Chapter Text
The next few weeks were, to put it mildly, nuts. Word of Mori’s death spread like wildfire through the criminal elements of the neighboring cities, and Chuuya spent half his time trying to figure out the operations Mori had had in place (mostly with Dazai’s help) and the rest dealing with incursions into their territory. It was weird not being the one to deal with the problems directly, especially since Ryu ended up being the one sent out more often than not. Dazai had anticipated that, however, and had already arranged to have Atsushi available to accompany his husband on pretty much every mission.
That turned out to be a good move on his part. It didn’t take long before Shin Soukoku was almost as feared as their predecessors, to the point where even the mention of the name was enough to keep most of the vultures at bay. And when the rumors hit that one half of Soukoku was the new Boss of the Port Mafia, well… knowing when to cut one’s losses was a survival trait in their line of work, and the attacks slowed to a trickle.
In the middle of all that, though…
The cat rescue was a smallish compound in Midori-ku, and the instant Dazai walked in he could see why Fukuzawa spent so much time there. There were cats everywhere, older kittens to rough-looking senior cats, and the brunette laughed a little. “The President really does have a penchant for taking care of strays,” he murmured softly to Chuuya. “I can totally see him here full-time if he ever retires from the Agency.”
Chuuya didn’t reply immediately as he looked around. He hadn’t been sure what he’d been expecting, but this was a lot of cats. Some watched the pair from various high points, out of reach, while others milled about, playing with toys or running around or who knew what they were all up to. The corner of his lips twitched as he watched one pounce on another, starting a friendly bout.
“He would like spending all of his time here,” the redhead said after a minute, not entirely sure where to begin. Did they start with the cats? The attendants? “At least he wouldn’t take them all home if he could take care of them here.”
“There is that,” Dazai agreed, watching an older calico that looked sort of familiar stalk around the edges of the room. He shook himself, telling himself he was just seeing things, and gestured to one of the staff.
The young woman walked over and bowed. “May I help you?”
Dazai smiled at her. “We’re looking for two kittens, preferably both male. A friend of mine told me you have a couple of litters ready to adopt?”
“We do. Have you taken care of young kittens before?” she asked, and Dazai nodded. “Good. Alright. Most of the younger kittens are in the nursery. They don’t join the general population until they’re big enough to vaccinate. The litters your friend mentioned are there- they’ve had their shots, but are still pretty small, so we haven’t moved them out yet.”
“We would like to see them, if that’s not an issue.” Chuuya told her, looking over the woman. She looked nice enough, and he could see why Fukuzawa would like working here besides the cats. This whole place was... nice, in a way.
“That’s fine. If I may ask, who was it that recommended you?”
“Fukuzawa Yukichi,” Dazai replied, and the girl’s eyes went wide.
“Oh, so you’re the ones,” she said, and Dazai cocked his head questioningly. “Fukuzawa-san told us you might be coming. He’s already picked out two you might like. Of course, you are free to pick any cat here, as he’s already vouched for you.”
“He did that?” Dazai asked, and she nodded. “Lead on, then. This should be interesting.”
“Guess we should have expected that.” Chuuya shook his head with a small smile. “That seems like something he’d do. Interesting is one word for it I bet.”
To be honest, he didn’t mind that Fukuzawa had done it - the man only wanted the best for the people under him and if this was something that would help Dazai, of course he’d support it as much as he could.
There were times when even Dazai could be surprised, and this was one of them. Sitting to one side of the room, matching blue collars on their necks, were two kittens. One was a bright orange ginger tabby with deep blue eyes, the other a brown-and-white mackerel-striped little ball of fluff with amber-colored eyes…
And they were wrestling.
And the ginger kitten was winning, rather handily.
Dazai burst out laughing as he watched the two. It was loud and clear, an honest belly laugh, which only deepened as the ginger cat paused and turned to glare at him. “Oh my god,” he said, when he could catch his breath enough to talk, “it’s a kitten version of you, Chibi. He’s perfect.”
“And the other one’s lazy and floofy. Just like you Mackerel.” Chuuya shook his head again, smiling wider. He was glad to hear Dazai laughing like that, especially after the last few weeks. The redhead had been so busy with work that they hadn’t had a whole lot of time together, and it’d been hard to relax for both of them.
“I think it’s already pretty clear why he picked those two.”
“Oh indubitably,” Dazai said, moving to crouch down by the kittens. The ginger kitten continued to watch him as he moved, not quite sure what to make of him, and the brunette smiled. Slowly, he moved his hand, letting the kitten watch every move, until it was hovering over him. Long fingers reached out, scritching lightly down the kitten’s spine, and he arched up into the touch. They stopped, and he mewed irritably (and adorably) until Dazai continued the scritching, and amber eyes softened.
“He acts just like you too,” Dazai said, and reached down to gently pick both kittens up. He walked back to Chuuya, handing him the brown kitten. The ball of fluff looked up at Chuuya with bright, curious eyes, mewled once, then curled up and promptly started purring. “Heh. That’s the same reaction I have to being held by Chuuya.”
Slug, however, had dug tiny claws into Dazai’s coat, and awkwardly made his way up the front until he was perched on Dazai’s shoulder. There he stopped, all four paws dug in as he surveyed the room from his new elevation.
Chuuya smiled at the little kitten as he gently bumped his shoulder against his partner. If he appreciated that height, what would Slug think of floating? Mackerel’s purring was nice, and the redhead held him just a bit tighter, feeling himself relax in a way that he didn't normally get to outside the house lately. Both kittens were adorable, and probably perfect.
“Love you,” Chuuya said quietly as he leaned against his husband, kitten in his arms purring away.
“Love you too, mon petit chaton,” Dazai said with a grin. “What do you think? Should we go show off our new babies in person?”
“Let’s at least get the paperwork done before we go showing them off.” Rolling his eyes, Chuuya knocked his shoulder against Dazai’s again. “They still have to get set up and everything.”
“Ugh, paperwork,” the brunette said, still with a grin. “Don’t we do enough of that at work?”
“Don’t remind me.” Chuuya groaned. “I thought being an executive was bad. At least then I got out of the office.”
“I did warn you,” Dazai replied, taking the clipboard the attendant handed him. It wasn’t complicated- just names, address, signatures- and a crossed-out section on background that was simply marked ‘Verified’, with a familiar-looking kanji next to it. “Heh. We really need to do something nice for Fukuzawa. I have no idea what, but I’m sure we can come up with something.”
He filled out the form quickly, holding it so Chuuya could sign, then handed it back to the girl with a slight bow and a charming smile. “Arigato, miss.”
“You’re quite welcome,” she said, slightly flustered. “Um. There was a message from Fukuzawa-san. If you want to read it?”
“Of course, thank you.” The redhead smiled at the assistant, not completely surprised that there was a message to go with the kittens. The man had gone this far already. Somehow, the kitten in his arms hadn’t stopped purring yet, had barely moved, and Chuuya was more than content to keep holding him.
The girl bowed, then withdrew a folded note from her pocket. It was addressed to both of them. She handed it to Dazai, then smiled and left the room, clipboard in hand.
Dazai opened the note, reading it quickly, then chuckled slightly. “It seems he anticipated our dilemma,” he said, then began to read.
Dazai and Chuuya,
I hope whatever kittens you choose, they bring you the joy, comfort, and companionship you deserve. I know- we all do- the lengths you’ve gone to and the demons you’ve faced to protect this city and its people, and I am honored to call you both colleagues and friends.
I also know how you think. No gift, no favor is needed; it’s enough to know the four of you will be happy together. If you do insist on doing something special, however, the rescue is always in need of help.
Sincerely,
Fukuzawa Yukichi
“I think he’d appreciate a few pictures, at least.” Chuuya said, trying to mentally figure out his schedule and see if there were any openings coming up. “That should be easy enough to manage.”
“Definitely.” The brunette pulled out his phone, opening his camera app and setting it to take a selfie. Somehow, he anticipated a photo shoot in the future, whenever Chuuya had the time. It’d been a while since he’d gotten a chance to break out the camera. “Smile, Chibi.”
Fukuzawa Yukichi raised an eyebrow as his message tone sounded, and he held up one finger, pausing his discussion with Kunikida as he checked it. A smile crossed his stoic face as he opened the photo Dazai sent; it was the two of them, Chuuya holding Mackerel while leaning against Dazai’s chest, Slug perched high on Dazai’s shoulder. For a wonder, both kittens were looking directly at the camera, and Dazai and Chuuya wore identical soft grins.
“Sir?” Kunikida asked, and Fukuzawa shook his head.
“Nothing immediately important, Kunikida. Just a personal message,” the Agency President said, and the blond nodded, picking up his report where he left off.
(And no, he wasn’t at all suspicious when checks started arriving at the rescue, more than enough to cover expenses, hire an extra person or two, and get started on a few renovations they’d been trying to raise funding for. The amounts weren’t astronomical, but there weren’t many people in the city that could part with that much on a monthly basis and not even feel it.
Of course, the fact that the checks were accompanied by pictures of one ginger and one mackerel tabby didn’t hurt, either.)
It was roughly a month after Mori’s demise that Kouyou was finally able to schedule Chuuya’s formal induction as Boss. There’d been no funeral, no memorial service, not even a marked grave. Mori’s body had been burned, his ashes and the remains of Gide’s gun taken high above the clouds by Chuuya and launched into space. Whether they’d made it or burned up on reentry he wasn’t really sure, nor did he care. Either way, they were gone.
Dazai stood to one side of the dais, conversing quietly with Ryu and Kouyou as the ceremony room filled. As Chuuya’s husband and the Agency’s liaison to the Mafia, he was a guest this time, not in disguise, and his navy blue suit stood out in a sea of black.
What stood out even more was the complete lack of bandages.
Dazai had come to realize two things in the weeks since Mori’s death. One was that the worst of his scars, the ones from his childhood and time in the Mafia, had all but faded. Even he couldn’t see some of them anymore, though their location was branded in his memory with perfect clarity.
The other was that he no longer needed them, not all the time. His father was dead. Mori was dead. The only demons in his head now were his own, and, for the most part, as long as Chuuya was nearby they were quiet.
The last guest entered the room, and Hirotsu caught Dazai’s eye and nodded. The brunette smiled, then headed for his seat in the front row as Kouyou and Ryu took their places on the platform. The older man nodded again, this time to Higuchi, and she nodded back, then turned and knocked on the door to the antechamber where Chuuya waited.
The redhead fiddled with his cufflinks as he awaited the knock that would begin everything. He was nervous, but also a bit… was proud the right word? He’d come so far and now he was at the top. It was strange to be in charge of everyone, especially Kouyou. She still advised him on occasion, but he was finding his footing. Briefly, he hoped he was living up to her expectations.
There was a knock and he looked up, hands falling to his side as he focused again on the situation.
“Come in.”
Higuchi opened the door, sticking her head in. “They’re ready for you, Boss.”
“All right. Thank you.” Chuuya took a breath in and squared his shoulders. If somebody was going to publicly oppose his leadership, this would be the time to do it. The redhead followed Higuchi from the antechamber, his eyes quickly scanning the crowd before he focused on the dais. He gave the slightest of nods to Kouyou before he took his seat, seiza style. It was odd doing this again, but for real.
It was almost deja vu. Hirotsu made his speech, followed by the Executives in order of seniority. Ryu's speech was much more… confident this time around, and Dazai smiled at him as he finished.
And then, it was time for the challenges.
They'd expected at least one. Mori still had loyalists, and there were more than a few older members of the Mafia who felt that Chuuya was too young, brash, and inexperienced for the job. And of course, they made themselves heard.
Four men stood up in challenge- one claiming that he'd 'stolen' the throne, the others citing his youth, favoritism, and the fact that he was (gasp!) married to a traitor who also happened to part of the ADA, and Hirotsu looked at them almost pityingly before turning to Chuuya. "Boss," he said calmly, "what is your answer?"
Chuuya raised an eyebrow, looking at each man individually and considering their claims before he spoke. It was true he’d married a traitor to the mafia, but he'd proven his loyalty to Chuuya time and time again. And considering there was a truce at the time that was still active (and would be as long as he had anything to say about it) the ADA connection wasn’t a terribly big deal. If he had ‘stolen the throne’, it wouldn’t be much different than the usual, even if that wasn’t public knowledge. Sure he was young, but he’d also been in the Mafia longer than any of those four.
The last ones had obviously never seen his squad in action or knew his record. Idiots, the lot of them.
He stood, hopping lightly off the dais as he strolled toward the group.
“I have been in the Mafia for over a decade and have been an executive for 8 years. I have been Mori’s heir presumptive for a good portion of those 8 years. I may be young, but I am not inexperienced. Age doesn’t matter in a world like ours, a world ruled by ability and achievement.
I have done more in my life than you will ever achieve in yours. If you were ever going to pass the level of grunt, you would have by now.
As for my husband… He may have been a traitor, but disrespect him one more time and you will find out just what it feels like to slowly be crushed to death. I don’t mean that in our normal way, either. You will learn what it feels like to collapse in on yourself, your bones grinding and snapping, flesh ripping apart as your veins, your eyes, everything but your heart begin to burst from the pressure. We wouldn't want you to die too quickly now, would we?” His voice was calm, measured, but a faint red glow formed around him as he spoke.
“Disrespect my husband, and you will learn what agony feels like.”
Dazai’s eyes darkened as dissenting voices were raised. He’d expected it, they both had, but the thought that he could be used against Chuuya still stung.
And then the chibi…
No. Then the Boss spoke, anger flashing in blue eyes, glowing and glorious as he delivered his elegant yet brutal threat. It was perfect.
And, also, incredibly hot.
Later, after the ceremony had ended, he followed Chuuya to his office. There was still a bit of a disconnect, seeing Chuuya here, but he’d redecorated enough that it was starting to seem more Chuuya’s office and less Mori’s. Dazai watched as his husband bent over his desk, looking for something, and he grinned and locked the door.
A few steps later, he was behind Chuuya, pressed up against him, bending so that his mouth was directly beside the redhead’s ear. “You know, love,” he said, “I discovered something when you were replying to that idiot. Having the most gorgeous man in Japan threaten to mangle someone on your behalf is one hell of a turn-on.”
“Oh? Well I think we have some time before anybody comes knocking.” Chuuya replied, grinning as he pressed back against his husband. He should have expected something like this, even if it was only his first official day in office, but, well, there were worse ways to break in an office. The fact that it would be a giant 'fuck you' to its previous occupant didn't really hurt either. “If there’s a mess, though, you’re cleaning it up.”
“I think,” Dazai said, pressing a hidden button on the side of Chuuya’s desk, which opened the tiny compartment where he’d secreted a bottle of lube just in case, “I can manage that.”
Epilogue:
“Check,” Dazai said, moving his queen, and Ryu scowled. This was their fourth game of the day- the first two had been somewhat close, he’d almost had the last one, but he’d messed up his opening gambit on this round and was rapidly running out of viable options. Of course, he had yet to actually win against Dazai, but the raven was coming steadily closer. His hand hovered over a bishop, contemplating the move for a second, then slid it diagonally, taking the queen while simultaneously putting Dazai’s king in danger.
“Check.”
Dazai smiled slightly, an edge of pride in his eyes. The compliment he was about to deliver died on his lips as his attention was diverted, though, and both players turned to watch their husbands, almost mirrored smiles on their faces.
Atsushi dodged a blow, jumping sideways as Chuuya launched a front kick at him. They’d agreed on no Abilities for their sparring matches, but he was still strong and fast enough to almost compensate for Chuuya’s greater skill level, and so far the fight had been pretty even.
And he was incredibly grateful Dazai had had the fence heavily reinforced after the first time they’d done this.
Chuuya chased Atsushi, pushing the advantage. It wasn’t often people actually sparred with him, even less so that they posed even a bit of challenge, so this was fun. His grin was wide as he jumped backwards to avoid a leg sweep, landing a bit heavily without the use of Sorrow. They had to be extra careful about their footwork and environment today, since the cats were also running around the yard. It was early May, the middle of Golden Week, and the first time the kittens had been outside.
That particular thought was emphasized as Atsushi stopped short, dropping down to scoop one of the kittens up before he could be stepped on. It was Slug, of course, wanting to join in the fun, and the tiger grinned as he leaped forward, rebounding against the fence and dashing past Chuuya to the other side of the yard to deposit the kitten. It was cheating, sort of- he hadn’t transformed, but he’d gotten better at using his power subtly, and speed boosts were easy.
“Time for dinner then?” Chuuya asked, still grinning as he relaxed out of a fighting stance. Their bout had been fun, but it was getting closer to dinner and if he was going to cook it was about time he started. Atsushi had definitely improved since they’d first practiced together, and he was only going to get better from here.
“By the way, that means we’re at a draw. You cheated and used your ability, but did it to end the fight.”
“Well, a draw is a hell of a lot better than I’ve managed in most of our bouts, so I’ll take it,” the tiger said with a grin of his own. “And I was rescuing a civilian, so it shouldn’t count anyway. But yeah. Dinner sounds wonderful. I’m starving after that fight.”
Ryu chuckled at that. “You’re usually starving, Tiger. That’s nothing new.”
“Anything specific you guys want to eat?” Chuuya stretched, already thinking about what they had in the fridge and prepped. They would have to do some shopping soon, but there were still a few options. Now that the fight was over, he realized he was pretty hungry too. Something quick then. Besides, there was a birthday cake for later.
Dazai’s “Crab” overlapped with Atsushi’s “Chazuke,” and the four of them laughed. This was good, Dazai decided, as Chuuya and Ryu went inside to figure out dinner while he and Atsushi rounded up the cats. It had been a long time coming, and he briefly flashed back to a much different scene in this backyard; a discussion of light and darkness and the twilight between, when he and Chuuya were just starting to figure out how to navigate a new kind of partnership. That had been three and half years ago, and the differences between now and then were astonishing, to say the least.
Felines successfully wrangled (mostly because Atsushi could outrun them) the pair headed inside, chatting about one of their ongoing cases. It was a strange one, something that would have been right up Poe’s alley, but he and Ranpo were in Boston visiting Poe’s little sister and wouldn’t be back for a few more days.
A grin stretched Dazai’s lips as he thought of the pair. Their wedding had been beautiful, in a Gothic sort of way, and Karl had made an adorable ringbearer. The vows had been sweet and heartfelt, and Poe had been more confident than any of them, even Lucy, had ever seen him. It was a fitting end to a saga that had lasted almost as long as his and Chuuya’s.
Another loose thread tied up, Dazai thought. There weren’t a lot of those anymore; oh, Dostoevsky was still out there, and the Book was still a thing, but those were problems for the future. Shirase and a few of the other Sheep had been brought back to Yokohama and offered positions in the Mafia or one of Dazai's businesses. And as far as his past went…
Dazai’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out. A message notification was on the screen, and as he unlocked it his grin softened to a smile.
>[Ango] Lupin, tomorrow, 1900?<
>Wouldn’t miss it for the world<
~Fin~