To my dear Chuuya...

CHAPTER 11

Two months have passed. Two months in which Chuuya only had glimpses of Dazai in the yard. Two months in which the two haven't spoken at all. Two months in which Dazai spent every night in the library, staring at the ceiling instead of sleeping. Two months in which Chuuya stayed awake at night and stared at Dazai's things left untouched on the desk.

It was Chuuya who told Dazai to stay away from him, but truth be told, a part of him never actually expected the bandaged boy to respect his wish. And a small, annoying part of him missed his constant bickering and his annoying voice. But the biggest part of him was still mad and glad that he didn't have to deal with him anymore.

Dazai hadn't slept in their room ever since their fight, but Chuuya had a good idea where his roommate was probably spending his time. That's why he hasn't stepped a foot inside the library since that day. Dazai also stopped coming to classes, so now everything was back to how things used to be before Chuuya arrived at this school, and the redhead was ok with that. It's not like he got used to spending time with him or anything. They weren't friends -Dazai made that pretty clear when he threatened Shirase and Yuan. Dazai just loved tormenting people, and Chuuya was simply the easiest target at that time.

Of course, it was quite impossible for Dazai to stay out of Chuuya's way at all times, since they were in the same building. Many times, when the redhead was in the school yard with Yuan and Shirase, he would feel someone watching him from afar. And it was Dazai, watching him from a darkened corner or a window, not taking his eyes off of him for even a second. It was always Dazai.

Still, they never talked. Actually, Chuuya wasn't even sure what he would say to Dazai. There was nothing left to be said. Dazai made it pretty clear what type of person he was. Chuuya tried, he really did. He tried not to pay attention or believe all the rumors and whispers about him. Honestly, he didn't even care if they were true or not, but the second Dazai tried to interfere with his life, that was his last straw. Dazai became The demon prodigy for him too.

Even now, as he was standing with Shirase and Yuan, his hands in his coat's pockets even though he was wearing gloves and his hat protecting him from the ruthless January coldness, he could feel his eyes on him. Usually, it was hard for Chuuya to pinpoint where exactly he was watching him from, but this time he was surprised to find out that Dazai was also in the yard, sitting on a bench, not even trying to hide. Their eyes connected for a split second, awakening the anger Chuuya felt two months ago. But something else also awakened. A sense of longing, a sharp pain in Chuuya's chest made his breath catch in his throat, and by the way Dazai's eyes lit up, he felt it too. They missed each other. But Chuuya would rather die than admit that, so he turned his head away.

Dazai watched as Chuuya and the other two continued to talk, then, after a few minutes, all three of them left, going back inside the building. He got up from the bench he was sitting on, casually strolling to where they were just a few moments ago. He stopped there, looking down at the pair of gloves Yuan dropped from her pocket as she was leaving. The boy crouched down, taking the gloves in his hand and putting them in his pocket.

"I don't think she'll miss these," he whispered under his breath, getting up and heading to the library.

*********

"I'm telling you! I don't know where I left them, Shirase. Now my hands are going to be freezing all the time," Yuan whined and complained, making the two boys sigh.

"Are you sure you had them in your pocket yesterday?" Shirase asked, looking around the snow covered ground in hopes he'll find the missing pair of gloves.

"Yes, I always keep them in my pocket so I don't lose them," the girl answered.

"Well that worked out wonderfully," Chuuya rolled his eyes as he scanned the ground. Yuan punched him in the shoulder, annoyed by his unbothered nature. "If you dropped them here, then somebody probably took them already. I don't think the people in here consider thievery that bad," the redhead continued, already too cold and annoyed to look for her gloves anymore.

Yuan sighed, slumping against the building's wall, finally indicating that their search was over. The two boys stood next to her, chatting, until their peace was disturbed by an older, much bigger guy approaching them. Yuan and Shirase instantly tensed up, looking from Chuuya to the guy -who was staring directly at Chuuya.

"Let's get out of here! That guy's trouble," Yuan desperately whispered to Chuuya, but the boy didn't budge.

The guy stopped in front of them, still not taking his eyes off of Chuuya, completely ignoring the other two. The redhead stared back, his face void of any emotion, his eyes filled with a fire. No, not a fire. A dare. Chuuya was daring him to try him.

"So you're the punk that came here a few months ago, ay?" the guy asked, a smug smirk on his face.

Chuuya didn't answer him, just continued to stare at him instead, which obviously angered the dude. He grabbed Chuuya by the collar, lowering his face so they were eye to eye. "You still don't know the rules around here? If you want to make it out alive, then you respect and answer those stronger than you," he threatened.

Chuuya's poker-face broke, a smirk taking its place. "And who said you're the one that's stronger between the two of us?" the redhead mocked the other boy, angering him even more.

"Oh, so you think you're tough just because Dazai was sticking close to you? Well he hasn't been all that friendly with you lately, right? So I think now's the perfect time to give you a proper introduction to this place and teach you a lesson," as he said those words, Chuuya's smirk disappeared, being replaced by an angry -even enraged- expression.

The other guy was prepared to swing his fist at Chuuya's face, but something stopped him. A hand stopped him. Dazai's hand, to be precise.

Dazai grabbed his arm, stopping him mid-swing. "And who exactly said I wasn't friendly with him anymore?" Dazai asked, his eyes filled with the same icy coldness Chuuya saw when he was talking to Yuan and Shirase. His gaze shifted from the guy to Chuuya, a small smile appearing on his face. "You ok, chibi?" he asked.

That was all it took for Chuuya to completely lose it. He hit the hand that the guy was holding him by the collar with, a loud crack indicating that he probably broke it. A gasp escaped his lips as Chuuya reversed their roles, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him against the wall.

"You shouldn't be afraid of me because that shithead is following me around," Chuuya said through gritted teeth, his grip on his neck tightening as his anger grew, "You should be afraid of me for the simple reason that I am me," he continued, the murderous look in his eyes making the other guy's face pale with fear. "You are the one that needs to be taught a lesson," Chuuya said, smashing his fist against his face. And then again. And again. And again. The guy wasn't even pinned to the wall anymore. He fell to the ground, but Chuuya didn't stop. He got on top of him and continued to hit him repeatedly.

He would have hit him more, until he was just a bloody pulp on the ground, but a hand grabbed his wrist, making him stop. He looked up at Dazai, who was not letting go of his hand, and his anger was no longer directed towards the unconscious guy on the ground, but towards him.

"You fucking bastard," the redhead cursed, his other fist hitting Dazai in his right cheek, making him stumble backwards. "The fuck makes you think I need you to protect me from a weak guy like him," he asked through gritted teeth.

Chuuya couldn't stay there any longer or he wouldn't be able to stop himself from beating the shit out of Dazai too, so he got up and dashed to their room. Dazai watched as he left, touching his bruised cheek with his hand. Then, he ran after Chuuya.

"The fuck do you want? Do you really want me to punch you again? This time I won't stop until you're a bloody mess on the ground, fuckface," Chuuya yelled at Dazai as he entered the room after him, walking towards the redhead until his back hit the bathroom door. "I swear to God, if you don't leave right now I'm going to beat the shit out of yo-" Chuuya's words were stopped midsentence as Dazai pressed his lips against his.

"Shut up, Chuuya," he whispered against his lips.

To be continued...

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