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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:
Jinx.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Aki felt like she was on cloud nine. It was such a ridiculous notion—that a man had made her feel that way (because, ew). But she couldn't deny how happy she felt. It was such a foreign concept to her—happiness. It was something she had taken for granted as a child. The last time she'd felt it was before she was sold to the Double A—which was such a long time ago. But yet, there she was, feeling all giddy and happy. It was kind of terrifying actually. Gin and Higuchi hadn't known how to respond when she told them what had gone down between her and Chuuya. She'd said it with such a wide grin that she looked crazed. But then again, Aki had never claimed to be sane to anyone.

The rest of that night, Aki and Chuuya had sat and talked. They sat in awkward positions—any excuse to touch one another. They talked about random things, things that didn't matter. Aki had felt so content, as did Chuuya. They were two very independent people who swore they would never give themselves to another person—so who better to give themselves to than each other?

Aki had suggested they should go out the night before. Not exactly a date, but just out of the Port Mafia building. With the Gala coming up soon, all of their paperwork was finished and they had no upcoming missions. Chuuya had agreed, making a comment about how he would only go as long as he wasn't going to be made her personal shopping bag carrier again.

The pair were in the Mall they had previously visited after Kouyou's scolding—though this time it was on their own accord. They were walking side-by-side, neither of them were speaking, they weren't holding hands—in fact, they weren't even talking. Looking at them, no one would assume they were driven crazy by the other, but that didn't make it any less true. They were more than content walking together, Aki sipping on an overpriced coffee Chuuya had bought her—he hadn't even bothered complaining about the price, but that made sense, what with the crazy amount of money in his bank account.

Aki perked up, spotting a candy store, "Oh, let's go in there!" She chirped excitedly, her eyes lightning up at the big-colourful sign above the shop.

"You're gonna rot your teeth if you keep eating so many sweets." Chuuya said with a sigh, putting his hand to his forehead.

Aki arched a brow at him, "Not if I keep brushing them well." She argued.

Chuuya scoffed, "You consume that many sweets I don't think brushing your teeth will even help them." It was true. Aki loved sweet things. She kept an entire drawer full of them in her desk in the office. Chuuya had become familiar with the souls of rappers opening—she also tasted sweet, like the sugar always clung to her lips. He enjoyed it though.

Aki stuck her nose in the air, "Shut your mouth. My teeth are perfect."

"Yeah, not for long." Chuuya quipped.

Aki latched her hand onto his wrist, "Stop arguing with me, jackass and get in the candy store!" She exclaimed, making Chuuya sigh, putting his hand on his hat to stop it from falling off from how roughly she was pulling him—though, he did allow her to drag him into the sweet shop.

Aki was like a kid in a candy store—quite literally. Her eyes were like flying saucers, her mouth watering at the array of delicious sweetness in front of her. She grabbed a packet of sweets with her hand, her other one still clutching the sleeve of Chuuya's jacket, "What about these?" She asked, waving the packet in his face. They were little cat-shaped gummies coated in sugar, each in a different primary colour. Two thing Chuuya had learned about Aki was that she liked sweets—and cats, he had proof of the later from all the cat drawings she had drawn on his paperwork.

"Get whatever you want." Chuuya said, sticking his nose in the air and reaching into the pocket of his waistcoat, slipping out his credit card.

Aki narrowed her eyes at him, "Don't try and bribe me, Nakahara." She scolded. It was clear that Chuuya wanted to leave the shop that smelled like sugar as quickly as possible—hence why he'd offered his credit card so quickly. That and because money was merely and object to him.

A 'tsk' sound left Chuuya's lips, "Just get your damn sweets, woman." He ordered, growing impatient. It seemed that no matter how much they grew to be infatuated with each other they couldn't help but still bicker like an old married couple.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A voice drawled out from between the pair.

Chuuya froze.

Aki turned.

Standing in front of them, holding a basket full of sweets stood a man—a man both Aki and Chuuya knew, though, the redhead knew him far better than Akira did. He was wearing a cream trench-coat, a white shirt with the first few buttons undone, a black waistcoat, a ribbon with a blue gem crossed at his chest, cream dress-trousers and black shiny boots. His hair was medium length and tousled, some thick strands sitting directly on his forehead, just above his eyes that were a chocolate brown. He was smiling at them—a big closed smile, as if he were greeting his two best friends.

Chuuya's face immediately turned sour whilst Aki's lit up, "The hell are you doing here, bastard? Are you stalking us or something?" He demanded, his voice raising in pitch, voice going rugged, looking around him—as if expecting members of the agency the man worked for to rush them.

The man looked at them innocently, holding up the basket of sweets, "I'm shopping for a colleague." He told him, raising his other hand to point at the basket—as if Chuuya was too dumb to see it without his help.

                  The man's honeysuckle eyes drifted to the raven-haired woman standing beside the angry redhead, "Akira, what a pleasure to see you again. I guess since you're with him you haven't given much thought to my offer to join the Detective Agency?" Am I hallucinating? Chuuya thought to himself. Did I somehow drop dead and enter the gates of Hell? Or was what he was witnessing correct? Was the woman he had endlessly compared to his ex-partner actually an associate of his? He wanted to die. Of course they fucking know each other. Because of course they did. Two people so similar in character had to know each other

A large grin crossed Aki's lips as she straightened herself out, hair slipping down her shoulders at the motion, "Dazai," She greeted, confirming Chuuya's worst nightmare. They did know one another. Dear God, please let me wake up from this nightmare. "And no, I can't say I have. Kill chip in the good old noggin, remember?" She rose her hand, knocking on her skull as if it were wood, eyes smiling at the man in front of her.

Dazai frowned deeply, as if it physically effected him, "Something really needs to be done about that, it is such a pain," He whined, making Aki nod her head in agreement, settling her hands on her hips. Meanwhile, Chuuya's head was snapping back and forth between them, his eyes almost gauging out of the sockets. "So, how have you—"

"Hold up, asshole!" Chuuya exclaimed, making a few people send him judgemental looks as they covered their children's ears. He pointed between them. "You two know one another?" He demanded, his brows turned downwards, eyes narrowed into tiny slits. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Aki looked at him obliviously, "I never mentioned it?" She innocently asked him, batting her eyelashes.

                  He was going to kill her.

"No, you never mentioned it!" He yelled, waving his fist at her.

Aki put a finger to her lips, "Oops?"

Dazai held his hands up, "In her defence, we only met once," He began saying, making Chuuya's glare land firmly on him. He was going to kill his ex-partner too. "She tried to kill me. But what a wonderful experience it was! I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since! She truly is insatiable, wouldn't you agree, Chuuya?" He exclaimed gleefully, a wide grin on his lips as he gushed over the woman, a pinkish hint taking over his cheeks.

"Back off, asshole." Chuuya grumbled.

Dazai perked up, taking a few steps towards Chuuya quickly, "What's the matter, Chuuya? Is she your girlfriend or something?"
He teased, drawing his words out, making Chuuya's cheeks flush between a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Had he made it that damn obvious something was going on between them? And in front of Dazai of all people? He wasn't going to hear the end of it.

                    Chuuya couldn't bring his mouth to move.

Dazai spun around, facing Aki, a mischievous look on his face, "You remember what I said to you that day, right?" He sang, wiggling his eyebrows at her, referencing the day they had met in that alleyway.

Aki smirked, nodding her head, "If you ever happen to stumble across the ginger midget at the Port Mafia, annoy him for me." She recited the words he had said to her that day word for word, making Chuuya's nostrils flare.

"Ginger midget?!" He yelled, grabbing Dazai by the collar, pulling him in and raising a fist. People were staring at the scene in front of them—no, they were downright gawking. Dazai laughed, booping Chuuya's nose, making him all the more angry. "Damn you, asshole!" He yelled at him, waving his fist aggressively, ready to take a swing.

Aki put a hand on Chuuya's back, an amused smile on her lips, "Now, now, Nakahara. We're in public." She chastised him, the smile on her lips stretching into a grin, feeling particularly amused with the situation before her.

                   She had only met Osamu Dazai once, after he had deflected from the Port Mafia. He had just started working at the Armed Detective Agency when they crossed paths. Aki had been ready to kill him for interfering in her mission, but she hadn't been prepared for his nullification ability. It was safe to say he put her on her ass and Aki respected him a hell of a lot after that. He had bought her a sugary drink afterwards, calling a truce between them. He'd offered her a job at the Detective Agency, but of course, she turned him down. Even if it wasn't for the chip in her head, Aki wasn't hero material.

"I don't give a damn," Chuuya growled before spinning around, pointing an accusing finger towards Aki. "And you're getting it next for keeping this a secret from me." He threatened, though there was something seriously comical about his tantrum. It reminded Aki of how he had been with her all those weeks ago, when he couldn't stand to be near her. Oh, how far they had come.

"Oh, you're so scary," Aki and Dazai simultaneously sang, shit-eating grins on their faces. End my suffering. "Jinx." They both said, high-fiving the other. Chuya felt like he had stepped into an alternate dimension where all of his nightmares became reality. How the fuck did two of them exist in the same universe? Shouldn't there have been some law of nature against that?

"Fuck my life." Chuuya grumbled, shoving Dazai away from him, adjusting the hat on his head as he composed himself.

"Come on, Chuuya. Shouldn't you be happy? Your ex-owner and your girlfriend know one another. That's worth a celebration! Let's crack open the champagne!" Dazai cheerily exclaimed, only pushing Chuuya further over the edge.

"You were not my owner!" He yelled at him, pointing an aggressive finger whilst Aki stifled a laugh.

Dazai rose a sly brow, smirking widely, "But she is your girlfriend?" Chuuya's back straightened out. Why did that bastard have to catch onto everything? Dazai threw his arm around Aki, tucking her under his much larger height. "And what a beautiful girlfriend she is! Absolutely gorgeous!" He exclaimed, giving her head a pat with his hand, as if she were some cute kind of pet.

                   Chuuya was panting like a dog.

Aki sighed, through there was a smile on her face, "You're gonna give him a heart attack—we're not really using labels right now." She told him, her arm wrapped around his slender waist. Chuuya looked like he could combust at any moment. The stress of the situation was eating him alive. Is my hair turning white as they speak? He wondered.

Dazai leaned closer to her, "Gotta keep your options open, right?"

Aki smirked teasingly in Chuuya's direction, "Exactly." She chirped, making him go red in the face.

He bound forward, snatching Aki out from beneath Dazai, his hands holding her shoulders roughly—taking her as his possession, "We're leaving. It's time I wake from this nightmare—"

"Aww, leaving so soon?" Dazai cooed.

Aki frowned, "Yeah. Do we have to? I haven't had the chance to tell Dazai all about how I rocked your shit with my ability—"

"We're leaving right now!" Chuuya yelled over her, giving her a forcible tug towards the door.

                    She looked over her shoulder, giving Dazai an enthusiastic wave with her free hand, "Bye, Dazai!"

AUTHORS NOTE.

            i mean... i couldn't not have dazai show up in this book when him and aki are so similar?? chuuya definitely has a type🤭. but dazai being in this book is so relevant to the plot sooooo enjoy 😎.

             — taylor xx