012

The days after Q's re-confinement bled together, slow and warm like honeyed tea.

You found yourself sharing space with Dazai again, and for better or worse, he made sure your time together was unmistakably his.

Mori seemed to give in to Dazai's insistence at times, and you began to find yourselves assigned together for missions.

Not too often, but enough for a pattern to form.

Whether it was tracking down informants, intercepting shipments, or quietly eliminating threats to the Mafia, you and Dazai worked with a precision few could match.

Your skills complemented each other almost too well. Your strategic calm, his erratic brilliance.

The more missions you completed, the more people began to talk. Not of your past injuries or your terrifying ability, but of the unstoppable duo you and Dazai had become.

Dazai didn't hide his satisfaction.

He trailed at your side, humming half-familiar melodies, poking at your stoicism with playful barbs, watching your reactions as if they held answers to questions he hadn't asked yet.

You didn't indulge him, but you didn't push him away either.

Letting him orbit around you felt easier than severing the cord that tied your names together.

"Do you always drink tea at this hour?" Dazai had once asked, sprawled across your couch like a bored cat.

"It's calming," you replied simply.

That habit remained unchanged.

That evening, your footsteps echoed through the Port Mafia estate as you walked to Koyo's quarters for tea.

You always enjoyed your conversations with her. She didn't pry, didn't flatter.

Just tea and silence, sometimes conversation if the mood called for it.

When you arrived, you saw her already seated with Chuuya.

He stood the moment he noticed you, clearly preparing to make a dramatic exit.

"Tch. Not this guy again," he muttered under his breath.

You said nothing, only giving a slight nod.

"Sit, Chuuya," Koyo said evenly, without even looking up from pouring the tea.

"You're already here. You can endure five more minutes."

Chuuya grumbled but obeyed, folding his arms and slouching back down like a stormcloud with boots.

You took your seat beside him.

At first, the silence was suffocating. He tapped his fingers against his cup.

You stared at yours.

Koyo watched both of you like a mother watching her children learn table manners.

"So, you're an executive, huh?" He spoke up, earning your attention.

"Well I suppose you are that bastard Dazai's mentor...Makes sense."

"Does it?" You took a sip of the tea.

"Yeah."

Then, silence follows.

Chuuya snapped, "Is that it!? Dammit, can't you see I'm trying to make up a conversation here?!"

His hand landed hard on the table. If not for Koyo being present, he would've broken the table.

"Chuuya." Koyo called out in a warning tone.

"Agh..." He immediately became passive, removing his hand off the table.

He looked away like a pouting child after getting his toy stolen away. Or maybe it was petty that you saw on his face.

The tea time ended with silence...

The evening mist hung low as you wandered through the quieter part of the Port Mafia's estate.

Past the training grounds and beneath the cracked lantern posts, you found a small courtyard rarely visited.

A place of solitude, dotted with weeds and overgrown grass, half-forgotten by those too busy killing and scheming.

But not forgotten by one.

A bark pierced the air.

A small, energetic blur launched itself at your legs.

You barely flinched, bracing instinctively before recognizing the tiny weight.

A dog. No, the dog.

That same absurdly expressive creature who looked suspiciously like a caricature of Chuuya Nakahara.

He had the same red-orange hair, the same scrunched-up little frown... even the same hat.

What's more is that the little guy even wore the same clothes as him. It's like he's the dog version of Chuuya Nakahara.

You crouched without a word, letting the creature sniff your palm before it enthusiastically began pawing at you, then plopped against your thigh like you were the warmest place in the world.

You didn't mind.

He looked too harmless to trap, and even if he wasn't, it'd been too long since something soft had looked at you without fear or orders behind its eyes.

You scratched behind his ear, and he made a happy yipping noise, then started rolling on the grass beside you. So, you let him.

That's when you felt the presence.

You didn't look up immediately. Training had long taught you better, but you knew it was him.

Chuuya stood frozen a few meters away, half-hidden behind a post. Eyes wide, lips parted slightly.

He looked at the dog. Not you.

And he looked like a kid who'd just found his long lost sibling.

You finally turned your head. He blinked rapidly, caught in the act.

"Do you want to pet him?"

Your voice cut clean through the quiet.

"Can I?" he asked, a little too quickly. A little too brightly. Like someone who had just won the lottery.

Then, realizing the slip, he cleared his throat and stepped forward with forced nonchalance. "I mean...since you're offering. Might as well."

You tilted your head slightly, amused.

The second his hand touched the dog's head, it was over. His expression melted into something bright and pure and genuine.

The dog leaned into him with glee, tail wagging at hummingbird speed.

Chuuya beamed, the happiest he had ever been in his whole life.

Then he caught your gaze and pulled his hand back like he'd been burned. "I wasn't staring, alright? And this doesn't mean I like you. Just the dog."

"I see," you replied, eyes drifting back to the dog who immediately flopped against Chuuya's boots.

"I'll keep that in mind."

He tried to cross his arms. Failed. The dog was climbing him. His mouth twitched like he was fighting a smile and losing.

"You're not as much of a stiff as I thought," he muttered, pretending to be annoyed.

"Still, you ought to fix that damn-..." He was going to tell you to stop looking so dead or blank all the time, but when you looked at your face...

"...That damn face..." It was glowing. And that made him sweat dropped.

"Ugh... Pretend I didn't say anything." He blushed in embarrassment. He probably looked stupid just now.

You didn't respond. But you did reach out and gently fix the dog's little hat.

Chuuya saw that.

And for some reason, it made him feel... something.

Maybe you weren't so bad.

In the following weeks, you saw Chuuya more often.

Sometimes with Koyo. Sometimes he was just wandering the halls, trying to look like he wasn't looking for company.

You didn't mind his presence. He had a different kind of sharpness from Dazai. Grounded. Sincere.

Dazai, however, noticed. He always did.

"You're spending time with Chuuya now?" he asked one night, curled beside you again while staring off into the buildings from afar.

"He's decent."

"Is he?"

You glanced at him, not replying to him. This kid is acting jealous again, that you know.

Dazai exhaled heavily and rested his head on your shoulder.

"You're not allowed to like him more than me," he mumbled.

"...You're impossible."

"Thanks."

"It's not a compliment."