Chapter Text
Dazai burst through the grand wooden doors of the Western style ballroom. The ballroom being almost 3 stories in height had deep red curtains embroidered with fine looking, golden threads. Said curtains were withered and torn with age.
In the centre of the gigantic room was a decaying chandelier that looked like it used to glow brightly for the grandest of parties and balls, before it got ruined by time as well.
The bandaged teen took no notice of the withering decorations, his focus was on one of the two bodies beneath the chandelier.
“Odasaku!” He screamed, dashing forward towards the body of a redhead, cradling the dying man’s head in his arms. He could see the gaping hole in his chest and the slowly growing pool of blood.
He knows there's no chance of his friend surviving this. Goddamn it.
Oda looks up at him. He's pale from blood loss, and barely rasps out a single word, “...Dazai.”
Dazai's despair grows at how hoarse Oda’s voice is. Odasaku's dying and there's nothing he can do to stop it.
Oda uses one of his last moments to take hold of the bandages covering the teens right eye and lets his hand drop, pulling the bandages away with it.
For the first and last time, Oda see's Dazais whole face. He sees both of Dazais dark eyes as the boy looks down at him with both confusion and despair.
Oda feels lightheaded, but he can still make out the pain in his companion's face and the wet sparkle in his eyes. It breaks Oda's heart to see the usually strong boy crumble.
However, he can't offer any comfort. He's been bleeding out for far too long. His body is numb and his mind is following suit. He can't muster the energy to speak anymore as he closes his eyes for the last time.
Tears escape Dazai's eyes as he watches the friend that was like an older brother to him fade away.
“Odasaku!!!” Dazai half screams and half sobs to the lifeless room around him.
The smell of blood and death is strong, considering the two bodies in the room. Blood staines the pristine floors and bullet holes made home in both the walls and the shattered glass windows.
Dazai, however, couldn't care less about the state the battle had left the room in. He didn't care about much at the moment.
He felt empty.
Odasaku is gone, dead in his arms. If he pulled back his hands now, he'd see crimson liquid staining them.
So he doesn't. Dazai sits there, holding the body like he's about to come back to life at any moment. Looking at the blood staining him feels like confirming that Odasaku is dead.
He can't do that yet.
His face is wet. He then notices his vision is slightly blurry. Oh, he's crying. He can't remember the last time he cried, he thought the mafia beat that out of him.
But here he is, on the floor, staring at a lifeless corpse in his arms as silent tears drip from his eyes.
Dazai thinks it pathetic. The demon prodigy, a killer of over 100, is crying over a single body. However, he can't help the tears, nor the feeling of despair he feels at seeing Odasaku’s body.
He replays the events of the past hours in his head over and over again. Thinking of anything he could have done to stop this. To save his brother friend from death.
Mori.
Mori stopped him from helping.
He feels furious. He was too late to save Odasaku, because of that damned man.
He understands his Bosses reasoning, it's for the better of the organisation, these events allowed them to get a special permit from the special division for unusual powers so they could legally do their business.
That doesn't stop his rage though. He hates that Oda had to be the one to die because of this.
Out of everyone, it was Odasaku. He knows why. Oda had the best chance of taking out Mimic. That doesn't mean he has to like or accept it though. Mori will still pay for this.
Dazai gently places the body back on the floor.
He immediately sees the blood stains on his hands and arms. It only serves to make him angrier. He growls curses towards his boss under his breath.
The smell of death and the sight of his friend's body is becoming too much. Before he knows it, Dazai is flinging the ballroom's wooden doors open and storming off.
He sees all the dead mimic soldiers Odasaku killed on his way to Gide. Seeing bodies of the ones who hurt Odasaku and his kids makes Dazai feel slightly better. They got what they deserved.
Dazai's mind is still a mess. He wants to curl up and cry, hoping things will fix themselves. Alternatively, he also wants to storm Moris office and make the bastard pay for letting Odasaku die.
He's lost in thought. But his legs still carry him through familiar streets and buildings. The cold air on the right side of his face is unusual. He's no longer got bandages there. It feels strange, yet he's pissed enough to decide its a later him problem.
Dazai didn't realise where he was headed until he found himself face to face with Chuuyas front door. Of course his subconscious brought him to Chuuya. His ginger partner knows him better than he knows himself sometimes.
He tries the door, it's locked, he'll have to pick it. Chuuya will be pissed but he doesn't care.
—
Chuuya was sprawled out on his sofa with some random show playing on his tv, using it as background noise while he scrolls aimlessly on his phone.
He heard the sound of someone picking his lock.
The thought of a burglary didn't even cross his mind as he groaned in annoyance at having to deal with his asshole of a partner.
His Mackerel liked to show up at the most random of times just to piss him off. He acts like he absolutely hates it, but it does give Chuuya some company when Ane-san is busy so it's not that bad. He would never admit that to Dazai though. His ego is already big enough.
He sat up and looked at his front door with his normal glare and watched the intruder open it. As he thought, the bandaged bastard is on the other side.
What was unexpected was the blood that stained brunette's hands, while not an unusual sight given their line of work, the genuine anger and distress on his face, wait are those tear marks?
That throws Chuuya off guard. He's never seen Dazai cry before. Something is wrong.
The next thing Chuuya notices is the unbandaged face.
Wait, unbandaged? Chuuya stops for a moment and stares at Dazai. He's never seen the younger boy's right eye before. He'd guessed the reason for the covering to be to hide some scar or birthmark he didn't like. However, Dazai's beautiful right eye looks the same as the left one.
Chuuya snaps his gaze away from Dazais right eye and down to his hands. Mackerel is dripping blood on his clean floor. He can't have that.
Chuuya stood from the sofa, not waiting for any response from his partner and walked into his bathroom to retrieve a hand towel instead. He doesn't want Dazai spreading too much blood everywhere, it's a pain in the ass to clean the stains. He knows this from experience.
When Chuuya leaves the bathroom, Dazai is sat on his sofa, staring into his hands with a distant expression. Chuuya puts the towel in Dazai's hands, letting it soak up the blood and startle the younger boy out of his thoughts.
“Dazai what the fuck happened?” Chuuya's tone is serious as he demands an explanation for his partner's state. Dazai comes out of most situations seemingly unphased, whatever has happened is serious.
After a few moments, Dazai responds “He's dead”. The brunette's voice is shaky, hes definitely been crying. There's still venomous anger hidden beneath it, targeted at whoever has wronged Chuuyas partner.
That's still strange. Dazai isn't normally phased by death. In fact, he and his chaotic antics are usually the reason behind it. Who on earth could be close enough to his Mackerel to leave him like this? Unless… “Who's dead?”
“Odasaku.”
That confirms his suspicion. It's no wonder Dazai was so out of it and angry. That man meant the world to him. Whoever killed him is probably gonna get one hell of a beating from the young executive. “Who did it?”
Dazai clenched his fists. “Mimic's leader. They killed each other. Mori set them up to kill each other then stopped me from going to help him. That bastard.” Dazais tone had become more laced with anger and spite when their boss's name was said.
Chuuya frowned, it didn't make sense to him, what reason did Mori have to let Oda die? He's a useful mafia member with a strong ability. Mori isn't one to let go of useful ‘tools’ that easily.
But he can't help but believe his Mackerel's words. After all, Dazai would never get this worked up over nothing, nor would he cry and remove his face bandage In Front of him.
“I'm going to kill him!” Dazai declared, standing from the sofa, he didn't look at Chuuya, instead facing the door. The bloodied towel falls to the floor.
“That's a bad idea.” He stands as well, putting a hand on the taller boy's shoulder to keep him from running off.
Chuuya can't just let Dazai kill Mori, that would be suicide! Mori’s guards and followers would kill him. He isn't going to say that though since that would probably solidify Dazai's mind even more. Suicidal idiot.
Dazai doesn't seem to take Chuuya's words seriously. “So what if it's a bad idea? I won't let his actions go without consequences. He sacrificed Odasaku for a piece of paper!” Dazai is almost yelling with fury by the end of his sentence.
A piece of paper? What on earth was on it for it to be worth a human life? Not that lives mean anything to the mafia's boss. If you don't serve a purpose you're disposed of.
But running into the boss's office and trying to kill him is risky. Even with Dazai's nullification, Mori is still a formidable opponent. And thats not even taking into account the guards that are constantly present.
Chuuya knows their combined strength would probably take them all out fairly easily. However the main issue is the support Mori has.
Even if they survived assassinating Mori, a majority of the mafia would be against them. Either they run away and lose everything they worked for, or their tortured and killed for treason.
“Dazai, listen to me. You can't just go kill Mori, it'll just cause more problems than we can handle. Calm your ass down and think!”
“I refuse to serve under Mori any longer.”
Chuuya can understand that. But he can't let Dazai do this. “You don't have to serve him. But going after Mori is the wrong move right now”
“How the fuck am I going to get out of serving Mori is i dont kill him?” Dazai seems to be getting more frustrated with the situation. It's understandable but also incredibly irritating for Chuuya to deal with.
“You could leave the mafia.” He wonders why that thought never crossed Dazai's mind. Is the something keeping him in the mafia that Chuuya doesnt know about or is he too worked up and not thinking properly?
Dazai ponders his suggestion for a moment. To Chuuyas surprise, Dazai took a few breaths to calm himself before turning to face Chuuya so they could discuss this.
“And what about you? Will you leave as well?”
That caught Chuuya off guard. He didn't expect Dazai to suddenly put the spotlight on him. He thinks over his options for a moment.
On one hand he can go with Dazai, he has no clue where they would go or if Dazai has a plan thought up for that yet. Running away with his partner is an intriguing idea. But it also means leaving behind his friends and what he's worked for.
Alternatively he can stay in the mafia. He gets to keep his friends, his mentor and his job. He has no idea if he'd still be able to have any contact with his partner if he chooses that option though. He doesn't want to lose Dazai, they're partners for gods sake, but he doesn't think he's willing to give up everything for him.
Dazai picks up on Chuuyas hesitation. “I think Chuuya should stay.”
“Huh?”
“I won’t need my guard dog with me when I disappear. Plus Chuuya would get home sick.”
“I'm not a dog shitty Dazai.” Despite Dazais dog comment, Chuuya was slightly touched that Dazai thought about his feelings for once.
He doesn't know if it's a genuine show of care or if Dazai is making an excuse to not be around Chuuya. He's leaning more towards the first option given how often Dazai makes excuses to be around Chuuya outside work.
Chuuya doesn't really care either way.
“So you're leaving and I'm staying.” Chuuya summaries, “Where are you planning on going exactly? If you even have a plan yet. The mafia will be after you when you desert.”
“I'll join one of the port's enemies.” Dazai says like its the simplest thing in the world.
“Excuse me?” He can't be serious about that.
“An enemy organisation would provide protection against the mafia. Plus they would keep me around because I have a lot of valuable information on their enemy.” Dazai grins before saying his last reason. “It would also be helpful for manipulating events to cause the mafia's downfall.”
“I thought we were just taking out Mori?” Chuuya isn't exactly opposed to the fall of the mafia. It is what he was after when he was a sheep member after all. He's just surprised by Dazai's sudden want for it.
“Mori's supporters are just as bad as him. It'd be better to start over again than to try to root out those loyal to him.”
Oh, that's his plan. Chuuya grins slightly.