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Dazai stood across from a headstone that he’d been led to by a very reluctant Ranpo, although not the Ranpo he knew.
“So, me,” Dazai murmured, crouching down. “You really were an idiot, huh.”
+++
“No, because like, I have to fight him for the greater good of the Port Mafia.” Akutagawa explained to himself.
Other Akutagawa raised an eyebrow, which was as close as you were gonna get to an affronted expression.
He turned and looked at Kunikida, not his Kunikida that he worked with, but a different Kunikida, which was… Weird.
“Do I not have a stable father figure in your universe?” When met with Kunikida shaking his head, Ryuunosuke scoffed. “That is pathetic.”
Akutagawa narrowed his eyes.
“I’m sure you aren’t much better.”
“I have Oda, as a stable father figure, and,” Ryuunosuke turned up his nose at Akutagawa with a haughty sniff, before saying, “I’ve beaten Atsushi in a fight. Can’t say the same can you?”
Poe looked up from his book and murmured,
“Other universe Akutagawa just took psychic damage.”
Ranpo laughed.
+++
Chuuya looked at himself, at Executive Nakahara, from another universe, where he had climbed the ranks of the Port Mafia a different way, climbed the ranks by himself, instead of clawing tooth and nail to stand beside Dazai.
“Your Dazai is he,” Chuuya froze, finding it hard to continue.
“That bastard left me in the Port Mafia, to go play house with some assholes from the ADA.” Nakahara replied.
“But he’s alive?”
“Alive? Yeah,” Nakahara paused, then added, “With how often he talks about suicide, I’m a little surprised.”
“Then you have a chance to make amends, do you not?” Chuuya takes a deep breath. “I didn’t get that chance, because I hated him until the very end.”
Nakahara stands for a moment, in stunned silence. While Dazai often talks about… Ending it all, it had always felt like a distant possibility, like a diet.
You talk about doing it, over and over and over, until people get sick of you talking about it, but you just… Never get around to it.
But if this other universe Dazai could, then…
“Maybe,” Nakahara’s voice cracked, but he continued on anyway. “Maybe I should give the fucker a call.”
+++
Oda Sakunosuke.
Dead in one universe, alive in another, much like Dazai himself.
He only wished that their paths could’ve intersected, in a more permanent manner but he’s glad, for just this once, this small moment in time.
“Hey, Dazai,” Oda chuckled. “I’m assuming you’re from that other universe, since… Well, lemme tell ya, your Akutagawa is wild, poor kid got into some shit with Ryuunosuke.”
Dazai laughed.
“Oh god, what happened?” He asked.
“Well, apparently, there was some beef about Ryuunosuke beating Atsushi, and yours not,”
“REALLY?!”
+++
Nakajima, White Reaper of the Port Mafia, saw himself, laughing and happy in a way he hadn’t truly thought possible.
“Excuse me, me?” He asked, curling his fingers in the back of Atsushi’s shirt.
Atsushi turned around with a bright smile.
“Hey, you must be me!” He exclaimed.
“Yes, I suppose I am,” Nakajima murmured. “I merely wanted to ask… Are you happy?”
“Well,” Atsushi paused, thinking. “Yes, I think I’m very happy right now!”
Nakajima smiled, a tiny thing, that he didn’t seem to have much practice with.
“Thank you, that’s all I wanted to know.”