Chuuya stretches his arms and lets out a large expulsion of air as he stares at his pile of paperwork for the day.

Since it's Christmas, the redhead requested no large dirty work for the day, so he could safely go home to his lover. That last part, of course, he did not say. But that was the reason behind him asking for such. Mori was generous enough to grant this request, simply giving Chuuya a decent-sized pile of paperwork to do for the day.

Chuuya kicks back in his chair to stretch out his legs, and he imagines coming home from work that day and seeing the adorable look of genuine happiness on that certain brunette's face as he opens the gifts Chuuya got him. He can't wait to get home.

He scoots his chair forward and straightens his back, pushing his reading glasses up his nose. He turns on his phone to see if he has received a message from Dazai yet—and is met with nothing but the message that reads "Merry Christmas ♡" that he sent to Dazai.

Normally, Dazai messages him back immediately. It's peculiar, Chuuya thinks, that now, he doesn't. He tries to not worry now, it's been only about an hour. Dazai may still be sleeping.

The redhead chuckles to himself, imagining exactly that. Dazai used to have an awful sleep schedule, almost never getting any sleep. But now, Chuuya has helped him with that, and now Dazai regularly sleeps twelve hours each night. Of course, that weird blond partner of his is not pleased that Dazai always shows up to work late now because of it, but it's the principle that counts. Plus, Chuuya told Dazai to take the day off of work today, so that won't be a worry.

Chuuya sighs happily—then punches his desk in an attempt to get his mind back on the rails. He's spent so much time daydreaming about his boyfriend, he'd forgotten he needs to finish this paperwork before he could go home and see said boyfriend.

He picks up his pencil and starts working.

~

About an hour and a half passes, and Chuuya has heard no pings from his phone indicating he's received a message. A quarter of the pile of paperwork has been filled, and Chuuya sighs, relaxing his shoulders to take a short break.

He turns on his phone to see if he happened to receive a message on the off chance the notifier simply didn't sound.

Of course, that's not the case.

Chuuya feels an inkling of worry creep up inside him now. While two hours may not seem like much, when it comes to messaging with his lover, it's like a year (unless one is on an overseas mission, but that most certainly would not happen on Christmas). He looks up at his clock; 1:24, it reads. Dazai should definitely be awake by now.

He sighs and puts another piece of paperwork in front of him, trying not to think about it. Right then and there, he hears the ping sound he's been waiting to hear.

He scrambles to pick up his phone and read the text—but alas, it's just from Kouyou, rather than Dazai.

Chuuya sighs and his high heart rate slows down, and he reads the message.

{Ane-san:}
{May I enter your office? I've got you a Christmas gift.}

A bead of sweat rolls down Chuuya's face at that, and he suddenly feels bad. He's been so focused on his lover this Christmas, he's forgotten to get a gift for Kouyou.

{Chuuya:}
{But I didn't get you anything}
{I forgot. I'm sorry.}

He quickly scribbles something in on his paperwork.

{Ane-san:}
{That's okay. You've been so busy and hardworking lately, it's understandable.}

{Chuuya:}
{But so have you, and I didn't get you anything}

{Ane-san:}
{I told you, it's okay. Please let me in and accept your gift. You deserve it.}

Chuuya lets out a deep breath.

{Chuuya:}
{Okay}

He turns off his phone at that and stands up from his desk, walking over to the door and unlocking it to allow Kouyou to enter. She opens the door, a basket in her hand lined with velvet.

She smiles at him and hands him the gift.

"This is for you."

Chuuya pulls back the velvet, and it reveals an expensive bottle of wine. He gasps softly as he stares at it, then looks up to stare at Kouyou. "Oh, Ane-san...you really shouldn't have."

Kouyou chuckles at that. "You deserve it, lad. Merry Christmas."

Chuuya smiles slightly. "Thank you."

"Now," Kouyou says, "unfortunately, I don't have time to chat. I have work to follow through with. But I'm happy you like the gift, Chuuya." And she turns to walk away.

Chuuya scratches the back of his head. "O-okay! I'll...see you round, then."

Alas, she can no longer hear him.

Chuuya sighs and kicks the door shut, the lock automatically clicking as it does so. He places the basket of wine next to his coat, then returns to his desk.

He checks his phone, still, no messages from Dazai.

He sighs and continues filling out the paperwork.

~

He's finished about 80% of the paperwork now; four more hours have passed; the sky has become kissed with pink hues. He groans, annoyed and tired and wanting to go home.

He checks his phone one more time, and still has received no message from his lover.

The worry starts to rise. This is very unlike Dazai, not responding to his texts. Chuuya ponders what could be wrong as he continues to work—until he finally gets it.

It hasn't happened in so long, which is why he didn't think it at first. But with Dazai, it's never not a possibility.

He's committed suicide.

Chuuya's eyes widen, bloodshot, and he slams down his pencil and rips off his reading glasses. He quickly gets out a blank paper and scribbles a note.

"Had to leave early. Personal emergency. I'm sorry, I'll finish this work and I'll take double hours after the holidays to compensate.
-Nakahara Chuuya"

And after that's done, Chuuya pockets his phone, picks up his coat and gift basket, secures his hat on his head, and runs home faster than he's ever ran.

~

Chuuya doesn't bother wasting time with his keys and he kicks the door open with all his strength. The door swings on the hinges and smashes into the wall.

On the off chance Dazai survived his suicide attempt, Chuuya scrambles around, running and looking—

"Chuuya? What are you doing home early?"

—until he hears a familiar voice.

He freezes and swivels around. He sees Dazai, standing there. He's covered in glitter, has a gift bow stuck on his head, and he's holding a chain of popcorn and cranberries.

Chuuya points an accusing finger at him. "Y-you asshole! You haven't texted me all day! I was worried sick about you!"

Dazai stares at Chuuya, confused momentarily. "Ohhh," he realizes. "Well...I turned my phone off because I was working on a surprise for you."

Chuuya has been too worried and frazzled to notice what that is. He takes a few deep breaths as he accepts that his lover is okay and unharmed. "What...is that surprise?"

Dazai smiles softly. "Look around~"

Chuuya does exactly that, and notices their home is covered in lights and decorations and their tree is covered in ornaments. Various other decorations adorn their home.

"I decorated our home for Christmas. Do you like it?"

Chuuya's eyes sparkle as he admires what his lover has done—and immediately throws his arms around him in a hug. "I love it! You did so well, sweetheart!"

Dazai's cheeks turn a soft pink. "A-ah, you think? I thought I could've—"

Chuuya pushes his finger to Dazai's lip. "Shush. You did wonderful. You made me so happy. Aside from turning off your phone and making me think you killed yourself and all."

Dazai chuckles softly at that. "Well, thank you, Chuuya. I'm so happy you like it. Merry Christmas~"

"Merry Christmas, Osamu."

~

"Are you cozy?"

Dazai giggles, swaddled up in the blanket in front of the fire. "Mhm~"

Chuuya places a Christmas hat on his head and gives him cocoa. "Wonderful. You stay here, I'll bring you your presents, okay?"

Dazai nods eagerly. Chuuya chuckles softly at his boyfriend's cuteness.

He walks over to the tree, grabbing the boxes underneath it and bringing them to Dazai. "Here you go."

Dazai stares at the boxes, then looks up at his lover. "Chuuya...I can't open these when I'm all cozy in this blanket." He puffs his cheeks.

Chuuya rolls his eyes, but he still has a smile on his face. "Fine, want me to open them for you?"

"Yes please." Dazai sticks out his lower lip and bats his eyelashes.

Chuuya chuckles and picks up a small box first. "You're so silly, Osamu."

He tears the gift wrap and opens it. Dazai smiles as he looks inside. "Heyyy, new bandages! Thank you, I am so tired of reusing the same ones."

Chuuya sighs. "Exactly. You need to take better care of yourself, Osamu. Next present."

He picks up a medium-sized box and tears into it.

"Your little Atsushi friend gave me this and asked me to wrap it and give it to you on his behalf."

Dazai's eyes widen slightly at that and he perks at the gift. It's a framed photo of everyone at the Agency. In puffy paint on the frame it says, Thank you, Dazai-san! Next to it is a framed pressed rose, a blue one—Dazai's favorite flower.

"I added the flower, but the picture is all him."

Dazai gasps and his eyes well up at the sight. "O-oh wow...next time I see him...I'll have to give him a big thank you."

Chuuya chuckles. "Next gift?"

Dazai nods, sniffling, trying to keep from crying.

Chuuya lifts up a small gift and tears it open. He chuckles as it's revealed to be a book.

Dazai squints. "Chuuya making me read small text without my reading glasses? How mean."

Chuuya laughs again. "It's an Everything Crab cookbook. So you can learn how to eat crab in ways that aren't canned."

Chuuya knows this will just result in him making fancy crab dishes for Dazai, but he doesn't mind. He loves cooking for his boyfriend.

Dazai giggles.

"Ahh, this is so sweet, Chuuya! Thank you~"

Chuuya pokes Dazai's nose. "That's not all, my love."

Chuuya shuffles, pushing forward a large gift. He's amused at the way Dazai blushes upon being called his love.

He tears the paper, and reveals a large stuffed brown bunny. "I saw you staring at this in that store awhile back, so I thought I'd get it for you. It's very soft. This thing better not steal my late-night snuggles with you."

Dazai's eyes sparkle at the sight. "Oh, Chuuya, this is lovely!! Thank you so much!!"

Chuuya beams at Dazai's reaction. "You're so cute~"

Dazai blushes and makes a soft whining sound at that. Chuuya giggles.

"I have one more gift for you. It's not wrapped, though."

Dazai smiles. "Ah, that's okay! Any gift from Chuuya, wrapped or not, I'm sure will be wonderful—"

Dazai cuts himself off, left speechless at the sight of this last gift.

What he has in front of his eyes is Chuuya, his old mafia partner, now boyfriend, with whom his relationship has had ups and downs, on one knee, with a ring in his hand.

Dazai sputters, dumbfounded.

"I-I—Chuuya, you—do you realize what you're doing??"

Chuuya closes his eyes. "Yes, I do."

"But...why?"

"Because I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"A-are you sure? I mean, Chuuya's amazing. He could have anybody he wants, people way better than little ol me. Are you sure I'm the one you want? You could do so much—"

"Shut up."

Dazai stares at the redhead.

Chuuya takes a deep breath. "Listen to me, Dazai. I'm sure there's people out there in the world who are more morally decent than you. I'm sure there are people who aren't as twisted as you. But that's not what I want. I want you. Sure, you're morally grey, and you're twisted. But. While you may not have made it all the way, you need to give yourself credit."

"When I first met you, you were fucked up and sadistic and insane. But at the same time, fascinating. I wanted to learn more about you. And over those four years, I did. Maybe you weren't the nicest person. Maybe you still had problems. But you'd made a lot of progress within those four years. You had hope in you. You had potential in you. And maybe nothing can ever truly clean up your mess. But I'd be happy to stick with you and do so. Look at you now. You're so much happier and healthier out of the Mafia. You're saving people. You're doing good things. You may still have not truly done a 180, but you've come pretty damn far. And I am so proud of you."

"Over the years, too, you've continued to improve. Slowly I can see the black melt away from your eyes, replaced with a beautiful whiskey color. You're showing sympathy, empathy. You don't bully Akutagawa anymore. You're careful with your choice of words and actions. You've learned compassion and love. And I am so fucking proud of you."

"I know you may never be perfect. I know the darkness in you may never fully dissipate. But you're a man who was raised in the darkness since you were younger than I was when I first awoke. And look at you now. I bet that sixteen-year-old you never thought you'd live to your mid-twenties, never thought you could change. But you have. You've managed to come to the side of light. And I know it wasn't only to accomplish your friend's wish. While I'm sure that's what was a big motivator for you, over the years you were slowly learning how to be better. That wish was just your final push. Nobody deserves the credit for you becoming who you are now more than you. I love you, Osamu. And I am so proud of you."

"I'll tell you this. Sixteen-year-old me never thought I'd fall in love with you. Twenty-two-year-old me never thought I could forgive you, never thought you were capable of change. But now, I see what a fool I was. You've changed. You've grown. And I haven't felt about anyone like how I feel about you. Nobody understands me like you do."

"I don't believe in soulmates all that much. The idea that two people are destined to meet, fall in love, become one? That's silly. But...I'm starting to rethink. If I have a perfect match, I don't think it could be anyone other than you. And maybe a few years ago you wouldn't have felt that way. But you've grown. You know what love is now. I know you love me."

"So...if you let me...I want to spend my life with you. I want us to grow together, I wanna see how amazing you can become. I never want to lose you. I want to come home to you every day and know you'll be there. I love you. Osamu...will you marry me?"

Dazai's jaw is slacked, tears drip down his eyes. He can't think of any response to Chuuya's loving words. No, loving is a dot to what Chuuya's words were.

Dazai has never felt this appreciated, wonderful before. Not even when all his coworkers teamed up to celebrate his birthday. Not even all those times he was comforted by Oda. There has never been a time he felt this loved before.

"O-oh, Chuuya, I…"

After seeing Chuuya again when they were twenty-two, it didn't take long for them to fall back into their old ways. But Dazai never felt that he deserved Chuuya. He thought Chuuya deserved better than him.

But if Chuuya will take him, how could he say no?

He rolls his shoulders, letting the blanket fall from him, and he takes the ring out of the box and throws his arms around the redhead, sobbing. Chuuya immediately hugs him back. "Is that a yes?"

Dazai nods, clinging onto Chuuya, crying like he never has before. But they're not sad tears, not in the slightest.

He looks up at Chuuya.

"I...I love you, Chuuya…"

Chuuya gently wipes the tears from his eyes.

"I love you too. Merry Christmas, my beloved Osamu."

He kisses his lips.

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."