Chapter Text
The tombstone is cold against Chuuya’s front as he cradles it, his arms hugging around the slab of marble like a pitiful imitation of hugging the man the tombstone belongs to.
“Happy birthday ‘Samu. You would have been nineteen today, if you were still alive.” Chuuya whispers to the unseasonably cold June air.
It’s been about a year since Chuuya made the biggest slip-up of his life. And ever since, he’s been without his Mackerel.
“I’ve found a way to bring you home, Dazai, even if it’s not the same you entirely. I’m sorry for losing my temper on you...If I hadn’t, we wouldn’t even be in this situation to begin with.” He mutters, pulling back and tracing his fingers across the name engraved on the tombstone.
Then he collapses back against it, clutching the marble slab against his chest desperately but being mindful of his powers to not accidentally crush the headstone. This isn’t Dazai, and it can’t nullify his abilities. He needs to remember that.
“I’ll treat you so much better this time, doll. You won’t try to leave me again, and I’ll worship you like I always wanted to.” Chuuya says, voice fervent with the promises he intends to keep.
His ears catch on the sound of people approaching and he releases Dazai’s grave, turning to look behind him. His men are carrying a metal briefcase, bowing their heads in respect as they approach him and the grave.
“We got the relic you requested.” One of his men says, and Chuuya rises to his feet.
He approaches them, outwardly calm and collected, but inwardly, he feels like his emotions could boil over into pure ecstasy with the possibilities this relic unlocks. He pops the lid of the briefcase, eyes roving over the stone, dragon-shaped relic resting in the padded case. A smirk dances across his lips at the sight and he gently, lovingly removes it from the briefcase, holding it in his hands.
There’s a faint thrum of power within the relic that Arahabaki responds to within him, but Chuuya ignores the god’s interest. This will be used to take him to a world where Dazai is still living – if it has another god’s remnants or something in it, he doesn’t care.
He couldn’t find any relics that are guaranteed to bring back the dead as they were before they died, but during his search for a relic to bring back his Dazai, he heard whispers and rumors of a relic that could lead to whole new worlds. And he knew his next target.
If he couldn’t get back the Dazai he accidentally killed, he’d still get himself a Dazai. Even if he had to leave his world behind to do it – he has no attachments to this world without Dazai. Nothing here interests him anymore; the world has become a colorless grayscale in his mind.
He turns back to his men, nodding approvingly.
“Good job. I’ve approved your bonuses; you can find them in this location so the Boss won’t suspect your involvement. It’s a discreet mafia payout center that I told to boost your pay from money I gave them from my own account.” He says, handing them a small envelope with a map tucked into it.
The men accept his words and quickly vacate the premises to claim their rightful rewards, leaving Chuuya to turn back to the relic that will change his life.
Boss Mori won’t like losing one of his strongest Executives like this, but he’ll get over it. He got over Dazai dying, after all. He’ll accept that Chuuya simply cannot and will not exist in a world without Dazai longer than he has to.
Now, according to the research he’d done, all he has to do is offer up his blood on the runes inscribed on the side of the relic and tell the artifact where he wants to go.
He quickly slices his hand along the runes, feeling oddly enough as if he’d just given himself a paper cut, despite the runes being made of carved stone. He frowns at the relic before shaking himself out of it.
“Bring me to a world where Dazai still lives.” He says.
A portal immediately opens before him, leading to another graveyard. Chuuya turns to pick up the briefcase full of cash he’d withdrawn from his account to bring with him. He will be starting from scratch in this new world, after all.
Then, he steps through the portal and it snaps shut behind him. The temperature of this new world is significantly warmer, he notes as he looks around the graveyard.
His eyes immediately jump to look down at the tombstone before him – what was Dazai’s tombstone in his world. In this world, the grave says “Oda Sakunosuke” and a smile creeps across his face.
Oh, he knows who that man is. Dazai was so incredibly fond of him, and so Chuuya spared him because he knew how much Dazai cared about his “Odasaku” and that killing him would have pushed Dazai too far from him for him to ever recover from. His “Odasaku” always took up too much of Dazai’s thoughts and genuine smiles for Chuuya’s taste.
He’s happy to know that the man won’t be a thorn in his side in this world.
Surveying the graveyard silently, he finds no one else is in the location.
“I suppose I’ll have to lie low and get a feel for this version of Yokohama, and locate Dazai.” He hums thoughtfully.
Then, he tucks the artifact away in his jacket, thankful it’s not too large and unwieldy.
“Once I find you, Osamu, I’ll claim you as my own – to worship and protect. And I’ll never let you hurt yourself, and I won’t lash out at you with my temper again.”
He looks up at the sky, which is sunny and bright, but is now a warm evening, as opposed to the cold morning it was in his world.
“I’ve learned my lesson this time. I swear it.” He whispers, voice breaking.
He misses his Mackerel. It’s like missing a piece of his soul – he’ll do anything to fit Dazai back where he belongs, next to Chuuya.
So, turning his gaze back to the world around him, he determinedly beelines for the exit of the graveyard.
There’s no rush. He’ll find Dazai one way or another, and then he’ll sweep him off his feet and into Chuuya’s waiting arms. Chuuya will romance the hell out of him, and then he’ll ensure his Mackerel stays safe and doesn't try to leave him this time.
And if there’s another Chuuya in this world who takes issue with that? Well, this Chuuya knows what it’s like to cradle the lifeless body of his Dazai – his whole world – against him, begging for one more chance, a do over. Anything to bring back Dazai.
This Chuuya isn’t going to give up Dazai ever again.
---
Dazai is at a okonomiyaki stand with Atsushi and Kunikida, eating lunch together with his coworkers. His day actually hasn’t been too bad so far – he’s even able to stomach some food.
Well, he did eat half of his platter of food, which is more than he thought he would. Exhaling calmly, he turns around in the stool to look out at the quiet street the stand is located on. He hates having his back so exposed, but he does trust Atsushi’s and his own ears to catch any sort of disturbances or stealthy approaches to take them out.
Right at that moment, he spies a certain ginger walking down the street who appears to have...Gotten a haircut?
Dazai does a double take at that. And yes, it is Chuuya, walking around with his hair reminiscent of their later teenage years as compared to seeing the longer hair Dazai is accustomed to seeing him with nowadays.
Chuuya is looking around himself in that subtle way he does when he’s trying to look for someone in particular. Ah, he’s on a mission.
“Thanks for the meal.” Dazai says to the owner of the stand, quickly fishing out his payment and handing it to her.
Then, he’s quick to rise to his feet. He’s got a chibi to bother, after all.
“Huh? Dazai, where are you going?” Atsushi asks, worry filling his tone.
Dazai’s eyes flick to his for a moment, and he smiles,
“I’ll be back shortly.”
Having said that, and ignoring Kunikida’s growls that “he’d better get back shortly”, he hurries stealthily across the sidewalk where his chibi is walking down the street in more casual clothes (a green sweater that fits his form nicely, black dress pants, and dress shoes, with of course, his signature hat. Is he really Chuuya if he doesn’t wear a hat? Thoughts to ponder later.)
“Looks like Slug got a haircut~” Dazai singsongs as he reaches Chuuya.
Chuuya freezes where he was walking down the sidewalk, before abruptly turning on his heel to face Dazai. The ginger stares at him for a long moment, his eyes roaming over Dazai’s body like a ravenous man getting his first meal in weeks.
Dazai isn’t sure what he’s done to get Chuuya undressing him so thoroughly with his eyes.
The silence between them is shattered by Kunikida yelling, clearly having seen where he’d slunk off to.
“You damn waste of bandages had better not try to skip out on work to go bother that ginger again!”
Pouting at that, Dazai turns to whine back at Kunikida. However, his attention doesn’t divert from Chuuya long before he feels Chuuya’s gloved hand wrap around Dazai’s wrist.
He snaps his head back to look at the shorter male.
“It’s really you.” Chuuya breathes.
Then, he’s yanking Dazai into a hug, catching Dazai off guard, tensing up.
PDA from Nakahara Chuuya of all people? What kind of alternate reality has he stepped into?
When he tenses up, Chuuya only hugs him tighter.
“God, I’m never letting you go again.” He murmurs, rubbing his face against Dazai’s chest.
Dazai is really at a loss now. This is evidently his Chibi – any sort of shape-shifting or disguise ability would have dissipated upon touching Dazai. But he’s acting very un-Chuuya-like. The brunette has no idea how to react.
“Did Chuuya get affected by an ability?” Dazai asks cautiously.
Chuuya looks up at him, and oh. His eyes are slightly shimmery from a faint sheen of tears he refuses to let fall.
“I just had a very long nightmare. But it’s over now.” The blue-eyed man gives him a watery smile.
Dazai’s brow furrows at that.
Chuuya doesn’t dream. So he must be talking about an ability.
Atsushi and Kunikida approach from behind at that exact moment.
“Uh. Why is Mr. Nakahara acting so...Different from usual?” Atsushi asks cautiously.
Dazai looks down at Chuuya.
“That is the question.”
Chuuya tenses up the closer Atsushi and Kunikida get, before he seems to force himself to relax his muscles, and steps back, releasing his grip on Dazai. The ginger gives a cool glare to the other two.
Then, he looks back up at Dazai, his gaze softening as he sighs. He carefully reaches out take Dazai’s hands in his own gloved ones, brushing Dazai’s knuckles with his thumbs.
“I recently had an unpleasant encounter with an ability user who trapped me in a hallucination that you were dead. And after that, I refuse to waste anymore time beating around the bush about my feelings for you, ‘Samu. I love you.” Chuuya says, his voice soft as he looks up at Dazai.
Chuuya wants...Him? Of everyone he could have? His fuck up of a partner who is always wishing for death?
Of course Dazai has wanted him for years. But for Chuuya to want him?
Dazai’s mind runs so fast at that, it goes blank.