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“Chuuuuyyaaa~” The voice on the other end of the line reaches an annoying spike. One that Dazai knows the redhead hates hearing. All the comfort Chuuya felt from his early stupor disappeared. “What a lovely morning it is! Don’t you-”
“Didn’t I break your phone the last time you called me?”
“I have several backup phones and don’t even think about changing your number. Port Mafia records are so easy to access when you're an executive. Too bad you lost that race, maybe the dog needs a few more laps around the park so that he could at least win some type of-” The line gets cut off.
The alarm was about to wake him up anyway, so he maneuvers out of the bed. The phone rings again. At first he kept declining the call, but the stubborn ringtone made ignoring seem like the better option.
The light weight of his clothes were best for fighting. It felt nice after the shower—buzz—to be in clothes that fit him again. Before the mafia—buzz—clothes hung off uncomfortably big or tight. It was all the Sheep could muster up from—buzz—the little resources they had. He looked towards the window. The sky would have been called beautiful if it weren’t—buzz-
“What is it?” careful not to break his own device and the patience that he so often lost with the other man.
“I have a bomb strapped on me. I’m in front of your door, can you pretty please help me out of it? It is quite uncomfortable.” sounds of clothes ruffling and the quiet beeping noise of the timer could now be heard.
“What-?!”
“You have like 5 minutes” Questions were useless, as they always were with Dazai.
The front door is open in less than a second. He finds that the bastard has the gall to look cheery. Chuuya silently panics to get the ticking bomb off of him. Dazai helps in a way only dead weight can offer. He would call it a calm expression if it weren't for the stressful situation.
After the whole thing was settled and the explosive no longer a threat to them, he piped up “The fuck was that for?!”
“You wouldn’t have opened the door if I didn’t” He was ready to slam the door if it weren't for the fact that Dazai would probably do another reckless thing if he did. The other man was known for his low preservation skills but this was too far even for someone like him. “Fine, what do you want?”
“...” The sudden moment of silence was unsettling. It was a little too quiet, dark eyes stared at him with an unreadable expression. Before he could speak up again the other one spoke.
“I wasn’t kidding about the park.” The brunette dared to look frustrated when he was met with an expression of bewilderment and confusion. “Walk.”
“What.”
It looked like a billion things were going on behind those lifeless eyes before he slumped and sighed. As if every explanation was nothing but a chore and a useless effort.
He suddenly felt himself get dragged down the hallway.
“Hey-” Now that he looks closer at Dazai. He noticed his eyebags sunk deeper than they normally were. Hair looking greasy, which was strange, he grew accustomed to frizzy dry hair that usually offered a blunt shine. Something was off, but no amount of interrogation would make any of this make sense so he just let things unfold.
“Where are we going?” The slight sting from his wrist was starting to wear off. No longer being dragged along, now walking side by side.
“I thought dogs were supposed to have better ears.”
“Will you stop it with the-” a finger is lightly pressed on his lips making him shut up. “Shhhh, shh, did you hear that?”
He whipped his head around “What is someone-”
“Shhhh, shhh…” The urge to slap him was growing by the second. But he couldn't take action as his target stepped back. “Oh it was nothing”
Chuuya feels more mentally drained than he does when he’s with Dazai normally. The bar ‘normal’ set in the first place was already low. He looks up at the sky as if it would give him some type of answer. The type of sight that anyone would call a nice day for a…
…walk.
Chuuya was tense the whole time. The moment was terribly mundane. Waiting for anything to happen, something always did especially with his current companion.
He looked at his partner for any type of sign. History would suggest to prepare for anything but the sight before him told otherwise.
He wasn’t met with silent calculation. For the first time in their partnership, he would describe Dazai’s face as empty… Not lifeless, it was almost aloof. There was a sense of peace that set a strange view.
Clouds made the morning sun bearable, a light cold in the wind. The change in scenery from the Port Mafia building was a nice break.
Chuuya had long been desensitized to a life of smoke, blood, and discomfort. That even the simplest pleasure of letting the shade of the trees and the quiet song the leaves ruffled breathed life into him.
Once they made a full round around the park he had to say something “Hey, are you…”
The taller man then turned to look at him. Even the shortest and faintest of movements felt unusual right now.
He then felt a hand on his head, hairs and curls being ruffled. “Awee how was your first lap? Do you need a treat?”
“Why you-” They went off with their normal bickering. As if nothing happened before that.
.....
He dialed up a number. It reached a few rings before the other line picked up.
“Dazai? Did something happen?” Atsushi’s voice was firm and ready for an order. It was a contrast to a few months ago where the boy would panic when he called. It made Dazai smile a bit with a hint of pride.
He cleared his throat, tone extremely serious. “Atsushi, I need you to get ready. I will relay the information to you when you leave.”
Elbows propped up on the railing. Dazai was starting to get bored waiting, the clouds offered no sort of entertainment. At least he could say the sun wasn’t as blinding as it had been days ago.
The door swung open with an urgency that didn’t fit the day. He didn’t let the boy speak and said
“Let’s go on a walk!”
“Huh.”
Atsushi now with a meatbun in his hand walking on the streets.
“It’s my treat!” Dazai said, waving the wallet he swiped from him. He was already going to buy one for himself anyways.
Though he didn’t expect to eat his breakfast with Dazai already on his 3rd sweet confection. ‘He kind of looks like Kyouka’ looking at Dazai, spoiled from his salary.
He would complain more if he didn’t notice Dazai’s tired movements. He didn’t comment on it though.
They’ve been doing this a little sporadically. But he notices there is some type of pattern. Especially where Dazai disappears for days. Only to come back and ask for a stroll. It’s not anything particularly bad but no one else seems to ask about it.
“Is something on your mind?”
Dazai looks at Atsushi as if he was expecting him to say nothing or anything else. “You could say that.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Dazai just laughs, he was the mentor but that never stopped Atsushi’s worry. “Don’t think too hard about it.”
They continue eating, one step in front of the other. Dazai making random comments about stalls. Past memories and the things he used to do. They talked about everything and nothing. Until they took a short break on a bench. “What did you do when you disappeared this week?”
“Is Kunikida making you ask that?” Clearly uninterested in writing any type of report.
“No, just curious”
“Well, I’ve been trying to find the love of my life. Unfortunately any attempts to do so lead to other types of attempts, though the boring usual. My findings have been nothing but an unfruitful journey” Dramatically telling his story.
“I haven’t seen you go outside of your dorm lately though?”
It catches him a little off guard. Atsushi had a strange way of seeing through him. Something he wouldn't have expected but not entirely unwelcome.
It was strange, to have someone actually interested in your day. In the past, where he spent his time at a certain bar or roaming around the tallest building in Yokohama. Nobody questioned him, and those he would say were closest to him never seemed to pry.
“I guess, I felt a little cooped up. I need to stretch these legs once in a while.”
“That’s normal…especially on bad days. So taking strolls must be calming for you.”
Huh, he never really gave it much thought. He likes walks? It was strange to look at it from that perspective. He just thought the urgent and irritating need to annoy someone was the reason he woke up sometimes. Actually, maybe a bit of both.
He always thought he was the type of person to not like the outdoors. The type of person locks themselves up in his room. That’s what he did most of the time back in the Mafia when he did nothing.
When he envisions an outdoorsy person he would imagine a bubbly exterior. Perhaps someone like Kenji. One who couldn’t rest a day inside, rotting in some bed. I guess Dazai could fit in some of those descriptions, but he wouldn't call himself a ray of sunshine.
He makes a slightly disgusted face. “Yeah…”
Dazai made an unfortunate realization that he likes walking outside, especially with someone.