chapter 5

Atsushi grumbles under his breath and hands Akutagawa Chuuya’s phone.

“He’s totally going to kill you,” Akutagawa says, but he takes a photo of Tachihara and Chuuya, both of them wearing matching grins.

“It’ll be worth it. He’s adorable. So is Dazai.”

“Great,” Akutagawa says, depositing Dazai on the couch next to Tachihara. “You can babysit. Atsushi needs a nap and I need a shower.”

Tachihara looks like he’s been given his weight in gold. “You trust me to babysit?”

“I trust you to know that we’ll kill you if anything happens to them. Gin will even help.”

“That’s true.” Tachihara keeps one arm around Chuuya, who’s standing on his leg and patting Tachihara’s face curiously, and draws Dazai closer with his free hand. Dazai stares up at him with big, curious eyes. “I’ll never be able to look at them the same way again. They’re adorable.”

“Drop them and you die,” Akutagawa warns before leaving. If Tachihara notices the fond look on his face when he ruffles Atsushi’s hair as he passes by, he doesn’t say anything.

He knows better.

...----------------...

Gin is waiting in the genkan when Tachihara opens the door to let Atsushi and Akutagawa in. Atsushi doesn’t even wait for her to say anything about the two children before dumping Chuuya in her arms.

“You’re a saint, Gin,” he tells her earnestly before making a beeline for her couch.

Gin looks at Akutagawa for answers. “He’s very tired.”

“Ah.”

“And so am I,” Akutagawa continues, passing Dazai to Tachihara and following after Atsushi. He shoves Atsushi lightly. “Move over, asshole.”

“There are two couches, asshole,” Atsushi grumbles, but he makes meager space for Akutagawa anyway, wheezing when Akutagawa drops all his weight — which isn’t much, really — on him.

Gin adjusts Chuuya so she can hold him in one arm and pulls out her phone with the other. “That’s so cute,” she whispers to Tachihara.

“They have bags under their eyes, Gin. They’re exhausted.”

“Then let’s do our best to be quiet.” Gin bounces Chuuya once, delighted when he smiles at her. “Right, little one? Shh.”

Chuuya tries to copy her putting a finger to her lips and full on smacks himself in the face. Startled, his eyes widen to twice their size. Gin taps his nose lightly.

“You are the cutest baby I’ve ever seen.”

“I heard that,” Atsushi snaps.

Hirotsu throws a blanket over Atsushi and Akutagawa’s heads. “Be quiet. Go to sleep. I have a headache.”

...----------------...

“Thank you for the food, Gin,” Atsushi says with a warm smile.

“Oh, it’s all right. I had help.”

Tachihara swings on his chair. “How’d Dazai end up getting affected, by the way? Or is that classified?”

Atsushi groans and drops his head on the table.

“He’s just an idiot,” Akutagawa says. “He tried to chase the kid down with an ability nullifying bracelet the agency gave him. I think he forgot he’s a nullifier himself.”

“I’m going to throw him out a window when they’re back to normal,” Atsushi says. “Did he not think this would happen?”

“The more I hear about Dazai from you,” Hirotsu says, “the less inclined I am to believe he is the same person that was once one of the executives.”

Akutagawa scoffs. “You should see him when it’s dinner time. He turns into a five-year-old.”

...to be continued. ...

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