Archive of Our Own ^beta

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It was just a normal day, a day in which Kunikida was cassually re-arranging the Agency's documents, when, Dazai had next to none; A single doctor appointment at 14, and an name-change document, most of which was burnt, just a word could be read: Ray. Kunikida seemed to take notice of the lack of documents, along with Atsushi, a recent new member of the agency. He seemed trustwhorty enough, in Kunikida's eyes, the only problem being his naivetee, though, he seemed to trust Dazai a lot, logically speaking, it should be normal, seeing as Dazai practically rescued him and invited him to the agency, but it was a bit fishy for Kunikida, because Dazai seemed to always push people away, and still manage to not get too attached to anyone, it made Kunikida wonder if he really learnt that in the mafia <Of course he did, where else could he have leant it?> He thought, but something just didnt feel right about all that.

"I wonder why Dazai-san's documents are nowhere to be found" Atsushi wondered, breaking Kunikida out of his thoughts, because obviously he couldn't had joined without proper identification, right? i mean, his past job was out, he didnt need to hide anything anymore, right? He trusted them enough, right?

"Tch, that idiot has never submitted his documents to the office, its a miracle we even have these two" Kunikida looked at the burnt document "Or, at least we have one"

Atsushi hummed, internally cuestioning Dazai and his motives to not submitting almost anything; if he was hurt, they couldnt even take him to a hospital, plus, he would never admit it, but almost every week, Dazai comes into the office smelling like hair dye, maybe the others hadn't noticed, but Atsushi, due to being a weretiger, did notice; his senses were a lot stronger that others' especially his smell. He knew there was no point in bringing it up to Dazai, because he always has a way to deflect others' intentions on questioning him, but even so, Atsushi took notice.

Kunikida sighed, rubbing his temples, there really was something about the whole 'Dazai without documents' thing that still seemed to bother him. "I don't know how he manages to get away with this; no documents, no identification, no taxes reciepts, no birth certificate... it's like he's invisible to the system."

Atsushi nodded, his eyes fixed on the burnt document with the single word "Ray" visible. "Maybe he's just really good at covering his tracks?"

Kunikida raised an eyebrow, clearly amused for Atsushi's point of view, not suspecting Dazai, not even a single grain of doubt in him visible. "You think? Dazai-san's been with us for a while now, and I've never seen him submit any paperwork on time. It's like he has a sixth sense for avoiding bureaucracy."

Atsushi chuckled. "I think it's more like he has a sixth sense for getting out of trouble."

As they spoke, Dazai walked into the room, a nonchalant smile on his face. "Ah, Kunikida-san, Atsushi-kun. What's the discussion about?"

Kunikida glared at him. "Your lack of documents, Dazai-san. Again."

Dazai shrugged, unfazed. "Oh, that. I'm working on it. Eventually."

Atsushi watched the exchange, intrigued by Dazai's carefree attitude. Despite his mysterious nature, there was something about Dazai that drew people in, that made people want to learn about him, that, and also noticing Dazai again reeked of hair dye, a barely noticable yet disgusting (for Atsushi) smell. Atsushi's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Dazai's carefree demeanor. He couldn't help but wonder what lay beneath the surface of Dazai's mysterious nature. The smell of hair dye wafted from Dazai's direction, and Atsushi's sensitive nose twitched in response. "Dazai-san," Atsushi said, his voice casual, but his eyes locked onto Dazai's. "May I ask, do you... dye your hair often?"

Dazai's smile never wavered, but a flicker of surprise danced in his eyes. "Ah, Atsushi-kun's keen senses picking up on that, huh? Yeah, I like to mix things up every now and then. Keeps life interesting, don't you think?"

Kunikida raised an eyebrow, oblivious to the underlying tension. "Hair dye? Really, Dazai-san? You're full of surprises."

Atsushi's gaze lingered on Dazai, searching for any hidden meaning behind his words. "It's just... you've been doing it quite frequently, haven't you?"

Dazai chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "You notice everything, don't you, Atsushi-kun? Maybe I'm just trying to keep up with the latest trends."

The air was thick with unspoken questions, and Atsushi's curiosity was piqued. What was Dazai hiding behind his mask of nonchalance?

Then, Kunikida's eyes suddently bolted open (even tho they already were) he finally realised something...

cliffhanger guys!!!

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“But wait…” Kunikida’s eyes burst open (even though they already were) “I have never seen your hair a different color than brown…”

A pause

“Do… do you pain your hair brown?”
Dazai’s face seemed to tense up a bit, a subtle gesture that most people wouldn’t even realize, but Kunikida wasn’t most people; he was his partner, his other half, his counterpart, he knew Dazai –or atleast he thought he did–  better than anyone else in the agency –besides Ranpo, of course–  and could, for a moment, see the surprise in his face, the memories buried, then in an instant, it all seemed to disappear, as that stupidly annoying smug grin appeared.

“Aww, is Kunikida-san worried about meeeeee?” He dragged the ‘e’ a mere second that seemed to always piss Kunikida off

“Of course I’m worried about you, you’re my partner, I care for you.” Kunikida admitted “Now answer the question”

Dazai huffed, and reluctantly admitted “Yeah, I paint my beautiful hair brown, it makes me look more handsome, doesn’t it? I’ll be easier finding another woman to double suicide with me that way” Dazai said playfully, wishing they would just drop it and go home. One of the things he hated the most was when people tried to understand him, he wasn’t even human, so why would you try? He was just food that was saved, and maybe he had become a waste of space, without Emma and Norman to live for. –I should’ve burned in that fir- no, Odasaku would want me to live!– Dazai was snapped out of his thoughts by Kunikida

“So, why would you paint your hair brown? What even is your natural hair color?” Kunikida asked, wanting to know more about his partner, something Dazai didn’t like, he already has trouble defining himself, he doesn’t even know what his favorite color is, or his favorite food, one could argue they’re black or brown and shrimp, but that’s just the persona Dazai has created, in reality, he used black because of the Pm coat, and also it was easier to clean blood off of the black clothing, and nowdays, he just uses brown to look like Odasaku (A/N: Whether or not its Oda’s coat, idk, make your own hcs) and he just eats shrimp because its easy to make, plus, when Oda found him, he gave him shrimp, and so, it reminded Dazai of him.

“If you must know, my natural hair isssssssss” Dazai made a dramatic pause, acting like he was actually going to tell them the truth “none of your business!”

“DAZAI I’M GONNA KILL YOU!!!” Kunikida launched himself at Dazai, aiming for his throat, Dazai’s reflexes kicked in, side-stepping and twisting Kunikida’s arm possibly (probably) breaking it, or at least incapacitying it for a few weeks, only seconds later realizing what he had done, his face went pale.

“Did you just…” Kunikida was perplexed; he’d never expect such a reaction, hell, even Dazai didn’t know his body would react that way, it was just… reflexes, reflexes that meant something, that meant Dazai had suffered enough for his body to move on his own, now, while he could’ve learnt that in the mafia, something in Kuninida’s gut told him that it was another thing, that Dazai didn’t learn it in the mafia but in another place, maybe even worse than it, and that worried kunikida.

”I-I…” Dazai just standed there, perplexed, his memories returning to him; the escape, his childhood, the demons, how he messed up and lost his frien- (A/n: Can you tell I love Dazai angst? MUAJAJAJAJAJAJAJAJJA) then he turned around and left without another word, leaving the two behind.

”Since when is Dazai-san so strong?” Atsushi asks “I knew he could fight but-“  he looks at Kunikida’s arm, probably broken “this is on a whole different level” Atsushi didn’t peg Dazai for the violent –or strong– type, sure, he had some combat skills, but he thought he mostly relied on others, since he’s always lazying around, never doing his work.

“I really didn’t expect this outcome out of anyone in the agency… Less from Dazai” Kunikida then winced visibly, the pain settling in “but for now, lets go to Yosano-sensei” He was in pain, his arm probably broken or atleast very injured

Atsushi remembered Kunikida’s arm was still injured, looking at his flinch, and felt a bit guilty for not taking him there more quickly “Y-yeah, lets go…” A pang of guilt could be heard from his voice.

Ok that’s all, byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee see ya next time!

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As they made their way down the hallway, Atsushi couldn’t help but steal sly glances at kunikida’s injured arm, a pang of guilt welling up inside him. He mentally scolded himself for not acting swiftly and having his partner taken care of.
"Kunikida-san," He said finally, "I'm sorry I didn't get you to Yosano-sensei sooner."
Kunikida shook his head, his expression a mix of pain and reassurance. "Don't beat yourself up, Atsushi. We were both surprised by Dazai's reaction. It's not your fault."
 
Atsushi nodded, grateful for his superior's reassurance. As they approached the door to Yosano's office, Kunikida let out a frustrated huff. "This could have been avoided if Dazai actually filled out his bloody documentation."
Atsushi couldn't help but agree, his curiosity with Dazai's nonchalance growing stronger. "It's like he goes out of his way to avoid doing anything that even remotely resembles responsibility." He wondered.
<Or… he’s hiding something> the unspoken words hanged.
The thought that Dazai might be hiding something crossed both men's minds, but they both hesitated to give it voice. Kunikida's grip on his injured arm subconsciously tightened as he considered the implications.
"It's not just paperwork. Dazai's entire demeanor is shrouded in secrecy. It's like he doesn't want anyone to truly know him."
 
Atsushi frowned, his mind racing with the unanswered questions. "Maybe he's running from something? Or someone?"  He lowered his voice to a whisper, glancing down the hall where Dazai had disappeared. "That reaction... it wasn't just about the hair color, was it?"  The memory of Dazai’s sudden violence sent a shiver down his spine – too fast, too precise. Trained. Not just street brawler trained. Something else.
 
Kunikida stayed silent for a long moment, jaw clenched as pain and worry warred in his chest. "...No," he finally muttered. "It was never about the hair." He looked at Atsushi, voice low and serious now—no yelling this time. "We need to stop treating him like some dumb clown who skips paperwork for fun." Another wince as he shifted his arm. "He’s not okay, Atsushi-kun… And I think… I think we’ve never been looking right at him seriously"
Just then, Yosano’s door creaked open.
“You two standing out here gossiping like schoolgirls again? Or did one of you finally break something important this time?” Her eyes landed on Kunikida’s limp arm and she sighed dramatically—but her hands were already moving to pull him inside before he could protest.
 
Atsushi followed quietly.
 
Behind them, deep in the Agency's dim hallways…
 
Dazai stood frozen by a shadowed corner.
 
Still wearing that stupid grin—but eyes wide.
Breathing uneven.
Fingers trembling slightly against the wall.
 
And somewhere far beneath all those layers?
 
Ray screamed.

THANKS FOR READINGGGG SORRY THIS WAS SO SHORT AHHHHH

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Hey guys, I fear the ao3 writers curse is real…

I recently tried to kms

I survived…

Won’t really write anymore

(i think)

So umm yeah, thats it

See ya maybe

maybe not

ill still read tho

Goodbye

-Aidee, Author