Chapter Text
Chuuya-kun
>> do you have an ETA, ane-san?
Me
I just got off of the bus. I should arrive in ten minutes or so. <<
Chuuya-kun
>> alright! stay safe
Me
Of course, Chuuya-kun. See you soon. <<
Kouyou smiled, slipping her phone back into her purse. The level of concern that Chuuya showed for her was sweet, but unnecessary; she could more than easily hold her own, she thought, patting the edge of her sleeve where a knife was concealed. Thankfully, she hadn’t had much need to draw it lately. Better safe than sorry, however.
It was a lovely day for a walk, she observed, as she scanned the buildings along the sidewalk. The crisp October air nipped at what little skin peeked out from beneath her cardigan. She was looking for building in particular, one that she and Chuuya had been trying to arrange for her to visit for months now, but Kouyou was always so busy with work that they had found it quite difficult to make time for. Fortunately, she had just finished up her long-awaited sakura season tour, and she expected to have at least three weeks of downtime before her next project.
The place she was looking for finally fell into her view, and Kouyou gave a small hum. It looked like a quaint enough place, flower beds sitting out front, with gorgeous mahogany fronting and large front windows trimmed with gingham cloth. One held a display case of beautiful little desserts, and the other displayed a cat tree. There was a cat resting atop the tower, and it stretched as Kouyou approached. It stared at her, and she stared back. The beast eventually turned and hopped down, running off deeper into the building.
Kouyou turned the ornate handle and pushed the door open. A soft tinkling announced her presence. The woman looked around, already liking the ambience of the place. Another cat was seated on a desk by the entrance, next to a sign that read please wait to be seated, accompanied by a doodle of a cat. The real cat meowed at her curiously, and Kouyou reached out to pet it with a soft chuckle.
Footsteps approached, and Kouyou looked up in time to see a beaming young man walking toward her. He was dressed in a ladyservant’s attire, a cat-ear headband resting atop his choppy, white-bleached hair. The boy bowed to her.
“Welcome to the Detective Cat Café, Miss!” he greeted. “My name is Atsushi, I’ll be your server for today’s experience. Do you have a reservation?
Kouyou smiled and bowed back politely. “I’m here to meet with someone,” she told Atsushi, and he nodded. “Alright! Could you give me their name so I can find the reservation?” he asked, pulled out a notebook from his pocket.
“Ah, of course. It’s-”
“Ane-san!!”
Kouyou was nearly tackled, giving a small oof as the man threw himself at her. She couldn’t help but laugh as she wrapped her arms around him. “Hello, Chuuya-kun. It’s nice to see you, too.”
Chuuya pulled back, grinning. “I’m so glad you could make it.”
Kouyou took in his appearance. He had cut his hair since they had last seen each other, being just shoulder-length now and pulled over one shoulder in a ponytail. He was dressed in a leather jacket, leather gloves, a band t-shirt and torn jeans. He had a new lip piercing, this one attached to one of his ear piercings, and a new scar. Kouyou frowned, reaching a hand out to trace her thumb over the new line on Chuuya’s cheek. “How did you get this, boy?” she asked, squishing his cheeks when he tried to pull away.
“Ack- Ane-san!” He succeeded in escaping, then laughed. “It’s a long story. Also, I’m not fifteen anymore, don’t grab my face like that!”
Atsushi looked between the two of them, nervously clutching his notepad. “Uhm, Chuuya-san? You know her?”
Chuuya blinked, looking over to Atsushi. “Oh. This is ane-san. I’m pretty sure I said she’d be visiting, Kunikida told me to shut up about it.”
The poor boy’s eyes widened. “This- she’s- how- your sister?? But-”
“Oh dear, you broke Atsushi-kun.”
A woman’s voice interrupted before Chuuya could further confuse the poor guy, and Kouyou couldn’t help the way her eyes widened upon seeing the absolute goddess that walked into the room. Shoulder-length black hair, purple highlights, box cut bangs brushing long eyelashes that framed fuchsia irises; butterfly kiss and nostril piercing, manservant suit that accentuated a gorgeous waist and thighs, and red kitten heels over hose.
“Y-yosano-san!”
Kouyou didn’t think she’d ever fallen so hard in her life.
The woman- Yosano- smiled at Atsushi. “Your boyfriend’s waiting for you out back, Atsushi. Take your lunch break early, I’ll cover your shift.” The boy bowed again and babbled a thank you, scampering off. Yosano watched him go, then turned back to Kouyou and Chuuya. She grinned.
“Welcome to Detective Cat Café, Miss Ozaki,” she greeted, and Kouyou blinked, realizing she was still just staring. Get it together. “Chuuya here has been talking about you all week. All good things, of course.”
“Of course,” Kouyou agreed, bowing slightly and causing Chuuya to blush with slight embarrassment, rubbing his neck. “This is quite a lovely little place.”
“I’m glad you think so,” Yosano replied smoothly, returning the bow. Beautiful and polite. “I’ll be sure to let the director know. Now, shall I show you to your table?”
“Shirase flaked again,” Chuuya griped as they waited for their drinks. “He and Yuan have been so unreliable lately. Honestly I’m thinking about just ditching them, yeah it’ll hurt but what’s the point of having a band if the other members don’t show up, y’know?”
Kouyou hummed agreement. “You know you always have a contract ready to sign with P.M.,” she reminded him, already knowing the answer she would get. Sure enough, Chuuya wrinkled his nose, and Kouyou laughed. “And have to work alongside Verlaine again?” Chuuya shuddered dramatically. “Just the thought makes me sick. You know all that business stuff was too stiff for me, anyway. And besides, the place hasn’t been the same since…” He trailed off with a melancholic dullness to his eyes. “It’s just not the same.”
“Relax, Chuuya-kun,” Kouyou told him with a reassuring smile and a hand over his. “I jest. But, what will you do without The Sheep? You love music, I can’t imagine you’re giving it up.”
“Oh, hell no,” Chuuya replied. “Yeah, not happening. Atsushi had said a few days ago that he and his boyfriend were thinking of asking me and my boyfriend to join his boyfriend’s band. Apparently the guy took over when the other members left for college, and he needs new people now. I still have to talk it over with my BF, but I can’t say I’m not intrigued.”
“Your boyfriend?” Kouyou asked with a raised eyebrow, looking up as the woman from before approached their table with a tray. She smiled and set their drinks down. “One black coffee for the gremlin, and one genmaicha for the lady,” Yosano listed, winking at Kouyou. “Your pastry will be ready soon. Enjoy.”
Kouyou watched as she retreated, definitely not watching the way her hips swayed just slightly beneath her straight spine, heels clicking on the hardwood flooring.
“You’re so lesbian, it’s sickening,” Chuuya commented dryly, startling Kouyou. She cleared her throat and lifted her tea. “It isn’t gay for a woman to admire another woman’s beauty,” she countered, blowing gently over the surface of the liquid.
“So you admit you were admiring her,” he continued to tease. “If it helps, Akiko is a raging Sappho. If it’s got tits, she’ll flirt with it.”
Kouyou blamed the heat in her cheeks on the steaming tea. “That’s not very professional, Chuuya-kun.” Pretty name, she added to her quickly growing list of reasons why this woman was attractive.
“Good thing I don’t work here, then.”
Kouyou just rolled her eyes and took a tentative sip of her tea. She hummed approval at the flavour. “You didn’t tell me you were dating again,” she said, steering the conversation away from herself. “I thought that after Dazai-kun you would need more time.”
Chuuya chuckled nervously. “Yeah. About that-”
“Chuuuuuyaaaaaaaa!” The door to the café was flung open, and Kouyou leveled Chuuya with a judgmental stare as the brunette incarnation of chaos itself bounded over to their table. Chuuya gave a guilty little smile. Dazai looked healthier than he had last time Kouyou saw him. His hair was still a disaster, and he still had bandages wrapped around every visible inch of his torso, but there was a lightness to his gait and a glint in his eyes that Kouyou was glad to see. He froze when he saw Kouyou, eyes widening.
“Ah, oneesan,” he greeted, shifting awkwardly. “Uh, hello. I’m here to steal the slug.”
“My, it’s not every day one gets to see the Demon Prodigy at such a loss for words,” she quipped, and Dazai paled. “Shhh!” He pressed a finger to his own lips. “Nobody here knows that was me, and I’d like it to stay that way, thank you very much. Come on, Slug, we’re gonna miss the previews!”
“Nobody cares about the fuckin’ previews,” Chuuya said, rolling his eyes as he stood. “It was great seeing you again, Ane-san. I’ll text you my apartment address, if you can’t find a room in the hotel, just come on over.”
“Likewise, Chuuya-kun,” Kouyou replied with a smile. “I will. Have fun.” Dazai tugged Chuuya away, the latter waving a goodbye. Just as the door jingled shut behind the two, Yosano came back over with Kouyou’s croissant. “Abandoned already?” she joked, seemingly used to the whirlwind that was Chuuya and Dazai. Kouyou snorted, then covered her mouth.
“Yes,” she replied, picking off a corner of the glazed pastry as it was set in front of her. “How un-gentlemanly.”
“Un-gentlemanly indeed,” Yosano agreed, sliding into the seat across from her, smirking at the somewhat confused look on her face. “It’s almost my lunch break, what better way to spend it than keeping a beautiful woman company? Us girls gotta stick together, you know.” Kouyou blinked at her, feeling her cheeks heat just slightly. Get it together, she mentally repeated. She cleared her throat.
“Indeed,” Kouyou echoed with a small smile. “If you don’t mind me asking, how did you wind up acquainted with Dazai Osamu, of all people?”
Now it was Yosano’s turn to blink. She hummed. “You know him? You know, I’m not surprised, actually, it seems like everyone around here knows Dazai somehow. He just showed up here one day, asking after Chuuya. We joke that he’s our stray,” she explained with a laugh. “Gave him food, a boyfriend, and a job, and he’s happy as a kitten.”
Kouyou laughed softly. “I see. Well, it’s lovely to see him happy for once. Although Chuuya’s taste in men remains… questionable.”
“Ugh. Men, right?” Yosano wrinkled her nose, then smirked. “Women are much easier.”
“I would have to agree, Miss Yosano,” Kouyou acquiesced, finishing off her tea. She raised an eyebrow as the other woman reached over and pinched off the other corner of her croissant, winking as she popped it into her mouth. “My turn for a question,” the other woman said, licking her thumb.
“I wasn’t aware we were taking turns.” Yosano just grinned.
“How do you know Dazai?” she asked, and Kouyou heaved a sigh. “It’s a long story,” she replied, “and it’s not mine to tell. We used to be co-workers, in short. I dare say that he was like a son to me. Unfortunately, he may actually turn out to be my brother-in-law, the way those two can’t stay away from each other.” Yosano snorted.
“They break up every other day and are back to normal by Saturday,” she said, waving a hand. “Maybe one day they’ll get their shit together.”
“I hope you live long enough to see hell freeze over,” Kouyou quipped dryly. Yosano stared at her blankly for a beat, then cackled. A cat startled, falling off of its perch.
Pretty laugh.
“Oh, wow,” she wheezed, brushing a finger under her eye. “You’re hilarious. That was good, I’ll give you that.” She rose from her seat. “I’ve gotta get back to work, unfortunately. Thanks for keeping me company. Enjoy your food, doll.” She winked and pulled a napkin from her apron, setting it on the table.
Kouyou watched once more as she walked away.
Arahabaki, save me.