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robsterskellington · 14 days

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Soukoku, then Shin Soukoku, and now Vanoé, huh? Fine by us, we love showing the different ships.

Context: this is now a year since Vanitas ended up in Yokohama, and he has since become a member of the Armed Detective Agency. His personality has changed a little, he's not as cold or manipulative as he once was, and the rest of the needed context is written in the following snippet.

Please enjoy, it's a bit of a longer read!

"This is the worst idea you've ever had, and why does it have to be me??" Vanitas grumbled as he was made to put on a suit, long coat and a red scarf while Dazai looked like he had murder in his eyes.

Mori had come to them, and asked the Armed Detective Agency for a favour: a new weapon smuggling group had gotten into contact with Mori, and wanted to do business with the Port Mafia. As a sign of good will, they offered to show Mori a Gifted they had kidnapped, telling him that said Gifted would make gathering information far smoother for the Port Mafia. However, the price was that Mori himself would be the one to see, and he had to come alone.

This group obviously didn't know Mori very well- obviously being the Boss, he had to pull every sort of tactic, no matter how disgusting and unforgivable. However, he didn't like Ability Users being captured and forced to use their Gifts; Yosano laughed at that irony, though she also had to acknowledge that the War made her situation more like a grey area. She'd still call Mori a hypocrite, but he'd simply ignore her.

Nobody in the Port Mafia could pretend to be Mori, they'd already tried that before. Akutagawa was closest, however he was out of town with Gin, dealing with other issues. Since this would end up doubling as a rescue mission, Mori decided that the Agency would be the best people for the task- the group had apparently done a lot of research on Mori himself, so he had to go with an Agency Member who looked as close to him as possible: Vanitas.

Vanitas and Mori were the same height and had the same skin colour. Both had dark hair, and since Vanitas was technically no longer a member of the Blue Moon Clan, his eyes were dark enough to pass as a similar colour. They had similar builds, and sure enough, once Vanitas was dressed in the clothes Mori provided, it was hard to distinguish who was who. The final trick was Vanitas' voice: before Moreau got his hands on Vanitas originally, the Chasseurs had taught him how to mimic voices, since it could be handy to lure Vampires to their deaths.

"...no, I fucking hate this." That was all Dazai could say as he glared at Mori, "Obviously I know why you can't go, but why drag Vanitas into your shit?"

"I will reward Vanitas and the rest of the Agency handsomely," was the very dismissive reply, Dazai shaking when he watched Mori wave his hand, "Besides, he looks just like me, can sound like me, and can resolve the situation without unnecessary bloodshed. If this deal is real, then it benefits me. If it's fake, then it means a gang is dealt with before it causes Yokohama any harm."

The Agency Members that were there all looked pissed off. Kunikida wanted to argue, since he *agreed* with Dazai that Vanitas shouldn't be dragged into Mori's mess. Yosano crossed her arms, still calling Mori a hypocrite and glaring at him for even daring to suggest this. Fukuzawa was trying to remain calm, but it was difficult. Eventually, Ranpo broke the tension by sighing obnoxiously loudly, "It'll work. But Vanitas? No matter what those guys say, bring a gun with you. Also, I recommend leaving your Book behind."

Usually, that suggestion alone would make Vanitas furious, however... even in the coat, he couldn't hide it. So he'd have to do this without his Ability. Vanitas took a breath and handed the Book to Dazai, then whispered softly, "Please take care of her."

"You know I will." Dazai held the Book of Vanitas to his chest, and managed a reassuring smile, which Vanitas was able to return.

Vanitas glared at Mori, "You'd better make this worth my while." He smirked a little when he saw how *uncomfortable* the fearsome Port Mafia Boss looked in that moment, but otherwise didn't care.

He was given the co-ordinates, an abandoned building close to the Riverside Warehouses, and was given brief control over Elise in case anything went south. Vanitas had a gun holstered on his back, and to truly mimic Mori, he also had a couple of scalpels hidden within his sleeves.

Kunikida took a breath, "Kid, please be careful." He trusted Vanitas, of course he did, but that didn't mean he'd stop worrying- he still worried for all the Agency, they were essentially a giant family, after all. Fukuzawa didn't have it in him to speak, like he knew that if he did, it would simply be to ask Vanitas not to do this; it was risky, they had little to no information, and he simply didn't trust Mori. Dazai just held the Book, while Ranpo had a knowing smile on his face.

*How did he always know everything?*

*****

It was stupidly easy to enter the building the new group had established, the men there seemed overly thrilled that the Boss of the Port Mafia had accepted their invitation. All Vanitas had to do was show up, and suddenly he was being shown a number of large collections: bombs, guns, blades, jewels, anything a gang of thugs would need and could use when dealing in Yokohama.

"This is all well and good," Vanitas spoke with Mori's voice, well enough that it could have fooled voice recognition software if these men were smart enough to have that technology installed in their facility, "However, I'm here to meet the Gifted you promised to provide. After all, anyone who can benefit the Port Mafia will be useful."

"Oh, certainly, sir!" The head of this group, a man who had arms like tree trunks, lead him down a corridor. "We found him in Suribachi City- he has the Ability to see people's memories through touch!"

That wasn't good. A Gifted like that would absolutely be hunted down by Special Operations. After all, all information could be gleaned by having this new Gifted touch someone, then have someone like Ango or Sigma touch him if he was unwilling to divulge the information out of fear or spite. Besides that, Gifts that allow a person to look through memories, minds or information, are really painful to the User if they can't control it. Atsushi mentioned passing out the first time Sigma used his Ability on him.

In the middle of the room was a chair with someone tied in it, a bag covering their head. The leader's words had indicated that the person in question was male, and he looked incredibly skinny. Vanitas wondered how long he'd been held captive, and knew that he'd have to get him out, and to Yosano. Screw what Mori thought or wanted, that bastard would only overwork this guy!

His thoughts shut down completely when the bag was removed: underneath was a man just a little older than Vanitas, with dark skin, white hair that... had purple tips? That was new. When the man opened his eyes, Vanitas felt his heart hammering in his chest. Though dulled from exhaustion, he'd recognise those lilac eyes anywhere. One final thing that Vanitas recognised, wasn't about the man himself; hanging from his left ear, was a blue earring in the shape of an hourglass- it had a crack down it, but none of the sand seeped out.

So many emotions and thoughts ran through Vanitas' heart and mind- how was he here? Why did he look so frail? Did these men harm him?

After a second longer, he fell back to his forced upon persona, and walked towards the man. The group stayed far away out of fear of *Mori's* wrath, though the leader cleared his throat slightly, "I must ask you not to touch him, sir. Otherwise he'll see all of your memories and faint, then he won't be of any use to you."

Vanitas simply nodded, acknowledging his words before looking at the man in front of him, "So that's your Ability? Rather useful."

The man in the chair simply scoffed, "Sure, if you only want *me* to see memories." He sounded gruff, and his voice was a little strained, as if he wasn't used to speaking, "Who are you meant to be? A wannabe gangster like the rest of those morons?"

Yeah, he'd definitely changed! Vanitas almost laughed at hearing him using a more relaxed language and insults, instead of the overly formal and gentle person he once knew. Instead, he just tilted his head with a smirk, "Introductions, then. You go first."

The man glared, then took a breath, "...Noé. Noé Archivist. That's my name."

"*Child of the Ark*." Vanitas couldn't help but reuse that old line, though his voice wasn't the same and it wasn't as loud, "My name is Ougai Mori, I am the Boss of the Port Mafia."

"That big shot criminal organisation?" Noé *did* look slightly nervous upon hearing that, but then snarled defiantly, "You may as well kill me, then. You won't get *any* use out of me."

Vanitas hummed, taking out a scalpel- this was a show for the gang, not a show for Noé, "I could easily end your life right here, it wouldn't be the first time I've slit someone's throat with my scalpel. However, I'm curious... do you have nothing left?" He watched Noé flinch, but continued, "No family or friends? No home?"

"...nothing. I have nothing." Noé started to laugh, then. It was a horrible sound, it was cracked and maniacal, the laugh of someone who knew they should be insane, but they weren't- they had nothing left except their own sanity, which just made reality all the more painful.

Once the laughter finally died out, Vanitas cleared his throat, "I'm giving you a chance to join the Port Mafia willingly, you'd be able to have a home, a family to rely on. You'll be safe, and trained to protect yourself further."

There was a moment where Noé looked tempted, and Vanitas winced internally, hoping that if Noé decided to join, that he could change his mind and beg Noé to join the Agency instead! But Noé just *spat* at Vanitas' feet and smirked, "I don't want to lose anything else. I won't be able to if I gain nothing. *Fuck off*."

Was that the first time Vanitas had ever heard Noé curse? It didn't suit him. Vanitas took a breath and turned to the leader, "We'll take him."

The leader then laughed nervously, "Before that, do you agree to help support us, and accept our services? As you can see, we're more than prepared to decimate anyone in Yokohama that's willing to stand in your way, Mr. Mori!"

"Ah. I believe you have the wrong impression of me." Vanitas glared at them, "The Port Mafia *protects* Yokohama, that is something I've dedicated my life to. If I were the Former Boss, I'd have likely agreed in a heartbeat, like a complete fool."

Apparently, this wasn't what this gang expected at all, and judging from how Noé flinched, he must've also heard an abridged version of what the Port Mafia was about. Multiple men had immediately grabbed guns, and with a snap of his fingers, Elise began to dispatch them all, while Vanitas ran forward, a scalpel in one hand, his gun in the other. Elise used her giant syringe to disarm, stab and scare the people away, while Vanitas quickly made his way to the armory, hoping to destroy it.

Unfortunately, one man against a whole gang was never going to be the best idea. Vanitas did manage to set a bomb to detonate, but before he could activate it, he was smacked in the back of the head with someone's rifle, and fell to the ground. Elise panicked, though remembered to keep up the act: "Rintaro!! Hang on, I'll go get help!!"

Nobody could catch her, and Vanitas was useless as he passed out.

*****

*Ugh, my head feels like it's splitting apart...* Vanitas managed to open his eyes, seeing that he was locked in the same room with Noé, also tied up, though not to a chair. Noé didn't have the bag over his head, and he was watching Vanitas.

"Are you okay?" He kept his voice low before explaining, "They're keeping you here for ransom. Of course, if your group are as powerful as they said, you don't have to worry, do you?"

Vanitas sat up, hating how bitter Noé sounded. That really wasn't the same voice who once promised to never set him free, to never let him be alone. A wave of dizziness hit him again, but he focused on seeing if he had at least one scalpel left, which he thankfully did- the thugs weren't smart enough to know one should never hold a Mafia Boss hostage, but they knew enough to know that it was hard to break out of zip-ties.

Noé watched the man in front of him start to free himself, but saw that he was struggling, he looked pale and nauseous. He felt a little bad and asked softly, a hint of pity in his voice: "You don't have a concussion, do you?"

That made Vanitas suddenly burst out laughing; of *course* he had a concussion, that was absolutely obvious, and he couldn't help himself, "Fuck you, Noé!"

"Fuck you, too-" He started to retort before blinking, "...what happened to your voice?" He watched as the man finished untying himself, then started to untie Noé, who frowned, "Why are you helping me? Who are you?!"

He froze when the man put his gloved hands on his cheeks, making him face him, and he heard a voice he never thought he'd hear again, "Noé... it's me. I know I look different, I'm sorry for this stupid disguise, I-!"

Vanitas was pulled into Noé's arms, and he immediately started crying. They both did. Vanitas was aware that Noé's Ability meant he could see memories through touch, but it looked like Noé's Gift only worked with skin to skin contact, judging from the way Noé held him. Vanitas buried his face into Noé's shirt, sobbing his eyes out, crying harder when he heard Noé's weakened voice, "...Vanitas..."

"It's me. I'm here, I'm alive, and so are you." Vanitas hugged Noé tighter, nuzzling his chest, "I'm so happy to see you."

Neither of them were the same oblivious idiots they once were. Both of them realised, too little too late, that they had fallen in love with each other. By the time Noé realised, Vanitas had been taken away, killed by his own hand, or so he'd thought. Vanitas didn't realise he loved Noé until his memories had returned.

Noé was still wearing the same clothes he used to wear in their world, though any purple item of clothing was replaced with blue. He ran his gloved fingers carefully through Vanitas' hair, making sure not to touch the bump left by the rifle butt, and sniffled quietly, recognising his warmth, his heartbeat and his smell, though his senses were far weaker, and he couldn't summon his fangs, he'd realised.

For now they just needed to escape. At least, that was what they should have done, but Vanitas wasn't in any fit state to fight, and Noé couldn't fight *and* protect Vanitas right now. Vanitas looked up at Noé, "How long was I out?"

"Nearly an hour, why?" He watched as Vanitas smirked, then they heard the sounds of fighting and gunshots. "The Port Mafia?"

"No," Vanitas confirmed, "Elise wouldn't get them, not with me involved."

Noé was about to ask what that meant, but then the door was suddenly ripped off its hinges, and a short, blonde haired boy grinned at them, "There you are, Vanitas! Elise came and got us, just like Ranpo predicted!"

"Did he also predict me getting smacked in the head?"

"Yes, that's why I'm here!" Vanitas laughed when he heard Yosano shouting from the hallway.

Taking Noé's hand, they stepped out- all the gang members were unconscious and tied up, Kunikida already making arrangements for all the weapons and valuables to be taken away. Noé watched as all the tension from Vanitas' shoulders disappeared like it was never there, and he smiled, "Everyone, I'd like you to meet someone."

The task had been done, so nobody was distracted. Not everyone was here, but that was fine, it meant Vanitas would have more time to help Noé adjust. He introduced the new person as his partner, which caused Noé to go beet red. Nobody looked surprised, though. When Vanitas explained what his Ability did, they all agreed to tell Mori to go sit on a dick, since he'd never be getting his hands on Noé.

*****

The trip back to the Agency was quiet, since Yosano confirmed that Vanitas had a bad concussion, and Noé was still getting used to being surrounded by people who actually had his best interests at heart. Elise had run back to Mori, with the message that the Agency would be placing Noé under their protection. The injuries they both sustained weren't bad enough that Yosano would have to use her Ability, which was good in this case, since Noé likely had no idea how Gifts worked, as he wasn't from this world.

Dazai was waiting for them all at the Agency with Ranpo, the pair of them quietly talking while Dazai held the Book of Vanitas safely in his hands- Vanitas had shown him what the Book was capable of, every aspect, so he wouldn't let anything happen to it.

The others arrived at last, and Yosano immediately took Vanitas and Noé into the infirmary, sitting them on the same bed, since Noé refused to let go of Vanitas' hand. She sat behind them, and carefully lifted the back of Vanitas' hair, letting out a quiet sigh, "Idiot smacked you so hard that you do have a cut, so I'll have to clean it. Good thing you're holding his hand, Noé."

Noé let Vanitas squeeze his hand as much as he needed to- Vanitas had gone through various experiments and torture for a lot of his life, but nothing could prepare him for the sting caused by the alcohol used to clean wounds. He didn't cry out or even hiss in pain, he just silently squeezed Noé's fingers and forced his eyes to squeeze shut. After a couple more minutes, Yosano carefully wrapped a bandage around Vanitas' head, to compress the injury and hopefully ease any swelling.

She did give Noé a look over, once Vanitas promised him that she was trustworthy, but he didn't have many injuries. Obviously he didn't get treated well and wasn't left unscathed, but it wasn't anything life threatening, just rage inducing. Noé had fresh bruises on his stomach, but he wasn't struck hard enough to cause any internal problems. There was a small scar on his shoulder, likely caused by a cigarette burn, so that was quickly cleaned and covered up.

"Okay, that's both of you all done." Yosano looked at them both, then gave Vanitas another look over, "Hmm. You're looking a lot better already, but I'll get you some painkillers and food anyway. Then the pair of you should get some rest. Kunikida made miso soup, I'll get you both some."

Once she'd left the room, Noé looked down, "...I'm sorry, Vanitas. There's so many things that I'm sorry for, but... I can't even hold you properly, I'll see your memories. That was the one promise you'd asked me to make, really." It had taken a stupidly long time for Noé to realise that Vanitas wasn't against Noé drinking his blood, he just didn't want anyone seeing his memories.

"Noé, you don't have to worry about that anymore." Vanitas looked at him, squeezing his hand again, though far more gently, "Obviously you don't have to look into my memories if you don't want to, but I'll never hurt or attack you again, if you do."

He was stunned; Vanitas once fought tooth and nail to try and kill Noé for trying to see into his memories, but now it was like he didn't care, almost like he was encouraging it! Though... was it because he wanted Noé to see his memories, or did he just want Noé to be able to touch him again? Noé tried to shake it all off- he could touch Vanitas, he'd just have to constantly avoid skin to skin contact, right? But his Ability seemed to only work once, so if he *did* take Vanitas' memories, then he could do as he wanted, he could hold Vanitas, stroke his face without wearing gloves, maybe even a ki-

"Here you go, guys." Yosano kept her voice gentle as she brought them the soup, giving Vanitas a small box of painkillers, "Eat up, then get some rest, okay? You both could use it."

"Thanks, Doctor Yosano." Vanitas smirked and gave her a quick hug before she left for the night. If anything happened, Vanitas could handle it, he was a doctor as well, after all. He took his soup, then saw that Noé seemed confused before smirking, "You just drink from the bowl, no spoons."

"R-really?" He supposed that different cultures did have different eating habits, but he wasn't used to it yet. All his captors had given him was something they'd called cheap sushi, and had laughed at him for eating them with his hands instead of those sticks he'd been provided.

The soup was flavourful, and it warmed them both up. Vanitas was grateful that it washed out the bitter taste of those painkillers, and he finally felt a little better. He looked back at Noé, who looked a lot better for the meal, then quietly asked him what was wrong- he wasn't prepared for Noé to suddenly blurt out that he's felt *different* ever since entering this world: he couldn't see the World Formula or alter it, he was unable to bare his fangs, he wasn't as fast or strong, and even all of his senses were weaker. Vanitas knew that because of Bram's Ability, Vampires were... limited, but he didn't realise that it would affect Noé in this way.

Taking a breath, Vanitas looked at him and spoke flatly, "You're not a Vampire anymore, Noé. Once you came here, you were turned into a Human." Noé was staring into space after that revelation, but Vanitas had to ask: "How did you get here?"

He was silent for a moment, then murmured softly, "I was travelling, I wanted to stay away from Paris." Obviously he was already omitting information, but Vanitas wouldn't pry just yet, he only needed the basic information first, "I... I had an accident. I got a little too close to the edge of a cliff and fell. Next thing I knew, I landed in a lake, but when I looked up, there were no cliffs at all."

Vanitas doubted that the trick of getting to this world from the other was falling from a high place, but he wouldn't be able to prove that for a very long time. Vanitas nodded and closed his eyes, "I'm glad you're okay, and I'll make sure you stay that way. I promise."

"...you don't owe me any promises." Noé's tone had changed, he sounded cold and bitter, "Vanitas, are you just going to ignore the fact that I killed you?!"

"Not ignore." He remained calm, though he hated that expression on Noé's face- oh, *now* he understood why Noé was always pissed off when Vanitas hid his emotions! He cleared his throat, "We can talk about what happened at some other point in time, but right now, I just want to talk and be with you, okay? Noé, when I came here, I had no memories. But the one thing I did have were images in my mind and pain in my heart. Even when I couldn't remember you, I truly missed you, Noé. We'll figure everything out, but for now, let's just have these moments."

Not an unreasonable request, but Noé still felt sick to his stomach. Both of them were too tired to carry on this conversation however, so Vanitas bid Noé a goodnight before going to the bed next to Noé's and falling asleep almost immediately. He hadn't even bothered to change, he just took off the coat, scarf and shoes. Noé slipped off his shoes and waistcoat, but then just found himself watching Vanitas sleep for a few moments longer. Vanitas was never openly vulnerable around him, so he wanted to commit Vanitas' sleeping face to memory.

He slowly laid down, and shut his eyes- Noé didn't like the sterilised smell of the infirmary, and the bed wasn't the softest, but at least he knew that he was safe now.

****

Noé tossed and turned in his sleep, panting as horrible nightmares persisted. His hands like claws, his eyes filled his bloodlust as his fangs were bared. Vanitas was beaten, bloodied and barely able to stand up, the Book of Vanitas hanging by his limp hand. Being a Curse-Bearer meant that his desire for blood couldn't be controlled anymore, and he *needed* to taste the sweet nectar that laid in Vanitas' veins.

But Vanitas continued to fight, throwing out curses and spells from his Book like they could do anything to Noé. Eventually, Noé had felt a warmth, and heard Vanitas' voice, saw his hand reaching out: "Noé, it's alright now. I've found your True Name, and I'll save you. Please, just don't give up."

*I don't think so~*

Naenia's voice, like the sound of broken windchimes, interrupted their moment. Just as Vanitas freed Noé, Noé's claws sank straight into Vanitas' abdomen. He screamed as he watched the colour and life drain from someone he cared about, and he couldn't even reach out properly when he fell, down off the cliff, where his body could never be recovered.

"-oé! Noé! Wake up!!"

He gasped in alarm and sat up with a start, staring with wide eyes at... *Vanitas*? It was really early in the morning, the moon was still out. Wait, what was the dream and what was reality? Noé just broke down crying, clutching Vanitas' shirt and just sobbing brokenly. Vanitas had slipped his gloves back on, and stroked Noé's hair, encouraging him to calm down and talk to him.

After a little longer, Noé did. He talked to Vanitas about the day they parted, and it took Vanitas a horribly long time to realise that Noé thought that none of this was real, that he thought this was some kind of cruel Hell or Purgatory designed to punish him for killing the man he cared about the most. Vanitas couldn't exactly prove that this was reality, because when you're that deep in denial, proof was meaningless. Plus, telling anyone that they came from one world to another was already going to sound ridiculous, even if it was just stating the facts.

He stroked Noé's cheek, and took a breath, "What happened is something we can't change, but we can move on from." Vanitas looked Noé in the eye then sighed, "If this place makes you uncomfortable, I'll find a way for you to go back. But I can't and won't return with you, it's not home for me there, anymore. I just-"

"*No*." Noé held Vanitas tighter, shaking with widened eyes, "I don't care if this is some punishment, if its all fake, I can't and won't lose you again. I don't want us separated again, I *can't*." He had tears streaming down his face as he looked into Vanitas' deep blue eyes, "Losing you was the worst pain I'd ever felt, worse than when I lost Louis. I wanted to die with you, I don't want to live without you, Vanitas! I've never felt like that before, so please don't send me away!"

Vanitas felt his heart freeze, he *hated* just how heartbroken Noé looked and sounded. There wasn't any way to completely reassure him, but Vanitas knew he had to try, especially when certain feelings needed to be taken off his chest, "Noé... this is my home now, and it would be complete if you stayed with me." He stroked Noé's face, wiping away his tears with his thumbs, "...I will never set you free."

Noé's tears dried, and he stared at Vanitas. Any mixed feelings were gone, all fear was gone. He had nothing left to lose, and Vanitas practically asked him to stay! Despite it being far too fast, despite the fact that they'd been separated for a year, there was one thing that Noé *needed* in that moment. He ran his finger across Vanitas' bottom lip, and looked into his eyes for permission, for consent.

And Vanitas gave it.

Their lips met, Vanitas gently gripping Noé's hair, as Noé wrapped his arms around Vanitas' waist, kissing him with all he had. He was vaguely aware of Vanitas' memories flooding into his mind, but he was far too focused on the present to look into the past. It was strange that the memories didn't crash into him all at once, that it was giving Noé's mind time to sort through them at his own pace, but again, he was too busy holding onto the love of his life and *kissing him*.

Unfortunately, they were both still human, and had to pull away to catch their breath. Vanitas giggled slightly, he couldn't help himself, as he stroked Noé's cheek again, "Hi."

"Hi." Noé let out a breathy laugh, nuzzling Vanitas again. No more memories came, so Noé was free to touch Vanitas however he wished. He did see everything- he glossed over the memories he already saw when he was made to drink Mikhail's blood, and he didn't need to see any darker elements after that nightmare. He saw Vanitas' life in Yokohama, and had to agree that this world was his home now, so Noé would stay, vowing to be a part of it. "...I saw your memories, but it didn't hurt."

"Maybe it's because you willingly touched me, and I accepted it?" That made sense, a lot of things were less painful with added consent.

Now that they knew Noé's Ability couldn't affect Vanitas anymore, nothing stopped them from getting into bed together, cuddling and kissing until they finally fell asleep in each others arms. Vanitas' head rested over Noé's heart, and Noé's mind wasn't plagued by any more poisonous memories that night.

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robsterskellington · 17 days

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bring back tumblr ask culture let me. bother you with questions and statements

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robsterskellington · 22 days

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Thank you to everyone who's been continuing to vote on our polls, and has been following for the messy snippets of our fic.

Here's the snippet that was voted on last:

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robsterskellington · 1 month

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So the first snippet you all wanted was for Soukoku, so I guess we shouldn't have been surprised that you all wanted Shin Soukoku next!

Context: Vanitas has been in Yokohama for over a month now, still has amnesia, and has managed to cure some of the Vampires created by Bram's Ability by using the Book of Vanitas (disclaimer: that is *not* Vanitas' Ability, its just something the book can do- instead of curing Vampires of malnomens, it turns Vampires created by Bram back into Humans). Akutagawa is slowly healing and wants to know exactly how he feels about Atsushi, so now that he's human again, he has been trying to spend time with Atsushi. This is one of those times. Vanitas is not in this piece, but he is mentioned a bit.

Enjoy!

*Ugh, it's the full moon again tonight...* Atsushi was grateful for the affects of All Men Are Created Equal, however the one thing that it couldn't stop was Byakko coming out completely every full moon. It was difficult to lock himself up or hide, though he was always grateful that Dazai had that storage container for him to use. He was mostly moody because...

Atsushi wasn't stupid, obviously he knew at some point Akutagawa and he would have to fight properly, but he couldn't deny that hanging out with Akutagawa outside of everything had been fun. They would spar, they would discuss things about work, though talking about the past was difficult for both of them. They both had their scars, but that was okay- it was a sign that they'd survived so much terror.

As if his thoughts had manifested the man in his thoughts, Akutagawa had sent him a text; Atsushi had wanted to keep in touch officially, since when they weren't fighting each other, they actually defended one another, Akutagawa's neck was proof of that claim. Shaking his head, ridding himself of that nightmarish image, Atsushi opened the text:

*Jinko, I know what tonight is, but I still want you to meet up with me today. If you trust me enough, meet me at the teahouse near the Red Brick Warehouse, in one hour.*

"You should trust him," Ranpo said before Atsushi could even gather his thoughts- he just looked towards the detective, who had a pocky sticking out of his mouth, and was looking through some drawings that Vanitas had made, "Akutagawa's obviously up to something, and I can confirm it's nothing nefarious. Even if it was, you'd still go, right?"

"I don't need to confirm that, you already know you're right." It was like Ranpo was a mind-reader. *Not Gifted, my ass.* Still, he was right, of course he was. If Akutagawa asked to meet, then he'd go, even if nobody else trusted him. The deadline was now four months away, but it didn't matter to him- he could only live in the present for the time being, so he wouldn't let the thoughts of his and Akutagawa's inevitable fight to the death bother him.

Besides, he wasn't needed at the office anyway. Vanitas was probably at the café with the Tanizaki's, the President was at a meeting with Special Operations, and Dazai was likely causing problems. Kyouka and Kenji were enrolled at the local school, so they were likely at their apartments doing their homework. Though Ranpo essentially gave him the go-ahead, Kunikida frowned at him, "Akutagawa's just trying to get you to drop your guard, make it easier for him to kill you."

"No, he isn't. Even if he was, he's still gotta keep his promise for another four months, he won't fight me until then..." Wait, was he actually *defending* the guy who was going to turn him into a tiger skin rug? Atsushi had caught himself but cleared his throat, "I don't believe there's malicious intent. Besides, I can handle myself. I promise, Mr. Kunikida."

Kunikida looked at him from over the top of his glasses and sighed, "Fine. I may not trust that wretched dog, but I trust *you*. Try and stay safe."

"I will!" He ran off after that, though he had the sense to keep his location on his cell in case anything did happen. He doubted Akutagawa would break his promise and kill him early, but one can never be too careful.

*****

The teahouse was one that Akutagawa frequented with Gin, since it was a nice halfway point between the Port Mafia base and their apartment. Akutagawa felt a bit more relaxed than usual- Vanitas had found that despite his Ability being unrelated to the book, which apparently showed illnesses and maladies in Vampires, he could still use it- Vampires were turning back to human, though it was a slow process, since Vanitas was only one man, and Fukuchi had turned about 38% of the entire world into Vampires.

He saw Atsushi heading in his direction and gave him his full attention, "Weretiger. How are you feeling?"

"...same as I always do on days like this." Akutagawa gave him a look of pity; the full transformations weren't something Atsushi had control of, and containing a wild tiger was about as easy as it sounded. Byakko never hurt anyone, but it would break into places that had food, or rummage for scraps. It was a good thing that the Municipal Police and the Military Police had agreed that he wasn't a risk, otherwise he'd be shipped off to Mersault, or put to death.

Morbid thoughts aside, Akutagawa just nodded sympathetically, "I'm going to help you with that. For now, let's get something to eat so you're not suffering later. What's your favourite?"

"I, uhh... chazuke... wait, why are you help-"

"Chazuke. Alright, I'll order us a few bowls, you're going to need the energy."

That *always* happened. Atsushi would ask Akutagawa why he was being nice, or why he was helping, or even why he was so determined to wait for months before they fought to the death, but there was never any answer. Akutagawa had changed since Vanitas reversed the Vampirism... though he also changed in a few other ways. Lungs aren't able to be healed completely once damaged, but the pain could be eased and living with painful lungs could be fine if handled correctly.

Vanitas had apparently been a doctor in his world, and had developed some herbal medicines and remedies, since his world was more advanced in some ways, less advanced in others. Astermite meant that Vanitas' world had a more advanced fuel source while this world would be royally fucked eventually. While hospitals were more advanced here, some of Vanitas' medicines were far better for so much, including a remedy to soothe Akutagawa's lungs, chest and throat.

It wasn't difficult to see all the changes. Akutagawa's coughing had all but subsided, and because of this, he was going out more often since the air didn't feel like smoke was filling his lungs every time he breathed, though he still wore a face mask whenever he went to the beach. The sun was having an affect on him as well, as he'd actually been going out and walking, so he'd developed a slight tan. Finally, the most obvious change was that he'd put on a slight bit of weight- who knew it was easier to enjoy food when you weren't constantly coughing up everything you swallowed?

Atsushi could finally see just how much Akutagawa could eat in a sitting now, and despite him obviously not gorging himself, it was apparent that it was more than he'd usually eat. They both ate until they had a small pile of bowls each, then Akutagawa paid the bill. The time was going faster than Atsushi had liked, since he honestly just wanted to sit here and talk with Akutagawa. It was like they could be normal kids for once. Akutagawa may point out that at 20 years old, he was no longer a child, but Atsushi wasn't buying that.

Once it had evidently reached the right time, Akutagawa stood up and held his hand out to Atsushi, "Are you willing to trust me?"

He shouldn't. Akutagawa had hurt him so much, and yet... when everything looked bad, and Atsushi was at his lowest moments, Akutagawa was the one to help him. Sure, Dazai had done a lot, but that was more because he must have felt obligated, Akutagawa didn't have that same issue.

Atsushi took his hand.

****

"I didn't know you could drive!" It took around an hour, but Akutagawa had driven them both to what looked like a forest just outside of town. Akutagawa had a simple black car, complete Mafia style, and Atsushi had wondered how he never knew. After all, most of the Port Mafia of a higher station, like Akutagawa, Kouyou, Chuuya and obviously the Boss, were normally driven around.

"It's a skill that a lot of people need to learn, Jinko. I learned to drive at 14." He smirked when he watched Atsushi grow pale and simply nodded, "Illegal, of course. But we are the Port Mafia for a reason. The Boss and some of the execs teach any young recruits the basic criminal stuff, like how to kill, steal, manipulate. However, we are also taught first aid, how to drive, how to cook and to protect ourselves and the Port Mafia."

"...did Dazai skip the learn to cook tutorial? And the driving one?" Atsushi winced at remembering the slop Dazai once served to them, calling it his *Super Stamina Hot Pot Curry*. Yosano's Ability worked overtime that day. And Kunikida had told Atsushi about Dazai's driving- his eyes still looked haunted by the memory, and he ended up throwing up. Driving so bad that even the memory causes motion sickness? Impressive, if not horrifying.

Akutagawa failed to hold back his laughter this time, and Atsushi stared at him; this was the first time he'd ever heard the sound of Akutagawa's laugh, and it was enough to make him smile. In that moment, with him holding his stomach and shaking with a grin on his face, Akutagawa looked younger. It was truly a sight, though Atsushi hid concern over the fact that his heart had skipped a beat, and he wasn't quite sure why his thoughts turned to just how *beautiful* Akutagawa looked with-

"No, he tried to learn," Akutagawa said while wiping a few stray tears from his eyes, continuing to giggle, "However, it was quickly decided that some things shouldn't be taught to some people. Meaning, only Dazai. Is he still bad?"

"Less said the better." Atsushi laughed, wincing at the memories. He looked around, at all the trees, flowers and listened to the birds chirping from above. It was so peaceful here, and the setting sun kept them warm for the time being. Akutagawa had picked up a backpack from the trunk of his car before they had started walking, and Atsushi knew better than to ask. Eventually, they reached a clearing, where there was a giant tree, lying on its side with its roots revealed. Atsushi glanced at Akutagawa who just stared at the tree before asking quietly, "Akutagawa, what is this place?"

"...we've known each other a long time. Obviously things are a little strained between us, but I know I can trust you. So, you can call me Ryū, if you'd like." That had made Atsushi flinch, but he couldn't deny that being told he could use not only Akutagawa's given name, but a shortened version to make it more casual, felt really good.

"Ryū. Okay, deal... though I don't think I'd get used to you calling me Atsushi. That freaked me out enough when you had the flu." They both looked embarrassed at that and Atsushi rubbed the back of his neck, "Weretiger and Jinko are fine."

"Agreed. And to answer your question... this is where I met Dazai." Atsushi froze and stared at Akutagawa, who had a warm smile on his face, "I was 14 years old. I came here, tracking down some men who had attacked Gin and I's street family."

It wasn't a secret that the Akutagawa siblings grew up in the slums, mostly the ones in Suribachi City, but to hear Akutagawa openly recounting the memories was strange. Atsushi wasn't sure he could ever actually tell anyone about his time at the Orphanage- the burns, the stabbing, getting nails hammered into his hands, the time he was nearly crucified? He ignored his thoughts as he continued to listen:

"One of the boys had stolen a diamond from those men, and Rashōmon proved that it was real. We were all so excited, thinking about where to sell it, knowing that with that money, we could buy a place of our own and enough food to live off until we could heal, get cleaned up, and find jobs to continue living a decent lifestyle." Even as desperate, starving children, they weren't willing to be stupid or wasteful with money. "However... those men hunted us down, and attacked."

"All for one diamond?!" That was disgusting. He winced and looked at Akutagawa, "How many of you were there?"

"Seven. Then suddenly, it was just Gin and myself. When I'm afraid or panicked, I can't control Rashōmon properly, so I was unable to avoid getting shot in the stomach. Gin was the only girl, and the men saw it. So they took her with them when they couldn't find the diamond, with the intent to sell her." Atsushi's body went cold, yet he couldn't imagine how Akutagawa must've felt.

A 14 year old boy, who had watched his friends die, got shot, and had his only family stolen from him. Obviously he would have wanted revenge, acted like a rabid dog who had lost too much and decided to go truly feral. Atsushi understood now why Akutagawa made sure to keep as calm as possible with fighting- if Rashōmon can't protect him, nothing can.

Again, thoughts manifested as Rashōmon took a small form, appearing as a demonic head on Akutagawa's shoulder, nuzzling its master's cheek, which made him smile. Not many people understood that Rashōmon was a Living Ability: a Gift that was literally alive. Capable of its own thoughts and feelings, but still under the control of it User. Demon Snow was an example of this, and while Byakko was as well, it was more independent and didn't do what it was told when fully out.

"I tracked the men down, to here. They didn't have Gin with them, so I demanded to know where she was. That was when they made the mistake of lying to me. They told me that she had been killed on her way to the person who bought her." He took a breath, trying not to let the memories consume him completely, "I hurt them, screamed obscenities, demanded to know who killed her. But they only screamed, or told me to kill myself if I wanted to see her again. I killed them all."

Atsushi found himself walking over to Akutagawa and putting his hands on his shoulders, "Ryū, if this is too much, I-" He watched as Akutagawa put a hand on top of his, before shaking his head.

"I'm okay, Jinko. Anyway, after that, I heard a voice from behind me. It was a boy, a little older than me, his eye wrapped with bandages. Rashōmon thought he was going to hurt me, and lashed at him, only to be dissipated by his Ability." Dazai, of course. Atsushi tilted his head and Akutagawa smirked, "The men were jewel smugglers for the Port Mafia, but found out they could make more profit by selling them to other organisations. Dazai came to eliminate them, but saw that I had done his job for him. I was lost, a scared child with nothing left. So I asked him: *can you give me a reason to live*? And he did. He lead me to the Port Mafia."

That explained Akutagawa's earlier jealousy. Dazai had saved Atsushi, too. Though the circumstances were very different. Atsushi concentrated on the story though, "Did he also lead you to Gin?"

"He did. She'd been sold to a child fighting ring." At the sight of Atsushi's jaw dropping, he sighed, "*Yes*, that's a thing. *No*, the Port Mafia doesn't allow that. We train children to work with us, we'd never force them to fight to the death for profit."

"Okay, thank God." He took a breath to relax then nodded towards the backpack, "Sorry to change the subject, but..?"

Akutagawa answered by removing the backpack and emptying its contents: a few blankets, some food, hot tea in flasks, and some spare clothes. He looked towards Atsushi and spoke gently, "There's a second reason I brought you here. I know your Tiger causes issues in town, so... now it has a whole forest to explore. I'll stay with you, make sure you don't wander off, and you can transform without fear."

Atsushi moved without thinking. He wrapped his arms tightly around Akutagawa, feeling as if he could cry. This beautiful forest was perfect for Byakko to wander and explore, and with nobody around, there was zero chance of anyone getting hurt. Akutagawa could easily protect himself if the Tiger was hostile, but he doubted that it would be. Mostly because...

Fun fact: tigers aren't able to purr like cats do, and yet- here Atsushi was, a soft rumbling sound coming from his chest, that only got louder when Akutagawa wrapped his arms around Atsushi. He made no comments about the purring, and Atsushi suddenly understood why as Rashōmon began to make a similar sound. The Tiger and Rashōmon purred together, and they made their Users want to laugh, but they were also getting their Users to relax.

After a little longer, Akutagawa pulled away, to set up the blankets. Atsushi also noticed that he'd brought a book about birds, seeing that some of the birds on the cover were actually in the forest. It would be good to see what birds they could spot while the sun was still providing light. He also had another book for entertainment- Atsushi recognised it as one Kyouka read, and while he thought the language used was a little vulgar for her, he saw that it was obviously a love story and let it slide.

They ate snacks and bird watched, but then Akutagawa decided to ask: "Do you remember how you got your Ability?" At his puzzles look, Akutagawa elaborated, "Were you born with the Tiger, or did you inherit it? Or... did the Orphanage experiment on you, or traumatise you enough that the Tiger was the result?"

Atsushi frowned to himself, having to really think about that. The first option of being born with the Tiger made sense, though it was certainly an unusual Gift to be born with. Not unheard of, just unusual. The only experiment that he went through was with Shibuzawa, but he already had the Tiger by that point. Maybe the trauma did create the Ability, but at the same time, weren't they beating the shit out of him *because* he could turn into a Tiger? He had nobody to inherit the Gift from, so that was out of the window. "...I have no idea. If I had to guess, I'd say I was born with it."

"I see. Forgive my curiosity, I just couldn't help myself!" Akutagawa wanted to know more about Atsushi, it felt better to. The boy had tried to save him so many times, even when he was verbally and physically assaulting him. Even when Fukuchi killed him, the last thing he saw was Atsushi trying to reach out to him. The mind may trick people, but eyes don't lie- Atsushi had been devastated by his death, and Akutagawa would have been as well if their positions had been switched. Not that he could admit that, yet.

"...what about you?" He found himself asking meekly. When he saw Akutagawa's face drop, he hurriedly spoke while waving his hands, "You don't have to answer, I just-"

"Inherited." He said with a soft voice. Atsushi blinked and Akutagawa sighed, "Well, I took Rashōmon from its original master- mistress, actually- though it chose me to wield it."

Atsushi found himself sitting up and giving Akutagawa his full attention. He chuckled and looked up at the sky- once he'd verified that there was enough time, he told his story:

*****

When Gin and I were young, I think I was about 6, so Gin was 4, our parents decided that they didn't want kids anymore. So they dumped us at our grandparents doorstep, and we never saw them again. Our grandmother was Gifted with Rashōmon- a Living Ability that turns cloth into a blade, armour, and a beast.

She didn't want children, nor grandchildren, she wanted servants. So Gin and I were forced to take that role. Our grandfather wasn't any better- we couldn't even call them our grandparents, we had to refer to them as Master and Mistress. So we became their help, having to cook, clean, go shopping. We weren't allowed to spend a penny on ourselves, and we could only eat the scraps that they didn't eat.

Years were spent like that, but things changed one day; the Master had developed a lung disease, one I found out later that the bastard knew he would develop and pass on to any offspring. He didn't bother to get treatment, refused any medication Gin and I bought... we hated him, but we still didn't want him to die. But he perished. That was when the Mistress decided she was done with "being nice".

She sought out any excuse to beat us, and slash us using her Gift, but what she didn't count on was the fact that Rashōmon was *alive* and had morals of its own. One day, she was whipping me, I think I didn't scrub the floor well enough, but Rashōmon just... wrapped around her wrist and stopped her. That was when I learned that it was alive.

Tachihara once made the joke of me being vulnerable when naked, but the truth is, Rashōmon is a part of *me* not just my clothing. I just can't use the Ability with no cloth. However, Rashōmon does take a while to transfer from cloth to nothing, so if I have Rashōmon in my coat and take it off, it takes a few moments before I can use it on my shirt. Thats what happens when we use Kokko Zessō, I make sure that Rashōmon stays with you, Weretiger.

The Mistress was so angry at Rashōmon for refusing to hurt me, that she stripped naked then and there, so that Rashōmon was still in her kimono. From there, she cast it into a fire. That's the thing with Living Abilities- they feel pain just like us. And it's screams were horrible to hear. She just watched it burn, and left. That... was how I developed a bond with it. I saved a scrap of the burning cloth and managed to douse the flames. It was such a relief to see the beast's tiny head rise from the cloth, and I assured Rashōmon that it would be okay. It reformed back on the Mistress later, but something had obviously changed.

The beatings were mine to take, but clearly the Mistress had enough. She decided that I'd never be perfect, no matter how many beatings I took, so she decided she'd take away the one thing that mattered most to me: Gin.

She'd grabbed a kitchen knife, and went to stab my sister, but Rashōmon made her sleeve so tight that her wrist broke. After she dropped the knife, I grabbed it. One stab to the chest was all it took; I was furious, I wanted her to suffer, but I also wanted to be *better* than her. She laughed at me, even when she was dying, calling me weak and pathetic. My weakness in that moment died, and I finally spoke, words I'd never needed to use before, but it was fitting now.

"*Rashōmon: Jaws of Endless Gates!!*"

There was nothing left of her. I thought Gin would think I was a monster, but even she had a moment and spat on the bitch's remains. Rashōmon had purred, calming us both down. That was the day I became Gifted.

****

"After that, we stole everything we could and ended up living in the slums." Akutagawa was sat, holding his knees to his chest, and he saw that Atsushi had no expression on his face, "I'm sorry if I look more like a monster to you now, I and my Little Beast."

"No, you don't. You look like a caring brother who just couldn’t handle any more abuse." Atsushi held out his hand, summoning his Tiger's claws, "Besides, I can't judge. If I knew what I was capable of when I was younger, I probably would have killed the Headmaster myself, and I admit that I don't regret killing Shibuzawa. Both times, I didn't actually feel bad."

Taking a life was never easy, not even for the Port Mafia. Assassin's, mercenaries and usurpers, but still human. Sure, one can become distant and indifferent, but at some point, stomachs turn and you can't handle it. Even the Agency carried guns, but actually shooting someone was a different story. Shooting, slashing, hurting in general, everyone is physically capable, but not mentally.

Atsushi shivered as he realised that the sun had set, and the moon had begun rising, though he felt... calmer. Byakko was calm, this forest was peaceful. Maybe being able to run around, stretch its legs would do him the world of good? It didn't take long for it to become a reality.

White fur, bright yellow eyes, and giant claws formed, with a mouth filled with razor sharp fangs. But Byakko didn't growl or roar, it... sniffed.

The fearsome, supposedly man eating Tiger, was holding its head down, sniffing the ground like a puppy! It prowled, smelling the air, scratching trees, before breaking off into a run, climbing aforementioned trees or rolling around on the soft grass.

Akutagawa watched with a stunned expression, he couldn't help but take some photos and videos, completely awestruck. Atsushi was likely buried deep inside, and Byakko was the one completely in control. He briefly imagined that this must be what it's like for Chuuya using Corruption, having to let Arahabaki take the wheel as it were.

Hours were spent like this: Byakko explored the forest, not hunting since the only pray were the birds, plus because Atsushi had eaten a lot, the Tiger didn't feel the need to eat. Akutagawa went between watching, filming, taking pictures and reading his book.

He'd gotten a little *too* relaxed, he realised, when Rashōmon suddenly hissed- the Tiger had strolled up to them, though it seemed calm. Akutagawa trusted Rashōmon to protect him, as he held his hand out. Byakko seemed to recognise Akutagawa as someone that it's User cared about, and placed its head in Akutagawa's hand, letting out a soft purr.

*Incredible...* Akutagawa thought to himself as he pet the Tiger, feeling the soft rumbling of its chest. Byakko eventually laid down beside Akutagawa, falling asleep. It was really late, at least for them, it was about 3am now. Akutagawa didn't know how well this would turn out, but he laid beside the Tiger, pulling a blanket over himself and letting sleep consume him.

*****

Atsushi woke up the next morning feeling *warm*. He was still a little sleepy, but he became aware that he was wrapped in a blanket and... being held? But the only one with him was-

His eyes snapped open as he registered the fact that he was with Akutagawa last night. And right now, Akutagawa was asleep, *holding Atsushi in his arms*!! Atsushi tried to stay calm, and to not panic, trying to think about how to explain all this, when he felt his chest rumbling. Oh, did the Tiger decide to betray him?!

No, apparently not. Akutagawa's arms held him a little tighter, keeping Atsushi warm and secure. It was nice, *really* nice. He found himself yawning, and snuggling into Akutagawa's embrace completely.

Maybe five more minutes wouldn't hurt?

#bungou stray dogs #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #bsd #bungo stray dogs #vnc #a guide to tainted sorrow #soukoku #shin soukoku #atsushi nakajima #akutagawa ryuunosuke #bsd skk #bsd sskk #skk #sskk #ranpo edogawa #kunikida doppo #chuuya nakahara #dazai osamu

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robsterskellington · 1 month

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We'd like to keep our writing momentum going, even if it's a complete mess. Thanks to everyone who voted the last time, and we hope everyone enjoyed the fic snippet you chose!

Here's the snippet that was voted on during the last poll if you haven't read it yet:

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robsterskellington · 1 month

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Well, if you all insist. Here's a cute section for those skk shippers.

Necessary context: this is about a year or so after Vanitas came to Yokohama, so his memories have since returned. Certain other characters from VNC have since made an appearance and some caused issues that won't be spoiled here, but just for the context Naenia *has* hurt Chuuya and made a small impact on his appearance, while also harming him mentally and physically. So this is Dazai trying to comfort Chuuya:

"A puppy?" Vanitas tilted his head, surprised at those words coming from Dazai's mouth- it had been a quiet day at the Agency, so Dazai had asked to borrow Vanitas for what he'd called *personal reasons*. It turned out that Dazai wanted to show his love to Chuuya in a new way, and wanted him to feel better after the last incident they had.

"I'm terrified of dogs, but Chuuya loves them. I want him to be happy, and he put up with so much of my crap." Dazai chuckled, though he was visibly shaking and had grown deathly pale, "I thought maybe I wouldn't be as scared if we got a puppy and raised it so it wouldn't be a vicious monster like the dogs I know."

Vanitas understood that, being afraid of something and worried that it would affect his life if he didn’t get over it. Also he was more of a cat person, so were most of the Agency, as proven by how everyone liked Atsushi. Obviously it wasn't the only reason, but it was a big factor. Humming to himself, Vanitas asked, "Are you wanting to go to the pet store, or..?"

That had been something else Dazai had to think about. He slowly shook his head, "I want to adopt from a shelter. Chuuya would love that, plus even I think it's a good idea, rescuing rather than relying on a possibly sketchy breeder."

Now, Vanitas had come to respect Dazai: he was capable of being cruel and calculating, but he had a heart filled with warmth and kindness, and that wasn't something that anyone could or would ignore. Even when it came to something he hated, Dazai chose the option that was best morally and logically. Yokohama had a lot of strays, so rescue centres were an essential, thus it wasn't difficult to find one. Dazai was terrified, both of the dogs and the thought of this new commitment, but...

Naenia had nearly taken Chuuya from him. He couldn't lose him, not Chuuya. So now, he needed to make sure that he never lost him again, without being manipulative or controlling. Not that anything could truly control Chuuya, he was far too *Human*. Dazai had already fucked up so many times, and it was too much- Chuuya had been the one affected, it was time to fix what he could and ease any pain.

Time froze when a giant grey dog started snarling and barking when Dazai got a little too close to its cage, and he immediately fell on his ass, trying to scoot away while hyperventilating; this was far more than just a fear, this was straight up trauma.

*****

"Stand up and fight, Shūji!!"

Shūji Tsushima was about five years old at this point, standing in a makeshift boxing ring with a metal chain fence circling the entire thing. He and his father were the only people there, but in the cage with him were three dogs at least double Shūji's size. His father was training him to become stronger, he'd said. Shūji wasn't unarmed, he'd been provided a knife, and a gun.

But those snarling fangs had absolutely terrified him, he couldn't even attempt to turn his back and grab the weapons he'd dropped the moment the mutts came out. One had jumped towards him and bit his arm, causing the poor boy to scream and cry, "Father, please help me!!" This wasn't how he wanted to die.

"Pathetic excuse for a son." His father's words was the last voice he heard before he passed out, but the last sounds he heard? Three gunshots.

*****

"Dazai! You're okay, just hold onto me."

That was Vanitas' voice... but wasn't he..?

No. That's right. Shūji Tsushima wasn't here anymore, Osamu Dazai stood in his place, but still had all those same fears, memories and visions. Vanitas was rubbing Dazai's back, slowly guiding him from his panic attack. He did hear the sound of a dog, but no vicious barking, just a whine. Dazai steeled his nerves and looked over at the dog who'd barked, and... it was the one whining. Actually, it looked really sad, like it knew it did something bad.

After taking some calming breaths, Dazai sat up properly and Vanitas reached into his pocket, "I've got chocolate on me, that should help you." The Agency Members always carried some form of snack on them in case Ranpo asked them to tag along, and Vanitas usually carried chocolate, claiming that it was medically beneficial, whatever that meant. However, since Dazai felt better after having a piece, he wasn't inclined to call bullshit.

"...that dog looks sad." It was weak and childish sounding, but Dazai wanted to make sure he was still sort of functioning. Plus, he found himself a little curious.

Vanitas gave him that explanation: that dog was female and had been used for breeding most of her life. She was seven years old, and had only just been rescued, though not before her abusers got one last use out of her. Apparently the name she was given was Viola, and she was expecting another litter of puppies within the next few weeks. It sounded like the sort of sob story that would pull at Sigma's heartstrings.

Once he'd calmed down properly, Dazai decided that after coming this far, he wasn't about to give up now. Vanitas stayed close to him, as they looked around. Animals are more intelligent than some people would make them out to be, and not a single dog barked after Dazai's panic attack. It helped him feel a lot more at ease, and he was able to look at the dogs without breaking out in goosebumps.

Eventually, one large cage caught his attention: the inside was full of puppies that had a mix of tan, white and blueish coloured fur. The mother wasn't with them, and the puppies were clearly a few months old, so they weren't dependent on milk but still very small. Most of them were playing with toys or playfully fighting each other, but there was one who was just... in the corner on its own. It must have been the runt.

Dazai didn't know why, but he found himself kneeling down and while he flinched when he got that runt's attention, he also felt warm inside. Its eyes, one was blue and one was brown, just like Chuuya's! Even in the same positions. The white colour that separated the blue from the tan looked peculiar, it was almost like the shape of lightning bolts, all across its fur. The puppy's ears were tall, far too big for its body, and when it tilted its head at Dazai, its entire body tilted with it, until it fell on its side with a squeak.

"Easy there," Dazai chuckled, carefully reaching out to the cage, letting the puppy catch his scent. The puppy nuzzled his fingers and gave a small lick. Dazai's eyes widened and his thoughts stuttered, *Wait, is this how most people react with dogs? That was so adorable, and I don't think I can leave here without this one.*

"Oh, he never usually goes to people!" The woman who ran the shelter had walked up, having heard about the man fainting in her workplace, "He usually hides in the back away from people. Would you like me to get him out for you?"

Of course Dazai said yes. He was still afraid of dogs, and it would take him forever to recover, but this puppy brought out a reaction that wasn't true terror. She scooped up the puppy and put him on the floor- he scampered up to Dazai, sniffing around him and flopping onto the floor when his ears turned against him again. Dazai smirked again, before stroking his fur, absolutely amazed by how soft it was, he imagined that this was what a cloud would feel like if he could touch them. The puppy yawned and curled up close to him, which sold Dazai completely. After all, if this dog liked Dazai, he would love Chuuya.

However, he looked over at Viola's cage and frowned- all alone in the world and pregnant. Didn't seem fair. Fyodor, Nikolai and Sigma had apparently been talking about getting pets, and while they weren't all on speaking terms, Dazai did keep in touch with Sigma and dialled his number.

*Ring... Ring... click.*

"Dazai? Is everything okay?" Of course Sigma would immediately worry. After giving a brief synopsis of the situation, and the detailed version of Viola's story, Dazai grinned when he heard Sigma's voice become laced with emotion and tears, "Luckily I'm in town. And we did think about getting dogs, so one and some puppies on the way? I think that's that. I'll be right there!"

Dazai laughed when Sigma hung up, likely sprinting here. He told Vanitas, who laughed as well and gave the puppy who claimed Dazai a little stroke, "He's adorable. This one is yours and Chuuya's dog?"

After looking down, and seeing the puppy give him a tail wag, Dazai nodded. This was their dog.

***

"I cannot believe you actually did that." Sigma was walking a cheerful Viola down the street with Dazai, who held a box containing the new pup. He also bought another surprise, but he kept that in his coat pocket.

"Which part? Getting that slug and I a pet, or calling you about someone who clearly needs you?" He teased, but when Sigma had arrived and saw Viola, it was love at first sight. Naturally, Sigma had sent photos to his boyfriends, who practically begged/demanded that he come home with the pregnant dog.

"That you faced your fear so well. And that little one is going to be much happier with you." That made Dazai smile, and he appreciated that thought. "...you are prepared, right? For a dog?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I always plan ahead, I actually bought a bunch of dog stuff and hid them on the top of the shelves and my closet so that the shortie couldn't see them." Ah, how long had it been since he'd had a dig at Chuuya's height? It wasn't a lie, though. Dazai had gotten everything necessary and hid it all from Chuuya so that he wouldn't suspect a thing.

After thanking Vanitas and congratulating Sigma on the new family member, and future family members, he headed back to the apartment. Chuuya should be home by now, so he was thankful that the dog had fallen asleep. It wouldn't be much of a surprise if the gift started barking, would it?

Once he opened the door, he heard Chuuya's voice- he was obviously on the phone, and he sounded anxious, maybe a little annoyed? "...so there's no mistakes? Fuck. No- yes, I'm fine. Just... you're definitely sure? This isn't something that you can-... okay, fine." Chuuya took a breath then cleared his throat, "...thanks, *Doc Glasses*. Bye- *yes* I said thanks, fuck off." He hung up the phone, then saw Dazai and lit up with a smile.

Dazai seemed surprised. Ango and Chuuya definitely didn't like each other to say the least, so for them to have an actual discussion with minimal cursing seemed off. But that didn't matter at that moment in time, as Dazai put the box down and went to hug his partner.

Chuuya was still drained and exhausted after Naenia attacked him, the new white streak in his hair showing and nothing could hide it. Dazai just thought it made him look even more beautiful, which he didn't even realise was possible. After a kiss, they sat on the couch, and Dazai made it clear that Chuuya's business was his own, but Chuuya just scoffed a little, "It's... to do with Verlaine."

Oh. No wonder Chuuya had been pacing. They weren't stupid, they knew Verlaine had been alive all these years, and was their superior at one point. Dazai held his hand and squeezed gently, "Wanna talk about it?"

"Not yet, but I will, I promise." Most members of the Port Mafia kept their promises, but the only two who truly kept them were Chuuya and Akutagawa. Sort of.

"Well, no rush. Anyway, I wanted to make you feel better, so I got you something." Dazai pulled out the small box from his coat and handed it over, an idiotic smile on his face.

"What have you done this time?" Chuuya would always be suspicious of any gift that Dazai brought him, since his presents used to be ridiculous in the past: toy slugs, a book about how to train dogs to be obedient, even a rubber knife to replace a real one he once stole then lost on a mission.

Dazai smirked, "Nothing~! It's just a gift to show my appreciation!" When Chuuya went to open it, Dazai quickly cleared his throat, "Ah, but you can't be mad at me."

Chuuya looked at Dazai with furrowed eyebrows, then at the seemingly inconspicuous box tied with a crimson ribbon, "There's not a bomb in here, is there? ...or a stink bug?"

Dazai shook his head, "No, just open it!" When Chuuya finally did, he tried to hide a smirk behind a glare, "What? It's perfect for my loyal dog!"

Inside was a pure black collar, with a tag in the shape of a bone. It didn't have anything engraved on it yet, but that wasn't really what Chuuya focused on, as he half-jokingly called Dazai every name under the sun. "Seriously, Osamu?! A collar?!"

Once he had his fun, Dazai turned serious. He couldn't hold it off any longer, after all. "Chuuya. I do have another gift for you, but I need you to trust me and close your eyes." He blushed when Chuuya *immediately* closed his eyes.

As if to carry on the joke, Dazai had slipped his finger through Chuuya's choker, tugging it slightly in order to pull Chuuya forward for a kiss. He acted as if he was going to completely remove the choker, only to leave it where it belonged and pulled away.

Taking another breath to steady himself, Dazai went to the box and opened it, seeing that the puppy had just started to wake up. His tail wagged at seeing Dazai, who scooped him up, and carried him over.

Swallowing his nerves, he weakly cleared his throat, "O-okay, you can open your eyes now!" Chuuya did, and he froze. Dazai was holding out the tiniest, most fluffy puppy out to him, "Surprise!"

The puppy let out a tiny yap, his tail wagging uncontrollably, and after seeing Dazai give him a look of *please for the love of God, take this puppy out of my hands*, he did, holding him close and letting him sniff, lick and nuzzle him. Dazai had looked really uncomfortable, though it was because he was scared that one wrong move could lead to him getting bitten or something, and yet Dazai was undeniably happy as well, his smile incredibly bright.

He started to cry, he couldn't help it. This was something he'd dreamed about since he learned about dogs, having a puppy of his own. "Is he ours?" He managed to say through his sobbing, which intensified as Dazai nodded. He nuzzled the puppy, who snuggled into him properly, yawning again. "Oh, 'samu. This is the best."

"I wanted to do better with my fear..." He sat with Chuuya and explained everything: the panic attack caused by a frightened Viola, how he was comforted by Vanitas and this puppy, and how they've both now got their forever homes. Chuuya leaned into him and kissed his cheek, making him smile warmly, "Glad to see Chibi thinks I made the right call."

"You really did." Chuuya stayed on the couch, and Dazai retrieved all of the dog supplies he'd hidden- food, toys, a bed, puppy mats, even some medicine in case he ever got sick. Dazai was prepared, and he wasn't letting his fear blind him to the fact that this was a living creature they were taking care of.

They let him roam and explore the apartment, watching him try to climb and run around like a maniac. Chuuya was silently thankful that the puppy didn't have the zoomies, otherwise Dazai would probably faint again. Now there was one last thing to discuss.

The one thing that the shelter didn't do was name the puppies, which naturally meant that the responsibility fell on Double Black. They both took note of the patterns on the puppies fur. Lightening bolts.

Bolt? Cute, but it didn't suit him. Thor? Too generic. Lightening? A bit too long. Zeus? ...actually.

"Zeus is a good name. He's got the lightening patterns, and he's got personality." Dazai couldn't argue with Chuuya's logic, especially since he looked at the puppy and found himself thinking that he *looked* like a Zeus, if that made any sense.

So that was the name they trained him to respond to. And Zeus was welcomed into their home, as a part of their little family. This was how far Chuuya and Dazai's relationship had come, and they loved it, just as much as they both grew to love their little Zeus.

*****

AN: *Psst.* This is what Chuuya looks like from this point, drawn by my cousin, HisDarkDisgrace on AO3:

#bungou stray dogs #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #bsd #bungo stray dogs #vnc #chuuya nakahara #dazai osamu #vnc vanitas #bsd sigma #a guide to tainted sorrow #soukoku #skk #bsd skk #bungo gay dogs

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robsterskellington · 2 months

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Well, okay then. Now here's yet another poll! I'll ask what scenes you all want to see in our VNC x BSD fic. You won't be given much context, only what is written in the options- I will give the context when I write whatever scenario you all choose, though.

If you have any questions or comments about what you'd like to see, please voice your opinions, we'd love to hear what you have to say.

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robsterskellington · 2 months

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If the majority is the second one, I might ask what scenarios you all want to see in a separate poll, and write out the most voted. I'd give whatever context is necessary so that you can all read and enjoy, and give feedback/criticism. Thanks for your time!

#bungou stray dogs #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #bsd #bungo stray dogs #vnc

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robsterskellington · 2 months

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That should do it for the polls for now, though I've gotta thank everyone who got involved- special thanks to @izartn, @dreadeves, @someonebeatmetotheseusernames and @canethatssecretlyasword for giving reasons as to why Vanitas would get along with certain characters.

The polls are for a fic that my cousin and I have been working on for around 2 years, and will continue to work on, since a lot of said progress was deleted; we wrote our stories, scenarios and plans via FB Messenger and thanks to an update, most of the plans and texts got deleted.

The basic premise is that after Vanitas is "killed" by Noé at the end of VNC, he is teleported by Luna via the Book of Vanitas to the world of BSD, and specifically to Yokohama. Because we started writing this when the last manga chapter for BSD was 101, so before S4 was aired, certain things have been changed: Chuuya *did* turn into a Vampire, most of the Port Mafia (and Jouno) remained as Vampires, Fukuchi and Fyodor are still alive, but circumstances meant that they had to drop certain plans, Sigma did not end up joining the Agency, etc.

I'm gonna leave a snippet here for anyone interested, otherwise thank you all so much for the help and letting me ramble lol.

"Man, today is sooooo boring!" Dazai was leaning back in his chair, his desk acting like a footrest, all of his work neglected. Normal day for him, it seemed.

"Maybe if you actually bothered to work, time would pass by faster..." Kunikida muttered, though he knew it was futile. And unfortunately, even *his* work was incredibly dull. The Agency and the Port Mafia were still in some semblance of a truce, and nobody was happy about it, really.

After the mess with the Decay of Angels, Yokohama were still struggling to trust both the Agency and the Military Police- it wasn't surprising, considering the Hunting Dog's Leader, and the Leader of the Decay of Angels, were one and the same. Dazai had his crimes expunged, so he could at least live outside of his prison cell and go back to the Agency; after all, he had been the one to discover that the best way to break the Vampires created by Bram Stoker's control, was to simply douse them in a shit ton of water. He still smirked at remembering the Chibi leaving Fyodor behind to save Dazai and Sigma from dying.

That being said, they still lost: Sigma ended up back in Fyodor and Nikolai's clutches, Fukuchi was on the run after the other Hunting Dog's found out about his betrayal, and all the Vampires? Despite having their minds and free will again, they still *remained* as Vampires. None of them reverted back to being Human.

Although, with that said and done, it was probably a good thing that it was at least a little bit peaceful- Dazai had been a little more social, (which translated to disappearing to go and pissing off Chuuya without anyone else's knowledge), and attempting to spend a bit of time with Akutagawa, much to Atsushi's chargrin; that was a futile effort, though...

Akutagawa had mostly stayed locked in his personal room in the Port Mafia base, only letting Gin come in to bring him food, which he barely ate. His lung disease still persisted, and he was running out of time. Other Vampires within the Port Mafia were stronger, and didn't have Abilities that could lose control, like Rashōmon- because of that, Mori had no qualms about sending them out to do jobs.

A slight rumble made the pair snap to attention; the others were either out on the town or investigating little things like shoplifters- so when the pair of them saw a shining blue light in the sky and a figure falling from it? They knew that everyone saw from where they all were and that they would rush to the scene. Kunikida immediately got on the phone for everyone to either return to the Agency or try to rescue the person falling.

Atsushi was fast enough to catch the person, using his Weretiger Ability to make his legs faster. He leaped up and caught them in his arms, landing perfectly atop a building, holding the figure close and panting softly, "I-I got you. You okay?" He got no response, and the stench of blood hit him like a train, so he looked down at the person he'd caught.

It was a young man, maybe around Atsushi's age, with dark blue hair. His clothes were very old fashioned and torn, but Atsushi had no time to dwell on that- the boy was bloodied, unconscious, and *wasn't breathing!!* He practically threw himself back to the Agency, where thankfully Yosano was already waiting in the infirmary after Kunikida’s call. She took him from Atsushi and locked herself in the infirmary, leaving Dazai, Kunikida and Atsushi to await the others to discuss what happened.

Everyone had been horrified, the boy had looked in awful shape. Dazai put a hand on Atsushi's shoulder and assured him that he was as fast as he could have been. Naomi and Jun'ichiro burst into the room, followed by Kenji, Kyouka and Ranpo, all of whom had seen Atsushi's heroic rescue of someone *falling from the sky*- the siblings having been in town, the others in the café. Fukuzawa had been on the roof, and came down knowing that an update would be provided sooner or later, commending Atsushi's quick reflexes.

But Atsushi didn't care about that. The boy was obviously no older than 18, maybe a month or so older than himself. He'd felt scars beneath his clothing, so maybe he had also been abused, or maybe tortured? They wouldn't know until Yosano finished her examination, and even then... she wouldn't compromise a patient's privacy unless given express permission.

Yosano only slipped out after an hour or so, to give everyone an update that scared everyone: "I didn't even *need* to bring that poor boy to the brink of death. He was already there, his heart had all but stopped." She gave Ranpo his belongings and personal effects, and he examined all of them.

The clothes were approximately 18th or 19th century attire, torn by what could only have been claws from some type of wild beast. The boy's blood had caked most of them, except for the ribbon from around his neck, and the ribbon from around his waist. The knife he had was definitely used to defend himself, though only by slashing and not stabbing; only the blades edge had blood on it, there was no trace of blood on the rest of it.

The most interesting thing was a book. It had pure black pages, a clockwork cover with a cracked but beautiful blue gemstone adorning it, a long chain attached. Always interested by books, Ranpo examined it; there was no words on the front, so he couldn't determine the book's title, and he quickly discovered that he couldn't open it! It must have been bound by some sort of magical energy. However, it might also be a case of the lock in front being jammed, so he handed the book to Kenji first.

No matter his strength, Kenji couldn't break the lock or tear open the cover to reveal the pages. It was different, being unable to open a simple book. Dazai smirked- perhaps the boy was an Ability User like them, and the book was a part of it, like Kyouka's phone or Q's hideous doll. He took the book in his hands... *and nothing happened*.

"What the Hell..?" He murmured. This was an Ability he *couldn't* nullify? Everyone grew tense at that fact; was this boy that powerful? If so, it was too dangerous to allow him to have the book back. However, Fukuzawa seemed to disagree and took the book from Dazai, "Is that really smart? What if he immediately tries to attack us?"

"I will not return it to him until I have determined for myself what sort of person he is. Yosano, please stay by the boy's side. Then call me as soon as he awakens so that I may speak to him." She nodded and did as she was ordered. "The rest of you, feel free to go back out or stay and work. The boy will be alright, do not fret." He left without another word, no doubt back onto the roof.

Dazai sat at his desk, unable to hide his frown or pretend he didn't care; he'd *always* been able to nullify a person's Ability before, its what made him instrumental to the Port Mafia when it came to having to use Chuuya. And now this boy comes out of nowhere, with a book practically bubbling with energy, and he couldn't do anything to stop it?

Nobody worked, or left to go into town. Ranpo was still looking at the clothes before instructing Naomi and Jun'ichiro to get some new clothes for the boy- there was no way in Hell that these could be fixed up, though he kept the ribbons for the boy to wear since they weren't completely shredded or bloody.

Kyouka examined the knife and nodded, "He takes good care of it. It's perfectly sharp. I think his gloves are weapons as well." Ranpo picked up one of the gloves and nodded in agreement, they had metal in each fingertip to act as claws in order to deal unsuspected damage. This boy was a fighter, no doubt about that. "I think that chain is long enough to strangle someone if thrown. The book itself also has a concealed blade."

"We just can't see it because we can't open it," Ranpo mumbled. He'd already learned a lot about this boy: he was an Ability User, probably not from this world or dimension if that light, likely a portal, had anything to do with his arrival. He was barely 18, born in February. He hadn't seen the boy yet, but judging from the clothes, he was underweight though had a strong stature from fighting, and was about 5'9". The gloves were used to conceal his arms, yet his sleeves were baggy and rolled up. Even his coat didn't seem to have had its sleeves used recently.

There was something else. Ranpo knew that look in Yosano's eyes, it was the same look she'd had after she first examined Atsushi's body: the boy was very literally scarred. Judging from how pale she was, it must have been a lot, and they were old. Just what had happened to this child? And who was cruel enough to inflict such damage?

#bungou stray dogs #the case study of vanitas #vanitas no carte #bsd #bungo stray dogs #vnc #a guide to tainted sorrow #atsushi nakajima #dazai osamu #ranpo edogawa #yosano akiko #kyouka izumi #fukuzawa yukichi #kunikida doppo #kenji miyazawa #tanizaki junichirou #naomi tanizaki

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