It takes two to create a whole | Soukoku Au |

Karaoke Night

Note:

Minor fluff, but... here comes the start of pain T_T

~

It had only been yesterday since Dazai had apologized, yet it was as if the two had never been enemies. It was beginning to get rarer to see the two apart from one another. They fought, but it was playful. Dazai knew what jokes and taunts to avoid, and Chuuya understood Dazai a bit better. Neither had spoken about it, but separately they knew they were friends, they were closer than anybody could have expected. Even so, all good things, they close and open to new roads. That road could be joyful or cruel.

The previously gathered snow from the other day had already begun to dissipate. The rain that fell, cold but not snowy cold, turned the fluffy white substance into heavy slush. A rare day where nothing seemed to lift the clouds that sat over Dazai's shoulders. He'd been fine yesterday, had he hoped that uncomfortable lightness in his chest would stay? The thought amused the brunette. His "friend" sat next to him, vodka sitting in the male's cup while Dazai bounced an ice cube in his drink.

The violet-eyed male finally let a breath escape his lips as he leaned his head on his hand. "You are truly miserable, Dazai. You manage to set any atmosphere into gloom."

Dazai looked to the side at Fyodor. He sat up, only to lean back in his chair. "It's just one of those days." Fyodor nodded, knowing what Dazai meant.

"For as long as we've known each other, it certainly bewilders me why somebody who rivals my intelligence doesn't seek medication to prevent these days." Dazai rolled his eyes before focusing them on the ceiling. "Well, I suppose you have your ways of passing these days. Is he busy, the short ginger you are attracted to?"

Dazai nearly spit his drink out sitting straight. He'd stopped questioning his reactions to these conversations. The more he thought about it the closer he'd reach the conclusion he wanted to avoid. "I am not... you know I don't like men like that!" Was he being too defensive? Did he even believe his own words anymore? He was lying through his teeth but what else could he do?

Fyodor only chuckled as he sipped his drink. "Just as you can read me, I can read you, Dazai. We share an uncommon level of intelligence in this world. To think you'd attempt such futile words with this mindless chat. It's unlike you too rashly blurt words." Dazai froze before calming the pace of his heart down.

"You're as irritable as ever." Dazai narrowed his eyes before he stood up, leaving Fyodor to pay for the drinks. "I have better things to do than this."

Fyodor snickered a smirk over his lips. "Go enjoy your time with that ginger."

~

Karaoke nights, not the best place to be if you hated loud surroundings and socializing. This was Dazai's nightmare, but lately, Chuuya had seemed stressed, probably from school assignments. This was just to pay him back for the kindness he showed with the kids. There was no other reason to invite him to hang out. So he told himself he wouldn't consider other possibilities. Why had he thought inviting Chuuya would be a good idea when Fyodor had invited Dazai because both wanted a distraction?

Currently under the clear night sky, with the lights dimmed down, Dazai sat rather separated from the two males. Unlike Dazai, Chuuya always had to have outfits fit for every kind of situation. He wasn't staring because he found it attractive, he was staring because he looked ridiculous. The way his hair was tied low in a bun, framing his face differently than his usual low ponytail. His stomach exposed by the yellow hoodie crop-top, supported by low-laying sweats. The coat he'd worn here hadn't given a clue to what the shorter boy had been wearing underneath. Chuuya happened to be talking to Fyodor, he wasn't sure what Fyodor said, but his eyes suddenly met that clear ocean blue. It lasted only a moment before Dazai was looking away. "Are we getting drinks?" Dazai grumbled the words, trying to prevent any questions from being asked.

Fyodor shrugged, leaning back on the couch. "I won't be drinking tonight, however, you and the ginger can go on ahead."

Chuuya was in the middle of hanging his coat up when he sighed. "I prefer being called by name you know!" Fyodor showed no response, but Dazai snickered.

"Hey, Chibi are you drinking?" Dazai tilted his head watching Chuuya spin around.

He'd gotten used to hearing Dazai call him Chibi, it didn't bother him like it probably should. Instead, he rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I might as well."

Just like that, the two were both drunk over their heads. Dazai rarely drank enough to get this drunk. Sure, he got drunk enough to do stupid stuff, but he was hardly able to keep coordination. As for Chuuya, this level of drunkenness was normal to him. He almost always ended up drunk when his lips caught alcohol of any type. It also wasn't surprising that he was up having a good time, microphone in his hand and jamming out.

Dazai couldn't take his eyes off Chuuya while Fyodor sat back and enjoyed the rare moment of seeing Dazai put down into such an idiotic state. It was rather amusing to see the cunning smartass reduced to nothing but a pile of uncoordinated speech. Of course, he had his phone out to record Dazai, perfect blackmail for whatever he wished. He hadn't expected drunk Dazai to be open about his thoughts though. "He's... pretty when he sings. Where's my phone gotta take a photo." Fyodor almost spit his tea from his mouth. That wasn't very Dazai, drunk Dazai was offsetting.

Chuuya glanced down to Dazai with a large smile planted on his lips. His cheeks tinted red from the alcohol. He was signing Chandelier, though it was the Japanese dub, it still had most of the high notes. As he approached those notes, Dazai found his breath caught in his throat. This was another skill Chuuya had that Dazai had been unaware of. "You were... right." Dazai looked memorized, his eyes full of stars and jaw left hanging open.

When Dazai woke up in his dorm the next day, he cringed. Looking at his hands before face-planting. "That... happened." He could feel the tightness in his heart and the unwelcomed warmth taking over his face. "It'll go away, this will pass over if I just put some distance between us.

That was exactly what he did, put distance between them. If they saw each other in the hall, Dazai ducked into a crowd or took another hall to find his class. He left earlier than Chuuya, he avoided making contact as much as possible. Of course, this didn't go over well with Chuuya. Had he done something wrong? Dazai never missed the opportunity to be a jerk, not that he missed it.

It was natural for the ginger to seek out somebody, though seeking Fyodor out was probably not the best decision.