Chapter Text
Now Chuuya knew he should just mind his own business.
Because really, why should he care that Dazai was in the same shop as him. The idiot wasn’t anywhere near him, probably hadn’t even noticed he was here. It was everything this day needed so Chuuya could focus on his far more important and better things to do. Rather than waste his time with that dumbass.
But it was weird.Very weird to see him here of all places. If there was one thing about Dazai everyone knew it was that he was cheap. He had so much money and yet never touched it. He’d always try to get a free drink when he went out and badgered Chuuya into paying for their meals.
Every damn time.
Yet here he was, staring down a puffer coat like it had personally offended him. It was actually kind of embarrassing how long he’d spent standing there. So really Chuuya was doing everyone a favour by getting him go leave quicker. Predictably as soon as Chuuya started walking over, Dazai turned around. If possible his expression soured even further and Chuuya glared back at him. “What the hell are you doing here?” He hissed making Dazai scoff.
“Clearly I’m out shopping or did your small little slug brain not put that together?” Chuuya scoffed right back at him “oh I’m the one with small brain? Says the one who can’t even pick a coat his own size.” Seriously the coat in his hand was too small for Dazai to wear. What was even weirder was that Dazai didn’t even respond to the bait. Instead he looked embarrassed and quietly mumbled “it’s…not for me.”
Well it wouldn’t fit Oda or Ango so was Dazai an actually buying one of his dates a gift? It wasn’t what Chuuya would’ve had in mind but it was something he supposed. He really hoped it didn’t come with the offer for double suicide. But when it came to Dazai his hopes weren’t exactly high.“Right…Do you even know what style they’d like?” At Dazai’s silence Chuuya actually rolled his eyes. He already felt pity for this mystery person. Not only were they going to get the most lacklustre date in human history. But they couldn’t even get a nice coat out of it.
“Fuck you’re hopeless. You have to have some idea of what they’d like in that big head of yours.“ Why Chuuya cared to help was beyond them both but neither mentioned it. Instead Dazai went silent in thought “something warm” answered Dazai finally. “Probably something long but not too bulky.” He trailed off looking at the very bulky coat in his hand and put it back sheepishly.
The Demon Prodigy, ladies and gentlemen. Well it was better than nothing Chuuya supposed.And so without warning he grabbed Dazai’s hand and dragged him to a different aisle with various trench coats. “Then this is a better starting point.” He said and with his good deed done for the day Chuuya turned around and left.
Dazai didn’t want to admit that he was grateful for Chuuya’s direction. He guessed what Atsushi’s size was and spent ages searching. Until he finally settled on what felt as close to perfect as he could find. Butterflies fluttered in his stomach at the idea of giving Atsushi such a gift.There was every chance that he’d hate it of course. But Atsushi seemed like the type to cherish any amount of kindness that came his way. He’d been starved, in more ways then one and Dazai knew deep down he’d appreciate it.
He hoped.
“Did you need something, Dazai?”
It wasn’t like Dazai to hang back after a mission was complete. Most of the time he was the first to wander off. It was Hirotsu who stayed behind. Sometimes it was to give the area a once over for anything that was missed. Other times it was to call for a clean up team and to get the dead carried away.
It always involved a cigarette either way.
Dazai hummed to himself “you were here during the Old Boss’s reign.” It was said as more of a statement than a question. But Hirotsu answered anyway “I was. In fact I was here before he was.” Dazai looked at him in surprise and Hirotsu simply smirked. “You never told me that” he said with a huff making the older man chuckle. “You never asked.“ Well that was true but still it was the principle of the thing.
He grumbled to himself before becoming serious. “The Old Boss was definitely a force to be reckoned with as a ghost. Was he like that when he was alive?” He asked and Hirotsu nodded. “Indeed, he was all the more terrifying. To the Port Mafia his words were like law itself. His word was true and final, you didn’t disobey and you didn’t step out of line. Even just the thought of it was treason.”
This was it.
“He must’ve had quite powerful allies to gain such a reputation.” Said Dazai as Hirotsu lit his cigarette “he did but fewer then you’d believe. But even all of us with our strength combined couldn’t hold a candle to his right hand man” said Hirotsu. “Oh? And who would that be?” Asked Dazai keeping himself composed. Smoke blew around them but with it Dazai saw a look he rarely saw in Hirotsu eyes.
One that only showed itself when he thought no one could see it.
Grief.
“If the Old Boss was Death itself then his second was his grim reaper. The White Reaper of the Port Mafia, Atsushi Nakajima.” Dazai had known Atsushi wasn’t lying about his position. Yet it still stunned him to hear such a title attributed to him.“He was his enforcer. His executioner. If the Old Boss had a someone he needed to erase from the world then it was only a matter of time Atsushi would deliver their head on a platter.”
Loyal. That’s what Atsushi had been above all else. Loyal to the man he once saw his father and look how he repaid him.“I can’t say I’ve heard of him” lied Dazai and Hirotsu didn’t seem surprised. “That’s because he wasn’t simply a hired gun. Atsushi was the closest thing the Old Boss had to a son.” Hirotsu lit another cigarette and smoked it with a faraway look in his eyes. “We were informed an assassination attempt on the Old Boss was thwarted but it cost Atsushi his life. It tore the Old Boss apart. He ordered every record, every picture, everyone of his possessions to be hidden away. His name was akin to a curse.”
Dazai’s blood ran cold.
It was a lie.
Such a convincing cruel lie but he knew Hirotsu was telling him the truth. The fabricated truth that he’d been told. That the whole Port Mafia had been fed until they eventually stopped speaking Atsushi’s name at all.The Old Boss tried to kill his son and hid it all behind the false grief of a parent. It made Dazai sick to his stomach that the Old Boss had made himself the victim in all of this.
He wanted to kill him but that wasn’t enough. He wanted to lock him down in Atsushi’s cell and let him rot for eternity.
“Dazai?”
Dazai blinked before composing himself. “Sorry. I can’t imagine how hard that must’ve been. You seem to think fondly of him, of Atsushi.” He said, quickly switching gears because if he had to hear more snout the Old Boss’s feelings on the matter. Well Dazai wouldn’t be held accountable for what happened.“I do. He would’ve been about your age now if he was still here.” Said Hirotsu with a fond look.
“He was a scrappy little thing, even without his ability. Too kind for a world this cruel, but make no mistake he was Mafia among Mafia. Kid would throw himself in all kinds of danger if if meant saving a friend. He was the only one brave enough to argue back against the Boss, saved our arses on more than one occasion.”
Dazai softened at the image.
He could see it so clearly and it warmed his heart. “I only wish I was there that night” sighed Hirotsu sadly. “I was called away and the next thing I know…” He trailed off with a heavy sigh. “It wasn’t your fault” said Dazai firmly. “And I’m sure, if he’s as great as you say I’m sure he wouldn’t blame you.” Hirotsu who held onto his memory despite being ordered to forget him. Hirotsu who would’ve saved him had you known, Dazai had no doubt.
Hirotsu looked at him in surprise before smiling softly. “Thank you, Dazai” he stretched and looked at his watch. “My apologises for keeping you so long for an old man’s reminiscing.” Dazai shook his head “I only do as I wish, you know that by now.” His elder chuckled “don’t I know it. You’re a lot like him you know? I’m sure you would’ve gotten along well.” He sobered up “but really, thank you. There aren’t many of us from those days, even fewer who like to talk about them. It’s nice to share these tales with others.”
It was a different kind of loneliness but one just as painful and Dazai saddened at the thought of Hirotsu feeling that way.
“You know, Ango’s really big into putting more detail into the records. He likes to tell the stories of people, so they aren’t just remembered as numbers. I could tell him to meet with you, I’m sure he’d appreciate your tales.”Hirotsu smiled “I might take you up on that.”The two bid farewell not long later and Dazai was left with many things to think over. Everyone had been lied too. Atsushi about everyone wilfully abandoning him and Hirotsu and the others on his fate.
Dazai was going to fix this for them all.
“You came back…?” Asked Atsushi, eyes wide in surprise as he slowly pulled himself up from the ground. “I did and I bought you something” said Dazai softly. “You didn’t need to do that.” Said Atsushi and the way he was just happy that Dazai came back at all made him both happy and sad.
“I wanted too.”
Dazai wasn’t quite prepared for what came next though. The second the food container was out of his pocket, Atsushi dove across the cell to reach it….And immediately cried out in pain. The bars around him glowed brightly as if they were electrocuting him. “Atsushi!” Yelled Dazai in alarm almost dropping the box in surprise.
Atsushi pulled his hand back and the bars went back to normal. He breathed heavily before smiling sheepishly. “Forgot about that, you’re gonna have to pass it over to me.” How could he brush off such agony like it was nothing? “Atsushi are you okay?” Asked Dazai, rushing over to him and frowning at the sight of the burns on his hands and his singed clothes. “I’m okay, really I’ll be fine” reassured Atsushi before hesitantly rolling back his sleeve and revealing the burns already fading away in blue light.
“Is this, your ability?” Asked Dazai carefully, because of course he’d noticed Atsushi’s hesitabce on the subject. There was a reason he didn’t ask Hirotsu despite knowing he could have. It was Atsushi’s decision to tell him if he ever wished too.“Part of it” said Atsushi rolling his sleeve back down. “You don’t have to tell me” said Dazai but Atsushi shook his head. A boldness in his eyes that hadn’t been present the first time they’d met.
Dazai was already admiring it.
”I want too” said Atsushi before taking a deep breathe to steel himself.“My ability is Beast Beneath the Moonlight. It allows me to negate wounds as you just saw. But it also transforms me into a tiger, a white tiger to be specific. With all its capabilities and strength. It’s not just an ability though, I’m a weretiger.” Dazai was surprised but somehow it seemed fitting. The dual colours in his eyes and hair. A light in the darkness, how very Atsushi.
Also why there were rumours of a beast being down here to begin with. The howls that weren’t quite howls as he came closer to the source must’ve been roars.
“That’s beautiful Atsushi” Atsushi stared at him in shock and Dazai gave an encouraging smile. And eventually Atsushi smiled back, a weight lifted from his shoulders at Dazai’s easy acceptance.With newfound confidence, Atsushi went over to the bars but kept a short distance this time. “There’s silver imbued in the bars, my handcuffs, the chains and the door. Probably elsewhere too but I’m not sure how far it goes.”
He shuddered “I think it was designed to keep me out. So that’s why you can get close but I can’t, otherwise the silver burns me.” Dazai glared at the offending bars making Atsushi giggle. Another thing to keep in mind. Truly there were no depths that deprived Old Boss wouldn’t stoop too. At least now Dazai knew why Atsushi had never been able to escape.
And why the Old Boss had everyone forget him. Because he knew had someone like Hirotsu discovered the truth, they’d have freed him. “I’ll keep that in mind” said Dazai, carefully handing Atsushi the reheated curry. Atsushi lit up immediately but forced himself to take slow methodical bites. His smile was infectious and he thanked Dazai about a thousand times. “Don’t thank me, I can’t cook at all these are leftovers my friend Odasuku gave me.” Atsushi nodded “then thank him for me. Please.”“I will, but I’m sure he’d like to hear if from you one day” he said.
“Dazai you saw the bar’s, I can’t…” Said Atsushi sadly. Dazai took his hand in his, careful of the bars. “You can, you will because I will get you out of here. I promise you, there’s nothing in this world that could stop me. Even if I have to destroy this world floor by hand.”Atsushi stared at him in shock but Dazai wasn’t done. “And if I can’t then I’ll get help. You weren’t abandoned knowingly Atsushi, not by the rest of the Port Mafia. I’m sure there were those that sided in your capture but many would’ve fought against it.”
He told Atsushi everything that Hirotsu had said. And if Dazai spent the rest of the evening comforting a sobbing Atsushi, then it was worth it. Atsushi who recalled Hirotsu clearly and broke down in relief because he was had been loved and he still was. “Thank you” sniffled Atsushi, now slightly fuller then he had in a long time and bundled up in the new coat.
“Don’t thank me yet. What’s something you want to see more then ever?” Atsushi tilted his head in confusion but answered anyway “the stars, the moon. There’s no windows here so I haven’t seen them since.” Dazai gently squeezed his hand “then don’t thank me until you can see the moon and stars shining above you.” He would give Atsushi the stars himself if he asked him too. Atsushi simply nodded, too overwhelmed by the possibility.
This time he didn’t need to ask Dazai to stay with him until he fell asleep.
That night he watched the stars from above his shipping container. Mapping them out so that Dazai could give them to him the best he could. That was for now at least. He had no doubt Hirotsu would aid him, he’d be a good ally to have when Dazai eventually went to Mori.But one person wasn’t enough. Atsushi had been a highly respected member of the old Port Mafia. Hitotsu knew him as an old ally and could vouch for him. But Dazai only knew this Atsushi and not the person he was.
Someone else needed to vouch for Atsushi and they needed to be someone who knew him from before and the present.Kouyou was his first thought but Dazai knew his much she avoided talking about the old days. A cold chill went down his spine at the realisation of who was close to her who could fit the bill.Atsushi had been second in command so the chances were high that he’d faced against the Port Mafia’s most powerful and dangerous if enemies.
Such as the now former King of the Sheep.
If Chuuya who was once an enemy could vouch for Atsushi it might be enough. He’d seen the worst of him and exactly what he was capable off. Without the sand bias or conflict of interests like Hirotsu would have for bringing Atsushi back. Though that would mean having to let Chuuya in on his plan which could have it fail miserably but it was the only plan Dazau had. Not to mention that Chuuya’s ability would be vital for busting Atsushi out of that prison.
…was he really going to ask Chuuya for help? ‘Oh Atsushi’ thought Dazai gazing at the bright moon above “the things I do for you.’