Chapter Text
All good things must come to an end.
Just like Chuuya’s well earned peace after the first week of his third year of college.
Hauling his apparent fifty kilogram backpack up the stairs? A nuisance, but alright. Digging through his pockets for his apartment keys for a full five minutes? Embarrassing, but the fact he had left it on his motorcycle was terrible. Rushing back down, praying no one had stolen it, finally getting his hands on it, then doing the walk of shame back up the stairs was infinitely worse.
And for the last act, ladies and gentlemen, the nail in the coffin. Pushing open the door to one Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, on his, Chuuya’s, bed, with no visible care in the world.
“You—” Chuuya sputters. “Why didn’t you say anything? I was struggling! How’d you even fucking get in here?”
Akutagawa definitely had to have heard him outside the door, but he ignored the rest of his sentence. “You gave me spare keys.”
Chuuya drags a hand down his face and counts to ten. There goes peace and silence. It was great while it lasted. I’ll love and cherish you forever. “What do you need, Ryuu?”
“Atsushi can’t imagine what you’d look like.”
“Wonderful,” Chuuya deadpans. Of course this was about Nakajima. Not like Ryuu talked about anyone else, these days. And it was adorable to watch, seeing the closed-up kid slowly opening up, but it was also incredibly boring to hear about the same person over and over. “That is my problem, how?”
“Well,” Ryuu says in an equally dry tone. “I tried to describe your appearance, but he still couldn’t place his finger on it and said your description sounded vaguely familiar.”
Chuuya furrows his eyebrows. “I’ve never met him, but I wouldn’t be surprised, I guess.”
“Anyway,” he continues. “He wants to see you.”
“Again, not my problem, kid,” Chuuya grumbles, shoving him aside to flop down on his bed. “I don’t want to meet your stupid boyfriend.”
“I knew you would say that,” Ryuu says slowly. “But I already said yes.”
“And now you can say no.”
“I’m not doing that, Chuuya-san.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not,” Ryuu says with finality. “Just one hour.”
“An hour?” Chuuya scoffs. “What is this meeting the parents bullshit?”
“If the shoe fits,” the younger one shrugs. “I have nothing of the sort anyway. I have no parents for him to meet.”
“Oi,” Chuuya punches his shoulder weakly. “Don’t guiltrip me.”
“Is it working?”
He burrows his face into a pillow in response. Chuuya had met Ryuu when he was twelve. All alone, beat up and scared. It wasn’t unusual. So many kids were homeless or abandoned, although the thought made his stomach churn. But something about Ryuu, whether it was the dullness of his eyes, the paleness of his skin or his constant coughing made Chuuya return. Again, and again.
Finally, Dazai’s brother, Oda, had arranged something for him and he was able to live a relatively normal life afterwards.
Chuuya shudders at the thought and shook it away. Not now.
“When.”
“What?”
“When do I gotta meet him?” Chuuya mumbles.
“After your concert tomorrow would be nice,” Ryuu hums with the confidence of a man who won. “He wanted to go.”
“I’m going to be absolutely disgusting after my concert.”
“Do you mean drunk?”
“That,” Chuuya agrees. “And sweaty. And loud. And gross. You said he’s timid.”
“He is,” Ryuu amends. “But I’d say his friends are no different, so he’s probably used to it by now. Is that a yes, Chuuya-san?”
“Get outta here, kid.”
Knowing this was closest to a yes Chuuya would muster, Ryuu gets to his feet and takes his things. “I’ll see you later, then.”
“Whatever.”
Chuuya begrudgingly lifts his head from the pillow once he hears the door close and checks his phone. Band practice at six, probably to go on infinitely, so no sleep for him then. It was currently four. He’d probably have to study for an hour.
He lets out a loud groan.
All good things, He repeats in his head tiredly, come to an end.
“All good things come to an end,” Chuuya says dejectedly, out loud now, setting his books on the desk. “Fuck this. Stupid college. Fuck Yokohama University. Fuck my life, why did I pick physics of all shits?”
He glances at his bed. This was probably the minute Shirase would cackle at him, telling him he’d brought this upon himself, ruffling his hair and picking up his guitar.
‘Wanna play?’ He’d ask, grinning. And Chuuya never refused. And it would become something else, a mess on the beds, shuddering breaths and small laughter.
Chuuya used to imagine they would tell each other sweet nothings till they’d both passed out, small acts of kindness and care, love-filled eyes and honey coated words.
He had his own naivety to blame for that. Not all boys were like…him, after all.
Shirase was never sweet. But they were both gone.
Chuuya ran a hand through his hair. It was all a little simpler when he played for the Sheep in high school. But he didn’t anymore. He played for the Black Lizards. And that was that. And Shirase wasn’t his roommate. He lived alone now.
And that was that.
All good things come to an end.
The band was fun, though. Shouting at the top of their lungs in their small rented studio, laughter when caught by Hirotsu, who looked after them. Writing lyrics with Higuchi, the manager of sorts, though he realized she just really wanted to be with them but didn’t play any instruments, and she was indispensable all the same. Late night talks with Gin, Ryuu’s little sister, often going deeper than how they started, advice and guidance. Making music and base melodies with Tachihara, drinking and laughing about things that weren’t funny.
It was nice.
That’s why when he entered the studio, catching on to their giggling faces, he immediately knew something was up.
“Now what?”
“Chuuya!” Tachihara grins. He narrowed his eyes. Not a good sign. “Come here.”
He walks over cautiously, catching the phone thrown to him.
“The hell is this?!”
“Seems you have quite the fanclub,” Higuchi giggles, earning a warning glance from Gin.
Sure enough, a new trending tag, #Chuuyashands. “This is disgusting.”
“I think it’s unique.”
It was one change. One night, the microphone felt slippery and his leather gloves, that he never takes off on stage, felt like a hazard. Just one time that it was off.
His nose wrinkles as he reads through some of the comments. “How did this even happen?”
Gin shoots a pointed look at Tachihara.
“Michizou,” Chuuya spits out with barely restrained anger.
“Chuuya,” he squeaks. “I was drunk.”
Needless to say, it becomes a chase almost immediately.
To say he had a bad day was an understatement. And nobody knew how much worse the next day would be.
“Chuuya!”
“I said,” Chuuya yelled venomously. “I fucking need help, dammit!”
“Language,” Higuchi reminded half-heartedly. “We’re in a somewhat professional setting.”
“Its a concert.”
“There’s people we’re supposed to sell to. What if they get scared off by you?”
“Hate to break it to you,” he spat, throwing an empty plastic bottle behind him, shuffling through his bag. “There’s only college kids here and it’s not like I’m actively trying to appeal to them. If someone doesn’t lend me a fucking hand, I’m leaving and you guys can utilize your shitty ass voices and fend for yourselves.”
“Lan—”
“Don’t try me, Higuchi.”
“What are you even looking for?” Gin interjected, looking up from where she was inspecting her bass.
“My choker,” he almost pulled his hair out in frustration. What was even in the air? Nothing was going his way.
Gin raised one eyebrow and kicked Tachihara awake. He grumbled from where he lay on the couch.
“I swear to god, if it’s you again Tachi—”
“There’s still five minutes to the show,” he massaged his head, reaching for his phone. “Why am I awake?”
“My choker, you fuck,” Chuuya hauled him upright. “Out with it.”
“Check my bag,” Tachihara replied offhandedly. “Can I go back to sleep?”
“We’re on stage in four minutes,” Gin rolled her eyes.
“That’s not an answer.”
“Why was it even in there?” Chuuya fastened his choker.
“Ready?” Higuchi spoke up, still shivering a little from when she was shot down by Chuuya earlier.
“Yes,” Gin answered for both of them. “As usual, Tachihara enters first and gets his drums ready, then me and Chuuya enters last.”
“Got any of that, asshole?” Chuuya knocked on his head.
“Obviously,” he straightens up and rubs his head, grinning. “For the Black Lizards!”
“Black Lizards!” Chuuya grins back.
“Black Lizards,” Gin nods, a small smile. Higuchi offers them a smile of her own, then pushes the door open.
“You’re on.”
As discussed, Tachihara goes first to hype up the crowd, so it’s just Gin and Chuuya for a while.
“Got any words?” he asks her, because she usually does, she always does.
“Do your best, bigshot,” she rolls her eyes. “Try to keep your gloves on this time.”
“What if I don’t?”
He isn’t talking about the gloves, and both of them know that.
What if I mess up?
“Good, try to get us some publicity.”
It doesn’t matter. Get out of your head.
Chuuya grins to himself as Gin goes on stage next, relishing in the crowd’s roars. He pulls the electric guitar strap over his head and onto his shoulders, running his fingers across the strings experimentally.
“Chuuya?”
“Yes, Higuchi?”
“Try not to lose your mind.”
“I’ll think about it.”
And with that, he enters the stage. Chuuya fastens the mic to the stand, smiling at the audience while they scream his ears off, scanning the crowd for his friends and Ryuu’s boyfriend by extension. He catches the eye of The Flags, bunched up near the front, Albatross flashing his teeth at him and yelling something illegible. He spots Ryuu at the corner, grumbling while he’s getting pulled along by what Chuuya assumes to be Atsushi.
“Yokohama University,” Chuuya yells into the mic, screams filling up his ears once again. “Are you ready to have fun tonight?”
They cheer, and Chuuya glances back at Gin and Tachihara with a smile. They smile back, Gin adjusting her bass against her body.
Tachihara picks up his own mic. “Here we go, the Black Lizards everybody!”
He counts them off with his drumsticks and Chuuya starts playing.
His voice will be long gone by the end of the night, but it's a feeling he loves all the same.
The post-concert effects are loud, to say the least.
Chuuya wouldn’t admit it to anybody, but he has to admit, being the center of the crowd with his height is difficult.
People talk over him, grab him and yell directly into his ears. He hears bits of, that was amazing! and you’re so hot, Chuuya. And while one might consider this an ego-booster, he was also slick with sweat, fingers bleeding from the aggressive playing and voice completely shot.
Tachihara practically manhandles him through the crowd, people grabbing at him as well and yelling at him.
“Where to?” Tachihara yells over the crowd.
“My brother would be great,” Gin tells him.
“Chuuya, The Flags, I assume?”
While that was his go-to spot after the concert, he was reminded of his own words from yesterday.
“No, just get me to Ryuu,” he grumbles. “I have something to get over with.”
Gin was only eighteen, but incredibly perceptive all the same. The twinkle in her eyes told him that she knew exactly what he was talking about.
It vanished quickly.
“Wait, Chuuya, there’s something you need to know.”
“Can it wait?” he rasped. “I can barely hear you.”
“No, it can’t,” she narrowly pulls him away from bumping directly into someone. “I was supposed to tell you earlier.”
“Let me rephrase,” Chuuya grabs her by the shoulders and forces her to look straight. “It has to wait. Until we’re safe out of this stupid ocean of people and sweat.”
“You need to know before we get to him!”
“I don’t get what you’re saying,” he yells. “But it’s literally impossible to talk right now.”
“What are you guys saying?” Tachihara screams back.
Finally stumbling out of the crowd and entering a relatively emptier area where Atsushi and Ryuu were, Chuuya stops to catch his breath.
“Okay,” he looks to Gin. “Now.”
“I think it may be too late,” she scratches her neck in shame.
“What?”
“You didn’t tell him?” Ryuu looks at both of them with more emotion than he’s ever shown in his life. “Gin.”
“I didn’t get the chance to.”
“Okay, now you’re freaking me out,” Chuuya takes a step back. “What is it? Atsushi’s right here. I’ll get this whole meet-and-greet shit over with so I can get to The Flags.”
“The Flags?” a voice says behind him. Dread pools in his stomach, and he’s feeling his body go cold. No. “Don’t tell me you still hang out with those cheapskates.”
Fuck no.
“Chuuya-san,” Ryuu says as a last resort. “Please.”
Chuuya turns around slowly. “You.”
“Hello, hatrack,” Dazai grins down at him, condescending on purpose. “We meet again.”