part 4

“Did you miss me?” He asks, voice sickly sweet even to his own ears. Chuuya is getting over his surprise at someone knocking on his bedroom window in the middle of the night, and his impassive mask is starting to slip back onto his face. He takes several steps back from Dazai and climbs back onto his bed.

“Aww, don’t be like that Chuuya.” Dazai croons, following him across the room. Then he pauses, as he notices something different. “Nice hat.” He snickers.

Dazai has no idea where Chuuya’s gotten the tacky thing from, but there is a felt hat that’s slightly too big for him sitting on top of his head. The smaller boy flinches slightly, and Dazai pretends that he doesn’t feel bad about it.

“Our meeting got cut short last time.” He says, perching on the edge of the others bed. Chuuya blinks at him.

“What’s wrong, cat got your tongue?” He asks. It shouldn’t bother him as much as it is that Chuuya hasn’t spoken in front of him yet. The spark of defiance that the redhead had shown him last time is nowhere to be found and in it’s place is a subdued boy who is just as pretty as Dazai remembers, and that pisses him off for reasons he doesn't want to think about.

Dazai knows he didn’t imagine it last time. He’s an excellent judge of character (that’s why Mori is so afraid of him, and both of them know his mentor is very very afraid) and he knows Chuuya has the potential to be so much more than this doll sitting in front of him. He knows next to nothing about the boy's past, his thoughts, his emotions, but Dazai has never been wrong when it comes to judging someone. This submissive act is not who Chuuya is, and Dazai’s become mildly obsessed with bringing his true character to light

He can’t do anything if Chuuya doesn't talk to him, however.

Dazai pulls out every trick he knows to try to bait Chuuya into talking to him; he switches back and forth between sweet and harsh, hurls insults and compliments in the same breath, is equal parts kind and cruel-and Chuuya remains quiet and impassive through all of it. Only his eyes betray that he’s still listening to what Dazai is saying.

Eventually, Dazai runs out of tricks and falls silent, chest heaving. The two of them stare at each other, waiting to see who’ll crack first.

Chuuya turns his back to him and refuses to acknowledge him, no matter what Dazai says or does. With a snort, Dazai knocks the hat off the other’s head in a fit of pettiness and walks out the door.

He heads towards the stairs, trying not to feel frustrated that he’s failed again.

*

It’s not until he sees Kouyou make some sort of fluttery hand gesture at Chuuya weeks later while he’s sulking in the brothel, hiding in the shadows, that it all clicks into place for Dazai. Chuuya is watching his mentors hands with an intensity that Dazai has never seen before on the redhead, like they mean something to him. And they do, Dazai realizes with a jolt, they do mean something to him, and suddenly, Chuuya’s refusal to talk makes a lot more sense.

... To be continued...

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