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It was a longer shift than usual at the Detective Agency today, and while Dazai normally slinks away before he’s technically off, he figured that every once in a while, he should at least stay the full time he’s needed. Tonight was one of those nights, and honestly? Dazai regrets it slightly. He got home much later than expected, so much so that when he arrived at his apartment, Chuuya was already home. And that’s saying something, considering his husband works as an executive for the Port Mafia, the very rulers of the night itself.
He slipped through the front door and was met with the smell of delicious steak cooking on the stove, something that immediately brought a smile to his face after the long day. He could always count on Chuuya to still be up during his late shifts, just so Dazai never has to return to a quiet apartment. And in return, Dazai stays up for Chuuya when he gets home later than usual. It’s an exchange that the two never had to talk about, one that came naturally throughout their time living together. Neither one of them mentions it, and neither of them plan to, yet Dazai appreciates it all the while, and he’s sure Chuuya does as well.
After removing his shoes and taking off his coat, Dazai padded over to the kitchen, where sure enough, Chuuya stood at the stove cooking something for the both of them. Dazai always loved Chuuya’s cooking, it was something he swore was the best ever, despite Chuuya always waving it off like it was something simple. “Stop being so humble,” Dazai would say, then Chuuya would always chuckle, a smug grin on his face that made it clear he relished in Dazai’s praise, that he loved hearing Dazai’s compliments. And while Dazai would call Chuuya out on that, most of the time he’d compliment him more just to see Chuuya’s face brighten up with every word he says.
Chuuya probably knows Dazai’s here already, yet Dazai still stood back a bit, just watching as his husband made them both dinner, humming out some tune Dazai didn’t know of. Even after several years of being together, Dazai still can’t get over just how beautiful Chuuya is. Whether it’d be here in his basketball shorts and hoodie, or when he’s leaving for work in his Port Mafia get up. Whether it’s when Chuuya’s laughing or when he’s yelling, whether he’s reading some poetry book or fighting using Corruption . . . Every single moment, every instance, Dazai gets lost in Chuuya’s beauty.
He walked over, finally snapping himself out of his thoughts and going over to greet Chuuya. “Hi Chibi . . .” Dazai cooed softly, his arms snaking around Chuuya's waist and pulling him into a backwards hug, lips grazing the top of his wavy orange hair. “Whatcha humming?”
Dazai saw Chuuya smiled softly at his greeting, although he didn’t take his eyes off the food. “Some English song I heard on the radio,” he replied in a gentle manner. “Just won’t get out of my head.”
Chuuya hummed the tune again, Dazai listening more closely this time. It was something slow, notes long and gentle, something perfect for the peaceful time of Yokohama’s night. Or at the very least, the peaceful surface, considering Yokohama’s underground is the most dangerous at night. Nonetheless, Dazai closed his eyes, resting his head atop the Chibi’s. After a while of Chuuya humming out the tune, Dazai got a grasp on it and softly joined in, swaying slightly with Chuuya to the beat. Either him humming, him swaying, or both made Chuuya chuckle, breaking the tune slightly on his side and making Dazai smile in response, with the brunet pressing another kiss to his Chuuya’s hair.
Dazai opened his eyes, looking down at his husband with adoration in his expression, and eventually, a wider smile graced his face, an idea suddenly coming to mind.
He slowly guided Chuuya’s hand towards the counter to place the tongs he was using down, which caused Chuuya to look back at him in confusion. Dazai just smiled at him, taking Chuuya’s hands and turning him around, so he was fully facing Dazai. Chuuya seemed to pick up on what he was doing now, chuckling a bit as Dazai led them away from the stove, just a couple steps backwards further into their kitchen.
“What are you doing?” Chuuya asked with a laugh, yet it was clear he knew what was happening.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Dazai asked softly, eyes crinkling at the corners with a smile. He placed one hand on Chuuya’s waist, and Chuuya responded by placing his own on Dazai’s shoulder. He held Chuuya’s other hand with his own free one, his eyes never leaving his partner’s mesmerizing blue.
“Now? Dazai, the steak’s gonna burn,” Chuuya countered, yet even then, as he said it, he wore a big smile on his face and started swaying along with Dazai when Dazai started to move.
“We never danced together, Chuuya,” Dazai remarked, finding himself getting lost in the way Chuuya smiled, the way his eyes lit up at the sight of Dazai, the way he looked at him as if he was the most wonderful thing in the world—which Dazai feels that he shouldn’t get that title, for Chuuya is way more wondrous than him.
“We did that one time in France at sixteen,” Chuuya responded, moving along with Dazai to a tune just in their heads. Dazai hears it as a slow tune with a lovely piano instrumental and angelic harmonies, something he feels that cannot capture the moment better.
“Doesn’t count!” Dazai immediately countered, a pout coming to his face. For context, that time was when the two had to go on an undercover mission with the Port Mafia, and Dazai hated every second of it. “My sixteen-year-old self didn’t realize that he was in love with Chuuya at the time, so that’s overruled.”
Chuuya laughed again, a sound that Dazai could listen to over and over and never get tired of. “You love me?” Chuuya asked, and Dazai knew that his husband was asking that purely to hear Dazai say those words again. Luckily, Dazai was feeling nice, so instead of teasing Chuuya for the compliment fishing, he repeated himself with a bright smile on his face.
“Yes Chuuya, I love you,” Dazai stated. His heart always flutters when he says those words, even after all this time and even being married.
“Fine then, I suppose this could be our first dance,” Chuuya complied, tilting his head up right after, and Dazai immediately knew what he was asking for. Their faces met in the middle with a soft kiss, Dazai smiling into it as always, causing Chuuya to let out a huff of amusement in response. The two stopped moving, Dazai just holding Chuuya as they stood in the middle of their kitchen as they kissed, the only sound being the sizzling steak cooking on the stove in the dead of Yokohama’s night.
They pulled away with a smile, with Dazai looking down at Chuuya with a soft gaze, who looked up at him with an enamored expression of his own. It was then Dazai realized: he cannot live with Chuuya in his life. How, for fifteen years, has he been going on without him? Dazai cannot picture what his life would be like without Chuuya by his side, and frankly, he doesn't want to.
Dazai pulled Chuuya closer, yet before he could steal another kiss from him, he wanted to tell him something that he truly means.
“I love you, Chuuya,” he whispered sweetly to his husband. “Forever.”