#odasaku is very able to leave out very important information

[monstersqueen]

After much consideration, I came to a single conclusion: Threaten them. That was the only way. Tell the Mafia that I was going to give the government information on them that would sink them for good.

...so i guess this version of odasaku WAS in the mafia at some point. despite never meeting dazai.

also i don't think he has more information on the mafia as ango does, so i'm not sure his information WOULD be enough.

at least i don't think so, but odasaku says so little and shows so little of his feelings and notices so much he never feels like sharing that it's actually possible

[monstersqueen]

ok ok i have too much to say for the tags and also there is never anything in the dazango tag so i can't just reblog without engaging. s

anyway i do think they get each other a little more than not at all (at least for dazai and ango ; odasaku is a different matter but actually there are. some misunderstandings there too - oh no i'm thinking about The Break Up scene and now i'm sad) they do get each other a little or they would not have been able to work together while dazai was in prison

but! you're spot on about both of them thinking the other has moved on ?? like yes obviously. dazai is all there 'yeah i'm not in the mafia anymore - and if i'm still not over something it's just that what i'm doing now is in memory of odasaku'. plus he's visibly healthier in the ada.

but obv he didn't forget odasaku and. if he had truly let ango go then there would be no point in being angry at him would there ? but for ango who blames himself for what went down the part where he doesn't have really much responsibility in odasaku's death - if any; and so anyone (dazai) blaming him is doing it out of a need to blame /him/ (because dazai does need to blame someone for odasaku's death - someone other than himself of worse /odasaku/ - but it doesn't have to be ango especially given how little can be blamed on ango) so that's just. dazai still hurting and still wanting to hold onto ango but he can't do it as obviously as he did in dark era; he wouldn't be able to forgive himself anyway !(since pictures instead of confrontation + letting him leave instead of captaining him > odasaku's death)

plus - neither of them can have odasaku back. what right do they have to each other then??

anyway dazai's anger is /because/ he hasn't moved on but because ango blames himself it makes sense to him that dazai does too so he thinks if there's something dazai hasn't moved on from it's only odasaku

and of course on the other side there's the part where ango really doesn't have a very good view of the government and his own role in it ("i shall never walk the light again' fuck everything) - and his identity is much more closely linked to the three of them than the government (hence how the page didn't affect him) - but. does dazai realize that ? does dazai 'everything worth having is already lost' understand how truly how much ango cares ? does he understand that he never lost what they had because ango is still there ready to help any way he can ??

(he must in some way because during the three-sided conflict when he calls the government he both expects and trusts that ango will be both willing and able to help. there's only so much ango can do but he is willing yo - the thing is that what ango can do most of all is give information - because that's his role ! that's his job ! getting information and keeping it for the government's use - except consistently what he does with it is give it to odasaku and dazai)

but what dazai knows is the years where ango didn't share said information. what he knows is that even now ango doesn't react. he comes when dazai call and act like nothing's changed when everything has. how can he trust that ? he doesn't react with a gun pointed at him and stay cool through it all - until he breaks character while telling dazai to warn the agency they're in danger

like obviously ango cared and still cares and it's very central to him - but also he fooled dazai back then and it means dazai doesn't trust what he sees when it comes to him - without even getting into he can't forgive him because wanting to caused odasaku's death and how could they come back to each other when there will forever be only two of them now ???

also it's very important for dazai to get what's going on right now - because part of what went wrong in dark era - from dazai's pov - is that he got it wrong. it took him too long to realize who was pulling the strings - also.

who was pulling the strings was not, as he thought, the special ability division. which means that 1) when he let ango leave in the break up scene he does so with the idea that all that's going wrong is because of the government, ie because of ango - and 2) when odasaku dies, he knows that the one to blame is Mori - so that's blame that's going away from ango and the government. that's part of why his anger is so very interesting to look into because it has very very little basis !!

anyway i'm in a corner thinking about dazai in lupin thinking about how things changed since then and about ango coming back but not going in - because what if they saw each other there ? what if ? the only thing that could be seen is odasaku's absence

Right where you left me is a buraiha trio song, but really both Dazai and Ango believe each other (and Oda having died and reunited with his kids) have moved on (Dazai in the light of the ADA, Ango having never cared to begin with) (in each other’s opinions!!) when really, none of them have ever truly moved on, they all misunderstand each other and they’re all stuck there

[sapphire-dreamsky]

Gift

Starring: Oda Sakunosuke, Dazai Osamu, Ango Sakaguchi

Pairing: Oda Sakunosuke x Reader

Genre: Comedy, Canon-Divergence

Sypnosis: Your birthday is coming up and Oda is trying to find you a memorable and meaningful gift.

Oda was at lost. His girlfriend’s birthday was close. He had three weeks before their date. He knew he had plenty of time before having to find a gift but he was struggling. He looked high and low for clues but (y/n) didn’t leave anything behind. On strolls, she wouldn’t look twice at anything. Nothing seemed to catch her eyes. And she had everything she wanted too. It was an incredibly difficult mission for the man as he looked at shop windows, so lost in thought that he didn’t notice Dazai creeping up behind him, with Ango sighing deeply at the childish antics of his friend. 

Oda felt a sudden weight on his back. For an instant, he assumed that someone was attacking him but the laughter of Dazai on his back and the light grumble from Ango made him relax. He shook his head with a light fond smile. ‘‘Dazai, Ango.’’ His curt greeting was something both friends were used to. However, they were not used to seeing their friend shopping. 

‘‘What’s up, Odasaku? One of your kids’ birthday is coming up or something?’’ Dazai excitedly peeks in the shop’s window, letting out a surprised noise at seeing that it was a jewellery shop. ‘‘Hey. Aren't your kids too young for pieces of jewellery?’’ Ango nodded with Dazai on the matter. He was just as confused as Dazai. Besides, Oda was not someone who would randomly shop at a jewellery shop like that for no special occasion. 

Oda shakes his head at his friends’ questions. ‘‘It’s for my girlfriend.’’ A second pass. And then another. Oda didn’t expect the silence and shocked faces of his friends. He wonders if he gave the impression of someone who was single. ‘‘You have a girlfriend?’’ Ango was the first one to break the stupefied silence that grasps them mere seconds ago. Oda’s blue eyes look at them in confusion. ‘‘Yes?’’

‘‘Ehhhh???!!!’’ 

Dazai’s surprised shriek attracted more attention than Oda and Ango liked to their group. Although Ango couldn’t find himself to care for the disapproving glances from passers-by at the moment. ‘‘Odasaku-san you have a girlfriend? Since when?’’ Ango couldn’t help but try to see if Oda was bluffing. While his too serious, too straight forward friend was not the type to bluff about such matters, he too wasn’t aware of that little piece of information. ‘‘We have been dating for one year and nine months as of next week.’’ Dazai was frozen in shock. Why did Odasaku keep this important information from him? He must have voiced his question aloud because Odasaku, ever so straight forward and honest, merely shrugged. ‘‘You never asked. And it never came up during conversations.’’ Both Ango and Dazai can’t blame him on this one. Their conversations never really strayed to their love life. Mainly because both friends assumed Odasaku like them, was single. They didn’t want to add salt to the wound by talking about their non-existent love life and then sulk while drinking. Ango quickly broke out of his stupor, shaking Dazai who was frozen and repeating over and over again the same sentence, ‘He found a girlfriend before me…’ 

‘‘Ah, anyway. Are you looking for a gift for her? A necklace or bracelet?’’ 

‘‘I was thinking of a ring, actually.’’

Poor Dazai. This affirmation only hit him like lightning. Ango looked at Odasaku with wide eyes. ‘‘Are you planning to get married already?!’’ 

Oda looked like he was in deep thought. Ango was screaming in his mind. He didn’t think that he would have encountered so many shocking news when he decided to accompany Dazai on his stroll around town. ‘Wait is he actually thinking about it?! Well...they seem to have been dating for a while...But we haven’t met her yet!’ 

‘‘I don’t want to propose on her birthday though. I was thinking of asking on our two or three year anniversary. Besides, she has yet to meet you. Also, I think I will give her a promise ring. It’s more fitting I think.’’ But Ango had long stopped operating. Much like Dazai, it was too much information to digest for one day. But Odasaku, as ever so sweet, shook both of his friends. ‘‘What were you doing out here, anyway? It’s rare to see you both taking a walk together in the city.’’ 

Dazai finally was able to break from his stupor. ‘‘I wanted to show Ango something really cool but then I forgot what it was. But then I saw you and thought that you would want to join us!’’ 

Oda thought for a minute before nodding. ‘‘I will just buy her gift and then I will join you.’’ He went in the store, looking around the great variety of rings that they offered with Dazai and Ango trailing behind him. They looked at all the beautiful rings displayed and suddenly the reality that their Odasaku did indeed have a girlfriend dawned on them. While both were surprised, it was not that surprising. Odasaku was a very sweet considerate man. Perhaps a little too straight forward and maybe he took things way too seriously at times, but they knew he meant well. He was the perfect husband material that Ango and Dazai sometimes heard women dream about. He was good with kids and had the patience of a saint. His girlfriend was truly lucky to have him. And as they exited the store, Oda’s pocket heavy with the promised box, Dazai swore he would get as many information out of his friend as he could. If Odasaku was serious about her, then he would have to get acquainted with the mystery girlfriend of his precious friend.

[anuntitledpng]

The Untold Story of the Founding of the Detective Agency: a Detailed Summary

I hadn't been in this fandom for so long (to avoid spoilers because I was sure Dead Apple would get licensed in my country), then I came back to learn from @soukokucchi‘s post that the English-speaking side of the fandom still don't know what happened in this book. BUT LOOK: 

It got translated into Thai back in January. I've read it, and I'm here to tell you everything!

Since there are so many pieces of important information in this book, I decided to forget the original order and break it into topics as follows: 

Fukuzawa's background

Ranpo's background

Murder in a company president's office: how they met

Murder at the theatre: how they became a team

Fukuzawa's lies: the origin of Ranpo's (non-)ability

How the agency was founded

Bonus: that one time Kunikida tried (and failed and succeeded) to get revenge on Dazai

Disclaimer: this story came to you from Japanese to Thai to English so if you notice an error, please feel free to tell me.

Warning: very long blocks of spoilers for the whole book, under the cut!

Fukuzawa's background

At the start of the book, Fukuzawa, 30-ish, was working as a bodyguard. With excellent martial arts skills and a calm manner, he was considered the best bodyguard one could have. His only flaw was that he wouldn't team up with anyone, so he was always by himself. Remember how he’s called “Silver Wolf”? That's where it came from.

But it's not that he had been a bodyguard his whole life. In this book, Fukuzawa told Ranpo to try and see what he could deduce about him, so he did. At the teahouse, Fukuzawa's choice to sit with the wall on his right side meant he used to fight with a sword (because having the wall on his left would prevent him from quickly drawing it). At the theatre, his footsteps could barely be heard, and he closed one eye while entering a dark room so his sight could be adjusted quickly, something essential only for a surprise attack in a dark place. But he wasn't cautious with the police officers, so he couldn't have been involved with crime. Finally, Fukuzawa was definitely ashamed of his previous job because he didn't use his sword, his specialty, in his current job.

So, a job involving surprise sword attack that Fukuzawa was ashamed of despite not being related to crime, what job was it? Ranpo also made a deduction about this, and Fukuzawa himself confirmed everything later in the book, when he decided that the best way to deal with Ranpo's problem was to be honest (then proceeded to tell him the biggest lie in his life, lol).

Fukuzawa confessed that he went to a martial arts school under the government when he was young, then he became part of a group of top swordsmen who worked for the government, killing people who posed a threat to the peace of the country. He believed that his sword was meant to be used for the sake of the country, but soon enough found himself looking forward to the next mission. Afraid that he might have become thirsty for blood, Fukuzawa swore off his sword. He then changed his job and kept his past sealed away, until he met Ranpo.

Ranpo's background

As for Ranpo, his parents were apparently great detectives who recently died in an accident. His father was retired, but he used to be a highly respected police detective (even Fukuzawa recognised his name immediately), but Ranpo said that his mother, although only a housewife, always beat his father at his own job.

With both parents being geniuses, Ranpo didn't know that what he could do was special. His parents meant to keep it from him (and also keep him from the world outside) for his own safety until the right time, but they didn't live long enough, and Ranpo was left as a boy who didn't understand a thing about the world outside.

So Ranpo, 14 and already alone, started looking around for a job. He basically tried everything. His father once told him to go to the police academy in Yokohama if something happened, so he went there (and got fired because the rules were too much, and he dug out his dorm head's bad history with women after having a fight with him), then he went to the military school (got fired after uncovering a commander's misappropriation), a construction site (left because the structure of the company was too troublesome), and a post office (got fired for throwing away letters he knew were not important/wouldn't make the receivers happy). The next job he was going to get an interview for was where he met Fukuzawa.

Murder in a company president's office: how they met

Well, Fukuzawa's client was the president of the company where Ranpo was going to get a job. And she was killed. By who? Fukuzawa caught a skilled assassin at the crime scene, and that's about it.

Actually no, it was her secretary who killed her. The assassin was called there by the secretary (perhaps by saying he was going to hire him) so he could frame him and get away with the murder. Ranpo, who had nothing to do now that the president was dead, solved this.

As soon as the truth was revealed, the betrayed assassin got his revenge by killing the secretary. Fukuzawa realised that he was the rumoured red-haired assassin, said to always have an emotionless face and never miss with his guns as if he could see the future. A nightmare for a bodyguard like Fukuzawa.

You guessed it, that was Odasaku.

So the case was solved, the secretary was dead, Odasaku got sent to the police, now what? Fukuzawa was about to go his way when Ranpo reminded him that Fukuzawa promised him a meal after finishing the case, and Ranpo basically became Dazai's Atsushi to Fukuzawa. They went to a teahouse so Ranpo could have 9 bowls of zenzai (red bean soup with mochi), except Ranpo didn't eat the mochi, which deeply confused Fukuzawa.

There, Ranpo told Fukuzawa about himself and how he's now left alone. Fukuzawa realised that this boy was special yet unaware of the fact. But there was nothing a lone wolf like him could do, so he prepared to leave. Ranpo expected more, so Fukuzawa gave him his name card and offered to help for free if he got into danger, then left. Ranpo went to use a public phone in the tea house, and Fukuzawa's cell phone rang.

"Bodyguard-san, please help me. I have no job and I don't even know where to rest my head tonight. I'm about to die."

"...then I'll recommend a place to stay."

"Can't find a new job. I'm about to die."

"Then...follow me to my next client. I can't hire you, but my client is looking for new employees. I'll introduce you, alright?"

So while regretting this and drafting about 50 plans to leave Ranpo in his head, Fukuzawa took him to his next job, which is the main case in this novel.

Murder at the theatre: how they became a team

A theatre received a warning that an actor would be killed during a play, so Fukuzawa was hired to make sure it wouldn't happen. Although Fukuzawa kept an eye on everything, the lead actor, Murakami Tokio, got stabbed onstage with a sword that disappeared in a blink of an eye. A gentleman in the audience, wearing a business suit with a round hat and a cane, whom Fukuzawa noticed to have a gaze too sharp for a normal viewer, also disappeared immediately after. Ranpo, with a little help from the owner of the theatre, solved the case right on the stage with lights on and everything.

Cutting straight to the point, Murakami was his own murderer, his own fake murderer, to be exact. He set everything up so it looked like he got stabbed and died. For what? For the ultimate performance, because the guy believed that death was the only thing actors had never been able to truthfully portray. You know, an artist's spirit gone too far.

But that's not the end yet. Through the owner of the theatre, Ranpo told Fukuzawa that this case was made up of a bad crime and a great crime, which he compared to a shrimp and a tai fish: you could be satisfied with the shrimp, but in order to catch the fish, you had to use the shrimp. Ranpo went with a policeman called Mitamura, who offered to drive him to the police station, to catch the tai fish alone. Fukuzawa, having realised that Ranpo was going to become a famous detective for sure but that still wouldn't have anything to do with him, let him go, only to later find his own name card left to him with some bad handwriting on the back: Mitamura was the real culprit, and go get the cane.

Now remember the gentleman with the cane? It turned out that he was actually the main target in this case. Murakami wasn't the only one behind his own murder, there was also a scriptwriter who helped him, and this was his part of the plan that even Murakami didn’t know of. The gentleman was originally to be framed for killing Murakami then taken by Mitamura. But since Ranpo ruined that by showing the audience the gentleman unconscious and hidden on the inner part of the stage, Mitamura took Ranpo instead.

Mitamura introduced himself as part of an organisation called “V”, the same name signed on the warning that was sent to the theatre. Their goal was to annihilate all the ability users in Yokohama, even if they had to use the ability users themselves. And the gentleman, an ability user said to be extremely hard to catch, would somehow be very useful in this plan.

On the other side, Fukuzawa went to find the cane. There was a small space in the cane that could hide a document, which had already been taken by Mitamura (who later complained to Ranpo that it was a fake), but he noticed a second hiding spot. Kept in there was an electronic storage device, a special kind that was used by important ability users under the Witness Protection Program to exchange information.

Fukuzawa took it to the jail where Odasaku was held, to find out if he knew where Ranpo might have been taken. Odasaku recognised the name "V" immediately, but he didn't want to answer. His reason apparently hit Fukuzawa hard, and I think it's something worth mentioning, since this was even before Odasaku gave up killing.

"It's understandable to kill for money or because of hatred, but they kill for righteousness. I don't want to be involved, because once you use that as an excuse for killing, you'll end up being able to kill just anyone."

But Ranpo's safety came first at the moment. Fukuzawa offered to tell the police that the secretary's death was accidental, so Odasaku would only be held guilty of trespassing. Odasaku replied that he had never thought Fukuzawa would negotiate with a criminal, and Fukuzawa himself was surprised too. He also commented on how Ranpo was very lucky because Fukuzawa was willing to disregard his own policy for him. Having finally told Fukuzawa what he knew, Odasaku declined his help because honestly, he could have gotten out by himself if he wanted. His only request was for Fukuzawa to pressure the police into doing something with the terrible food there. When asked what he wanted to eat, he replied, "Curry."

So Fukuzawa went searching, and Ranpo would have been shot to death if he arrived even a slightest bit later. Fukuzawa literally slapped and shouted at Ranpo for risking his own life even though he was just a child. But after getting patted on the head because Fukuzawa couldn't think of anything else, Ranpo just clung onto him, crying and repeating over and over that he was sorry.

And the case ended there. With the scriptwriter, and then Mitamura in police custody, found killed in the same manner as Murakami’s fake murder (most likely to keep their mouths shut), all connections to V were cut. There was nothing they or the police could do, and only Murakami’s fake murder was in the newspapers the next morning.

Fukuzawa's lies: the origin of Ranpo's (non-)ability

This happened during Murakami's case, just before his fake murder. Take a look at the talk below:

"Why? I don't understand anything, I don't understand anyone! Why are adults like this, why is the society is like this?! No one has ever explained to me!"

"Enough! I'll tell you. I'll give you an answer you can accept, so just stop."

You see, Ranpo's problem was that he's a job that hadn't been finished. His parents had a careful plan to raise him up properly, but it was interrupted by their death. It's everywhere in the novel, and now he's yelling about it during the play, which was also about an ability user.

So what Fukuzawa was dealing with right here was simply a boy who didn't know what he needed in order to survive. He had to tell him something, anything that would help Ranpo acknowledge his own intelligence and understand the world. Struggling with his communication skills, Fukuzawa's glance fell on the play script Ranpo had in his hand, and he just went

"You are...an ability user."

"...what?"

Basically, Ranpo's strong belief about his ability came from a story this awkward uncle made up on the spot, and I can only tell you how hilarious this is when you're reading it.

"That ability allows you to see the truth with just one glance. It's in the play too, isn't it? There are people who possess special abilities, and those abilities don't always make them happy. The reason you have to suffer and see everyone else as monsters is because of your ability."

"...???"

"You have to control it. You are special because you have a special ability, and in order to prove that, I'll teach you how to control that ability. If you borrow power from an object, you'll be able to use your ability freely, and you'll have a way to control the ability that might make you suffer."

"...?? An object...which is...?"

"This"

"...What's that, glasses...?"

"It's an ornament I received from a descendant of a noble family in Kyoto. When you wear this, your ability will be free, and you'll see the truth in no time. On the other hand, you'll overlook everyone's ignorance when you're not wearing it. And I'll...give it to you."

"...Ah...but on matter how you look at it, it's a normal pair of glasses."

"For you who have just learned of special abilities, it's not unusual to think so."

(But that's just a pair of glasses that wouldn't sell, Fukuzawa got them from a shop near his house lol.)

Then he used some long-distance mental attack technique on Ranpo to make sure it's convincing as he was about to wear the glasses. Ranpo saw white and went unconscious for a while. When he woke up, Fukuzawa literally told him that the glasses had accepted him, like some freaking wise sage on a mountain. A bit more of "the best detective in the world" and "everyone's just stupid", and we have the genius detective Edogawa Ranpo, extremely happy and laughing, ready to solve a case.

"Since they're ignorant infants—I'll have to protect them!"

How the agency was founded

After that day (yep, everything above happened within a day), Ranpo became attached to Fukuzawa, like very attached. Fukuzawa didn't have the heart to make him leave, so he hired him to do miscellaneous work in exchange for clothes, food, and education. With Ranpo's deduction, they were able to prevent any harm that the clients needed to be protected from, and as a result, Fukuzawa came close to losing his job as a bodyguard.

But another kind of job also appeared. Ranpo started to get requests as a detective. And since Fukuzawa was the only person Ranpo ever listened to, the clients all offered to double the money for Fukuzawa to be with him. This went on for a year, and they became famous as the undefeatable duo.

And that's where the idea of the agency came from. After working with Ranpo, Fukuzawa realised that he still wanted to fight for justice in this world, and he wanted the fight to go on even after their deaths, so they needed to be more than just a duo, there needed to be more people.

So, where to start? Remember Dark Era, one needs to have the Abilities Business Permit before they can start any ability-related business, and Fukuzawa knew just who could help him get it. He took the cane to see the gentleman, now revealed to be Natsume Souseki.

Upon meeting him, Ranpo realised that Natsume had knew of the plan to capture him all along and asked why he still went with it. Natsume replied that it was because he owed Ranpo’s father a small favour, and Ranpo learned that his success was partly because of Natsume’s help.

Natsume-sensei asked Fukuzawa if he was sure about this decision, and the agency was founded.

Bonus: that one time Kunikida tried (and failed and succeeded) to get revenge on Dazai

Because honestly, any victory anyone ever has over Dazai deserves recognition.

(Like that time in 55 minutes when Atsushi managed to catch Dazai off-guard because the boy literally came from the freaking future lol.)

This story is actually the one that precedes Fukuzawa and Ranpo’s in the book, and took place just before chapter 2 in the manga (episode 2 in the anime), when Atsushi’s entrance exam was being planned out. Fed up with Dazai’s shit after working with him for 2 years, Kunikida came up with a big project to teach the trash some lesson.

The plan was to make Dazai take the biggest part in the preparation of the exam, so he could suffer what Kunikida had to all the time. Kunikida and the Tanizaki siblings, whom he had dragged into the plan, decided to achieve that by having everyone draw lots, and cheating at that.

They brought up an idea of using pieces from a newspaper from 2 months ago, each piece would show both the page numbers (there would be 2 numbers since they were on both sides) and the date (to prove that they were all from the same newspaper), and whoever got the lowest page numbers had to do the biggest part in the exam. 

What everyone else didn't know was that they had also prepared a double-layered envelope. The combinations 5–6 and over would go in one layer, and the secret layer would contain 20 pre-made pieces with only the combinations 1–2 and 3–4 especially for Dazai, all from the same date as they had went out to get 11 copies of the same newspaper in advance. Tanizaki would pretend to ask for something to put the pieces in, and Naomi would suggest they use this envelope, saying she got it from her school.

Kunikida forced Dazai to draw first because he couldn't be trusted, and since Tanizaki was the one to (pretend to) make the pieces, he had to draw last. After everyone had drawn but before they started opening the pieces, Dazai proposed to use the fake time bomb he received from a woman as a prop so they could pretend there was a bomber in the office, with the least fortunate person taking the role of the bomber.

The result looked like this: Dazai got 3–4, Kunikida got 7–8, Yosano got 27–28, and Kenji got 33–34. Tanizaki, being the last one, was sure he wouldn’t lose.

But just before Tanizaki opened his piece, Dazai suggested the bomber have a hostage with him and asked Naomi to take the role. She looked over to her brother, then agreed. Tanizaki learned of his fate.

He got 1–2.

But how? Dazai got 3–4, which was according to the plan. Everyone after that got higher numbers, so anything couldn’t have gone wrong. Kunikida definitely wouldn’t ruin his own plan, and Tanizaki didn’t let it slip either. The answer was simple:

“Well, I just want to be the hostage...for big brother to tie up and threaten~.”

Tanizaki then found at the reception desk a drawing explaining where the bomber should hide. It was done by Ranpo, who had already left Yokohama and wouldn’t be back until after the day of the exam. Considering the situation, the drawing was definitely done before everyone drew lots. Tanizaki also suspected that Ranpo had already seen through everything beforehand and set his schedule this way to avoid it. He then wondered how Ranpo came to believe that his intelligence was a special ability.

Kunikida, Tanizaki, and Dazai went out to a pub later that night, with Kunikida offering to treat Tanizaki as a way make up for his suffering. They talked about the mystery of how the agency was founded (again, this topic had already been brought up earlier before the meeting).

When the waitress came to serve a dish, Dazai noted how it was unusual for the dish to be covered, then noticed a familiar face. He opened the lid to find a motion-sensor bomb with a note saying "I want you to look at only me", the same message he got with the fake time bomb from earlier.

Dazai turned to his sides for help, but Kunikida and Tanizaki were already gone.

And that’s it! That’s all that happened.

Congratulations if you have just finished the whole thing because damn, that was much longer than I expected.

If you guys still have questions about the stories in this book, you can send me an ask or leave them in the comment. I’ll be happy to answer!

And I’m once again back to the mess that is the university entrance season, urg.

[aurorapillar]

Title: in languor dreams of death    

Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs

Characters: Chuuya Nakahara, Dazai Osamu, Mori Ougai

Summary: There were a lot of things in life that Dazai would never admit out loud, and one of them was just how much Corruption terrified him.

There were a lot of things in life that Dazai would never admit out loud, and one of them was just how much Corruption terrified him. He wasn't scared of it for the same reason that most people probably would be, thanks to his ability he had no need to worry about Chuuya's ability harming him, no what scared him was the way Chuuya changed when using Corruption.

The fact that Chuuya was an incredibly important person to him was another fact that Dazai would never admit out loud; the two of them had gotten off to a rough start and Dazai was well aware he'd done many things that had hurt Chuuya, yet despite that the two of them had managed to build a strong bond. It was a different type of bond than the one Dazai had shared with Odasaku, Oda had been a sturdy port in the middle of a storm, a medley of warm and gentle colors, a beacon of safety; he'd been Dazai's best friend and a teacher of sorts.

Things with Chuuya, on the other hand, had been much more volatile; he was all vibrant colors and burning passion, everything he had he'd fought to obtain and keep, teeth bared and claws sharp. He valued straightforwardness and hated manipulation and trickery, yet ofttimes kept his own feelings and intelligence hidden behind a mask of insults, bluster, and impulsiveness. Above all, he was loyal to a fault and so very human, an irony that wasn't lost on anyone in the know about his origins.

All in all he and Dazai were polar opposites, and yet, in the end, they were both children who'd been forced to become adults way too soon, only able to ever act their real age with each other. Just two lost boys who'd managed to find a home and family in each other.

And yet, whenever Chuuya activated Corruption, that vibrant boy disappeared. All of his fire and personality gone in a matter of moments, replaced by nothing but an endless abyss of rage and destruction. When in his corrupted state, Chuuya had no friends or allies, he would focus on the last task Chuuya had thought of before activating his power and then, once that was done he'd turn his rage on whatever else was around him. If you were unlucky enough to get in his path….

Well, there was a good reason Double Black was so feared by the Mafia's enemies.

Dazai remembered all too well the first time Corruption had been activated, it had only been a few months since they'd been partnered together and the two of them had been taking down a small organization that had been encroaching on Mafia territory. Or well, Chuuya had been taking them down while Dazai had been playing on his handheld and returning Chuuya’s insults with snide remarks. Ever since the debacle with the Sheep, Mori had been much quicker to shut down any new groups that popped up in the Mafia’s territory; most of them were unlikely to ever get strong enough to pose a threat, but that was also what they'd once thought about the Sheep.

The night had been going well, the organization was pathetically weak and Chuuya was easily dominating the scene, leaving the grunts they'd brought as backup with little to do but watch. Then the ability user had shown up and everything began to fall apart.

According to the information they had on the group, there weren't any ability users among them, and yet there one was tossing around bolts of electricity like an oversized battery charger. It was a bad matchup for Chuuya, gravity had no effect on electricity and the constant barrage of sparks kept the boy from getting close enough to physically attack the man. Unfortunately, the other ability user wasn't having any of the same problems and Dazai couldn't hold back from clicking his tongue in annoyance as a bolt slammed Chuuya into a crate near where he'd been sitting.

While Chuuya shook off the electricity still coursing over his body, their Mafia backup open fire on the enemy, only for each bullet to shot down by a bolt of lightning, the shooters soon being shot down themselves as the ability user turned his attention towards them. Unlike Chuuya, who after a minute or so had managed to shake off the effects of the hit and get up again, none of the men rose. They did however twitch, but Dazai was fairly certain that was due to the electricity running through their bodies and not because any of them were still alive.

Chuuya had stared at the bodies, his face a mixture of horror and anger that Dazai wouldn't truly understand until years later after Odasaku died, his eyes seemed to linger especially one sandy-haired man who Dazai vaguely recalled he'd seen Chuuya hanging out with before. What had been his name again? Nishi? Nishiki? Something like that, Dazai didn't really remember, he only remembered the man's face because he'd been very loud in his determination to be Chuuya's friend. Not that that would be happening now.

"You…" It was the deep guttural growl in Chuuya's voice as he spoke that had torn Dazai's attention away from thoughts of dead bodies and foolish attempts at friendship. Turning his gaze back to the boy his eyes widened in surprise, a rare occurrence, as a dark red pattern began to crawl it's way up Chuuya's arms and neck and his pupils shrunk to pinpricks. His mouth opened in a feral roar and Dazai watched in fascination as he charged towards the ability user, the ground cracking beneath his feet with each step. For a moment a panic expression appeared on the other man's face, before twisting into a sneer as he shot a bolt of lightning at Chuuya, only for his face to become one of shock as the boy easily dodged it.

Within seconds Chuuya was on the man, or rather the man was on Chuuya as the boy hit with enough force to smash the right half of his torso to pieces, blood and guts splattering everywhere. As he fell to his knees, a scream of pure agony on his lips, a dark orb began to form in Chuuya's hand before being thrust right into his face. The force of whatever it was would have probably sent the corpse flying backwards through the wall if it was for the simple fact that there was no corpse left to go flying, it had been obliterated, along with a good portion of the floor.

"Well, well," Dazai had drawled, clapping softly as he finally stood "Quite the trick you have there, I wonder if Mori knows you've been holding out on us? " There was no response to his taunt, causing Dazai to frown "Ignoring me? That's not very nice Chibi~" He'd pouted, only to stop short as Chuuya lifted his head and let out a terrifying laugh; it wasn't a sound Dazai had ever heard come out of him before and he couldn't stop the fear that gripped his heart for a second.

Chuuya slowly turned towards him, his eyes vacant of any recognition and it became clear to Dazai that whatever was going on, Chuuya was not the one in control. He didn’t have any time to dwell on that though as his partner lunged forward, sending a ball of dark energy flying straight at him; there was no time to dodge and so Dazai took a moment to ponder on whether or not death via obliteration would be painless before losing the chance to find out as his ability nullified the attack.

As disappointing as that was it had made one thing clear, whatever was going on with Chuuya was part of his ability, meaning he just needed to touch him to stop it. That was easier said than done of course, even without his ability Chuuya tended to be faster than him, so he'd have to catch him off guard; and the sooner he did so the better considering the blood Dazai could see beginning to drip from Chuuya's mouth and nose. It seemed Chuuya's body was not equipped to handle whatever was happening to him for very long.

Fortunately Chuuya's attention seemed to have drifted from him following his attack, and he now seemed to be focused on destroying as much of his surroundings as possible. Wasting no time Dazai had dashed forward, wrapping his fingers around the back of Chuuya's neck just like he had during their first meeting, and as he did so the marks on his partner's skin slowly receded and he'd collapsed backwards into to Dazai’s arms.

"Dazai?" The boy's voice was shaky and questioning, but he wasn't able to get more than a word out before he erupted in a fit of thick wet coughs, blood splattering his lips and dripping down pale skin. For the second time that night Dazai felt a hint of fear as he quickly turned Chuuya on his side so he hopefully wouldn't choke on his own blood, the boy was worryingly pale and his skin was cold and clammy to the touch, his breath coming in harsh wet bursts as his coughing fit died down.

"Oi Chuuya, come on don't make me carry you back to headquarters. You know, for such a tiny thing you weigh a ton, I think you're getting fat." His taunt brought no response from the smaller boy other than a slight fluttering of eyelashes as his eyes started to drift closed. "Chuuya! CHUUYA!" Dazai's voice was panicked as his hand scrambled for Chuuya's neck in search of a pulse, it was slow and threads but it was there, which drew a sigh of relief from his lips.

Reassured that for the moment at least Chuuya was alive, Dazai reached for his cellphone to call for a pickup and a doctor, his mind absently noting that his hands were covered in blood, Chuuya's blood. It seemed like an eternity that he waited there, Chuuya’s head resting on his lap, the slight rise and fall of his chest the only evidence he was still alive.

When Mori strolled through the door finally, it was the most realized he had ever been to see the man; he had no idea how desperate he'd sounded over the phone to make Port Mafia's boss himself come down, but judging by the slight widening of the man's eyes, the scene he'd come across was not what he'd been expecting.

The man knelt down next to the two of them, a frown playing on his lips as he reached out to check Chuuya's pulse,

"What happened?" He questioned, and it was only the knowledge that Chuuya would soon be getting medical attention and that it was dangerous to show weakness in front of Mori, that allowed Dazai to compose himself and answer.

Mori hummed thoughtfully as he finished, his eyes lit up with both interest and excitement, whatever his thoughts were on the matter though, he didn't share and Dazai was too tired to try to figure them out at the moment. Mori stood and motioned one of the men he'd brought with him to pick up Chuuya, only too narrow his eyes thoughtfully as Dazai swooped in before them and gathered his partner in his arms.

At that moment though Dazai didn't care what conclusions Mori drew from his actions, all he cared about was the realization that he'd gotten far more attached to the red-haired boy then intended and he didn't plan to leave his side until he was awake and back to annoying him.

In the end, it took a whole week before Chuuya woke, and as much as he hated hospitals Dazai had stuck by his side the whole time, only leaving to eat and shower. Mori had been a frequent visitor as well, at one point commenting that Chuuya was probably only still unconscious because it had been the first time using that power and he'd probably wake up quicker after subsequent uses, which had set off alarm bells in Dazai's head.

Those alarm bells had quickly turned into sirens after Chuuya had woken up and Mori had expressed his intentions to weaponize his ability, which had been dubbed Corruption, for the good of the Mafia. Dazai hadn’t missed the flinch and look of fear in Chuuya's eyes at that declaration, and had silently promised the boy that he'd only ever factor it into their plans as a last resort.

There had been nothing he could do about the numerous training sessions Mori required them to have though, all he could do was stand on the sidelines and wait until he needed to turn off Chuuya’s ability and carry him to the infirmary. Unlike the first time, he never stayed by Chuuya’s bed until he woke up, it would be dangerous for both of them if Mori realized Dazai actually cared about his partner. And hadn’t that been a shock for Dazai to realize, that he did care about Chuuya; as infuriatingly annoying as the boy was, he’d brought a sense of variety to his life and while it didn’t fill the emptiness in him, it was something he didn’t want to lose.

Thankfully it seemed Mori had been correct in assuming Chuuya would wake quicker as his body got used to using Corruption, by the time Chuuya had activated it five times he was down to only about three days of unconsciousness afterward, though of course he still remained stuck in bed drugged up on pain medications for several more days.

Despite all the time spent practicing though, it wasn’t until the Dragon’s Head Conflict that Corruption was finally purposefully used in a mission. Given that it had been the death of a friend that had caused Chuuya to unlock the power in the first place, Dazai supposed it was only fitting that it was the death of more friends that caused him to choose on his own to use it in a battle for the first time.

Since Chuuya's desire for revenge went along nicely with Dazai's own plans, he had happily stood aside and watched the widespread destruction with fascination, the many times he'd trained Corruption with Chuuya couldn't compare to watching him use it uninhibited. All it had taken was a matter of moments for entire buildings to be demolished and Dazai was left with a sudden understanding of what the destruction of Suribachi City must have been like.

He only let Chuuya rampage for a few minutes before wrapping his fingers around the boy's wrist and canceling out his ability, they didn't want to end up destroying all of Yokohama after all. Scooping his partner's hat up off the ground, he spun it idly on his finger, gazing around at the destruction surrounding them.

"My my, I'd say that's a job well done, wouldn't you Chibi?" He commented, not really expecting a response; it was clear that Chuuya was barely hanging on to conscious. Sighing loudly, Dazai stopped spinning the hat, instead placing it on his own head so his hands were free to pick Chuuya up in a princess carry. "Hmm, maybe we'll get a raise for this?" He muttered to himself, beginning what he considered a far too long walk to find a ride.

As it turned out, not only was a raise in store for both of them, Chuuya had managed to net himself a promotion to Executive thanks to his actions. It was a bittersweet victory, as an Executive Dazai knew Chuuya had finally gained the chance to look through his files and gain much sought after answers about his past, but now that Mori had gotten a definite taste of what the two of them could do together, they would no doubt be sent out on more and more missions together with instructions to use Corruption.

As usual, Dazai's prediction turned out to be correct.

It wasn't all bad though, Chuuya was a fun partner to work with, not that Dazai would ever tell him that, and bugging him often led to funny stories he could tell Oda and Ango. Chuuya's body also seemed to adjust better to using Corruption, he’d still cough up blood and blackout after using it, but his time spent unconscious had greatly decreased and he was usually out of the hospital within a few days. Sometimes he was out even sooner then that if he had his way; of course when Dazai had proudly told him that he was getting almost as good at escaping hospitals as he was, he’d only received a punch to the gut as thanks, which he found rather rude.

Even with the good points though Dazai still couldn't claim to be happy, he still felt empty, but he supposed he was as close to content as he could be until he either found a reason for living or successfully managed to kill himself.

Then Oda had died and everything changed.

Leaving the Mafia was simultaneously harder and easier then Dazai had thought it would be. With Odasaku dead and Ango revealed to be a spy, there wasn't much of anything left to emotionally tie him to the organization. Really only Chuuya was left, and while he'd probably miss the angry little hat rack, it was far to easy for Dazai to come up with reasons for himself why leaving his partner behind was fine. He'd always been good at lying.

Chuuya was happy in the Mafia, he liked it there, he wouldn't want to come along with Dazai even if he asked. Besides they hated each other, they were always fighting, why would he even want him to come along? Chuuya would be better off without him anyway, Mori wouldn't be able to make him use Corruption anymore so he'd be safe and happy while Dazai focused on becoming a good man for Oda's sake.

They say if you repeat a lie enough times it will become true, and while that in itself was certainly a lie, it was easy enough to make yourself think it was true if you kept it up. And so Dazai easily pushed his regrets to the side and left without a backwards glance.

But then Chuuya came down those stairs four years later and suddenly it wasn't so easy to ignore those long pushed aside regrets. Being on the side that saved people had made a difference in Dazai's life and he didn't regret making that choice, but as he slid back into the old pattern of bantering with his former partner, he couldn't help but wonder if he should have given Chuuya the chance to make that choice as well.

Despite having not wanted to join in the first place, Chuuya had slid into the Mafia like a well-oiled gear, his inclusion helped things run smoothly and it was like he'd always belonged there. But was he happy? He should be, if there was anything in the Mafia that would make him unhappy it would be being used as a weapon, and with Dazai not there to make Corruption an option, that couldn't happen.

Still, as he watched his old partner's back disappear out of the dungeon, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd made a mistake.

[leonawriter]

Stray Dogs and Tiger Cubs (pt.18)

Also on AO3

Fandom: Bungo Stray Dogs

Characters: Dazai, Kunikida, Atsushi, Kyouka.

...

"....What're you doing?"

If he'd asked any of the staff at the orphanage such a question, he would have been ignored, shouted at, or worse. But he was coming to realise that no one here was like that - and there was something about being held and supported by Da-san like that even while Da-san was angry, that made him feel at a level deeper than he could begin to think up the words for, that Da-san would never do any of those things.

So now here he was, the morning after his first proper sleep in days, standing up on his tip-toes to try and see what was going on.

"Kunikida-kun's hounding me for a report on my side of what happened in the past few days," Da-san said, sounding like he was mumbling because he had his arms on the desk and his head on his arms and he wasn't speaking clearly, which was something else the orphanage staff would never have done. "I don't wanna."

"You're going to have to do it sooner or later, and since we're going to be dealing with the mafia because of your actions, I'd prefer sooner."

"Yosano can write it."

"Yosano has already written her report."

"Atsushi-chan... at some point, you're going to have to learn how to write a report of your own. What do you say to starting now?"

Atsushi blinked, eyes going wide at the very real responsibility and barely hearing Kunikida's angry shouting, until he remembered something important.

"But... Da-san, I- I don't... I haven't learned some of these kanji yet..."

"Eh?" Da-san blinked at him, as if he didn't understand. Atsushi blinked back. Da-san lifted up his head, and looked over at Kunikida, and his the look on his face making Atsushi wonder if he'd said something wrong. "Kunikida-kun. He's still learning his kanji." 

That was what he'd just said. He'd been keeping up at the same rate as everyone else at the orphanage, even with... everything else... or he'd thought so, at least. Did this mean he should have somehow-

"Of course he is, Dazai," Kunikida was saying, "he should still be in school, but you took care of that-"

Kunikida stopped, and Atsushi jumped at a knock on the door.

...

I saw this kid and the next thing I knew I was running from the place with a kid under my arm, getting into a car and telling the driver to floor it, were the words Chuuya had used to sum up his rescue of Atsushi. Which made the entire event sound more like a theft, or a kidnapping, than a rescue.

In essence, at least as Dazai had seen it, it had been no different from what Odasaku might have done, the way he'd saved those few children from the war zone of the Dragon's Head Conflict. 

In the direct aftermath, he hadn't put such words to his actions, still running on a form of adrenaline, expecting - somehow - that sooner or later the problem of who would look after Atsushi now would be taken out of his hands.

He hadn't thought about where Atsushi would stay, other than that he was sure that eventually the boy would be able to control himself, somehow.

He hadn't thought about schooling, barely even remembering his own childhood well enough to know what a child that young would or wouldn't know, only that  by the time he'd been fourteen and wanting to die, and Mori had found him, he'd known everything he'd needed to in order to be seen as an asset to the mafia.

He hadn't tensed in the presence of police for over a year now, and yet - here they were, in his place of work, his place of safety, and he...

"Huh? Is this girl... with the Agency?"

There were too many things that could go wrong. Even as the President defended Kyouka's presence, Dazai noticed them looking over in his direction as well, where Atsushi's hand had started to clench tightly onto the overhanging fabric of his waistcoat, as if Atsushi was afraid to be taken away.

"And talking of kids, isn't this the same one who you guys took along to that murder investigation? I thought it was weird back then, that a kid would be out of school like that, but..."

"Atsushi-chan's mine!" Or - at least, that's what he heard himself say, as brightly as he might once have asked his enemies to kindly die, and save him the trouble of killing them. "Isn't that right, Atsushi-chan?"

Atsushi, for his part, nodded without letting go.

...

He sighed as soon as they'd left - perfectly nice people, he was sure, which meant that it was nothing personal at all that he simply didn't want them anywhere near him for the time being. The problem was nowhere near solved, but at least, for the moment, they had a little more time.

Kunikida was staring at him. He had barely stopped staring at him ever since he'd said those words - Atsushi-chan is mine - and it'd only become more obvious once the police had gone and his reaction wasn't going to sabotage Dazai's efforts.

It wouldn't be so bad if it was just Kunikida, but... he could feel other eyes on him as well.

Overall, it made him feel as though he had just taken his shirt off in the middle of the summer heat, leaving his bandages fully on display - uncomfortable, with the specific sense that people were about to start asking invasive questions.

"Come, Atsushi-chan. We're going out!"

He pushed his chair out and stood, stretching, and reached over for his coat.

"Wait- hey! Dazai, you still haven't written that report!"

"I'm going to be the one to handle most of the relations between the Agency and the mafia anyway, so it's not as if the report can't wait," he called back airily. "So there's no harm in taking Atsushi out for some fresh air while we know no one's going to be coming after him, yes?"

"How do we even know that? And why would you be the one to handle things between the Agency and the mafia in the first place of all people?! Oi, Dazai-"

"If Atsushi-chan is going somewhere, then I'm coming, too," a quiet voice added, Kyouka speaking up for the first time that morning as he went for the door. "Protecting him is the new assignment that Nakahara-san gave me, after all."

"Right, right... ah! I just remembered. This is perfect timing. The report has to wait at least until I've come back! Kyouka-chan, you can be the go-between."

"You can talk to him yourself."

"Only if I absolutely have to."

They leave before Kunikida can ask what he means by that - if he can put off explaining himself for a little while longer, he will - but's only once they're out of the building, having wished Kenji well on his own investigation, and gone halfway down the street when Kyouka asks what they're really out for.

"Several things," he admits to the two children, who are both listening intently to him. "One is to get the rest of the information I was after in the first place. Two, scouting out places that would work as neutral meeting spots, and..."

"And?"

While Kyouka was more than capable of walking along on her own, Atsushi - who up until now had simply held onto his coat - had his hand, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd held the hand of someone so small, and it was enough to make him pause.

Atsushi trusted him. Against everything that everyone else had said, that one thing - and Odasaku's words still echoing in the back of his mind - was enough to make him not let go, and simply adjust his grip.

"Books!" Atsushi's eyes lit up, which was a good sign. "We need to find some that are Atsushi-friendly." He could hardly just leave his own favourite books just lying around, either. 

Then again, it wasn't like he knew what sort of books children of Atsushi's age tended to read; the only children in his general age group he'd come into contact with had been... Elise, and Q. And neither of those two could exactly be considered a benchmark for a normal child under any circumstances, which aside from the entire tiger issue, Atsushi was.

The three of them are halfway into their third bookshop when a car alarm goes off in the distance, and then a loud noise, followed by several other loud noises. Kyouka's hand is inching toward her blade when another alarm joins the first.

"Nothing to worry about," Dazai says, hand on Atsushi's shoulder when he realises the boy has tensed up. "Kenji-kun was heading out around the time we were, so he's probably just finishing up around now."

"That's... finishing up?"

"You shouldn't underestimate the Detective Agency, Kyouka-chan."

"I... see."

"Now, how about this one?"

The contemplative look on her face vanishes, replaced by a slight frown.

"You can't just get Atsushi-chan books that have tigers on them, Dazai-san."

"Hm, you're right. It is the wrong colour."

He puts the book back, and picks out another one, this time with a properly white tiger.

[lookslikerainydays]

soukoku + 52 please;;;

52. “I think I’m in love with you and that scares me half to death.”

send me a number and a ship. 

It had been a phone call that led to all of this.

“Chuuya’s injured.”

Kouyou’s voice echoed through his ears, her voicesharp, and Dazai didn’t have to ask about Chuuya’s condition; she wouldn’t becalling had it been not severe. And there’s a reason she specifically calledhim.

“Condition of the captives?” Dazai had asked as he madehis way out of his office.

“Very alive unfortunately.”

“I’ll take care of that.”

~~

The men that’d been awaiting him by the interrogationroom gave an outline of the mission to Dazai. Dazai learns all that’s necessarywith the mission, but what had been vital for him to know was how Chuuya gotinjured and he gets his answer from one of the men.

Dazai learns it’d been a mistake of some of the lowerranking members. Chuuya and a few others had been standing aside searching thearea and those members had been assigned to keep an eye on the captivesattentively but ultimate failed as one of the captives managed to break freewithout their realisation. He’d been carrying a gun and it’s only after he’dshoot Chuuya twice that they realised he’d broken free. He’d been shot andkilled on the spot instantly and Dazai tsks knowing he won’t be the one killinghim.

The men visibly flinch in their spots at that andDazai pushes the file he’d received earlier with the report of the mission toone of the men. They all are sensing his anger and his anger is justified asChuuya’s his partner.

But it’s more than that. Chuuya is his indeed hispartner but he’s also his partner; the word itself holds a differentmeaning when it comes to Chuuya. And Dazai knows had Chuuya been just a workpartner, he wouldn’t be as half as angry as he is currently and Kouyou wouldn’thave asked him to take over the interrogation.

Because when it comes to Chuuya, he’d been the one byhis side at all times and shown what it truly is to be a perfect partner.They’d grown up side by side, memorising all the details of one another, andbeen the only ones who truly understood one another.

And these bastards in the other room were planning ontaking that away from him.

Chuuya cares too much for someone in the mafia and hemanaged to rub off that on him but with an exception; he cares too much when itcomes to Chuuya only.

Dazai doesn’t waste time and heads inside theinterrogation room.

This should be fun.

~~

Dazai tapped his fingers against the half-filled glasstwice and lifted the glass, swirling it gently and watching the ice move around.

He took a quick glance towards Odasaku’s direction andfound him to be humming quietly to himself. He’d been in a good mood and Dazaiknew it’s because his kids had drawn him a new photo.

They’d arrived earlier than usual today; he still hassome time with just the two of them.

“Odasaku,” Dazai starts, “Are you my friend?”

“Yes.” Odasaku’s reply comes in an instant and Dazainods his head.

“How do I know that? How did I decide you’re afriend?”

“You mean what sets apart a friend from everyoneelse?” Odasaku hums and this time he’s the one tapping his fingers againsthis glass, “I suppose it could be summarised as someone you find yourselfcaring about and becoming important to you naturally.”

Dazai blinks his eyes before turning to face Odasakuclearly, “What if I feel like that towards someone, but it feels wrong to keepthem under that category? Because they’ve become important but their importanceand the way I care about them is different when it comes to you. You’re afriend, I know that, but that person?”

Odasaku is looking directly at him now and quietlyspeaks, “Have you considered that it might be love?”

Dazai stares at Odasaku quietly, allowing his words tosink in.

Love. It’s unfamiliar, yet it seems…right. And it allcomes down crashing on him instantly because that makes sense. It all makessense now why he’d been able to notice the little things and memorise them. Likethe way he takes his coffee, how he takes off his hat and runs his hand throughhis hair frequently when he’s got a headache, the way he sticks his tongue outjust a bit when he’s deep in his thoughts, how he always takes off his leftglove first before his right, and how he pulls on his hat slightly when hisolder sister figure starts bringing up stories of him when he’d been younger.

It all been imprinted on Dazai’s heart long ago andhe’s certain he’ll never be able to erase it.

And there is more, but Dazai stops himself from plungingin deeper. This is dangerous, he shouldn’t be feeling like this towardssomeone, but mostly importantly he’s afraid. All his life he’d been able tocontrol his emotions and feelings, casting them aside and not letting it get tohim, and this is the first time he’s finding himself in a situation he’s unableto control them.

Odasaku’s lip tug up in a small smug smile and Dazai’ssnapped out of his thoughts when he speaks, “Could it be that you’re truly inlove?”

Dazai chugs up the remainder of his drink and Odasakuchuckles quietly.

“Why did you have to be right?”

Odasaku shrugs as he lifts his glass but doesn’t takea sip before asking Dazai, “So, do you think Chuuya feels the same towards youtoo?”

“Don’t mention his name right now.” Dazai looks backat Odasaku and finds him smiling before nodding his head.

“Alright, but can I add one more thing?”

“I suppose.”

Odasaku places his empty glass down and looks back atDazai.

“I hope I live long enough to attend your wedding.”

“Okay, that’s it. We’re not talking about thisanymore.” Odasaku had chuckled and Dazai had tried his best ignoring howserious Odasaku seemed.

~~

Dazai spots the door of the room Chuuya’s in at theend of the hall and notices Kouyou stepping out of it. She shuts the doorquietly behind her and offers a smile at Dazai when he joins her side.

“I know the torture and interrogation squad leaders alwayschoose not to be present when you’re the one holding the interrogations, butI’ve heard they practically ran away as soon as they knew you’d be taking overthe interrogation today.” Kouyou pauses, her voice stern, “So, how was it?”

“Not even a few minutes in and they’d been alreadywishing they were dead. I had fun.”

She looks at the door behind her and sighs beforelooking back at Dazai, “He’d been bleeding a lot when they brought him in butthankfully his injuries hadn’t been critical. But he still needs a proper restand to be cautious, yet he’d been so stubborn and pretending to be fine. Idon’t know how but he finally fell asleep just a few moments ago.”

Relief settles in knowing Chuuya’s going to be finebut he still can’t help but feel the slight unease knowing he’ll only be fullyrelieved once he sees him by his own eyes. He nods his head at Kouyou’s wordsand finds himself looking back at the door before Kouyou speaks again, “Thosemembers responsible for the mistake, you didn’t take care of them, right?”

“Of course not, I thought I’d leave something foryou.” Dazai smirks and he sees the glint in Kouyou’s eyes.

“Thank you. I’ll make sure they never make a mistakeof that sort ever again.”

“Take your time. I’ll take care of your son if heneeds anything.”

Kouyou chuckles at Dazai’s words, “I know you wouldwithout having to say that.”

Dazai watches her walk away and take in a long breathbefore turning around and pushing the door gently open.

His nerves settle down when Chuuya’s finally insight,yet can’t help the long breath he lets out seeing Chuuya in his current state.The entire of his right arm is bandaged and he notices the bandages peeking outunderneath his shirt where it has risen.

Dazai somehow stops himself from turning back andheading back to the interrogation room.

He stays by the door and watches Chuuya, Chuuya’swho’s very much wide awake and staring blankly at the ceiling, blinking hiseyes slowly. He stares down at his bandaged arm and tsks. Using his arms, hetries pushing himself to sit up, and Dazai notices how he’s relying entirely onhis left arm. He hisses, unable to get up the slightest bit, and drops his armsdown as his face scrunches up in pain. He lets out a long breath and glares athis right arm this time.

Dazai eventually breaks the silence, “What are youdoing?”

Chuuya’s eyes widen slightly and he turns his headaside, finally noticing Dazai. His hair’s a mess and his eyes seem heavy but Dazai’sbreath hitches; he still looks stunning. “I heard your voice earlier when youwere speaking to ane-san. I didn’t notice you getting in though.”

“She told me you’re asleep. So, can you explain to mewhy you’re awake?” Dazai asks as he stands by Chuuya’s bed.

“I’m fine.” Chuuya huffs out, “Besides, I’m not tired.”

“You’re fine?” Dazai repeats, “What are youdoing here then?”

Chuuya tsks as he averts his gaze and stares back atthe ceiling, “I might be injured but it’s fine and I don’t want to worry her.”

Dazai raises his brows and sits down at the chairbesides Chuuya’s bed, “And you think refusing to rest is going to stop her fromworrying?”

“Did you come here just to annoy me?” Chuuya pausesand smirks as he turns his head to face Dazai, “Besides, I know ane-san isn’tthe only one who’s worried.”

There’s a sudden flip in his stomach at the way Chuuyasmirks at him, his eyes having that knowing glint in them. Fuck. Why isthis happening all of a sudden? Why did it have to be that this moment he’sbeing able to confirm Odasaku’s words?

Dazai doesn’t let it show, being able to suppressthese unexpected overwhelming feelings and keeps his voice monotone as hespeaks, “Of course I would worry about my petite hat rack. Who else do I haveto bother?”

“Liar.” The glint in Chuuya’s eyes doesn’t disappearand he’s filled with confidence when he speaks, “Someone came here to informane-san and I heard it. The interrogation and torture squad leaders hadpractically ran away today when you took over the interrogation. I know theyalways choose to not be present when you’re there, but them running away is afirst. You can’t lie to me; you were worried.”

Dazai stares at Chuuya’s smug smile and he knows hehas no way out of this. He sighs, “Couldn’t they had this talk outside theroom?”

Chuuya chuckles and turns his head aside, but he’s gota gentle smile when he shuts his eyes, “Even if I hadn’t heard that, you wouldn’thave come here if you weren’t worried.”

He isn’t looking at him and his tone hadn’t carriedany sort of the mischief it’d been carrying earlier as he’d smugly revealedeverything, yet Dazai can’t keep staring at him and looks down at his feet.

Is this what Chuuya feels whenever he’s injured?

Dazai’s certain for the first time he’s findinghimself speechless, his mind slowly comprehending everything, and unable tocome up with coherent words.

He sighs quietly and looks up to find Chuuya hasn’tmoved, but he’s staring blankly ahead, blinking his eyes frequently, and proceedsto rub his eyes. It’s evident he’s filled with fatigue yet seems to be fightingthe urge to sleep. Dazai doesn’t mention it and opts to remaining quiet, knowinghe’ll eventually fall asleep if he lets him as he is right now. A few momentpass before Dazai notices the way Chuuya keeps his eyes shut longer beforeblinking again and eventually he’s shutting his eyes completely. His breathsare much steadier and Dazai knows he’s on the verge of sleep.

Slowly and gently as possible, Dazai leans forward ashe reaches out for the blanket that’d been pushed down to Chuuya’s knees andpulls it up, covering Chuuya with it. It’s enough to have Chuuya opening hiseyes and wearily staring at Dazai.

“Go to sleep.” Dazai says quietly as he leans back in thechair, but then Chuuya’s holding his left hand and blinking his eyes beforefurrowing his brows at Dazai. Dazai smiles amusedly, “What is it?”

“Your bandages.” Chuuya mumbles, voice heavy withsleep.

Dazai perks up his brows and turns his hand slightlyin Chuuya’s hand to get a better view of his bandages and notices a bloodstain.Dazai chuckles, “You mean the bloodstain?”

Chuuya mumbles something incoherent close to a yes ashe seemingly decides that lifting his hands slightly to grab Dazai’s hand is tootiring and drops his arm on the pillow besides his head. Dazai’s hand rests in thepalm of Chuuya’s hand, and Chuuya’s got a gentle hold on his hand.

Dazai tries not to question why Chuuya still hasn’tlet go and why Chuuya’s hold fills him with warmth.

“It’s not my blood.” Dazai finally answers.

Chuuya hums thoughtfully, “Okay, just remind me when I’mup to change it.”

Dazai chuckles, “I can change it myself.” He can’t helpthe smile that makes its way across his face, and he’s glad Chuuya’s alreadyshut his eyes again not to notice it.

Except Chuuya blinks his eyes open and Dazai’s certainthe way Chuuya’s gaze freezes on him has to do with his smile. But then Chuuyasmiles before chuckling, “You don’t put it on as properly as I do.”

Dazai lifts his brows and Chuuya shrugs slightlybefore sighing and looking away.

He hasn’t let go yet and Dazai can’t find it inhimself to move his hand back, “Stop worrying about me and go to sleep.”

“You’ll stay?” Chuuya asks, voice quiet.

Dazai rubs his thumb against his hand, “Yeah.”

Chuuya lets out a breath before shutting his eyes, “Okay.”

It takes him only a few minutes before he falls deeply asleep.

Dazai’s hand is still resting against his palm and hishold isn’t as tight as it had been before, but Dazai doesn’t move it back. Heknows he won’t move back to not awaken Chuuya, but he also knows he’s mostly notdoing it because he wants to keep this feeling lingering as much as possible.

Dazai can’t tear his eyes away from Chuuya; hiseyelids closed against the dim light of the room; his chest rising and fallingwith each intake of air; his breathing relaxed and soft.

The shirt he’s got on is loose, nearly falling off hisshoulder, and Dazai notices the trail of bandages covering him that remind him he nearly lost Chuuya tonight.

That thought has him taking in a deep breath as helooks down at his feet again momentarily and looks back at Chuuya.

Chuuya’s soft breathing makes the world seem to standstill. He swallows the lump in his throat as he whispers in the quiet room, “Ithink I’m in love with you and that scares me half to death.”

He lets out a long shaky breath and leans back in thechair, dropping his head back. He reaches out for his phone and sends Kouyou aquick text letting her know Chuuya’s asleep and for her to rest as he’ll staywith him tonight. He shuts off his phone after receiving a reply and glances atChuuya one last time before he shuts his eyes.

It should be unconformable falling asleep like this inthis chair, but it’s worth it for the way Chuuya’s holding his hand. He falls asleepfilled with thoughts of familiar blue eyes and familiar gentle smile and he’scertain it’s the hand against his that lets him for once experience a comfortablesleep.

ao3 link

[leonawriter]

Stray Dogs and Tiger Cubs (pt.8)

Read it on AO3 from the start

Fandom: Bungo Stray Dogs

Characters: Dazai, Yosano, Atsushi, Kyouka.

...

He's humming to himself, when he hears footsteps. Several dozen plans being created and then tossed away like the beginnings of drafts written on scrap paper in hid mind, because it isn't as though he hasn't got the time to think right now.

No Kunikida harassing him for paperwork or reports, or... anything, really. No fieldwork. No- well, no, he'd almost prefer to be hounded by a cute young waitress for his unpaid tab than be strung up here by his wrists. It does hurt, after all, and once he's out of here he's going to have to change the bandages around his wrists because he knows it's chafing, and it'll be sore for a while.

But, it's not like he's in any rush.

The information he's after isn't going anywhere, after all, and Atsushi himself should be safely back at the Agency, being looked after by everyone else in his absence. If anything comes up, he trusts that someone can handle it; there hadn't been anything worse than their normal investigations, escorts, and so on ever since that one day, when he'd first found out that there was a bounty on the boy's head.

A bounty that wasn't going to go away just because it would be convenient, and if Mori was sending people like Akutagawa to take in Atsushi, then it had to be something important, even aside from the monetary value of it.

And so he hums, a song about suicide and death that doesn't have any true thought or meaning to it, and can only barely be bothered to stop when the sharp tendrils of Rashomon cut past the bandages on his neck before reaching his skin and dissipating into so much mist as the ability is nullified.

"Oh..." He looks up, something far colder in his eyes than he's ever let anyone in the Agency see, let alone Atsushi. "You... were here?"

...

Yosano is there when Kunikida attempts to question the girl once she's awoken, both because she's got every right as the doctor who'd been treating the girl's injuries to know if she winds up tearing anything open again, and also because, even more than Kunikida, she'd been there.

Atsushi had woken up not all that long ago himself, and a single question of asking where "Kyouka-neechan" had gone at least told them what her name was, even if asking anything else had just come up with a shrug or a shake of Atsushi's head.

For a while, they had both thought that the boy was just being difficult, but hadn't been able to do anything about it.

Now, seeing the girl - Kyouka - barely react at all to any of Kunikida's questions, Yosano wasn't so sure. In fact, she was starting to think that maybe, Atsushi really didn't know anything more than her name... and, probably, the fact that she'd been meant to kill herself, along with all of the passengers on the train.

She couldn't help the way that her hands clenched and tensed at odd moments when Kyouka just kept staring into space, no matter what was said, no matter how loud, with eyes that stared blankly ahead, and might as well be dead for all the life in them.

"...so answer me. Who's the person 'above' you?"

At first, it seems like there'll be no answer to that, either, and to top it all off, she feels a pressure on her skirt - the hand too small for any of the remembered attempts at groping that she's had to endure, she knows before she even reacts reflexively, no matter that no one at the Agency would so much as dare.

Atsushi gets a pat on the head, for reassurance.

"...the boiled tofu at Tachibana," comes a quiet voice, one that she's only heard speak once before. "It's... tasty."

Atsushi blinks up at her as Kunikida huffs in annoyance. Tachibana - that place is expensive, if she remembers right. And yet...

"You'll talk if you eat, huh?"

Kunikida levels an incredulous stare at her. But the girl nods, and that's all Yosano needs.

Don't even try telling me what I can or I can't take on, she tells Kunikida when they're both out of earshot of the kids. She respects him well enough, but she'll press the point home if she has to.

Thankfully, she doesn't have to, because he's smart enough to know when to let the matter drop.

...

He expects the blow, rolls with it as best he can when all he can do is adjust the angle of his head against the stone wall behind him, but it still hurts, his face stinging and growing hot in the way that says he'll have a fresh bruise there, which he isn't happy about even if he'd anticipated it.

"You are not entirely impervious," he hears Akutagawa say, as he breathes in to accommodate for the ringing in his ears before turning his head back to face his ex-mentee, and current opponent. "You still get hurt when stripped of your ability. I can kill you any time I want."

Dazai bites back a sigh, a roll of his eyes, a scoff - instead putting everything into a smile, and a few words.

"Really? How dreadful." Akutagawa stared, and Dazai could almost see the anger simmering away beneath the surface. Which is fine by him. "If you don't mind my saying... training you was such an ordeal, back then. You were dumb as a brick, and so very headstrong... not to mention, that trashy ability of yours."

Perhaps he shouldn't rile up the one who had already had no qualms against attacking a boy to get at the tiger within once before, but they were words that had been kept locked inside for so long, frustrations borne of how Akutagawa had never made full use of himself, nor of his ability, in all the time he'd made so many attempts to train him, much like a dog that could only understand the one command.

Chuuya, at least, had always been capable of learning, of adapting, of working with him and strategising, even if those strategies were never exactly things of finesse. 

"You won't be cocky for long," Akutagawa said, holding onto his restraint by the tightening of his fist, by the looks of things. "We will annihilate the Detective Agency in a few days, and seize the weretiger. Then, we will execute you... after forcing you to helplessly witness the destruction of your organisation, and everything you've built up... including that boy."

Those words, more than anything else Akutagawa had said up until then, strike like a snake at some part of Dazai's guts that makes him feel a cold sharpness digging in, in a way that he hadn't since-

Since- 

Not since the threat of seeing Odasaku's back retreating into the distance, as he watched helpless to stop him.

The memory of a trailer filled with dead children enters his mind, and the insidious thought that this time, he would have personally trained the one responsible for such an act.

For a moment, the fear he feels is paralysing, enough that he feels that he can't breathe - is this what anyone else would feel, if they were drowning?  - and then, he almost feels like laughing.

Atsushi is stronger than that. The Agency, is stronger than that.

The fear abates, for the most part. Leaving only pure anger in its wake.

"Do you have it in you, though?" he asks. "In all this time... all you've ever done is kill whoever's in front of your face. Even an eight year old child knows better how to use their ability than that."

This time, the punch comes fast enough and is backed by enough hatred and strength that Dazai's sharp inhale of breath at seeing it coming isn't enough to stop him from coughing out blood, stars dancing in his vision, and the reverberating sound of the door closing leaves him in a darkness deeper than merely that of the dimmed lights of the interrogation room.