ANGEL'S ASHES, bungou stray dogs [on hold]

BONUS CHAPTER: 'til death do us part

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𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋'𝐒 𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐒

𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳: '𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘰 𝘶𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵

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⚠ trigger warning ⚠

     'TIL DEATH DO US part.

     Those words have never meant much to a person who's never really had anyone they'd consider saying them to, and they've never really taken Angel's fancy considering the line of work she is in. Working as an Executive for the Port Mafia means your death could be at any turn, and they have to accept that they may well not live long enough to see the next generation dancing in the streets on nights where matsuri liven up the city. There's no promise of a chance to find someone they'd care enough about to fantasise of bonding with in that extent, but even the coldest people once had that special someone, once upon a time.

     Having found the people Angel would gladly say those words to, she is more than terrified to lose them. From the beginning, they were both there for her in their own unique ways. Even though Chūya was against the Port Mafia from the moment they met, he seemed to see past what the Organisation had forced her into being and judged her for the actions that he'd seen for himself — and maybe a little for what Dazai told him. Speaking of Dazai, it was hard to tell how much he was concerning himself with Angel, but there was something in his eyes that he couldn't hide no matter what — and there's also the fact Chūya pretty much beat some sense into him.

     Even now — with Dazai not understanding why Angel kept what happened to her from him for the past twelve years; and with Chūya much too enraged to have any semblance of patience and understanding to try talk with him — they're still the ones she would dare to say those words for. No matter them having left the younger girl curled up in the middle of her bed, thick blankets blocking out any light, her face tight and her eyes itching from dried tears, they are Angel's whole world and she wouldn't change them for the whole of time and space to be rewritten in order to give them the happy ending they're never to rest their hands on.

     Call her an idealist or an idiot, Angel will not deny that both may well be true when it comes to Chūya and Dazai. She has something she believes in, and she won't let anyone or anything dissuade her faith in the ones who have saved her countless times and proved that they're by her side when she needs them most. They're the ones Angel will kill to protect, and she won't let anyone harm a hair on their heads if Angel herself has any say in the matter. Possessive is an understatement when it comes to those idiots, but, if she could shut them away from the world and keep them away from everything that means them harm, Angel would do it with hardly a second thought.

     But she also can't take away their freedom like that.

     They're like wild animals; they aren't meant to be tamed no matter how much of a need there is to do so. Tying them down and making them shadows of their current selves isn't something Angel would be able to do no matter how much she wants to hide them away from the world and keep them alive.

     "You not suffocating under there are you?" Chūya calls softly, crouching down beside the bed and resting his hand on the covers. "Come on, little angel, you gotta give me something."

     "'M fine, Chūya," Angel mumbles, trying to withhold the wince at how raw and vulnerable her voice sounds even muffled by the blankets on top of her. "Go worry about that bastard."

     "I've already talked to the moron. You've been under there for almost two days."

     "Don't care. Just go away."

     "So you don't want your apology gift from your precious Dazai, and your handsome boyfriend?"

     Instead of replying, Angel shuffles backwards on the bed, allowing enough room for Chūya to climb under the covers with her. There's a wave of fresh air and a burst of light as he does just that, the blankets falling back down to cocoon us with warmth a moment later. It's not dark for long, Chūya pulling out a dim book light and turning it on, allowing him to see her tear-stained face and red eyes. He sighs and gently takes her hands in his, trying to hide the sudden darkness that drowns his eyes as he feels the dried blood and torn skin on her hands and under her fingernails.

     Thankfully, he chooses not to say anything about it, instead moving their linked hands into their lines of vision. He places a silver chain with two intricately carved silver rings attached into Angel's bloody hands, a soft smile on his face as he watches her eyes widen in disbelief. Moving her hands closer to her face, Angel manages to get a better look at the rings, her stomach feeling as though it's being compressed when she realises just exactly what they say. New tears swell in her eyes, burning harsher than any she has shed since Dazai left, and Chūya pulls her into a hug, her hands holding the chain and rings against her chest; above the heart that feels as though it's once again beating.

     'Til death do us part.

     And then for eternity.

     People say those words without meaning them with their whole hearts and souls, always wrapped up in something more chaotic. People say those words to the ones they hold dearest on what's meant to be the happiest day of their lives, uncaring for the judgement of family and friends in the face of love. People say those words to seal the union of their lives, and they do it without knowing whether or not their lives will continue to be as they were before the union. People say those words so they're no longer alone, so they have someone else's hand to hold when the going gets tough; so there's someone by their sides through thick and thin without fear of losing them.

     Angel has found the people she wants so desperately to say those words to, and they've beaten her to it. Angel can't say that she has forgiven Dazai for how he reacted when she showed him what Sakunosuke begged for her to keep from the brunet, but this is a start. Across from her, starting to sweat under the blankets, Chūya is smiling softly, a hint of annoyance still glimmering faintly in his azure eyes, and Angel knows that he's not forgiven the brunet either, but he will in time. They are all the others have, and their fights may well be pure animalism and almost unbridled rage, but they will always come back so much stronger than they were before. 

     In their crystalline bubble world dipped in carmine, they are all that exists, and they wouldn't change it for the world.

• • • • • •

I am taking a while to write the next lot of chapters, I know, so I have decided to give you all a little something to tide you over until I can get around to writing for season 3. The updates for the time frame after season 3 may well be even more sporadic given I'll have to go along with the manga alone, with no help from the anime. Hopefully we'll get a season four, and then I'll be able to play around with that as well.

This chapter pretty much follows on after the last one, chapter 33, and I'm considering it to be a "bonus chapter" as, although it is still a part of the current storyline, it's not entirely necessary in the story's progression. I suppose another name could be a "filler chapter," but I reckon that "bonus chapter" sounds a little better on both ends.