For You, I'll Always Be There

"What are you doing?" the short redhead asks Dazai. It's the first time he's seen the brunette like this, standing on the edge of the roof of one of the Port Mafia buildings. The pair, who were already starting to gain a name as a team despite Chuuya having only been with the Port Mafia for a month, just finished a particularly nasty job where they had to eliminate an entire organization, including a few children.

Dazai turns to face the shorter boy, still standing on the edge of the roof.. "I shouldn't be here. I don't want to be here."

Chuuya can understand the other boy's feelings. He too wishes that he didn't have to slaughter the innocent children in their last mission. He wishes that he could have found a way to get them to safety before they destroyed the adults of that rival gang. Chuuya understands, but he can't let Dazai do it. Dazai is the only one who can stop him in that form.

As he thinks of a way to talk the other teen into not doing what he's trying to do, Dazai leans backwards to fall, and as if on instinct, Chuuya reaches out to catch him. He goes to use his ability to make it easier to pull the taller boy up only to remember that as long as he's touching Dazai, he can't use his ability. Panic sets in as Chuuya realizes just how much he's relied on his ability to deal with everything. He's not strong enough to pull the other boy up. He looks down into the one visible chocolate eye staring up at him in disbelief.

"You can't die, you stupid mackerel. If I have to live, so do you."

The boy dangling from his hand nods, and pulls himself up. There's no point in fighting the redhead. Chuuya would find a way to keep him from falling no matter what. Once they're both back on the roof, Dazai thinks that maybe existence isn't so bad with someone like the stupid chibi around.

After that day, Chuuya starts working out without his ability. He doesn't know when Dazai will try again, so he needs to make sure that he's strong enough without his ability to aid him.

_______________

"Why won't you just let me die?" Dazai asks the shorter boy once more as Chuuya locks away all of the pills in the taller boy's medicine cabinet.

"Like I said before, if I have to live, so do you." Chuuya responds. He really doesn't know why he bothers. He's had to stop so many of Dazai's attempts since first being partnered with the other boy three years prior. It's gotten to the point that he almost seems to have a sixth sense for them as he always seems to appear by the other boy's side every time Dazai tries. "Come on, let's get you to bed, you stupid mackerel."

Dazai doesn't fight his partner knowing that it was no use fighting him. The chibi was not someone he could bully into leaving him alone. He learned that after the second or third time Chuuya had stopped one of his attempts. He follows him to the bed and lays down under the watchful gaze of his friend. "You'll always be there to save me, won't you?"

Chuuya sighs. Over the past three years his drive to save the taller boy has never wavered, but the reasoning has changed even if he hasn't told the stupid mackerel. "For you, I'll always be there."

_______________

"How the fuck did you find me?" Dazai can't even begin to fathom how the other had managed to find where he was. He hasn't been with the Port Mafia in weeks, and Chuuya had been off in another country on a job when Dazai had left. There was no way he could have found him so easily.

Chuuya shrugs, the rope Dazai had been using to try and hang himself with held tightly in his hand. "I don't know. I just felt you were in danger, and somehow found myself here."

Dazai gives a small smirk. "Did you miss me, Chibi?"

"Not on your life, you stupid waste of bandages." Chuuya snaps back. "It was peaceful without you harassing me all the time. I think I'll just leave you here so that I don't have to listen to your mouth."