Chapter Text
This was a seemingly usual day for the mafia. Dazai was wandering through the hallways, his dark coat swaying behind him, his footsteps making noise as his shoes hit the ground. He was not thinking of much, with his expression being blank and careless.
His life in the mafia was definitely not a dream, but he maintained his responsibilities and whatever tasks Mori had given him. Speaking of, he hasn't seen him since a while now.
Not that he missed him, but he was merely curious as to what happened. Knowing Mori, there must've been a reason, and The Boss probably had everything under control, as he always did.
He suddenly felt something, or someone bump into his chest. But it was someone incredibly short, like a young child.
He took a step back, but didn't fully recoil, his blank gaze darting downwards.
"…"
Almost immediately, he felt an intense aura coming from the kid, which was unusual, and he had a feeling that it was not its ability.
"Are you lost—"
Dazai began to speak, before his eyes widened. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the child had dark hair, violet eyes and was wearing some sort of a suit. But mostly, its facial features, although small, painted a perfect resemblance to Mori.
The terrifying and ridiculous thought took seed in Dazai's head right away. What if this was Mori?
"Dazai."
The way his name rolled off the child's tongue sealed the deal completely. For once in a while, Dazai managed to be caught off guard and become genuinely shocked. So it was Mori.
Before thinking of the hows and the whys, Dazai's smile curled up so high that it was almost unnatural of him. He leaned down, holding his hands onto his knees as he loomed over the now small Boss.
"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"
Dazai cooed, tilting his head slightly. He was so going to mock him, given that The Boss was likely not able to counter him in such a state.
"I need you to find the ability user who did this to me and nullify their ability."
Mori spoke, his voice high-pitched and squeaky. Even in his vulnerable moments, he still attempted to hold onto his authority and dignity.
There was a painful silence, with Dazai's shoulders shaking as he tried to hold back a chuckle. Eventually, he couldn't hold it back anymore, and began to let out a laugh.
Mori narrowed his eyes at Dazai. How expected of him.
"How amusing."
The Boss let out in a sarcastic murmur.
Dazai slapped his own knee, wiping a fake tear away. And only when his laughter died down, did Mori continue to speak.
"Unfortunately, I have zero clues. So we'll have to search far and wide."
He added, but Dazai was still too amused to think practically.
"Perhaps we should keep you like this."
He teased, to which Mori sighed, rubbing his temples.
Dazai finally straightened up, starting to think. No clues meant that Mori got turned into a child by someone who was either extremely powerful or managed to catch The Boss when he was off guard.
"Well, I won't lie when I say that I find the job interesting… But watching you sip juice and eat crackers sounds even more intriguing."
Dazai let out with a grin.
"I'd like to remind you that I'm still your boss, Dazai. And you wouldn't like the consequences of your actions to catch up to you once I'm back to normal, now would you?"
Mori asked, trying to press on his psyche with a threat, even if only a little bit.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."
Dazai waved his hand dismissively, beginning to stride through the corridor.
Mori followed, albeit much slower, with smaller steps.
Dazai stopped at the elevator, looking down at Mori.
"Where to, Boss?"
He asked, to which Mori mused.
"The city. We shall look at the latest ability user appearances within each district of Yokohama, and decide where to go from there."
Mori spoke, eyeing the buttons of the elevator that looked so very big and highly positioned in his current perspective.
Dazai's grin widened as he looked to where Mori was staring.
"Need help, little Boss?"
He hummed, crouching to him to devour his presence in the shadows of his black coat.
"Refrain from calling me that."
Mori hissed. He would not stand on tippy toes and attempt to reach the buttons. That would be beneath him, even in his current body.
Dazai stood back up, then tapped the button, the elevator ringing as it slid opened. He stepped aside, gesturing for Mori to go in.
Mori let out a sigh, making his way inside, with Dazai walking in after him and then pressing the ground level button.
There was a moment of awkward silence between them.
And just before the elevator was about to open, Dazai looked down at Mori.
"Am I supposed to say that I found a lost kid if the other subordinates see us?"
He asked, of course without missing out on his patronizing tone.
"It's better not to say anything unless it's absolutely necessary."
Mori murmured, the elevator sliding open.
Dazai walked out first, scanning the hallway. Given that barely anyone was around, he looked back at Mori and gestured that he may come out.
Mori nodded, walking out. The two made their way through the rotary doors and were soon met with the crispy air of the outdoors.
Dazai felt the need to stand closely to Mori, shielding him from the crowdedness of the busy street.
"You know, Boss, it's quite ironic how you always need me so. Even when you're so… Tiny."
Dazai spoke, walking with him.
"Ironic, isn't it?"
Mori repeated sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"Don't sulk. We'll get you back to normal so that you can lecture me to your hearts content. Your erm… Heart that you definitely have, of course."
Dazai chuckled.
"I'm not sulking, I'm merely observing. We have a job to do and I suggest that you too start using your skills."
Mori let out with a sigh, before stopping by a window with Television programs. He placed both his hands on the glass, scanning through the programs to perhaps find a potential clue.
Dazai looked back, noticing that Mori stopped, and so did he.
"You ought to tell me when you stop, I can't see you that easily now."
Dazai walked back and then looked at the bright screens.
"There's been an incident near the station."
Mori spoke, his forehead practically glued to the glass.
"You'll ruin your little eyesight like this, you know."
Dazai chuckled.
Mori immediately stepped back, Dazai was right. Perhaps The Boss had a random onset of being ridiculous due to his size.
"Let's not waste any time."
Mori turned on his heel, or rather, his tiny foot, as he began walking towards the station.
Dazai followed after him.
They walked in silence, before Mori's stomach grumbled. Even with his keen mind, his current body still required maintenance.
"I love the enthusiasm, Boss, but I'm afraid there's something we ought to tend to first."
Dazai let out a chuckle.
"Nonsense, there will be tending to nothing if we don't catch the perpetrator as soon as possible."
Mori spoke stubbornly. He was a workaholic at heart, and even a child's body wouldn't stop his unyielding brain. Or would it…?
Dazai let out a scoff, before watching Mori nearly trip. Dazai's reflexes were quick, catching him before he could scrape his knees or worse.
"Easy now. Walking on an empty stomach is dangerous."
Dazai said as he held onto Mori's shoulders, gently guiding him back into a standing position, before letting go of him once he was certain that Mori was standing back on his feet.
The child's stomach was so loud, that by-passers began to glance towards the two.
"Come on, let's eat something."
Dazai let out with a sigh.
"It's not necessary."
Mori let out, to which Dazai blinked.
"Are you… Throwing a tantrum?"
Mori narrowed his eyes, grimacing at the mere thought of it.
"Absolutely not."
He spoke, contradicting himself, as he looked away.
Dazai didn't know what to say, but he suspected that the transformation started causing Mori a cognitive decline.
"I'm not in the mood for dealing with this."
He finally spoke, and without a question, placed his arm underneath Mori's legs, swiftly lifting him up in one motion.
"Dazai!"
Mori's eyes widened. To be handled like that was something else completely, and a complete blow to his dignity.
Ignoring his protests, Dazai moved at a hurried pace towards one of the nearby coffee shops, pushing the doors open as he walked in, before standing in line.
It was not unusual for Mori to ignore his need to eat or drink while working, but this time was different. Instead of a slight fatigue, he risked being cranky or sleepy, and Dazai couldn't have either of those.
Mori looked down, narrowing his eyes. He felt helpless, which was totally uncharacteristic of the Port Mafia's leader.
Finally, the line moved, and Dazai came forth to place his order.
"Hello, it'll be a coffee with extra milk, juice and a croissant, please."
The worker noted down the order with a nod, before gesturing for them to sit down.
Dazai sat down, before placing Mori down on the chair opposed to him. Mori could barely reach the table, but he still stubbornly attempted to remain composed and unbothered.
"Juice and a croissant... Are you trying to humiliate me, Dazai?"
He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Dazai leaned back, crossing his arms.
"And what if I am?"
Dazai shrugged, poking at the fake flowers on the table. Mori remained still.
Dazai didn't even hide the fact that he was teasing Mori. It's the least he could do in return for all the horrible things the Mafia Boss had done to him.
Mori, in the meanwhile, was staring at the table, lost in thought.
Their long silence got broken by the noise of glass clinking on a tray, that was set in between the two. As promised, there was a coffee, a croissant and juice with a straw.
"Thank you."
Dazai smiled towards the waitress, before looking back at Mori.
The Boss immediately removed the straw.
"Pfft."
Dazai couldn't help himself, leaning his chin over his hand as he stirred his own coffee.
"Eat up."
Dazai spoke, before taking a sip of his coffee.
Mori felt utterly belittled. Who was Dazai to tell him what to do? He, on the other hand was showing his more direct, stubborn side, one that was not hidden beneath a mask of poise.
He sighed, taking a bite out of the croissant.
The two sat in silence, the only noise being cozy music inside of the coffee shop, and the crunch of Mori's food.
The croissant looked out of proportion in Mori's now small hands. And once he was finally finished, he took a tissue, tapping it against his mouth with grace, before looking back at Dazai.
Dazai returned his glance.
"Don't forget your juice."
He added, to which Mori scoffed.
"Quit commanding me."
Mori barked out, before sipping the juice. He had a hard time accepting his vulnerability, and an even harder time accepting Dazai being the one who held the reins.
Dazai raised an eyebrow.
"You know, if you keep acting so grumpy, I might have to initiate naptime."
He sighed, turning to look at the window. Before Mori could say anything, Dazai's eyes widened. He spotted a man wearing a dark cloak outside the window. How suspicious.
"I think we might have a target."
Dazai spoke, to which Mori followed his gaze, watching the man look around before passing the street and then disappearing into a dark alleyway.
The two looked back at each other, giving each other an approving nod.
Dazai stood up from his chair, Mori chugging down the remains of the juice.
He set the empty glass down, before looking down at the floor. The chair appeared so high up, he could barely reach the ground with his feet.
Dazai walked up, picking Mori back up without hesitation.
"Come on, we might catch him if we hurry up."
He spoke, giving the waitress a wave before leaving the coffee shop, still holding Mori in his arms.
Mori didn't like being treated like a doll, but at the same time, couldn't really argue with Dazai. It would take weeks for him to waddle with such weak, tiny legs.
And so, they continued onward, following after the stranger.