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The new alliance between the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia was strange, to say the least. It was a weird feeling not being at each other's throats all the time, and neither agency really knew what to do about it.
And Fukuzawa and Mori were getting tired of the tension, so they organized a holiday party for the two organizations, hosted at the Port Mafia headquarters, only because it was bigger. And of course, every member of each respective group was invited, and was expected to come unless they had a prior commitment.
Which meant that Chuuya and Dazai would be reuniting (re-reuniting would be a better word) in a space where they weren't allowed to be violent or to be rivals. Mori knew that it would be good for them, but others didn't seem to agree.
Atsushi was a little scared, because from what he'd heard from Akutagawa (not that the white-haired boy would ever admit to talking to Akutagawa outside of their interactions), they had a tense relationship.
But Dazai hadn't batted an eye when the event was announced at work that random day in early December. In fact, he'd smirked, then pulled out his phone to look at who knows what.
But of course, they'd just have to see how it all played out.
"Higuchi has been following me around. It's scary." Akutagawa had admitted, sipping his drink. "It's like she only has eyes for me and can't focus on anything else."
"I've noticed." Atsushi agreed, nodding his head. "Have you said anything about it?"
Akutagawa shook his head. "I don't really know how to… communicate my uncomfortableness, per se."
"Fair." Atsushi said with a shrug. A few months ago, he would have been horrified to even be talking to Akutagawa, but now, with the truce in effect, he wasn't scared to do so, and found that he actually really enjoyed talking to the guy. Sure, he didn't talk as much as the white haired boy did, but he did talk when he was comfortable. "But like… couldn't you get Chuuya to scare her off, or something?"
"Scare who off?" came a voice from beside them. It was Chuuya, pouring himself a glass of wine from the drinks table. "What's wrong?"
Akutagawa whipped his head around to look at Chuuya, and sighed exasperatedly. "Higuchi-san. She follows me around like a lost puppy, and I was just discussing with Jinko here—" Atsushi glared at him for the nickname. "—about how I don't really know how to get rid of her."
"And I suggested having you scare her off, or something." Atsushi said quietly, because he was a little scared of Chuuya himself. The mafioso was intimidating, alright? The most powerful ability user ever; who wouldn't be a little scared of him? (Dazai, that's who.)
Chuuya hummed and sipped his wine, leaning against the wall. "I mean, if she's being super annoying, I guess I could…" The redhead grinned, but not in a kind way. More like a: Oh shit, he's planning something, type of grin. "…convince her to leave you alone."
Akutagawa nodded hastily. "Please. I'm not even remotely interested in having any sort of relations with her that aren't strictly professional."
"I'll deal with her. Don't you worry." Chuuya promised, the grin still on his face.
But then it immediately faded when a familiar face entered through the doors to the hall.
Dazai had arrived.
Akutagawa and Chuuya basically swapped expressions. Chuuya looked gloomy, and Akutagawa had a small smile on his face at the sight of the detective.
"Oi, shitty Dazai, why so late?" Chuuya jeered, stalking up to the taller man.
"Had some matters to attend to. Because my work is actually important." Dazai said nonchalantly, looking down at his former partner.
The redhead scoffed. "Right, like you do your work more than half the time."
"I wouldn't even say half the time." Kunikida huffed from somewhere in the hall.
"Not all of my matters have to be work-related, Chibi." Dazai explained, raising an eyebrow for seemingly no reason, until Akutagawa explained to Atsushi what was going on under his breath.
"They're silently communicating." Akutagawa whispered. "Nobody knows what the hell they're saying when they do, or how they do it, but they can read each other's faces like a book, and have entire conversations. They're probably just insulting each other further, just being somewhat respectful because this is a party."
"Hmph. Fuck off, mackerel." Chuuya muttered, taking a sip of his wine.
"How dare thee, Chibi!" Dazai gasped dramatically, feigning offence. "Such coarse language from such a tiny person!"
"Quit calling me short, you fuckin' mummy!" Chuuya hissed.
"Chuuya is so mean with his insulting nicknames." Dazai drawled, brushing a strand of his fluffy brown hair out of his face. Atsushi caught another micro-expression, a slight twitch of his lips that made Chuuya pause.
"…yeah yeah, whatever." Chuuya muttered, flustered at whatever the hell Dazai had just communicated through their seemingly telepathic bond with each other.
Akutagawa and Atsushi were thoroughly confused.
Someone thought it was a good idea to play "Two Truths and a Lie" with some of the members from the organizations, so now around more than half of the people present at the party were sitting at a table, with Kouyou and Hirotsu at the ends.
Apparently it was supposed to be "good for them" because they were now in a non-hostile environment where they could "get to know each other" and maybe become friends, which was a little weird, becaus they were all adults, but oh well.
"Who wants to go first? And Ranpo—you should not be participating other than to give your truths and lies, because we all know that you'll get them too fucking quickly." Kunikida remarked, glaring daggers at Ranpo, who was just happily sucking on one of the many lollipops he kept on hand.
"I can go." Kyouka offered as she played with the stuffed rabbit she always had on her flip-phone.
"Okay, go Kyouka." Kouyou said encouragingly.
"Okay…" Kyouka tapped her chin, thinking of her three things. "Okay. I got it. First, I had a pet rabbit as a child, I once was attacked by a group of three assassins, and… I really like crepes."
Ranpo snorted and lounged back in his chair, but refrained from answering. It was obvious that he knew the answer, but adhering to Kunikida's rule, he stayed quiet and just smirked.
"Um… Kyouka… what the hell?" Yosano said as politely as she could, a little shocked at the… variety in Kyouka's answers. "Of course… the assassins, right?"
Kyouka shook her head. "Nope! Guess again."
Kouyou looked like she'd paled fourteen more shades. "…you never told me this."
The young girl shrugged. "You never asked. Plus, Kajii-san took care of them. It wasn't in any mission logs because it wasn't a mission."
Kouyou was glaring daggers at a very-drunk Kajii now, who was talking to Higuchi and heavily slurring his words together to the point where nobody could even understand what he was saying. She sighed and looked away, because he was hopeless, at this point.
"You never mentioned having a pet rabbit." Atsushi pointed out, confident in his guess, because he was well aware that Kyouka really liked crepes.
"Correct!" she said happily, grinning down the table at her friend.
"Okay… Kyouka, we are going to talk after this." Kouyou said kindly, before turning to the table. "Does anyone want to go next?"
"I'll go." Dazai said, lazily razing his hand, the coat he was wearing slipping down his arm to reveal a glimpse of the bandages underneath.
Ranpo snickered. "This'll be a fun one." he said, as if he already knew what Dazai was going to say, which at this point, nobody would be surprised if he did. Dazai shot him a smirk, confirming Ranpo's suspicions.
Chaos was about to ensue, or something along those lines, Atsushi was sure of it.
"Okay… so… I once asked a beautiful girl to do a double suicide and she said yes, but then was murdered hours later, I really like dogs, and I'm married." Dazai said confidently, crossing his arms.
And then, of course, chaos ensued.
Because… what?
Dazai just said that he was married. It could, very well, be the lie, and nearly the entire table suspected that it was, but to Atsushi, it seemed too far-fetched not to be true.
The only people who weren't confused as hell were Ranpo and Chuuya.
Not shocking, really.
But the shocking thing was that Chuuya was smirking now as well, as if he also knew the answer. He raised his hand and when Dazai looked to him, he grinned.
"Your dumb ass doesn't like dogs. Don't know why, but clearly you just have terrible taste, as always." Chuuya proclaimed, and there were a few muttered disagreements saying how there was no way that Dazai of all people had a husband or wife, but all of those were shut up when Dazai smiled.
"The Chibi is correct." he announced, which sent the room into further chaos.
Because this meant that Dazai was married. That someone had actually gone and married the person who was constantly trying to end his own life, or bribe women into doing double suicides with him.
"Dazai-san… you're married?" Atsushi's jaw was practically on the floor. "Like… seriously?"
"What, you think it's impossible for me to find a partner?" Dazai put a hand to his chest, pretending to be offended at the white-haired boy's disbelief.
"I mean… you're… you!" Kunikida said, waving to Dazai, arms flailing.
"And?"
"Nope, I'm not buying it." Higuchi said, shaking her head. "No way you're married to somebody."
"He's not kidding." Ranpo drawled, twirling a lollipop stick in between his fingers. "And if my deductions are correct, which they of course, always are, he even has a ring to prove it! Isn't that right, Dazai."
Dazai replied by pulling out a necklace from under his shirt, which boasted a pretty silver ring with two large black diamonds in the center, both the same size and shape. It glinted in the light, and everyone's disbelief morphed into different forms of shock.
"Damn." Junichirou whistled lowly. "Gotta admit, that's a nice ring."
But Atsushi was more focused on the stones. Why two black diamonds and not three? It looked awfully strange, and wasn't common, only having two diamonds, and especially not two of the same colour, shape, and size, with no design or artistic-ness behind the stones.
Just two black diamonds, side by side.
And then it clicked.
Two black….
Double Black.
The name of the partnership between him and Chuuya. Double Black, Twin Dark, Soukoku, their partnership had many names, but they had been well known as the most fearsome mafioso duo in the entire Port Mafia—even all of Yokohama.
"Oh." Atsushi murmured, still shocked, but he understood now.
But… Dazai and Chuuya? The rivals? The two men who were supposed to hate each other? Married?
It should have made no sense, and yet it did. Atsushi was now seeing their arguments in a different light. Had some of them been… flirting? And the flustered-ness of Chuuya earlier at Dazai's micro expression… that had most certainly been a blush on the red haired mafioso's cheeks.
"Oh indeed." Ranpo said, steepling his fingers. "Now lets see how long it takes for everyone else to get it."
Questions were thrown at Dazai in rapid-fire fashion.
Who is it? "You'll have to guess, I suppose."
Man or woman? "A guy."
Did you force them into this marriage? "Heavens no. They were the one who proposed to me."
When did you even get married? "A little young, when we were eighteen."
Kouyou gasped. The pieces had clicked for her too.
"You must be joking." she whispered, eyes wide.
"Unfortunately, he's not." Chuuya muttered, removing his left glove to reveal… an identical ring, with those two black stones on the top.
"WHAT?" Kunikida shouted, standing up from the table. "Dazai! You're telling me that you are married to a Port Mafia executive, and have been since you were eighteen?"
Dazai nodded.
"And… Chuuya… you're sure he didn't force you into marriage?" Higuchi asked, skeptical.
"He said it, didn't he? I was the one who proposed. His engagement ring is at our apartment." Chuuya answered with a shrug.
"You share an apartment?" Akutagawa interjected.
"Unfortunately." Chuuya said dramatically. "He's such a stinky mackerel. Disgusting to live with. Wouldn't recommend."
"You love me." Dazai said, poking Chuuya's arm, because they were sitting right next to each other.
"Somehow, yes, I love you, shitty Dazai." admitted the mafioso, a small smile playing at his lips.
"I love you too, my Chibi."
The organizations were just going to have to deal with the two of them now, and all of their shit, now that there was a truce between the two agencies.
And of course, it was a lovely holiday surprise for all of them.
(Or not so lovely, in Kunikida's case.)