Tachihara scowls at Chuuya before wincing, gingerly prodding at his nose before he sighs, the noise coming out nasally, sounding nothing like he usually does. Chuuya's still chortling away as he skips back from the kitchen, holding an icepack in his hands.
"Did you get that from a mission today?" he asks, gesturing at Tachihara's swollen nose. "Looks broken."
Tachihara hisses when Chuuya gently presses the ice to his nose, doing his best not to lash out violently because with Chuuya's reaction speed and hand to hand combat skills, there's a good chance his nose will get hammered again.
"No," he answers grudgingly, "not from the fighting during today's mission."
Chuuya switches sides, holding Tachihara's head in place when Tachihara tries to shy away from the cold, nudging Tachihara insistently with his knee , trying to prompt Tachihara to go on.
"I walked into a pole," Tachihara mutters when Chuuya makes it clear he's not walking away without an answer. "I wasn't looking where I was go-Oh sh-" He bites his tongue at the last moment because maybe telling a mafia executive to shut up isn't the best idea. Chuuya's exploded into another fit of laughter, shoulders shaking as he struggles to keep the icepack in place.
"You're so clumsy!"
Tachihara glowers, opening his mouth for a retort before there's blinding pain when Chuuya drops the ice pack, grabs his nose and yanks it back into place. Tachihara can't recognize the shrill and inhumane noise he makes, flailing around, blinded for a moment.
Chuuya easily dodges the waving arms and legs, sharply slapping a fist away from him before he picks the icepack back up, pressing it to Tachihara's nose again.
"That hurt!" Tachihara finally manages to wail, glaring at Chuuya, his vision blurred by tears.
"Oh I'm sorry," Chuuya replies mockingly, a small smile curling at the corner of his lips. "But I didn't want your very cute nose to get crooked so I had to set it."
Tachihara splutters helplessly, anything he was about to say lost as his mind goes blank.
"M-My nose is what?"
"Cute," Chuuya replies, placing a soft kiss on Tachihara's forehead before he hands the icepack to Tachihara, snickering as Tachihara gapes at him.
Chuuya sets down the ice and takes a piece of tape, places it across the bridge of Tachihara's nose.
"All better. Now watch where you're going and no more walking into any poles okay?" Tachihara nods numbly and after Chuuya leaves, he gets up, still in a daze.
Just as Higuchi and Gin enter the room, he walks into a wall.
I’m your secret Santa for the @jgiftexchange. Sorry for the delay but I hope you’ll like this fallen angel Jitsui! I haven’t drawn in months but I’m quite happy with how this turned out (sorry for the wings though)
Merry Christmas and have a happy New Year! ヽ(=´▽`=)ﾉ
@marrylissa I was your secret santa! I hope you like this ^_^
Prompts: Gender bender/Modern AU
Summary: The woes of being the girlfriend of a veterinarian technician.
Otherwise known as: in which Tazaki keeps bringing home animals from work and Kaminaga suffers
I. Spring
“It’s hatching season,” Tazaki calls hurriedly over her shoulder as Kaminaga shuts the door behind herself, hunched over a small ball of fluff she’s carefully feeding with a syringe. “The shelter is overrun at this time of year.”
“So are we,” Kaminaga murmured, eyeing the other two small birds shrieking angrily in the makeshift nest sitting beside Tazaki. It means uninterrupted screeching for weeks to come, and Kaminaga thinks she should’ve bought earplugs in preparation since in hindsight, she should’ve known Tazaki had been bound to pick up on some fosters eventually. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to be-“
“Up all night?” Tazaki finishes for her. “I mean maybe not all night but most of it? They need frequent feeding.”
“I’m going to die, and so are you,” Kaminaga tells her bluntly. She has no idea how Tazaki’s going to handle her shifts at the shelter on top of the new chicks, Kaminaga herself personally cannot function properly without a decent amount of sleep. Then again, Tazaki’s always found a way. Sometimes it’s not through entirely healthy and human ways, but she finds a way. Somehow.
“We are not going to die.”
“That’s what you always say,” Kaminaga grumbles as she strides over to drop a kiss onto Tazaki’s forehead while Tazaki gently sets the chick down next to its siblings, picking up the next one, reaching for the next syringe.
“Shush,” Tazaki murmurs, gently cradling the baby pigeon (Kaminaga calls them naked birds to annoy her), “and go check on Tatsumaki and Kage for me? Please?”
Kaminaga balks at the thought of checking on Tazaki’s two pet pigeons that she’s certain have a stupid grudge against her for no good reason.
“They’re going to poop on me. And bite my toes. And yank out my hair.” She lost at least nine strands of hair last time and she still hasn’t yet managed to scrub out the stain of poo out of her favourite sweater.
Tazaki shoots her an incredulous look.
“They wouldn’t do that. They’re angels.”
“They are not.”
Tazaki is biased and the pigeons are demons waiting for the perfect opportunities to strike.
“We’re going to die,” Tazaki rasps as she rolls out of bed, her alarm for six a.m. signalling her two hour reprieve is over. “I’m going to die.”
“Do they ever stop… Making that atrocious noise?” Kaminaga buries her head under her pillow, biting back a ‘I told you so’ as the pigeons scream for food, a migraine coming up as she realizes she’s going to have to deal with screaming kids with less than four hours of uninterrupted sleep.. “Why pigeons? You couldn’t pick anything else?”
She knows she’s made a mistake when Tazaki pauses, her grin only serving to make her look slightly insane with her tired face and dark eye bags. Maybe she is insane.
Kaminaga herself is already halfway there.
“Well I mean… I could’ve picked the skunks.”
Kaminaga chokes on air.
“What?”
“I’ll keep that in mind when we go for the next round of fosters-”
“KEEP THE PIGEONS!”
II. Summer
“I thought I told you to keep the pigeons,” Kaminaga hisses through the barely cracked open door, warily eyeing the thing in Tazaki’s hands. “That’s a rat.”
“I’ve told you, it’s an opossum,” Tazaki corrects offhandedly, using a dropper to feed the ra-opossum water. “And it’s just dehydrated. It’ll only be a few days.”
“It’s a rodent. I hate rodents.”
“You hate cats more. To think of it, there was a very nice tabby up for fostering too-”
Kaminaga throws the door open, nearly shrieking. She dislikes rodents, but she hates cats even more, thanks to Hatano’s demon cat that has left more than its fair share of scars on her. Both physically and mentally.
“You wouldn’t dare!”
Tazaki laughs a bit evilly, cocking an eyebrow and goddamn, she looks hot, hair thrown carelessly into a messy bun, bright (and evil) smile dazzling but-
“I’m allergic! You know I’ll die!” Tazaki looks unconcerned, lifting a shoulder in a careless shrug.
“Psh, don’t be dramatic, that’s Miyoshi’s job. You’ll live.”
“You’re evil.” Kaminaga tries her best to look intimidating, immediately retreating when Tazaki holds the ra-opossum, up, making a move towards her.
Tazaki blows her a kiss, winking.
“I’m magical, you mean.”
Kaminaga can’t argue with that.
III. Fall
“Another… Another rat?”
“If you can’t tell the difference between a rat and squirrel, we need to book you an eye appointment as soon as possible.”
Kaminaga facepalms, taking Tazaki’s bag from her, holding the plastic bag containing Tazaki’s scrubs as far away from herself as possible. God knows what Tazaki’s gotten covered in today.
As she reaches over to ruffle Tazaki’s hair, Tazaki shifts away, ducking her head, shaking it.
“You might want to wait until after I shower, I don’t think I’ve gotten all the dog pee out yet.”
Kaminaga immediately clasps her hand back to her chest, grimacing as the scrubs brush against her pants. She’s burning those pants, she’s heard of the horrors that Tazaki often carries on her scrubs and there’s no way she’s touching clothing contaminated with anyone remotely from the inside of an animal.
“How in the name of God did you get-”
Tazaki’s smile is innocent but holds a sense of foreboding, and Kaminaga immediately cuts off her question because she’s heard more than enough horror stories.
“If you really want to-”
“I don’t. Go shower.”
As Tazaki relaxes, the squirrel (a rodent so it being called a rat isn’t far off) tucked in for the night, Kaminaga tries to braid the mess Tazaki calls her hair. The raven black locks are long and constantly tangled into each other, the knots that Kaminaga encounters enough to give her nightmares.
“Your hair is a disaster.”
Tazaki hums softly, leaning into Kaminaga’s touch, eyes shut.
“You should get a haircut. Or, you know, comb it?”
“No and no.”
“Then let me comb it.”
“Absolutely not.”
When Kaminaga makes a desperate noise, Tazaki bats her hands away from the comb.
“You posses the fineness of a turtle, actually no, that’s an insult to turtles. I will not have you yank out my hair.” Kaminaga makes another undecipherable noise that Tazaki can only interpret as offended.
“Please?” Kaminaga tries again.
“Hands away from the comb, Kaminaga.”
IV. Winter
Winter means sitting in a car at the edge of the woods in freezing cold temperature, praying that frostbite stays away while juggling cups of scalding hot coffee in an attempt to warm frozen fingers.
Kaminaga jumps and screams, nearly spilling the coffee when someone taps the window.
Tazaki snickers tiredly as she slides in, cheeks rosy red, eyes bright with exhaustion, the strands of hair that have managed to escape her hood tipped with frost.
“Fox in a trap,” she murmurs without Kaminaga prompting. “It’s pretty nasty, and it might lose a leg but it should pull through. It’s a fighter.”
Kaminaga shoves a coffee into Tazaki’s hands, starting the car while cranking up the heat. She’s still dying because it’s too cold, too cold and she needs to warm her hands or else someone is going to get into a car accident.
“That’s great but why am I here?” She curses as cold air shoots out of the vents because she forgets that the car needs to warm up first.
“Because I left my car back at the shelter and you love me.”
Kaminaga yelps as Tazaki shoves her hands down the back of her neck, ice cold hands making her squirm. By the time she’s managed to wrestle Tazaki’s hands away, Tazaki’s gloating as she flexes somewhat warmed up fingers again.
“I really wonder about that sometimes,” Kaminaga grumbles.
“You are the worse,” Kaminaga groans, shaking Tazaki weakly. “When did you replace Miyoshi to become the fox?”
Tazaki is holding two pigeons, doing her best to look innocent.
“We are not getting two more. You have seven of them already.” Kaminaga tries to be firm but Tazaki’s puppy look is really getting to her.
“But Kaminaga, Yoshi and Hinoka have been here for months.”
Kaminaga blinks.
Names.
Names.
“No,” she tries again, knowing it’s futile because if Tazaki’s already named them, the pigeons are going to end up at her house within the next week one way or another.
“Please?”
“Only if…” Kaminaga tries to get something out of this hopeless situation. “Only if you cut your hair to a more manageable length.”
Tazaki balks for a second.
“Absolutely not.”
“You can take home the other two pigeons I see hiding in your sleeves,” Kaminaga cajoles, and Tazaki snickers, the two lumps in her sleeves wriggling guiltily.
Tazaki brightens up, seeming to consider while the deal while the two pigeons that she’s been hiding in her sleeves poke their heads out, cooing softly.
She still looks unsure and Kaminaga leans forwards, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Think of the birds, Tazaki.”
A couple of Tazaki’s coworkers walk by, rolling their eyes knowingly and Kaminaga hides a smirk.
She has her weak spots, Tazaki has hers.
“Okay,” Tazaki chirps, nodding her head. “Deal.”
Kaminaga feels like she’s finally gotten a victory, however small.
“I thought. I said. Four. Pigeons. Only.”
Tazaki freezes, five pigeons tumbling from her hands, hair cut up to her chin, looking tame for once, a guilty expression pasted onto her face.
“But Kaminaga,” she starts in a pleading tone. “This one has always been bullied and I couldn’t just leave her.”
“You see her everyday,” Kaminaga deadpans, already knowing the pigeon is staying. What comes in doesn’t go out. A thing she’s learned after a couple hard lessons.
“She’s so small. And cute. She holds my heart in her cute little feet.”
Kaminaga resists the urge to facepalm. “You say that every time,” she shoots back desperately, eyeing the little black pigeon with splashes of white hopping around at her feet. It is kind of pretty. And cute.
“Please?”
Tazaki pulls another puppy face and Kaminaga feels like she’s been suckerpunched because the short hair makes it ten times as effective-
“I suppose, you’ve already signed the adoption papers. And you’ve bought the necessary supplies. And you’ve also spent months bonding with her already,” she sighs defeatedly. Tazaki nods so Kaminaga deflates, running a hand through her hair tiredly.
“Fine. What’s her name?”
Tazaki shakes her head, bending down to scoop the pigeon up, holding it up to Kaminaga’s eye level.
“I was hoping you would name her.” Tazaki sounds hopeful and gleeful, nearly bouncing up and down with excitement.
Kaminaga grins. There’s no way she’s going to let such an opportunity go to waste.
“Then… Tsundere.”
Tazaki chokes on air.
“I ta-”
“No take backs,” Kaminaga teases, ruffling Tazaki’s hair. “I’M JOKING, I’M JOKING!” she quickly amends as Tazaki’s left hand slams into her ribs, delivering a painful jab.
“Another name,” Tazaki demands.
Kaminaga clutches her side, shooting Tazaki a dirty look before looking at the pigeon again.
“Well, you are a very pretty girl, just like the woman who brought you back,” she winks at Tazaki as Tazaki rolls her eyes. “How about… Miyoshi?”
Tazaki chokes again and nearly drops the pigeon.
-
V. Aftermath
Sakuma is shaking with laughter as Miyoshi puffs up, eyes narrowed into slits.
“I am better than a bird.”
“Actually, I think the bird is smarter than you,” Tazaki shoots back, petting pigeon Miyoshi. “Aren’t you,” she coos, and pigeon Miyoshi bobs her head up and down.
“She’s married to the pigeons, not me,” Kaminaga complains, scratching pigeon Miyoshi’s back gently. “She talks with them more than she does with me.”
“Jealous?” Tazaki taunts, placing a kiss on pigeon Miyoshi’s beak.
“Where’s my kiss?” Kaminaga bypasses the question completely, Tazaki ignoring him in favour of placing a kiss on Yoshi’s head. “Tazakiiiiiii.”
Fukumoto and Odagiri look up from where they’re feeding the other pigeons as Hatano and Jitsui struggle to keep a hold of their cat.
“I hope you’re not getting any more birds,” Fukumoto comments offhandedly, eyeing the half empty coop. “These are quite a handful already.”
“Right?” Kaminaga presses. “Right???” Her voice gets higher and more desperate as Tazaki shifts, suddenly very interested in pigeon Miyoshi’s feathers.
“Um… Right,” Tazaki answers unconvincingly.
“TAZAKI!”
-
VI. Epilogue
“This. Makes. Thirty. Five. Pigeons.” Kaminaga eyes the gray pigeons Tazaki has in a firm grip, shaking her head resignedly.
Kaminaga doesn’t even bother complaining too much anymore. It’s a cycle that’s bound to happen.
“This one is a little sadist. Takes pleasure hopping onto people’s head to yank out hair. Loves biting until you bleed.”
Forever and Always Doesn’t Exist, But For Now, Let’s Pretend They Do
Jean wakes up with a start, his arms flailing, grabbing at nothing. There’s panic as his sleep addled brain doesn’t quite register that he’s awake and no longer trapped in the nightmare.
His hands scrabble for his bedside table desperately and as he blinks rapidly, trying to even out his breaths.
His hand brushes against the sleek surface of his phone and he snatched it up, turning it on. The brightness of his phone’s screen makes him flinch violently but he blinks away the black spots, his fingers dancing almost desperately down his list of contacts automatically.
He presses call without a second thought, clasping his head with his other hand while he shuts his eyes and counts to ten, listening to the phone ring once. Twice. Three times.
Jean barely hears the monotonous voice informing him that the person he's calling isn't currently available. He wants to call again because he doesn’t want to wake up Lotta, but he needs to talk to someone.
Before he can make a decision, his phone buzzes and a contact flashes across the screen.
“Jean?” Nino’s voice sounds wrecked, deep voice reverberating through the phone and Jean can hear him stumbling around, a soft curse muttered under his breath as something crashes to the floor.. “Sorry, couldn't find my phone.”
“Nino.” Jean can't control the tremble that sneaks in at the end of his greeting. “I-” He cuts himself off, trying to formulate his next sentences before Nino speaks up again.
“Same nightmare?” He sounds a little more awake now, tone alert and attentive. When Jean stays silent, he continues. “I’ll be over in a bit. Unlock the door, alright?”
Jean knows he should say no, it's late and they both have work tomorrow. It's an inconvenient hour and it's for silly reasons.
Still, “Okay,” is all he can whisper in response and long after Nino has hung up, he stares off into the darkness, counting to ten again as the nightmare comes rushing back.
He's still on a daze when he unlocks the door and slides down the wall next to it, huddling into a ball as he waits, staring at the neon numbers on the clock.
3:27am.
It feels like it takes an eternity until it changes to 3:28.
One, two, three, four…
He starts counting again.
When Nino slips in at 3:53, Jean’s lost count too many times, starting over and over again.
“Hey,” Nino murmurs, crouching in front of Jean, eyes rimmed red from lack of sleep, eye bags prominent even in the faint light the moon provides.
Jean reaches out wordlessly and Nino draws him into an embrace without saying anything else. Jean relaxes by a fraction, tension bleeding out of his shoulders and he clings onto Nino likes they haven't seen each other in forever.
Nino rubs Jean’s back, whispering into Jean’s ear. “I'm right here,” Nino says, and Jean only tightens his grip.
I know gets stuck in the back of his throat and he only lowers his chin until he's tucked his head into Nino’s shoulder.
Nino reaches over to rebutton Jean’s shirt, smiling a little at the lopsided way Jean’s carelessly thrown on his new set of pyjamas. They've settled onto the couch, Jean unconsciously leaning into Nino, curling up against him as they sit, curtains drawn, blocking most of the moonlight save for the sliver that peeks through the small gap.
“You want to talk about it?” Nino offers, pressing a kiss to the top of Jean’s head, hands sifting through the still damp hair, gently unknotting any tangles his fingers catch onto.
Jean shakes his head, his own hands twisting into Nino’s shirt, drawing his feet under the blanket they're sharing.
“That's fine.” Nino doesn't take any offence to Jean’s silence, leaning over to fish a couple of CDs from the box. “Movie?”
Jean shrugs, pressing his face into Nino’s chest, his anxiousness just starting to subside as he sinks into the safety that is Nino.
“I just… I just don't want to sleep tonight.” His words are muffled, the reply barely audible but Nino seems to understand.
“That's fine. You want to pick?” Nino holds out three disks and Jean points at one without really looking, too unfocused to think of anything else.
Nino leaves momentarily to set up the tv and as soon as he gets back, Jean’s instantly latching back onto him, untensing when Nino pulls him closer.
“Hey.” Nino stares right into Jean’s eyes, squeezing Jean’s hand reassuringly. “I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere.”
Jean attempts a smile, but it's shaky and hollow.
“That's what I'm trying to tell myself.”
The tv’s still muted, playing quietly in the background when Nino pulls back the curtains just as dawn breaks. The sky bleeds with colours as the sun creeps over the horizon and Nino coaxes Jean to come stand with him.
Jean’s exhausted, eyes barely open as he stares at the sunrise, blinking blearily, struggling to stay awake as his eyes flutter shut again and again, snapping open just before he slips off into the realm of nightmares.
“Beautiful, isn't it?” Jean squints, trying to suppress the yawn that rips itself from his mouth as Nino asks the question.
“It hurts my eyes.” Jean winces when his voice cracks but Nino’s glad. That's the second thing he's said to Nino ever since they sat down, but he's talking.
“Always complaining,” Nino laughs, leading Jean back to the couch before flipping down, dragging Jean down with him. “No appreciation for such a great phenomenon.”
Jean blinks slowly, yawning again, shivering before Nino pulls a blanket over them, yawning as well.
“Aren't you tired?” Nino murmurs, hugging Jean to his chest as they shift, trying to find a comfortable position. After a couple of accidental elbows and knees connecting in painful places, they're in a somewhat awkward but tolerable position.
Jean sighs, nodding slowly as his eyes slide shut again.
“You should sleep a little at the very least.” Jean shakes his head quickly.
Nino slips his fingers into Jean’s hair, massaging Jean’s scalp gently.
“Hey,” he tells Jean, kissing Jean’s forehead. “I'm right here. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise.”
Bright blue eyes, swirling with fear stare at him, Jean’s face pale, his jaw tense.
“Promise?” he croaks out, aware of how childish he sounds at the moment.
“Pinky promise.” Nino manages to extricate a hand without hitting Jean and hooks his pinky with Jean’s.
Jean opens and closes his mouth, hesitating before he speaks. “It's always the same.” He's shaking as he talks, clutching Nino’s hand like a lifeline. “There's always blood. There's always, your blood, everywhere.” His voice is choppy and rough, high with terror. “You're dead. And then not there anymore. Gone.”
Nino knows what he's dreaming about. Him taking the bullets for Jean during the attempted assassination of Jean has always been something he's sure has stayed with Jean.
“I didn't die. I didn't go anywhere. I'm still here,” Nino reminds him. “And I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. We've got lots to do together.”
Jean releases Nino’s hand, an almost strangled sob escaping his mouth.
“I can still feel your blood on my hands sometimes,” he chokes out.
Nino blinks before he feels the overwhelming guilt spilling off of Jean in waves.
“Jean, it wasn't your fault. I don't blame you. I made that decision to take those bullets, remember?” Hiccups are starting to spill from Jean’s lips, tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. “Don't blame yourself.”
Jean buries his face into Nino’s chest, almost silent, body wracking sobs tearing through him.
“It's not your fault,” Nino repeats when Jean starts to calm down. “And I'm not going anywhere.”
Jean’s tear stained face is still pressed into his chest.
“I know.”
“I’ll always be here, at your side forever.” Jean manages a snort, untangling his arms from Nino’s shirt, his ragged breaths still coming.
“Always and forever-”
“Don't exist. I know,” Nino groans. “But stop being a pessimist and just believe it does, just for a bit. Just a bit.”
Jean smiles again, this one stronger, less fake. “I suppose I can do that.”
Jean melts into Nino, eyes opening and shutting a couple of times before his breaths become even, face still knit with worry. Nino intertwines their hands together before shutting his eyes.
When they wake up, Nino notices with some satisfaction, that Jean’s eye bags seem just a bit lighter.
“Is something burning?” Jean calls out warily as he steps into the apartment, the acrid smell of charred food hitting him like a wave. It’s been awhile since Lotta’s last kitchen related disaster that’s gotten serious enough to call the fire department, but he has his phone on hand anyways.
This year has been a wild ride and October or so will mark one year since I started writing fanfic! I’ve met so many amazing people along the way and I have to thank you all! (I’m on mobile so I apologize for the sloppiness)
@bobwrites birb thank you for being such an amazing friend you may have dragged me into discord and but you’re still amazing and ilysm
@fairyfairypie and @yolkygoblin fuskdjigogt i can’t thank you two enough for always being there to lift my mood up and being such great mutuals!!! I apologize for falling off recently but you two will always hold a special place in my heart ❤️❤️❤️
@star-tear Mom, thank you for always encouraging me and giving me such a warm welcome onto discord
@ramennn-noodles SHEKDKDKF YOU’RE AMAZING FAITH AND CONSTANTLY PUT UP WITH MY RANTS AND NONSENSE DRABBLES THANKS SO MUCH
@leio13 Rika you’ve always been willing to beta for me and provide such good and unbiased feedback and I’ll always love ur writing
@catsbythegreat You’re an inspiration and i hope only good things come you way!!!
@kiimone AMI YOUR WRITING IS BEAUTIFUL I CRY EVERY TIME I READ IT, HEART WRENCHING AND EMOTIONALLY WRECKING PLS NEVER STOP SLAYING ME WITH UR POETRY
I hope I meet many more people and continue to grow as a writer!!! Ily all
Honourary to mention for both @saerans-ri (aka devil who wrote 20k in a week like how my man) and @mysme-fics!!! I might not be in the fandom as much but I enjoy your headcanons and minifics very much and hope y'all never stop creating!!!
This year has been a wild ride and October or so will mark one year since I started writing fanfic! I’ve met so many amazing people along the way and I have to thank you all! (I’m on mobile so I apologize for the sloppiness)
@bobwrites birb thank you for being such an amazing friend you may have dragged me into discord and but you’re still amazing and ilysm
@fairyfairypie and @yolkygoblin fuskdjigogt i can’t thank you two enough for always being there to lift my mood up and being such great mutuals!!! I apologize for falling off recently but you two will always hold a special place in my heart ❤️❤️❤️
@star-tear Mom, thank you for always encouraging me and giving me such a warm welcome onto discord
@ramennn-noodles SHEKDKDKF YOU’RE AMAZING FAITH AND CONSTANTLY PUT UP WITH MY RANTS AND NONSENSE DRABBLES THANKS SO MUCH
@leio13 Rika you’ve always been willing to beta for me and provide such good and unbiased feedback and I’ll always love ur writing
@catsbythegreat You’re an inspiration and i hope only good things come you way!!!
@kiimone AMI YOUR WRITING IS BEAUTIFUL I CRY EVERY TIME I READ IT, HEART WRENCHING AND EMOTIONALLY WRECKING PLS NEVER STOP SLAYING ME WITH UR POETRY
I hope I meet many more people and continue to grow as a writer!!! Ily all
hey guys, i’ve added a link to my nfsw/darker themed blog into my description! i probably won’t have much content on there but it’s just there in case you want to read any nfsw works i might write in the future!
"Hey, Chuuya," Dazai murmurs, gripping Chuuya's arm gently. "Do you trust me?"
Chuuya rolls his eyes.
"Dazai," he scoffs, yanking his arm out of Dazai's hold and jamming his foot into the other's knee for a good measure. "I wouldn't trust you to even throw out the trash properly."
"That hurts," Dazai feigns, clutching his heart.
"We're. Not. Allies."
"No?"
"No. You need me to take down the Guild, I need you to figure out who murdered Poe. That's all."
Dazai sighs, shaking his head slowly.
"So serious."
Chuuya whirls around and doesn't offer a reply.
"I wonder," Dazai's voice is too soft for Chuuya to hear. "What happens after this, when you stop being useful."
Gifted to @senren for dragging me into this hell
@soukokuweek
When Chuuya's ten, his soulmate mark shows up.
It's a light, pretty blue, the kanji wrapping around his wrist, nearly unreadable. It is for a while, Chuuya not really paying attention to it, because why should he?
Time, there's plenty of that and he's in no rush.
When he's sixteen, it changes.
It darkens, the nearly unnoticeable colour rapidly bolding with a tint of red, the kanji violently twisting and curling around his wrist now.
治. 痛み.
Osamu. Pain .
Chuuya hides it when Kouyou inquires about the transformation.
It's fine.
He shakes it off.
He might not even meet his soulmate, it's fine .
Four years later, when Chuuya's twenty, it warps again.
A voidless black, it blossoms, creeping up over the palm of his and forearm, standing out starkly against his pale skin.
太宰治. 死.
Dazai Osamu. Death.
Thankfully, the kanji is still hard to read and other assume it's a flamboyant soulmate mark.
Chuuya never gives anyone the chance to stare at it long enough to decipher what it actually says, but it's hard to hide it from Kouyou.
She voices her concern but Chuuya assures her that it's nothing.
It seems unlikely that he'll meet this soulmate of his in the peaceful world he lives in.
When he's twenty four, now working in the police force, it slowly recedes, withdrawing until it forms a perfect circle, blood red this time.
太宰治. 危険.
Dazai Osamu. Danger.
It's much more real this time, in his line of work, danger is a very large part of his life.
Ranpo, his partner comments on it casually, and Chuuya accepts that the chances of him meeting this Dazai may not be so slim anymore.
The first time they meet, it's coincidental.
Chuuya's at the cafe Kouyou owns, working on a case.
It's fairly busy yet quiet, and Chuuya has an unlimited supply of coffee so it's the perfect place to work at when he needs to stay up late, and he doesn't want to work in the silence of his own apartment.
Usually people leave him alone but today, it's different.
"Is this seat taken?"
Chuuya glances up, eyeing the man before shaking his head.
He sits down, humming a cheerful tune.
"Ah, a police officer." The man's voice is light, cheerful and Chuuya doesn't think anything of it.
"Yeah."
"Could I perhaps," the man leans forward, cup of coffee dangerously close to some sheets that could warrant murder if they were ruined. "Get your name?"
The question seems innocent enough and Chuuya shrugs.
"Chuuya Nakahara," he replies without a second thought, shutting his laptop, and reaching for his cup of coffee while gathering the files.
"Is that so?" Chuuya gives the man a strange look, noting the tone but ignores it, tucking the files into his bag.
"How about yours?"
"My name?" the man smiles sweetly. "It's Dazai Osamu."
Chuuya's blood freezes.
Dazai Osamu, Dazai Osamu, Dazai Osamu.
The name pounds in his head like a drum.
He drops his cup and it shatters and Kouyou looks up, eyebrows raising as Dazai's hand snakes out, grabbing Chuuya's arm, flipping it and quickly skimming over the kanji on Chuuya's wrist.
Chuuya's breath seems to be stuck in his throat because he can't, can't be meeting his soulmate right now .
"Ah," Dazai tuts. "I thought so. Such a pretty mark. Suits you and I."
Chuuya nearly snaps at him, but decides against it, the iron grip on his wrist serving as warning to how strong Dazai is.
"Well," Chuuya manages to grit out as Akutagawa starts cleaning up the shattered cup, Gin constantly nagging him about wearing gloves. "What about yours?"
"My mark?"
Chuuya's lips curl into a snarl and he bites back a sarcastic, "No, your dick."
"Yes," he growls, just barely managing to keep his voice at a manageable level.
Akutugawa and Gin are still cleaning up but it's clear they're tuning into the conversation not so discreetly, Gin trying a little to hard to mop up the coffee meticulously, Akatugawa examining the shards of the cup with great scrutiny.
"I would show you," Dazai murmurs, his voice dropping, "but then," his lips just brush the shell of Chuuya's ear. "You'd have to arrest me for public indecency, officer. " The last word sends a chill up Chuuya's spine and he flushes a bright red.
Akutugawa and Gin have always had sharp ears so there's no surprise when Gin drops the mop, smacking Akutawaga in the head which in turn causes him to cut his hand on a shard. Kouyou runs over right away, taking a towel to stem the bleeding while both Gin and Akutagawa make unidentifiable noises.
Among the panicked yells and shrieks, Dazai saunters out, winking at Chuuya.
Chuuya's hands curl into into fists and he mutters, "Asshole," under his breath.
After that meeting, Chuuya really digs desperately.
He dives into the thousands of files the police force has and looks for one name, Dazai Osamu.
It's hard to keep anything from Ranpo so and Chuuya's not exactly in the best state of mind to even try.
Surprisingly, when Chuuya grudgingly tells Ranpo about the meeting, Ranpo doesn't tease him. Instead, he starts to sift through the files with Chuuya.
"I've heard of that name somewhere," he echoes grimly, his normally half lidded eyes snapping wide open to show his brilliant green eyes as he puts on his glasses. "And with that appearance you described, it doesn't give me a good feeling."
In the end, when they do find the file, it's thick, heavy and makes Chuuya feel dread as he opens it tentatively.
Ranpo offers to leave him alone but Chuuya declines and asks him to stay.
Ranpo is quiet as Chuuya flips through the file quickly, intending to a more thorough reading afterwards.
Dazai Osamu.
Orphaned at a young age.
Adopted by Mori Ougai, current Mafia boss.
Next in line for the position.
The list of crimes he's been suspected of but never convicted of runs longer than Atsushi's list of unfortunately common injuries.
It's a lot.
Chuuya's in deep shit.
Ranpo seems to know this as well but he takes off his glasses, he relaxes again.
"Well I mean," he sings, "worse case scenario, he kills you to stop you from interfering with him and then I get a new and utterly incompetent partner." Ranpo stands up, texting someone while stretching out his back. Chuuya stares at him, not sure whether Ranpo's trying to insult or compliment him.
Ranpo is halfway out the office before he pokes his head back in.
"Oh yeah, please don't die." A compliment then. "It would take me forever to adjust with someone else after working with your horrible-" He ducks as Chuuya launches a balled up piece of paper at him , not letting him finish his sentence.
"Pretentious ass!"
Ranpo's reply is lost when Poe's excited voice washes over it, the stupid raccoon making a screeching noise.
Chuuya rolls his eyes and goes back to the file.
Dazai leaves him alone for the next four years and Chuuya pushes him out of his mind and concentrates on work.
He and Ranpo rise through the ranks, their competitive personalities somehow blending together to make a perfectly dangerous combination.
Sure, it gets out of hand sometimes but it's a nice partnership that Chuuya never gets bored with.
And of course, peace never lasts, truces are broken and good things must come to an end.
Spring/That’s what being a partner means, right? - Dazai Osamu, Chapter 11
Summary:
No matter what, they’ve got each other’s backs
Warnings: Mentions of blood
Dedicated for @yulicechan
@soukokuweek
“Dazai-san, look out!” Atsushi’s warning call came too late and Dazai bit back a snarl as he took a knife in the side.
“Dazai!” Ranpo shouted, somehow weaving in and out of the fray without touching anyone. “We have to go, there’s a bomb-”
Yosano darted forward, yanking Ranpo back before bringing down her machete, butcher knife like sword, whatever her weapon was (Dazai couldn’t name it even after seeing it for so long) down onto the man that had been about to decapitate Ranpo.
“Continue!” Yosano yelled.
Ranpo stayed silent, Yosano whirling him around to avoid another assailant before she shook him none too gently.
“I would like to live too, brat! Something about a bomb?”
“It’s going to go off in a minute!” Ranpo replied, a hint of panic in his usually leisure tone. “Which means-”
An explosion rocked the building and debris showered them, larger pieces narrowly missing Yosano and Ranpo and slamming down between them and Dazai.
“Off in a minute?” Yosano sounded furious. “THAT WASN’T EVEN TEN SECONDS!”
Ranpo made what sounded like a meek noise of protest before a second and third explosion went off consecutively.
Dazai dove aside, wincing in pain as the rubble slammed into his injured side.
A moment of silence before Yosano screeched, “ONE BOMB MY ASS!”
“Dazai!” Kunikida yelled from the other side, sounding slightly concerned. “You alright?”
Dazai clutched the stab wound, pressing back a grimace.
“Fine!”
“He was stabbed,” Yosano contradicted instantly.
“I’ll be fine!” Dazai called out cheerfully. “I’ll see you back at the agency!”
Yosano’s protest was cut off when gunfire sounded, a yelp from Atsushi and a panicked screech breaking out from Tanizaki.
“See you at the agency!” Dazai repeated, grinning even though they couldn’t see him. “And have fun with that! Sounds like good quality machine guns too!”
Yosano swore angrily and Dazai turned away, dropping his happy attitude, no longer keeping up his facade.
He quickly assessed his wound, scowling when he realized he had a good chance of bleeding out if he didn’t stop the blood flow soon.
Yosano was going to be unavailable for a while and Dazai didn’t trust anyone enough to walk into the hospital to get treatment.
That left one option.
One that didn’t seem like it was the best.
He’d have to take it though.
Chuuya’s face was priceless.
“No. Get out.” Chuuya slammed the door in Dazai’s face before Dazai even spoke.
Dazai chuckled wryly before raising his hand to knock again.
The door flew open just before he touched it and Chuuya glared at them, eyes flying to the wound on his side.
“Why are you hurt?” Chuuya demanded, his hands shooting out to pry the sloppily wrapped bandages away from the wound.
“Knife,” Dazai supplied helpfully, wincing when Chuuya gently prodded at the cut, forehead creased with worry that Chuuya wasn’t even trying to hide.
“You’re going to bleed out,” Chuuya muttered grudgingly, pulling back and opening the door a bit wider. “Come in, I’ll stitch you up.”
Dazai beamed widely.
“Aw, thanks hat-” Chuuya’s leg shot out and Dazai’s bright smile faltered as pain exploded through his leg.
“You better be grateful,” Chuuya announced loudly, kicking aside the coffee table and setting the first aid kit down with a huff. “You’re bleeding out on my couch, you got dirt on my carpet, and-why are you drinking my wine?”
Dazai waved the bottle carelessly.
“Pain reliever.”
Chuuya snarled and snatched it out of Dazai’s hand, disappearing for a moment before shoving a bottle of clear liquid at Dazai.
“Vodka,” he answered at Dazai’s questioning gaze, “you’re more likely to get hammered faster with that.”
“I want to remember your pretty face though,” Dazai cooed, taking a sip regardless and Chuuya’s unamused look made him chuckle.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve done this,” Chuuya warned as he prepped the needle and thread, eyeing the blood soaked towel he had plastered onto Dazai’s side. “So, it’ll be a little painful. Drink up.” He smiled sweetly and Dazai rolled his eyes, taking another gulp.
“Pfft, it can’t be that-” Dazai shrieked as Chuuya peeled away the towel and pressed a handkerchief doused with disinfectant against the wound roughly.
“FU-”
“Language, Osamu.” Chuuya’s voice was unexpectedly tender as he lifted the cloth, and Dazai grinned for just moment before the cloth came back, the stinging pain cutting off anything snarky that had been forming in Dazai’s mind.
“Like I said,” Chuuya sounded deceptively calm. “Drink up.”
Dazai downed the bottle.
“Chuuya,” Dazai slurred afterwards, examining the stitches with something akin to admiration. “Your stitching is so beautiful.
Chuuya snorted, washing his hands and shutting the first aid kit.
“It’s just stitches, bandage wasting bastard.” He returned with a roll of gauze, wrinkling his nose. “You need a shower.”
“Chuuya,” Dazai rolled the empty bottle absently, his eyes unfocused for a moment. “Why are you doing this?”
Chuuya froze, accidentally pulling the gauze tighter than necessary before he smiled softly, leaning up to touch his lips to Dazai’s forehead.
“Well,” he murmured fondly, “someone has to. We’re partners, right?”
Dazai patted Chuuya’s hair with a blood covered hand, enjoying the moment until he realized that might have been a mistake.
At least Chuuya was kind enough to let Dazai sleep for one night before kicking him out the next morning, tucking aspirin into Dazai’s hand with a pat on with a back.
“Partners?” Dazai asked jokingly, turning to wink at Chuuya.
Chuuya scoffed, slamming the door. “Absolutely not.”
“W-What are you doing here?” Chuuya wiped blood from his mouth before slumping into Dazai’s arms, watching the enemies fall.
// Illustrators
Kam
Roi
Kinji
Shia
Nami
Riverfruit
Fabi
Roll
Glory
Nyc
Aeriim
Dahllm
Kohiu
Gjo
Nishiki
Glazedbagel
Tifa
Innemori
Runqi Fan
Saba
Nine
Naruysae
Shiro
Yu
Taka
Shi-Yin
