Chapter Text
— August 4th — 6:30 PM —
"Ugh... It's even hotter than earlier today right now. I can't stand this heat! It's like we're in a life-size microwave!" Dazai complained with a loud groan while he dramatically fans himself with some files he was 'working' on, breaking the quiet atmosphere that before this just consisted of the soft hum of Yokohama's streets that flowed into the office from the open windows.
The AC has been broken for two days now and there hasn't been time to let it get fixed yet. The thing was pretty dated since they didn't really have the most luxurious office space, so it'd probably take hours to get it fixed. All the windows are opened, the curtains gently moving in the summer breeze from outside while an orange hue fills the office. There's a slight smell of car emissions mixed with the smell of freshly printed paper.
Kunikida looks up from his laptop at dazai's complaint. "Will you stop whining about it already? I'm trying to focus here. We're getting the AC fixed on Wednesday." kunikida says in a calm but lightly irritated tone as he looks back at his laptop. Dazai has been complaining non stop about the heat today, and it was like some agitating white noise grating on kunikida's nerves.
Dazai flops back into his chair, causing it to roll back slightly. He huffs again. "But kunikida-kun! How will I impress the ladies this summer if I'm just gonna melt into a puddle from this heat!" He exclaimed dramatically.
"Unlike you, I know a lot about women, Kunikida. And listen. I'll tell you this much: Women do not have a thing for puddles."
Kunikida sighs at the jab about him "not knowing much about women". Tsk. Kunikida knows plenty about women!..He doesn't comment on it though, not wanting to entertain this behavior further. "You're gonna spend your summer trying to impress the ladies? Typical." Kunikida replied, trying to return the jab.
"You're telling me you don't then? I mean, I guess I shouldn't expect more from you." Dazai huffs out before sitting up straight in his chair again. "So, what is Mr Idealist gonna do this summer then?" he asks with a smirk, but there's a slight hint of curiosity in his demeanor as he sits up straight and looks at Kunikida.
"nothing special." Kunikida responds indifferently. "Just visiting my parents in the countryside."
Dazai tilts his head slightly, before speaking with a chuckle "Oh? I forgot people have those."
"I honestly didn't think you'd even leave Yokohama during the summer. Where do they live anyway?" he asks.
Kunikida looks up from his laptop again, his gaze less irritated now. "They're in Fukushima district. near Inawashiro."
"must be pretty peaceful there compared to Yokohama, huh?" Dazai asks, getting a nod in response.
It's quiet for a moment. Dazai seems to be lost in thought for just some seconds, before he speaks up again. "What do you do when you go to your parents'? The countryside does sound pretty relaxing, but isn't it boring there?"
"Just some reading, taking walks in the forest nearby, catching up with my parents..." Kunikida explained vaguely.
It all sounds so mundane to Dazai.. but not bad. He wonders what it'd be like to spend his time on a break like that, instead of what he'd normally spend his summertime doing.
Sure, he could go spend his break just drinking away and finding a woman for his own sick fantasy of committing a double suicide. But on the other hand... He's been kind of enjoying spending time with his idealistic colleague.
They're both opposites in every way, but somehow still seemed to get along, in a way. Dazai would never admit this to anyone, and not even himself, but he's gotten a bit close to Kunikida over the last two years. Last time Dazai was close to somone, was when he was 18, but that person is now 6 feat under. So it felt strange. Though, Dazai wouldn't go as far as to call kunikida a friend... Dazai doesn't really do 'friends'. After all, friends are something Dazai loses.
Suddenly an idea popped up into Dazai's head. An idea he didn't expect to get, but before he can think it through, he speaks up.
"Can I come with?"
kunikida looks up from his laptop. There's a blank expression on his face. He just looks at dazai for a moment.
"What?" Kunikida questioned simply.
"You heard me~ Can I come with you on your holiday?" Dazai says again, now smirking a bit and leaning forward into his chair. But Kunikida heads back to typing, looking down at his laptop again.
"No."
"please?"
"not happening."
"why?"
"because you're gonna act stupid and embarrass me in front of my parents. And besides, it's not like you'd like it there anyway. You'll be bored out of your mind." Kunikida answered with a grumble as he made eye contact with his annoying coworker again, who was looking at him with a fake pout.
"You don't know that!" Dazai proclaimed with a slight grin that just spells out 'I'm definitely gonna act stupid and embarrass you'.
"It's a NO, Dazai. Now finish your papers, we have only thirty minutes left of work." Kunikida said, gaining a groan from dazai.
"Fine..." dazai muttered with a dramatic sigh before going back to his work.
—
It's thirty minutes later and Kunikida closes his laptop and packs his stuff, followed by the sound of Dazai doing the same. Kunikida gets up and starts turning the fans off in the office, and then closes the windows.
Meanwhile, dazai stretches his back a bit, his arms stretching into the air as he let out an obnoxious yawn. Just as he was about to leave the office, his mind goes back to the conversation from earlier.
Kunikida finished turning the lights off before Dazai steps up from behind.
"Kunikida?"
"yes?" Kunikida asks as he turns around to face the brunet who's looking up at him with a slight smirk.
"Can I really not come along? I promise I'll be good.."
kunikida frowns slightly in response. "And what makes you believe I'll agree?"
Dazai pretends to think for a moment, before answering. "I'll make a promise to make all of my paperwork for one week after that~"
"two." kunikida says.
"Upping the stakes huh? Fine. Two weeks."
"...Alright.. deal." kunikida said a bit quieter with slight hesitation. He just made the worst decision ever. Why didn't he actually think this through? He just let Dazai bribe him into doing this like some kind of idiot!
Dazai on the other hand looks slightly caught off guard, for just a millisecond though before his usual grin returns again with full force. "Actually? You're letting me join you on your holiday?" He asks in disbelief.
Kunikida just turns around to leave again. "Don't make me change my mind."
Dazai walks after him and closes the office door, trying to catch up with kunikida's fast pace. There was just no way kunikida was actually allowing this, right!? "When are we leaving then?" Dazai asked as he now walks next to kunikida through the hallway to the stairs to the ground floor.
"Next week. Friday." Kunikida told. "I'm driving there after work. It's about a four hour drive."
They exit the building now. "And for how long are we gonna be there?" Dazai asked curiously. "About one week. From the fourteenth to twenty third."
Dazai grins in response. "Alright, I hope you're not just pulling my leg here, kunikida-kun~"
Kunikida doesn't really respond to that as his mind is a bit of a mess right now from the reckless decision he made.
"Yeah yeah. We'll go about the details later." He grumbled. Dazai smiles at those words. "See you tomorrow then kunikida!~" He said while waving the blond goodbye and parting ways. Kunikida muttered a small "see you tomorrow" before walking his own way too.
—August 14 — 2:30 PM—
Kunikida and Dazai are sat finishing their last work for today. They'll be done in thirty minutes, and when they are done, they're leaving straight to kunikida's car to drive to inawashiro. Dazai had already packed his stuff yesterday and took it with him when he headed to the ADA this morning to put it in Kunikida's car that kunikida used to get to work. Kunikida's stuff is also already in the car, so they have everything ready to leave right after work.
When the clock finally hit 3:00 PM, they finish everything up and get ready to leave. The other members wish them a nice holiday and Atsushi even gave a snack to Kunkida and Dazai for during the long drive.
The drive is absolute hell at first as Dazai just WON'T. STOP. TALKING. He just goes on and on about strange situations he got himself in while Kunikida tries to navigate through traffic. Eventually Dazai finally minded his own business though. He's just softly humming an unrecognizable tune while looking out the window at the scenery that slowly changed into less dense cityscape and more into just towns. In the distance more hills could be seen. The ac in the car was blowing softly and the radio was playing some quiet city pop from the 80s, they weren't talking, just doing their own thing.
Eventually, kunikida broke the comfortable quiet.
"Hey Dazai?"
Dazai looks up at the sudden sound "yeah?"
"Why did you want to come along with me? I thought you'd find some holiday to the countryside boring, given your usual... activities." Kunikida asks while keeping his eyes on the road.
Dazai is quiet for a moment, before responding with a shrug. "I don't know. Just thought it'd be nice for a change."
"You always know, Dazai. So why?" Kunikida immediately responded, his fingers around the steering wheel clenching just slightly. He wanted to know why dazai would choose for this. It wasn't like dazai at all. Not the self destructive and mysterious Dazai he and everyone else knows Dazai to be.
"Maybe I just wanted a change of pace for once." He says while looking outside at the passing landscape, not elaborating further. Kunikida is quiet as he thinks about those words, trying to look for a deeper meaning.
Maybe dazai wants to find distraction from his usual life like this? Kunikida doesn't know much at all about what dazai does outside of work, but he does know that it isn't healthy.
Dazai often smells slightly like alcohol, and also talks about his fantasy of a double suicide a lot... so Dazai having a whole week to himself must not be great on Dazai's health.
Maybe Dazai recognized that in himself, he is a smart man after all, and thought joining kunikida instead would be nice.
Kunikida doesn't respond to dazai's answer from earlier, and just let it be for now.
They occasionally stopped at some gas stations to refuel the car. Dazai takes that time to buy more snacks and drinks for during the trip, secretly grabbing kunikida's money every time instead of his own.
As 3 hours had passed and the sun finally begins to set, Dazai is just quietly sleeping in the car, an open bag of chips still in his hand.
Kunikida can't help but look at the sleeping man in the passenger seat. The way his stomach softly rises and falls with each quiet breath...The way his brown locks are laying in front of his closed eyes... It made kunikida feel something strange and fleeting in the pit of his stomach. He brushes it off. It's nothing special, just something strange he felt around Dazai sometimes.
Dazai must be pretty tired from today as they had an early shift, and has been up the whole time. He probably hadn't slept well either last night so it's no surprise Dazai passed out in the car like this. It's something he only really did around Kunikida.
Kunikida is just accompanied by dazai's soft breathing, the hum of the car and the quiet music on the radio. He makes sure not to drive too wild as to not wake him up. The rest of the drive is just that as Kunikida gets closer and closer to their destination...