Chapter Text
The evening air of autumn was always pleasant. There was less of the oppressive summer heat – instead, the lingering touch of the sun bestowed a comfortable warmth. Not quite enough to wish for the sweet relief of air conditioning, but perfectly adequate for going out in only a light jacket.
Chuuya took a deep breath of that air, fragrant with tepid earth and the fallen leaves that rotted on the sidewalk. There was something nostalgic about the smell of mid-October.
Chuuya took in the sight of fiery foliage atop the canvas of brooding sky, the promise of harsh colds looming over the horizon, just a few months out of reach. The leash in his hand was tugged, and Chuuya glanced over to where Maple was sniffing the bottom of a lamp post. His black boots scuffed the concrete as he paused in his step. The little terrier mix huffed at the offending pole, before decidedly turning around and walking back to her waiting human.
They continued down the sidewalk for a while before Chuuya saw the sun fall below the tree tops and called Maple to head back. A sudden wind rustled the leaves on the trees and ruffled Chuuya’s hair, threatening to knock off his hat. He shivered slightly – he’d forgotten how fast it got cold in October – and used a hand to hold his headpiece in place as they approached a small bridge. There wasn’t much special about that bridge: it was rather thin and old, built decades ago over a small river near the Yokohama University campus and then promptly forgotten about by the council. The railing was rusty in places, and weeds had sprung through cracks in the cement.
As Chuuya walked by, however, the dawdling rays of the sun hit the water below at just the right angle. The rippling waves shimmered with gold, and Chuuya couldn’t help but pause for a moment to admire the sight, unceremoniously dragging Maple along to the side of the bridge to get a better view over the railing.
He'd just rested his hands atop the metal when he glimpsed a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye. Chuuya glanced up, and across from him, towards the middle of a bridge, he saw a man who looked about his own age clad in a flowing brown trench coat. Bandages were wound around the man’s neck, Chuuya noted as his coffee-coloured hair was swept back by the breeze. He was leaning against the railing, and Chuuya couldn’t see his face but was sure that he, too, was appreciating nature’s light show. But then Chuuya saw the man grip the railing tightly, his posture shifting. Slowly, he straightened his arms, rising to stand on his tiptoes, and then lifting a leg up as if to hoist himself over the side–
Before his brain could catch up, Chuuya’s feet had already started propelling him down the concrete. Maple, largely excited at the spurt of exercise, quickly followed along. The bridge was on the longer side, so it took Chuuya a few seconds to get into hearing distance of the man.
“Hey!” He blurted, too freaked out to think of something a bit more elegant to say.
It did the trick. The man’s arms relaxed, and his leg dropped back onto the ground. He turned to look at Chuuya with wide, bewildered eyes. Chuuya noticed they were brown. A very pretty shade, especially when they were reflecting the fading sunlight.
He stopped short of the brown-eyed man, catching his breath. Maple panted excitedly at his feet.
“Did you need something?” The man inquired, having seemingly recovered from the initial shock of Chuuya’s yell. He leaned his side against the railing in a show of nonchalance, but after what Chuuya saw, all he could think was how the dainty railing was the only thing keeping this stranger from plummeting into the water.
“Uh, yes, actually,” Chuuya said, scratching the back of his neck. His brain was being no help with thinking up an excuse. “Could you… could you tell me how to get to Yokohama University?” He asked breathlessly.
Ah yes, well played, Chuuya. Asking the guy for directions to the place you’ve studied at for the past two years. Very smooth.
“It's just, I’m new around here,” He felt the need to justify, before inwardly smacking himself. What if this guy had seen him around, or worse, went to the goddamn university with him?!
Gulping, Chuuya stared at the other in anticipation. The man before him seemed to ponder the request before abruptly snapping his fingers.
“Ah! I think I know where that is! If you just go down that block, then to the right, then, uhh…” He thought it over for a couple of seconds before suddenly beaming down at Chuuya. “Why don’t I walk with you? I can’t remember the directions off the top of my head, but I know the way.”
The hundred-watt smile sent his way was bright – almost painfully so. Chuuya wondered how the man managed to smile with so much light when not even a spark of it reached his eyes. He followed the man down a path he had walked hundreds of times, Maple dutifully trailing behind on her leash. The stranger made cheerful comments about the weather, the temperatures that he hoped would be dropping soon, and how nice this part of the city was.
“I’m actually new here myself,” He admitted, and Chuuya let out an inward sigh of relief. “I arrived only a couple of days ago, but I really like it. Although, if you can’t even find your way to the university, you’ve gotta be newer than me.”
“I’m just bad at directions,” Chuuya grumbled half-heartedly at the teasing.
They rounded the last corner and came upon the main campus. Chuuya’s grip tightened subconsciously on Maple’s leash as the man turned and flashed him a grin. “Welp, here we are.”
“Thanks for your help,” Chuuya acknowledged sheepishly.
“It’s whatever,” The man shrugged in characteristic nonchalance, the ever-present smile that never seemed to reach his eyes widening and starting to get on Chuuya’s nerves.
Chuuya turned to walk away, Maple in tow, before he heard the man call out again. “Maybe I’ll see you around. The city’s not very big, after all.”
“Yeah,” Chuuya muttered under his breath, feeling a spark of anxiety. “Maybe.”
—
Chuuya groaned and lightly bumped his head against the glass door of the shower.
He thought his usual seven-hour-long night’s sleep would help clear his head, but no such luck. His mind kept straying back to the events of the previous evening, or more specifically, the guy from the previous evening. After returning Maple to her room at the dog shelter, getting home, excessively overthinking every little tidbit of his actions and how terribly (and uncharacteristically) unsuave he had been, going to sleep, getting up, and going for a run, Chuuya realised two things. One: the guy he helped last night probably went to this university. Two: the guy probably wasn’t trying to kill himself.
The guy had obviously just moved here, but already knew his way to the university, of all places. And who would need to know the directions to an educational institute and move there right before the start of the fall semester but a student? He even mentioned that Chuuya must be newer than him if he couldn’t find his way there, implying that he had the assumption that Chuuya was also a new student. Not to mention that he looked to be in his early twenties.
Now, of course, Chuuya had nothing against people in their twenties. Or people in their twenties studying at universities. It was just this particular guy studying at this particular university. And it wouldn’t have been a problem if Chuuya was a shut-in, concerningly antisocial student who roamed the campus like a ghost, fleeing at the first hint of social interaction.
Chuuya was not one of those people. He thrived off of socialisation and cared about his fellow classmates. He knew most people in his major by name and had a large social circle with many connections across the town.
Chuuya knew everyone, and as a result, everyone knew Chuuya. This new guy would have zero issues finding him amongst the students. And it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that for someone to have more than one or two friends amongst the student population, they’d have to have attended the university for at least a few weeks, let alone the magnitude of Chuuya’s friend groups that he had gathered over years. To further expand upon his distress, considering the way many of the students loved to run their mouths , the man would have no problem getting pleasantly surprised with this information .
And the second part, which Chuuya would obviously prefer to be true: the man was not trying to kill himself. Mostly, Chuuya was just sceptical about whether he really saw what he thought he had seen. After he got Maple to the shelter and the adrenaline wore off, he thought back to the sight of the man lifting his leg onto the railing. The bridge was long; the man had been pretty far from him. It was entirely possible that what Chuuya thought he saw didn’t actually happen. What if the guy had just been trying to get a better look at the water…
Chuuya sighed and raked a hand over his scalp.
Had he really gone and bothered a perfectly innocent man who had no suicidal intentions? And lied to him, no less?
He would’ve felt a lot better if he never had to see the guy again. He would just forget about it, eventually. But if he attended this university then Chuuya would run into him sooner or later, and man, would that be mighty awkward. Would he be amused? Offended? Uncaring? Chuuya couldn’t know for sure.
He was making way too big of a deal out of the situation. Logically, he knew this. But logic rarely came into play for him in situations that involved emotion. For good reason or not, Chuuya had lied to that man. And lying was one of the few things in the world that Chuuya never wanted to do. He had long sworn to be sincere and show the world nothing but the truth; honesty was a value that he upheld with great care.
He’d gone out for a run that morning to try and clear his scattered, frenzied brain, but to no avail. At least his legs thrummed with a pleasant ache that could anchor him for a while.
He got out of the shower and towelled off before tending to his morning hair and skin routines. He ran through all the creams and moisturisers slowly – a languidness he seldom allowed himself when his days were filled with morning lectures and his roommate would decide to be annoying and demand the bathroom or shower at the least convenient times.
Sometimes, Chuuya was almost glad Sharise was gone, if only because he didn’t have to deal with the snoring and constant nagging to use the bathroom. But any feelings of satisfaction were swiftly dispersed by the dejected silence that had permeated the dorm ever since he left. He could admit he sort of missed sharing his living space.
Snapping the lid of his final moisturiser shut, Chuuya strode over to his dresser. He changed, the motions all but second nature as he shrugged on a varsity jacket and fixed his signature choker around his neck. He left the dorm shortly after, waving good morning to the students milling about the hall. There weren’t many yet, but the new semester was around the corner and everyone would be returning from their holidays within the next few weeks. Chuuya himself had only just gotten back from visiting Kouyou in Japan.
He ran into a pissed and very tired-looking Akiko on his way down the stairs, pausing to assess how she possibly could’ve gotten herself in such a state after he left her alone for less than twelve hours (he saw her yesterday when he dropped Maple off at the dog shelter; one of the pups had a paw infection that needed to be looked at.)
“Clubbing,” She stated in response to his raised eyebrow.
“Damn. I know you’re a bit of a lightweight, but…” Chuuya trailed off, unsure how well she would take a comment on how she could currently pass as a ghost.
He received a glare that dared him to even try to finish that sentence, and Chuuya thanked his gut profusely for that spark of insight. “It’s my last semester. Might as well have some fun and make questionable decisions,” She smirked – or, well, tried to smirk; in her current state, it looked more like a grimace.
Chuuya shrugged, feeling the familiar pang of sadness at the thought of Akiko leaving. She’d been his friend for the duration of his stay at the university, and a close one at that.
“We still on for shopping next week, punk?” Akiko’s voice halted his gloomy thoughts, and Chuuya mirrored her suddenly soft smile.
“You know it, doc.”
She grinned up at him, punching his shoulder lightly as she walked past. He’d miss her when she graduated and went to continue her studies all the way across the state. The shelter would miss her, too, seeing as she had unofficially become their main vet, and definitely the vet they relied the most on. But Chuuya also knew that she needed to find her way in the world: something that probably wouldn’t happen if she just stayed here. Akiko was a woman of action, brimming with vitality and a fiery sort of determination he rarely saw in other people. He knew that this university, this town, hell, this whole country, would never be enough for her. Besides, that new veterinary undergraduate kid who started coming to the shelter with Akiko last semester (and was seemingly awed by the fact that they had lightswitches) was growing to be a promising successor. Chuuya smiled at the thought with just a hint of melancholy.
“Drink some water!” He called after Akiko’s retreating form, making a mental note to bring over some pain relievers later in case she ran out.
“Shut up, I know!” She yelled back affectionately as she disappeared through the hallway door.
Chuuya huffed, turned around and continued down the street. He walked the ten minutes it took to get to the small cafe many of the students frequented, choosing a quaint table in the corner as he placed an order for two coffees. He looked at the time. Thirty-four minutes past eight.
He looked back up, and as expected, at the end of the street appeared a gloomy-looking figure, getting closer and closer as the seconds ticked by. When Akutagawa made his grand entrance, armed with the usual oversized black jacket and antisocial air, he was met with the despairing greeting of, “It’s eight thirty-six.”
Akutagawa’s black-lined eye twitched noticeably, and he stalked over to the table, a copy of Emperor and Galilean tucked under his arm.
“I knew I shouldn’t have redone the eyeliner,” He muttered irritably under his breath. He never liked being late.
The younger man took a seat, placing his book on the table, and Chuuya took the opportunity to nod at it. “Don’t you already have a newer copy of that?”
The slight flush on Akutagawa’s typically death-pale cheeks should have been Chuuya's first warning. “Ran into the Tiger Kid on my way here,” He muttered, casting a complicated glance at the book.
“Isn’t that one of your favourite works?” Chuuya prompted, the picture of innocence as he leaned his cheek on his palm and blinked up at the other.
The way Akutagawa’s blush deepened and his shoulders tensed as he hesitantly nodded should have been Chuuya’s second warning.
“Do you think he bought it for you, then?”
Akutagawa’s face turning beet red and his jaw clenching was the third and final warning Chuuya got before the other man exploded in a flustered myriad of rage. Chuuya listened attentively as the younger ranted on and on about how, “I’d never accept anything from that illiterate, uneducated, unsophisticated computer-whatever major!! ” and, “It’s probably some shitty, second-hand copy his great aunt gave him that’s been collecting dust in his attic anyway!” and, “You think I took this willingly ?! He shoved it into my hands before running away!!!”
Chuuya didn’t have the heart or the mental energy to tell Akutagawa that both he and Atsushi were just crushing on each other and that this was probably Atsushi’s attempt at impressing said crush with a gift. At least Atsushi was making some progress, unlike a certain gothic counterpart who was going off about how unbelievable the other’s behaviour was and how he would, “Burn this disgusting thing before the day is over!”
Chuuya sighed, staring forlornly out the window as he was handed his tea. Talk about unconventional mating rituals.
He took the chance to order them both some breakfast, inwardly empathising with the waitress when Akutagawa turned to her, angrily exclaiming, “Just despicable! Am I right?!” And she could only nod along solemnly like she understood exactly what this conversation was about.
Akutagawa finally calmed down once he took a few bites of his french toast, simmering down to only an occasional comment. Chuuya really hoped – for all their sakes – that the two would finally sort out their relationship so that this one-sided rivalry of Akutagawa’s could come to an end. Because, seriously, all that unresolved sexual tension was getting to the kid’s head.
The remainder of their breakfast went smoothly; they chatted absently about poetry, Chuuya’s visit to Japan over the summer and Akutagawa’s travel over eastern Europe. Then came the inevitable subject of the dreaded semester that hung over their heads like a heavy cloud, bemoaning all the late nights and the dreaded due dates, trying to guess how many litres of caffeine they would have to consume to stay alive.
Catching up with Akutagawa was always nice. He was something of a brother figure to Chuuya; they met in middle school years ago, then went to the same high school before Chuuya went off to university, Akutagawa joining him a year later. Some of their toughest days were spent together – dealing with bullying at school; the months after Chuuya was adopted by Kouyou; the death of Akutagawa’s pet goldfish. Chuuya always made sure to treasure their friendship, even if Akutagawa’s unrivalled ability to be as dense as concrete really grated at his nerves.
They made their way over to the shelter after breakfast, and Chuuya thanked whatever powers were watching from above that Atsushi had a meeting with his professor and wasn’t there. He did not want to experience their flirting firsthand ever again.
Chuuya met with a few people who were interested in taking a look at the dogs and brought them through to meet a couple of the canines. They left after a short while of considering the pups, which allowed Chuuya to give the dogs some pats and clean out a couple of their kennels. The remainder of the day was a bit busier than normal, with summer still lingering in the air and people having more free time, but between him, Akutagawa, Kyoka and Kunikida, they managed.
Chuuya relieved himself early, explaining that he needed to sort out some homework he had forgotten to do (and totally didn’t just procrastinate on) for his history class over the break. He looked at his watch: 01:06 pm. Enough time for him to get a quick bite at the cafeteria, go to his dorm, get started on that project, and then hopefully cook himself something nice at the community kitchen instead of ordering takeout again. He’d even give Akiko some. If she asked nicely.
Chewing on a white chocolate and strawberry muffin (which tasted suspiciously like cardboard, but for its price, he wasn’t really complaining,) Chuuya made his way up the stairs towards his room, already coming up with a few ideas on what to do for his homework. Unfortunately, his train of thought was cut short and he abruptly came to a halt in the middle of the hallway as he noticed that his door was open. Chuuya blinked. Then blinked again, putting a little more effort into it. When nothing changed, he cautiously approached his door, trying to take a peek inside.
Who would be in his room at this time of day? No, scratch that, who would be in his room, period?! Akiko had a key, but she seldom used it, and when she did it was usually just to grab something that he forgot or to help him when he got locked out. Akutagawa had a key, but he’d left Akutagawa at the shelter not half an hour ago. Lastly, he had a key, and when he felt for it with his hand he found it resting safe and sound in his pocket.
Had he been robbed? But who the hell robbed people in broad daylight?
Cautiously, Chuuya moved his head from side to side to peer at the different corners of the room. Nobody was there. Everything seemed to be in place. Except, he looked down and noticed that on the floor, there were a couple of cardboard boxes–
“Why hello there~”
The combination of the whispered words, the breath tickling his neck, and the fact that someone had fucking snuck up behind him understandably made Chuuya shriek and jump three feet into the air. He whipped around right as his offender let out a cheerful laugh, ready to go on an absolute verbal rampage. His fists curled in preparation for beating some sense into the prankster.
But he stopped short.
Because in front of him, in the hallway of his dorm, right outside his fucking room, stood the ridiculously tall, brown-eyed, suicidal-but-maybe-not guy from the previous day.
Chuuya thought maybe he was dead and this was hell giving him a taste of the consequences of his life choices.
The brown-eyed pranking bastard, who had thankfully stopped laughing, suddenly aimed a blinding smile right at Chuuya’s face. “Well, fancy seeing you here! Told you the city wasn’t very bi–”
Not giving him the chance to finish, Chuuya finally broke out of his stupor and booked it into his dorm room, expertly manoeuvring around the boxes and into the small bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.
And then Chuuya started the very mature process of regretting all his life decisions. Fuck him. Fuck this. Fuck university – oh god, he knew it, he should have dropped out. If Chuuya hadn’t made a complete fool out of himself in front of that guy before, he sure as hell had traversed that line now. And the guy was gonna be his roommate. Once again, disrespectfully, fuck this.
The gloomy silence in the bathroom was disturbed by a soft knock.
“Hey, you ok in there?”
It was him. Chuuya kind of wanted the heavens to strike him down with lightning.
“It’s been, like, five minutes. Are you gonna come out, or just stay there like a sad little slug all day?”
Chuuya contemplated his existence up until this point with great vigilance.
“Come onnnn, I won't bite, promise!”
If he was afraid of being bitten, he wouldn’t have spent his free time volunteering at a fucking dog shelter. Nevertheless, Chuuya, very hesitantly, came out of the bathroom, much to the joy of the brown-eyed guy.
Chuuya looked up at him with caution as soon as he had closed the bathroom door, expecting to see mirth, or joy, or at least something in the guy’s gaze that gave away a tidbit of emotion.
But while the man’s lips were curved, those, dare he say, gorgeous mahogany eyes lacked much of… anything. It made a subtle chill travel down Chuuya’s spine, but he shook it off in favour of standing as tall as his 5’3 self could.
A hand was extended to him, and Chuuya saw a sliver of bandages beneath the sleeve of the beige trench coat.
“The name’s Dazai,” The man – Dazai – grinned as Chuuya accepted the handshake.
The hand he grasped was cold. Soft. Calloused in places. Chuuya released it, letting his own gloved hand fall to his side. “Chuuya. Chuuya Nakahara.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Chuuya!” Dazai’s smile betrayed absolutely nothing. “So, Chuuya, you lied to me on the bridge?”
Chuuya, expecting the question but just really hoping Dazai wouldn’t bring it up, choked a little. He averted his eyes, gritting his teeth as a flush crawled onto his cheeks.
“Lying is so bad, Chuuya~” Dazai sing-songed, easing some of the tension in the air. Chuuya let out a breath, watching Dazai turn and go back to where he had seemingly been unpacking a box on the recently abandoned side of the dorm. He stood awkwardly, suddenly unsure of what he should be doing inside his own living space. Dazai began to hum merrily as he took one set of paints out of the box after another.
“Um,” Chuuya said eloquently. Dazai looked up at him and tilted his head in silent question. “Do you need help carrying anything up?”
Dazai nodded enthusiastically. “I have a few more boxes, but only if Chibi could manage to hold them with that tiny physique of his…”
“Hah?! Who are you calling a fucking Chibi?! I’ll show you what my ‘tiny physique’ can do, you beanpole bastard!”
“Beanpole? Wow, I’m truly offended~” Dazai’s smile was sly, almost resembling a fox. “Looks like the only way you can make it up to your poor, disoriented, jetlagged roommate is by carrying all the boxes up yourself~”
“You wish, beanpole.”
Dazai’s smile took on a dangerous quality. “I bet you can’t do it.”
Chuuya’s eyes narrowed. “Fucking watch me.”
And that’s how he ended up carrying five (mind, fucking heavy ) boxes up two flights of stairs all by himself, Dazai chatting his ear off the entire way about how dumb and inconvenient it was that they didn’t have elevators in this part of the building.
“Every time I want to come to my room, I have to walk up two flights of stairs, Chuuya!”
“I know, I fucking live here !”
“Well, maybe you didn’t realise how absolutely awful that was until I mentioned it!”
“Would you help me carry this box or kindly shut up for two seconds?”
“... … ok, my two seconds is done, now as I was saying–”
“I swear to god, Dazai–”
Chuuya dumped the last box onto the floor, leaving them for later unpacking.
“Wow~ Chuuya's very strong~” Dazai nodded as he appreciatively glanced at Chuuya's biceps.
“I work out.” Chuuya's chin lifted proudly. “Told you I could do it.”
“Of course,” Dazai smiled. “Now I truly understand Chuuya's strength.” With that, he flopped down onto his bed and whipped out a small book and a pencil.
Chuuya watched him begin to trace the led tip over the paper before going over to sit on his own bed, pulling out his phone for lack of anything better to do. Minutes ticked by, and with every one, his curiosity increased until he could no longer contain it.
“So, what are you majoring in?”
His question made Dazai look up from his sketchbook, then pointedly glance down at it again.
Chuuya huffed, shifting self-consciously in his chair. “Well, art could just be your hobby or something. I like music, but I don’t major in it.”
“You play music?” Dazai’s voice sounded a touch softer than before, and Chuuya’s heart did a little leap as he saw the man’s eyes flash with what looked like genuine, child-like wonder.
He nodded. “Yeah, piano. Not much anymore, though. Anyways, what do you major in?”
“Visual arts.” Dazai shrugged, gesturing to the boxes of paints, brushes, and books that he had just dumped haphazardly onto his desk. “I literally brought nothing but art supplies and art textbooks.”
Chuuya grumbled under his breath and looked up at Dazai expectantly. But the man just went back to his drawing, not returning the question.
“Aren’t you gonna ask what I major in?” Chuuya asked in confusion.
Dazai looked up again, only this time, the tiny spark of emotion was absent from his eyes. “Ah, I already know its history.”
Chuuya blinked at him, owlishly. “How?”
“Well, first of all, it’s obvious from the papers lying on your desk, especially that unfinished summer project you should probably start working on. The way you talk, as well: knowledgeable, rightfully certain of your opinions.” Chuuya would have been utterly stunned had Dazai not added, “And I also might have asked around a bit before you got here.”
Ah. There were those abundant social connections biting him in the ass.
“We might be taking some of the same classes, then,” Chuuya voiced subconsciously, registering that Dazai hummed in agreement. “Man, this will be an interesting semester.”
“I’m inclined to agree, Chuuya,” Dazai smiled mischievously at him. “But I must say, I think I’ll rather enjoy it.”