Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a completely average day in Hamayoko, a quaint little town by the port. The sun was out and so that meant everyone else was also out. There were children outside playing, and adults still unfortunately working. 

Much like Dazai right now. 

“Ah, this is such a beautiful body of water!”

Dazai steps onto the edge of his little boat, the vessel slightly rocking underneath his heel. He looks beyond the horizon, yet the only view he sees is the ocean for miles to come. 

He breathes in the intoxicating air, salt filling up his nostrils. Before Dazai could jump out the boat, a hand grasping at his shoulder stops him. “Dazai-san, don’t make dumb decisions… Besides, we have a quota to fulfill, we must capture 120 fish today!” 

Atsushi. He was Dazai’s best friend and work partner. He’s also the orphan Dazai saved and gave him this job. 

He is the whole reason why Dazai isn’t dead yet. 

The brunet steps down from the ledge, sighing in defeat. “Fine, fine… I’d want to die with a beautiful woman anyway…” 

Atsushi shakes his head in disapproval, throwing Dazai the net to catch the fish in. It smacks the brunet on the face and he’s met with an awful taste. He spits it out, and groans. “It’s not too hard, Dazai-san, we’ve been doing this for a while now, you know?” 

Dazai holds onto the other end of the net and throws it into the ocean. He turns to Atsushi, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “Yeah, I know…” 

He hums, sitting down. Atsushi hands him a bottle of water and Dazai accepts it, taking one big gulp. Atsushi looks at him with an understanding gaze. Dazai raises an eyebrow at him. “Look, I get it, you probably don’t want to be stuck doing this for the rest of your life, but this is the only option right now.” 

Dazai nods, leaning back. Atsushi is right.There isn’t anything for him in this town. His parents abandoned him and moved away, and he doesn’t have any siblings. The only person he has is Mori, his uncle but Dazai hates him. He’s a doctor in this town and makes a lot of money. Dazai has made a lot of money helping Mori before, but he quit a long time ago. He just has to put up with this damn fishing job now. 

Everything in this town is so boring. Apart from the few people he’s met, like Atsushi or Kunikida. 

Dazai remembers meeting Atsushi when he tried drowning himself. He remembers getting stuck on the fishing net, and needing to be cut out by the younger boy, only for his wallet to be stolen by him! He would have actually congratulated Atsushi for having the balls to do so as a person who was so nervous and jittery, but Atsushi felt too bad and gave the wallet back to Dazai. It was so embarrassing! He remembers scolding Atsushi about it but inevitably brings the boy back to his home. Since that day, they’ve been very close.

He remembers teaching Atsushi all about fishing, and how genuinely happy he looked doing it.  

Dazai doesn’t realize that he’s been daydreaming too much. 

He sits back up, crossing his arms, “I think I asked this already, but when we’re done with all this, what job would you actually want?” 

Atsushi is too kind for this town. He deserves to have a job he fully enjoys. 

The younger boy doesn’t even wait to think, immediately answering him, “I actually don’t mind this job too much. I know it doesn’t pay well, but I enjoy doing this every day, especially with you, Dazai-san.” 

Dazai blinks, before laughing softly. “That’s so incredibly you. Thanks, Atsushi-kun, you’re too kind!” 

Atsushi smiles at him, “What about you, Dazai-san?” 

The brunet sighs, throwing his head back, “I actually have no idea. Never really thought this far…” He pauses, slightly ruffling his hair, “I’ve read a lot of mystery books about a detective. It seems cool, so maybe I’d like to have a job like that. I’m smart enough anyway.” 

“A detective huh? I can see you doing that as a profession. A job on the side of good.”

“Hmm yes…” They sit there in silence, the sound of the wind whipping is the only thing that can be heard. 

It’s not an uncomfortable atmosphere, in fact Dazai likes these quiet moments between him and Atsushi, it’s very peaceful. He checks back on the net and reels it back in, where more than a dozen fish are flopping all over. He hurls them into their cooler. “Nice one! Thats…” Atsushi counts the fish in their cooler one by one, “That’s like 30 fish!” 

“Ugh, yeah it’s nice, I guess, but we’ve been out here for two hours already! We’ll never catch 120 fish in time!” Dazai complains, and Atsushi just rolls his eyes at the older man. 

“Just toss the net back into the ocean…” 

Dazai complies, throwing the net back in, this time farther. 

Just a few more hours of waiting around. How great. 

So the brunet just crosses his arms and lays his head to rest. Might as well catch up on some sleep. The white haired boy will let him sleep, he can handle it by himself. 

Dazai doesn’t realize how long he’s been dozing off for. Not until there are hands grasping at him. He startles awake, and now notices the dark clouds above them. “Dazai-san, there’s a storm coming, we have to go now.” 

Atsushi sounded distressed, and Dazai hurriedly stood up, trying to reel in the net. Except he couldn’t. 

The net was stuck on something. Whatever they had caught was big. It was stubbornly pulling at their boat, causing them to lead further and further away from land. 

Dazai grunts, struggling to pull the net back. He yells over to Atsushi, “I thought the news said that there wasn’t going to be any storms today?!” 

“Yes, that’s what I heard! Well it looks like they’re wrong, obviously!” Atsushi runs over towards Dazai, helping him reel in the net, but to no avail. This creature that they have captured is strong. 

There’s no way they can bring the net back without capsizing or being dragged all the way into the ocean. Dazai looks around their boat trying not to panic even as his shoulders tense. It isn’t until he sees his knife neatly tucked into his little bag that he feels somewhat relieved. “Atsushi! Get the knife from my bag! We need to cut this!” 

Atsushi nods, leaping towards his bag and snatching the knife in a quick motion. He throws it over to Dazai who starts desperately cutting the net. It would normally be an easy task on a regular occasion, but with their boat dangerously rocking back and forth, it proved to be a challenge. 

The storm was getting progressively worse, making it hard to see anything without rain hitting Dazai in the face. The brunet was breathing hard, his wet bangs sticking onto his forehead. 

He slashed into the net, effectively cutting it. 

But he felt his knife go deeper, stabbing into something. 

Fuck.

The boat shakes even more, and the knife accidentally slips out of Dazai’s hold. Shit. The clouds were getting darker, and the waves of the ocean were not helping. 

The swaying of the boat was so violent that it caused Dazai to fall out of the boat, dipping into the ocean. “Dazai-san!” He hears Atsushi yelling out for him before he drops. 

It’s so sudden, and Dazai wasn’t even able to hold his breath. The waves are crashing around him, pushing his body in different directions, making it hard to swim. 

He tried to grip onto the side of the boat, but his efforts were futile. 

Dazai opens his eyes only for a brief second. His breath is cut even shorter. 

The net is entangled onto something. 

Or someone? 

The brunet catches sight of vibrant hair of fire, a long fishtail, and a glowing red. The creature turns his way, and brown eyes lock onto deep azure  and dark pools . Multicolored eyes? This creature had a human face, and flushed cheeks. 

His gaze moves downwards and he’s face to face with the creature’s body. 

A mermaid. That’s what this creature was. 

He had a regular torso, arms, chest, but his bottom half was nothing but a fishtail. The fishtail glowed a beautiful red ambiance, and Dazai noticed that this mermaid had strange markings all over his figure. 

Dazai’s mouth was agape. He couldn’t tell if he was hallucinating from the lack of oxygen after being submerged in the water for too long, or if he was seriously seeing this with his own two eyes.

Maybe he should be panicking more, but all he could think of at the moment was how alluring this ethereal creature was. With his crystal eyes, and flowing hair, Dazai’s never seen anything like this before. 

Never seen someone so gorgeous. 

Then suddenly he hits his head onto something sharp. He sees the familiar color of red surrounding him. Did he cut his head? Crap. He doesn’t want to go out like this, especially not when Atsushi was there to witness his demise. 

Dazai’s vision is spotting, and he loses consciousness, his body slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the dark depths of the unforgiving sea. 

How ironic the job he’s always hated, is the very thing that kills him. 

***

Dazai woke up to a bright light directed straight onto his face. He blinks a couple of times, trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings. The room smelled like antiseptic, a very recognizable scent to him. “Dazai-san! You’re awake!” A voice calls out to him. Atsushi. 

He only now realizes that he’s in some type of hospital room, Atsushi sitting in the corner with Kunikida too. “Hey…” 

Kunikida sighs, looking at him concerned, “Are you seriously okay, Dazai? You were out for two days.”

Kunikida is his other best friend. They’ve known each other for a while now, and the blond has helped him far too many times. 

He waves to them nonchalantly, stretching his arms while yawning, “Yeah, I’m fine now, I guess… What happened though? All I remember is falling out of the boat and getting knocked out.”

Atsushi sits by Dazai’s bed, ruffling through his hair, stressed, “Yeah, so a patrol boat came soon after you fell. I had to jump in after you, but it was quite hard to do… I brought you back to the surface, and the rescue team saved us. Our boat flipped over, the storm was just that massive. I thought I lost you for good there, Dazai-san…” 

“Well, I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Atsushi furrowed his eyebrows, covering his face with his palms, “Your heart stopped. I had to give you CPR several times before you came back…”

Dazai doesn’t respond, unsure of what to say. He knows his friends are worried about him, especially considering his suicidal tendencies, but he didn’t know that this close-death experience would shake them up this much. 

He sits there, pondering. The hospital room is quiet save for the heart monitor attached to Dazai. The brunet finally speaks after a few long moments, “Did you ever find the creature who was shaking our boat? It was quite massive.”

Atsushi shakes his head, “The ripped net was the only thing left. I didn’t see the creature at all, did you?” 

He searches through his memories, and finds multicolored eyes and hair of fire. That couldn’t have been real… 

“No, I didn’t.” 

The brunet sits there diddling his fingers out of boredom. 

He knows he’ll be stuck in this hospital for a bit longer, and worst of all, he might even see Mori. 

Suddenly the door bursts open and there he was. 

Amazing timing. 

“Dazai, you’re awake.” Mori says, not shocked at all. His voice was calm as always and Dazai scoffed. 

“Yeah, obvious ly you see me not sleeping. Why are you here?” He doesn’t try to hide the clear disdain in his voice, but it doesn’t faze the older man. 

Mori sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose, not bothering to greet Atsushi or Kunikida either, “I’m your doctor, obviously, and you’re going to have to stay here for one more day.”

Dazai groans loudly, throwing his pillow into the air and burying his face into it.

He hates this. 

Although his mind kept wandering to that creature. He wants to know the truth. Has he really seen that mermaid? 

Dazai makes a note to himself for the future: Find that mermaid. 

***

Hamayoko was a town that heavily surrounded itself on the belief of mermaids. Ever since Dazai’s lived here, all he’s ever heard about are mermaids. He never believed in them, not until he saw that creature, with his own eyes. 

So being the smart “detective” that he is, he sets out to find more information about these mermaids. He wants to find that stunning creature with multicolored eyes and hair of fire. 

No one has ever captured Dazai Osamu’s attention before. 

The first place he goes to is the farmer’s market, where he gets all the interesting stories from! It was crowded, tiny, and everything travels fast around here. This farmer’s market has too much drama going on, and he knows the perfect person to go to…

When Dazai arrives, he searches for someone with green eyes and raven hair… 

“Ranpo!” He sprints over towards the older man who was sucking on an ice pop, a perfect treat for a hot day. 

“Hey, Dazai. What brings you here?” Ranpo is by far the smartest person he knows, excluding that bastard Fyodor. He’s reliable to talk to whenever he has a problem he can’t solve. 

Ranpo worked as an ice cream vendor when he wasn’t helping his father, Fukuzawa Yukichi at the cat shelter. Although the ice cream business does good especially at this time of year, Ranpo ends up eating more of his supplies than actually selling them. 

“You’re like the king of gossip, right?” Dazai asks him, just making sure. 

Ranpo rolls his eyes, taking a bite out of the ice pop like a maniac. “Duh. I know everything about everyone, including you. I heard you and Atsushi got swept into a nasty storm the other day, are you okay?” 

Dazai sighs, nodding his head, “Yeah I’m fine. Anyways, what do you know about mermaids?” 

The raven haired man hums, thinking about the question for a moment., raising an eyebrow at Dazai. “Don’t we live in a town all about mermaids? I thought you knew a lot already.”

“That’s the thing, I never really cared about that stuff before. I thought I’d come to you to learn more about it.” 

Ranpo takes another bite out of his ice pop. “I know that mermaids started becoming more popular over hundreds of years ago. There haven’t been many sightings in recent years. There’s only been a few photos caught, but none are really good enough to be solid evidence for the creature’s existence.” He takes a pause, thinking of everything else he remembers about mermaids. “I know that Fyodor has claimed to see one, but who knows if he’s telling the truth or not?”

Dazai nods once more, telegraphing all the information Ranpo has told him into the back of his brain. “Thanks Ranpo.” Before he leaves, he takes out a small amount of money and buys an ice cream from the older man. 

“No problem, Dazai! Come back some other time and buy more ice cream!” He waves goodbye to Ranpo and continues forward, eating his ice cream. 

He doesn’t want to talk to Fyodor, but he does know someone who might have information about him. Someone he’s quite friendly with. 

The brunet stops by a small flower store. It wasn’t too far away from the farmer’s market, so it didn’t take him too long to arrive. 

He steps inside and is met with an amazing aroma, but the flowers aren’t the reason for why he’s here. Dazai looks around the store, and beams when he finds the florist. 

“Sigma! How are you?” Dazai greets them with a smile. 

The other person sighs, giving a smile back. They looked a bit tired, and Dazai almost feels bad for bothering them today. “I’m doing pretty good, Dazai. Just a bit sleep deprived. Are you looking to buy some flowers?” 

“Sure. Well, I actually came here for a different reason, but I’ll buy some flowers too!” 

Sigma gives Dazai a grim look, but doesn’t send the other man away. “Okay… Did you want to talk about something then? Let’s sit.” Sigma leads him to a small little corner with cozy chairs and a small coffee table. 

Dazai sits, crossing his legs, “So you know how you used to work with Fyodor?” 

At that question, Sigma lets out a loud groan. “Not him. Ugh, yes, I used to work for him. What do you want to know?” 

Dazai clapped his hands together, “Great! Well I was just wondering about Fyodor’s interest with mermaids?” 

Sigma sits there quietly for a moment, trying to remember everything that has happened with that mysterious man. “There isn’t much I can tell you, but I’ll try… He did and probably still does have a strange fascination with mermaids. It started when he accidentally fell into the bay after fainting. When he got saved he wouldn’t stop rambling about the creature. He researched about them constantly. I remember hearing him once say he wanted to capture one, but I don’t think he ever did.” 

Dazai furrows his eyebrows. He knew Fyodor was quite the celebrity weirdo around Hamayoko, but he didn’t know it went this far. Sigma continued their story, “Fyodor came up with such strange theories about them, how they prefer to swim in colder waters, how they drag humans out into the ocean to kill them, how they have powers or whatever. It’s all so weird… Fyodor also loved reading this one book about mermaids, I always saw him carrying it around. I think you can check it out at the library.” 

Powers? Do those actually exist? 

“Thanks,Sigma. This is all really helpful. Now I’d like to buy some flowers as thanks!” The brunet stands, looking around the shop. 

“I’m happy to help, Dazai.” Sigma gives him a warm smile as they lead Dazai around their shop to look at some flowers.

The brunet stops at one particular bouquet. “I think I’ll buy these.” He picks up the bouquet and reads the label. 

Red camellias. 

“Great choice, red camellias are very beautiful…” Sigma puts in Dazai’s order, as the brunet pays. “Have a nice day, Dazai.”

He waves goodbye to Sigma as he skips away. 

His next stop, the library. 

***

Dazai arrived not too late, but it was already pretty dark out. 

He greets the librarian, Hirotsu. He was a kind old man that Dazai has always liked. “Good evening, Hirotsu!” 

The man nods at him, “Good evening, Dazai.” 

The brunet smiles at him before proceeding to search through the shelves for anything mermaid related. 

It wasn’t a hard feat, there were several books about mermaids. Although most of them were stories for children instead of anything useful. 

Dazai was about to give up, until he spotted a very old fashioned book in the corner of his eye. He pulled the hard cover out from the shelf, and noticed the yellow pages. He looked inside the book and found a very familiar name in the checkout record. 

Fyodor Dostoevsky. 

He grinned, folding his arms around the book. Dazai brings the book to Hirotsu who checks it out easily. “Is that the only book you’re checking out today?”

“Yup!” 

Hirotsu nods, and he hands the book over to Dazai. 

The bandaged man goes home that day and reads the entire thing front to back, not stopping once. He was determined. 

For the first time in his life, he felt motivated. 

Chapter Text

The following day, Dazai set out to work. He gathered all the materials he needed, and sure he got a lot of strange stares, but he didn’t care. 

He was buying more rope when Atsushi caught him at the store. “D-Dazai-san?! What are you buying that rope for?” 

The brunet grins at him, “Oh, it’s nothing!’ Truth be told, he doesn’t want to involve his friends in his little mermaid hunting. They’ll probably call him insane. 

“Dazai-san, if you’re planning on committing suicide by hanging yourself, I will personally follow you home and make sure to cut that rope!” The white haired boy threatens, and Dazai just laughs. 

He pats Atsushi’s shoulder and gives him a soft smile. “Don’t worry, Atsushi-kun! I don’t plan on doing that!” 

The younger boy glares at him, but lets out a sigh of relief. “Fine then. Just… If you ever feel down Dazai-san, I’m always here if you need someone to talk to.” 

Atsushi exits the store with his groceries, leaving a very perplexed Dazai behind. That whole interaction gave him goosebumps, but the good kind? If that makes sense?

Anyways. Continuing on with his mermaid hunt. 

He’s read the book and it turns out there are many ways to capture a mermaid! 

But he has to do all his suspicious activities at night where no one will see him. It’s easier that way. Also because that’s apparently where most mermaids are caught. 

Dazai heads down to the bay with the extra boat the company provided him. It was such a deal, he’s glad he got knocked unconscious because now he and Atsushi have a whole new boat, one that’s much better than the last one they had.

When he went to buy supplies, he also bought a notebook to document all his experiences. 

He wrote in it. 

Day 1 of mermaid hunting

First method, regular fishing but 2x more efficient. It says that mermaids have sometimes been spotted when one has captured too many fish. It angers the mermaids. 

Perhaps if I do this that same multicolored eyed mermaid will come back. 

Dazai hums, dropping bait into the ocean watching all the fish swim close to his boat before trapping them all into his net. He never knew how hard it was to catch fish at night without Atsushi until now.

He struggled to lift the net back into the cooler, but he eventually did it. He counted all the fish, fifty-four.

Dazai whistles. If he keeps this up, maybe then he’ll catch the attention of that beautiful mermaid! 

***

He was out fishing for two hours, caught 170 fish yet still no mermaid. 

Dazai groaned, hauling all the fish into the cooler. At least now there’s enough fish for the market to make up for that day he fell into the ocean. 

The brunet goes home that day disappointed, but he won’t give up! It’s only the first day of mermaid hunting, of course he won’t catch the mermaid on his first try. 

He wrote in his journal once more. 

Method 1 did not work. Let’s try another tactic tomorrow. 

One that requires less work… My arms are now sore from carrying all that fish. 

***

Needless to say, Atsushi was quite flabbergasted to see that Dazai has caught 170 fish all by himself!

“What the hell?! When did you capture all of this?!” 

The older man shrugs, a sleazy smile on his face. ‘It’s a secret! Come on, enjoy your day off, Atsushi!” 

The white haired boy looked at him suspiciously, but Dazai wasn't fazed. 

He tried again that night. 

This time with a different strategy. 

Day 2 of mermaid hunting

Second method, smelling salts. It’s said that mermaids absolutely despise the scent of smelling salts, and will try their best to distinguish the source of it. 

Surely this time the mermaids will notice!

Dazai bought a lot of smelling salts the day before, and he dumped a lot all around his boat. 

Then he waited. 

And waited. 

He ended up waiting for over four hours, resulting in him accidentally falling asleep. Dazai actually woke up the next day to some other fisherman yelling at him. 

Not the best experience he’s had in a while. 

But the worst part was that he couldn't even tell if the smelling salts worked or not because he fell asleep! 

Dazai groans, stretching out his arms. He got a crick in his neck from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. 

Maybe the next day he’ll have better luck. 

He wrote in his journal. 

Method 2 did not work. Let’s try another tactic tomorrow. 

One where I won’t fall asleep… Now I ‘ll never know if any mermaids actually came to the boat. 

***

Dazai had completely changed tactics. It was day 3 now and he didn’t spot a single mermaid. Atsushi had been worrying about him, but he brushed it off. 

He is going to find that mermaid!

The tactic he’s going to try today is much different than the last two nights. 

But first he had to go buy one more thing…

Dazai is back at the market, but he’s not here to buy rope, or some other large thing. No, he’s here to buy a ukulele.

Unfortunately for him, Kunikida finds him at the store. The blond man gives him a scrutinizing stare, one filled with judgment. “Dazai… Why are you buying that ukulele? I didn’t know you knew how to play.” 

Dazai shrugged, showing the instrument off, “What can I say? I’m a man of many talents.” 

Kunikida scoffed, “Atsushi told me that you’ve been acting strange these past few days. Are you alright, Dazai?” 

He waved Kunikida off, smiling wide, “Just peachy! Now if you’ll excuse me…” 

Dazai walks away with his ukulele, leaving a still suspicious Kunikida behind. 

Now before he can actually use this ukulele, he needs to learn how to play it, of course. 

Dazai sighs, going back to his home experimenting around with the tiny guitar.

Oh right, there was one last thing…

***

It took a while, but he eventually was able to play a short melody. That was more than enough for his plan. 

Dazai headed to the bay once more. 

He took out his journal. 

Day 3 of mermaid hunting 

Method 3, playing a song. 

It is said that mermaids are attracted to music, and hopefully my voice sounds good enough for that. 

I think it is, I’ve been told by many that I have a very attractive voice. But is it attractive enough to catch the attention of a beautiful mermaid? Hopefully. 

Normally Dazai would be alone in his little escapades, but this time he was with a special little lady. 

Mika. Some random girl he chose to go on a date with. She had short dark hair with bangs and dark eyes too. Dazai met her while eating breakfast, she was a waitress and he asked her out. He’s not actually interested in her, but there’s a second part to his plan. 

Mermaids favor women more than men. So maybe he’ll have a better chance at seeing a mermaid with a woman by his side. 

He put a lot of effort into this, so it better work. 

Mika smiled at him warmly, folding her hands over her lap, “Wow, Dazai. This is so romantic, the view out here is just gorgeous!” She gushed, and Dazai smiled back, although it wasn’t so genuine. 

“I really do like you! Of course I would make an effort to win your heart over!” He said triumphantly. She blushed at those words and continued to look around her, staring at the sky full of stars. 

Dazai took the ukulele out, strumming the strings and making sure it all sounded good before playing. 

He began to pluck the strings, making the instrument sing. 

Dazai continued to play, humming along. He didn’t write any lyrics for his particular song he came up with on the spot. Whatever sounded nice. 

The waves around him were calm, and he could see a few fish gathering around his boat. He smiled, perhaps this tactic will work. 

Mika was enjoying herself as well, quietly listening along, adding a few comments every now and then, “I don’t know what to say, Dazai. I heard rumors about you being a player, but this is blowing out of the water!” 

The bandaged man nodded, gritting his teeth seeing how not a single mermaid had been spotted. 

But maybe he just needs to be more patient. Maybe then the mermaid will come. 

Too bad he was wrong. 

After 30 minutes of chatting with Mika, and singing along, the waves suddenly get rougher, and the boat begins to sway. 

Mika bites her lip worrying, “I think we should head back to shore…” Dazai sighs, but ultimately agrees. He’d rather not deal with a storm right now. 

He’s mostly disappointed at the fact that he wasn’t able to see a mermaid. 

Dazai begins to row the bow back, but it’s a bit hard to do so with the wind whipping in his face. It’s just like that day he saw that creature, the storm was getting worse and worse. 

Mika was being loud, and part of Dazai wanted to tell her to shut up, but he knows that’s an asshole move. Anyone would be scared to be in the middle of a storm while also being far away from land. 

They are getting close to shore when Mika suddenly stands, screaming while pointing in the ocean. “W-What the fuck is that?!” Dazai raises his eyebrow and moves towards where Mika was. 

There, he saw a large shadowy figure. A smile slowly creeps onto his face. 

Is this that mermaid? 

He forgets that he has to row the boat back to shore, and the vessel suddenly jerks to the right, exactly where Mika was standing. 

She yelps and falls into the ocean. Dazai’s eyes are blown wide, clearly not expecting this to happen. “Help!” She calls out for him desperately. 

Dazai has no other choice. He sighs indignantly and dives in, feeling the cold sea water around him. He wraps his arms around Mika, and plops her back inside the boat. Luck was not on his side that day. Dazai even cut his hand on the side of his boat too. As he was about to go back in himself, he spotted someone. 

That very same mermaid. The one with multicolored eyes and hair of fire. 

The mermaid stared at him with a scowl, and it made Dazai grin. 

His bandages were coming loose, some wrapping around the creature. It was a beautiful sight, one he will never forget. 

So he wasn’t just imagining things. 

Before Dazai could reach out for that mermaid, the creature swims away fast. 

Fuck. 

Dazai climbs back onto the boat, shaking his head. He was soaking wet, cold, and still had to row all the way back to shore with a disoriented woman. 

None of that mattered though. 

Because he saw that mermaid again. 

After bringing Mika back home, Dazai goes back to his own apartment and writes in his journal once more. 

Method 3 worked, kind of? 

That mermaid came back. Still as beautiful as the first time I saw him. 

I need to try again. I want to see him again. 

He closes the journal.

***

Five weeks. 

Five weeks have gone by since he saw the mermaid. Five full weeks. 

Dazai was getting antsy, and his newfound hobby was getting noticed by several of his friends. First it was Atsushi, then Kunikida, and of course Ranpo finds out soon after. 

They’re all worried about him, and he understands, but he still doesn’t want his little secret to be exposed. 

That Mika woman already hates his guts. 

Even though he saved her from drowning! 

Whatever. Dazai doesn’t care anyways. 

He continues to hunt for that mermaid, even when the chances of spotting the creature keep getting slimmer and slimmer. 

He stuck to the tactics he’s been using, but made sure to try new ones as well. 

Until one day he switched things up. He wasn’t getting any results, so of course he had to try a new method. 

Dazai might be stupid for doing this, but he frankly doesn’t care. 

That night he went to the bay just as he’s done every single night before, except with one new item with him. 

The sky looked just as beautiful this night as it did the day he saw that mermaid again. What’s even better is that there were no waves accompanying him, only still waters as far as the eye can see. 

Dazai took out his notebook. 

He wrote in it. 

Day 35 of mermaid hunting

Method ??? 

Today I’ll try something different, something that isn’t written down in the books or anywhere else. 

A method I came up with on my own. 

I noticed that the last two times that mermaid appeared was when I was cut. I know the first time was completely coincidental, and that the mermaid got stuck on its own, but it's worth a shot. 

Perhaps there’s a connection with the blood, like how sharks are attracted to blood? 

It sounds dumb, but I really am out of ideas. 

He closes the journal. 

Dazai retrieves the knife from his bag. He then unravels the bandages around his thin wrist and with the sharp point, he slowly drags it across the skin, wincing when he sees the prickle of red dripping down his arm. 

He hasn’t done this in a while! 

Jokes. 

Without further ado, Dazai stands on the edge of the boat, no fear in his eyes. His body tips over and he falls into the ocean. 

He’s used to being submerged in the water, it comes as a part of the fisherman job. 

Dazai waits as his body slowly sinks to the bottom. Does this technically count as a suicide? He wasn’t doing this for that reason, only for the mermaid. 

God, he wants to see that creature so badly. Perhaps he was being too harsh on Fyodor, mermaids are magnificent creatures. Dazai wonders if this little obsession of his will end. 

But if there’s one thing about him, he will get his way. 

Dazai opens his eyes but is met with only the view of darkness with a few stray fish swimming around him. He’s going to lose his breath very soon. 

Suddenly he feels someone grasping at him from behind. He turns around and sees that multicolored eyed mermaid with hair of fire. 

Dazai grins wide, but the mermaid continues to stare him down with a berating look. The creature swims forward, and wraps his arms around him. 

From this angle it’s much easier to see the mermaid’s beautiful features, one that he has never seen on a human being. The mermaid had freckles and slight dimples that would show whenever he made an expression. It was all so cute. 

Ugh, when did Dazai get so sappy?!

Dazai is startled by the unexpected action. The mermaid then began to swim at a fast pace towards the shore. ‘ Is he going to bring me back to land?’ Dazai thinks. 

They eventually reach the shore and Dazai coughs. He doesn’t let go of the mermaid, and for the first time ever he hears the creature speak. “Get your filthy hands off me, human!” Oh, he had a deep gruff voice, and it scratched Dazai’s ears in all the right places. 

“Wait! Please! I promise I won’t try and kill you! Please, I just want to talk!” Dazai begged this gorgeous creature with no shame. The mermaid shoves Dazai away instead. 

He gave Dazai a dirty look, and began to swim back into the ocean. “No please! I will keep trying to jump into the ocean and annoy you if you don’t stay!” 

At that comment, the mermaid freezes, a scowl on his face. “Okay, fine! I can’t stand your annoying ass!” Wow. This mermaid had a serious potty mouth. Though Dazai can’t exactly blame him, he’s probably around too many sailors. There are a lot out there in the ocean after all. 

Just as Dazai was about to speak, the mermaid cuts him off, “First of all, bandage up that cut of yours, the smell of your blood reeks.” 

The brunet did as asked, and he quickly wrapped gauze around his cut, “Beautiful mermaid! What’s your name? Mine is Dazai Osamu.” 

The creature’s eyes moved up and down Dazai, almost in a judging way, but he sighed and answered anyway, “I’m Chuuya…” Dazai cautiously approached Chuuya, and sat down by the shore where the mermaid was laying. 

“Why are you seeking me out?” Chuuya asks him, voice void of any emotion. 

Dazai shrugged. He thought he already made his actions clear by the way he obsessively hunted for him. “Like I said, I wanted to see you again.” 

“Humans disgust me. I hate your kind. You should hate us too, we have sunk many of your ships, and killed many of your sailors…” Chuuya avoids Dazai’s gaze, staring at the stars instead. 

Dazai shakes his head, crawling even closer to Chuuya, “I hate humans too, you know? Myself especially. But you? The thing I feel for you is far from hate.” He places a hand over his heart in a dramatic way, and Chuuya gives him a scandalized look. 

It was silent for a moment. Maybe Dazai said the wrong thing? He was about to apologize for his comment, when Chuuya suddenly started laughing. 

He was laughing. 

The mermaid closed his eyes and threw his head back. Eventually, the storm of giggles died down and Chuuya stared back at Dazai, a small smile on his face, “You’re interesting, Dazai. I’m not sure if we will ever meet again, but you’re different from the other humans…” 

Dazai gave a smile back, a genuine one, but it disappeared just as fast as it appeared on his face, “No, please. Come back tomorrow night, I want to see you again, Chuuya.” 

The mermaid doesn’t say anything, swimming back into the ocean. Dazai watched as Chuuya leaves, his vibrant hair slowly becoming smaller and smaller the farther he got, before he eventually dipped his head into the water. 

Dazai doesn’t realize how erratic his heart beat got. It was almost as if he had arrhythmia. He brings his hand to his face, and feels how warm his cheeks have gotten. If he could look at himself in the mirror right now, his face would probably be bright red. 

He goes home delirious, still feeling giddy. 

That night, he goes to sleep dreaming of Chuuya.

Chapter Text

The following day, he goes to the same spot he spoke to Chuuya. It was midnight and he stood there waiting for the mermaid. 

He had been waiting for a good ten minutes before he started getting worried. What if Chuuya doesn’t come back? 

His worries are vanquished however, as far in the distance he makes out what seemed to be red hair poking out from the water. He immediately beams in joy. He runs towards the shore and opens his arms to welcome Chuuya, only for the redhead to dodge him and move the other way. “Chuuya! I missed you! I was thinking about you all night!” 

The mermaid scoffs, but there is a small smile on his face, “Well I don’t want to see you constantly trying to kill yourself in my waters.” 

Dazai nods, and Chuuya sits by him, “Before we start any long conversations, let me take you somewhere more private. I don’t like being out in the open like this,” Chuuya grabs his arm and brings Dazai into the water before the brunet could even say yes. 

He was submerged into the icy water, but he felt very warm holding Chuuya’s hand. 

Suddenly they were swimming, and Chuuya was fast . Now Dazai is wondering how the hell he ever got caught in his net. 

Dazai could barely see anything, but he trusts Chuuya. 

Eventually, he felt Chuuya slow down. He is pulled out of the water and is now face to face with a large, beautiful cave. He’s seen caves like this in pictures, but never before in person. It’s all so thrilling. “This is so nice, Chuuya! Is this where you take all your dates?” Dazai teases. 

Chuuya rolls his eyes, and plops himself down on the side, dipping his tail into the water. “So? You said you wanted to see me again. What would you like to talk about?” 

Dazai claps his hands together and grins at him, “I’m just very curious about you! I mean, I’ve never seen someone as majestic as you! And also I know you’ve been watching me from afar all this time, but why?” 

Chuuya gives him an unimpressed look, but answers him anyway, “I’m sure you’re already well aware that I’m a mermaid. I don’t trust humans, and you’re a fisherman. You practically kill my friends. It’s fine though, I don’t really care about any of that. The main reason that I was following you around is because I was suspicious, okay?” 

Dazai raises an eyebrow at him, “Suspicious of what?” 

He sighed, “One glance at me and you suddenly started trying to attract me. All those times you were trying all those mermaid hunting methods… I thought you were him.” 

“Him?” Dazai was confused, although he already had a sneaking feeling on who he is. 

“Fyodor Dostoevsky. He studied marine biology, and of course, when he saw one of my mermaid comrades, he became obsessed with finding mermaids. He’s captured too many of my friends, and I was afraid you’d be the same, since you were using similar methods that he was.” 

Dazai placed his hands over Chuuya’s, and interlocks their fingers together, “I know we just met, but you can trust me, Chuuya.” 

The mermaid blushed slightly, and he pushed Dazai’s hands away, “What about you? I want to learn more about you.” 

“Well, I’m a fisherman! But one day I want to become a detective and help people. That is a far away dream right now, but that’s okay. I’m also obsessed with suicide!” 

Chuuya crossed his arms and glared at him, “That last part I already knew. Seriously, what were you thinking?! Cutting yourself and jumping into the ocean like that? What if I hadn’t come?” 

“But you did. I knew you would!” 

Chuuya sighed, and he shifted closer to Dazai, and gently held his wrist, “Is it healed now?” 

“Yeah it is. Thanks for worrying, Chuuya.” 

“Whatever. The smell of your blood irks me, for some reason. It also meddled with my powers…” 

At that comment, Dazai perked up, “Powers? Like were you the one causing all those rough waves that first time we met?” 

Chuuya nodded, and he held his arm out. Suddenly, there was a bright glowing red surrounding them and Dazai felt the cave thrum underneath him. Droplets of water fell on top of him, and he grinned feeling it drip down his forehead. Then Chuuya stopped, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked like he was remembering something unpleasant. “Oh, I should bring you back now.” 

Dazai panicked. Will this be the last time he and Chuuya will speak to each other? “Wait! Can I see you again tomorrow?” 

The mermaid rolled his eyes yet again, but smiled at Dazai, “Fine then. You are quite interesting.” 

Dazai beamed at him. 

He was genuinely happy for the first time in months. 

***

Dazai started meeting up with Chuuya everyday at midnight. 

No one suspected a thing, and his friends even noticed his change of mood. He was having lunch with Yosano and Ranpo one time when they pointed out, “You got a girlfriend or something, Dazai? You seem lost in the clouds…” 

Dazai waves his hand at them in a dismissing way, “Ah, it’s nothing!” 

Ranpo snickers at him, throwing a piece of sea salt toffee into his mouth, “Doesn’t look like nothing!” 

He sighs, throwing his head back. Nothing ever gets past Ranpo, and that’s why Dazai sometimes feels uneasy around the older man. “Fine. I met someone. But you guys won’t ever get to meet them!” 

Yosano throws him a thumbs down, and Ranpo blows a raspberry, but Dazai continues laughing, not responding to their remarks. 

***

He meets up with Chuuya again. They’ve gotten closer, and he can tell that Chuuya is less wary of him than when they first spoke. 

In fact, he could say that Chuuya is quite comfortable with him. 

Comfortable enough that the mermaid revealed to him yet another power of his. 

It started when Dazai asked him a very specific question, “Hm. I know you said that you’re protecting all the other mermaids, but where do you guys even live? You’re literally the only mermaid I’ve ever seen near the port.” 

Chuuya sighs, and he doesn’t respond at first. Dazai notices him picking at his hands, is he that stressed about protecting everyone? 

“They live far away from the port, but it doesn’t stop some of the other fishermen from venturing near our home. It’s really bad. Just last week two of my friends got caught in the nets. They weren’t captured, but they were badly injured. Ah, it’s annoying. That’s why most mermaids have abandoned their roots and decided to live with the humans.” 

What? 

What did Chuuya mean by that? 

“Huh? There are mermaids living amongst us?” Dazai is confuzzled. He’s pretty sure that he'd notice if there was a half human half fish creature walking around in HamaYoko…

 Chuuya sighs once more, and he closes his eyes. Dazai can feel the cave rumbling like that one time Chuuya showed him his power, and he braced himself. 

Except this time, the rumbling only lasted a few seconds. Dazai turns to Chuuya and is met with another flash of red. 

Dazai looks Chuuya up and down. That beautiful mermaid tail is now replaced with long, pale legs, and Dazai is malfunctioning. His cheeks warm up as he views Chuuya’s new form. 

He was naked. 

And Dazai was having a hard time keeping his eyes from wandering down there. God he feels like a pervert. 

“We can transform into humans like you. It does take a lot of power though, and it can be exhausting. Some mermaids prefer doing that, but I’d rather not live amongst your kind. No offense…” 

“None taken! This is so cool though, Chuuya! You know, the next question I’m about to ask is actually more offensive, if you don’t mind me asking of course…” 

Chuuya raises an eyebrow at him, “What is it?”

“So is that how mermaids reproduce?! I’ve always wondered since you guys have tails and all…” Dazai pointed directly at Chuuya, and the redhead felt self conscious all of a sudden. There was a slight redness on his cheeks. 

“...” 

“How about you just shut your fucking mouth for right now, alright? I’m not answering that!” 

Dazai laughed hard, hard enough that there were tears prickling in the corner of his eyes. “Okay fine—But how do you have so many powers? I’m sorry Chuuya, but I’m so curious!” 

The mermaid shook his head at him, but smiled at Dazai in a cheeky way, “Some mermaids have special abilities, such as myself. These mermaids are the main protectors. Where did these powers come from? Well mermaids are very adaptable creatures, and the skills we’ve acquired have evolved over centuries. It’s all a tactic to survive, especially when your greatest enemies are humans.There are some mermaid abilities that can be learned and mastered, if you are strong enough. It’s like a human’s way of learning martial arts…” He paused thinking of the next set of words. Dazai was just impressed with everything, his face full of awe. He’s just surprised that Chuuya even knew what martial arts were, but then again, he doesn’t seem like a clueless mermaid.

 “These powers are becoming less common over the last few years though, as most mermaids have decided to just go into hiding. It’s hard, but I’ve gotten used to it.” Chuuya crosses his arms and Dazai gulps as he stares at the other man.. The sunlight coming down from the cracks of the cave illuminates Chuuya perfectly, making his multi-colored eyes stand out, and his— abs more pristine. 

Why the hell is he thinking about Chuuya like this?! 

“You know, I’m a fisherman! I speak with other fishermen! I could help you out and talk with them so they could stop fishing in your waters!” Dazai suggested to him. Chuuya hummed, a small smile on his face. 

“You’d do that for me? It would be a massive help, but you don’t have to…” Chuuya had a bright flush on his cheeks, and Dazai was kind of proud of himself for being the cause of it. 

He leaned in close towards Chuuya and clasped their hands together, “Of course. We’re friends now, right?” 

Chuuya nodded, and although he was hesitant, Chuuya squeezed Dazai’s hand back. “Yeah. We’re friends.”

They awkwardly sit there staring at each other, before Chuuya eventually pulls his hands back to his side. He avoids Dazai’s gaze, and the brunet is a bit disappointed. “So how are we doing this?”

“We? Chuuya, you don’t have to worry about a single thing! Just leave it to me!” 

The mermaid scoffs, and rolls his eyes, “I can’t let you do all the work, let me help you, please. I can use my human disguise to come with you, or something, I don’t know!” 

Dazai blinked. He blinked a few times actually. He smirked at Chuuya, a sleazy smile on his face. How stubborn. “Alright, fine. Perhaps it’d be more believable if an ocean expert were to come with me!” 

“Yeah. So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Chuuya asked him quietly, and Dazai nodded. 

He had yet another goal. 

And it was all Chuuya. 

***

The first thing Dazai does the following day is to find Chuuya. The redhead probably doesn’t have any clothes, so he brings a bag full of clothes for him. It’s pretty hot out that day in Hamayoko, so he brings light clothes for the moment. 

The day before, they discussed where they would meet up, and they decided on the very corner of the port where nobody goes. The reason being is because there is only a small body of water there, and most of the area is off limits to visitors. Only workers are allowed. 

So Dazai heads over there with no problem at all. Nobody bats an eye. 

He waits by the shore, and when he spots that familiar head of orange hair, he grins. “Hi, Chuuya!” 

The mermaid swims close, and Dazai notices that he’s already transformed into a human. He hands Chuuya a towel, and the redhead dries himself as fast as he can. “Thanks.” 

“Well, now that you’re here, let’s go somewhere more private, yeah? I don’t think you want your junk right in the open…” Chuuya wraps the towel around his waist, his eyes darting away from Dazai. 

The brunet points towards one of the outhouses, signaling Chuuya to follow him. When he attempts to walk, Chuuya’s legs buckle underneath him, like a baby deer taking its first steps, which probably isn’t too far of a comparison. “Agh! Fuck, I’m not used to walking on land…” 

Dazai laughs at him and offers his shoulder to lean on, which Chuuya begrudgingly accepts with a grunt, “Shut up…” He mutters to Dazai, who was silently snickering at the scene. 

“Huh? I didn’t even say anything!” 

“I know you were about to say something stupid! Whatever! Let’s just hurry up!” 

The outhouse wasn’t too far, so they made it there fast. Dazai handed Chuuya the bag of clothes and waited outside. 

Before he realized that Chuuya probably doesn’t even know how to put on clothes.

He calls out to him inside, “Hey! Do you need some help in there?” 

There is a pause, and Dazai was about to yell again unsure on whether or not Chuuya heard him, but the redhead finally responds, “Yeah—I’m kind of stuck.” 

The sound of the door unlocking is what he hears first, and Dazai hesitantly peeked through the crack. Inside was Chuuya, a shirt suffocating him. 

Dazai almost bursts out laughing at the scene. Chuuya shoots him a glare, so Dazai shuts up immediately. He moves closer to Chuuya and hikes the shirt over his head. Even though Chuuya is very built, Dazai is still taller, so the shirt looks oversized on him. 

The next thing to put on was the underwear. Dazai didn’t need to help Chuuya with that, the mermaid has enough common sense to know how to slip it on. 

The pants were last. They were just some random jeans Dazai found in his closet that he barely used, and seeing them on Chuuya made him drool. Although it ran long and needed to be cuffed, the jeans were a tight fit. Dazai had a hard time trying to keep his eyes off Chuuya’s backside, he didn’t want to look like a pervert! Although he was seriously turning into one. 

Once every item of clothing was on, Chuuya turned to Dazai and spun around, showing off his clothes. He was wearing a wine colored polo shirt and some dark colored jeans. Normally, this clothing combo would look like shit on Dazai, but on Chuuya? 

Dazai couldn’t decide whether or not Chuuya looked more beautiful in his mermaid form or in his human form. He supposes that Chuuya was just beautiful in every way. 

Chuuya looked at himself in the mirror, inspecting the clothes and tugging on them, “Hm. I’m still not used to human fashion… I’ve only ever been in this form a few times, but each time was quite uncomfortable. At least I look good.” 

Dazai rolled his eyes. Chuuya looked more than just good. But that wasn’t the part he was focused on. “Oh? So this isn’t the first time you’ve been on the surface?” Dazai asks him, genuinely curious. When they first met, Chuuya hated him. He showed very clear animosity towards Dazai, and cursed humans out constantly. So why would Chuuya want to go on the surface? 

“Mainly to visit some friends, you know? Even though they live on the surface, I won’t judge them for wanting to live their life. I know how hard it is to be a mermaid, and I don’t blame them at all.” 

“Ah wait! You don’t have shoes yet! Sit down, I’ll help you put them on.” Chuuya sat down on the side, and hunched over, pulling his socks up. The shoes Dazai brought also fit Chuuya perfectly. They were also an old pair he owned, but Dazai didn’t use them much so it still looked brand new. 

Dazai looked up at Chuuya to see the redhead staring directly at him. He quickly looks away, but Dazai doesn’t miss the way the tip of Chuuya’s ears are red. “Thanks… Seriously, you don’t need to do this, Dazai.” 

The brunet waves him off, and stands, stretching his arms. “I told you, it’s no problem, Chuuya!” 

The mermaid tries to stand, and successfully does so. They leave the outhouse and Chuuya is stumbling. Dazai catches him in time though, and pulls him close so he doesn’t fall again. 

They don’t realize that there was a man waiting outside, and upon exiting he smirks at them and scoffs. “Had a fun time in there? Took quite a long time…” 

Dazai shakes his head and ignores the man, but Chuuya is furiously blushing. 

“Don’t mind that guy. Anyways, before we eat, let's stop by a diner or something. I skipped breakfast so I’m hungry as hell…” Chuuya nodded, not objecting. 

The diner Dazai was talking about wasn’t too far away, a ten minute walk at least—But with the mermaid struggling with his legs by his side, it took much longer. 

They did in fact get a lot of stares from strangers, but it didn’t matter. Once they were seated down inside, no one else mattered. It was just Dazai and Chuuya in their own little world. 

The waitress comes over and places glasses of water down on their table. “Take your time looking through the menu, I’ll be back soon!” She smiles at them, and Chuuya returns the gesture. 

“Sooo, take a look at the menu! I’ll pay for your food, Chuuya!”

Chuuya nodded, and he started flipping through the menu. Everything is new to him, all these foods. He’s only ever eaten a few human foods, and Chuuya wasn’t disappointed at all. He might hate the humans for killing too many of his kind, but when it comes to inventions, he has to admit that the humans are extremely advanced. 

His eyes lock onto a specific meal, and he points at it, “Waffles and a side of bacon and eggs? I don’t know what it is, but the pictures look good…” 

Dazai nods, and takes a sip from his water, “Good choice. I’ll probably have the same.” He calls the waitress over, and she strides towards them with a little notepad. 

“Hi! So we’ll have two orders of waffles with a side of bacon and eggs. Also two coffees, please. Thank you!” 

The waitress nods and writes their order down, “Alright! I’ll be back with your food soon!” 

As soon as she leaves, Chuuya leans over Dazai and puts on a serious face, “Okay so about the plan… How are we going to go about this?” 

“I mean, I have quite a silver tongue, you know? I can convince those other fishermen easily! What should I tell them though? You’re the ocean expert, it’ll be more believable if we have good reasoning.” 

Chuuya scratched his chin, thinking for a moment, “Well, we could tell them that the overfishing is harming the environment. There are lots of coral reefs in Yokohama bay. Many of the fish living there feed on the algae, and if the algae overgrows the coral reefs will be destroyed. There’s also another place I know perfect for fishing, no mermaids ever go there because of the ungodly amount of fish residing there.” 

Dazai claps his hands together and beams at Chuuya, “Perfect! You’re so smart, have I told you that yet?” 

“N-No… Thanks though. You’re not as dumb as I thought either.” Chuuya tucked his hair behind his ear, and Dazai could see the red flush on his cheeks again. 

“Ah, sorry to ruin this romantic moment between you folks but your waffles are here.” The waitress chuckles awkwardly and places two plates of food in front of them. “Enjoy your meal.” 

Chuuya sighs, shaking his head. Dazai thought it was all funny though. “Let’s eat!” 

The waffles smelled really good, and Chuuya didn't realize how hungry he was because his stomach started rumbling. He looks over at Dazai and sees the brunet holding onto a fork and knife and cutting the waffles. Chuuya tries to mimic his movements, but his hold on the utensils were a bit sloppy. 

Dazai notices him struggling and snickers, “Do you need some help?” 

Chuuya rolls his eyes at Dazai’s smug look, but gives in to him anyway, “Stop making fun of me!” 

“I’m not, I’m not! Here,” Dazai cuts a piece of Chuuya’s waffle and brings it towards the redhead’s mouth. Chuuya is hesitant, but bites it. 

Instantly the flavors melt onto his tongue, and he almost cries from how good it is. 

Fuck the utensils, he might just eat this with his barehands. The waffles paired with the bacon and eggs too? He doesn’t even know what the hell bacon is, but it tastes 100x better than kelp.  Chuuya is literally moaning with the waffles in his mouth and Dazai is staring at him weirdly. “Wow. You’re eating like you've been starved for days…” 

“Ugh, I feel like I’ve been starved for days! I wish I discovered this food sooner,” Chuuya didn’t care that there was syrup dripping down the side of his chin, and Dazai honestly admired him for that. 

Just as they were about to engage in another conversation, Dazai hears two very familiar voices from behind him, “Oh no…” 

“Dazai! Ohoho, and who is this?” Ranpo and Yosano. 

Shit! 

They’re definitely going to start teasing him now! “Ahaha, this is my friend Chuuya!” 

Chuuya looks confused, but he greets them anyway. If Dazai is comfortable around them, then they’re probably not a threat. “Hi,” He waves to them, but shudders when two predatory smiles reflect back to him. 

As if they didn’t have any manners, Yosano and Ranpo squeeze into their table, and immediately they start questioning Dazai, “Hey, is this the one that’s got you enamored these past few weeks?” Ranpo asked him, not even bothering to lower his voice. Chuuya raised an eyebrow and Dazai almost wanted to jump out the window at that moment. 

“You guys are so weird! No! Like I said, he’s just a friend!” 

Yosano scoffs and rolls her eyes, smirking at Dazai, “No need to be so embarrassed, Dazai! We’re just curious…” Then she turns to Chuuya, and smiles brightly at him, “You’re quite handsome! I like women, but I can see why Dazai likes you so much! Where are you from? You don’t look like you’re from Hamayoko…” 

Before Chuuya can answer, Dazai cuts him off, “He’s an ocean expert from France! Definitely not from here!” 

Ranpo hums in acknowledgement, and throws a pointing finger over at Chuuya, “France, huh? Can ya say something in French?” Dazai slaps a palm over his forehead. If there’s anyone that will figure out who Chuuya is, it most definitely would be Ranpo!

Dazai for sure thought that he and Chuuya were done for, but once again, the mermaid continues to surprise him. In perfect French, Chuuya responded with, ”Peut être tue toi,” Dazai just stared at him with wide eyes, mouth agape. He quickly shuts his mouth before Yosano and Ranpo can comment though. 

He won’t ever admit it, but Chuuya’s French accent is sexy. 

Where the hell did Chuuya learn to speak French though? 

Ranpo nods, leaning back and Yosano hums in approval, “Well alright. I guess we should leave you two to it. Wouldn’t want to impose on your date.” 

Dazai glares at the two of them, but before he can curse them out, they quickly slip away, going who knows where. 

He turns to Chuuya and sighs apologetically, “Sorry about them. They’re my friends, Yosano and Ranpo, but they can be a little annoying…” 

“It’s fine. They seem interesting.” Chuuya tries giving him a reassuring pat on the back, but somehow it makes Dazai feel even more pathetic. 

Once Ranpo and Yosano are out of earshot, Dazai decides to ask Chuuya the one million dollar question. “So where did you learn French from? I thought you were a Japanese mermaid.” 

Chuuya rolls his eyes and smiles at him, a peculiar glint in his eyes, “Did you think I spent my whole life swimming around in the same bay? I traveled far, of course. I spent one summer in France visiting the beautiful country with my older brother. I learned a lot from him.” 

“Oh, you have a brother?” Dazai tilted his head in curiosity. He didn’t think Chuuya had any siblings, nor did the redhead ever mention his family. 

“Yeah, sorta. Verlaine. He pretty much raised me. I don’t know who my mother and father are. I also have an older sister, Kouyou, my Ane-san. ”

“Mm. I get that. My annoying uncle raised me. I hate him, but at least you and your brother are close.” Chuuya nodded, and he continued to eat his waffles, slowly getting used to holding the utensils. 

The rest of their breakfast in the diner is spent in silence, only the sounds of chattering guests, and clinking silverware could be heard. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence though. Dazai actually likes this peaceful moment between him in Chuuya. Usually they’d be bickering with each other, but right now it’s much more different.

When their plates were cleaned, Chuuya let out a moan, and threw his head back, “Can we go rest at your home for a second? I don’t think I can move much after eating all this…” 

“Sure! Aw, I’m so excited to show you my apartment!” Dazai claps his hands together and stands up, slapping money down on the table and prompting Chuuya to follow him. “Let’s go! It’s not too far from here.”

Chuuya tries to balance on his two feet, but his legs are still wobbly. Dazai holds onto his arm and waist. The icy touch of Dazai’s hand around him makes Chuuya shiver.

They moved swiftly through the streets, and slowly, Chuuya was getting used to his legs. He hasn’t been on the surface in so long, and it feels extremely weird. “We’re almost there, Chuuya!” 

Dazai continued to hold onto him, never letting go as if Chuuya were some precious, ornate piece of china. Eventually, they stop in front of a small apartment complex. It overlooked the shore and Chuuya loved how pretty the sea looked from this distance. 

They entered the apartment complex and Dazai led him up the stairs. They continued walking up until they were finally stopped in front of a door. Dazai fished his key from his pocket and gingerly opened his door. “Home sweet home!” 

Chuuya took in everything. Dazai’s apartment was small, but looked cozy enough. There was a large couch in the center of the living room, a glass coffee table, and some plants that Chuuya can tell Dazai hasn’t cared for. There were also several liquor bottles scattered around. “Ah, just rest in my bedroom, if you want…” Dazai offered. Chuuya nodded, and he followed him to the room.

The room was small, and extremely plain with only bare necessities, such as his bed being the only thing occupying the space. Chuuya collapses on top of the bed, his legs swinging off the side. He melts into Dazai’s blankets, and inhales the comforting scent. “Mmm. I might just fall asleep here.”

The brunet chuckled at him, and laid down next to Chuuya. Their eyes are locked onto each other. “Like I said,you can rest here. I’ll wait for you to wake up. It must be very exhausting to be a mermaid.” 

Chuuya rolls his eyes, but a small smile is on his face. “Yeah whatever… Mermaids don’t even have beds this soft, you know? We lay on rocks.” 

“Ah, that must suck. Do you at least get a pillow of algae or something?”

Chuuya shakes his head, “No. Just the comforting water surrounding my body, I suppose.” 

“Huh. That’s interesting!” Dazai smiled at Chuuya, and he gave him a small smile. 

Their conversation stopped, and Dazai could tell that Chuuya was starting to succumb to his drowsiness. Dazai doesn’t know how hard it is being a mermaid, but he can tell that Chuuya is very hard working. He’s doing all of this for his family after all. Dazai aspires to be like Chuuya. 

Fuck, Chuuya isn’t even a human but everything about him says otherwise. 

In a way, Dazai is envious of his selflessness. But at the same time, it’s one of the many things about Chuuya that Dazai admires so much. 

He doesn’t realize he’s been daydreaming until the low grumble of Chuuya’s snores snap him out of it. 

Cute. 

Dazai shifted closer to the mermaid, and wrapped his arms around him, encompassing him in his warmth. 

Chapter Text

Chuuya awakes with a jolt. He frantically looks around the room, only to find darkness. 

Shit! What time is it?!

He stumbles out of bed, struggling to get Dazai’s arms off of his body. It was hard to do, considering the fact that Dazai was practically glued to his side. Finally, the brunet wakes up just as startled as Chuuya was. 

“What time is it?!”

Dazai is confused, but looks over towards his watch, “11:42 PM?” 

“Fuck! Agh, I need to head back right now!” Chuuya trips over the blanket, and groans out of frustration. He sprints out of Dazai's bedroom, and throws on his shoes. 

“Wait! Why don’t you just stay the night?” 

Chuuya shakes his head, and in a flash, they’re suddenly running down the stairs and heading out of Dazai’s apartment. 

Dazai doesn’t know why Chuuya is suddenly in a rush, but it must be important for him to be panicking like this…

Eventually, they make it back to the shore where they first met up. Chuuya immediately stripped himself down, and jumped into the water, not wasting a single second. 

Dazai yelled out to him, “So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah! Good night, Dazai…” 

Chuuya disappeared into the water, leaving behind his clothes. Dazai sighed, treading back to his apartment. He hopes that whatever problem Chuuya has will be solved.

Unbeknownst to him, the exact opposite was happening. 

Chuuya swam towards his home where he knew he was going to be chewed out. 

“Ane-san! Ugh, I’m sorry I’m late!” Chuya bowed down to his ‘older sister’ Kouyou, but she just huffed in response. 

Unlike Chuuya who is a mermaid, Kouyou is a siren. She is extremely beautiful, and at times she would show off her beauty to the sailors and fishermen threatening their territory, before effectively destroying their ships. 

Chuuya met Kouyou when he was a young lad. Lad. That’s what she had called him when he accidentally crashed into her while hunting for food. He was trying to get onto a pirate’s ship, but failed miserably. Despite the fact that Chuuya had shoved her over like an insolent child, she showed him kindness, and even taught him a few things that Chuuya still uses today. 

She taught him how to present himself in a proper way. Kouyou fixed him up, and made him look beautiful. Chuuya already knew he was good looking, but he never thought he would use his appearance for such tactics. 

Men were gullible creatures. Chuuya hated the way the sailors would gawk over him, and expected something malicious in return. 

He doesn’t feel bad for drowning them and destroying their ships. 

Even after all those years, Kouyou still looked at Chuuya with worrying eyes as if he were the same little boy. 

She stares at him with the same worrying eyes right now. “It’s okay, Chuuya. I’ve been seeing you less and less… What’s going on with you?” 

He chuckles at her nervously, a hand behind his neck, “Ah, it’s nothing… Just making sure there weren’t any fishermen that were fishing too close to us…”

Kouyou gives him an unconvinced look, but she doesn’t pry, “Alright then, I’m just a bit worried about you. The humans are expanding their territories, it’s becoming more dangerous for us, Chuuya. I know you are strong, but you aren’t invincible…” 

Chuuya sighed, and sat down on a rock, “I understand, Ane-san. I’m just trying to protect everyone.” 

She patted his back and brought him in for a hug, “I know, Chuuya. Just be careful, alright?”

He nodded at her, but there was a lump in his throat. 

***

Chuuya met up with Dazai in the same spot as before. He brought some new clothes, and just like before, they looked good on Chuuya. 

“Hey,” Dazai smiles at him, and Chuuya tries to return the same look back, only to give the brunet a scowl instead. 

“Woah. Someone slept on the wrong side of the, uh, rock last night?” 

Chuuya rolled his eyes and threw on the shirt, “Kind of. Sorry. I was just thinking too much last night.” 

“It’s fine. Shall we go? The other fishermen should be working by now! Ooh! That reminds me, I should introduce you to my co-worker Atsushi!” 

The redhead nods as he pulls on the pants, “Sure. Let’s just leave now!” He grabbed Dazai and headed towards the exit. He has literally never run this fast before, the only thing fueling him at the moment is his fear. 

Somehow, the hairs at the back of his neck are standing up. He has a strange feeling that he’s being watched, and he’s not taking any chances.

Dazai doesn’t question anything, and lets himself be pulled away. “Alright then. Follow me!” 

They walked towards the port, the smell of the sea salt air did wonders to calm Chuuya down. He wasn’t as tense as he was before. 

They strolled towards where the boats were docked and Dazai walked up to his fellow fisherman and started chatting. This particular pair of fishermen could be better described as pirates, but they were the ones who ran most of the fishing. They were called the Hunting Dogs, for whatever reason. Dazai doesn’t work under them, and prefers being a solo worker alongside Atsushi, but he does try to be at least friendly with them. “Hey! I’ve got a proposition for all of you!” The group turned their heads towards Dazai, and stared at him with confusion. 

“What the hell do you want?” An older man asks him with a gruff voice. That was Fukuchi. Dazai isn’t too familiar with him, but he knows that Fukuzawa was. Ranpo didn't tell Dazai much about their history, but he knows it was sad, a pirate and a humble man. 

“Welllll… I know a better spot to fish! Hundreds of fish! That must pique your interest right?” 

They look at him in interest, humming in approval, but the same older man is still suspicious of him. “Why should we believe you?” 

Dazai grins at them, stepping aside to show off Chuuya, “Well, my dear friend here is an ocean expert from France and has helped me discover this specific spot full of fish. I’m just helping you all out, you know… The more fish you catch, the more you can sell.” 

Fukuchi is pulled aside by his shipmates whispering in his ear. The young girl has her arms crossed while the ginger boy is looking over at Dazai skeptically. Fukuchi turns around and gives him a stern look. “Fine then. Show us. You’re lucky your suggestions have always been right in the past.”

Fukuchi leads both Dazai and Chuuya onto their ship. Chuuya has only ever been on a pirate’s ship once in his life, and that was not a fun experience. The ship was large and the sails even larger. 

While Fukuchi was setting up their ship to sail, Chuuya took that time to examine all the other pirates. That young girl was very energetic. Her red hair was bouncing as she clung onto that ginger man. He had a bandage on his nose and was laughing along with her gimmicks. 

One of the other pirates he saw was a man with white hair with red streaks on the ends. He had his eyes closed the entire time, and Chuuya could only assume he was blind. It was impressive though, the fact that he didn’t need a walking stick to move around. The last pirate he saw was a man with spiky brown hair and markings on his face. He was crouched over looking at a trail of ants, which Chuuya found weird. 

These pirates aren’t like those he normally encountered. They still all had wild outfits and loud personalities, but they definitely don’t have the same pirate vibes he’s seen around the Caribbean. 

Fukuchi is back, and he’s staring directly at Chuuya, “Alright Mister ocean expert, where the hell is this spot full of fish?” 

Chuuya knows the sea by heart, so it isn’t hard to locate the area, “It’s by the west near the rock formations… I’ve been there before to study the numerous varieties of fish…” Chuuya says it so naturally that no one bats an eye. 

Fukuchi lets out a huff, and steers the wheel towards the direction Chuuya was pointing to. 

“Why are you even helping us? I don’t even know your name, we are complete strangers.”

“I’m Chuuya. It wasn’t my original intention to help you out. I honestly reached out to Dazai for help since the area you all have been fishing in is slowly getting destroyed. Let’s just say that I am very passionate about the ocean.” 

Fukuchi shrugs, accepting Chuuya’s statement. Dazai leans towards Chuuya and wraps an arm around his shoulder. “Everything's going so well! Ah, it’s so perfect!” 

Chuuya nodded, smiling at Dazai, “Yeah. Thank you again, for all of this, Dazai… This never would have happened if not for you.”

The redhead stared directly into his eyes, and Dazai was so mesmerized. He waves his hand at Chuuya, chuckling as he tries to hide his blush. “I already told you it’s no problem!” 

Before Chuuya could say anything more, Fukuchi clears his throat. They have arrived at the fish area. 

“Teruko, go and throw in a net. Let’s see if Chuuya is right about the large amount of fish here. Tachihara, go get the bait. Jouno and Tecchou, you two just go sit in a corner or something.” Teruko, the redhead girl, runs to get a net. She tossed it out into the ocean and they all stared down and waited. 

The ginger haired man with the bandage on his nose, Tachihara, threw in some bait, and sure enough, in just a few moments, the telltale sound of fish scurrying around is heard. Fukuchi looks down and sees the fish flocking in the net. He hauls it up and drops the fish inside their large container. 

“Damn! Chuuya wasn’t lying!” Tachihara cheered, slapping Chuuya on the back.

Fukuchi nodded in satisfaction, and laughed loudly. “Nice! Well, Dazai, Chuuya, thank you both for showing us this spot. This is going to earn us at least twice as much money than fishing by the bay!” 

Chuuya was just happy that his friends would be safer. He let out a sigh of relief. 

Dazai cheered alongside the rest of them. He actually got two positives out of this: One, Chuuya was happy! He loves seeing the mermaid smile, it makes him not want to die just yet! Two, he and Atsushi will have a bonus on their salary now that they’ve discovered this area of fish. 

He watches Chuuya as he rests against the side of the vessel, staring off into the ocean. The sun was just beginning to rise, and his eyes lit up upon seeing it. Dazai crosses his arms, standing beside Chuuya, studying his face. 

“The sky looks pretty now, but wait till you see it up high! Hey Fukuchi, could we climb on top?” Dazai points to the deck near the sails. 

Fukuchi rolls his eyes, “Fine. Just don’t break anything…” 

Dazai grabbed Chuuya and they climbed to the top. When they were situated, Chuuya could now properly see the sunrise, and how truly breathtaking it was. 

“Nice, right? I’ve been here only a few times, just to mess around with the Hunting Dogs, but it’s actually great up here.” Chuuya was too busy staring at the sky than to look at Dazai, while all Dazai looked at was Chuuya. 

“Yeah, it’s beautiful… I’ve never seen the sunrise like this before. Normally it just reflects off the water.” 

They stood there in silence, the wind and the sound of seagulls the only sound to be heard. 

***

The two of them ended up finding themselves back in Dazai’s apartment. They were resting on the couch, laying on each other, warmth radiating off their bodies. Dazai’s arm was around Chuuya’s waist while Chuuya’s arms were around his neck. 

It wasn’t anything weird, they were just cuddling as friends. It has been a long day for them, and they deserve a good rest. There’s nothing more to it. 

Yet Dazai can’t help but breathe into Chuuya’s hair that smelled perfectly like the sea. Of course he smelled like the ocean, duh. 

He shook his head, trying to ward off his weird thoughts. Ever since he met Chuuya, it’s like those thoughts just invaded his brain and stayed there like an annoying parasite. 

He can’t help it, Chuuya’s just— extraordinary. 

“What’re ya thinkin’ about?” Chuuya asked Dazai, his voice deep. 

“Ah, it’s nothing…” 

“Come on, I know it’s not nothing, just say it.” 

Dazai sighed. How can he lie to Chuuya’s face when the other man was staring at him like that? “Fine… I was just thinking that now that we’ve managed to keep the other fishermen away from your territories, there’s no reason for me and you to hang out anymore…” 

Chuuya gave him a look of confusion, but it then turned into a look of fury. “Who says we can’t hang out anymore? Do— Do you not want to?” His voice broke towards the end. 

The brunet sat up straight, putting his hands on Chuuya’s shoulders and looking him straight in the eyes. “No— No, nononono. Of course not. I really want to hang out with you, Chuuya. I was just worried that you would stop hanging out with me, y’know, since I’m not really that useful to you anymore.” 

Chuuya sighed, but gave Dazai a soft smile, one that made the brunet practically melt. “You don’t need to be useful to me. I enjoy your company, Dazai, you’re fun to talk to despite annoying the hell out of me at times, but I can’t say I dislike bickering with you either. I like you Dazai, you’re the only human I’ve ever considered a friend.” 

Chuuya took a hold of Dazai’s hands, and interlocked them together. Dazai’s hands were so cold compared to Chuuya’s, yet they felt so perfect around him. Dazai couldn’t say anything at first, silently staring with wide eyes. 

Then he sighed, grinning at the redhead, “Thank you, Chuuya… I’m happy when you’re with me.” 

They laid on the couch, hands still interlocked, foreheads pressed against each other. 

***

Chuuya visited Dazai more frequently, and everyone in Dazai’s social circle could tell. They all saw how much happier the fisherman was, and it was no doubt because of Chuuya. 

Everyone in the small town of Hamayoko at this point knew about Chuuya, the strange foreigner from France. 

It was baffling to Chuuya, seeing every human acting so nice to him. Usually he would be wary of people, but ever since Dazai, his views on humans have changed significantly. 

He’s met a lot of new people, and so far they’re very interesting, to say the least…

First there was that white haired kid, Atsushi. He was nice, but also very nervous talking to Chuuya. Dazai introduced them during Dazai’s working hours, and Chuuya got to hang around them while fishing around. 

Another one of Dazai’s friends that Chuuya got to meet was Kunikida. He was a blond uptight man who looked irritated at Dazai the whole time. He was kind enough to Chuuya though, and the redhead can tell that Kunikida cares about Dazai.

Lastly he met the two devils again. Ranpo and Yosano. Dazai and Chuuya ran into them while shopping for new clothes. 

Chuuya needed new clothes, he couldn’t be seen wearing the same outfit every day! Besides, the redhead actually likes human fashion, and he found out that he looks good wearing them. 

He and Dazai were just at a random thrift store when he saw the two siblings in the corner of his eye. “Oh hey! It’s Dazai and his little boyfriend!” Ranpo loudly pointed out. 

Dazai felt the hairs in the back of his neck stand when he heard his voice. “Oh God…” 

“You’re right! It’s Dazai and Chuuya! Are you guys looking for new clothes too?” Yosano creeped up beside them and inspected the clothes in their hands. Chuuya was holding a basic top and a pair of baggy jeans. 

“Heeeyyyyy, Yosano and Ranpo… Shouldn’t you two be helping Fukuzawa with his cats or something?” Dazai had an annoyed tone in his voice, almost as if he didn’t want Ranpo and Yosano there at the store with him. (Which he didn’t!)

Yosano waves her hand at him dismissively, crawling onto Chuuya’s side and handing him more clothes she thinks will suit him. Chuuya accepts them with a smile, lifting them up over his cuts to see if it would fit. “Don’t be such a downer, Dazai! Come on, we’ll help Chuuya pick out more clothes.” 

Dazai rolled his eyes, but cracked a small smile as he watches Yosano whisk Chuuya away into a fitting room, throwing him copious amounts of clothes. 

Ranpo stayed back with Dazai smirking at him with that all-knowing smile. “Why won’t you just admit that you’re in love with him?” 

Okay, he didn’t expect Ranpo to ask him that question. It caught Dazai so off guard that he nearly choked on his spit in surprise. “What are you even talking about, Ranpo?” Dazai lets out a nervous chuckle, ignoring the beads of sweat running down his face, “As if I’d ever be in love with that slug. Eurgh! Just thinking about it is making me want to kill myself!” 

Ranpo shakes his head in disappointment, letting out a sigh, “You don’t have to pretend with me, Dazai. I already know.” 

Dazai doesn’t answer his question. 

He’s not actually in love with Chuuya, is he? 

He has never fallen in love with anyone. All the girls he had taken out as flings were faceless, none of them mattered to Dazai. The only kind of love he has ever received is familial, or platonic. 

Never romantic. 

But thinking about Chuuya, it’s different. 

He thinks about their interactions, and how the redhead is able to so easily draw him in. He thinks about how easily Chuuya makes him laugh. He thinks about how caring the mermaid is to his family, and how hard he tries to protect them. He thinks about Chuuya’s beauty, and how he looks like someone straight out of a dream, too stunning to be real. 

Yet there he was, being dragged out the fitting room by Yosano and showing off his outfit, a black turtleneck with a white coat on top paired with tight black pants. 

As a mermaid or as a human, Chuuya is attractive either way, and Dazai can’t stop himself from ogling the redhead. 

Next to the sunrise, Chuuya is perhaps the most beautiful thing Dazai has ever seen. 

He leans over to Ranpo and whispers in his ear, his voice solemn and quiet, “It doesn’t matter if I love him or not. We can’t ever be together…” 

For the first time in forever, Ranpo stares at Dazai, his emerald green eyes full of understanding. 

“Hey! Look at Chuuya! Doesn’t he look 10x hotter?” Yosano gestured to the redhead and Chuuya stood there with a blush on his face. He had his arms on his sides showing off his clothes. 

Dazai gave him a once-over, nodding approvingly. “It looks nice. Is that all you’re going to get? I’ll pay for everything.” 

Chuuya shakes his head, walking back into the fitting room and yelling over his shoulder to Dazai, “You really don’t have to…” 

“It’s fine. I’m offering.” 

“I have my own money, you know! Did you think I was poor?” 

Dazai’s mouth falls open in shock. Since when did Chuuya have his own money?! “I’m trying to be a gentleman here! Come on, I rarely use my money for a good purchase, let me pay!” 

Chuuya loudly groans, and he emerges from the fitting room in a completely new outfit. A plain white shirt with a maroon jacket on top. He’s wearing the same black pants, but it works well with his top anyway. “Fucking fine!” 

Dazai clapped his hands together and walked towards Chuuya, completely ignoring Yosano and Ranpo behind him, giving him devilish smirks. “Great! Let’s go!” 

Once Dazai finally paid for Chuuya’s clothes, he thought that Ranpo and Yosano were going to leave them alone, but apparently not. 

When they exited the thrift store, Yosano swung them around, directing them straight into the bar just right next door. “Come on! It’s like 6 pm! They sell food here too!” Dazai rolled his eyes but followed her anyway. 

Chuuya wasn’t rejecting the offer either, his stomach rumbling quietly. Dazai supposes that it won’t be too bad, considering the fact that he hasn’t eaten out for dinner in a really long time. 

They walked right in, and Dazai could tell that this bar was classy. It wasn’t one of those regular bars that stunk like alcohol and run a mess by drunkies. 

No, this bar was fancy. 

“Ah, let’s just go over to that booth over there!” They pile into the booth, scanning through the menus. 

Chuuya was intrigued by human food, they were all so unique. His eyes lit up at the sight of this one particular food. “Hm, Curry. I think I’ll have that.”

“Curry? Y’know what, that sounds really good! I think I’ll have some of that too!” Yosano says. 

Ranpo nods, giving her a thumbs up, “I'll just share with you… I’m not too hungry right now.” 

Curry. Dazai hasn’t had that in a while, not since… 

“Yeah, same, I’ll have Curry too.” 

They called over their waiter to take their orders, and now they were situated. It wasn’t as awkward as it was during their first meeting together, but Chuuya was still a bit hesitant talking to Ranpo and Yosano. He isn’t used to being friendly with humans. 

“Hm. I could really use a drink of wine right now…” Chuuya muttered. Wine was something Kouyou had introduced to him. She brought it back home once after sinking a pirate’s ship, and gave it to Chuuya as a gift. At first he was hesitant, but after drinking a glass, he fell in love. 

“I like your tastes, Chuuya! I love wine too!” Yosano barked out a laugh, slapping him on the back. She snaps her fingers over towards the waiter and asks for two wines, but not before turning towards Ranpo and Dazai, “What about you two? Ya want something to drink as well?” 

“I’ll have a whiskey on the rocks.” 

“Eh, I’m not much of a drinker, but I guess I’ll have a Shirley Temple or something.” Ranpo shrugs. Of course he chooses the sweet drink. 

The waiter comes back with their drinks, and Yosano immediately downs it, “I think tonight is going to be a very eventful night! I propose we play a game of truth or dare!” 

“Truth or Dare? Are we eight?” Dazai raises an eyebrow at her. Any other night he would be down to play this game, but the truth is he’s actually really worried that Yosano and Ranpo might force him to do something stupid. 

“Come on Dazai! It’ll be fun!” Ranpo said in a cheery voice. 

Chuuya looked over to him with a curious face, “What’s Truth Or Dare?” Both Ranpo and Yosano gasped, as if they had just heard the most insane news ever. 

“No way! You’ve never played Truth or Dare before?” 

“No…?” 

“Then we should definitely play it! Come on, Dazai!” Yosano pleaded with him, hands crossed. 

After a few moments of begrudging silence, Dazai finally gave in, letting out an annoyed sigh. “Fine! I’m not starting though.” 

Both Yosano and Ranpo clapped while Chuuya sat there in confusion. “Wait, how do we play Truth or Dare?” 

“Ah, basically someone asks you, ‘Truth or Dare?’ and if you choose truth, you have to answer truthfully to the question they ask. If you choose dare, you have to do the thing they ask! It’s pretty simple!” Chuuya nods to Ranpo’s explanation, finally understanding. 

“Alright, I guess I’ll go first then!” Yosano declared, her gaze shifting over towards Chuuya, “Truth or Dare, Chuuya?”

He thought about the options. Dare? With how wild Yosano is, she might ask him to go out in the streets and propose to some random person or something like that. He settles for truth, “Truth.”

“Okay, uh, do you like Dazai?” 

He hears the brunet wince beside him. What an odd question.

“Well of course I like Dazai. He might be an asshole, but he’s shown me kindness…” 

At first, it was quiet at the table, but then the sound of Yosano and Ranpo snickering invaded them. “Hah, that is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said about Dazai!” Ranpo points out. 

“Whatever! Next! I’ll go! Yosano truth or dare?” Dazai cuts them off, a slight blush on his face. Chuuya looked at him puzzled. He’s only had one drink, there’s no way he could be drunk already. So what’s with the red face?

“Dare! I’m not scared of anything, Dazai!” She proudly states, putting her hands at her hips. 

Dazai took a look around the bar, scanning for anything, “Okaayy, well I dare you to flirt with that woman over there,” He points to a blonde girl wearing a ponytail. She was accompanied by a dark haired man, a false haired ginger, and another long, dark haired girl. 

“Wait. Isn’t that Higuchi With Akutagawa, Tachihara, and Gin?” 

“Huh.I guess so! I didn’t think they’d be here tonight!” Dazai says, acting as if he didn’t see them walk through the bar doors just a moment ago. “Well, you said you weren’t scared of anything, Yosano, what are you waiting for?” 

She takes a deep breath and marches right over to their table. She’s talked to Higuchi and their little friend group only a few times before, and they seemed like good people. Once she’s in Higuchi’s view, she leans down close to her face, “Uh, hey Higuchi… I was just over there and I wanted to say that you are looking beautiful tonight. Sorry, that’s all I have to say, goodbye!” 

Chuuya whispered over to Dazai, “Who are they?” 

“Ah, just a few friends, I guess.” 

From afar, Dazai can hear that friend group calling Yosano back, some loudly guffawing at her forwardness. Higuchi was a blushing mess, eyes darting away from Akutagawa. Gin looked a little too annoyed however. 

Yosano quickly ran back to their table, not bothering to look back to see Higuchi's reaction. 

“God, that was so humiliating… Well now that I did that, it’s your turn Dazai. Truth or Dare?” 

This is the part that Dazai hates. Truth or Dare. Each option could go wrong. 

“Dare.” 

“Okay, got it. Let me think… Oh! I dare you to kiss Chuuya! With consent of course! Only if he allows it!” Evil. What an evil woman. 

Dazai turned to Chuuya, a wide-eyed look on his face, “Y-You can’t ask me to do that!” 

Ranpo, after sitting quietly for a while now, chimes in, “And why not? You asked Yosano to flirt with Higuchi!” 

“That’s different! At least I didn’t ask her to kiss Higuchi–” 

“Stop with the fucking yelling! I’ll kiss Dazai. It’s just a game anyways,” Chuuya crossed his arms, and looked directly into Dazai’s eyes. The brunet shut up immediately. 

He leaned in first, closing the distance between them. Chuuya closed his eyes, yet Dazai kept his wide open. 

Everything around them seemed to get fuzzy, as if the world was disintegrating. All Dazai could focus on were Chuuya’s soft lips. 

Time just seemed to stop when they connected. Chuuya’s hands were on Dazai’s shoulders while Dazai was holding onto his face. It was so different from the kisses he’s shared with other women. 

Chuuya parted his mouth, letting his tongue slip into Dazai’s. Everything felt so good, and Dazai was having a hard time letting go. 

He couldn’t tell how long they’ve been kissing, but Chuuya suddenly pulls away, panting trying to catch his breath. 

Dazai looked back towards Ranpo and Yosano, and they both shared an unimpressed stare. “You two should get a room or something, this is embarrassing.” 

“Oh shut up!” Dazai snaps at Yosano, calling the waiter over for more drinks. 

He’s going to need it. 

***

As the night continues, even more chaos happens. Their round of drinks never seem to stop. 

Eventually Chuuya is slumped over the table, quietly snoring. Yosano is tipsy, while Ranpo is sitting there watching it all happen, taking pictures of everything that is happening. 

Dazai has had a couple of drinks, but he is nowhere as drunk as these two. 

He takes one last sip of his whiskey, and slings Chuuya’s arm over his shoulder, “I think I’m going to go and call it a night, I gotta get Chuuya home…” 

Ranpo waves to them, continuing to take photos of Yosano. “Goodnight!” 

Dazai stumbles trying to leave the bar. Although Chuuya looked small, he sure as hell weighed a lot. It wasn’t easy, but he managed. 

Chuuya was an awfully loud drunk. He didn’t think mermaids could get intoxicated so fast, because Dazai swears he’s seen him drink only a few glasses. “H-Hey, Dazai! Y’know, I’ve been traveling up here, why can’t you go into the ocean with me down there?”

“Well, I don’t have magical powers like you, Chuuya. I can’t exactly breathe underwater.” 

“Sure you can! I can just kiss you again and we can share the air! That kiss was—nice, by the way…” 

Dazai didn’t know what to say. This is a drunk Chuuya talking, he can’t take a drunk man’s words to heart. Instead he sighs, letting his hands intertwine with Chuuya’s, “Whatever you say, Slug…” 

Chuuya’s legs were having a hard time walking, and Dazai almost wanted to give the redhead a piggy back ride, but he decided against that. His apartment wasn’t too far anyways. Chuuya was still mumbling to himself, and Dazai found his monologues extremely interesting. 

“So Chuuya. You told me that you had money earlier, but I want to ask how? I mean, I didn’t know mermaids could have money.”

Dazai was just messing around, but he didn’t expect to actually get an answer.”Most of my money is from my brother, and also from sunken ship wrecks. Humans leave a lot of trash on the beach, you know? That’s why I hate humans, except you, of course…”

The brunet laughed at that. Chuuya always finds a way to make him smile, no matter what. 

It was getting darker and darker, and the street lights were the only thing guiding Dazai. As they were turning a corner, Dazai bumps into someone. “Ah, I’m sorry…” 

When he faces the person he collided into, he almost lets his face contort to an expression of shock. 

Fyodor Dostoevsky. 

Purple eyes stare back into his, void of any emotion or light, “Dazai. I didn’t expect to see you here…” His gaze shifts over to Chuuya, who was nodding off and drooling onto Dazai’s coat, “And who is this?”

Dazai scoffed, pushing Fyodor to the side, “None of your business. Have a good night!” He doesn’t bother to look back. He knows that rat has already somehow disappeared. Whatever. He just needs to get Chuuya home. 

***

The following morning, Chuuya woke up with a pounding headache. He can’t even remember much of anything that happened last night. 

Except for when he kissed Dazai. 

He touched his lips, remembering the moment. Somehow it felt nice. He’s never kissed anyone before. It was warm, and comforting, and he wants to do it again. 

No, he can’t think this way. Dazai probably doesn’t even care too much about romance, considering the fact that he kept refusing to do the dare Yosano gave him. 

Chuuya sighs, the thoughts in his head were very meddling, and they were definitely not helping with his headache. 

“Yoohoo! Are you awake now, Chuuya?” The bedroom door opens suddenly, and Chuuya jumps at the shrill sound of Dazai’s voice. Right, he was in the brunet’s apartment, how could he forget? 

“Agh, don’t pop in like that asshole, you scared me geez…” 

“So sorry! Glad to see you’re awake now though. I brought you some food!” Dazai sat on the edge of the bed, handing over a warm bowl of soup to Chuuya. Dazai also laid down a glass of water and a pill to the side, “That’ll help you with your headache. I didn’t know mermaids could be such lightweights!” 

“Shut up! Thanks for the food though…” 

Dazai gave him a fond smile, and pet the top of his hair, “It’s no problem, Chuuya. I had a really fun time last night by the way, did you enjoy yourself too?” 

Chuuya took a sip from his soup, then answered, “I did. I don’t partake in many human activities, but I actually had a really good time…” 

“That’s good to hear! We should go out more often.” 

“Yeah…” 

Chuuya continued to eat in silence while Dazai sat there staring at him in awe. It was like that for a few moments before Dazai spoke up again, “You told me something interesting last night… You were complaining about spending so much time on the surface, and asked why I couldn’t come down to the sea with you. Could I actually be able to go down there without drowning? Do you have a power like that, because that would be so cool, you don’t understand…” 

The redhead stared at him, thinking of an answer, “Technically, I guess? I can just use my power and extend it over to you. It will work, as long as you aren’t bleeding… For some reason your blood blocks out my power, I don't know how to explain it.” 

Dazai claps, standing up, “Great! Can you actually let me go with you into the ocean? I want to see the things you mermaids do!’ 

Chuuya rolls his eyes, but smiles up at the taller man, “Fine. I do miss being able to swim and not walk.” 

“We should go later! When your headache goes away!” 

“Alright, I think I’ll be good in a couple of hours.” 

Dazai can’t wait. He’s never been interested in fish and other underwater things, but Chuuya somehow makes it all so intriguing. 

***

A couple hours later, just like Chuuya said, his headache had gone away and they were heading towards their usual spot. 

They haven’t been here in a while, but the cave was just as beautiful as it always was. Chuuya then began to strip off his clothes, Dazai tried his best to look away from him. Once the redhead was set, he began to transform back into a mermaid, his beautiful scales coming into view. 

“Give me your hand,” Chuuya reaches out and Dazai holds onto him. A small light surrounds them, and he can feel a surge of power coming from Chuuya. 

“I think we should be good now. Come on,” Chuuya dives into the water, Dazai following. He has that instant reaction to hold his breath, but this time he was fine. He was breathing normally! Chuuya truly is such an enigma. 

The ocean around them was so fascinating. He’s seeing fishes he’s never seen before, and all kinds of underwater structures. Dazai can’t fathom how he’s even experiencing this right now. He turns to Chuuya, and notices the redhead already staring at him, “It’s amazing, right?” 

“Yeah, absolutely… Thank you for bringing me down here, Chuuya.” 

The mermaid doesn’t answer, instead speeds up his swimming. They travel through the water fast, Dazai doesn’t know where Chuuya is leading them, but he frankly doesn’t care. They pass through a line of turtles, Dazai putting his hand against the shell of one. 

Suddenly Chuuya is laughing, and Dazai raises an eyebrow at him, “Look, that mackerel looks just like you!” He points over to a lone little fish with big, dark eyes. 

Dazai rolls his eyes, but laughs along with him, then pointes to a sea slug, “Well, that looks like you!” 

Chuuya pushes him to the side, and Dazai grins, swimming up to him and shoving Chuuya. He swims away as fast as he can to get away from the mermaid. Dazai knows Chuuya isn’t messing around… 

“Oh fuck you…” 

For Chuuya, swimming is as easy as breathing, and so he catches up to Dazai fast. He wraps his tail around the brunet and traps him against a rock. “Enough games! Let me show you something…” Chuuya reaches his hand out once more and Dazai takes it. 

He doesn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this. 

They were at a sunken ship, and everything around felt so frozen in time. “Wow…” 

“I know right? This is where I go to whenever I need to think, no other mermaid goes over here since most of them are scared.” Chuuya swims inside the crack of the ship, the fish around them dispersing. 

Chuuya sat down on the rock, stretching out his arms. Dazai couldn’t keep his eyes off him, the way his scars stretch across his body, and how his tail is slowly swaying as he relaxes. 

“Is this all you do for fun down here?” 

Chuuya scoffs, swimming off the rock and goes towards Dazai, crossing his arms, “Of course not! I like to ride on the stingrays, it’s too fun. Come on.” 

Again, Chuuya grabs a hold of Dazai’s hand. The brunet could get used to this. Chuuya swims up towards the surface.

He spots the sting rays and lays against one. Dazai follows after him. It feels weird, but he was getting used to it. Then they’re peacefully riding through the ocean. It’s very calming, and Dazai can’t help but notice Chuuya’s cute grin. 

Dazai rests against the sting ray, relaxing as he continues to study Chuuya’s face, “I’m glad I met you, Chuuya… I haven’t been this happy in a very long time, you know?” 

The mermaid blushed at that, looking away from the brunet, “Well, after meeting you, I’ve also been happier, I suppose… It’s fun talking with you, and hanging out.” 

They stare at each other quietly, eyes glued on one another. 

“Chuuya, can I tell you something?” 

“Of course… You can tell me anything, Dazai.” Chuuya gave him a reassuring smile, and Dazai tried his best to reciprocate. 

“I wanted to kill myself for a very long time. Sometimes I still get that feeling, but it’s not as bad as before. After meeting you, I felt like life once again had meaning.” Chuuya listened intently, holding eye contact with the other man. Dazai continued, “I used to have two best friends, one of them died and the other, well, we aren’t close at all. Odasaku, I miss him every day. He’s the one that encouraged me to get a job, the one that got me on my feet working. We used to be fishermen together, before the accident.” 

“The accident?” 

“I was sick, and I couldn’t go to work so Odasaku went by himself. No one had expected the sudden storm that hit, causing him to go down. His body was never found…” Dazai let out a long exhale, as if he was struggling to get the words out, “My other best friend, Ango, works with the government. He was the one in charge of search and rescue, but he pulled the investigation early. The search only lasted for two days, before they gave up. Ango kept spewing out excuses, but I was just so angry… To this day I don’t know where Odasaku is, and maybe if the search lasted longer, he could still be here with me. He was like the older brother I never had.” 

Dazai has never opened up to anyone like this before. Chuuya didn’t say anything, but he reached over and wrapped his arms around him, squeezing tight. Chuuya didn’t have any words to offer, but he knows that Dazai doesn’t want to hear any pitying comments. 

The brunet gasps, hugging Chuuya tight. Tears were threatening to spill out, but he blinked them away. 

All he can think about right now is Chuuya. 

***

They went back to the shore soon after. Dazai almost forgot how to walk after being underwater for so long. 

“Ah, that was so much fun! We should do that more often, Chuuya!”

“We should. It’s nice swimming with you for a change.” The mermaid was back to his human form, slipping on his clothes. He looked nice in this lighting. Chuuya was just so perfect in every aspect.

Dazai couldn’t stop staring.

Dazai couldn’t stop himself from leaning in, from cupping Chuuya’s cheek and swiping his bottom lip with his thumb. Chuuya’s eyes widened, his mouth slightly parting. “Can I kiss you?” 

“Yes…” Chuuya whispered, averting his eyes— those beautiful eyes. 

He closed the distance and slotted their lips together. 

This wasn’t the first kiss Dazai has ever had, far from it. 

But it is the kiss that matters the most to him. His stomach was on fire, and his hands were sweating. 

For a mermaid, Chuuya wasn’t a terrible kisser. In fact, he was amazing. 

Everything was so hot, and Dazai felt dazed throughout the whole exchange. He might be on land, but his mind was swimming with emotions. 

When they broke apart, Chuuya’s face was flushed red, and his lips were slightly swollen. 

Dazai didn’t know what to say. What do people even say after kissing?! 

“Um, I’ll see you tomorrow, Chuuya!” Dazai instead ran, blushing furiously. 

Chuuya was left there sitting in awe, smiling as he watched Dazai sprint off. 

Needless to say, Dazai and Chuuya enjoyed themselves a lot that day.

***

Fyodor looked down from his telescope. He had a large grin on his face, a plotting look in his eyes. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at, Dos-kun?” His assistant Nikolai called out to him from his tank, mermaid tail swishing from side to side. 

“Just a pair of lovers… It truly warms my heart.”

“Ah, so just like us?” Nikolai sighed wistfully, putting his hands together. 

Fyodor didn’t answer, still too amused by seeing Dazai with that red haired mermaid. He turned to Nikolai, his smirk only growing wider, “Get our things ready, Gogol. It seems that we’ve finally found a new experiment.” 

“Ooh! I’m so excited!” The mermaid clapped happily. 

It’s been so long, and Fyodor can’t wait to meet him again. 

Chapter Text

For some reason, Dazai has a weird feeling in his chest, like something is about to go wrong. He’s usually right about these things, so Dazai decides to trust his instincts. 

“Dazai-san? Are you alright? What’s on your mind?” Atsushi asks him, pulling him back into reality. 

He grabs onto the fishing net and throws it far into the ocean, “It’s nothing, just thinking.” 

“If you say so…” Atsushi gives him a skeptical look, but shakes his head. He knows Dazai is a mysterious guy, one who doesn’t reveal too much about himself. 

“Well, how is Chuuya? These days you two are practically inseparable.”

Dazai chuckles. Of course Atsushi is going to ask about him. “He’s doing alright.” 

“Does he live with you? I don’t mean to intrude, but I always see the two of you heading towards your apartment at the end of the day.” Atsushi has seen it too many times, actually. Everytime he and Dazai clock out of work, the redhead is always waiting for Dazai at the pier. It’s quite endearing actually. 

“I suppose you can say that…” 

“Seriously though, are you two dating? Ranpo and Yosano-san have been telling me new gossip! ” 

Dazai groans, covering his face with the palms of his hands, “Agh! I hate those two devils! We aren’t dating…” Yet, he wants to say, but he bites his tongue from saying it. 

He remembers that kiss they shared. It was all in the heat of the moment. Dazai doesn’t even understand why he leaned in— but Chuuya reciprocated! He shakes his head, cheeks already starting to warm up as he thinks about it. 

“Huh. I would’ve thought otherwise. I mean, you already admitted to living together. There’s no way you two are just roommates!” 

“Lalala! I can’t hear you!” Dazai childishly stuck his fingers into his ears, preventing him from hearing Atsushi. 

The white haired boy raised an eyebrow at him, looking in the distance, smiling when an idea pops into his mind, “Hey—isn’t that Chuuya?” 

Dazai immediately turned his head over towards the direction Atsushi pointed to. He turns back and scowls at Atsushi, who now has a smug smile on his face, “I seriously hate you…” 

***

For Chuuya these days, things have been rather peaceful. Kouyou has been suspicious of his recent behavior, but she’s been less strict. 

He meets up with Dazai almost every day. It’s a part of his routine now. He’s even familiar with the locals in Hamayoko, all of Dazai’s friends pretty much know his face at this point. 

Chuuya was walking towards Dazai’s apartment. He knows this route by heart, so he doesn’t stress at all getting there.

What weirded him out was seeing Dazai outside of his apartment, leaning on the wall, standing there and smiling at him creepily. Dazai was supposed to be at work. Chuuya was planning to surprise him when he got back. “Hey, Dazai. What’s up?” Chuuya raised an eyebrow at the man. 

Dazai kept his creepy smile up, showing off all his teeth. “Chuuya! It’s so nice seeing you!” 

Chuuya furrowed his eyebrows. Why was he acting so weird today?

“Uh, yeah… So what are you doing out here? I thought you had work?”

Dazai moved closer to Chuuya, a mere inches away from his face, “I can’t miss you?”

Chuuya blushed, taken aback. He didn’t expect that, “Shut up… Where are we going?” Dazai smirked at him, holding onto his waist. 

“Mm, I want to show you a place I used to frequent when I was younger! It’s very beautiful, I promise…” Chuuya gulped, looking into his eyes. 

There’s a strange feeling in his stomach, but he chooses to ignore it, for Dazai. They made their way over to the shore, but it wasn’t the usual place they go to. It was farther, and gloomier. This was also the first time Dazai has ever mentioned this place. 

Chuuya’s instincts are telling him to run , but he trusts Dazai. 

The brunet takes a hold of his hand and guides him towards the lighthouse that was lit up in the distance. They climb over the rocks, avoiding the slippery slopes. They reach the entrance, and Dazai pushes the door open. Chuuya looks up and sighs as he sees a spiral staircase that seems to go on forever. 

“Did your lanky ass really walk up all these stairs? I don’t believe it.” 

“You wound me, Chuuya! Just come on!” Dazai dragged him forward. 

It took them a while to get back up, but when they got there, Chuuya’s breath was taken away. 

Dazai was right. The view was amazing.

The ocean looked beautiful, the clouds and the sun were perfect. It was as if Chuuya was staring at a painting.

“Great, huh?”

Chuuya nodded silently, still awe struck by the sight.

That’s when his eyes widened.  

That wasn’t Dazai’s voice. 

He turned around and was met face to face with a man with long, dark hair. He had a long, white coat. His hands were folded behind his back, as if he were concealing something.

“ Fyodor Dostoevsky?! ” 

“ It’s nice to meet you again, Chuuya…” 

Fuck! How careless is he?

He should just kill this guy right now.

“How the fuck do you know my name?” 

Fyodor closed the distance between them, holding the back of Chuuya’s head. The mermaid felt a prick in his arm. He suddenly felt droozy, his eyelids threatening to close.

Shit! Was he drugged? 

He looks over his shoulder and sees a syringe. Fyodor had a crazed look on his face, and Chuuya wanted nothing more than to smack him.

He stumbles backwards, falling into Fyodor’s arms. There was a shadow above him. He lifts his head and gazes into the very same hazel eyes that he fell for all those months ago.

“Dazai?”

“Goodnight, Chuuya! Sweet Dreams!”

***

“Ugh, I’m so glad we’re done… I can’t wait to get home and sleep!” Dazai stretched out his arms.

Atsushi nodded next to him, “Yup. Me and Ryuu are going to watch a movie together!”

Dazai cooed at him, batting his eyelashes, “Aww, little Atsushi going on his first date! I’m so proud!” 

“Agh, shut up… Go kiss Chuuya!” 

“Hopefully I can!” Dazai chuckled, hopping off the boat. He waved Atsushi goodbye and headed towards he and Chuuya’s usual spot. 

He was surprised that Chuuya wasn’t there yet. Usually the redhead would already be here.

So Dazai waited.

And waited. 

And waited even more. 

Eventually, two hours have passed, still no sign of Chuuya. 

Dazai sighed, standing up, dusting off the sand from his pants. 

Where could Chuuya be? Why would he just ditch Dazai? 

He’s suddenly reminded of the kiss they shared yesterday. 

What if Chuuya’s gone because of that? Does he regret kissing Dazai? Was it because of his story about Odasaku?

He shakes his head. Chuuya isn’t the type of person to just abandon someone. 

Maybe there was an emergency going on in the mermaid realm, or whatever the hell. 

Dazai sighs, a disappointed tune. He was really looking forward to seeing the redhead.

He’ll just have to wait the next day then.

***

It’s the following day. 

Still no Chuuya. 

Okaaayyyyy…

Weird. 

Dazai’s mood drastically dropped, and everyone around him noticed. 

Maybe he’s just exaggerating. After all, the mermaid has his own separate life, without Dazai. 

So he waits again. 

Maybe Chuuya will show up the next day. 

***

It has been one week since Dazai has seen Chuuya. 

He was going mad. 

Atsushi and Kunikida broke into his apartment one day with worrying looks. He must have looked insane from an outsider perspective. 

“Dazai, it has been days since we heard anything from you. Seriously, is everything alright?” Kunikida crouched down to where Dazai was sprawled onto the ground, liquor bottles scattered around him. 

“Just peachy…” Dazai said, voice full of sarcasm. 

Atsushi placed food onto his table. He also had what looked to be envelopes in his hands. “Dazai-san, please… Everyone is concerned about you. What happened?” 

The bandaged man sat up from his spot, groaning and rolling his eyes in irritation, “Chuuya has been gone for a whole week! Leaving me without a single word! I mean, who does that?!” 

Kunikida and Atsushi looked at each other with matching troubled looks. “Ugh, whatever! Who needs him anyway?” Dazai crossed his arms, smiling wildly. 

“W-Well, I think you should eat some food for now, Dazai-san…” Atsushi nudged a plate of curry towards him. It was still warm, and he took a tentative bite. 

Kunikida took the letters from Atsushi, and scanned through them, looking for anything important. He paused when he saw a letter addressed to Dazai. 

From Fyodor Dostoevsky. 

“I didn’t know that you and Dostoevsky wrote letters to each other…” 

Dazai paused, raising an eyebrow. “We don’t. Give me that.” 

Kunikida handed him the letter, and Dazai immediately ripped it open. On the inside was a piece of paper that contained only one sentence. 

I’ve stolen your love. 

He grit his teeth, crumpling the piece of paper. Atsushi and Kunikida were shocked at the sight, not used to seeing Dazai act out like this. “What did it say?” 

“Fyodor kidnapped Chuuya!” Dazai barked out, already putting on his coat and heading out the door. Kunikida and Atsushi followed behind him. 

“What? Dazai this is insane, how can you be so sure?” Kunikida walked in front of him, attempting to stop the brunet, but Dazai wasn’t fazed. 

“He’s taken him. No wonder why Chuuya has been gone! Fuck! I’m so stupid!” 

“Dazai-san, where are we going?” Atsushi was struggling to keep up with Dazai’s fast pace. He’s never seen the man this motivated before. 

“To Ranpo. He’s the smartest person I know, I bet he would know something.” 

It wasn’t a far walk from Dazai’s apartment to Ranpo’s stall, and just as predicted, the raven haired man was there, sucking on another popsicle. “Dazai? Atsushi? Kunikida too? What brought you all here today? Surely you’re not all here to buy some ice cream?” Ranpo teased, but Dazai wasn’t joking around. 

“Chuuya has been taken by Fyodor, and I don’t know where the hell he could be…” Dazai handed Ranpo the crumpled letter. 

Kunikida furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Dazai with a stoic expression, “Shouldn’t we call the police?” 

Dazai shakes his head. If the police were to get involved, Chuuya would be outed as a mermaid. Dazai doesn’t want that. “I don’t trust the police, and I’d rather keep this whole situation under wraps.” 

Ranpo gave him a serious look, examining the letter. “Hm. I don’t know much about Fyodor, so I can’t give you too much information. For now. Don’t panic, Dazai. Find out more details, like the last place Chuuya was spotted, or maybe even talk to Sigma about Fyodor. Come back to me then.” 

Dazai nodded. He wasn’t thinking straight. This whole situation was stressing him out. Normally he would be calm and collected, but with Chuuya on the line, he couldn’t exactly keep a calm mind. “Thank you, Ranpo. I’ll be back.” 

He turns to address Atsushi and Kunikida, “You two stay here. Maybe you can get Yosano? She might be able to help Chuuya if he’s hurt.” 

Before Dazai could leave, Kunikida placed a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t worry, Dazai. I’m sure Chuuya is fine. We’ll get that bastard.” 

“Yeah! We’re here for you, Dazai-san!” Atsushi chimed in. Dazai truly takes his friends for granted. He gives them an appreciative smile, and heads out.

heads out. 

Chapter Text

Chuuya awoke in a cold sweat, panting. He was submerged in a tank, somehow in his mermaid form. He looked around, searching for Fyodor. He was nowhere to be seen. Chuuya starts pounding on the glass, but somehow he feels weak. 

What the hell? 

Normally Chuuya could easily break glass like this, he’s trained for half of his life to become stronger and stronger. He then tried to activate his powers, but to no avail. 

“Ah, so you’re awake?” A low deep voice calls out to him. Fyodor’s Russian accent was distinguishable. 

“Fyodor. What the fuck! Why are you doing this to me? Haven’t you had enough? You’ve captured so many of my kind already. Why me?” Chuuya screamed out to him. It was hard to call out to him because of the water, but he’s sure that Fyodor heard him anyway. 

The creepy man walked closer to him, a mere few inches away from the glass. He tapped on it as if Chuuya were some goldfish. “All those other mermaids don’t matter. I’m truly hurt that you don’t remember our first meeting… Well, I guess I can't blame you, it’s been so long after all.” 

“Cut the bullshit. Just tell me right now!” 

“Feisty! I can see why Dazai likes you so much!” Fyodor smiled at him, and Chuuya scowled. “I’ll retell the story for you. Four years ago, I was sailing with pirates as a sailor with no purpose in life. It was a normal day, not a single dark cloud in the sky. Until you came along.”

“ The ship suddenly started swaying. Everyone on board was falling off. The waves were getting rougher and rougher, and no one knew of the cause. Then I saw you. You were there below the waters, pure power just omitting from you.” Fyodor paused, closing his eyes and sighing.

“I’ve never seen such a beautiful sight. You were ethereal, nothing that I’ve ever seen before. I was too shocked to even utter a single word. The ship was going down, and I was going down with it. Fighting between life and death, I was submerged in the water. I thought I was going to drown, but a sweet angel saved me…” Chuuya’s face twisted into disgust, and he wishes that he had his strength right now just to punch this guy.

Fyodor concluded his story, the smile on his face never letting down. Chuuya tries to dig into the back of his mind, thinking about all the times he’s sunken a pirate ship. Then he remembered. “That’s why you kidnapped me?! I saved you, goddamnit!” 

Fyodor waved his finger around, putting it onto Chuuya’s lips through the glass, “You don’t understand. I’ve never seen such power. I need to use it to destroy the sins of this world, in this case it’s your kind.” 

The mermaid didn’t know what to say, shocked by all the new information. He’s been sitting in this tank for who knows how long, but he couldn’t fight back right now. “You’re fucking insane!”

Fyodor let out a long laugh, staring at him with a flushed face, “I’ll be back later, Chuuya.” He walked out, but not before someone else walked in. 

Dazai. 

Chuuya screamed out to him, banging on the glass once more. “Dazai! You fucking did this! You let this happen to me! I trusted you!” 

The brunet only giggled. Chuuya was furious. This was the man he let his heart to, the only human he’s ever been close with. “Did you think that I actually liked you? You’re a monster!” He yelled out to him. 

Chuuya covered his ears, breathing hard, “No! Fuck you!” 

Dazai laughed hard. So hard, he had to hold his stomach and wiped a tear from his eye. Suddenly the brunet started releasing a bright light from his body. 

Chuuya was now confused, and disoriented. He didn't know what was happening anymore. 

What stood in front of him was a different person, someone with long, white braided hair. The man’s smile only continued to grow. He walked over towards the other tank and jumped right in. A mermaid tail emerged from the tank. 

“You’re a mermaid too? Why the hell are you helping out that human?” Chuuya spat out the word with venom. 

Nikolai sighed blissfully, as if he were remembering a special memory. “Yup! I’m Nikolai, by the way. Oh, Dos-kun saved my life! I was being sold off to some mafia, when he stooped in and took me instead! He taught me how to control my power, but he always wanted more. My ability to mimic any person I want is pretty neat, but Dos-kun didn’t have a need for it. I don’t care about my kind, as long as I can stay by his side!” 

Chuuya couldn’t deal with any of this bullshit. He tuned the other man out, not listening to any of his nonsense. Maybe someone will come and save him soon. 

***

Before he did anything else, Dazai went back to his apartment. He received another letter. From Fyodor. This time it was only a photo. A photo of the ocean? He can’t recognize it, and Dazai curses his mind for being so stupid. 

Dazai then went over to the cave that he and Chuuya always went to. He doesn’t know why, but he had a feeling that he needed to go back here. 

That feeling proved to be right. 

As he was going to leave, a hand pulled him back. He turns around and sees a mermaid, no, siren? Behind him. She had long, red hair, almost similar to Chuuya’s. 

“You’re the human that Chuuya has been sneaking off to see…” She said plainly.

Dazai’s ears perked up when he heard the mention of Chuuya’s name, “You know about Chuuya?” 

“He’s pretty much my little brother. Now, what did you do to him?” A dagger appears from out of nowhere, and the woman has placed it right at his neck, threatening to push deeper. 

“I have no idea where he is either! I’ve been trying to look for him. Are you Kouyou? I think he’s mentioned you before…” 

“Yes, I am.” She sighs, retrieving the dagger back. “He’s been gone for a week. I’m worried about him. Let me help you look for him.” 

Dazai nodded. At least he now has another person on the team looking for Chuuya. 

So now both he and Kouyou are headed back to Ranpo. The raven haired man raised an eyebrow at Kouyou, but didn’t make a comment. “I don’t want to be discussing any of this out here, let’s go inside Yosano’s clinic. It’s just right up there.” Ranpo points at the building behind him. 

They follow him, and going inside Dazai sees Kunikida and Atsushi already there. “Dazai, you’re back. Who is this?” The blond looked over towards the redhead, and she gave him a judgemental look. 

“Kouyou. Chuuya is my little brother. I came along with Dazai because I’m also very worried.” 

Yosano walked into the room, and her eyes widened as she saw the red haired woman. 

“Akiko?” 

Ranpo looked between the two of them with a confused expression, “Do you two know each other?”

Yosano looks away, a blush on her face, “Ah, it’s a long story… Let’s just focus on Chuuya for right now!”

They gather around the table in the center of the room, and Dazai places the letter in the middle, so that everyone could see. Ranpo inspecs the photograph and nodded, lifting his finger up. 

“I recognize this place. It’s a view from Yokohama bay’s lighthouse, there’s no place else that’s that high up overlooking the ocean.” 

Dazai smiled at him, and put the photograph back into his pocket. Now they need a plan, a way to save Chuuya. “I think it’s best if I go alone, I don’t want anymore people getting hurt because of me…” 

Kunikida scoffs, and shakes his head, “Absolutely not. You can’t go alone, Dazai. If Fyodor has kidnapped Chuuya, it’d be more dangerous to go by yourself. We’ll help you, we’re your friends after all.” 

Atsushi chimed in, a warm smile directed towards Dazai, “Exactly! We have your back, Dazai-san!” 

Dazai gave them a disbelieving look, before letting out a sigh, “Fine then. Just, don’t get hurt, alright? I’ve clashed with Fyodor only once before, and he’s a dangerous man.” 

Kouyou scoffed, and unsheathed her katana. Where did she pull it out from? No one knows. Yosano laughed at the display, and took her cleaver out, smiling as she felt the sharp edge of it on her finger tips. 

“Hm. You guys still need to get armed as well…” Yosano looked over at Ranpo, who smirked as he walked towards the painting and pushed it to the side, revealing a vault. He opened the vault, and inside were several guns. He threw them over towards Atsushi, Kunikida, and Dazai. 

Dazai inspected the gun. It was already loaded. 

Kunikida raised an eyebrow at Ranpo, “You guys just casually have guns? Is this legal?” 

Ranpo nodded, and put his hands on his hips, “My dad has always wanted to open a detective agency. We figured that the first step is getting guns, for self defense! Anyways, that’s not important, what’s the plan?” 

Dazai scratched his chin, thinking for a moment. They don’t know the layout to the lighthouse, so they’d be walking in blindly. “I think I might know someone who could help us…” 

***

All Sigma wanted to do was enjoy his day peacefully working in his flower shop. 

What he didn’t expect was Dazai’s whole ragtag group of friends to come barging in with guns and knives. 

Obviously he was shocked!

***

“Fyodor’s office, or in better terms, lab, is at the very top of the lighthouse. The lighthouse isn’t too big, but there are other areas in the building. The only way upstairs is through the long, winding staircase. When I used to work there, it was truly agonizing… But if I remember correctly, Fyodor would go out every afternoon at 5 pm and return around 6. You do have to be careful about his stupid lackey, Nikolai. He’s there pretty much all the time! It drove me insane, but that’s besides the point. Nikolai steps out to take his daily bath at around 5:30 to 6. That’s when you guys should strike. Be in and out in thirty minutes, preferably less. Fyodor is quite unpredictable, who knows what’ll happen…” 

They’ve been over the plan almost five times, but it’s still nerve wracking to Dazai. What if he messes everything up? He would be risking Chuuya’s safety, as well as the safety of his other friends. 

He feels a hand on his shoulder, and he turns around to see Atsushi giving him his biggest smile, “It’s going to be okay, Dazai-san. We’re going to save Chuuya-san!” 

Dazai tried his best to reciprocate the smile, but it fell a little short, “I hope so…” 

The group entered the lighthouse, and the sight of the long spiral staircase made Ranpo want to cry. It was approximately 5:28. Nikolai should be taking his bath by now. They carefully made their way towards the top of the lighthouse, weapons in hand. 

Dazai held his breath, his throat felt tight.

Eventually they reached the top of the stairs. It was the same layout as a normal lighthouse, except there was a door right across from them leading into another room. 

This must be where Chuuya is. 

He turned the knob and Dazai immediately got whiplash from the horrifying sight.

It was like any typical lab, with wires and monitors strewn around. Except in the corner there were two large water tanks, one containing a mermaid.

Chuuya. 

Dazai rushed over to him, putting his hands against the glass. The redhead was passed out, his body idly floating in the water.

Chuuya was connected to several wires, and the tank was sealed shut.

The rest of his friends behind him gasped upon seeing Chuuya, unaware of the mermaid’s existence. Dazai trusts them though, he knows they won’t question it or report it to the authorities.

Now Kunikida understands why Dazai didn’t want the police involved.

The brunet yells over towards Ranpo, “The tank is sealed! I can’t get it open, we need to find a way to disable it.”

Ranpo nodded, and already made his way towards one of the computers, logging in and getting to work. Kunikida follows behind him for assistance. 

Kouyou’s face was drained of any color, she stood near the tank with a sorrowful look, “Oh, I’m so sorry, Chuuya. This never would have happened if I took better care of you…”

Dazai placed a hand on her shoulder. Kouyou stared at him in surprise. The hand was stiff and awkward, but it helped comfort her. Yosano sighed, clicking her tongue in disgust, “This is sick! What kind of maniac does these things?” 

Atsushi was by the door as a lookout, monitoring Nikolai in the bathroom. His eyes darted back and forth all over the room in nervousness. “We should really hurry it up, guys!”

Ranpo’s typing began to slow down, and Dazai looked up at the tank. The lock was disabled.

He reached over and grabbed Chuuya, his fingers settling on his pulse point, sighing in relief as he felt the steady thrum beat against his nails. Dazai held onto him tight, carrying the mermaid bridal style to ensure he wouldn’t fall.

After a few moments, the mermaid coughed out water, looking up at Dazai with hazy eyes. Chuuya gave him a weak smile, his eyes filled with relief, “You came for me…” 

Dazai laughed, pressing his forehead against Chuuya’s, “Of course I did. I won’t ever leave you behind, Chuuya.” 

“Uhh, I hate to break apart a tender moment, but I think I see Fyodor–” Atsushi’s voice is cut off by the sound of a door slamming open. 

The atmosphere of the room immediately felt tight, like a boa constrictor wrapping itself onto someone’s neck.

Standing at the entrance was Fyodor, carrying nothing but his heavy smirk and darkened eyes.

Guns were pointed towards the man, but he didn’t even flinch.

He then started to laugh, a deep low octave that sent shivers down Dazai’s spine. Oh, how badly he wanted to kill the man.

Fyodor took a step towards Dazai and Chuuya, eyeing the pair in amusement, “I’m guessing you got my letter?” 

“Cut the crap. Why are you doing all of this?” Dazai’s grip on Chuuya tightens, as if he was scared that loosening his hold would cause the redhead to be gone from his arms forever.

The dark haired man sighs, and he moves closer to the pair. Dazai takes a step back, his other hand in his pocket inching closer towards the gun. 

“I’m going to extinguish this world of its evils. The evil being Chuuya’s kind! I can’t do that by myself though—that’s why I need Chuuya!” Fyodor paused, his smirk growing wider, “Have you heard of Yaobikuni, the eight-hundred year old Nun?”

No one answered Fyodor but he began to tell his tale anyway, “It’s a famous folk legend here in Japan. It’s about this fisherman who catches a strange looking fish. He brings the fish home and cooks it for his family and his friend. The friend noticed that the fish had a human head, and advised the fisherman and his family not to consume it. The fisherman threw this fish away, but his daughter who was all too curious and hungry, snuck into the kitchen and ignored the warning, eating the fish anyway. The child was cursed with immortality, forced to watch her family die one by one until she was all by herself.”

“There are many different versions of this story, but they all share a common theme. The child eats the fish and becomes immortal, as simple as that,” Fyodor tilts his head down, his face covered by a shadow, “What people don’t know is that the story is true.”

Fyodor looked up, his eyes focused onto Chuuya, a flame of fury behind his irises, “That “child” was me, except there’s some blatant misinformation. That daughter was actually a son, that fisherman didn’t have a friend telling him to stop, and the child wasn’t a child at all but a desperate man with nowhere else to go. That fisherman and his family were poor, and couldn’t afford to eat anything else but the strange fish. The desperate man didn’t care how putrid the flesh smelled like, or how foul the taste was on his tongue. The rest of his family refused, but he ate because he was starving! He didn’t know he would contract the curse of immortality, and witness every single person he cares about pass before his eyes. I’ve studied mermaids for years, and this is the day I will finally get my retribution…” Fyodor didn’t take a single breath during his speech. It was as if he were waiting to tell this story of his for decades.

Dazai gritted his teeth in frustration, his grip on Chuuya never withholding. The mermaid, who was still dazed, managed to keep sober during Fyodor’s rambling. He was in a silent shock, a clear show of weariness on his face.

No one knew who moved first, or who fired the first shot. 

The sound of a bullet whizzing past Fyodor’s ear is all that was heard. The bullet hit the large water tank. Cracks were forming on the glass in an alarming rate, until eventually all the water came bursting out, flooding the room. 

Fyodor somehow made his way towards the other side of the room, and suddenly vanished. Everyone prepared their weapons, careful of Fyodor’s next move.

Then smoke filled the space, everyone’s visions blinded by the mist surrounding them. Dazai kept a tight hold on Chuuya, but that didn’t stop Fyodor from getting him.

He was pushed to the ground, a bullet shot into his shoulder. Dazai yelped, clutching his arm in pain. Fuck! Where did Chuuya go?

Fyodor’s deep laugh resonated across the room, bouncing off the walls and echoing throughout the area, “It’s laughable how you’ve all seemed to underestimate me. You know, I’m not just famous in Japanese folklore, Russian folklore as well, of course! Have you all heard of the Koschei? Koschei the Deathless, it is portrayed as an evil being, a shape-shifting monster who is extremely hard to kill. That’s me! I’m the Koschei!” 

Dazai was panicking. He couldn’t see what was in front of him, and the only thing he could feel was the hot sting of his bullet wound and the cold water at his feet. 

Firm hands grasp at his shoulders, yanking him back to reality. It was Atsushi. “Dazai-san! You have to focus!”

He gave a nod to the younger boy, and stood on shaky legs. The smoke was starting to clear, and he made out the silhouette of a man standing at the balcony of the lighthouse, overlooking the sea. 

Dazai grit his teeth, and with trembling hands, pointed his gun towards the man and released the trigger. 

It was a straight shot towards the heart. Fyodor turned around, a large grin on his face as blood dripped from his mouth. The deranged man was still laughing. He was standing there, carrying another body as he cried hysterically.

Fyodor’s body tipped downwards, and he fell, plunging into the crashing waves, engulfed by the murky sea water.

Then he saw Chuuya laying in the corner, his head down. Dazai ran towards him in a hurry, lifting the man up and putting his ear against his chest, listening for a heart beat, anything that indicated he was alive.

“Chuuya? Wake up, Chuuya. This isn’t funny, you have to open your eyes!”

And he did.

Except they weren’t the multicolored eyes Dazai was used to seeing every day in his life. His left eye wasn’t the cerulean glow of the ocean, and his right wasn’t the deep brown of the Earth’s soil. 

No. 

This wasn’t Chuuya. 

Nikolai’s laughter rang out as he stared up at Dazai, tears falling out of his eyes, “Oh man! You really thought I was Chuuya huh? Nope! He’s down there with Dostoy-kun!”

Dazai’s stomach dropped. His breath was constricted, and he couldn’t even move.

He might have heard Atsushi or Kunikida yelling out to him, but he wasn’t sure. The ringing in his ears and the blurriness in his vision was the only thing that was registering.

Oh, there was one more thing.

His heart beat.

It was rapidly pounding against his rib cage, threatening to escape. 

Chuuya.

Chapter Text

He opened his eyes.

He felt water surrounding his body. 

What? 

How did he get here?

Then he felt a hand at his throat. Looking down he saw Fyodor, eyes wide open. There was blood oozing out of Fyodor’s chest, while Chuuya felt a sharp pain in the back of his head.

Fuck.

He couldn’t speak.

Chuuya tried to summon his power, but nothing was working. He was going to lose consciousness at this point.

In a weak attempt to shake off Fyodor, he used his fists and punched him in the face, hard. 

It seemed to work, but only for a moment as he felt another sharp pang of hurt in his stomach. He looked beneath him and saw a knife lodged into his abdomen.

“Fuck!” 

And Fyodor continued to laugh. The man wrapped his arms around Chuuya, holding onto him tightly. He then whispered into his ear, “Now we’re both going to die! How wonderful is that? Ah, Chuuya, you’re marvelous.” 

There’s no way he was going to let Fyodor get away with this.

They were sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean, and the air was getting thinner and thinner.

Chuuya had no choice.

“Oh, Grantors of Dark Disgrace, Do Not Wake me Again.” 

***

“Chuuya!” Dazai screamed, his voice raw and hoarse. His friends had to hold him back from jumping from the balcony just to get down to Chuuya faster. 

They quickly exited the lighthouse, Dazai running towards the shore in search of a sign. A sign that Chuuya was alive, anything. 

But he couldn’t find anything.

He buried his face into his hands, tears spilling out, “Nononononono— This—This can’t be real!”

His friends were on the side, staring at him with pitiful eyes. There wasn’t anything that could be done. Fyodor and Chuuya plunged deep into the water. Chuuya may be a mermaid, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to attacks, a gunshot wound or a stab to the stomach, anything could be possible.

Dazai placed his hands on the sand, his fists shaking.  

All he felt at the moment was anger. 

And the rumbling of the ground. 

What? 

Dazai lifted his head, only to be met with a deity of some sort, a creature of chaos, red light emitting from its body. Its power was so overwhelming, it caused Dazai to lurch backward as the ground shook.

He stared at the creature intensely, until he was able to make out a face.

Chuuya. 

It was Chuuya. 

He was holding something in his hand, grasping onto it hard and lifting it up into the sky. 

Fyodor’s head. 

Dazai didn’t have any words for this. His heart was still pounding, but it was a different kind of thrum than the one from before. 

This was excitement. 

He continued to gaze upon Chuuya, the stars and the moon highlighting his gorgeous features.

It was an alluring view. 

“Dazai! You need to get to him before he kills himself!” Kouyou yells at him, her voice desperate.

He nodded at her, and dove into the water. He swam as fast as he could—his shoulder ached, begging him to stop but he didn’t. He needed to reach Chuuya.

Dazai was so close, he could almost touch him.

“Chuuya!” 

The mermaid turned his head towards the sound. His eyes were bloodshot. Chuuya screamed, hurling towards Dazai.

To anyone else, it might seem like a terrifying sight, but to Dazai, it was the exact opposite. 

He wasn’t scared at all, and opened his arms for Chuuya. 

The redhead knocked him into the ocean, his breath stolen away.

Dazai laid there, gazing up at him adoringly. He moved his arms around to circle them around Chuuya’s waist, hugging him in close. He felt the thrum of Chuuya’s power slowly leaving him, his body going taught. 

Dazai tried his best to swim towards the shore, his arm wrapped around Chuuya. The mermaid was unresponsive, and he was starting to panic. Once he reached dry land, he laid Chuuya out, performing CPR on the man. Would that even work? Chuuya is a mermaid, he can’t drown. God, Dazai is being incredibly stupid right now. 

“Yosano-san!” He called out to the woman, and without needing to be told twice, she leapt towards the two of them and held her hand out and pressed it against Chuya’s chest. 

A bright light whirls around Chuuya’s body, disappearing as fast as it came. Yosano gave Dazai a hopeful expression, and he let out a sigh of relief, hugging Chuuya tight. He sobbed into his hair, “You scared me, Chuuya. I thought you were gone for good…”

A tired hand reaches up to cup Dazai’s cheek, a soft smile on Chuuya’s face, “Of course not. I’m strong, you know?” 

No other words were exchanged between the two as they looked up at the stars, their troubles soon vanished.

***

Well not all their troubles. 

The incident was caught on the news, everyone in Hamayoko was aware of the “beast” living amongst their waters. The townsfolk were scared, but luckily the cameras weren’t able to capture Chuuya’s face, his identity is safe. 

There was a lot to unpack, and the explanations are all very long. Dazai is just glad that no one died. 

First of all, Yosano happened to also be a mermaid. She had the power to heal, and thankfully she was able to save Chuuya’s life at the last minute. He was truly on the brink of death. She and Kouyou happened to know each other from when they used to be friends, sinking ships together. That was a long time ago, but they have reunited and are getting to know each other once more. Only Ranpo knew of her true form and her past, as he was the one who found her and brought her in.

Secondly, Fyodor’s body and head were never found. Reluctantly, Dazai asked Ango for his help. The crew searched the area, but never found the body or the head. 

He was still incredibly bitter towards the other man, but Dazai was grateful at the fact that Ango managed to get the press off his back. Apparently, the cameras captured Dazai’s face. Now everyone is associating him with the so-called monster. He doesn’t care, but it’s bothering Chuuya a lot. 

As for Nikolai, the man also disappeared leaving nothing behind. When authorities searched the lighthouse, only a single photo was found. A photo of Nikolai and Fyodor working on an experiment together. 

Dazai heard from Ango though that he might have seen someone on the shore crying. He feels a sort of pity towards the mermaid. He lost someone close to him after all, no matter how disturbing Fyodor might be. 

None of that stuff matters now.

Currently, Dazai was in Yosano’s clinic with Chuuya by his side. They were recovering from their injuries. Chuuya was matching with Dazai now, bandages covering their bodies. He was writing in his journal when the redhead peaked over, smiling at him, “Whatcha doin?” 

Dazai laughed at him, putting the journal to the side, “Just articulating my thoughts about the recent events, nothing you don’t already know about.”

“Mm, alright. Take a break, Osamu, we’ve both gone through literal hell recently.” 

“I can only rest if I have a certain slug by my side!” Dazai told him enthusiastically, patting the empty spot on his bed. Chuuya rolls his eyes, but he marches over towards Dazai and plops himself right next to him, leaning into Dazai’s personal space. 

“Can I ask you a question, Chuuya?” Dazai gave him a concerned look,and Chuuya nodded.

“What is it?”

“That power of yours, I’ve never seen it from you before. What exactly is it?”

Chuuya sighed, as if he were about to unpack something big, “It’s an extension of my power. I haven’t told you before, but I was experimented on as a child by humans. It’s one of the main reasons why I despise humans. While I was in the lab, they taught me the phrase and abused my powers. Arahabaki, they kept saying. I still don’t understand most of it, but it doesn’t matter. I was saved by my older brother, Verlaine and his partner,” he paused and gave Dazai a wary expression, “Please don’t hate me, Dazai. I’m not a monster, I swear. I can’t control that power, but for some reason, when you held me, it all went away…”

Dazai shook his head, and was very stern with Chuuya, “We may bicker a lot, but I could never hate you, Chuuya—And you’re not a monster.” Chuuya smiled at him fondly, and moved closer to him. 

Dazai sighed wistfully, and ran his fingers through Chuuya’s hair. The mermaid looks up at him with his enrapturing eyes, “Is your gunshot wound okay? I’m really sorry for all this trouble, if only I hadn’t been so stupid.” 

“Hey, don’t say that. I saw Nikolai’s ability firsthand, and I mistook him for you. You’re not stupid, Chuuya, and I don’t blame you for any of this. In fact, it’s more of my fault. I shouldn’t have been so careless, I should have known that Fyodor was out for you and I should have kept you safe. I’m sorry.” 

Chuuya blinked at him, before bursting into laughter, chuckling against Dazai’s chest, “We’re both stupid, how about that? It’s not your fault, Dazai, let’s just blame that bastard Fyodor. For now, let’s think about the future.” 

“The future?” 

“Mhm, what should we do now? That kiss we shared, that wasn’t nothing.” 

Ah right. Dazai forgot about that. He blushed thinking about the memory. Dazai moved them around so that he was staring directly at Chuuya’s eyes, his face full of passion, “That kiss meant everything to me. Chuuya, I love you.” 

The mermaid gasped, before smiling at him, leaning in and giving Dazai a small peck on his lips. “I love you too…”

Dazai felt so giddy, there was a warm feeling in his stomach. He grabbed the back of Chuuya’s head and pushed their lips together. It all felt so perfect.

He deepened the kiss, Chuuya parting his mouth so Dazai’s tongue can push its way inside. Dazai moved his hands down towards Chuuya’s waist, and he brought their bodies closer to each other.

They broke apart panting, a string of saliva connecting to their mouths, “Fuck, Chuuya I love you so much. I’ve never felt this way towards someone…”

“Mm, me too—When we first met I thought you’d be like every other shitty human, but I was wrong. You proved me so, so wrong. You helped me in so many ways I never thought possible, Dazai. I don’t want to separate from you, please, I want to stay with you…” 

Dazai placed kisses all over Chuuya’s face, on his cheeks, nose, and forehead, “I don’t want you to leave either. We can make things work, Chuuya. I can get a new job, maybe put my smartness to good use and work as a detective. We can buy a house together!” Dazai was rambling, but it was such a cute sight. Chuuya was red in the face imagining all the possibilities. 

Chuuya chuckled, cuddling up close to Dazai, laying his head to rest against his chest, careful not to disturb any of his wounds, “That sounds good. We should buy a house near the beach so I can visit my friends and family any time. I want to be able to help you though. I’ll get a job on the side. Maybe I can work as a writer, or an actual marine biologist… It seems Hamayoko might need one.”

“I can’t wait to experience everything with you, Chuuya. I promise to stay by your side.”

“Me too, Dazai,” and they fell asleep that way, dozing off in each other’s arms. 

When Yosano walked into the room, she didn’t say a word, smiling warmly at the pair. She’s happy for them. 

Dazai Osamu, the boy she watched grow into a man. After all these years, he had finally found his other half.