NO LONGER HUMAN.

Of course that it’s not enough, even more considering that the cider barely has enough alcohol to give a normal person a slight buzz. When downed by an Ability, it mostly tastes of fruits and a little bit of alcohol, more similar to a soda than anything. If Daichi wants to get drunk on cider then he will have to consume a considerable amount of it.

A thing he doesn’t understand is why does Daichi want to get drunk when he doesn’t even like alcohol. Is it for the feeling it gives? Or because it’s a good way to forget reality for a while and just float in this state of drunk happiness? Ojoku himself has tried it many a time before but with little to no result so he has given up for the most part.

The other is right as seen by how the redhead immediately opens his mouth in order to say ‘no’ the moment he hears Daichi talking. However, for some odd reason, instead of voicing his refusal out loud, he listens to what he has to say. The proposition has him blinking in confusion a few times before he pushes himself into a standing position. Normally, he would refuse but the promise of rare vintage wine is enough to get him to accept. “You better give me that wine.” 

Swiftly, Ojoku grabs his own jacket and gets ready to leave but not before sending Chuuya a message that he’s out and about and to not worry about him. He knows that his host trusts him to take care of himself but it doesn’t hurt to let him know beforehand.

“We aren’t partners anymore. Haven’t been for over four years. So don’t talk like we are.“ he grumbles, absentmindedly wringing his hands and rubbing at the ring hidden under one of the gloves. “Lead the way.“ 

it’s not how much alcohol is in it that matters to daichi - it’s the taste of the drink. he dislikes anything that tastes even remotely like alcohol; refuses to drink anything bitter or sour or sharp, despises the burn that stronger alcohol leaves. he’d rather drink excessively than take any amount of stronger alcohol. perhaps the easiest way to describe his own mindset would be that he wants to drown out everything - make his mind go completely blank. daichi doesn’t want to care (his host certainly doesn’t), shouldn’t be capable of feeling. he’s an ability, after all. whoever had decided that he should be able to feel had made a very unfair decision, he thinks. one that will be remedied when daichi downs half of the collection of alcohol in dazai’s apartment. (revenge has never been sweeter.)

daichi knows that ojoku most likely doesn’t want to spend time with him - which is more than fine, really, it goes two ways - but that he’ll also be drawn in by the promise of vintage wine. ah, he’s so easy to manipulate if even the mention of a gift gets him to reverse his position on something. nevertheless, daichi is actually happy to have some company on the trip. he doesn’t feel like making his way over to dazai’s apartment on his own, after all. especially since he had fought with dazai so recently. perhaps having ojoku come with him is for comfort purposes, even if he won’t admit that to himself. 

“i will, don’t worry. it’s not like i’d have any personal uses for wine, so you may as well take it while we’re over there.” he fully intends on being true to his word and giving the wine to ojoku. though he may have said it just to try and get ojoku to agree to come with him, that doesn’t mean that the promise is any less valid, and daichi plans on keeping his word. he doesn’t, however, reply to the comment about them no longer being partners (oh, if only ojoku knew --), instead just brushing past ojoku to head out of the door, more than content to just hurry to dazai’s apartment and get this all over with by now. “sure. whatever you say.”

to be fair, even if dazai did take the blow himself, there was every chance he wouldn’t learn from it - each of their enemies was different, after all. that’s why keeping up with them, staying one step ahead of them, beating them, could temporarily dispel some of dazai’s seemingly perpetual boredom. of course, it always returns just as quickly… and yes, that would be exactly why he might indeed purposefully put himself in the way of a lethal blow. it’s a shame, really, that his ability is all too aware of that bit - not that’s he’s called dazai on as much, but dazai’s desire to die is nothing new. daichi would surely think of the possibility. 

if daichi voiced his concerns about fearing failure, dazai would be quick to point out that it wouldn’t matter what other people thought of daichi - if dazai was dead, so was his ability, and therefore people could think whatever they damn well pleased. it wasn’t like opinions mattered to the dead. “… alright, if you say so.” that’s a clear admission that dazai doesn’t fully believe the words, but at least he’ll accept them for now. he does expect that this little ceremony of wound-dressing won’t be a guarantee each time daichi gets hurt and refuses to tend to himself properly, but hopefully… hopefully can either talk daichi into it or annoy him into it as necessary. he knows daichi won’t die even if the wounds go untreated, but that doesn’t mean they don’t hurt him, and if dazai hates pain, he assumes daichi probably does too. “i know that. that doesn’t mean you should have to deal with the stinging pain every time you move the area, though. that’s more annoying then just tending to them.”

their enemies may be different each time, but that doesn’t mean that dazai can’t learn anything from the mistakes he has made in the past, and that’s something that daichi firmly believes. he doesn’t, however, expect dazai to share that view at all, knows that his host will take any opportunity to put himself in danger, and that’s what’s so frustrating about the whole thing. he can’t let dazai handle situations on his own, as much as he’s sure that dazai might want to, because daichi doesn’t trust him to keep himself safe. abilities in general should be able to trust their hosts, and daichi just can’t.

Dazai seemed… Encouraged by that? Opening his mahogany hues, he shifts them to glance over towards his ability, a faint smile crossing his features at this. He seemed almost relieved that the other had said that. Slowly, he leans on the other a bit more and nods his head.

“I do.” He answers, his voice remaining low, almost calm, which was very different for Dazai.. Different, but nice.. That, and he also didn’t want to spook the chinchillas with how energetic he could be. “Thank you, Daichi-kun.. It means a lot to me.” He murmurs in a soft voice.

daichi barely reacts to dazai’s movement, gaze fixed on the small animals they have around them. he’d been considering getting something for his host for a while now, but had never decided on what until today (and alright, perhaps it’s just his love for animals that made him want to adopt some), so he’s definitely glad that dazai seems to like them, and it’s more than a relief that he wants to actively take care of them himself.

If this is real… If Daichi really has never left the Mafia actually and is a spy in reality… Honestly, the redhead doesn’t know what to think of it. On one hand he will be happy and relieved, glad to have his partner back but on the other hand he will also be mad because he has been kept in the dark about it for four years.

The phone is caught effortlessly with a risen eyebrow. Ojoku looks at Daichi for another moment before he allows his gaze to move to the phone, slowly opening it, bypassing the lockscreen password  ( same one from back then? seriously? ) and going straight for the messages. He is still listening to the other talking, fingers easily tapping on the screen as he looks for what he needs.

“Say I give you the benefit of the doubt and believe you. How do I know these aren’t fake? With today’s technology, it’s pretty easy to fake such things.“ 

When Daichi goes silent about his other proof showing that he’s telling the truth, Ojoku looks up and over. The moment his eyes land on the simple silver band he can swear that his heart stops beating for a moment. That can’t be–! He was pretty sure that the other Ability threw the ring away first thing when they parted ways.

Almost mechanically, the redhead reaches for the gloves on his hands and takes one off, letting the artificial light bounce off the ring on his own hand; same simple silver band with the odd indents.

Ojoku doesn’t step back when Daichi approaches him. He’s frozen to the spot, body acting on autopilot as he rises the hand with the silver ring and gently bumps it against the other’s hand, letting the indents connect and form a puzzle piece.

“I don’t… even know what to say.“ he begins slowly, ruby red gaze still locked onto their rings. He wants to believe, he really does. “I do want to believe you.“ So what’s stopping him?

daichi understands ojoku’s hesitance to believe him, despite the fact that he has no reason to lie about such a thing - something that changes the nature of their relationship for good. he’s not confessing this information to the other ability because he wants ojoku to like him again (if he ever did, daichi supposes), but because daichi can’t stand knowing that ojoku believes him to be a traitor. not just to the mafia, but a traitor to ojoku personally. it’s not like daichi had wanted to hide this for four years; mori had instructed him to only tell the executives, and so that was what he had done. if he could have - and god, how he had wanted to - told ojoku, he would have done so without a second thought.

“fake, huh?” not an unreasonable thing to think, daichi supposes, when all things are considered. it is exceptionally easy to fake such evidence these days, and ojoku has never been foolish. it’s what had fascinated daichi years ago, and it seems he hasn’t changed too much. comforting, perhaps, but daichi would be an fool if he allowed himself to be lulled by that sense of familiarity. they’re not friends, not partners - not anymore. “why would i go to such lengths to forge evidence that could only be used against me, should anybody discover it unintentionally? doing so would make very little sense.”

daichi isn’t sure whether he’ll be able to win ojoku’s trust now (no, not after everything that’s happened between them), but that doesn’t stop him from desperately wanting to. he’s not hung up on his ex-partner (he’s not that far gone yet, he tells himself), but that doesn’t mean he’s so willing to let ojoku slip out of his life for good. they’re on the same side, whether or not the other ability will acknowledge that. and, if it comes to it, mori will expect them to partner up again in the face of danger. besides their hosts, daichi and ojoku are the strongest team the mafia have.

daichi’s surprised to see that ojoku still has his ring, too. he’d been so sure that it would have been thrown out in the aftermath of dazai and daichi leaving the mafia, and he doesn’t dare move (in case it’s a mirage, and once he moves it will disappear as quickly as it had arrived), instead allowing the rings to bump together with a soft, muted sound.  

♔ : Finding your muse wearing their clothes

♕: Holding hands

♖: Having their hair washed by your muse

♗: Your muse falling asleep with their head in my muse's lap.

♘: Cuddling in a blanket fort

♙: Sharing a bed

♚: Head scratches

♛: Sharing a dessert

♜: Shoulder rubs

♝: Reading a book together

♞: Caring for each other while ill (specify which party is which)

♟: Patching up a wound

♤: Taking a bath together

♧: Your muse playing with their hair

♡: Accidentally falling asleep together

♢: Forehead or cheek kisses

♠: Your muse adjusting their jewelry/neck tie/ etc.

♣: Back scratches

♥: Your muse crying about something

He seems to smile more at this, leaning on his ability and relaxing, only to watch the last chinchilla scamper into his hands, slowly lifting them up to not spook the critter. “Do you think I can take care of them?” He asks in a soft, worried tone of voice. He loved animals, especially chinchillas, but he was worried about not being able to care for them properly. It’s why he had never gotten an animal until now.

He knew his ability shared his love for animals, and was actually much more passionate about them, due to the fact that Daichi didn’t share his phobia of dogs. Slowly feeling the chinchilla crawl up his sleeve, he relaxes against the back of the couch, a sigh escaping him.

the question is definitely unexpected, daichi admits to himself. he hadn’t ever been concerned as to if dazai could look after them or not - because if he couldn’t, daichi would step in to ensure the animals got what they needed - but he’s more than happy to let dazai take care of them for the most part. daichi wordlessly pets the chinchilla with a thoughtful expression. he wants to give the right answer, not the one he thinks dazai would be happy with him giving, after all. 

daichi hadn’t really been expecting ojoku to believe him straight away - it would be far too convenient of an excuse for daichi to have actually been working with the mafia all along, after all - and daichi probably shouldn’t be telling ojoku this at all, but he feels like he has to in some way. because he’s sick and tired of having to pretend he hates ojoku when he very clearly doesn’t. instead of bothering to argue back, he only pulls a small, black phone out of his pocket and tosses it to ojoku carelessly. 

“if you don’t believe me, look through the messages on that. i think you’ll find a few from the boss.” from when they had been arranging times to meet and such - he had a phone for the agency too, of course, but that phone was for mafia business. it had been difficult to hide it away from dazai, but he had managed it. “as well as that--”

this time, he holds out his hand, before tapping two fingers from the opposite hand on the small silver band that rests on his ring finger, running over the small indent there. “--i still have this.” he mumbles. it’s not exactly proof that he’s with the mafia, but he hopes it will make ojoku believe him, even if his partner has thrown away his own. “if i was no longer a part of the mafia, i would have gotten rid of it, you know?”

daichi takes a small step forward, head tilted just a fraction. he knows that if ojoku is suspicious of him or anything that the other could simply step back and refuse to talk to him about this, but he’s just so tired of running from the fact that they are, and will always be, partners. sick of having to act like they’re on opposite sides - of glancing across to see nothing but unbridled hate and betrayal reflected in ojoku’s eyes. 

daichi can only smile - it seems that dazai had appreciated the gift! he hadn’t been entirely sure how dazai would react to daichi suddenly bringing three animals into their home to keep, so he’s definitely glad that it has gone over quite well. he accepts the grey chinchilla wordlessly, allowing it to scamper up it’s arm to rest on his shoulder and tilting his head a little so his cheek brushes against it’s fur. 

ojoku is indeed home, and chuuya knows he’ll have to deal with that later, but for now it’s fine, he thinks. the friendship between chuuya himself and daichi… well, it’s fine. this much is fine, and it’s not even like it’s the first time they’ve spent long periods of time together. back in the mafia, it had been more normal to see each other than not… but in any case, chuuya doesn’t mind helping daichi out. though he does know ojoku will probably feel differently about it.

he listens to the explanation, moving to pick up the kitten that daichi set down just to pet it absently, but scowls immediately at dazai’s repeated words. technically speaking, legally, yes, dazai is correct - abilities can’t own homes of their own - but that’s not the kind of thing hosts should say! like their abilities aren’t already perfectly aware of that on their own! chuuya sets the kitten on his shoulder and absentmindedly cracks his knuckles, more than ready to go punch dazai through a wall. “i figured it had something to do with the dog, but fuck, he’s really asking to get punched in the face. of course his place is your place! geez, saying something so horrible just because he doesn’t like dogs, the fuck.”

chuuya sighs, moving further into the apartment to get back to making dinner - it’s late, yeah, but he and ojoku always work late, so it shouldn’t be a surprise - and setting the kitten down on the couch as he goes, gesturing for daichi to follow. “nah, you’re welcome here. i mean, can’t say ojoku will be thrilled, but he’ll deal with it.”

daichi honestly wouldn’t call himself ‘friends’ with anybody easily, and he’s still not entirely willing to call chuuya his friend, but there’s simply nobody else he can turn to right now. he’d debated going to kiko or somebody else at the agency for a while, but had decided that they would simply try and encourage him to go back to dazai - and they didn’t know what dazai was like when he was at his worst. chuuya did. and perhaps that’s why daichi finds it comforting, even, to be here with somebody who actually understands why he feels so tired of all of this.

he only smiles a little - unintentionally unlike last time, this smile lights up his eyes and isn’t forced at all - at seeing chuuya treat the kitten so gently, but that smile falls off his face once he’s setting the kitten down on his shoulder. that small action... had been the last thing he had seen dazai do with the kitten he had left behind. daichi does know that abilities can’t rent or own homes of their own, yes, but he hadn’t needed dazai to tell him that! “...yeah. i still don’t really know what i’ll do with the dog, but it seems i can’t keep it either way.” he doesn’t want to give it back to the shelter, but he’ll have to figure out what to do beyond that. perhaps he’ll leave it with someone in the agency. “well... not anymore. i’ve sort of unofficially moved out.”

and dazai certainly doesn’t like it, but he is aware that there’s probably not much he can do to stop it. still, he’s never been fond of it; even though he hates pain, he’d rather be forced to feel it and learn from his own mistakes than let someone else take the hit for his bad call. ( well, that and he wants to die, so a stray bullet might not be the worst thing in the world, but. ) as for daichi wanting to take the blows, dazai supposes it makes sense - if he dies, daichi dies by extension, but if daichi dies alone he can come back easily enough, so… 

because that’s surely all there is to it: daichi doesn’t want to die permanently. or something else along those lines - he’d maybe feel guilty if dazai got hurt, or something. which still wouldn’t really make that much sense, because dazai doesn’t see himself as worthy of protecting in the first place, but whatever. “i can take them, too. and you’re not supposed to do anything, i’ve never cared about that.” daichi is free to go where he pleases and do whatever he likes whenever he likes… dazai has always tried to be clear about that. “i suspected as much. alright.” and then he’s simply rolling over to retrieve the medical kit from his bedside table, pulling out antiseptic and gauze - which he has in truly astounding amounts - and sits up, nudging daichi’s clothes out of the way as necessary to treat and dress the wounds properly.

daichi will make sure dazai learns from those so-called mistakes, but he won’t let dazai get physically hurt, and that’s that. no matter if dazai argues or complains or downright demands, daichi won’t stop doing it. and dazai may say he’s able to take the blows, and maybe he can take one or two, but daichi knows that his host isn’t built for a fight, so saying that has little to no effect. daichi worries to an extent that, if on the off chance he let dazai take the hits, dazai would go out of his way to attempt to be killed. and that’s just not something daichi can allow, unfortunately.

and chuuya has no real reason to be hostile with daichi except for in that exact same circumstance - if daichi was acting the same as dazai, then yeah, they’d probably just pass each other by without a word, but if he’s going to be at least civil, then chuuya will be too. he missed daichi, too, having known it probably hadn’t been his decision to leave ( in fact doubting dazai had even asked daichi’s opinion on it ) and having had… well. chuuya had been dazai’s partner, too. daichi and chuuya have both seen the worst of dazai’s… moods. sure, ojoku and daichi mix about as well as oil and water, but chuuya has no problem with daichi.

“yeah, not really.” of course some things have changed, but overall… it’s not really that different. he knows daichi wasn’t really close to anyone in the mafia - besides chuuya, of course, since he was dazai’s partner - so he’s not surprised about lack of more specific questions. still, he listens to that answer, but he can hear that it’s not quite the full truth… but he doesn’t push. if daichi doesn’t want to tell him, of course that’s fine. “i see. well, hope you can get more comfortable there soon.” dazai’s been there two years already, hasn’t he? chuuya would think daichi would be okay with it by now… well, whatever. “me? eh, tired, same as you. today’s a rare day off, so long as nothing comes in… i don’t know if you know, but i’m an executive now, so it’s definitely busy work. but, like you said, that’s nothing new. what are you up to now, anyway? well, you don’t have to answer, of course.” 

daichi is indifferent towards chuuya for the most part, understands him. but daichi didn’t want to ever have to leave the mafia, really, so he’ll do all he can to at least make sure relations with people in the mafia remain strong, and that includes both parties being as civil as possible. dazai actually hadn’t asked daichi’s opinion on leaving - something that still really annoyed daichi to this day - and daichi had no choice but to follow, because he simply refused to let dazai go alone and risk his own life. at least with daichi there, somebody was actively trying to keep him safe. but it’s left daichi unhappy; the mafia had been his home, the people there had been as good as family. he’d liked chuuya. as for ojoku... well, they had been partners, which doesn’t count for anything anymore, daichi supposes.

dazai certainly wouldn’t blame daichi for feeling that way, of course - he knows how exhausting it must be to constantly be worried about someone else. especially if that someone else dying literally means your own death as well, in a very unavoidable sense… but ah, dazai doesn’t really think daichi is terribly concerned with that aspect of it in particular. sure, of course it’s probably a factor, but daichi seems… more selfless than that. concerned with dazai’s safety only for dazai’s sake.

he doesn’t get it.

he listens to that further explanation, nodding in understanding once he’s gotten it. “i see.” he doesn’t think it’s a bad thing that he’s focusing on ‘saving people and correcting his old ways’, but he does understand that he’s been neglecting daichi in the process. as for how cold dazai is… well, he’s like that with everyone, but he supposes he should be making more of an effort to let his own ability in, of all people. “… i can’t deny that i’ve been spending less time with you, i just figured you didn’t want to. but if it’s because i’m cold… what kinds of things would help? i don’t mean to shove all of this on to you, i just… am not really good at these sorts of things.”

daichi does not value his own life. he’s not helping dazai from a place of pure selfishness (... though it could be argued that being selfish is what fuels the rest of his life), rather genuine care for the person he grew up with. he doesn’t dislike having dazai as his host or anything, but perhaps he’d rather have him as a friend of sorts instead. he doesn’t like the connection - feeling tied to a human being is not ideal, considering daichi’s feral, self-centered nature. still, he’s tried his best to be the best ability he can be for dazai, and, as much as he despises it, he just wants to make dazai proud sometimes. he doesn’t want to lose anybody else.

daichi knows dazai’s as awful and traitorous as every other human being, but... dazai’s his. and that’s what changes things - he’s daichi’s host. and daichi will protect him, even if dazai doesn’t want that. ah, daichi never has been good at listening to humans. “i didn’t want to?” he echoes numbly, and then he’s laughing at dazai, real, genuine laughter, though whether it’s from pain or happiness is another question entirely. perhaps it’s both. “no, dazai. don’t you dare pin this all on me. i did want to spend time with you, and i never displayed anything different. you know what i didn’t want to do? i didn’t want to leave the mafia. i didn’t want to have to leave behind the only friends i ever made. i didn’t want to have to leave behind everything i knew to pursue the ideals of a dead man. i didn’t want to have to be pulled along on your little self-pity trip. so not only have i lost all my friends - everybody i cared about - to join a pathetic group of detectives, i’ve lost you somewhere along the way.”

and of course chuuya has no intention of hurting daichi in the first place - if anything, he’d rather make sure daichi doesn’t hurt himself more than the current blood dripping from his palm. sure, he knows it doesn’t matter in the long run, that even if daichi died dazai would just be able to call him back, but it can’t be pleasant nevertheless. their abilities still feel pain, after all - he knows, he’s seen ojoku in the worst of corruption’s throes. “back to my place.” because like hell is he going to bring daichi back to dazai’s when he’s drinking - there must be a reason for it, after all.