010

The Port Mafia's base always felt colder in the early morning.

You stepped lightly, boots whispering against polished floor as you walked through the halls for the first time in a year.

The world felt different... sharper, louder, like it kept going even when you couldn't.

The lingering warmth on the cot where Dazai had slept beside you was gone, replaced with the distant scent of wine and irony.

Outside, the faint light of dawn touched the inner courtyard with a soft, filtered glow.

You closed your eyes and let the silence press in around you-until a familiar voice stirred the stillness.

"Well, look who's up and walking."

You opened your eyes to find Kōyō Ozaki standing across the courtyard, a porcelain tea cup in hand and her usual elegance effortlessly intact.

Her gaze softened, a flicker of rare surprise in her expression. "I thought the reports were exaggerating. But here you are."

You gave a slow nod, voice still hoarse from disuse. "Apparently, I'm hard to kill."

Kōyō's lips twitched. "So it seems. Care for some tea?"

You followed her to a small, shaded veranda tucked beneath flowering branches.

The scent of jasmine lingered in the air as she poured two cups of still-warm tea from her kettle.

For a while, neither of you spoke. The quiet was comfortable.

"I heard you protected Q." She finally said, fingers curled around the teacup.

"Even now, they keep mentioning your name... though they'd never admit they're worried."

You stared down at your reflection in the tea. "They shouldn't be."

"They're children," Kōyō replied, then looked at you. "But you were, too."

You didn't respond.

She went on, "Dazai changed while you were gone. Grew sharper. Colder. But I think... he was just waiting."

Your fingers twitched on the cup. "Waiting for what?"

She smiled faintly. "You."

You didn't have an answer to that. Only the weight of memories-the warmth of wine-soaked breath, the way his fingers curled loosely beside yours as sleep overtook you both.

"How pointless." You closed your eyes, your words earning a low chuckle from her.

"Be careful with Mori." She added suddenly, her tone quiet but pointed.

"I know how loyal you are... but he's the kind of man who sees people as pieces. You're more than that."

You looked at her for a moment. "That's not up to me."

She didn't push. Instead, she poured you more tea.

"Then at least finish your cup. It'd be a shame to waste it."

Soon, silence followed.

The tea had cooled by the time you finished it, the last dregs bitter on your tongue.

You parted ways with Kōyō with a nod, stepping back into the long corridors of headquarters.

You didn't make it far before familiar footsteps echoed ahead. Light, measured, too purposeful to be anyone but him.

"Maa, L/N-kun." Mori greeted, his voice coated in silk and something darker beneath it.

"You're up early. A walk after a year in bed? Or were you looking for me?"

He stood with Elise perched primly at his side, her head tilted in bored amusement as her hands clutched a parasol far too ornate for the dim halls of the underground base.

You didn't flinch, nor bow. Just inclined your head the way you always did, like a soldier awaiting orders.

"I was taking a walk."

"Well." Mori said, the smile widening slightly. "Walk with us. Elise-chan is in need of a new wardrobe. Something softer. She insists on black again, but that won't do."

"I didn't insist," Elise chimed in, giving Mori a pout before her eyes flicked to you.

"I just said it suits me. But if L/N says it doesn't, I'll pick something else."

You nodded slightly. "Black doesn't suit you."

Elise stared for a second, then turned with a small huff, though her cheeks pinked in something close to satisfaction. "Then maybe I'll pick white. Or something with lace."

"Perfect," Mori hummed. "Let's go."

You fell into step beside them, your presence at Mori's left as natural as Elise's at his right.

There was a subtle lean in your direction, the way his gaze lingered just a little too long when you answered his questions...

As the three of you walked the streets above, the early morning haze still lingered over the city.

Elise chattered about skirts and ribbons, occasionally asking your opinion, and you gave answers in as few words as possible.

You didn't mind her. She was loud but not cruel.

Her gaze was uncomfortably perceptive at times, but so was yours.

Mori occasionally offered comments about tailoring and color, but more often than not, he watched you. Not Elise. You.

"You've changed," he said idly as you paused at a crosswalk, waiting for the light.

You didn't answer.

"Elise-chan, don't you think L/N-kun seems... more refined now? Like a sword that's been tempered."

Elise peeked at you from beneath her parasol. "He's still quiet and pretty. I like his face."

You blinked slowly. "Thank you."

Mori chuckled, clearly pleased. "Even Elise-chan approves. What more could a man want?"

"L/N is much prettier than you, Rintarou." Elise hugged your arm. Meanwhile, an arrow seemed to have stabbed itself at Mori's head.

"You're old. And don't even try to say there's a charm in that because there's none." She huffed as one more arrow stabbed through his chest.

"E-Elise-chan..." Mori reached his hand out towards Elise with a tear threatening to drop from his eye.

Later, in the boutique, Elise tried on frills and lace and velvet.

You stood near the fitting room like a shadow, letting her chatter pass through you.

Mori sat nearby, legs crossed, idly turning a silver ring on his finger.

At one point, he looked at you again, more directly. "You never did tell me about your dream."

"My dream?" You repeated, fingers curling slightly.

"Yes. People often have strange dreams when comatose. Some say it's the brain's way of coping with trauma. Did you dream, L/N-kun?"

You stared at the changing curtain where Elise had vanished.

"I did. It was..." You tried to recall.

"......" You stopped.

What was it again?

Mori smiled slowly, fingers stilling on the ring. "It's fine. You don't have to force yourself."

Elise popped her head out of the curtain just then. "L/N, does this make me look older?"

You glanced. "Yes."

"Good."

Mori's laughter followed you both as Elise ducked back inside.

You said nothing, not about the dream, not about the way Mori's words always slithered just beneath your skin.

The sun had climbed higher by the time the outing ended, a soft burn behind the thinning haze.

Elise was satisfied. Partially because of the velvet dress with pearl buttons, mostly because you agreed that she looked "older" in it.

"Good taste." She'd murmured again, cheeks pink as she adjusted a ribbon in her hair.

Mori, meanwhile, had only smiled, the curve of his mouth never quite reaching his eyes as he signed off on the purchases with the boutique manager fawning over Elise's adorable pout.

You held the door open as they left, trailing them in silence.

"Elise-chan," Mori drawled, taking her hand like a father would a child in public.

"Do you want dessert before we return?"

"Mm..." Elise tilted her head, parasol twirling.

"Only if L/N picks the flavor."

His eyes flicked to you.

You blinked once, unbothered. "Matcha."

She grinned. "I knew you'd say something boring."

But she didn't complain further as Mori waved down a driver, summoning the familiar black car with tinted windows and spotless leather seats.

The ride back was quiet. Elise dozed, cheek resting against Mori's arm, her parasol folded neatly across her lap.

Mori gazed out the window, but occasionally his eyes slid toward your reflection in the glass.

You didn't return the look.

Your gaze was elsewhere.

On the skyline, on the streets below, on a world you hadn't walked in for a year. The buildings looked the same, but everything felt slightly too bright, too clean.

Like someone had scrubbed your absence into silence.

When the car pulled up in front of Port Mafia headquarters, Mori stepped out first, Elise trailing behind him with her arms full of frilled bags and boxed sweets. You followed, but didn't enter.

Mori paused, glancing over his shoulder. "Not joining us for lunch?"

You shook your head. "I'm returning home."

There was a brief beat of silence.

"...You're still staying at that hotel?" He asked, with the kind of casual tone meant to sound disinterested. It wasn't.

You inclined your head, the answer already clear.

Mori smiled again, thin and unreadable. "Let us know if the noise becomes a problem."

"I will."

Elise waved from the steps, her fingers wiggling.

You waved back.

And then you walked away.

The hotel wasn't far. A quiet, high-end building nestled between two older complexes, easily overlooked.

It was the kind of place that hosted foreign businessmen, politicians, and the occasional washed-up author.

The concierge didn't ask questions anymore. He simply nodded when you entered, pressing the elevator button without a word.

Even though you disappeared for one year, seems he doesn't have any questions.

Not that the two of you were close in the first place.

The 11th floor hallways smelled faintly of linen and pine.

Your room, 1114, was at the end, tucked into a corner with no neighbors on either side.

It was clean. Too clean, perhaps.

Bare walls. Blackout curtains. Minimal furniture. A bed, a desk, a safe, a small kitchenette. No pictures. No books. No noise.

You slid your coat off and set it on the rack.

Your boots followed.

The silence hit you once the door clicked shut behind you.

For a moment, you just stood there, fingers resting against the edge of the counter.

The events of the morning flickered behind your eyes.

The warmth of tea, Elise's satisfied hum, Mori's gaze pressing like invisible weights against your spine.

You turned toward the window, drew the blackout curtain halfway open, and stared out over the city below.

Alive. Still moving.

Without you, and yet never really changing.

Your hand drifted to your chest, just above where the blade had sunk in, one year ago.

The scar beneath your shirt felt colder than the rest of you.

You breathed in slowly.

And then let it go.

A moment of peace...