Chapter Text
It’s an odd night. Chuuya watches Dazai lay down and go to sleep, in an apartment foreign to them. He watches as the prick closes his eyes, curling up in a ball as if to stay warm. He watches as Dazai presses into the blanket he throws over him, and his expression settles, losing the usual tightness of a forced expression. Dazai looks not fully at peace, but something near.
His face warms as he stares at the Mackerel. It’s rare to see him so plainly, untainted by outside influences. He likes this side a lot more.
The thought alone makes his face grow warmer still. This is just for a mission, otherwise they wouldn’t be together right now, so what is he thinking?
Whatever, he’s overreacting. People feel warm all the time, heat flashes and all. Otherwise It’s definitely Dazai doing something, somehow. Being unconscious doesn't make him a better person to be around.
Yeah. He just fell asleep like that to screw with Chuuya.
Who refuses to just go along with all the bastards schemes. So he turns around and closes his eyes too. As if he’ll let any more of his time be spent thinking of Dazai…
______________________________
He wakes up early. For a moment his heart races because this place is unfamiliar- Then his eyes find Dazai, who is staring at him, frozen in place with his hands reaching towards Chuuya. Right, right… Mission. There’s no other reason the prick would actually have woken up before him.
“...I want to ask what exactly you’re doing, just staring at me like some creep.” His voice betrays him, and comes out a lot more mumbled than he had anticipated, causing Dazai to smile.
“Buuuut you’re afraid to ask? Then go back to sleep, you sound so tired. I’m a good owner, my guard dog doesn’t need to be awake all the time~” Dazai quips, his knee pressing into the bed, smiling and inching closer to Chuuya.
Who isn’t dumb enough to let himself find out what the mackerel is going for, so equally as fast as Dazai, he too moves.
“I'm not a dog and I don’t need more sleep!!! I swear no one else has your weird ass ability to function the same regardless of their actual state!!!” He backs into a pillow and firmly grabs it before swinging at Dazai.
“And what the hell are you trying to do- I see you smiling!!!” It’s too early for this, and Chuuya begins to imagine himself back at his place. He could be drinking right now but instead Dazai has devised some devious plan first thing-
“Nothing bad per se. I just decided to share, being as benevolent as I am.” Dazai stops creeping towards him, and shrugs, reaching into his pocket and pulling out something before dropping whatever on the dent in the sheets Chuuya had made sleeping.
Glaring suspiciously he allows his gaze to lower, and wow. It’s a pile of what seems to be wood splinters, all smaller than a toothpick.
“...All of your perceptions are warped. What the fuck are these.” His hand loosely gestures at the pile, and Dazai begins picking up all the little wood pieces, shoving them back in his pocket.
“Well since you made me wait for you to wake up for so long-”
“You couldn't have woken up more than ten minutes before me.” Chuuya cuts in. Really, any time is too early for Dazai and his antics.
“...Time is relative” his hands clap together and his fingers interlock before he continues “And I felt this throbbing of boredom-” His concussion no doubt “So I figured why not find some entertainment to distract myself.”
At this rate Chuuya is going to bang his own head into the wall and give himself a concussion too.
“So you.. Found something and started peeling wood away… For what. To be an ass and annoy me?” He’s too drained to sound anything but exasperated.
“How short sighted of you.” Dazai crawls onto the bed and lies haphazardly on the edge “I was going to wake you up too, but conventional methods are boring so I was going to sprinkle them on you until you opened your eyes. I had been hoping to make a tower.”
Jabbing Dazai in the leg with his foot, Chuuya sighs.
“Where did you even get the idea?” He looks around a bit, and while there are several objects made of wood ( dresser, table… ) none of them seem particularly destroyed.
“Oh that.” Dazai rests his chin on his left hand and holds out the right, his expression tightening for just a second as he feels the weight. He shows some rather callous disregard for the literal hole in his hand, using it to resort his head and all, but that’s not what Chuuya focuses on. The other hand- the one Dazai is holding out is crusted with dried blood. “I must have rammed into the bed when I was asleep, and there was a sharp edge where the wood was cracked!”
Chuuya wants to yell at him to be more careful, but instead he grabs his hand. The sudden action causes Dazai to sit up and look at him questioningly.
“What are you doing? Worried are we?” His lips bloom into a thin smirk as he speaks.
“Worried- Sure, whatever you want to believe” Chuuya looks over the hand a bit more, it’s not a deep cut and it has scabbed over, but it’s on his palm and must be painful. How does one even manage to get injured in their sleep “But you need to be more careful, I don’t think you want me to watch you like a toddler.”
There’s a pause as Dazai opens his mouth to say something, but he stops and instead smiles, leaning back.
“Well you are my guard dog so you’ll be watching me regardless-” He’s stopped as Chuuya shoves his hand back and into his chest.
“I swear, this is the second time in ten minutes!!! You-”
A hollow knock echoes through the room and both halt, looking at each other before Dazai nods. Right, he could explain what that means, but for now-
“..Come in?” It’s more of a question really. Chuuya isn’t too used to people knocking ( Dazai just bursts in and everyone else calls ) so this is unfamiliar.
Luckily, that seems to be the right course of action as following a second of nothing, the door handle moves and opens with a soft click. Aizawa walks in and looks on the floor first, probably looking for Dazai, only to see them both on the bed, Chuuya sitting like he was about to hit the other.
“...It’s good you’re both awake” if he’s at all surprised his expression says nothing “Breakfast is ready, then we’ll head out to get you guys your stuff.”
Chuuya nods and stands up, muttering out a “Thanks” as he does. He feels kind of bad for the hero couple, footing the costs of two teens isn’t exactly cheap.
Especially with the bandage addiction a certain Mackerel has, and while he’ll re-wear them, Chuuya cannot stand being around a guy wrapped in bandages which have yellowed with age and general must. Half the time Dazai is injured under them too, and while he doesn’t care for himself, Chuuya would rather not have the prick dying from an infection.
“Thrilling! I’m running low on bandages- considering my current stock is on my body.” Dazai jovially jumps in, almost bouncing off the bed and beside Chuuya.
He sees Dazai has a glazed over look in his eye, like it won’t focus, which makes him internally scream. Seriously, if he’s injured he should at least not make things worse, but no, constant theatrics.
Aizawa on the other hand looks like he’s about to ask. About the bandages probably, but whatever was going to be asked is swiftly tucked away and paused.
“...Just come eat” he turns around to leave the room, his eyes scanning them for a brief few seconds “And there’s a first aid kit in the kitchen. I’ll ask Hizashi to get it out.”
And with that he’s off, leaving the two standing alone. Chuuya is about to say that they should follow and get some breakfast ( as if Dazai will actually eat anything ) but the Mackerel beats him to it.
“Interesting, I thought my dog would follow the smell of meat” Now that it’s mentioned Chuuya notices the ever growing scent of sausage “But he’s more loyal than I thought!”
The bastard is lucky he’s off the bed, because if a pillow was in reach his head would actually be bashed in with it, concussion be damned.
“I swear-” Chuuya pauses like he’s thinking, and he begins walking out of the room as well, hands stuffed firmly in his pockets “I’m abandoning you for food right now!”
A quick set of footsteps echoes behind him, as Dazai follows.
“Who’s the dog now? You’re trailing behind me like a puppy.” Chuuya points out, letting a smile form at the thought.
“Hm, compelling argument” Dazai sounds rather unbothered “But it’s more like I’m taking you on a walk! Even with your stature I’d rather not wrangle a Chihuahua, so you lead. Really, all that’s missing is a leash!” His voice grows higher at the last part, and Chuuya can only manage the bastard smiling behind him.
“You’re insufferable.” Is groaned out, as the two continue on.
“It’s part of my charm” Dazai states, stopping as Chuuya does, having reached the kitchen.
The two sort of stand there awkwardly before Chuuya seems to think screw it and he sits down at the table.
“Is your charm why hundreds of people would love to jump your ass?” Chuuya sighs out, taking the plate Mic hands him with a shallow nod.
He’s about to dig in when Dazai saunters over, joining Chuuya at the table, lazily sliding into the chair beside him.
“They just covet my outstanding personality” He responds, turning down a plate by crossing his arms to form an “x”.
That earns more glances of concern and Chuuya finally gets a good look around the kitchen. Nothing much has changed since yesterday but… There’s a distinct lack of knives.
Call him delusional, but he’s certain they were spewn about before, set haphazardly beside the sink to be washed, while the others were put away but still accessible. Now they’ve disappeared and he has a sneaking suspicion Dazai and his general attitude, and of course the bandages, played a part in them being tucked away.
At least their temporary guardians are responsible…? But if Dazai really wanted to hurt himself he’d find a way, so their efforts are commendable but ultimately futile. Not like he’ll tell them that, but still, their attempts are funny.
And right- food. He takes a good look at what is in front of him- and it’s not the worst spread. Eggs, sausage, and some sort of pan cooked vegetables. Looks like last night wasn’t a fluke and he actually will be eating well for the duration of this mission.
Beginning to shovel food into his mouth Chuuya looks around at the two heroes, who have sat down at the table with their own plates for breakfast, only to see them not touching the food on their plates, but staring at Dazai. Sure, they don’t have full eyes on them, but they keep looking at him.
Chuuya isn’t sure if they’re normally this quiet at mealtime or if this stupid silence is Dazais fault. It likely is though, again.
His suspicions are confirmed when Yamada
( something about that name still doesn’t roll right in his mind ) hesitantly begins to say something, directed at Dazai of course.
“So, listener… Is there a reason you’re not eating? I know you said you have no allergies, but if you’re just picky that’s fine too, we can find something to suit your tastes-” Honestly Chuuya zones out for half of what he says, the chipper and too friendly voice Yamada speaks in, combined with how he’s just ranting, do not make a particularly interesting conversation.
Dazai it seems, as he lets his eyes wander to him, is just sitting there and listening with a smile on his face. When the hero finally stops speaking Dazai starts.
“Oh, well” His head turns to face Chuuya, who is still eating, as he pets his hair “As much as I would love to say my palette is more refined than my dogs” Chuuya chews furiously, as screaming right now would just make him spit everything in his mouth out “I’m just not hungry!”
That earns Dazai a… suspicious or bullshit look from Aizawa. Chuuya can’t really tell which, because he’s pretty sure the guy exists in a perpetual state of annoyance, of which Dazai is not helping.
Yamada takes the initiative in continuing the conversation though, prying a little further.
“Is that so… Well it’s been at least a day since you’ve eaten, so me and Shouta are a little worried! If it’s something more personal feel free to pull one of us aside later, but for now could you force something down? A growing boy needs energy and at this rate you’ll end up malnourished!” There is a slight falter in Yamadas voice at the end there, and Chuuya is pretty sure that’s because Dazai is already malnourished, that much is obvious from just looking at him.
Dazai nods lightly as Yamada speaks, seeming to be receptive to his concerns, but Chuuya knows the bastard hardly cares. He’s self destructive as hell, and people being concerned about him has never been enough to make him change.
“Hm, I appreciate the concern but it’s fine really! I feel energised enough and I’m genuinely not hungry!”
There’s something about the way Dazai says genuinely that taints the whole sentence. As far as he understands, Dazai really doesn’t feel hungry. He’d listened to the prick prattling about interoception challenges on a mission a few months ago. How they are actually rather beneficial in the mafia.
But there was a certain buried distaste even then. Just as Dazai saying genuine feels artificial, his supposed praise of his inability to feel hunger was almost bitter. Like someone mourning a loss, or in this case, something that was never there.
So genuine means nothing, coming from a lying conniving prick especially. Dazai may not feel hungry but he likely is, and he hates the fact he can’t tell. That's why the sentence sounds so saccharine, there's a sweetness covering a bitter truth.
And it’s not hard to feel that sweetness, made apparent by the way Yamada furrows his brows, and Aizawa tightens how his arms are folded.
“Fair enough then! I’ll just pack some stuff for when we’re shopping- just in case you do get hungry!” No one pulls off the fake enthusiasm act better than Dazai. Yamada is probably just playing into his hero persona, especially around two teens, but the way his voice falters here and there makes his concern almost tangible.
“I appreciate the thought.” Dazai smiles at him, putting his elbows on the table, balancing his head on his hands “But I’m sure it’ll be fine- I get it though, better safe than sorry!”
“Right then! We’ll head off in half an hour or so?” It’s a rather abrupt shift, but with their mounting concerns Chuuya guesses they’ve decided to address this issue later on “I would tell you to freshen up but that’s pointless if you just put your old clothes back on, so we’re leaving that to later!”
Chuuya has no clue what to say to that, and Dazai just smiles, probably grateful the topic was shifted so quickly.
Yamada seems to take their silence as protest however, as stumbling over his words he adds on “...Unless you want to shower first- there’s nothing wrong with that!”
…Being doted on like this is odd. It’s not the most common dynamic in the mafia- though Ane-san would let her affection show through here and there- but Chuuya figures this is a semi good thing. For Dazai at least. The boss was fine with just letting him rot in bandages crusted with blood for weeks at a time, but here it’s different.
The fact that Dazai ( hopefully ) being forced to take care of himself comes with hero association- Not favourable, but at this rate Chuuya needs to find positives. Ending up depressed like the Mackerel would be awful.
“No, it's fine. The Mackerel would wrap himself back in his rancid bandages, so there's no way I’m letting him shower before getting new ones.”
Dazai begins to say something but Chuuya, by some miracle, manages to tune him out as he finishes breakfast.
______________________________
Had this been any other mission Dazai would have already tried to kill himself at least once. When he operates in Yokohama his attempts are largely treated with callous disregard. Everyone in the city can tell he belongs to the Port, so they mind their own business and swiftly walk by when he washes up coughing out water, or when he’s broken a bone jumping from a building, his blood painting the ground.
But here- it’s different.
Dazai noticed it the moment he smelled the air- surprisingly, considering the more advanced technology of Masutafu, the air is cleaner here, making the rot of Yokohama more apparent. There is none of that stagnant scent of blood and gunpowder Dazai has grown accustomed to.
As many faults as the government and hero society have, there is a higher level of care here. In Yokohama homeless children starving in the slums were an open secret. People may have felt a semblance of pity, but in the end they would do nothing.
Masutafu on the other hand has no slums. There are definitely homeless children here and there sure, but overall? People find it strange when a child is obviously malnourished and unkempt. They won’t do anything for the most part, they’re just like Yokohamas own people there, but a difference still exists.
Which is to say if Dazai were to try and kill himself here, people would care more. The grossness of hero society has created a bunch of wannabes who try and act sympathetically, and Dazai hates it. Technically he has tried to kill himself too, pulling the trigger on that gun and whatever. But because the bullet was fake the heroes can’t decide whether he was fully serious or not.
It’s a good thing to an extent, exercising caution. He’s a criminal after all- one who they have no documents on, they know nothing about him really. As such they can’t determine if shooting himself was a tactic to merely manipulate and scare them- there is always the possibility he knew the bullets were fake.
Yet they still act so sympathetically. For the mere possibility that he truly is suicidal and that truly was an attempt on his life, they treat him like glass. It’s pathetic- because there is no reason to sympathize with a demon. That privilege should be extended to humans alone.
So yeah, if this was away from heroes and within Yokohama Dazai would have tried to overdose or something, nothing as haphazard as shooting himself with a fake bullet. But he can’t, because this heroic sympathy is gross .
Something that has been reconsidered over and over again, especially now. Dazai isn’t entirely opposed to spending money, he loves seeing how much money he can spend before Mori cancels his card, but he really isn’t one to indulge. For Dazai, there is a divide. He lives for the rush of purchase- the prospect of owning something. But in practice he gets nothing. That feeling is fleeting and lasts a few seconds at best, and it’s not like he’ll actually use what he buys. Or be granted ownership over anything in the end, a lapdog only has so much say in their life.
Shopping for items he will use makes him want to jump, off a particularly isolated building in specific. Never will he admit it to Mori, but he needs the routine being a Mafia tool provides. For a guy that desires nothing, a forced routine makes life easier. He doesn’t particularly care about anything, so pre-made choices are just… That. Pre-made. Dazai doesn’t need to attach any morality to them, doesn't need to find and assign any emotion. He can just coast along until he finds something that will finally give him purpose, or he gets killed on the job.
And right now Yamada is holding up two sweaters, asking which one he likes more. It makes no sense- not logically to him at least. They look pretty much the same, they only differ in colour and texture really, so there’s no reason to ask for his opinion. Dazai won’t be the one spending the money in the end, which makes him question why the hero is asking for his input. Just chose the cheaper option, why ask for an opinion when Dazai has none, when he could easily toss their ideals onto him?
That’s essentially his purpose anyways, mold a troubled teen from criminal beginnings into a productive member of society.
“Hm… I can’t say which I like more” Dazai simultaneously wants to end but draws out his words because it adds a novel effect “It'll make it easier on both of us if you choose- you’ll be seeing me parading in it so you can decide what is least offensive to your eyes!”
It’s one of the more neutral answers Dazai can come up with now. Demonstrating an opposition to being granted choice itself would stir up some uncomfortable dynamics during his stay, so making a jovial remark works. The undertones of his words still carry implications, but they’re light enough.
Yamada pauses for a second as if to think, before draping both sweaters over his arm.
“We’ll get both then, maybe you’ll come to favour one with time.” He’s smiling as he speaks, seemingly having not heard Dazai telling him to choose what he would prefer Dazai wears. But Dazai knows he’s purposely ignoring that part- and it makes him nauseous.
He truly hates it here, though that's not something he needs to air to the world.
“Oh, who knew I’d be getting the king treatment for being kidnapped! Maybe I should do this sort of thing more often.”
That certainly turns a few heads, making people glance from Yamada to Dazai with suspicion in their eyes, likely noting how they look nothing alike. No one says anything of course.
“...We can find you other pastimes besides… Being kidnapped. Shouta told me that Chuuya said something about visiting an arcade, maybe we can pick up a few video-games!”
Dazai smiles and nods. “Perhaps, though I’m not sure any video-game can create the rush being kidnapped creates. Something about not knowing what’s going to happen to you makes your heart beat at a simply lovely rate.”
That earns more barely concealed glances, more concerned than anything now.
“Ah-ha- well maybe not video-games then.” Yamada is smiling but his expression betrays him, revealing concern “Tell you what. We finish shopping for your clothing and necessities and I’ll convince Shouta to let you guys check out other activities. We need to watch over you right now, but maybe in the future surveillance will be lessened and you could play a sport or something, that’ll give you a rush too!”
Hero work would work too, Dazai thinks to himself. It can certainly be unpredictable and dangerous, though right now it’s not exactly possible. As it stands they’re being rehabilitated, and while that puts them on the Hero Commissions radar, it’s not enough. A little push is needed- and Dazai doesn’t exactly want the Hero Commission to be the one swooping in, that needs to be U.A.
So both him and Chuuya will need to do something actionable, and soon. Luckily, so called villains attack rather often- and as long as they’re fast, they can apprehend one faster than the heroes beside them.
He wants to check something before though.
“A sport sounds so boring . Hey- tell me, what’s it like being a hero? Do you get injured a lot? Any frequent life threatening situations to worry about?”
Yamada has a visible tone switch at the question, perhaps it was a bit abrupt- “It really depends on what hero work you do, but there’s always risks. I don’t fight all that much compared to other heroes so it's a no to the life threatening situations.”
He smiles at Dazai, asking him directly.
“Why, is the listener considering becoming a hero?”
No, I would rather live a long life, Dazai thinks, but a more civil response passes his lips.
“Not necessarily, I’m just weighing possibilities. I don’t think the Slug and I would fit well in most professions, I mean letting my marksmanship go to waste? A national tragedy.”
There is a distinct something lacking from his reasoning, namely a criminal background, but it’s left in the air.
“Right, your marksmanship…” The way the words are parroted back to him tell Dazai Aizawa had also made him privy to the fact he pulled the trigger on himself “I’m sure it’d be useful. But you’d have to be careful, hero work includes more apprehending than… killing.”
Funny, considering how he’s still sporting a few gunshot wounds, courtesy of Snipe. Of course the hero hadn’t killed him, nor been aiming to, implying Yamada suspects Dazai would go for the kill, and that’s where his trepidation surrounding gun use comes from. He’s right in those suspicions, whether fully conscious or just passive, but that’s not what bothers Dazai.
It’s the way his mood oscillates between more carefree and a concerned caution, leaving a lot unsaid. Dazai does the same, sure- but it’s annoying when you meet someone similar to you, especially when the similarities come from entirely different places.
It’s innocent here- not trying to one up someone and pry out the information you need. Not tiptoeing around a situation because it could get you killed, but to preserve someone's feelings.
…And Dazai needs to meet that. His usual antagonistic remarks won’t do what he wants here- sinister undertones won’t exactly be met with grace. He’ll need to act genuinely sympathetic and human . He gets people, to an extent only- understanding is different from knowing. He understands which actions will earn the reactions he wants, but why?
All he can hope is that no one sees through the act.
“Ah… I’m not a huge fan of blood. It smells gross, you know!” There is a level of hypocrisy underpinning the sentence considering his actions, Dazai realises “So I’d really just go for a knockout.”
Yamada chuckles at that, a nervous sort of acknowledgement.
An awkward silence follows, Dazai is quite good at killing conversations. Luckily, the silence is temporary as the careless and unapologetic footsteps of Chuuya approach. He seems excited- holding something to his chest with a wide smile. Aizawa trails behind, a bored expression on his face, but expectant glare in his eyes.
Chuuya pauses when he sees them. His eyes flicker to the sweaters Yamada still has draped over his arm, smiling.
“Sweaters huh” He sounds rather amused at the prospect “I’ve never seen the Mackerel in anything but formal wear. Changing things up are we?”
He’s definitely mocking Dazai, however subtly. Dazai who would love to tell him he feels no particular way about the sweaters, but has decided to go along with whatever is chosen for him. But there is a better way to respond.
“New situation new me! You should find something new too- then again considering your height it might be better to stick to what you know…”
Chuuya can’t really counter that, Dazai knows. It’s the reason he decided on that particular jab- as from what he can see, Chuuya has a selection of simple pants and shirts not dissimilar to what he had been wearing the first time they met. Old habits die hard.
The Slugs face flushes pink as he too seems to realise, and he hastily shoves the article of clothing he had been holding in his chest at Dazai.
“Ugh- Well whatever, I found you something perfect. It’ll bring out your eyes.”
Yamada and Aizawa both raise their eyebrows at that, and Dazai curiously looks at the shirt Chuuya had handed him.
It’s mostly blue, but the stand out part is the design on the front- a variety of fish with a mackerel, the largest of the bunch, at the centre.
Dazai chuckles. His heart pangs a bit sure, and his head throbs with all the sudden movements he had been making, but it’s kind of funny. Dazai knows Chuuya considers him a mackerel because of his lifeless inhuman eyes, but it’s the fact he had somehow found a mackerel shirt that amuses him. Not only that, he had profoundly presented it to Dazai.
That surprises Chuuya for sure- he looks taken aback. Only for a second of course, but it's there nonetheless. Dazai laughs all the time, but it’s always played up. Here and now it had been more of a tired amusement, played up a bit for sure, but there was an undertone of truth Chuuya picked up on.
And now there’s a sparkle in his eyes Dazai can’t understand-
“I guess we’ll be getting that shirt too- But maybe we should pick up the pace, looks like Chuuya already found everything he’ll need.”
Dazai isn’t really opposed to picking up the pace so he nods, slinking over to a rack of clothing sporting a bright “Half Off” sign.
“We can just grab a few pants from here then, and head on our way.” He parts the hangers, revealing some rather drab looking pants “And these aren’t all that egregiously coloured.”
Yamada smiles and waves him off with his hand “You don’t need to choose something you don’t like, take some time to browse!”
Dazai internally grimaces, but complies. In part only, as he’ll move from the half off shelf to finding full priced but still cheaper options. It really isn’t that he feels guilt over spending money that’s not his- but again, what’s the point when he doesn’t care- when he can’t care?
So he begins sorting through an assortment of pants, and likely to break the awkward silence, Yamada begins to address Aizawa and Chuuya.
“While Dazai’s doing that I have some news! We were talking and he expressed some interest in hero work-” He can almost feel Chuuya throw a suspicious glance at him “So maybe we can show them what it’s like- later on of course- and we could see if they could apply to U.A!”
There’s almost something admirable about the optimism Yamada holds. Maybe not optimism though- more like he’s trying to see the bright side, despite a concerningly neon warning.
“Tsukauchi said something similar…” Aizawa sounds rather pressed about that, and Dazai can all but see him running his hand down his face, pulling at his eyelids.
And yeah, from his perspective Dazai is sure the constant bringing up of U.A in regard to the troubled teens Aizawa is watching over comes off as ominous. Foreshadowing a future which will only be troublesome, for both Aizawa and him. Granted, Dazai wants to get into U.A, even if it’s only for the mission.
Yamada then laughs, a soft pat as he puts a hand on Aizawas shoulder.
“Ha- Maybe that’s a sign-” He’s cut off abruptly as an audible crash echoes through the store, albeit a bit dull because the source seems to be outside of it.
Cosmically blessed timing truly, as if the universe simultaneously conspires to help and hinder Dazai. His life ending endeavours always thwarted, but aiding him in a mission he’s not having fun with? Of course, as if there are some sick beings who exist to witness his suffering.
…In this case he should be grateful though. After all, the best way to guarantee a spot at U.A is to make the people need him and Chuuya to be heroes. And with the power of the media today- stopping a simple mall villain is enough to garner them the notoriety they need.
Meaning this is an opportunity they cannot miss, as much as would love to just head back to Yokohama right now.
So he sprints. As much as a guy can sprint when each step makes his head throb like he’s dying. Chuuya follows- his constant denials on being a dog be damned apparently, because distantly Dazai thinks he’ll always follow.
A scream of “Stop” vaguely echoes in his skull. It’s hard to hear with how his brain is ringing, but it’s there. It’s probably Aizawa, Yamada creates a different sort of collision in his head.
Aizawa who won’t exactly be able to stop them. He has his capture weapon and an erasure quirk that supposedly works on Chuuya sure, but Dazai knows he won’t use it. Even if their actions are illegal, once in danger erasing Chuuyas quirk would be dangerous. Leave them with nothing to protect themselves, and the virtuous hero he is, Aizawa would never allow that.
The capture weapon will need to be accounted for even then of course. But Chuuya can easily counter it with his ability, and Dazai will ultimately need his voice alone.
Besides, he’s preoccupied with reassuring civilians now- they’d crowded any place they could get, filling up the store a fairly considerate amount.
So he can assess the situation with the villain for now- figure out the best way to act.
Looking ahead of him he figures something out pretty quickly. Concussion hindered vision be damned, the blurriness outlines a situation he can work with. Chaos of course- smears of people running everywhere away from a mash of ruble in the middle of the mall, and at the centre-
What’s at the centre almost makes Dazai laugh. Not because what he sees is genuinely funny- it’s more tragic than anything.
A boy. Not that much older than himself, is standing at the centre of the destruction. Even with his waning vision Dazai sees he poses no true threat, not innately.
He looks scared. Dazai registers red on his cheek and arms- not from fighting, but as if he’s been beat. His hands are shaking, one tightly holding the fabric of a woman's shirt. A hostage, as hastily held as she is. But the action comes across as all but malicious- like a toddler running away in a last ditch effort to get what they want. The boy is desperate.
“S-Step away. I’ll- I think-no- I will kill her.”
Dazai wants to laugh again. His dancing consciousness must be making him loopy, but really, it’s an empty threat. From the look of it, the boy has a strength quirk. Dangerous, sure, but only if wielded right. And as it stands, should the boy try anything, Chuuya would be able to reach him before he causes any real harm.
Holding the girl by the neck instead of her shirt- something easily shed, losing some dignity sure, but that pales in comparison to her life- would be so much more effective. Really, this is what people consider a villain?
Well, his talents lie in screwing with people.
“Really? You’ll kill her? What then, you lose a hostage and boom- the one thing protecting you is gone.”
The boy hiccups through a sob, his grip tightening, but he shakes more.
His resolve is faltering- well there wasn’t really any to begin with, but he’s getting more shaky. Sloppy.
“I- You can’t do anything if I die with her then-”
Wow. And Dazai thought suicide was his thing.
“A double suicide- well one suicide one homocide, but an interesting idea nonetheless. That doesn’t sound so bad- hey, I can die with you instead, if that’s what you want!”
Stepping back the boy loosens his grip for just a second. He’s surprised- and well pretty emotionally troubled right now, so Dazai must be throwing him through a loop.
Which is what he wanted- well needs. Much to his dismay, the hostage actually has to be saved this time, lest his public image be tainted. Chuuya of course will carry the brunt of the responsibility for that- as talking people down isn’t very Dazai. Making them falter and creating an opening though…
It doesn’t even take five seconds. Hell, Dazai barely sees it- a blur of red and suddenly the girl is in the air, and the boy is pressed down against the floor. Impressive really- one doesn’t need to see the play through to realise what Chuuya has done is impressive.
Requires a lot of control. Dazai hopes someone had a camera good enough to capture that.
“Wow, a new record- hey, have you ever considered participating in one of those doggy races? It could get us a lot of money, with all the bets-”
Chuuya sighs, turned away from Dazai as he lowers the girl to the ground.
“I hear they race fish too- I think that’d be much more interesting.”
The girl awkwardly chuckles. Not used to such an exciting dynamic, unsurprisingly. He smiles at her and waves in a dismissive way- essentially telling her to go. And she does have some self preservation it seems- as she sprints away from the scene, a fearful yet grateful look adorning her face.
“Look, the Slug has scared her off. Insensitive really- making a joke in such a delicate situation?”
Chuuya groans, lazily walking to Dazai. He’s not happy about this situation, that much is evident, but it’s over.
“Delicate situation my ass, we’re done.”
Well, he thinks they are. As impressive as their display has been, it was short- not rushed, ruthless precision is a trait of the duo, but still short. Only so much can be born from such a substanceless encounter, and while this will already do rounds online, Dazai decides to sweeten the deal.
Smiling, Dazai chipperly says “I wouldn’t be so quick to say that! Don’t you believe in jinxes?” Before he grabs Chuuya by the wrist, who grimaces.
There’s an awkward beat where they stand still- no more than a second- and Chuuya loses his red hue.
“I’m actually going to kill you myself.”
Dazai wants to believe him, but a familiar boom makes him pause. Simply smiling, he watches Chuuya slowly turn around to face the boy again. It’s not like he’ll be any harder to take down the second time around, so he doesn’t worry.
…But he does hope this battle, more of a confrontation with how one sided and overall nonviolent it is, lasts a smidgen longer. They really need to sell themselves as the perfect future heroes.
Coughing, the boy holds his throat- getting crushed by gravity isn’t exactly easy on the vocal cords- and glares at them. Dazai recognises that glare, he’s seen it far too often. The boy is angry, offended, alert- and vulnerable. His eyes teeming with sorrow and self pity.
He’s making a final stand of sorts, as fruitless as it’ll ultimately be. Strangely enough his mind flickers to himself- he doesn’t pity himself as the boy does, but Dazai sees it.
What Aizawa must have seen when he shot himself- a cornered teen making a desperate last ditch effort. Except here it’s real- genuine desperation lays out how the boy acts. He doesn’t have some ulterior motive as Dazai did, the boy probably doesn’t know what else to do but be seen.
And he hates that this is probably how Aizawa sees him.
A rush of air flows past his face, blurrily, and he realises he’d zoned out. Stupid and pathetic- he hates losing control over himself and becoming so needlessly sentimental.
He just hates a lot of things right now. The new place and all these people. Misguided because they act with empathy first- and Dazai hates it so much.
But he can still reign himself in. Never act emotionally- it’s irrational- so he clears his mind. The painful throbbing born from moving around so much when he should be resting blooms like flowers on a grave, but he needs to reign it in.
Scanning over what’s happening Dazai notices he’s ever the lucky individual. Only a minute or two seem to have elapsed since he erased Chuuyas hold on the boy, so the battle is still fresh, he can still use it.
Chuuya seems to have been waiting for him to get back in the game too, because instead of his usual aggression the Slug is just blocking. Such loyalty, waiting for his owner to give him a command.
“Get me closer.” Is all he can utter- a brief but to the point message.
It’s received too, because Chuuya moves a bit closer to him so Dazai can hear him without the need to raise his voice. Ah… Such grossly tender consideration.
“Closer? I was holding him off thinking you had some other grandiose plan- I could easily take him down again.”
He is about to reply when a rather large chunk of rubble comes flying their way, hurled at them by the boy who has yet to actually hit either of them. He never will either- as Chuuya counters by sending smaller pieces of rubble to fly over it, increasing their weight the moment they’re just above, pinning it to the ground.
“That” Dazai begins, looking around to make sure at least some people have their phones out recording “Is why I need to get close. I can’t exactly show off from here.”
Kicking aside some smaller rubble, Chuuya laughs at him, mockingly asking “Oh, so you really do want to be a hero?”
“Want, need, whatever. Just get me close.”
“And how do you propose I do that? I’ve been covering for your ass the past few minutes, I don’t want to go out of my way so you can get some praise for heroics too.”
Dazai tuts, fake disapproval colouring his tone. “Just lessen the gravity on a larger bit of rubble and kick it my way. I can’t cancel velocity, so it’s a matter of hopping on and off.” It’ll injure him for sure, but nothing can be worse than a concussion right now.
Chuuya seems to be considering something with the proposed solution, before he grumbles to himself and sighs out “You’ll break your bones like that… I’ll just cover until you’re close enough.”
His dog isn’t a fan of self-sacrificial plans then- or maybe just this one, offering something more tedious he refused before. U.A will be rough then, Dazai recalls, as heroes are often just that.
“Awww, my lovely Chuuya cares.”
“About myself, I am not dragging your ass around if you break a leg.”
Like Dazai believes that. But if the compromise here is not breaking something then it’s not the worst. So he just begins walking towards the boy. He could run like he did to get here- but Chuuya will keep him from harm's way, and reigniting the throbbing in his head isn’t something he’s eager to do. So he walks.
Since it’s not a large distance to cover he’s close to the boy pretty quickly. Chuuya is pretty much between them right now, because as futile and amateurish of a villain he is, the boy is technically still a threat.
And up close it’s more apparent that this was less of a violent lashing out and more of a plea. The ends don’t justify the means, socially at least, but Dazai has a pretty good guess as to what this was. If I hurt someone maybe they’ll be forced to look at me.
It’s certainly messed up that becoming a villain, rudimentary as the concept is, grants the visibility a person needs. In this case, what an abuse victim needs. The injuries covering the boy's face are a mixture of old and new, and Dazai has seen enough, done enough to recognise where they come from.
Not that it’s hard to guess- it’s a miracle no one has tried to save the guy yet. Well not really- like superficial care ingrained into a hero based society and all, but some people are just purely goodwill and naive. So it’s a wonder none of them had reached out- though maybe the boy didn’t look desperate enough.
He reaches out and grabs the boy by the arm, his face morphing into one of shocked danger, then realization. Just as Dazai can feel the buzz of No Longer Human under his skin, the boy can feel his quirk has been erased.
“Ah.” This is the first time the boy has spoken in what seems to be his normal tone. No distress or feigned authority, like he’s done. A quiet resignation.
There’s nothing to say then. Dazai can all but hear the wind whistle sorry but he won’t. He’s not really some good natured but law abiding hero, just a guy using someone’s desperate lash out to further his goals.
Chuuya is a better person though, a person. He deactivates Upon The Tainted Sorrow and walks over to the boy, awkwardly rubbing his head.
“Hey… Uhm…Thanks for letting me get some steam off?”
The boy just looks at him. Smiles a bit, his brows furrowed. He’s definitely feeling a lot right now, and Dazai is almost jealous- grappling with emotions like that.
He’s reminded not to be jealous almost immediately though, as he hears a cacophony of footsteps- well okay maybe two sets but everything is loud as hell right now- and the boy is wrapped in a familiar capture scarf.
“Aizawa- You disappeared for a while, but it’s nice you’re back!”
A beat of questioning. Then Aizawa glares at him like he doesn’t want to unpack the sentence.
“I’m not sure you running off is exactly a disappearance on my part.” His eyes flicker around, catching on something every other second. The obvious destruction of course, but also Dazai who is still touching the boy, and the suspiciously neat trails of rubble, as if it had been forcibly pushed down by gravity.
“And quirk use without a license is illegal- you’re in trouble.”
More than a normal person would be, Dazai knows, they’d already been on a thin line. Being placed with heroes was a safety measure, not for them- never them, but others. The Safety Commission wanted to feel them out, can these feral teens be tamed, and this is almost a clear no.
Almost.
“Ugh- That’s so lame- I mean we acted heroically no? Applying laws when it’s a matter of life or death, geez, how messed up.”
Chuuyas mouth falls slightly agape. Dazai isn’t really one to care about laws, potential loss of life or not. Not only that- he’s just making such a clear criticism, which really doesn’t help the unruly and untameable narrative they most certainly have.
“I swear- look, you didn’t do much and we did. Isn’t that worth something?”
Quite the different approach coming from Chuuya, same endpoint though. He can always count on the Slug to back him up.
Aizawa sighs. That must have been the hundredth time today- and he pulls out his phone, apparently having received a call.
“It isn’t up to you two, deciding whether or not laws should be followed, rules are rules and you get punished for breaking them.”
He picks up the phone, his eyes somehow becoming more sunken as he nods along to whatever the person on the other end is saying. Aizawa looks ready to protest in some way, but as if resigning to fate he just utters a simple “Yes, understood.”
This is definitely going how Dazai wanted it to.
“What was that about- an order for our execution, have we broken too many rules? I’ll go willingly though Chibi might fight back-”
Aizawa tugs at his capture weapon, still wrapped around the boy who looks like he’s dissociating at this point. “Stop- no one is calling for your execution, we don’t do that. We’ll meet Yamada at the station, he’s dealing with citizens who got injured in the panic.”
Yet they’re not being restrained- there’s more.
“Apparently a reporter with a streaming quirk was at the scene. A lot of people saw your fight- and an offer’s been extended.”
Goody, Dazai would have found a surefire way to kill himself if this plan didn’t work. Lucky him it worked this quickly though- he’d been ready to wait a day or two for someone to upload a clip of them fighting to social media.
“U.A can send a formal request to the Hero Public Safety Commission, making it so passing the entrance exam will provide legal protection from illegal quirk usage related legal persecution. Rehabilitation through public service of sorts, as apparently you two are quick to meddle.”
Quick to meddle and strong. That’s the more important part. High risk high reward assets- potential marketable heroes. Malleable teens.
Ugh, Dazai doesn’t want to deal with people trying to groom him into a hero. Chuuya won’t be thrilled either.
Well, what is the life of a mafioso if not one of sacrifice.