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It had all begun with Dazai, deciding to make a small change in his appearence.
He'd grown out his hair to about his shoulders and a little more on the back. Just enough to tie it on a decent ponytail that goes over his shoulder.
It's not like he himself had asked for a change, Mori just thought it would look good on him and he didn't feel like arguing with him.
They had to go to a mission afterwards, something about getting information out of hostages of sorts. Dazai didn't really care enough to listen to all the details. Chuuya was the one that could bare hours long lectures and instructions from their boss, so he'd just ask him when he got there.
Except, Chuuya avoided him the whole time they were there. Absolutely no interaction at all, almost as if he wasn't there in the first place. It almost stung. Almost.
But since Dazai couldn't feel something like that due to the endless void his emotions were, he just felt rather irritated. He didn't appreciate being ignored.
"Why are you ignoring me today?" He asked the ginger, staring at the direction opposite of him. He didn't trust his gaze to not display the betrayal he felt deep within.
"What, expect me to speak to newbies on their first mission with me?" Chuuya scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets angrily.
Dazai looked at him in confusion.
"We've been partners for over two and a half years now, what are you talking about? Did you hit your head somewhere on your way here?" He couldn't help but sound worried, he hadn't imagined Chuuya would ever forget him just like that.
Chuuya seemed confused now, too. He stopped walking and turned to the brunet, looking him over quickly.
"I think you're mistaking me for someone. Do you even work for the Port Mafia? Are you a spy from an enemy organization? Speak, now." And just like that, the ginger quickly grabbed him for his throat and threateningly held a knife in his free hand.
"Chuuya, it's Dazai.. Are you sure you didn't hit your head somewhere? Did you get enough sleep last night?" Dazai freed himself from the grip quickly, snatching the knife from the now slightly paranoid redhead. He didn't trust him with that at the moment.
"Mackerel? That you?" He sounded almost relieved. "You don't look.. The same today."
"Well jeez, thanks for the compliment.. I did grow out my hair more since our last mission together, but I didn't think you wouldn't recognize me at all."
"You.. Alright, yeah whatever. Don't mention this to anyone."
And so, he didn't. Nor did he pry further to get more answers out of the older. They went their separate ways, Dazai going back to his shipping container and Chuuya reporting to Mori in his office.
And then it happened again.
Dazai had tried his best to forget what had happened on that mission, quickly settling back into their usual routine.
Dazai had just picked the lock to Chuuya's apartment, that was pretty much his too with how much time he spent there.
He'd sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, mindlessly switching through the channels, nothing quite catching his interest.
Chuuya was used to him breaking in to do as he wished. He'd even given him a spare key so he'd stop picking his damn lock. (Which, he didn't stop, but it's the thought that matters.)
He never immediately pinned him to the ground and threatened him with a gun to his forehead like he had just now.
The metallic taste still lingered in his mouth from how harshly he'd bitten his tongue when Chuuya had punched him in the jaw.
His arm felt like it would shatter any moment now with the way Chuuya was bending it behind his back.
He didn't tremble in the slightest when the weapon was pulled out and pointed at him. Thrice. On three different places.
His stomach, at first. His chest. Now his head.
"Who are you and what are you doing in here?! How did you get in?!" Hcuuya was hysterically yelling from above him, tightening his grip on his arm.
"Calm down, doggy. We do not attack our owners, do we?" He'd calmly replied, reaching out to brush some of Chuuya's hair behind his ear.
"Dazai? That you?"
"Yeah. Again?"
"Quiet. Your hair was covering your eyes, I didn't have time to process who you are.."
"Yeah, I don't believe you, just, please put down the gun?"
"Oh, shit, right—My bad." Chuuya had murmured under his breath, putting the gun on the table next to the couch Dazai had been on before Chuuya tackled him.
Dazai got up from the ground, settling back onto the couch.
"What a kind greeting. I'm touched, Chibi."
"Oh, shut up."
And again.
Kouyou had invited the teenagers to her garden for a cup of tea and to have a short conversation, to see how their partnership was going.
Once they'd both sat down on a bench in front of a few red flowers, Kouyou between them both, Chuuya had looked at him with that look again. The one he'd looked at him with during their last two interactions.
Dazai had looked back at him, giving him a questioning look.
"Ane-san, why would you invite someone else here with us?" Chuuya had asked his superior, cringing visibly at her chuckle.
"Dazai-kun is a nice boy, Chuuya. You shouldn't judge him so much just for his status and rank in the organization he works at."
Chuuya had looked away for a bit, her words seemingly clicking into their place in his mind as his eyes widened a bit.
'Mackerel?' He'd mouthed the younger, looking away in embarrassment as his suspicion was confirmed with a small nod and a half-smile.
"Yes, Ane-san. I apologize for questioning you."
Shed only smiled in return and told him to go back to his tea.
..And again.
Chuuya was out, grocery shopping for some basic stuff he was running low on at home. He hadn't really been paying attention to the people around him nor had he heard the annoying voice calling out for him at the entrance.
He was completely in his own world, humming a calm tune, until he realized that the wine he wanted was on a shelf, too high for him to reach.
He was about to go and check out without that part of his shopping list, before a tall brunet man reached up and got the wine bottle he had been staring at, handing it to him with a small smile.
Chuuya was hesitant to take it from him at first, and understandably so. He probably didn't recognize him again. He wouldn't trust a complete stranger either.
"It's Dazai. Dazai Osamu. Your partner." He'd muttered quietly so nobody else would catch it, other than the one he needed to.
"Right. Thanks." He'd looked away in frustration, snatching the bottle out of his arms and rushing to the check out.
Dazai sighed heavily, grabbing a few cans of crab and making his way out the store without even bothering to pay.
He didn't let it happen a fifth time.
"So, what did you say happened?"
"Ever since you made me grow out my hair, Chuuya hasn't been recognizing me. It's gotten to the point where he attacks me when I come in his line of vision without introducing myself first on." The words were heavy in the air as he spoke. "It's not memory loss, because when I do remind him, he knows everything about me and remembers everything. And he recognizes pretty much everyone else."
"That's weird.. Chuuya-kun, do you know who I am?"
"Of course I do, Mori-san."
"And how did you know?"
Chuuya closed his mouth for a minute, thinking out his next words carefully.
"Your dark blue hair is easy to recognize. Plus, I've only ever seen you in either this white coat or your Port Mafia uniform." He'd pointed out, making Dazai snicker a bit.
"What about my facial features? That's the most unique part about a person that helps one recognize others."
Chuuya squinted a little, looking away once again.
"I apologize, I don't understand how I'm supposed to answer this question."
"That is quite alright, Chuuya-kun."
Mori opened a small notebook, writing down a few quick notes to himself.
"Well, what do you usually look out for to recognize Dazai-kun?"
"..His short and wavy brown hair, his height.."
Mori seemed to understand the situation. (Good, because Dazai was utterly lost.)
"And since Dazai changed something that you needed to see in him to recognize him, you can't tell who he is anymore, is that it?"
Neither of them spoke. Mori seemed to take that for a silent "yes".
"Have you heard of Prosopagnosia, Dazai-kun?"
The brunet's eyes slowly widened as the pieces clicked together.
"I'll take that for a yes. You may leave now, both of you."
If Chuuya had known his boss better, he would have noticed that he wasn't trying to hide details for his condition from him. He would have noticed the slightest amount of guilt and paranoia in his eyes as he'd turned around to give the teenagers some privacy, shuffling through a drawer of his desk.
Dazai did know Mori better.
Dazai did see the way Mori was suddenly unsure whether or not having Chuuya stay with them was a good idea. Dazai knew so much, that he was able to tell what Mori was thinking about, too. He knew how he was thinking about the fact Chuuya might put the organization in danger if he ever stopped recognizing his teammates and hurt them in self defence, thinking they might be an intruder or a complete stranger.
Dazai wouldn't let Mori get rid of Chuuya.
The next day, Dazai had cut his hair short again. He had also wrapped some bandages around his arms, torso, neck and his right eye.
Chuuya recognized Dazai easier now, with the addition of the weird bandages around his body.
Kouyou began putting at least one of the red flowers from her garden in her hair.
Chuuya recognized his Ane-san easier now, with the lovely addition of the beautiful flowers in her hair.