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It was cold. Nakahara Chuuya doesn’t like cold. Seriously. That’s why he normally refuses to leave his house during winter, unless an emergency comes up.
This, obviously, isn’t an emergency. Far from it, actually.
“Whoa, look at all these people!” Dazai looked around excitedly. “Guess everyone’s really pumped up about the year’s first visit to a shrine.”
Chuuya walked alongside his companion begrudgingly, grimacing at how Dazai was able to remain so energetic despite the cold. All around him, a large amount of people were standing around and walking in the same general direction. “Stop acting like a five year old,” he said. Then, in a lower voice, “Why do I have to come with you?”
Dazai looked at Chuuya the way a mother would her sulking child. “Chuuya, why are you acting like going out is such a chore? Getting a day off in the Port Mafia is such a rare opportunity. You should make the best experience out of it.”
“Of course I know that,” Chuuya hissed, “but going to a place with such a huge crowd isn’t how I want to spend my day off. The air is suffocating with all these people, but it’s also really cold. It’s the worst!” Then he sneezed and muttered some choice words under his breath.
“Chuuya,” Dazai threw an arm around the shorter male’s shoulders, “I didn’t know you get so grumpy when you’re cold. Should I share some of my body heat with you?”
“Hell no! Get off me!” Chuuya jabbed at Dazai’s side and pulled his muffler up to cover the bottom half of his face. Cold.
Dazai moved away from Chuuya, very dramatically moaning in pain. “That’s no way to treat your partner, Chuuya. Honestly, you’re so violent.”
“Shut up. Are you actually going to pray or not? Hurry up and get it over with,” Chuuya grumbled.
“I would hurry, but as you can see,” Dazai gestured at the people around him, “we’re not the only ones here. Be patient.”
Chuuya grumbled some more and went silent. Honestly, why did he even agree to go out in the first place? No, he already knew. It’s because Dazai was really persistent about dragging him out of his house to spend time together. He looked ready to kidnap Chuuya should he continue to resist, so Chuuya decided that it would be better to go willingly.
But Chuuya was regretting his decision more and more with each passing second. It was getting colder as the seconds ticked by and Dazai was so busy looking around he didn’t even notice Chuuya seething next to him.
Maybe he’ll be able to sneak away unnoticed. The crowd might provide Chuuya enough cover for escape.
Just as this idea crossed Chuuya’s mind, Dazai’s hand caught his. “Hey, Chuuya, don’t stray. We’ll be separated.”
Chuuya barely heard the words as he stared at their joined hands, eyes wide. Even with the layers of their gloves, Chuuya could feel Dazai’s warmth seeping through.
Shit.
His stomach felt funny.
Chuuya turned away, burying his face deeper behind his muffler.
“Hey,” Dazai said, “You said you were cold, right?”
Without waiting for Chuuya’s response, Dazai continued, “Are you still cold now? If not, let’s stay like this. This way, we won’t get separated either.”
Whoa, whoa, was Chuuya hearing things? Dazai just suggested that they remain holding hands for an indefinite amount of time? Chuuya chanced a glance up to confirm.
Dazai was looking away. The tips of his ears were red. From cold? From embarrassment?
Heat wormed its way up Chuuya’s face. Shit. His stomach is doing weird things. He was probably wearing the dumbest look ever right now, so he ducked behind his muffler again. Shit.
“Chuuya?”
“Shut up, Dazai,” Chuuya hissed. He tightened his grip around Dazai’s fingers, which earned him a surprised twitch. But Dazai recovered quickly and wrapped his fingers more firmly around Chuuya’s.
Huh, Chuuya thought as the crowd inched forward sluggishly, it’s suddenly not so cold anymore.