When you're in a relationship of three and you're the shortest one
kunichuuzai + making (fun) use of Chuuya's height
find it also on ao3
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Evenings should always be this perfect, Kunikida thought. Lukewarm air, clear sky dotted with cotton clouds, faint breeze whispering secrets in the trees.
And above all, he and his two boyfriends, walking hand in hand, heart light and mind free from every work duty for the day.
(Technically, Dazai had done nothing today. But since it was an everyday occurrence, it still counted. Somehow.)
All three of them – Dazai, Kunikida and, at the center, Chuuya – were walking down a verdant alley of a relatively less frequented park in the western suburb of Yokohama. Far be it from them to have chosen this place so as to hide their relationship to the public’s eyes; but sometimes, a little intimacy was pleasant. Here, far from the regular couples and passerby, they could relax and be themselves – neither Armed Detective Agency or Port Mafia members, but simply three young men wishing to make the most of their time together. Considering the hazardousness of their respective lines of work, who could tell how much longer those simple moments would last?
Kunikida was leisurely gazing at the shimmering evening light painting golden shades on the canopy, when Chuuya’s disgruntled voice roused him from his daze.
“Dazai… Stop tugging at my hand like that.”
The bandaged man – although the bandages around his neck were hidden under a carefully wrapped scarf – flashed the ginger head his characteristic mischievous smirk.
“It’s not my fault if your arms are so short you get carried away by my movements~” he chirped, swinging his slender arms in an exaggerated way.
“You asshole… I’m gonna kill ya if you don’t–”
“Now, now, that’s enough, you two,” Kunikida chimed in, mildly annoyed at his partners’ tendency to endanger their special time together with their shenanigans. “Let’s not fight and just enjoy the scenery…”
Chuuya snorted and, after shooting one last glower at Dazai, grinned knowingly at his other boyfriend.
“I promise to not kill him if you’re paying me a good drink on the way back, beautiful.”
Kunikida rolled his eyes. “You always say that.”
And you always fall for Dazai’s baits to antagonize you. This part, however, was best left unsaid. Waving a red rag under a bull’s nose was a far less dangerous choice, in comparison.
“Ooooh, are you treating us tonight as well, Kunikida~?” Dazai spoke cheerily. “I want crab for dinner.”
“Nobody gives a shit ‘bout what you want, jackass!!” Chuuya snapped at him – though he didn't let go of his hand.
Speaking of which, when Kunikida and Dazai met eyes for a brief second, the blonde noticed the way his Slim Jim of a partner squinted at their hands linked together. Dazai wagged his eyebrows at them, then at Kunikida. The latter had a very bad feeling about that smirk on his face...
“Hey, Chuuya, how high do you think you can fly?”
“Huh? The hell are you–”
“Kunikida! On the count of three!! One… Two…”
Oh no. He’s not going to…?
“Three!!”
Everything happened within a mere second; and yet, time seemed to stretch during that brief moment, like a movie sequence put on slow motion.
Synchronizing his movement with Kunikida’s Dazai threw his arm high up in the air – with Chuuya’s hand firmly clasped within his spider-legged fingers. Feeling the weight of his ginger partner being shifted, Kunikida reflexively held his arm higher, in order to help him maintain his balance.
And as a result, for a very split second… Chuuya’s feet left the ground.
Of course, it was merely by a centimeter. And one heartbeat later, the front of his shoe was grating the dusty ground. But the deed was done.
None of them couldn’t not associate what had just happened with the heartwarming image of a child swinging between their parents’ arms.
Needless to say that Chuuya didn’t exactly like being at the center of that picture – let alone playing what counted as the most humiliating role for him. An opinion Dazai visibly didn’t share, since he suddenly doubled over, seized by uncontrollable laughter.
“………. YOU BASTAAAAAARD…!!!!”
Gravity suddenly densified around Chuuya, enveloping him in a halo as red as his flushed face. Letting go of Kunikida’s hand, he planted his feet in the ground, turned on his hips, and punched Dazai in the face. Naturally, the latter’s skill instantly cancelled the gravity force – which didn’t prevent him from flying a few meters away, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
Kunikida sighed and shook his head.
One day, their dates together would go smoothly, without any incident like this one.
Until then, all he could do was wait… and, promise or not, pay yet another drink to the ever-so-bullied Chuuya.
