Work Text:
There was a loud bang followed by a muffled cry.
“Get up.”
The person on the floor panted, which only got worse when his trainer kicked him in the stomach, causing his arms to collapse under him. He fell onto his side, biting his lip to keep another shriek down as his injuries got jostled.
“ Get. Up.”
“I can’t.”
His trainer crouched down next to him. The hard end of a gun pressed against his shoulder, and he looked up weakly, expecting to see a cruel smile on the lips of the person above him, but there was nothing.
Just stone-cold blankness. A statue.
“I know exactly how many bullets I can put in you without killing you. We’re only at one bullet so far. Now get up.”
“Fuck you,” the boy on the floor wheezed. It hurt, was easily the worst pain he’d been in. He could hardly focus given how fuzzy his head was and how his panicked body was overwhelmed by fear as more and more blood seeped out of him.
The heart keeping him alive pounded out of his chest, growing louder as he struggled to choke out a single breath.
“That’s such a shame, Chuuya.”
Another scream was ripped out of him as another bullet went through his shoulder.
Fighting with Nakahara Chuuya was an experience that never failed to leave Atsushi amazed. The gravity manipulator never went down. And when he said never, he meant it.
Chuuya would be thrown through a wall on the other side of the room and get up as if nothing happened. He’d be bleeding and Atsushi was sure he had at least one broken limb but didn’t stop fighting with all his heart. Sometimes, all of their allies would be down, struggling to stay conscious while Chuuya fought off the rest of the men, whether that be one person or an army, by himself.
And he always won.
It was almost like he got stronger the more injured or tired he got. There was no limit to his power. Atsushi expected Chuuya to be exhausted after all their opponents were down, but if he was, he didn’t show it.
He assisted in getting everyone out of wherever they were and back to safety. Only then, when any threat of danger was scared into submission by his domination would he disappear, not to be seen as everyone regrouped and got patched up, even other mafia members.
“Nakahara-san,” Atsushi said as he approached Chuuya one day before a joint meeting. The mafioso looked at him. Never the same hostile glint in his eyes as he saw in Akutagawa’s or the same coldness when there was not a threat.
Unless towards Dazai, of course.
If anything, he had a mellow demeanor when unprovoked.
“What do you want, weretiger?”
Atsushi saw Akutagawa out of the corner of his eye, watching him closely. As always he had a frown on his face. Atsushi considered himself a saint for ignoring him and not sending a glare his way. If he wanted whatever partnership they had to work out enough that they could successfully complete missions together, he had to be somewhat civil. Or at least attempt to until Akutagawa inevitably made a comment that gave Atsushi permission to defend himself, usually in a nasty way.
“I was wondering if you could train me along with Akutagawa? I want to be able to fight like you. Want to train like you.”
Nakahara’s easy-going attitude closed off as he heard the words leave Atsushi’s mouth. Had he said something wrong?
“No. You don’t want to train like me and you won’t,” Chuuya said coolly. Atsushi frowned at the blunt rudeness. Weak was no longer a word he would use to describe himself, yet Chuuya seemed to view him as such. The weretiger couldn’t help but feel offended at the blow to his pride.
“Why not?”
Nakahara pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, his expression more guarded than before. “Trust me, kid. You don’t wanna know.”
He lit it and took a long drag. Atsushi opened his mouth to respond and tell the gravity manipulator that he would, in fact, like to know but was cut off by Kunikida’s stern shout.
“No smoking in the building, Nakahara!”
“Fuck off, Glasses!” Chuuya yelled back as he took another drag. Kunikida stormed up to them. Chuuya smiled and blew smoke right into Kunikida’s face, rolling his eyes when Kunikida growled and turned red in the face. He looked like he was about to go to strangle Nakahara. Before any violence, which both men looked more than prepared to engage in, could occur, Dazai stepped between them.
“Ah, Kunikida-kun! Fukuzawa-dono wanted to speak to you before the meeting,” he said. Kunikda looked over Dazai’s shoulder to glower at Nakahara. Chuuya smirked and waved mockingly at him. Sometimes, Atsushi noticed similar mannerisms and behavioral patterns in the ex-partners, and it never failed to make him immensely more curious about how deep their relationship truly went.
“You—“
“Me?” Chuuya said, eyes challenging and sparkling as Kunikida fumed. Dazai shifted in front of Chuuya so Kunikida’s attention was forced away from his ex-partner and back onto himself. His face scrunched up in fake worry.
“It was quite urgent, Kunikida-kun. You shouldn’t leave the President waiting.”
Kunikida pursed his lips as his sense of obligation to his President clashed with his desire to beat Chuuya'a skull in. He settled for a final glare at Chuuya then scoffed and stomped off. Dazai watched his work partner go and waited until he was out of view before turning to Chuuya and sighing in exasperation. The genuineness of it was betrayed when his lips twitched up. “Must you always provoke him, Slug?”
“If I’m forced to be here, I’m going to have some fun fucking with your co-workers,” Chuuya replied easily as he brought the cigarette back to his lips. Atsushi looked between them unsurely. Their dynamic always confused him, and he was sure he would never truly understand it. He didn't think anyone would, really.
“Jinko!”
Atsushi whipped his head around to see Akutagawa, unsurprisingly, glaring at him.
“Go play nice, Atsushi-kun!” Dazai cooed. Atsushi’s face heated up. He gave his mentor an annoyed look, but Dazai paid it no mind and pushed him in Akutagawa’s direction, giving Atsushi no choice but to stumble towards his mafioso sometimes partner sometimes enemy. The headache was already forming before either of them said a word.
“What do you want, Akutagawa?”
“What did you ask Chuuya-san?”
“Just about his training. I wanted to know how he got so strong.”
Akutagawa gave Atsushi a scathing look then looked past Atsushi and glanced at their mentors who were still idly chatting outside the meeting room. Atsushi watched Dazai pluck the cigarette out of Chuuya’s hand, put it out, and toss it into the trash. And their usual game of Chuuya yelling at Dazai for one reason or another began. However, Chuuya settled down quicker than Atsushi expected, instead just looking grumpy and annoyed that Dazai took his cigarette from him.
“You don’t want to train like he did,” Akutagawa said after a moment of silence. Seems like he was caught up in the perpetual childish behavior of their mentors as well.
That gave him no answers, only more questions he was sure were going to have difficult truths to find. “Nakahara-san said that too. What was so bad about it?”
Akutagawa hesitated for a moment before grumbling, “I’m not quite sure. I only heard rumors and what little Chuuya-san has said about it.”
Atsushi huffed in frustration. Fortunately or unfortunately, his attention on the matter was diverted when Fukuzawa directed everyone to the meeting room. As usual, the agency was on one side and the mafia was on the other. The meeting was about a rather large underground trafficking ring that was fronting as a business firm, and this meeting was called to create a plan.
“The weretiger and Akutagawa-kun will take point on this mission. Their teamwork should be put to the test,” Mori said. Dazai, who had been examining Mori intensely up until this moment spoke up.
“They’re not ready.”
They all glanced at him. The usual playfulness was absent per usual in the presence of the mafia boss. Their interactions always made the room turn cold and thick with uncomfortable tension. It was really the only time the agency saw even a peek of the infamous Demon Prodigy that the mafia, the underworld as a whole were terrified of. Even Akutagawa seemed uncomfortable, often averting his eyes from Dazai in these moments, submitting before he could be forced into submission.
The only person who was relatively unaffected was Chuuya. He seemed used to the rigid atmosphere the two created. Atsushi would never dare mention this aloud, but, ever since Dazai started teaching him how to read body language, he’d noticed on more than one occasion that Chuuya seemed to subconsciously be more willing to side with his ex-partner than his boss.
The main giveaway was his eyes. Throughout all of these little arguments and conversations between Dazai and Mori, Chuuya’s eyes almost always stayed firmly on Mori, occasionally flicking back to Dazai, but just for a moment here or there. According to Dazai, this was guarding behavior. Keeping eyes on the threat while infrequently quickly glancing at the thing or person they were defending to make sure they were safe before returning back to the protective watch.
If he didn’t know better, he’d think Chuuya was just sitting there listening and being professional. There was nothing in his posture that would imply anything else nor did his eyes seem wary. The small action was the only thing that gave Chuuya away. Atsushi was sure his mentor was aware of this behavior from Chuuya.
In a very not-Dazai way, he never brought it up. Not during meetings or after to tease Chuuya. No, he seemed firmly comfortable under Chuuya’s watchful eye. This was normal for him, Atsushi realized, normal for both of them.
Dazai never brought attention to it because this was standard behavior for the ex-partners. It was as ordinary as putting on clothes. And no matter how pissed off Chuuya seemed at Dazai or how tired and off he was, the behavior continued on. Never wavering.
Unless, of course, Dazai stepped in.
Just once, Chuuya was practically falling asleep in a meeting. Everyone could tell he was exhausted, but he was still attempting to be on guard. Eyes drooping before he blinked a few times to shake himself out of it. Atsushi happened to glance in his mentor's direction at the right time and saw Dazai holding Chuuya’s eyes before inclining his head slightly and tapping lightly on the table. Chuuya’s shoulders slumped after he process whatever Dazai had communicated to him, and for the rest of the meeting, he seemed much more relaxed. After the meeting, neither Dazai nor Chuuya said a word to acknowledge whatever had happened.
Atsushi could tell that today, he was much more alert but maintained his nonchalant air. He regretfully dragged his eyes away from Chuuya and to Mori, who was wearing the same malicious, amused expression he always did around his former protégé.
“And who’s fault is that, Dazai-kun? Are you not the one training them?” Mori said as he rested his elbows on the table.
“There are too many unknown variables,” Dazai replied in a clipped tone that made Akutagawa flinch minutely.
“All of your and Chuuya-kun’s missions were like that, were they not?”
Dazai gave Mori a condensing smile, taunting the mafia boss. “Akutagawa-kun and Atsushi-kun have a different skill set. A bishop is not a knight after all. Surely you're aware of that, Mori.”
Mori hummed and glanced at Chuuya, who was, of course, already looking at Mori. They held eyes as Mori began talking again. “You and Chuuya-kun were working perfectly together by your second mission. Why are you not training them the same way you trained Chuuya-kun?”
“You trained Nakahara-san?” Atsushi asked. If Dazai trained Chuuya, surely it couldn’t have been as bad as everyone was making it out to be. Maybe the training was intense due to Dazai’s rigor? He knew Dazai was not a good mentor to Akutagawa, but how much worse could Chuuya’s training be? Chuuya trusted Dazai. Atsushi had never seen a sliver of fear when Chuuya looked at Dazai as he witnessed in Akutagawa’s face.
“I did." He didn't seemed thrilled about disclosing this detail. "As I said before, Chuuya had his role and I had mine. I knew how to train him for the role he needed to fill.”
“Ah, yes. The brawn. The mafioso who never fell,” Mori mused. Dazai nodded stiffly and Chuuya crossed his arms as he glanced at Dazai.
“This is something they must figure out together. I can craft a mold for them, but it will crumble when they cannot perform to my expectations of their roles. Hence, their training must be different.”
Atsushi and Akutagawa frowned at the offhanded jab.
Mori smiled and something curled unpleasantly in Atsushi’s stomach. “True, but you haven’t sent either of them to the infirmary yet. Do you want your protégés to fail?”
Atsushi’s blood froze.
“The hospital?” Atsushi questioned weakly. Dazai huffed in annoyance as Mori brightened as if he’d just won whatever game he and Dazai were playing.
“Ah, you haven’t told them, Dazai-kun?” Mori purred. It was easy to read Dazai’s irritation through the way he lazily waved his hand, trying to keep the appearance of control. Over what though, Atsushi wasn’t sure.
“It doesn’t concern them.”
“But it does. They should know how their mentor has trained others in the past. Lucky for you, I happen to have footage from your training days.”
“How convenient,” Dazai deadpanned.
“Mori-san…” Chuuya started before he trailed off and fell silent. Mori raised an eyebrow at his subordinate.
“Is there a problem, Chuuya-kun?”
After a pause, Chuuya spoke, resigned to the situation at hand. “No, boss.”
It wasn’t like he had any real reason to protest showing training videos. Mori gestured for Kunikida to turn on the video prepared, which he reluctantly did so. Despite his partner and Chuuya clearly not wanting it to be shown, Kunikida himself was curious and couldn’t resist, not when the opportunity was right in front of him. On cue, the lights turned off and the projector turned on. Dazai and Chuuya met eyes. Chuuya looked away and sighed tiredly. This was going to be a shitshow.
The video began to play.
The video opened with Chuuya, considerably younger, in an empty room. Chuuya was standing in the middle of the room, waiting for something when Dazai walked into the frame and stopped in front of him.
“You will engage in most of the combat in our missions on your own,” Dazai said. Chuuya smirked.
“Cause you’re a useless shrimp?”
Dazai smiled and ignored the offense. “You need to always get back up. You cannot fail.”
The look Dazai got in return for his words was exasperated and cocky. As if Chuuya thought Dazai was stupid for repeating something he already knew. “Yea, I know.”
“I don’t think you do.”
They all watch as Dazai pulled out a gun and without hesitation shot Chuuya in the knee, making him cry out and fall to the floor, clutching his leg. There was already blood seeping from the wound as Chuuya tried to put pressure on it, hands shaking from the unexpected, excruciating pain.
“Get up,” Dazai said with no infliction in his voice. Chuuya wheezed and tried to follow the order. He reluctantly pulled his hand away from his bullet wound and got his arms under himself, pushing up until he made it to his knees and elbows. He was sweating from the effort of getting his body to move and fight through the pain when a swift kick to his stomach sent him off his limbs and onto his side. He gasped as his legs banged against the ground.
Dazai walked over to Chuuya and crouched in front of him. There was no sympathy when his eyes fell on his partner.
“Get up.”
“I can’t,” Chuuya whispered as his head hit the ground in defeat.
Dazai pressed his gun against Chuuya’s shoulder. Chuuya’s breathing was already unsteady as he struggled to deal with the burning from the wound and the high amounts of adrenaline flooding his system, but the threat of another gunshot only made it worse.
The Demon Prodigy wasn’t impressed.
“I know exactly how many bullets I can put in you without killing you. It would only cause extreme pain. We’re only at one bullet so far. Now get up.”
“Fuck you,” Chuuya choked. Dazai sighed in disappointment.
“That’s such a shame, Chuuya.”
A bullet tore through Chuuya’s shoulder causing the boy to scream. He curled in on himself and a strangled whine left his mouth as Dazai nudged his gun against the fresh wound.
“I bet that hurt, didn’t it?” Dazai said calmly. Far too calmly for this situation. “The next one’s going through your foot. Get up.”
“Dazai, please .”
“You have ten seconds.”
Chuuya tried. He tried so hard to get up, but he could barely move. He was sweating profusely because of his wounds and trembling too badly to do anything to stop Dazai. He couldn’t think. Couldn’t really process anything that was happening around him.
The next bullet was just as bad as the first two. Chuuya turned his head and threw up, shivering as blood trickled from his wounds. Dazai gave him a moment before grabbing his arm and hauling him up, forcing him to stand, and pulling another pained sound from the older. Chuuya collapsed when he was up, a ragdoll in Dazai’s arms.
“We’re not going to the infirmary until you get your feet under you.”
"Please, I can't. I can't," Chuuya croaked. Dazai waited, not saying a word or helping Chuuya when the injured boy started to hypervenilate other than keeping him from falling. His partner sobbed and coughed in weak attempts to breathe.
"Please, I—"
"Stop saying please. No one's helping you but yourself. The longer you take, the longer you are going to be in pain, and if you pass out from blood loss, I’m leaving you here,” Dazai said. Chuuya fisted his partner’s shirt and fumbled to pull himself up. He hissed as he put pressure on his injured leg but kept pulling himself up until, finally, he was standing on wobbly legs.
Chuuya’s eyes were blown wide as panic flooded his body, shutting down his ability to do anything, and causing him to start suffocating. Another sound of pain escaped him when Dazai put an arm under his legs and back and lifted him up.
“You’re okay,” Dazai murmured as Chuuya’s uninjured arm wrapped around his shoulders. “You’re going to be fine, Chibi. You did well.”
Dazai started walking towards the door of the room.
Chuuya hid his face against Dazai’s shoulder as muffled hiccups loud enough to hear left him. The video continued until they were no longer in the camera’s view, the room empty and the only trace of their presence was the red pools of blood staining the floor.
The video stopped.
Everyone stared at Dazai. Speechless.
Yosano was the first one to break the fragile silence.
“What the fuck, Dazai,” Yosano whispered in horror, “how many times did you do that?”
She looked at Chuuya, voice rising as her shock fell and anger grew. “How many times did he do that to you?”
“It’s not important,” they both said at the same time.
“Like hell, it’s not,” Kunikida said. “Dazai, you tortured him.”
“He kept me alive,” Chuuya countered.
“How old were you in that video?” Atsushi asked. He couldn’t keep the waver out of his voice. Chuuya hesitated before answering.
“Fifteen.”
“Fifteen,” Atsushi repeated faintly.
“Now you understand why I won’t be training you the same way I trained Chuuya.”
“Can we drop it?” Chuuya insisted, not wanting to deal with this situation that Dazai's coworkers would never understand. He was promptly ignored. Kunikida, despite hating the mafioso, hated child abuse more. And that’s exactly what this was to him.
“That wasn’t training. That was abuse.”
Dazai shrugged. “You can see it that way if you would like.”
“How is there any other way to see it?” Kunikida bellowed. Out of the corner of his eye, Atsushi saw Chuuya rub his forehead tiredly. The room only grew in volume as they all yelled at Dazai, all except Mori, who looked more than delighted, Fukuawa, who was glaring at Mori, and Chuuya.
"Do you think I wanted to do that to him?" Dazai asked. Everyone fell silent. "Do you think I wanted to be the cause of his screams and pain?"
He lifted his head, not afraid to look his coworkers in the eyes. Not afraid of their judgment. Hurting Chuuya, making him stronger, was necessary for their survival.
"We didn't have backup. We didn't get to retreat and lick our wounds. If we came back to the mafia headquarters with a failed mission, we died. If we fell down and stayed down, we died. There wasn't much room for error."
"And what about you?" Kunikida asked, still glaring at Dazai. "Was Nakahara the only one who had to get back up?"
Chuuya snorted. They all looked at him in confusion as to why he would be laughing at a time like this. "I was trained by Dazai to stay up. Dazai was trained by Mori to endure torture. How do you think he learned that, Kunikida?"
Kunikida wisely stayed silent though he didn’t look placated nor forgiving of his partner.
“I will not apologize for my actions to keep him alive,” Dazai said lowly, locking eyes with his current partner when he said his next words. “If I had to, I would do it again.”
Kunikida looked faint at the idea. A withering glare quickly took hold of Kunikida’s face. “You’re a monster .”
Dazai's expression flickered, and his eyes dulled as a grin appeared on his face. “I’ve never denied that, Kunikida-kun.”
That only made Kunikida's anger grow.
“Enough,” Chuuya snapped. “If all of you are so fucking concerned about sticking your noses in shit you know nothing of, you can come to my next training session.”
Dazai’s eyebrows shot up as he gave a confused, surprised look to his ex-partner. Suggesting people watch them training wasn't something he thought Chuuya would ever do, and he knew for a fact that it wasn't something Chuuya was actually comfortable with.
“You still do this?” Yosano snarled, already going for her knife and glaring at Dazai.
“I’m the one who restarted them,” Chuuya cut in before she jumped to conclusions. “And we only do it for one specific circumstance.”
He stood, grabbing his coat and swinging it over his shoulder. “Friday, the warehouse on 6th. Be there or not, I don’t fucking care. Dazai, let’s go.”
He grabbed Dazai’s collar and yanked him up, pulling him out of the room and slamming the door behind them before anyone could try to argue otherwise.
The days leading up to Friday had been tense.
Kunikida refused to work with Dazai and the only interactions Dazai had with anyone in the office were when they were insulting him or telling him how there were better ways. Even Atsushi stayed clear of him, looking nervous whenever he got too close.
Dazai wasn’t surprised by any of this.
None of them understood the severity of his and Chuuya’s situation. He had to train Chuuya to be a one-man army. He had to train Chuuya to be able to take down potentially hundreds of men by himself, even if all of them were ability users. Their first session was a wake-up call for Chuuya. He was powerful and strong, but naive. All it took was three bullets to show him how many weaknesses he truly had and how easily they could be exploited and used to take him down. Chuuya had slightly accelerated healing due to Arahabaki, so body had all the components he needed to keep functioning should anyone land a good blow on him. All it came down to was mind over matter.
The pain, panic, and paralyzing fear held him back and thus endangered him and Dazai. He needed to train to be clearheaded and collected in these moments rather than succumb to all the things his body was screaming at him. And that way was Dazai’s training. Every session was by far the hardest thing he’s ever had to go through, but exposure to all the horrible things that came with bad injuries allowed him to understand his body and take hold of it.
He trusted Dazai. Dazai knew his limits.
He knew how far he could push Chuuya. What would break him. What would shatter him.
And it kept Chuuya safe.
Chuuya was sure he wouldn’t be alive right now if not for Dazai’s training.
And he knows he wasn’t the only one who suffered from it. These training sessions took a heavy mental toll on Dazai. Even though he seemed in control and steady, he wasn’t unaffected. Dazai would never admit it though. He refused to confess anything that would make Chuuya himself feel unsure or unsafe.
The reason they restarted training was Corruption. When Chuuya first started using Corruption in their teenage years, he would pass out immediately after Dazai touched him and not wake for hours which was not a situation they could afford if they were still in enemy territory. Corruption also damaged his body beyond belief, so small doses of Corruption in controlled environments where they could safely try to get Chuuya adjusted and somewhat familiar with how his body was impacted after corruption would help his stamina when it came time to using it.
It had been four years since they last did Corruption training.
When Chuuya had to use Corruption against Lovecraft, it knocked him on his ass in a way it hadn't since his first few uses. He knew it wouldn’t be the last time he had to use it and thus told Dazai that he wanted to start Corruption training again. Never one to deny Chuuya, especially when it would be beneficial to both of them, Dazai agreed. So here they were, at the warehouse on Friday. Almost the entire agency was there along with Akutagawa.
The idea of everyone, especially people who likely weren’t going to be his allies forever, seeing him so vulnerable made his skin crawl, but he needed to do this for Dazai. Dazai didn’t deserve all the shit his coworkers were currently throwing at him. He already gave himself enough grief over it and Chuuya was sure that hadn’t changed over four years.
He threw his coat and hat off and stood in front of Dazai, ignoring all the intense eyes on him from the other side of the room.
“You sure you want to do this with them here?” Dazai asked quietly. Chuuya nodded, unable to do much more than that.
“I’ll keep you safe, Chibi.”
“I know,” Chuuya murmured. Dazai scanned Chuuya before turning towards the other occupants in the warehouse and calling out, “stay back!”
Chuuya slipped off his gloves and handed them to Dazai then Dazai took a few steps back.
“Go ahead, Chuuya.”
Chuuya nodded and said the chant. Corruption activated, bursting into life like a demon crawling out of hell. Dazai heard murmurs behind him but didn’t dare turn his attention away from Chuuya. Chuuya was cackling as he threw his gravity balls around the warehouse and used his ability to throw things around and smash them into each other, causing chaos and destruction in his path.
Dazai waited one minute before grabbing him. When Corruption nullified, he held Chuuya tight by his elbows to keep him from crumbling. Chuuya stared at the ground, black spots appearing in his vision as his knees buckled.
Dazai didn’t let go, only held his partner securely, keeping him up but not offering enough support to hold much of his weight.
"Breathe. You're okay. You've done this before," Dazai said. Chuuya wobbled unsteadily.
"Dazai..."
There were feet running in their direction. “Dazai, he needs to sit down!”
Chuuya’s breath hitched and he took a clumsily step towards Dazai when he saw figures he couldn’t quite make out of the corner of his eye, almost falling with his desperation to get closer to his partner.
"Chuuya, look at me," Dazai commanded. Chuuya sluggishly followed the order as his body shook due to the effort it took to keep running after Corruption’s damage. “Ignore them, they’re not going to come any closer.”
Dazai looked away for a moment to glare at the figures then looked back at Chuuya.
"You're fine. You won't fall. I know you can and will stay up,” Dazai said, voice composed and grounding. Chuuya blinked at him through half-lidded eyes. The viewers watched, nothing but concern and apprehension in their eyes due to the scene in from of them. Despite wanting to help the suffering mafioso, they gave Dazai their word that they would not intervene. Chuuya heaved, causing spit and bile to escape his mouth. Sheer willpower was the only thing keeping him standing.
He dropped his head again and leaned forward to tip it against Dazai's chest.
“ ‘samu,” Chuuya rasped, barely comprehensible. Everything ached and his limbs were jelly, yet he somehow had yet to fall.
"I know you're tired," Dazai murmured. "A little longer, Slug. One more minute. You're almost there."
“Dazai, he needs—”
“You are here as a viewer, not a participant,” Dazai said in a light voice so as to not startle Chuuya. “None of you know Chuuya’s physical and mental limits. I do.”
Tremors ran through Chuuya as he swayed.
“Besides, if you try to touch either of us or get too close right now, he will activate Corruption again.”
“He can’t,” Yosano said, inspecting Chuuya and his worn body. He couldn’t even stand on his own right now, there was no way in hell he’d be able to handle the immense power that was Corruption.
“He can and he has before when someone survived Corruption’s destruction and went for me,” Dazai's words turned even quieter as he gazed at his ex-partner, “Mori had to resuscitate him after his heart stopped beating.”
Yosano stood there, mouth slightly parted and not knowing what to say. It was horrifying to hear what Chuuya put himself through for his and Dazai's sake.
"Time’s up, Slug," Dazai said as he stepped forward, moving his hands from Chuuya’s elbows to under his arms before Chuuya slumped against him. He wrapped an arm around Chuuya's waist and eased them onto the floor, Chuuya between his legs.
The mafioso's eyes were closed as he rested against Dazai's chest, breath coming out in short puffs. Dazai draped a hand over his shoulders so the older wouldn't fall before brushing the hair out of Chuuya's face.
"You did good, Chuuya. Rest." Hearing the permission, Chuuya's head dropped, finally blacking out, and Dazai adjusted them so Chuuya was laying down with his head on Dazai's thigh.
"He okay?" Yosano asked. She crouched down next to them with the intent to check on Chuuya herself. “May I?”
Dazai smiled though there was nothing nice or pleasant about it. "You may not. He's fine. Fainting always happens after corruption. He just needs some time to recover."
Most of them noticed that Dazai was still monitoring Chuuya, his fingers on Chuuya’s wrist against his pulse point while his eyes roamed up and down Chuuya’s form looking for any shifts or indicators that something was wrong.
“If he’s fine, why are you still monitoring him?” Kunikida asked, not even trying to hide the blatant accusation in his tone. Dazai looked up at him, face impassive at yet another allegation.
"He's had a few seizures and gone into shock before. If it happens, it only occurs in the thirty minutes after corruption is nullified, so I need to watch him," Dazai explained. Before Kunikida could throw something else at him, Dazai continued, “I’d rather face the potential ramifications of Corruption and severe injuries in a controlled environment like this rather than on the field due to his body not accustomed to the backlash of them, ne, Kunikida-kun?”
Kunikida's face twisted, knowing that logically, that made sense, but still not liking what he saw as abuse.
“... I suppose,” Kunikida grumbled.
“I’m so glad we agree,” Dazai said in a sickly sweet voice. The tone flipped in seconds. Deep and threatening, so black that there was nothing to see, foreign to the lightness Dazai’s words usually carried. “Do not question me about Chuuya’s safety again.”
Intimidating was the first word that came to mind for the agency. They had never seen this side of him, and it was chilling to hear. Akutagawa on the other hand, who lived it throughout his teenage years, shuddered, knowing more about the torment that followed the sinister words than the agency members.
He stared down Kunikida, dark eyes tearing the man apart before a large smile appeared on his face. And just like that, the monster slipped away from their view, lurking as it always did and watching them.
“Training’s over!” Dazai said in a sing-songy voice. “This was truly such a delight, you may leave.”
None of them brought up the question of what would happen to Chuuya. It was implied that Dazai was going to take care of him since he didn’t seem willing to let another soul near his partner. They followed Dazai’s orders and reluctantly left the warehouse, glancing back a few times, wanting to continue to see what would happen, but whipped back around and sped up their steps at the sight of his eyes.
The blood-red, lethal eyes of a demon protecting its only treasure.