obs: self preservation part 3! finally! do not ask for part 4 i have zero ideas LMAO anyways i hope u enjoy ittt
Two guards flank you as you're led through the winding corridors of Port Mafia headquarters. Your wrists are still chained, but the metal feels lighter somehow, or maybe you've just gotten used to the weight of it. The guards kept a careful distance, heads hanging low from lack of interest or disgust, or maybe even fear. You kept the smile on your face, easy as any other day. As you moved out of the lower floors and into the main parts of the Port Mafia building, you took notice of the marble floors that stretch beneath your feet, cold and polished enough to catch fragments of your reflection as you passed. Expensive artwork lined the walls, oil paintings in gilded frames that looked more expensive as you moved towards your destination. All grace and polish, beautiful in every sense of the word, but if you looked close enough, there was a shadow of something that could never quite be scrubbed away looming over your shoulder.
Your footsteps echoed differently in this part of the building, sharper and deliberate. By the time you reach a set of heavy double doors at the end of the corridor, your heart is beating a little faster as your contempt started to show on your face.
Mori's office is exactly what you'd expect from a man who runs a criminal empire like a hospital, elegant, expensive, and vaguely threatening. Dark wood furniture, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Yokohama, and medical equipment tucked in the corner. Dazai and Chuuya were already there, standing on either side of the desk. Dazai's posture was relaxed, hands in his pockets, that same easy expression you've come to know on his face. Chuuya was on high alert, even if his body language showed no hesitation whatsoever. Behind the desk, seated with a calm and straight posture, was Mori. An elegant man, dark hair combed back neatly, wearing a very expensive and very well polished suit. He looked more like a kindly physician than the head of Yokohama's most dangerous organization. His smile was warm and pleasant in a way that made your skin prickle.
"Ah." He says, folding his hands on the desk. "Our troublesome guest." His tone of voice reflected exactly what he looked like, and it was almost enough to unsettle you just a bit.
"That's me." You say, matching his pleasant tone with your own bright smile. "I've been told I'm a problem."
"Dazai-kun has spoken quite highly of you." Mori continues. "Your resourcefulness. Your intelligence. Your... unique approach to captivity."
"Aw, he talks about me?." You say sweetly, glancing toward Dazai, who's watching this entire exchange with obvious amusement. "Isn't he just so generous? I like that about him."
"I've also heard concerning things." Mori says, his tone still perfectly calm, still perfectly pleasant. "About your instability. Your unpredictability. The fact that you sold information to the Takagi-gumi while working for us, and then attempted to leverage insurance files against my organization."
"In my defense." You say, holding up your chained hands. "Everyone was trying to use me first. I just decided to use everyone back... Isn't that the way this world works?" You tilted your head slightly to the side, even though you didn't expect an answer to your question.
Something flickered in Mori's eyes, amusement, maybe, though it's hard to tell with him, much harder than Dazai. After a brief silence, he finally spoke again.
"Do you have any loyalty to anyone at all?"
You considered the question for a moment, head tilting. "Not really, no. Loyalty's expensive. I prefer things that are more... transactional."
"Interesting." Mori says, and unlike when Dazai says it, you can't tell if he means it as a compliment or a warning.
He glances toward Dazai and Chuuya, his expression shifting into something more businesslike. "Leave us."
"Boss?!" Chuuya's head snaps up. "With all due respect, she's too dangerous-"
"I'm aware, Chuuya-kun." Mori says smoothly. "I'll be fine."
Dazai finally moved from where he was standing, making sure to walk past you, still wearing that same smile.
"Try not to spoil my fun." He says, directing this at Mori with a casualness that makes you wonder exactly how much authority Mori really has over him. "I'm rather fond of this one."
"Noted." Mori says dryly.
You watch as both of them head toward the door. Dazai glances back at you once, something flickering in his expression. And then it's just you and Mori.
The energy in the room shifts immediately. Whatever performance existed for Dazai and Chuuya's benefit falls away, and Mori's gaze sharpens into something far more calculating. Your playfullness dimmes slightly in response.
"Please." He gestures to the chair across from his desk. "Sit."
You moved slowly, chains clinking softly as you settle into the seat.
"Dazai-kun believes you'd be a valuable asset." Mori says, folding his hands. "He's rarely wrong about these things."
"Smart man doubting a smart man." You say. "I'd doubt him too. He likes me. Terrible judge of character."
"You seem very convinced of that fact."
"I am!" You say. "It's one of my best qualities."
Mori studies you for a long moment. The silence stretches, comfortable for him, less so for you, though you'd never let it show. Then he leans forward slightly.
"Harbor district." He says. "Sensitive cargo. Walk me through it."
You don't hesitate. "Three routes. Two-week rotation. Pier fourteen's your main artery, dressed up as Kurosawa Shipping. Southern docks handle the smaller stuff, fishing vessels, easier to disappear into. And then there's the airfield." You tilt your head. "The one that isn't technically harbor business at all, but somehow always ends up in the same ledgers."
Mori's expression doesn't change. He doesn't ask you to continue. He doesn't need to. You keep going anyway, names, dates, numbers you'd memorized during long nights pretending to organize meeting notes nobody thought a secretary would actually read. You watch him while you talk, for anything that could be remotely noticeable, a flicker or a tell. Something that would confirm you're hitting marks instead of just performing confidence.
He gives you nothing.
"Seven months." He says finally, once you've run dry. Not a question.
"I have a good memory." You say. "Comes in handy."
"What is your line of work, exactly?" His tone is polite, almost idle.
"Infiltration. Information. Chaos, when the job calls for it." You shrug, chains whispering with the movement. "Versatile."
"And your... employer?"
Your expression shifts, the performance dropping away without your permission.
"You must have theories." He affirms, noticing your shift instantly.
"I do." You say, trying, and possibly failing to give more away. "But that's all they are, for now."
Mori doesn't respond to that directly. He picks up a pen, twirling it lightly around his fingertips, unhurried, like the conversation isn't happening at all.
"What are you asking for?"
You drop the last of the performance.
"I work for Dazai, him specifically." You say. "I want autonomy. And I want resources to find whoever did this to me."
"That's considerable trust for someone with your history."
"I'm not asking for trust." You say simply, leaning your body forwards a bit with an actual serious look on your face.
"And if your priorities shift?"
"Then that's Dazai's problem." You say. "He seems confident he can manage me." Then, a small smile came back to you face.
"He's occasionally overconfident." Mori says, and there's something almost fond buried in the words, easy to miss if you weren't listening for it.
"I made this decision before you walked into the room." He declares, voice going back to its pleasant tone as he finally dropped the pen back on the table with a small thud.
You raise an eyebrow. "Then what was all this?"
"Verification." He says simply, and doesn't elaborate further. He just watches you, letting you sit with the ambiguity of it.
"You'll work under Dazai-kun." He continues after a moment. "You'll have resources, within reason. And you'll understand what happens the day you become more trouble than you're worth."
"Fine by me." You answer without hesitation, a bright smile taking over your face once again.
He stands, extending a hand across the desk.
"Welcome to the Port Mafia." His smile returns, warm, pleasant, and entirely unreadable. "Try not to disappoint me."
"No promises." You stand, shaking his hand theatrically, as much as your chains allowed.
"I wouldn't expect any."
When you step out of Mori's office, both Dazai and Chuuya are waiting in the hallway. Chuuya's leaning against the wall, arms crossed, expression closed off in a way that suggests he's already resigned himself to whatever chaos is about to unfold. He doesn't even look at you directly, just grunts something that might be acknowledgment. Dazai, on the other hand, straightens immediately when he sees you, that familiar mischievous glint lighting up his expression in a way that was almost infectious for you by now.
"Well?" He asks, tilting his head, voice light and already sure of the answer.
"I'm officially your problem now." You say, grinning wide.
Something like genuine delight crosses his face. "Wonderful."
"That's the word you're using?" Chuuya mutters. "Wonderful?"
"Terrible, then." Dazai amends, though he doesn't look like he means it at all. "A wonderfully terrible decision."
"Those are my favorite kind!" You say, bouncing slightly on your heels.
"I'm going to have to see you every day now, aren't I." Chuuya says, more statement than question, already sounding exhausted by the concept.
"Every. Single. Day." You confirm, delighted, annunciating each word. "We can braid each other's hair. Trade secrets. I'll teach you my rope technique."
"I don't want your rope technique."
"You say that now."
"Chuuya." Dazai says, mock-serious. "Be nice!"
Chuuya looks between the two of you, something in his expression suggesting he's doing complex math about how much of his life he's about to lose to this exact dynamic. "I need a drink."
"Bring me one too!" You call after him as he pushes off the wall and starts walking, already muttering something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like a prayer for patience.
"Add it to my tab!" You add, grinning.
"You don't have a tab!" He calls back without turning around.
He disappears around the corner, and then it's just you and Dazai in the hallway, the air shifting into something different. Charged, familiar, that same electricity that's been building since day one.
"So." You say, rocking on your heels, chains rattling softly, watching him watch you. "What's first, boss?"
"Don't call me that." He says, though there's no real bite to it, more amusement than annoyance.
"Boss." You repeat, testing the word, tilting your head.
"I heard you the first time."
"Why not, boss?" You ask again, grin sharpening.
"Stop it."
"Make me." You say, voice dropping into something more playful, more dangerous.
His eyes glint. "Careful. I might take that as a challenge."
obs: this is a terrible draft i finished in a hurry im sorry
The file room was definitely the worst place to be stuck doing work at. Dusty shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, stuffed with years of reports, case files, receipts, and paperwork that should have been burned long ago, but here you were, stuck organizing it. You weren't alone, but Dazai was hardly ever helpful.
"Tell me again..." You started, picking up more files from the ground, the ones probably forgotten by now. "Why am I being punished for your crime?"
You were turned away from Dazai, but could still imagine the look on his face as he gasped dramatically behind you.
"And here I thought we were partners in crime!" Then, you turned to look at him. "I thought you understood me." He continued with his theatrics, making no move to get up from the ground where he was sitting, doing absolutely nothing.
"I understand you perfectly." You answered, getting closer in order to reach the shelf next to him. "Thats the problem."
He smiled, and finally decided to get up. In truth, you could've left him to deal with the repercussions of his antics by himself, but it was your idea to tease Kunikida just a bit more than usual today, I guess you felt a little guilty. Dazai kept observing you quietly for a bit, the way you barely reacted to his gaze, having grown accustomed to it already, how no matter how close he got, you still felt comfortable. When it was just you two, everything seemed simpler, and three times more dangerous at the same time, and for some reason, Dazai didn't feel the need to overanalyze it anymore.
As much as you wished to just play into his game and pretend work didn't exist, the stuffiness in the room started to annoy you, all you wanted was to be done and never go back to the file room ever again.
"You look tired." He observed, and before you could try and act offended, he continued. "Staying up late?" It could almost be an act of caring, if it wasn't for his tone of voice. "I can help with that..." By the time you reached for the next folder, he'd drifted over without you noticing. Close enough that if you turned your head, you would've bumped into his shoulder.
"Sure you can, you're so helpful after all." You continued to not look at him, checking your work again in order to make sure you wouldn't have to redo it.
"I can be." He smiled. "If im persuaded to." Instead of picking up any of the folders waiting for him, he plucked the one from your hands, turning it over as if he had every intention of helping.
"Kunikida's screams not enough for ya?" You checked the labels one last time before finally looking over at him.
"I'd much rather hear something else." Sometimes his sincerity came in a very obvious way, and for some reason, it was more unsettling than his lies.
"Dazai."
"Hm?"
You held out your hand without a word.
Dazai smiled to himself before starting to slowly lower the folder towards your waiting hand. Just as your fingers closed around it, he decided not to let go. It would've been easy to tug it from his grasp, or tell him to stop being difficult. Instead, you simply looked up, and for a second, neither one of you moved. Just then, you heard the doorknob rattle.
"...I need the Yamada file." Kunikida's voice, tired and careful, made his presence known before he finished fully opening the door.
As he finally looked forward, he froze in the doorway, papers in hand, the fluorescent light behind him making him look even more like a man who had physically willed himself into the wrong room. For a second, nobody said anything. Dazai still hadn't let go of the folder.
"You have excellent timing, Kunikida-kun." Dazai said cheerfully, finally releasing the folder into your hand as though nothing at all had been happening. "We were just discussing the importance of teamwork."
"That is not—" Kunikida's glasses caught the light as he took a step in, and you watched something in him visibly snap into place. "THIS IS A FILE ROOM, NOT A—A—" He seemed to lack a word extreme enough for what he'd apparently interrupted, settling instead for gesturing violently between the two of you. "THIS IS NOT APPROPRIATE! WE HAVE STANDARDS! THIS AGENCY HAS A REPUTATION TO—"
"Kunikida-kun, your blood pressure." Dazai said, pressing a hand to his own chest in mock concern. "Should I fetch you some water?"
"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT."
You, for your part, had already turned back to the shelf, sliding the folder into its place like the previous thirty seconds hadn't happened. "We were organizing files, Kunikida-san. Which is what you told us to do." You held up a folder as evidence, mostly for your own sanity. "This is a filing cabinet, not a crime scene."
"He was holding your hand."
"He was being difficult, which means he's in a good mood." You slowly started to move towards the files with the letter Y, looking for what Kunikida had asked. "I however, am not."
Dazai gasped, delighted. "She defends me and insults me in the same breath. Truly, this is what devotion looks like."
"That is not what I said."
"It's what I heard."
Kunikida looked, briefly, like a man recalculating his entire understanding of the universe. You spotted the right sequence of files and started to sort through it, finding the blue folder with the name Yamada with ease.
"Here you go." You pulled it and held it out to him without ceremony.
He took it without ceremony. He did not leave immediately. He stood there another second, glasses flashing, opened his mouth as if to deliver one final warning about the sanctity of the workplace, thought better of it, and instead settled for, "This conversation is not over," before turning on his heel and marching out, though not without shooting one last look at Dazai that promised several future paragraphs of a strongly worded memo.
The door shut. The silence that followed had a different texture than the one before.
"Well." Dazai said, watching you with an expression that was somehow both amused and unreadable. "That'll be around the office by lunch."
You didn't answer, deciding to busy your hands with the shelf instead, feeling, for reasons you didn't want to examine too closely, suddenly very aware of how small the room was, how it was just the two of you again, how five minutes ago that fact hadn't bothered you at all and now it sat strangely in your chest.
"We should just finish the files." You said quietly.
Something shifted in his expression, not the exaggerated hurt from earlier, not the practiced smile. After a brief silence, Dazai watched you for a second longer than necessary before picking up a folder of his own, for the first time all afternoon.
"For the record," he said, "I don't actually mind being on file with you." He held up the folder in his hands like evidence, entirely too pleased with himself. "Very official. Very permanent. They'll have to store us somewhere after this."
You paused, folder still in hand, and looked at him with the specific unimpressed expression reserved only for him. "That was terrible."
ayo i have like 10 different drafts rn tell me which one to work on PLEASE and im also gonna start writing for hxh and blue lock so just help me pick pls!!!!
ayo i have like 10 different drafts rn tell me which one to work on PLEASE and im also gonna start writing for hxh and blue lock so just help me pick pls!!!!
however i have so much stuff to get done for the end of the semester that i may keep disappearing for a while... sorry for not being able to post as often as i used to but it will get better!
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