie to me right now, Mori?” Dazai glowered, “Listen, I don’t give two shits on whatever you plan to do with the Agency, but you will leave Atsushi out of this.” He demanded.

“Are we clear?”

A chuckle, “Are you really giving me orders right now? Need I remind you who’s boss here?” 

“If you keep this up, you won’t be for long.” 

…

”Osa—“

“Keep him out of it.” Dazai cut him off, promptly hanging up the phone. 

-beep- 

Fucking asshole. Dazai frowned, turning back around to enter the container. “Atsushi, I’m back~!” 

Laughter.

Dazai paused, both Atsushi and Kyouka were playing with his toys. With Atsushi seeming to be more immersed in the play as Kyouka silently watched.

Dazai grinned, “You guys are playing without me already? No fair!” He whined, moving closer towards the two.

Atsushi rolled his eyes playfully, passing over an action figure towards Dazai. He smiled gratefully, “Why thank you Atsushi-kun!”

Atsushi signed at him, ‘You’re welcome, Big Baby.’

Dazai narrowed his eyes at Atsushi, “I knew I shouldn’t have taught you how to sign that…” he grumbled.

Atsushi hummed in satisfaction. Turning back to finish playing with Kyouka.

She was nice and quiet, like him. Which made him like her.

He still has to get used to this whole ability thing but…

Maybe it won’t be so bad?

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

Know what they say
Cherish your friends and keep’em close
Don’t forget

Not closer than you keep your foes

You’re my enemy and my light
Darkest night, The curse of you and I
Maybe if we could turn back time
We’ll survive, the curse of you and I

-BANG-

-BANG-

Shit.

Chuuya huffed, punching at the steel door. “Damnit!” He cursed, if only I had my ability. Chuuya looked out of the window, smoke was already rising.

He grit his teeth, kicking at the door again. It still wouldn’t budge, “Fuck! this is really bad…” 

“Serves you right.” A voice.

Chuuya looked up. There, he saw the same red-headed girl from the other day. What was her name again? Lucy? He narrowed his eyes, “You…what do you want?”

Lucy smirked, she held up the previously ripped doll in front of him. “Fitzgerald-sama told me to burn this ugly doll, and I figured I should visit the poor li’l stray doggy first.” Who the hell is she calling doggy?

Chuuya tched, “Now’s not the time for this! You have to let me out, or everyone will be—“

”By everyone. You mean your Agency friends, right? Not mine.” Lucy interrupted, “Though, it’s not like it matters anyway. Once the city burns to the ground and you’re all alone, maybe I could let you out.” She shrugged casually, “Then perhaps you’ll understand how I feel too.”

Chuuya paused, is she talking about her time at the orphanage? “What are you talking about? Of course I kno—“

“Liar!” She shouted, “You have absolutely no idea on how I feel! Tell me, have you ever worn unsold patched-up clothing for over a year? Or washed dishes until your hands were frozen and bleeding? Have you ever been beaten with a red-hot Poker as a punishment!?” 

“Can you even imagine how much suffering, how much pain are on these scars?!” She raised her sleeve in emphasis, revealing healed scars.“So don’t tell me that you know how I feel, when you obviously don’t!” 

…

“You’re right, I don’t know what it’s like.” he says finally, “The pain you’ve suffered, the grief you’ve carried—it’s not something I’ve ever had to live with.”

Chuuya looked down, his grip tightening on the bar. “But I do know what it feels like to be afraid, to feel completely isolated. It’s a scary feeling, you can’t help but feel like you’re going crazy, like you’re going to be stuck in the same place forever. And sometimes, you feel yourself going back into that room, and I...I know that feeling all too well.”

Lucy furrowed her brows, “You couldn’t possibly—“

”I know.” 

Oh.

Chuuya sighed, “Now listen to me Montgomery-san, There are people below us who are about to meet their fates. If you leave them to die, you’ll be abandoning your past self as well. Are you really okay with that?” He asked.

…

Lucy sighed.

-
Whoosh!

Chuuya blinked. In an instant, they had been transported into a completely different room. This must be her ability.

Chuuya turned to Lucy, who had already taken her kerchief off. “It’s too late.” She  murmured, “Yokohama’s done for.”

”What…?”

She turned to Chuuya, face clouded with guilt. “You know, don’t you? Once the curse is triggered, it can’t be stopped.”

“I’m sorry.” 

Chuuya frowned, there has to be something…

He paused. Wait, that’s it! 

“No, there’s still a way.” Chuuya mused, “This guy I know, Dazai, he possesses a nullification ability, he’s dealt with this before. If I can just get him to touch the doll, then that’ll be the end of the curse.”

Lucy grit her teeth, “Are you stupid?!” She yelled. “Do you even know how high up we are in the air? Let alone the fact that your ability won’t be coming back until another thirty-minutes has passed! Hell, do you even know where this guy is?!” She asked.

Chuuya glanced down, face filled with determination and hope. “No, but I know he’ll find me.” 

Is this guy for real? 

“Y—You’re serious?” She asked in disbelief,  “You’re willing to jump off of this height? And break all of your bones in the process? Or be mauled apart by the crowd of people down below? You’re willing to risk it all for someone who you don’t even know is alive?” 

Chuuya snorted at that, “He’s definitely not dead.” 

“And how can you be so sure?” 

He smiled slightly, “Because he’s my partner.” 

Lucy gave him an exasperated look, this guy…does he seriously hold that much trust into this one person?

”Ugh…”

-
Fwoop!

Chuuya looked up in surprise, Lucy had just summoned Anne, who held out her hands to him, revealing a parachute bag. “This is…”

”A parachute bag. I’m giving you the one I saved for myself a while ago just incase if things ever went to shit.” Lucy said, crossing her arms. “You’d have to be fool to jump this high, even I can’t bear to watch.”

She raised her hand, pointing over to a nearby door, “I’ve connected that door to the Moby Dick’s outer wall. So, all you need to do is jump off.” She explained.

Chuuya nodded, walking over to the door. Pausing before he touched the knob, he turned to Lucy. “But, what about you?” He asked.

Lucy smiled at him, “I’ll be fine. As long as I’m in here, I’ll be safe.” 

Chuuya furrowed brows, “But, if you stay here…you can never leave again, right?”

Her smile faded, she glanced down to the floor, “That’s right.” She murmured. “I’ll be stuck here forever.”

He figured. 

Chuuya opened the exit door, wind instantly began blowing at his face. “Montgomery-san.” he started, “I swear, once this is over…I will save you.” He declared. Lucy stiffened. Save, me?

No one’s ever said that to her before.

She huffed, a small smile playing on her face. “I’ll be waiting, then.” She says, waving him goodbye.

Chuuya nodded, giving Lucy a goodbye wave before jumping off the Moby Dick.

Here we go.

“A5158 has escaped from his cell!”

“I repeat, A5158 has escaped from his cell!”

Mark shot up, grinning widely. Now’s his chance!

”Activate the Anti-Air Cannon!”

Mark immediately began running down the halls once he heard this, So exciting! So exciting!

-
Clank!

Mark adjusted his seat, leaning back nonchalantly. “Heh, with the Great Twain at the controls, capturing a falling target’ll be a piece of cake!” He smiled, leaning into the scope, and activating his ability, Huck Finn & Tom Sawyer.

He pulled the trigger, releasing Tom.

-
Bang!

Chuuya turned his head as a sharp bullet flew right past him. “Found Ya!” It said, flying away from him. Chuuya furrowed his brows. “The hell was that?” 

-
Bang!

Another bullet zipped past him, Chuuya tched, pulling his parachute. He was getting closer to ground anyway.

”Tom has found the target’s coordinates.” 

Mark lights up, grin deepening. “Good boy, Tom! Time to lock in!” He chirped, placing his hand on the trigger.

”FIRE!!”

A cannon goes straight through his parachute, causing him to free fall once more. Chuuya grit his teeth, “Shit!” 

He’ll die if this keeps up, unless…

”Clean shot, Mark!” Tom praised, “You blew straight through the parachute.” 

Mark smiled victoriously, “Of course I did, I am Mark Twain after all.” He said, smiling smugly. “So how’s doggy boy?” 

“Still falling through the sky, I don’t really think he’s gonna make it.” Tom says. “Also, what happened to not killing anyone?” He asked, turning to Mark.

Mark grinned. “I’m sure the ability users in this country’ll figure it out!” 

“Sure…”

“Uh, Mark?” Huck spoke up, Mark hummed in acknowledgement. “What’s up, bro?” 

“I think we might have a problem…” 

“What kind of problem?”

”It seems as though the red-head got his ability back.” Mark’s eyes widened, he shot up. “Seriously?!” But he still only has 15 minutes left! How?

He looked through the scope, mouth gaping in shock. Huck was right, The gravity manipulator was already on the ground, making his way for the ugly doll. “Oh man, this isn’t good…” He muttered, adjusting his glasses. “It’s time to lock in, boys.”

Chuuya picked up the doll hurriedly, I just need to get to the Port Mafia, then this’ll be over!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

Chuuya activated his ability, avoiding each shot fired at him. He clenched his jaw, this guy’s been a real pain in his ass lately…

He turned to the flying airship, giving them the finger. ”Fuck you, Dipshits!” He cursed, using his ability to throw a nearby chunk of a building in Mark’s direction.

Mark’s eyes widened, he moved away quickly as the bricks came crashing down, narrowly missing his body. “Mayday! Mayday!” He shouted, pressing a big red button. Almost automatically, alarms began blaring, and the supposed evacuation process begun.

”Mark!” Tom shouted, “You can shoot a few more times! I’ve got a shot!” He says.

“Tell me.”

Chuuya began running towards the Port Mafia buildings, getting rid of anyone who blocked his path. “Where the hell are you…?” He murmured.

His eyes glanced over to the side, and he couldn’t help but notice the odd lineup of little statues(?) on the street.

“When did that get here…?”

Bang! 

Another bullet flew by him, Chuuya’s eyes widened. “You can’t be serious…!” Did he miss the first time?

He picked up the pace, eyes landing on an incoming object ahead of him. A tanker truck.

”Shit!” He cursed, as a bullet shot at it, causing it to explode in his face.

BOOM!

”We got him!” Mark cheered, turning to Huck. “Well?”

Huck nodded, “There’s absolutely no way someone would survive that, he’s most certainly dead.”

Mark hummed in victory, looking back at the mess he made. Suddenly, a cloud of pink smoke began filling his line of vision. Mark’s eyes widened, “What?! A smoke screen?!”

”That’s not all!” Tom shouted, pressing different buttons of the craft. “Heat sensors and radars are also down!”

”We’ve been bamboozled!”

”No way…so it was all just a trap? They had to of known that doggy boy was coming down…” Mark murmured.

”Mark…”

Mark smirked, bursting out in laughter. “This is just amazing! We totally lost!” He giggled, leaning back against his chair.

Both Tom and Huck sighed, “This is no laughing matter, Mark!” Tom remarked.

”Sorry, Sorry…It’s just…too…funny…!” He wheezed.

Boy, Fitzgerald’s gonna be pissed.

Chuuya exhaled, sitting back against the wall. God, he was exhausted. 

“So…” He starts, “How’d you know that I was here?” Chuuya asked, glaring over at Dazai who was standing by the opposite wall.

The man in question shrugged casually, “It’s not hard to spot a little chihuahua falling through the sky!” He cooed, smirking mischievously.

Chuuya growled at him, “Don’t call me a dog, damnit!” He shouted, pushing himself off the wall. Dazai giggled, “Awh, but isn’t that what you are, Chu-ya~?” He crooned. God, he wanted to kill him.

Chuuya huffed, “Whatever, just hurry up and nullify this damn doll.” He ordered, shoving the doll against Dazai’s chest. 

Dazai sighed lazily, dis-activating the ability. “There, you happy now?” 

Chuuya sagged his shoulders in relief, allowing himself to finally relax. “Very.”He says, sitting down on the steps.

Dazai smiled, moving to sit down next to him. Chuuya arched an eyebrow at this, but allowed him to. As Dazai eased into place, their arms brushed lightly—a fleeting touch, barely noticeable, yet lingering enough to spark an unspoken tension.

Chuuya shifted around awkwardly, trying his best to create as much personal space that he could, they were way too close for his liking. This caused Dazai’s grin to deepen, “What’s wrong, Slug? Have my charms gotten to you already?” He teased, leaning further against Chuuya. Fuck that.

Chuuya snarled at him, pushing Dazai’s face away from him aggressively. “As if! Never in a million years would I ever find you attractive.” He remarked.

Dazai pouted, placing a hand against his heart dramatically. “You wound me, Chuuya! How could you? I thought we had something special going on!” 

Chuuya scoffed, “Delusion isn’t a good look on you, mackerel.” He says, crossing his arms.

Dazai blew a raspberry at him, finally sitting a safe distance away from Chuuya. 

Thank God.

Chuuya sighed, “Actually, there’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you.” 

Dazai lifts his head up, tilting it curiously at Chuuya’s comment. “Go on…”

Chuuya looked at Dazai, a determined look colored on his face. “What do you say about the Agency and the Port Mafia teaming up?”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“Ugh…” Chuuya groaned, groggily opening his eyes. What…happened…?

The last thing he remembered was using Corruption on that Lovecraft guy, and asking Dazai to bring him back to the base…

As his vision cleared, he quickly realized he wasn’t at the Agency.

Where was he?

The place certainly didn’t look familiar. Plush toys were scattered everywhere—stuffed bears, bunnies, dinosaurs, and a few characters from recognizable cartoons. The walls, bare metal with patches of rust, were a chaotic patchwork of crayon and marker drawings, each one more colorful than the last—animals, stick figures, castles, trees, in wild, abstract shapes. A few were crookedly taped, some faded from age, while others were fresh, the paper still creased from where it had been hastily stuck up.

Then there were also Fairy lights, strung haphazardly along the walls, casting a soft, warm glow, contrasting with the cold, industrial surroundings. And in the corner stood a small, vibrant blanket fort made from pillows and blankets, its entrance crooked and messy.

Wait…was he in a shipping container?

Oh shit. 

”Oh, look who’s awake!” A familiar voice purred.

Chuuya looked to his side, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “Dazai? What the hell am I doing here…” Was this seriously Dazai’s shipping container? The last time Chuuya had ever been here it was practically empty, not even an ounce of the homey vibe that it was giving off right now.

He tried sitting up, but quickly realized that wasn’t the greatest idea. His bones creaked under the pressure, giving out almost immediately before he could even do anything. Chuuya winced and opted to lay back down on his back. He’d almost forgotten just how much Corruption hurt *after* he’d used it.

“Yeah, I’d avoid moving if I were you,” Dazai suggested, pulling out a damp cloth and gently placing it on Chuuya’s forehead.

Chuuya rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks Einstein, I totally didn’t notice.” He remarked.

Dazai hummed in satisfaction, leaning back against his chair. “Anyway, you’re in my shipping container, remember? You asked me to take you here.” Yeah right.

Chuuya’s eyebrows furrowed once more.“I told you to take me back to the fucking base. Not your goddamn metal house, you freak.” He spat.

Dazai giggled, tilting his head with mock innocence. “I have no idea what you mean! And besides, isn’t it bad to curse in front of children?”

Chuuya paused, children? 

He glanced beside Dazai and saw a familiar-looking boy staring at him with cautious curiosity. Atsushi.

Chuuya eyes softened once he saw that the boy was unharmed, he was worried that something may have happened after the Q incident.  “Uh, hey there…Atsushi,” Chuuya said, his voice gentler than usual. He offered a small, hesitant smile. “I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m Chuuya. Chuuya Nakahara.”

The boy didn’t say anything, in fact it seemed as though his suspicion for Chuuya grew even bigger. He called Dazai a freak…Is he a bully?

If that was true, it didn’t make sense. Why did Dazai like him so much?

I don’t like him.

Dazai turned to Atsushi, nudging him slightly. “Don’t be rude, Atsushi-kun.” He scolded, Atsushi furrowed his brows.

He reluctantly lifted his hand, giving Chuuya a small, hesitant wave.

Chuuya sighed, waving back dismissively. “It’s fine, Dazai,” he muttered. “Just…help me up already.”

Dazai looked down at Chuuya with a skeptical look. “Are you sure? You don’t want to lay down just a little longer?” He asked, tone laced with pure amusement. Chuuya shot him a glare. “Just help me up you bastard! I can handle it.” 

Atsushi’s eyes narrowed. Such a brutish man…

Dazai shrugged, moving closer towards Chuuya. “Don’t blame me if it hurts.” Chuuya rolled his eyes, “Yeah, Yeah.” 

Dazai grasped both of Chuuya's shoulders, lifting him with careful hands as as Chuuya adjusted himself, leaning back against the wall for stability. “There, better?” Dazai asked. Chuuya nodded in response, “Much.”

“You know slug, I think I like how you look after you use Corruption. It makes you look like a wet dog, just as you’re supposed to be!” Dazai snickered, clearly trying to get a rise out of Chuuya.

Chuuya growled. “Oi, watch yourself.” He warned, his gaze sharpening on Dazai. “Don’t think I forgot about what you did.” 

Clearly, it worked.

Dazai chuckled. “Whatever you say, hatrack.” He smiled, looking back at the young boy besides him, “Hey, ‘Sushi, go get me Chuuya’s plate.” He requested. Atsushi raised a brow, signing something to Dazai. ‘Why me? Can’t go himself?’

Dazai’s grin widened. He glanced back at Chuuya, who looked completely confused. “What’d he say?” Chuuya asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What? You can’t understand JSL, Chuuya?” Dazai teased, signing back to Atsushi. ‘Don’t argue with me, just go.’ Atsushi pursed his lips. ‘Don’t wanna.’

Chuuya rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “That’s not JSL nor ASL, idiot. And I learned both so don’t even try to gaslight me. You two are talking in some secret language, aren’t you?”

Dazai hummed teasingly, a playful smile on his face. “Maybe.” He gave Atsushi another look—one Chuuya couldn’t quite decipher. ‘Atsushi.’

…

Atsushi huffed in annoyance, standing up to go get Chuuya a dish. 

Atsushi begrudgingly held out a bowl towards Chuuya, who took it gratefully. “Thank you, Atsushi.” He smiled. Atsushi nodded, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Why’s he so nice to me but not Dazai?

Dazai propped himself next to Chuuya, smiling smugly. “I made it all by myself, Chuuya! So hurry up and eat it!” He gloated, practically jumping in excitement.

Chuuya looked down at the food, eyeing it suspiciously. “You…made this…?” He asked. He still remembers the last time Dazai made a meal for him…

God, he was sick for days.

Dazai, as if reading his mind, smiled even wider. “I didn’t poison your food, Chuuya! So don’t worry.” Like I’d believe that!

Chuuya brought the spoon up to his mouth, hesitatingly taking a bite. Maybe it’s not as bad? It has been four years, after all…

He regretted it instantly.

”Bleh!” Chuuya grimaced, spitting the food out immediately. “This shit taste like dumpster fire!” He yelled, pushing the bowl away. 

Dazai pouted dramatically, even though he had a feeling that Chuuya wouldn’t have liked it either way. “But Chuuya! I worked real hard making this! And I do it daily, no pay! Tell him, Atsushi.” He feeds this shit to the kid?

Chuuya turned to Atsushi, face filled with sympathy. “Holy shit, kid. You eat this crap everyday? I feel bad for yer’ poor stomach…” He cringed.

Atsushi cracked a smile, nodding in agreement. ‘Yes, really bad. Yuck!’ he signed, sticking out his tongue for emphasis.

Dazai gasped dramatically, his face full of mock offense. “Atsushi, you traitor! You’re supposed to be on my side!” he whined.

Chuuya smirked down at him. “I have no idea what you just said, but I’m glad we’re on the same page.” he said. “Once I’m all healed up, kid, I’ll make you a real meal. Your pick.”

My own?

Atsushi’s eyes lit up. He turned to Dazai with an excited grin. ‘Chazuke?!’

“What’d he say?” Chuuya asked.

Dazai rolled his eyes, sighing in defeat. “He wants you to make him chazuke. It’s his favorite.”

Chazuke’s pretty simple.

Chuuya nodded. “Sure, I can make that.”

Atsushi’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, his smile growing as he looked up at Chuuya.

He’s decided that Chuuya’s his second favorite person now.

—

LATER

Dazai stood up from where he’d been sitting, letting out an exaggerated sigh. “Man, this sucks…”

Chuuya glanced up from his book, raising an eyebrow in slight confusion. “What is it now?”

“Stupid Mori wants me to come to his office to ‘talk’.” Dazai explained, grimacing as if the word itself offended him. Is that it?

Chuuya hummed in acknowledgment, already looking back down at his book. “I see.”

Dazai frowned, waiting for more of a reaction. “That’s all you have to say?”

Chuuya scoffed, flipping a page. “I mean, I don’t really care.”

Dazai crossed his arms, a dramatic frown playing on his face. “You’re so cold, Chuuya! No wonder you don’t have a girlfriend.” The hell?

Chuuya’s eye twitched in annoyance as he aggressively flipped another page, ignoring Dazai. 

Ignoring me, huh?

Dazai huffed, turning away from Chuuya with an exaggerated pout. “Fine, be like that.” he grumbled, “I’ll just find someone who’ll actually miss me.” He says, walking over to Atsushi’s mini blanket fort.

Peeking his head inside, he called softly.“Hey, Atsushi? I’m heading out now.”

Atsushi jumped, clearly startled. It looked like he’d been coloring something, but Dazai couldn’t quite make out what—especially since Atsushi was not-so-subtly trying to hide it.

Still, he gave a quick wave into Dazai’s direction. Dazai’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. If he wasn’t in such a rush he’d have asked Atsushi about it. But…he really needed to go.

”Okay, I’ll be off then…” 

-
Knock!

-
Knock!

”Boss? it’s me.” Dazai called out.

”Ah, Osamu? Come on in.” 

Dazai pushed open the door, eyes landing upon Elise who was currently trying on another dress. “Ugh, Rintaro! Can I just get back to my dolls now?” She huffed, crossing her arms.

Mori frowned, pouting like a scolded child. “But, Elise-chan~! Just one more dress, please?”

“Nuh-uh! I’m done!”

Dazai cleared his throat awkwardly, breaking up their little exchange. “Uh, Boss? You wanted to see me, right?”

Mori looked up, his face brightening into an unsettlingly cheerful smile. “Ah, Osamu! Yes, yes, come sit.” He stood, brushing off his coat as he gestured towards a nearby seat.

Dazai nodded and took a seat across from him, leaning back casually. “So, what’s this all about?” He asked, tone laced with disinterest. 

Mori hummed. “Well I couldn’t help but notice recently that you’ve been…slacking off.” He says, interlocking his hands together.

Dazai raised an eyebrow at this. Well this was new. He thought, straightening up a bit. “Slacking off? I don’t understand.”

Mori, as if anticipating this, pulled out a file. "As you know, the Port Mafia keeps detailed records of each member's performance every year—just in case, correct?"

Dazai nodded slowly. Where was he going with this?

Mori handed him the file, his smile sharp and calculating. "Take a look for yourself. This is your performance review from last year."

Dazai frowned as he flipped through the file, scanning its contents quickly. Is this guy serious?

Looking back up at Mori, he tilted his head in confusion. “Excuse me, Boss, but I don’t really see the issue here,” he said casually. “Sure, my numbers have dropped a little, but is that really worth fussing over? I’m still bringing in money, aren’t I?” 

Mori sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Osamu, listen. I know you’ve been… preoccupied with that boy of yours lately."

Dazai’s eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Atsushi, but he kept his expression neutral, allowing Mori to continue.

“But you need to get yourself together. For both our sakes.” Mori continued, his voice taking on a darker edge. “You’re a mafioso, Osamu, not a father.”

"Don't forget what happened to Oda," Mori added, his tone heavy with warning. "I don't want to see you following the same path."

For a moment, Dazai froze. His face gave nothing away, but his fingers tightened ever so slightly in his lap. “I understand, Boss.” he said quietly, his gaze lowering. “Will that be all?”

Mori’s smile grew sharper, his satisfaction evident. “Yes, that’s all. You may leave.” He said.

Without another word, Dazai rose from his seat and turned for the door. As he walked out, dark thoughts churned relentlessly in his mind. He’s wrong. I’m not like Odasaku.

Odasaku had been a wonderful father, always knowing exactly what to do with those kids. He was the kind of person Atsushi would have admired—kind, caring, thoughtful. 

Somebody who would’ve been perfect for Atsushi, Dazai thought bitterly. He deserved someone like that. Not someone like me.

Dazai was the opposite of everything Odasaku had been. Where Odasaku had brought light and hope, Dazai brought darkness and ruin. He didn’t deserve Atsushi—or anyone, really. People like Odasaku had learned that too late.

He was horrible. A monster. A jinx. The only thing he was good at was getting people killed.

As he walked down the path home, the weight of his thoughts bore down on him. His footsteps getting heavier with each step. What if I get Atsushi killed?

The thought sent a shiver down his spine. His mind wandered further. Or Chuuya, for that matter?

He reached the door, his hand hesitating for just a second before he knocked three times.

The silence that followed felt suffocating. His chest tightened as another dark thought crept in. Would I even be able to live with myself? In a world without Atsushi?

The door creaked open, and a familiar face peeked out. As soon as Dazai stepped inside, Atsushi jumped on him, wrapping his arms around him tightly.

Dazai froze for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden embrace. Slowly, he brought a hand up to pat Atsushi’s head, his usual grin finding its way to his face, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Seems like someone missed me.” He said.

Atsushi crawled into his fort, digging around as if he was looking for something. Dazai didn’t say anything, waiting patiently for Atsushi to get whatever he needed. Chuuya’s been awfully quiet.

Atsushi jumped back out, interrupting Dazai’s thoughts. He held up his coat. 

Dazai paused. His confusion deepening even more. “So that’s where it’s been!” He huffed, taking the coat from Atsushi’s hands. “Did you steal this? Ya’ little rascal…”

Atsushi smirked mischievously, shrugging with mock innocence. Kids these days.

Dazai rolled his eyes, turning the coat around to slip it on. But as he moved, something caught his attention.

He froze mid-motion, his jaw practically hitting the floor. “‘Sushi, this is…” he murmured, his voice trailing off as he stared at the coat’s interior.

Atsushi’s confident smirk faded, replaced with nervousness. ‘Mad?’

Dazai shook his head quickly. “No…no, I’m not mad.” he reassured, his voice softer now. “I could never be mad at you.” He tilted his head slightly, examining the colorful designs now adorning the inside of his jacket. Confused would be the word, probably.

Atsushi had apparently taken it upon himself to decorate the lining of Dazai’s coat with bright, messy drawings. Despite the crude lines and uneven colors, he’d clearly worked hard on it.

Dazai looked back down at Atsushi—an amused grin growing on his face. “You…did this?” He asked.

Atsushi nodded, a small smile playing on his face. ‘Boring and sad before,’ he signed earnestly. ‘Wanted to make happy!’

Dazai blinked, momentarily taken aback. He turned his gaze back to the coat, running his fingers across the uneven lines and colorful patterns. Atsushi had done this…for him.

Why?

The question lingered in his mind, but for now, Dazai chose not to dwell on it. Instead, he smiled softly, reaching out to ruffle Atsushi’s hair gently. “I love it, Atsushi.” he said, his voice warm and sincere. 

“Thank you.”

Truly.

Dazai glanced down at Chuuya, who had been sleeping soundly on his bed for quite some time. Corruption really took a number outta him, huh?

His hair was a complete mess—not like it usually was, soft, smooth, and effortlessly pretty. Dazai shook his head, forcing himself back on track.

He brushed a few strands away from Chuuya’s face, grumbling softly. “So ugly.” He mumbled.

Chuuya was ugly.

At least, that’s what Dazai told himself. There was nothing attractive about him, so there was no reason for girls to be chasing after him. I mean, why would they?

Chuuya had a brash personality—girls didn’t like that. And those freckles? Hideous. His heterochromia? Distracting. And don’t get him started on the hair—his strawberry blonde hair, which Dazai believed was the ugliest thing about him.

Dazai caressed Chuuya’s hair gently, his fingers brushing through it absentmindedly as he watched Chuuya shift slightly in his sleep.

Dazai bit his lip in annoyance. Nothing pretty about him.

Chuuya groaned softly, his eyes fluttering open. And there they were—those striking, beautiful eyes of his.

Dazai bit his lip harder, the taste of blood sharp on his tongue. He’s not pretty.

“Dazai?” Chuuya muttered groggily, rubbing his eyes awake. “The hell are you doing?”

Dazai froze, quickly yanking his hand away and averting his gaze. “I was trying to wake you up because...your snoring was annoying me.” he said quickly, his voice laced with irritation.

Chuuya tilted his head, his sleepy confusion evident as he eyed Dazai suspiciously. “Uh, okay…?” he replied, clearly not buying the excuse but too tired to argue.

Before the tension between them could thicken further, Atsushi suddenly jumped onto the bed with an excited grin, breaking the moment entirely.

Chuuya blinked in surprise, glancing at Atsushi as the boy settled onto the bed with an energy that felt entirely out of place for the quiet atmosphere. Atsushi held up a notebook for him, ‘Are you feeling better now, Nakahara-san?’ It read. Ah.

Chuuya sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry kid, but, Corruption doesn’t really work like that.” He says, “It takes me at-least four days to be completely healed.” 

Corruption?

Atsushi wrote something down in his notebook, turning it back around for Chuuya to see. ‘Nakahara-san, do you have an ability like me?’ 

Right, the tiger.

Chuuya nodded. “Yep, It’s called Upon the Tainted Sorrow.” He says, activating his ability in emphasis. “It basically allows me to manipulate anything I touch, here.” He tapped Atsushi lightly, enveloping him in a familiar red glow.

Atsushi’s eyes widened as Chuuya made his body mass lighter, causing him to float halfway through the air. He smiled brightly—he was flying! He was actually flying!

He looked down at Dazai, who was watching him carefully, a light smile on his face. He gave Atsushi a small wave. “How’s it up there, little man?” he called, his voice laced with pure amusement.

Atsushi smiled down at him, giving him an excited grin. It’s great, amazing even! It’s too bad Dazai couldn’t join him…

Chuuya grinned in amusement as he watched Atsushi squirm around in the air. It was interesting to watch, that’s for sure.

Eventually, after letting Atsushi do a few cool spins, Chuuya decided it was probably about time to call it a day. “Alright, that’s enough for today.” he said, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness as he lowered Atsushi back to the ground.

Atsushi landed softly on the ground, his legs wobbling slightly as he adjusted to the feeling of gravity again. He looked up at Chuuya, a wide smile lighting up his face. ‘Thank you!’ he signed enthusiastically.

Before Chuuya could ask, Dazai interjected, “He says thank you.”

Chuuya looked back down at Atsushi, his eyes softening. “You’re welcome, kid.” 

He reached out, ruffling Atsushi’s hair in an almost awkward gesture of affection. Atsushi giggled, his laughter ringing out like a soft melody, and Chuuya found himself chuckling quietly in return.

—

It’s been a total of four days and thirteen hours since Chuuya’s been here, and Dazai hated to admit it but…it was nice.

It felt strange, having someone other than Atsushi stay with him for such a long period of time. Usually, the shipping container was quiet, the only source of noise coming from Atsushi’s playing or Dazai talking his ear off without anyone to tell him to shut up. Just how Dazai liked it.

Quiet.

But now, with Chuuya’s presence, it was quite hard to keep the container completely quiet. The sounds of constant bickering, the occasional sigh of frustration, even the way Chuuya would complain about the state of the place—it was grating, sure, but it was also familiar in a way Dazai hadn’t realized he missed.

And then there was Atsushi’s newfound fascination with Chuuya, Which was both endearing and utterly ridiculous. You know the kid had actually told Dazai that he thought Chuuya was, and I quote,“Super cool, like Spider-Man!”

Can you believe it? Spider-Man. Atsushi’s favorite superhero. Which is a stupid comparison by the way.

Not to mention that Chuuya seemed to like Atsushi just as much. But that wasn’t surprising, given Chuuya’s inexplicable soft spot for kids. 

The two were always constantly chattering about something—Whether it be Chuuya recounting tales from his Port Mafia days or Atsushi eagerly sketching pictures of things Chuuya liked, like dogs. Disgusting.

Of course, there were good moments too. Like when Chuuya joined in on their bedtime stories, reading with a calm confidence that kept Atsushi glued to his side, or how he stepped in to help whenever Dazai tried cooking dinner. Hey, He even managed to bring some order to the container, tidying up here and there while muttering complaints about, “Staying with slobs.” 

But, even so, all good things have to come to an end as they say. And Chuuya’s body did eventually heal. So now, it was time for him to go.

A FEW DAYS LATER

“You ready, little man?” Dazai asked, holding a bucket of water precariously over Atsushi’s head.

Atsushi, sitting cross-legged between Dazai’s legs, nodded eagerly. His eyes were squeezed shut, but a few giggles escaped him as he waited in anticipation.

Dazai grinned, tipping the bucket slightly. “Alright! In 3…2…1—“

“Dazai.”

The voice cut through the playful scene, and Dazai turned to see Chuuya leaning against the container’s doorway, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

“Can I talk to you?”

Oh boy.

Dazai sighed dramatically, leaning closer to Atsushi to whisper, “Looks like I’m in trouble, huh?” Atsushi giggled harder, covering his mouth with his hands.

“Sure, chibi! What’s up?” Dazai chirped as he stood, abandoning the bucket and brushing off his hands.

Chuuya’s brow twitched at the nickname, but he let it slide. For now. “Listen, I think it’s about time I head out. I’m feeling better and there’s no real reason for me to overstay my welcome.”

Dazai’s expression didn’t change, but there was a brief flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. He nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Okay, I understand.” He said. 

That’s it?

Chuuya’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, as he tried to read Dazai’s face. Which was practically impossible unfortunately. 

“Does Chuuya like looking at my face that much? I know I’m beautiful but, even this is too much for you.” Dazai teased, an amused grin playing on his face.

Chuuya faltered, his face flushing in embarrassment. “Shut up you ass! That’s not what I was trying to do!”

“Are you sure? Because if you just asked politely, maybe I could—” Chuuya punched Dazai’s side, cutting him off.

“Fuck you, asshole.” Chuuya grumbled, rolling his eyes.

Dazai giggled, clutching his side in exaggerated pain. “Whatever you say, hatrack.” he wheezed, barely holding back another laugh. Ugh.

Chuuya flipped him the bird, sticking his tongue out. How childish.

”See you never, Mackerel!” He grinned, beginning to walk away from Dazai, back turned to him.

Dazai bit his lip as he watched Chuuya go, Chuuya was not pretty. Far from it.

He opened his mouth to say something, hesitating for a split second. “Hey Slug!” He called out.

Chuuya stopped—he turned around to look at Dazai, tilting his head on confusion. “What is it?”

All or nothing he supposed.

”Can I get your number?”

Chapter Text

“Let me go, you jerk!” 

-
Kick!

-
Kick!

“Ow! Ow! You’re hurting me!” Mark winced, trying his best to restrain Lucy aswell as avoiding her harsh kicks.

“Good!” She shouted, kicking him harder.

Just then, John stepped forward, cutting through the chaos. “Seems like you had a pleasant flight, Mark,” he remarked, a slight grin on his face.

“Don’t just stand there! Help me out!” Mark yelled, clearly frustrated that John seemed to be watching in silent amusement.

John’s smile widened, deciding to ignore Mark on the whole, he turned to Lucy, “That was quite a decision, Ms. Montgomery, betraying the guild like that. I could learn a thing or two with that kind of courage.” John said, catching Lucy’s attention.

“But you didn’t seriously think that the guild wouldn’t be able to deal with a skill like yours?” He queried, clearly amused.

…

”Of course I knew that.” Lucy said, her voice barely above a whisper. “But if I didn’t say that I’d be alright…then he’d never have left. It was the only way.” She says, her face filled with solemn.

Mark wiped away a non-existent tear, sniffling softly. “Oh what a sad tale! It just does something to me, you know?” He whimpered. Lucy rolled her eyes, kicking him again. 

“Owww!!!”

Armed Detective Agency Meeting Room | 10:25

“Hm, yeah I like that, but how would we use that to infiltrate the guild? Should we break in, then plant a bomb?”

”Huh? No way! It’d get sniped from the comms and hit the water. Ya got no chance.”

“Hm…that’s true, so then should we bring in the special division, then bring the farmer boy?” Dazai pondered.

”Absolutely not. That’d just lead into a stalemate on ground, and we’d be fighting overtime.” The other responded.

”That’s true…then I guess our only option left would be Chuuya.”

Ranpo shrugged. "Eh, I suppose. But a little support from Light Snow wouldn’t hurt either."

Dazai rested his head in his hands, leaning casually against the table. "And the infiltration?"

"Port Mafia.” Ranpo answered, taking a bite of his donut.

Dazai hummed thoughtfully, rising smoothly to his feet as he gathered a few papers from the table. "I’ll handle it. ‘Mountain’ is at the end, then?"

Ranpo shook his head. "At sea."

Dazai nodded, turning to leave the room with quiet footsteps.

Port Mafia Headquarters 

“Is everything set?” Dazai asked.

”Yes sir.” A subordinate responded. “Everybody’s at the ready.” 

“Good.” Dazai looked down at his watch—11:10. It was almost time. “Wait for my command before you start, until then—“

”Dazai-san!” A voice interrupted. A very irritating voice.

Dazai’s grip on his phone tightened, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "I’ll call you back, hold on," he muttered, hanging up abruptly.

"Dazai-san! I need to talk to you..." Akutagawa panted, catching up to the older man, his face flushed with urgency.

Dazai’s eyes narrowed, his gaze cold as he met Akutagawa’s. "I’ll have you know that I was in the middle of a very important call. And you interrupted it."

The boy tensed under Dazai’s glare, the usual confidence in his posture wavering for a brief moment. "I...I didn’t mean to—"

"Save it. I don’t have time for excuses, Akutagawa." Dazai said, cutting him off with a sharp wave of his hand. “What do you want.”

The younger man clenched his fist, clearly hesitant to query Dazai. “Is it…Is it true that you’re going to infiltrate the guild?” He asked with uncertainty.

Dazai sighed in annoyance, his hands clasping behind his back authoritatively. “Is that what you came to ask me? If I’m going on the mission?” 

Akutagawa flinched, quickly realizing his mistake."No! It’s just that…" He grit his teeth, his hands shaking slightly, and a mix of frustration and desperation swelled in his eyes. "Please, put me on the mission as well!"

…

Dazai’s expression remained neutral, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the boy’s plea. "And why should I do that?" he asked, voice flat, but, sharp. "What makes you think you're ready for something like this?"

Akutagawa’s jaw tightened, and he took a step forward, unwavering. "I can handle it, Dazai-san! I’ve trained, I’ve fought—"

”You’re not ready.”

“But, Dazai-sa—“

”Do I need to repeat myself?” 

Akutagawa froze, his shoulders stiffening under the weight of Dazai’s words. He opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out. Instead, he lowered his head slightly, his fists trembling at his sides. “No, sir.” He mumbled.

“Good.” Dazai replied coldly, “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He pushed past the boy, leaving without another word. 

…

Akutagawa remained rooted in place, his fists still clenched tightly. The faint sound of Dazai’s footsteps faded into the distance, leaving him alone with his swirling thoughts. 

There has to be a way for him to prove to Dazai…

He was ready. He just needed to show it to him.

Infiltration - Stage 1

”Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Tanizaki?” Chuuya asked, watching as the boy trembled to steer the helicopter.

Tanizaki nodded, though his hands visibly shook as they gripped the helicopter's controls. “I-I got this, Chuuya-san! D-D-Don’t worry…!” he stammered, his voice cracking slightly.

Chuuya shot him an unconvinced look. 

The radio creaked, “Approaching the Moby Dick’s visual range.” It informed.

Tanizaki’s eyes widened in panic. “Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Uhh, altitude’s okay, exhaust heat control’s good, what else…?!” His voice wavered as he frantically checked the controls, his nervousness only escalating with every passing second.

“Junichiro.” Chuuya’s voice cut through the noise, firm but steady. He placed a reassuring hand on Tanizaki’s shoulder, grounding him. “You can do this.”

Tanizaki froze for a moment, swallowing hard. Then he nodded, his breathing evening out. His trembling hands steadied as a look of pure determination replaced his earlier panic. He took a deep breath and activated his ability, Light Snow.

The air shimmered faintly around them as the illusion took hold, cloaking the helicopter in a veil of invisibility.

Chuuya stepped away, opening the helicopter door as a gust of wind rushed into the cabin. He looked down at the massive, gleaming blimp below—the Moby Dick. Its colossal form loomed against the horizon, a silent threat.

Here we go.

“What? The pilot isn’t responding?”

“Perhaps there’s been some trouble with the communicator.” another voice suggested.

The plane door then creaked open, the sound sharp and grating against the tense silence.

And then it came.

That sharp, metallic scent of blood flooded their senses, hitting them like a wall.

“What the…?!” one of them exclaimed, recoiling instinctively.

A shadowed figure stepped forward from the cockpit, his presence overwhelming.

Everyone on board was dead.

He had killed them all.

“Oi, shitty Dazai, I’m in.” Chuuya grunted, adjusting the ear comm Kunikida had given him.

“Good work, Slug. Seems like you’re not that incompetent after all~!” Dazai’s voice echoed in Chuuya’s ear, dripping with mockery.

Chuuya rolled his eyes, irritated. “Yeah, yeah. Save your dumb insults for later. Just tell me what to do.”

Dazai smiled, leaning back against his chair. “Is there anybody around?” He asked.

Chuuya took cautious steps forward, scanning the area for any sign of enemies. “Not from what I’m seeing.” he muttered, swinging open multiple doors. “It’s eerily quiet, like a damn horror movie. There’s literally no one here.”

“That’s because everyone has already left.” A voice answered for him.

Chuuya jumped back, instinctively raising his guard. His eyes locked onto the mysterious old man sitting down ominously in a chair nearby. Is he a member of the Guild?

”That’s Herman Melville, age 68, ability ‘Moby Dick.’” Dazai answered for him. 

Chuuya furrowed his brows, looking back at the man ahead. 

“Why do you think that might be, boy?” Herman continued, giving him a solemn glance. “Because the war is coming to an end. The next blow will reduce all the Guild’s enemies to ashes…along with Moby Dick.”

“Ashes…?” 

The man nodded. “You must’ve planned to sneak in while it was heavily manned. However, the main forces of the Guild are operating off-board right now.”

“But don’t you find it strange?”

Just then, a white car sped down the road, its tires screeching with every sharp turn. From the back seat, Mark casted a wary glance out the window. “Step on it, Johnny boy, or we’re not getting out of this in time.”

John nodded, gripping at the steering wheel. “Yeah, stage two of the incineration of Yokohama: ‘The fall of Moby Dick.’ If the plan is executed, this city, already wrecked by the cursing ability, will be completely annihilated. Furthermore, the impact will land right on top of…”

“—The Detective Agency’s and the Mafia’s bases?!” Chuuya yelled, looking at the man with shock and horror.

The man nodded. “The descent has already started. Impact is less than an hour away.”

“But the Moby Dick is your ability! You should be able to stop it!” Chuuya demanded.

“Moby Dick is indeed my ability,” Herman admitted sorrowfully. “But with 70% of its structure weaponized, I no longer have any control over it.”

Shit.

Chuuya tapped his comm, his voice sharp and urgent. “You hear that, Dazai?! We have to abort the operation and begin evacuating!”

…

“Listen, Chuuya. No change of plans.” Chuuya froze, his eyes narrowing as Dazai’s tone shifted, cold and commanding. “Seize control of Moby Dick with your own hands and stop its descent. You’re the only one on board who can make it happen.”

Chuuya clenched his fists before asking sharply, “Bastard…you predicted this, didn’t you?”

“I considered the possibility.” Dazai admitted calmly. “Even so, I still believe you’re the best person for the job.”

…

Chuuya sighed, closing his eyes to steady himself. “How can I stop the fall?” he asked, directing the question to Herman.

The man let out a weary sigh, his gaze distant. “You’ll need to access the control terminal. It’s down the hallway on the left. But be warned—it’s heavily guarded.”

Chuuya nodded, turning to leave, but paused mid-step. “All hands have abandoned the ship. So why are you still here?”

Herman’s expression softened, a flicker of sorrow crossing his face. “Why, you ask?” he murmured. “Moby Dick was once a magnificent, living creature that roamed the skies freely, before the Guild transformed it into an airborne fortress. If it’s destined to crash and bring destruction to so many lives, staying behind to share its fate…feels like the least I could do.”

He turned toward the window, his gaze fixed on the endless expanse of sky. Chuuya couldn’t ignore the heavy melancholy in the man’s voice. “Moby Dick was beautiful once, before it was mechanized…much like how the Guild used to be.”

"Won-won, yeeah~"

"Shinjū wa hitori de wa dekinai—"

"God, will you shut up with that?" Chuuya groaned, cutting off Dazai’s little ‘song.’

Dazai pouted, "You just can't appreciate talent, Chuuya. It's not my fault you're jealous."

Chuuya rolled his eyes, "Jealous of what, exactly?"

"How dare you!—"

"Wait, shut up." Chuuya snapped, his voice firmer now. "I think I hear someone."

Dazai immediately fell silent as Chuuya turned a corner, his eyes landing on a massive door standing alone in the middle of the hallway.

“—Our child? Yes, she’s…studying abroad in London, yes?”

Chuuya knew that voice.

”That’s him.” He whispered, “Fitzgerald.” 

“Well what are you waiting for, slug? Go get him.” 

Chuuya rolled his eyes, “Yeah, Yeah, I know.”

-
Creek!

“Ah? It seems I have a guest,” Fitzgerald smiled. “I’ll call you back, Zelda. I love you.” He said, turning off his phone.

"Now then..." He turned to look at Chuuya. "Let's get started, shall we?" He says, raising a familiar-looking device.

Chuuya stepped forward, his gaze firm on the older man. “You’re the one who’s guarding the Moby Dick’s control device?” He asked.

Fitzgerald smirked, “It’s my first key to success, to never leave the most important part of the job to someone else.” 

“By the way, do you know how much the Moby Dick weighs?” He asked Chuuya.

Chuuya didn’t say anything, though he did furrow his eyebrows in confusion. 

"A grand total of 29,000 tons," he continued. "Once that much weight is dropped from two thousand meters, crashing into the heart of your city with 140 tons of TNT ready to explode...it'll tear through the ground, creating a massive crater. The earth will twist and buckle like a carpet, hurling all structures into the air. And when it's over, all that will remain is an empty, lifeless expanse."

Chuuya’s eyes widened in shock. “You bastard…” he growled, his fists clenching. “I won’t let you get away with this.”

Fitzgerald’s smirk only deepened, his gaze cold and calculated. “Secret number two—do not be swayed by other people’s values.” He says, placing the device on an empty chair. “Now you and I are both busy men, so I’ll save you the trouble.”

Chuuya raised a brow in confusion. 

“On the count of three, we both start running. And whoever reaches the device first is the winner.” He says simply. 

Chuuya narrowed his eyes, studying the man’s face intently. What was he planning?

”If you win, you may do as you please with the Moby Dick. But if I win, you must submit to me and help me find what I seek.” Fitzgerald explained.

…

“Fine.” Chuuya said, his voice steady, and  his pulse quickening in anticipation. “Let’s do it.”

Fitzgerald’s smirk grew, clearly amused by the oncoming challenge. “Ready?” 

Chuuya nodded, readying his stance.

“One.” Fitzgerald began, his fingers already twitching.

“Two.” he continued, eyes never leaving Chuuya.

”It’s a trap.” Dazai said, his sudden commentary startling Chuuya.

Chuuya’s eyes widened. “Wha—“

Before he could process Dazai’s warning, Fitzgerald lunged forward in a blur of motion, aiming to catch Chuuya off guard. But Chuuya was already in motion, twisting his body and dodging the attack with fluid precision.

“Oh?” Fitzgerald mused, “You were able to dodge my attack, how impressive. It takes me back to my younger days.”

Chuuya’s fists clenched as he grit his teeth. “You bitch. You did that on purpose!” he barked, activating his ability, a faint glow beginning to emanate from him.

Fitzgerald smirked, exuding an air of superiority. “You’re right. Using only ten thousand was downright disrespectful,” he said, casually pulling another stack of bills from his pocket. “Let’s raise the stakes. One hundred thousand should suffice.”

“Have I introduced you to my skill yet?” Fitzgerald asked, his voice dripping with smug confidence. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the wad of cash into the air, watching it flutter down like confetti. As the bills touched the ground, the air around Fitzgerald seemed to crackle with energy, his presence becoming even more oppressive. The surge of power was subtle but undeniable. “My ability, The Great Fitzgerald, allows me to strengthen my body in proportion to the money I consume.” Fitzgerald grinned. 

Chapter Text