Chapter Text
It was 7:55, Kunikida smiled in satisfaction, as he had 5 minutes to spare. He greeted Kyoka and Atsushi with a smile before taking a seat and starting his morning paperwork.
The morning went past at a very pleasant pace, but Dazai was nowhere to be seen, and it was almost 10 am. He could feel worry creeping up in the back of his mind, but just before he could submerge any longer in his own thoughts, the sound of Ranpo entering the office interrupted him. Kunikida stood up and greeted Ranpo with a soft smile, before grabbing his phone, he was 5 minutes ahead of schedule, it should be fine to check on Dazai —even if the time to check on Dazai was actually at 2 pm.
Kunikida made his way to the café under the agency, and started dialing Dazai's number; after a few seconds of ringing, the line was picked up, and he could hear some rustling, and soon enough, the voice of a tired Dazai made itself known.
"who is this?" Hearing Dazai's voice this raspy and tired sleepy, made Kunikida worry a bit. Of course, he knew about Dazai's habit of drinking at his dorm, one time he even had a drink with him, but normally he wouldn't sound this tired the next morning.
"It's me, Kunikida, how are you doing? Did you get up already? You're already 2 hours and 12 minutes late, you know?" Even if Kunikida was actually worried about his lateness, it wasn't enough to call him, and he was kind of embarrassed to say the actual reason, because he himself didn't know it.
"Aww, is Kunikida-kun worried about little old me? How sweet" as Kunikida processed Dazai's words, his face quickly turned into a pretty soft pink. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, it seemed Dazai's words managed to fry his brain.
And after about 1 minute of silence, he managed to choke out what he wanted to say.
"Did you drink too much last night, Dazai? I'll go check on you in my lunch break, so make sure you're at least presentable when I arrive." Kunikida smiled in satisfaction as the only answer he got was a soft hum, great, that meant he didn't care if I go to his dorm.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the line, a brunette took in a deep breath, why was Kunikida even checking on him? Did he wanted to drag him to do paperwork that badly? His day was just getting worse and worse, maybe he could take advantage of the bottles and break his head open with one... no, that'd hurt too much.
As intended, as soon as Kunikida's lunch break arrived, he got up from his desk and started organizing his things, slender and long fingers graciously wrapping themselves around his water bottle, before he walked out of the office and onto the street.
He could go to a grocery store and buy some soup for Dazai, he also needed to get him water, as he could possibly be dehydrated (most of the times Kunikida had to force water down Dazai's throat, as he "didn't want to be bothered to drink"), as his thoughts flooded his mind, he didn't realized when he was already paying the cashier, and quickly making his way towards the dorms.
Just as he was about to knock on the door to Dazai's dorm, the door suddenly opened, and Dazai greeted him, leaning on the doorframe. Kunikida could feel Dazai's stare, and somehow Dazai seemed... Attractive. Even with his usual smile, Kunikida could notice a tired stare in his eyes, as well as his skin, which was paler than usual, though it wasn't that noticeable by how dark the room was.
"Uh, I'm here, I see you haven't even turned on the lights..." As Kunikida looked around, Dazai stopped leaning onto the doorframe, letting him walk inside.
"I couldn't bother with it, plus, I was sleeping." Dazai simply leaned on the wall after closing the door and turning on the lights.
Kunikida made his way towards the counter on the side of the room, before slowly placing the bag he previously held in his hands on top of the counter, taking out a water bottle and the soup envelope. He looked back at Dazai, his hair seemed a bit glossy under the light, seems like he's been neglecting his hygiene.
"Dazai, you should go take a bath while I prepare you the soup, don't take too long though, I'm not going to be back late to work, you hear me?" Even as he tried to make himself sound strict, there was still the persistent care in his voice, which confused Dazai.
Normally, people would just brush him off, back at the port mafia, Mori didn't really care what he did in his free time as long as he did whatever he was asked to. Usually the one 'worrying' about him was Odasaku, but that was probably because of the way he was, after all, Odasaku always had a good heart. But how could that be useful as a justification for Kunikida? Don't get him wrong; he knows Kunikida is a good and caring person but, why with him? Was it probably because of his old position in the mafia? That couldn't be it, Kunikida was far too righteous to want to get closer to him just because of him being and ex-executive, but-
"Did you hear me, Dazai? Hurry up! We'll be late from the lunch break." Dazai's thoughts were interrupted by Kunikida's breathy words. Right, he hadn't opened the window today, or opened the curtains, at that, the air must be heavy, and if Kunikida walked all the way, he probably is hot. Just as he was thinking once again, he walked towards the window and opened it, letting fresh air inside, before walking into the bathroom.
Kunikida took in a deep breath, Dazai's dreamy gaze caught him off guard. He wasn't prepared to see a more serious Dazai seemingly spacing out while staring at him; he could feel his heart almost beating out of his chest.
After about 20 minutes, Dazai came out of the bathroom with "fresh" clothes —Kunikida would make sure to bring Dazai change clothes so he could have more than just the usual ones he wears to the office—, the soup was almost ready, so Kunikida just turned the stove off, letting the soup to cool down a bit, before making his way towards Dazai.
His hair was wet, small droplets of water dripping from his hair to his neck, wetting the neck of his shirt. The water seemed to make his skin glow under the light, but before Kunikida could get lost in his thoughts, he took the towel from Dazai's hands, and drying his hair.
"Don't leave your hair like that, your clothes will get damp and you could catch a cold, and the change of temperature could also make you sick." Kunikida scolded softly, as Dazai simply stared at him with the usual empty stare. But there was something else, confusion. Dazai wasn't able to understand the gentleness and care Kunikida treated him with, making him feel almost cautious; but as he kept staring at Kunikida's features, he was able to notice: the soft expression lines on his forehead and eyes, somehow making his face look even more handsome, the soft pinkish lips, his luminous eyes, his long blonde eyelashes, which seemed so long with this lightning, the muscles that could be barely seen thanks to his clothing. Kunikida was attractive and had a good nature, if he didn't have all those dumb ideals he could easily get a girlfriend that could love him, but... That idea didn't really make Dazai happy.
"Who would've thought the great Kunikida-kun would've be in my dorm making me lunch, huh, thanks" Those words resonated in Kunikida's head, suddenly making him self-conscious of his actions, how could he have the shamelessness to do this?! But once again, Dazai did seemed a bit happy... If he was able to see that expression on his face, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to make him lunch more frequently. He gently started fixing Dazai's hair, the ruffling with the towel messed up his hair, after that was taken care of, he started serving the soup, placing it on the counter, two bowls and two spoons.
"Just eat, I also brought you water, I don't want you arriving at the office still hungover." Dazai's eyes were fixated on Kunikida, as he just hummed in response and started eating. He took a lot of breaks whenever he had to swallow, but Kunikida simply pretended he didn't noticed, because even if that made him curious, he knew that Dazai eating was alone a good thing.
When Kunikida arrived to his dorm he went straight to his bedroom, sitting on his bed and holding his notebook. As he started reading his schedule and ideals, his eyes fixated on one word: "ideal woman".
He's always been sure that he would marry a woman who would fit his standards, or just a woman he could love, but at the same time, he couldn't keep Dazai out of his mind. Now, don't get him wrong! He's obviously not in love with Dazai, he just gets worried he's eating correctly, he's sleeping correctly, he's cleaning himself properly, he's working properly, and... Fuck it, even he can see what he feels for Dazai is more than simple companionship, but, he wasn't supposed to feel this kind of thing for a man, even less for Dazai. He had cautiously planned all of his life, and he was sure he wasn't supposed to have a 'husband', but at the same time, he doesn't think he can easily date someone if it's not Dazai.
And just as suddenly his phone started ringing, he could almost feel his heart bump out of his chest when he saw who was calling: Dazai. Which was weird, because normally Dazai would never call him at this hour, and he usually only called a work hours when he wanted to annoy Kunikida. But the thing that got Kunikida's attention was Dazai's voice, it was slurry and raspy, he obviously was drinking, and probably pretty drunk; but just as he was about to voice his doubt he got interrupted.
"Hey, Kunikida-kun, can you come over?" Of course he was going! He was not about to leave a dead drunk Dazai by himself, not when he knows his tendencies.
"Stay right where you are, okay? Are you in your dorm?" Kunikida felt kind of ridiculous as it seemed the answer to his question was obvious, but he still wanted to make sure of it, he needed to get where Dazai was as soon as possible, and going in the wrong direction would most likely make it a lot harder for him.
"... Yeah, I'm in my dorm, are you coming?" Kunikida sighed softly, relief flooding his mind briefly, as he quickly made his way towards Dazai's dorm, gently knocking on the door.
The first thing that greeted him was the disheveled image of Dazai, who suddenly pulled him inside, wrapping his arms around Kunikida's waist and resting his head on Kunikida's shoulder.
"D-Dazai? Are you okay? Do you need me to-" But just as Kunikida was talking, Dazai closed the door behind him, tightening the grip he had around Kunikida's waist.
"I'm glad you came... I wanted to see you..." Dazai slurred next to Kunikida's ear, his breathing soft as he once again rested his forehead on Kunikida's shoulder.
"You wanted to see me...? Okay, first of all, let go of me, I'll make you some coffee." As Kunikida spoke he gently tried pulling Dazai's hands away from his waist, but that just resulted in Dazai tightening his hold around Kunikida's waist, pulling him closer into the hug.
"D-Dazai! I can't walk if you don't let go of me!" Kunikida's face quickly got painted with a soft shade of pink, as he tried to keep as much distance as he could from Dazai's body without him noticing.
"Liar... You can walk just fine..." And just as Kunikida was about to protest, Dazai turned him around and instead was hugging him from behind. And while, yes, he could walk like this, how the hell could he do decent coffee while feeling Dazai's breath on his neck?! Kunikida decided to put that aside in the meanwhile, and instead walked towards the counter, turning on the electric kettle, and while he waited for it to boil, he started searching for the instant coffee and sugar.
After a while the kettle turned itself off, and Kunikida started making Dazai's coffee.
"How do you like your coffee, Dazai?" Dazai simply rested his chin on Kunikida's shoulder, before gently whispering into Kunikida's ear, his breath tickling in Kunikida's brain.
"Do it how you would normally prepare it for yourself" His slurred words seemed to make Kunikida's brain shortcircuit, but after a few seconds of silence, Kunikida prepared the coffee and poured the water.
"Let go of me and drink your coffee-"
"No, you'll leave." Dazai's sudden serious tone slightly startled Kunikida, before a soft smile appeared on his face, was Dazai scared he'll leave? how cute.
"I won't leave, I'll stay right here." Said Kunikida, as he slowly lowered himself on one of Dazai's chair, taking a seat before graciously crossing his legs. He smiled warmly at Dazai, and he could swear he saw him blushing, but maybe it was just the alcohol doing it's thing on Dazai.
A few minutes passed and Dazai finished his coffee, keeping his gaze fixated on Kunikida, and Kunikida couldn't help but giggle when he saw Dazai's intense stare. This seemingly made Dazai a bit flustered. Was he that obvious when drunk?
"I can stay until you fall asleep, is that okay?" The blonde asked softly, slightly tilting his head to the side, a small grin on his face, which somehow made his eyes seem to glow even more, exquisitely decorating his face.
"No, stay until morning." His voice was a bit less slurry than before, which was a signal the coffee helped at least a bit. But, what was Kunikida supposed to answer? Dazai wasn't in his right mind at the moment! What if when he woke up and saw Kunikida in his house he got scared? Kunikida would hate himself if Dazai ever stopped trusting him, and he couldn't control his feelings! He was just about to come to terms of liking Dazai, and now he asks him to stay in his dorm?! This was outrageous!
"Oh, I don't think I can stay..."
"But I want you to stay here, can't you, Kunikida-kun? If you're worried you won't be able to sleep, then you can sleep in the futon, I can sleep on the floor, or we could share" Dazai's voice seemed to be going back to normal, but it was still raspy, and that's when Kunikida noticed; Dazai is very perceptive, and earlier, he'd been staring at him so intensely- did he maybe discover Kunikida likes him?! How awful! And he still didn't care and asked him to stay, did he not have his feelings in consideration?
"I mean, I can stay, but I don't think I should..."
"Why not? I want you to stay, please?" Kunikida knew that look on Dazai's face, the one he used when he knew something, he was just not taking Kunikida's feelings in consideration! He was just being mean, he probably knew how Kunikida felt and just wanted to make fun of him-
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" And suddenly Dazai's arms wrapped around Kunikida, pulling him into a hug, and just then, Kunikida felt the wetness on his cheeks, which signaled he was crying. How embarrassing. And in front of Dazai, could this get worse? But at the same time, Dazai was so gentle, and his breathing was calm— was he trying to calm Kunikida down with his own breathing? It seemed to work, because Kunikida found himself able to talk without sobbing.
"Do you even know what you're asking...? You probably know, and you still ask that kind of thing... You're not even taking my feelings in consideration! Even though I like you you're asking such bold things from me..." As Kunikida kept on rambling, those three words were stuck in Dazai's head, "I like you", coming from Kunikida, his partner's mouth. He couldn't help but feel kind of bad, was that really what Kunikida thought? He's been suspicious of Kunikida's care and it just ended up being love.
"I'm sorry, but I really do want you to stay, Kunikida-kun" Dazai himself was surprised at the softness of his voice, he didn't want Kunikida to go back to his room and cry himself to sleep. He gently tried caressing Kunikida's blonde hair, and as he did, Kunikida leaned closer to him, and oh god. Kunikida looked so incredibly cute Dazai hated himself for feeling like this while Kunikida cried softly. His eyelashes looked so pretty when wet, and his slightly flushed cheeks were so cute too.
"Kunikida-kun, will you stay? Please?" Said Dazai while wrapping his arms around Kunikida's waist and damn, seeing it is something but feeling it is a whole different thing. Dazai could almost feel his heart bursting, but he managed to keep his usual expression on. Kunikida looked at him and nodded softly, gently holding Dazai's hands.
"Okay, but just tonight, okay? And remember we have to leave early and-" Suddenly Dazai's hands was covering Kunikida's mouth, as he leaned closer and asked:
"May I kiss you, Kunikida-kun?" And Kunikida could feel his face getting hotter and hotter by every second that passed, before he slowly nodded his head, shyly averting his gaze. In a few seconds he felt Dazai pulling him closer by his waist, and Dazai's lips against his. It was a short kiss, but somehow Kunikida could swear his heart would stop at any moment because, Dazai was being so gentle with him he could barely take it.
Dazai stood up and held Kunikida's hand, guiding him towards the futon, gently helping him sit down.
"Kunikida-kun, can I...?" But just as Dazai was about to fully give his question, he felt Kunikida's hands cupping his face.
"Yes, you can." And Kunikida leaned closer, kissing Dazai gently. Dazai almost couldn't hold in a giggle, it was obvious Kunikida wasn't experienced, he looked so tense, too, it was extraordinarily cute.