"Is that all I am to you, you prick?! Just someone you can mock?!"

"As long as all I am to you is a punching bag."

"You're such an asshole! I can't believe it hurt me when you left!"

"And I can't believe it hurt me leaving you."

"Fuck off. I want nothing to do with you."

"And I you. Good day, Nakahara Chuuya."

~

Chuuya doesn't show up to school the next day.

Man. Is Chuuya still hung up on our fight from yesterday? How silly.

Dazai drums his fingers on his desk as he eyes the empty desk next to him, sounding out the lecture.

I wonder what he's doing. Maybe the Chibi fell down the stairs and got hurt.

Dazai's mind clicks.

Wait. What if he did get hurt?

I need to go check on him.

Dazai springs up from his desk and sprints out the door.

Kunikida-sensei was mad.

But Dazai didn't care.

All he cared about was running to Chuuya's home to make sure his precious little Chibi was okay.

~

Dazai arrives at Chuuya's home and knocks on the door, trying to stay externally calm. Chuuya opens the door and immediately gets annoyed at the sight of Dazai.

"What do you want?"

Dazai forces a smile. "Chuuya!!" He barges into Chuuya's home and tackles him to the ground.

"What the fuck?! Let me go, asshole! Do you have a death wish??"

Dazai chokes down the urge to play along with that comment. "I just wanted to check up on my Chibi and make sure he was okay!"

Chuuya raises an eyebrow as he fights out of Dazai's grip.

"Hah? So what, I didn't show up to school today? That's none of your concern."

Dazai digs his nails into his thigh to suppress his pain and keeps the smile on his face. "Aha, but doesn't it? We just had a fairly large fight yesterday, I would've thought Chuuya was recovering from it~"

Chuuya's bottom lip quivers until his bites on it. "Sh-shut up. I don't need to recover from our argument. I don't care if you enjoy spending time with Oda more than me. I don't care if all I am to you is an object of ridicule."

He swallows. "I don't care...that you left me and walked out on our friendship. I don't care."

Chuuya turns away from Dazai. "Now, get out of my sight."

Dazai's shoulders sink. He can maintain this fake smile no longer. "Chuuya..."

"What?"

"What makes you think I enjoy spending time with Odasaku more than you?"

Chuuya stands up and looks down at Dazai. "Whenever he's near, you always run off and talk to him. You always have such a big smile on your face when you're with him. You talk to and about him all the time. He's clearly your best friend. He clearly matters to you more than I do. Not that it matters to me. It doesn't."

Dazai sighs. "Oh, Chuuya. Chuuya, Chuuya, Chuuya."

He stands up and puts a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Yes, Odasaku is a dear friend of mine. Yes, I do talk to him a lot. But do you know what I talk about with him? It's always one of three things. Failed suicide attempts, food...and you."

Chuuya's eyes widen. "Me?"

"Yes. You. I talk about you to him constantly. How much I like you. How much I regret leaving you. How much I missed you. Even before you transferred here, I talked about you all the time. Odasaku is a dear friend, but you, Chuuya...you're my partner."

Dazai holds Chuuya's hands in his own. "I didn't forget...the promise we made. Remember? 'Perhaps in another life, we can be together. Promise me that you'll hold out for me, okay?' you said."

Chuuya closes his eyes and remembers. When they were on separate sides. His body was deteriorating.

"Chuuya, don't leave me, please! It's over! I nullified Corruption already!"

"Dazai...it...hurts...I...I think I'm dying...make...make it stop..."

"But I did! I did! You're okay, Chuuya! Please, don't leave me...you're all I have left!"

"Maybe...we can meet again. Perhaps in a...another life...we can be together..."

"Don't talk that way! You're not gonna die! I'm not gonna let you die!!"

"Promise me that you'll...hold out for me...okay?"

"Chuuya!!"

"Promise me..."

"I'll...I'll never let you go. I promise. I love you. I love you so much. I promise."

"Dazai...I..."

"Chuuya!"

They kept that promise.

Here they are, in another life--in the same life.

"And I never forgot. I did hold out for you. Don't let yourself be jealous of Odasaku. You mean more to me than anyone. And I only tease you because I like you. I'm comfortable enough around you to tease you. I'm not comfortable enough around anyone else to do that. You make me feel safe, Chuuya, and...I love you."

Chuuya tenses up and tears start pouring out his eyes. "Dazai, I...I love you, too..."

Chuuya looks up and, through tears, gives a crooked grin.

"Now, I'm only gonna say this once, so you'd damn better be listening. I really, really love you, Dazai. So! Will you go out with me?"

Dazai melts into Chuuya's arms and presses their lips together.

~

Dazai woke up the next morning in an unfamiliar bed, with weight on his body.

He cracks his eyes open and sees a particular redhead asleep on his chest, and he feels his heart throb, and grow with warmth.

Perhaps living wasn't so bad, after all.

Dazai toys with auburn tendrils of hair and giggles, waking Chuuya up unintentionally.

"Good morning, my sweet~"

He smiles a large, genuine smile as Chuuya's gaze meets his own.

"Good morning, asshole."

Dazai laughs as Chuuya plants a light kiss on his lips.

Dazai closes his eyes and his hand wanders south until it finds Chuuya's hand, and he twines their fingers.

"Thank you for giving me a reason to live."

Chuuya closes his eyes and relaxes his muscles, sighing in pure bliss. He could never be happier than he is right now.

"Thank you for living for me."