Chapter Text
Christmas had no right feeling so damn stressful!
Dazai knew he probably shouldn't worry so much, he's basically had months to prepare, but he couldn't help it.
He wanted it to be perfect.
It's been months and months since some of his closest or not-so-close-yet people have borne witness to the absolute clusterfuck - excuse his language, Kaa-chan, wherever you might be watching over him from - that was his life and things have definitely changed by quite the significant margin.
For one, Mori-san has not dared stir shit once since he'd publicly apologized for his hand in Dazai's hardships, even if he still stood by his actions, the shithead.
Two, Soukoku was in an official, exclusive, very much loving even if incredibly chaotic and messy relationship, for which more than half of Yokohama - at the very least- breathed a sigh of relief at the news.
Three, his colleagues at the Agency had stopped letting him make suicide jokes or even singing his song; they understood now that all his previous "attempts" weren't real while his willingness to stay alive still remained at a steady zero beyond the need his loved ones had for his continued survival, but they were honestly struggling how to show their care without smothering him so not letting him make morbid comments was their default unless someone noticed he was having a bad day. (Those usually ended with lots and lots of cat- and cute protege-cuddles until Chuuya can come pick him up so they can have a day off together - something no one at the Mafia minded, even if they hadn't seen his memories, because Chuuya is a favorite of literally everyone but Dazai's old men and even they were eternally grateful to the redhead for all the times that he'd saved their boss.)
Four, Zenki Soukoku were forced to get along better and work together again by their mentor for the sake of Dazai having more peace so he can actually rest in between secretly working to keep Yokohama safe and Shin Soukoku willingly followed in their example. They were quite the team now, actually, and, according to his darling Gin-chan, they were even awkwardly trying to hang out outside of joint missions. Kyouka-chan sure had a field day tracing each and every one of their steps as they sat still as two statues at every scenic and popular spot in the city without a word being said between them. The footage she shared with Dazai was hilarious but Chuuya eventually chastised her for teasing the two. The attempts at being less hostile towards each other outside of their deal was working wonders for them and Dazai greatly appreciated the effort they put in, though he did reassure them that if they felt the need to bicker, they shouldn't restrain themselves, as that was perfectly natural.
(Sometimes they got ten times as rowdy as his and Chuuya's most heated exchanges back when he was an Executive and he regretted giving them the advice to do so, but a healthy development of their dynamic was beyond compare more priceless than a little peace during their reports, even if others may not agree with him.)
The fifth change was probably the biggest one out there: when Fyodor ended up rearing his ugly, greasy rat head, as was inevitable, and he'd managed to dupe the Agency to frame them of terrorism - Fyodor actually had a clown friend! If Dazai ever got the chance to talk with the Russian again, he was going to tease the hell out of him for their little conversation in Mukurotoride and the clown mention back then - and the Hunting Dogs were deployed to go after them, Tachihara revealed himself to be a spy in the Mafia for them and warned the Tripartite system of something strange going on. He also tipped off the Hunting Dog effective SIC, Jouno, who actually looked into the matter and with Jouno reluctant to chase them down, his partner Tetcho also backed down. The remaining members couldn't launch an "investigation" on them when the Special Abilities Division was actively backing them to the government and thus, while Fukuchi was trying to figure out how to go around them for his imperfect plot for world peace - while being distracted by Fukuzawa, much to Mori's palpable displeasure - Dazai did what he did best.
It had been so wonderful having his unit back under his command; they haven't grown rusty a single iota since the last time he'd given them orders. And with Chuuya by his side - and Fitzgerald in their pocket for the Eyes of God not only for tipping him off about his runaway priest coming back to hunt him down, but also for sending Yosano-sensei to heal the very woman who might save the mad and probably lobotomized man's remaining sanity - Dazai almost felt bad for Nikolai, but the clown had to go. The Coat was simply a too powerful Ability to remain under Fyodor's control. And Atsushi, Kyouka, Akutagawa and Lucy did such a good job in retrieving the Sky Casino manager, Sigma.
(Dazai would actually love to meet him one day, but the Division were currently keeping a very close eye on him until they determined just how involved he was in the plots he'd been a part of. Sigma was the closest Dazai had ever discovered someone to his own situation, if the rumors of what he'd heard were true. Ango wouldn't lie to him, either, but Sigma could also be lying. Ultimately, he wouldn't be able to lie to Dazai, should they get the chance to talk. If he can't get a meeting arranged by himself, he won't feel guilty over pulling at Sensei's heart strings so the man would do it for him.)
The rest of the Port Mafia had also been incredibly helpful in covering up the tracks that couldn't be undone until the Page of the Book that had been used to fabricate the situation was erased or outright destroyed (Dazai was already salivating at the prospect of experimentation on how to best destroy the Book without actually endangering the world he'd created within it until his ultimate goal for it is achieved) and Verlaine - in disguise - with Kouyou had been keeping an eye on Ranpo as he and his (former?) Guild boyfriend cleared the Agency's name with facts and logic and the trust and respect Ranpo has earned all these years by solving cases for the police. Say what you will about Minoura when they'd first met the guy, but he was now one of Ranpo's biggest fans and most stout supporters. And with the police's support and the Port Mafia's 'cleaning' skills, well, it didn't take long to convince the public, not when the government itself didn't seem to buy the allegations.
Dazai did so love spoiling others' plots, especially if that 'other' is Fyodor Dostoevsky. His revenge on the Russian had only just begun, after all.
Masaoka-ossan's death will not go unavenged, but that's not his main concern here.
Nope, that would be the fact that it was Christmas again, the very first Christmas since he'd officially stopped hiding from the Port Mafia and since his reunion with Chuuya.
And he'd made promises.
Promises he intends to keep.
Chuuya had revealed that he had gone back to Aomori, to Kanagi, in hopes that he might find Dazai there during Christmas and New Years holidays and celebrations. He'd thought Dazai had liked them as much as he had, that year that they'd gone together, not realizing it had once been a family tradition for the brunet. Chuuya had also revealed he'd not only enjoyed and adored every single moment of it, but that he wants to do it again, as many years as they can. The snow and all the silly games they could play in it, the Christmas festival, the local food, the games and plays, the temple, ice skating and ice sculptures they get to wreck, the fireworks and the book fair. The whole nine yards, as they say. And who was Dazai to deny his partner anything, especially something so simple.
So the moment Chuuya had revealed that, Dazai had started preparations.
He wanted not only to repeat the success of their initial trip, but to outdo it by a landslide and he knew there were very few things that could do it.
So the first step he'd taken was go through the assets in his name and find the blueprints of his family home. It's been enough years and the Tsushima Aomori manor deserves to shine in all its glory again. It's what his parents would've wanted; the plot of land was a wedding gift from his grandfather - may his soul rest in pieces as he burns in hell - but his parents had built that house from scratch and any remodeling that happened between the original layout and the time the manor had burned down, Dazai remembered perfectly so he could correct it. He even found pictures of the furniture and such and had replicas custom made for the living room, library and kitchen while having the second floor redecorated. He left the master bedroom an open space instead of as a room and decided he'd do his best to make a small memorial for his family there. Not just his parents, aunt and Matsuki-san, but everyone who'd ever been family for him, no matter for how short or how long. He knew the garden couldn't really live up to the one that had been cultivated by his old staff in such a short time, but what was really important was that there was a memorial for Chibi in the yard and a dog house for Null. Of course he'd let her in the house, but dogs sometimes liked to nap outside, so it's best to give her options.
While the house was being rebuilt, he also made reservations for his family's old favorite restaurant, There's usually a table available, but better safe than sorry!
He checked if all the usual activities were still on the roster for the festival and sent a donation to the shrine with the request they clear up the old path going into the mountains before snowfall. It'd be an adventurous little hike for Soukoku and there were rumors about that shrine that Dazai'd like to investigate and who better to do it with than his beloved partner? Besides, a little adventure never hurt nobody; and if it's Soukoku involved, they tended to be the ones to hurt the "adventure" if it comes down to it.
A couple of weeks before Christmas, Dazai ordered everything the house might need for upkeep and some supplies of food that can last longer. Two days before Christmas, he ordered groceries to arrive a couple of hours before he planned for them to reach Kanagi. He even donated money to the city so that the roads stay cleared of snow. He hopes his neighbors won't be busybodies when they arrive, since by now all of Kanagi must be drowning in rumors and gossip about who might've decided to restore the Tsushima manor. And well, if they ever didget too nosy and forgot who guarded the place before, Null will be happy to remind them in her grandfather's memory, he's sure.
With all the planning he'd done, the trip should be perfect and he just had to pick up Chuuya from work so they can make the trip up to Aomori in peace.
However, as all best laid plans tend to - sometimes even his own, yes - the chaotic nature of Yokohama and the Port Mafia had to go and ruin all his hard work. Well, that's a little dramatic, sure, but Dazai had already been edgy with nerves from all the plans he'd made over the months and an edgy Dazai was a 'get-angry-on-a-dime' Dazai and no one wants the Demon Prodigy coming to ruin their Christmas.
Dazai knew this.
He'd experienced it.
He'd only been sixteen and he'd tried not to think about it.
But he couldn't believe that Chuuya had still gone to this year's Christmas party at the Port Mafia HQ, as if nothing happened, as if Dan-san hadn't risked it all with some of the most dangerous people in the city just to show them all the messed up things others had put Dazai through over the years.
As if Chuuya hadn't seen how he'd spent that one Christmas.
As if he hadn't all but barked at Verlaine as soon as he'd returned to work after the little vacation the Agency all but forced Dazai to take.
Dazai understood, he really did, that Chuuya had friends in the Mafia and that he had to keep up appearances as an Executive. Mori-san had even been considerate enough to make the party happen earlier this year since he'd known Soukoku had to have some sort of plans, after seeing Dazai's memories. So, in fact, the celebration should've been done by now and Chuuya should've already been outside, joining Dazai in the car and ranting at him that he shouldn't be the one behind the wheel despite having seen that he can, actually, drive like an ordinary person.
But there was no chibi ginger walking out the doors of the ominous building as Dazai and Null waited for the past half an hour.
Dazai didn't want to be a toxic partner that stalks their significant other to parties and controls what they do, but they sort of had plans. Dazai'd told him! He'd told him in advance and made him put it in both his physical and electric planer and had even circled the dare and time on their calendar. He'd been responsible! So why was Chuuya running late?
Eventually, he had to leave the warm confines of the car behind since Null was getting restless and he'd rather Chuuya not bitch at him if their good girl pees on the backseat. However, as soon as he steps out of the car, the guards assigned at the entrance open the doors for him, even though he's almost twenty meters away from them, causing a fine brown eyebrow to shoot up in surprise and suspicion. Null also naturally tensed at the sudden action, drawing closer to her master protectively and baring her teeth.
The guards just kept the doors open.
Dazai figured it couldn't hurt to just check in on Chuuya, right?
And if the party's still in full swing, he can just pop down to check on Verlaine and Kyuusaku, the kid is always happy to see him and Verlaine would probably like to spar again, as they've done countless times since the day members of the Agency and Mafia saw his memories.
Giving a resigned sigh at giving in, Dazai walked into the building he knew like the back of his hand, Null keeping close to him and warily sniffing around. He knew where the party would be held but he noted a suspicious lack of music. Usually it could be heard all the way to the entrance, if muffled. He narrowed his eyes, growing wary and his mood change had Null on edge, preparing for action, especially when Dazai's hand drifted to one of his hidden firearms. With practiced soundlessness and perfect knowledge of all the security cameras' blind spots, the brunet detective crept towards the hall usually used for parties.
The second he peeked into the room, however, too many colorful lights lit up in his face and Christmas music blared hard enough to make his ears ring and, for a stupid moment, he feared Kashimura was back-
"Merry Christmas, Dazai!" Various voices greeted cheerfully enough to be a whole separate light in the room and Dazai just stood there in the doorway, gawking, so thoroughly surprised for the first time in his life.
The dance hall they used for formal events or company parties was decked out in full Christmas glow, there were all sorts of traditional Christmas foods from all around the world on the buffet table and everyone who'd been in his memories plus Verlaine, Elise, Ango, Q, Natsume-sensei, Poe, Lucy and Dan-san were there, holding gifts in their hands which were apparently meant for him, while there was a whole other table of gifts meant to be exchanged between the rest of them. All of them were dressed in their best suits and dresses and Dazai suddenly felt so severely underdressed. It's been rare to feel like that since his past has become known, everyone now aware that he preferred more formal or business-like clothes due to basically growing up in a suit, so Chuuya had gone out of his way to get him extra comfortable clothes in that fashion for him to wear at home. And while he was probably overdressed for a casual trip, it was nothing compared to the others' outfits and suddenly Dazai felt uncomfortable in his own skin-
"Happy holidays, Dazai-sama," a familiar voice - and that familiar form of address - snapped him out of it and he turned his head, only to come face to face with quite a few familiar faces. Leading at the front were Yamamoto and Hiroto, from HR and finances respectively in the time he'd been an Executive, two of some of his most loyal despite him having ensured his entire squad would be considered 'most loyal'. Between them, they presented Dazai with a familiar box - there was definitely a suit in there and what remained of his men all smiled with such pride as he reached out to take it from them. "We arranged for the waiting room down the hall to be adequate as a dressing room, should you wish to change, before we may begin this celebration."
"What is all this?" He asked at large while Null barked a greeting at Chuuya - her second favorite person, understandably, even if she definitely listened to Dazai more - but stayed firmly by his side. Chuuya often had mixed feelings about that, always wanting to be greeting with Null's slobbery dog kisses as soon as they see each other but more than content to be deprived of them until he's within Dazai's radius since it meant Null will keep Dazai's safety her priority. Dazai thought both his dogs were very silly but he loved them, anyways.
"A Christmas party, of course." It was Ango, of all people, who replied and was the first to approach while the others held back. For now. "Your old squad arranged everything and all but threatened the government to ensure all of us could be here without the whole city going down in flames."
Dazai turned to once again gawk, this time at his men, and they all just puffed up their chests with even more pride than before, clearly pleased with themselves. And they had every right to; with how much shit Yokohama's been going through, Ango shouldn't have a single hour of free time, let alone a whole evening to indulge in food and possibly alcohol that might inhibit him throughout the next day if he really lets himself go and get wasted. Dazai felt oddly proud of them still remembering whatever method he'd taught them that they had used to get these results. These men and women were, after all, more than capable of running the Port Mafia on their lonesome should something ever happen to the majority of their 'cannon fodder' or even the higher ups. Dazai had ensured it so he'd have the most efficient, most capable and most competent team at his disposal at all times.
A lot of them had been lost during the Mimic incident and, apparently, some more over the years, based on his headcount, but most of the core of his old squad, the ones who'd been with him there, at the edges of Suribachi when he'd scouted Chuuya for the Mafia, was still here and still loyal to him.
Dazai can't quite remember being so touched outside of moments with his closest and dearest. He's not sure even every member of the Agency has managed to make him feel so touched, as his former squad has managed now.
He knows why they did it, of course. Hiroto had even been there when it had happened, as one of the only ones from Dazai's squad to have been invited, the rest ignored and unwanted for fear of them telling Dazai about it and him cancelling their little party. A party that they had wanted him to approve and finance, no less. Dazai had never attempted to attend any other party that he wasn't absolutely needed for as an Executive and that was with a lot of haggling from Mori-san, and certainly not the next year's Christmas party. Instead, he'd been frolicking around his hometown with Chuuya as one of the best Christmases since he was a kid or since Masaoka died. (For all the simplicity of his life with Masaoka and their small celebrations, he would have been happy living that kind of life forever, had the kid him gotten the chance. Finding Chuuya was an inevitable fate, after all, but he often wondered if, perhaps, he and Masaoka could've done as good or an even better job at protecting the ginger from his own past.)
Clearly, Hiroto had spread the word among his men for that one party and they had decided to give him a long overdue do-over! Just more private.
Dazai was suddenly so very tempted to get them all out of the Mafia and give them better lives and safer employment within Tsushima Corp, but he couldn't. Not yet, not while he still had loved ones in such a dangerous, dark place.
Besides, any future potential necessary takeovers will be easier if he still has his men on the inside, ready to conquer the Mafia for and with him at the drop of a hat.
"Thank you, everyone," he said, mostly addressing the ones who'd gone through the trouble of organizing the event before thanking the other attendees, too. It will never make up for that night when he'd realized just how far removed he was from the rest of his 'colleagues', but he didn't need that type of party. He felt this smaller, much more intimate one was far better. So he smiled and asked teasingly: "So, what's it take to get this party started?"
There were a few cheers before drinks and food were handed out. Dazai was pleasantly surprised by the sea food selection, especially all the crab dishes. Heck, he's almost 100% sure that the one in small bowls might've just been straight up canned crab! He couldn't help but chuckle at the notion, making sure to set aside a bowl and some sake for Masaoka-ossan. That sure drew the attention of the man's former students, who joined him for a short moment to commemorate the creator of the Book. Said Book was even humming, honoring its creator with a short lullaby-like melody. Dazai hoped that meant that the man could rest in whatever happens after death. He knew he won't ever have full peace as long as the Book exists, but Dazai hopes he can be patient a bit while longer.
Dazai was, after all, not yet ready to say goodbye.
Natsume-sensei and Hirotsu-san patted him on a shoulder each before the cat-shifter noticed his own students acting like dumbasses over something and huffed off to scold them, probably. Hirotsu-san dared to ruffle brunet curls in parting before following.
"I know you had plans, so sorry if this messed it up," his darling partner walked up to him with a tray of food for them to share. Thankfully, Chuuya wasn't drinking tonight, aware that they will be on the road soon enough. "But when I heard what they were planning, I just thought this might be something you needed, you know?"
"Oh, my silliest of silly chibi," Dazai beamed to his partner as he led them towards a nearby available table. "The other Port Mafia members meant very little to me in that regard. Any hangups I had about that night were that you and our nearest and dearest, like Ane-san and Hirotsu-san, never told me about the party, so I thought not even you guys wanted me there. Not a great head-space for sixteen year old me, considering everything that happened that year." He saw a certain look flash across the ginger's face and just sighed, rolling his eyes as he reached over to flick the slightly older man on the forehead, earning himself a loud "OI!" for his efforts. "You've apologized enough already, Chuuya. No need to drag it up so often. I know what I was like back then and some of your comments are well deserved and you've already made up for the more "unforgivable" ones," he said with air quotes. "You should really try to enjoy our time together, chibi, instead of being stuck in the past."
Not like Dazai was a huge hypocrite, no sir-y~!
And judging by the look Chuuya was giving him, he was totally agreeing with him, yes, most definitely.
"I'll let that slide in the name of holiday spirit and Kanagi bliss," the shorter finally decided and Dazai couldn't help but beam upon hearing that his hometown was regarded so highly by his most beloved partner. Perhaps one day, if such a day ever comes that Soukoku can retire, they could move there and terrorize the locals with their bickering and "soulmatism", as Yosano-sensei ("I'll get you to call me Akiko one day, damn it!") insists on calling it. Now that sounds like bliss. Hopefully in a world where there are no more stinky Russian sewer dwellers obsessed with the Book and No Longer Human. "But for now, let's enjoy the party, yeah? I don't know how- your men are really something, Osamu - but they managed to break Ane-san on her no-karaoke rule and got a machine here."
"Chuuya has to sing!" Dazai immediately declared upon hearing such grand news! Forget Christmas, this felt like his birthday! He loves Chuuya's singing voice but of all the things to be genuinely shy about, his silly chibi was shy about his singing. Null didn't help that she liked to join in - she was such a treasure, yes she was! - and Chuuya thought he was bad enough for a usually such a well-behaved dog to howl along so he usually stopped if Null was around. And Null was 90% of the time around Dazai, so Dazai had the misfortune of not hearing his partner sing often.
"Hells to the no!"
"We can do a duet if it'll make you feel better," he offered, already dragging the ginger towards where his men - ever intuitive, even after all these years, of his intentions - were already setting up the machine while the rest of the guests looked on in either curiosity, dread or excitement. "We can make Mori-san and Fukuzawa-shachou do it, too! Oh! And Akutagawa-kun and Atsushi-kun, of course! I bet we can also make Natsume-sensei and Hirotsu-san sing, but we'll need to bombard him with Gin-chan's and Tachihara-kun's puppy dog eyes so Hirotsu-san will agree." That Natsume will agree to almost anything Dazai asks out of guilt is left unsaid lest it spoil the nice evening.
Kyouka and Kenji were staring curiously at the bit speaker connected to several microphones and a huge screen to project lyrics while Kunikida debated between getting drunk off his ass or staying stone cold sober in hopes of somehow escaping this hell. Yosano-sensei was already dragging Ranpo-san towards the machine and Elise was pestering Mori-san, a most fortunate turn of events if Dazai wants to see his self-proclaimed former mentor humiliate himself in front of all of his colleagues, subordinates and his long-time crush/former partner/current who-knows-what.
"I'll agree to sing if you sing a solo, first," bartered the hat-loving mafioso, clearly forgetting that Dazai has already lived a life of much shame and so has none to spare for petty embarrassments. He's also clearly forgetting the times Soukoku went out to rock up a karaoke house or two in their teen years and just how into teen Dazai was for all the insane chaos they managed to cause just by singing or wailing songs into a mic. Oh, well, he'll have a reminder. Of not only that, but of how much fun he himself had on such outings!
"I'll sing two solos if Chuuya agrees to sing a total of four songs!"
"No filming this time, oi!"
"Boo!"
Dazai did end up filming, as you may have guessed it. Or rather, he assigned such an important task to one of his (former?) subordinates while he allowed himself to have some fun. He drank, he ate, he sang, he played with Q, he pulled pranks on Mori with Elise, he was dragged into a dance by a tipsy Yosano-sensei - she even challenged him to show off if he had any ballroom dancing skills and he'd led her through a breathtaking tango; breathtaking for her, since she was giggling so much as she tripped over her own heels and the skirt of her dress before Dazai expertly twirled her right into Kouyou's arms and the less said about those two behind closed doors, the better for Dazai's already extremely fragile sanity - he talked with new and old friends and colleagues alike and he introduced Null to his (former?) squad since he had a feeling there would be no getting rid of them now that he's back and clearly set on staying.
At one point, when Tachihara was teasing Chuuya about some drunken ramble or another from over the years when Dazai had been gone, he found himself standing side by side with Verlaine as they watched the party go on. Lucy and Akutagawa were having an intense staring contest while Poe was unsuccessfully trying to teach Ranpo how to waltz. Dan-san seemed to be in deep conversation with Natsume-sensei while Hirotsu was sharing some clearly traumatizing stories about his partner to the man's two former pupils. Gin was teaching Akutagawa's usual number one fangirl how to dance and they were actually succeeding because Higuchi was actually motivated to try while Ranpo just liked staring up at an increasingly flustered Poe. Ango and Kunikida had given in and were drinking heavily enough to drown a horse as they lamented about paperwork or Dazai or Soukoku or just Yokohama in general. Kyouka was more or less successfully mimicking what Gin was doing and Kenji let her lead him through the dance with a huge smile, adoring every moment of the whole thing. He'll soon get hungry and probably stuff his face until he falls asleep but there was enough food to go around to feed not only him, but also the bottomless pits that were Atsushi and Kyouka, too. Akutagawa-kun seemed to be deeply disgusted with his partner's ability to clear a whole buffet table all by himself. Dazai was tempted to show them how ravenous a post-Corruption Chuuya could get.
"This is quite the turnabout from the last such party you attempted to attend, is it not, Dazai-kun?" The former spy asked serenely and Dazai just shrugged. He hadn't paid nearly as much attention as he should have that one time and he didn't care to remember any details he had caught. "They've really gone out of their way to replace that night with a better one for your memories."
Verlaine hadn't been there when the others had been dragged into the viewing of visions from Dazai's past by one Dan Kazuko, as at that moment, Q had been very close to losing control because some of their nightmares pertaining to the two Guild members who had kidnapped them months ago. They had been so scared that they had discarded any and all "hatred" or anger they might have harbored for Dazai because he locked them up and then just left, all but ensuring Q will never see the light of day without his Ability there to counter and cancel their's. Dazai had, of course, answered their call, and not just because he wanted to avoid the results of all previous Q-incidents, but because he really was trying to be a better person. He'll never be a good one, no matter how much the Agency and Chuuya think he can; he doesn't want to be, simple as that, because not being a good person by the traditional meaning has ensured the safety and well-being of all his loved ones so far, to the best of his Abilities with a pretty good success rate.
That aside, when Dazai had gone to Q that day, Verlaine had refused to let him go in alone because no one was really ever sure what Q might be up to and the blond Frenchman had feared that the kid might try and kill Dazai. And either fail miserably, because Dazai was trained by the Assassin King himself, or be let to actually stab the brunet if Dazai was feeling that was the best way to end things.
And because Verlaine refused to let him go into Q's containment room alone, Dazai had spent hours holding hands with a murderous, traumatized, unhinged Mafia child and a murderous, depressed, lonely master assassin slash former foreign spy. Verlaine-san, after all, was deadly enough even without any access to his Ability, but considering how he was still alive despite all the shit that went down during the infamous "Stormbringer" event when Dazai and Chuuya were sixteen years old, there's no telling whether Verlaine actually has access to the singularity Rimbaud gifted him with. The man refuses to even try using it, despite Dazai having offered to help him master it in a safe environment as a way to repay him for all the training sessions. Verlaine had refused and Dazai had not pushed matters, respecting the older man's boundaries.
Still, for all that Verlaine hadn't been there to see the actual memories, he'd apparently gotten all the details from Chuuya eventually, so he knew the gist of it. He'd never asked Dazai about it, for which he is grateful; he had, however, made Dazai promise him that, whatever truth he had to reveal about both of the gravity brothers, he'll not say it if it threatens Chuuya's humanity or Rimbaud's memory. Dazai seriously needs to have a conversation with them about everything he's found in Kashimura's private stack of most definitely illegally kept research, but things always seem to kind of get in the way. Maybe he should just dump all the files into their laps and let them read through it when they're ready.
He thinks, if nothing else, that Chuuya will find peace and that Verlaine might start cherishing the second chance at life he'd been given even more, even if he does end up grieving his deceased partner all over again. At least Dazai'll be around to keep him distracted and with Ane-san and Shachou also interested in sword training with him, it ought to be interesting, to say the least.
"That night was fine, too," he replied at last, smiling at the blond, still kind of not used to being so eye to eye with the man who used to tower over him and Chuuya, even during the last days of his Executive life. Chuuya kind of remained stuck in time, as did everyone else from his Mafia days besides the Akutagawa siblings and Q, so when he'd returned, he was so much taller and had to get used to different angles needed for eye contact. It had never felt so eerie as with Verlaine-san, for some reason. Probably because this was only the fifth or so time he'd seen the man since his return, including the day of Dan's little vision plan being set into motion. "I learned the skills I needed to do a thing I needed to do in order to have peace so I can actually sleep at night and then I got out to have drinks with my friends."
Verlaine studied his face for a moment, before taking out a wrapped gift from within his beige jacket he was, for once, actually wearing instead of having it draped over his shoulders as he was most likely to do.
Dazai took the gift, arching an honestly confused eyebrow - tonight was definitely a Surprise-Dazai night - and Verlaine just smiled. "I think this gift has waited long enough to be given to its intended receiver."
Brown eyes widened as he immediately understood what Verlaine had given him and he couldn't help the sudden and very strange impulse to hug the man. Verlaine-san's squeak definitely drew everyone's attention to the pair, especially when Null saw her master giving out affection and ran over to doll out her own, to both of the men. Verlaine sputtered as he tried to get the overenthusiastic dog off of him while Dazai laughed and instead searched the room for Chuuya.
He found him easily enough, already looking back at him, a brow arched at the gift in his hands since everyone, Verlaine included, had dumped their gifts for Dazai on the same table. The brunet just grinned at him doppily, pressed a kiss to the corner of the wrapped up poetry book he'd wanted to gift a sixteen year old Chuuya, before blowing the kiss off in his partner's direction. Chuuya flushed but still remained confused and Dazai giggled at his chibi's reaction. He finally pulled Null off of the former spy and easily handled her affections for a minute or two before heading over towards Chuuya.
As soon as he'd stepped within reaching distance, Yosano-sensei and Naomi-san suddenly started catcalling and whistling.
"Good job, Karl!" The usually shy Poe called while a very excitable - and probably sugar high - Ranpo was clinging to him not unlike the raccoon who was, when Soukoku looked up, holding mistletoe above their heads.
"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Elise chanted and Dazai wasted no time swooping down to peck Chuuya on the lips, earning a round of boos for the chaste action. But Chuuya just returned the gesture and hugged him around the waist, swaying them side to side. He may have been tipsier than Dazai thought, but hopefully not enough to make the journey to Kanagi miserable.
"This is for you, my dearest chibi-"
"Oi!"
"Merry Christmas~"