October, 'Six Years & Nine Months Since the Release of Corruption

One of the very few constants in his relationship with Dazai since they 'd met is that he always manages to somehow prove Chuuya 's assumptions wrong.

For instance, Chuuya had thought that after everything that happened in August that he couldn 't possibly be more pissed at him, that his anger had finally reached its max.

Then he fucking sees what Dazai said about him

musically peaking,

and it turns out his rage actually has a much greater capacity than he 'd originally thought. Chuuya honestly thinks he could kill him. Or at the very least maim him.

He

didn 't know how to write real or true music? It was almost funny in a sick kind of way, coming from the person who 'd never poured an

ounce

of sincere human emotion into a single song he 'd ever worked on.

The majority of the time, Chuuya doesn 't enjoy how fame has changed how the rest of PMR 's employees treat him. He 'd hated going from talking and laughing with everyone easily when he was sixteen to people starting to act differently. Fame is weird, and people react weirdly to it. It acts like a shield, making people retreat into small talk and unnecessary compliments when he speaks to them. Normally, Chuuya makes an effort to break that shield down. He greets everyone by name, asks people about their current projects, tries to remind them that he 's no better than they are.

Today, Chuuya is grateful no one dares to talk to him as he storms through the building on his way to Mori 's office. The people he does meet on the way take one look at his expression and quickly get out of his way. The man who was going to take the same elevator as him conveniently forgot something from his office and almost trips in his hurry to exit the confined space.

It brings a smile to his face, although he doesn 't feel any happiness. Chuuya leans against the back of the elevator as it ascends to the top floor, clenching and unclenching his fists in impatience. He pushes off the surface almost violently when the door opens at his destination.

Chuuya doesn 't hesitate to walk straight into Mori 's office, not bothering knocking. He opens the door to a thankfully empty room, other than Mori behind his desk. He doesn 't seem at all surprised to see him, a knowing look and smile already on his face.

'I had a feeling I 'd be seeing you this morning. I had my schedule cleared, ' says Mori, sliding the folder sitting in front of him closed. He gestures for Chuuya to come forward.

Chuuya crosses the room to stand in front of Mori 's desk, too on edge to sit down. He forces himself to take a deep breath though, Mori doesn 't deserve him acting out from his emotions. Especially not when he had things he wanted from him.

'I understand your reaction, Chuuya, ' starts Mori. He 's using his patient and placating tone. 'But while your outburst last time was salvageable, PMR can 't have you and Dazai snipping at each other in the press. It doesn 't look good, for us or the Audio Detective Agency. And it 'll only spiral and get uglier. So you 're going to have to be the mature one and let this go. '

'I wasn 't intending on responding, ' says Chuuya. He allows Mori his lecture, even though it was tough not to interrupt. Chuuya might get along better with Mori than anyone else at Port Mafia Records, but even he wouldn 't be forgiven for that kind of disrespect. 'I actually had a different strategy in mind. '

'Did you now? ' Mori raises a brow. Chuuya can never actually tell if he 's genuinely surprised or not, but he seems it. 'What did you have in mind? '

'Two things, ' says Chuuya. He smiles widely, feeling something other than anger finally-anticipation. 'I 'm going to need your assistance on the first one though. '

'Let 's hear it, ' says Mori, smiling back just as widely.

Mid-July, Six Months Until the Release of Corruption

In the few weeks since getting back from tour, Dazai finds himself spending more and more time in Chuuya 's small (or perhaps it was the appropriate size for someone so miniature) dorm. Chuuya lives in one of PMR 's dorms in a building a couple doors down from the main office. Dazai refuses to live that close to work and stays in an expensive apartment slightly further north that he 'd told Mori was better for his creative process.

It 's becoming almost automatic to start heading here after leaving for the day. Instead of turning right towards home, he would turn left towards the ugly dorm building and start climbing the stairs to the third floor. He didn 't get the chance to annoy Chuuya as much as he wanted to during the day, so he had to do it on his own time. Chuuya has started wearing a truly hideous hat, and Dazai hasn 't even gotten the opportunity to use barely any of the material he has to mock it.

Something seems slightly 'off with Chuuya lately. He wasn 't in the office half the time Dazai goes to find him. He isn 't working with Kouyou either. There 's been some distance between the two ever since Chuuya had upstaged her in South Korea (which Dazai did

not

feel guilty about). Dazai has been trying to get the answer out of Chuuya for weeks, but he 's being extremely tight-lipped about it. He hasn 't been able to find out through snooping around PMR either. But something has shifted since they returned from tour.

It 's one of the things that isn 't obvious about Chuuya when you first meet him. He seems like a fairly open person, wearing the majority of his emotions on his sleeve, and he isn 't afraid to share his opinion, no matter how blunt. But the closer Dazai gets the more he notices that Chuuya is extremely guarded when it comes to certain things.

Dazai had thought he knew Chuuya fairly well before they left for tour, had him pegged as a short-tempered but predictable teenager who just happened to sing extraordinarily well. Then he 'd woken up on a boat to the sight of Chuuya thrashing in his sleep and whimpering just barely audibly. It had shaken Dazai more than he was comfortable with, and then Chuuya had played it off like it was nothing.

It turns out Chuuya is almost as gifted at keeping secrets as he is at singing. Dazai had searched for longer than he liked to admit for a reason why Chuuya would be having nightmares, but he wasn 't able to come up with anything. In fact, Chuuya 's life before playing with The Sheep was one big empty space. Dazai had noted that he had been in and out of the foster care system back when he 'd read Mori 's file on him while recruiting him, but he hadn 't cared to dig deeper than that. He had seen the redhead as a job, a more interesting job than usual, but nothing worth spending that much effort on.

Now after having lived with Chuuya for weeks while on tour, he saw that he had greatly miscalculated.

Dazai reaches Chuuya 's dorm at the end of the hall of the third floor. He pulls out the copy of the key he 'd made after stealing Chuuya 's (so much faster than having to wait for his dog to come to the door). He wrenches the door open and is about to call out when he hears the sound of a piano coming from Chuuya 's music room.

He closes his mouth and follows the sound, locking the door behind him. Chuuya 's dorm opens to a tiny combination kitchen and living room. Then there is a bathroom, bedroom, and the music room. The music room is probably intended to be the bedroom, but Chuuya had chosen a grand piano over a large bed and sleeps in what is really an oversized closet.

The whole dorm is covered in Chuuya 's stuff. There 's sheet music, CDs, and records on almost every surface. The kitchen is littered with empty mugs and an expensive tea set that matched the one in Kouyou 's office on the counter. Dazai has to step over shoes and jackets to get to the hallway.

It was a sharp contrast to Dazai 's neat and plain apartment. Chuuya had managed to fill his place with more useless stuff in the time he 'd lived here than Dazai had in over a year in his own.

Dazai is surprised Chuuya 's working on music at home. Usually Chuuya likes to write and play at PMR, he likes to be surrounded by others to get their feedback. It isn 't like him to isolate himself, that 's more Dazai 's style.

He also is curious what Chuuya could be working on, now that he and Kouyou were at odds she wasn 't giving him things to work on anymore. Perhaps Hirotsu had given him something, the old man seemed to have also fallen under Chuuya 's spell over the course of the tour. That would explain where he 'd been disappearing to. Hirotsu bounces around a lot, but he tends to work near the recording studios, far from Kouyou or Dazai 's offices. Though why Chuuya wouldn 't just say that made it seem less likely. Unless he is just being secretive to annoy Dazai (actually, that seems like a distinct possibility).

He turns the corner to find Chuuya with his back to him. His clothes are casual, he must not have gone into the office today. He still has on the ugly hat though. It looks odd combined with the athletic shorts and sweatshirt. Dazai is surprised he 's without his usual choker.

Chuuya 's focused on the song he 's playing, he probably didn 't even hear Dazai come in. Chuuya gets like this, so into the music he 's lost to the world. Dazai can 't wait to spook him.

Chuuya is playing a song Dazai has never heard before. The piano arrangement isn 't in Chuuya 's typical style. Chuuya likes to play with a deliberative sort of grace and smoothness to his sound. The keys flow under his fingers with skill to get you to feel the emotions Chuuya coaxes out of them.

This is nothing like that. Chuuya strikes the keys almost angrily, playing more powerfully and harshly. The melody is heavy as well, a complex flow of notes that makes Dazai stop to listen more carefully automatically.

'A god of calamity, '

Chuuya sings. His voice matches the piano, forceful and strong. '

Everything you touch, you destroy. '

He doesn 't notice Dazai at all, too wrapped up in the song. '

Nothing will escape you. Arahabaki, Arahabaki, Arahabaki. '

Chuuya 's voice builds as he repeats the name. The piano does too. He sings the last one the loudest, drawing it out as the piano music comes to a halt.

He pauses for a moment before he begins playing again. The notes are much lighter now, a sharp contrast to before. Chuuya 's voice is light too as he sings again. '

What does it mean to be human? Did you trick them into thinking you 're human? '

The notes still hold the same anger as before, they 're just quieter now.

Chuuya abruptly stops playing and slumps down on the keys with his whole upper body. The piano clangs out, breaking Dazai out of his spot in the doorway. It almost sounds wrong after the music that was just playing. Dazai 's mind can 't stop playing the notes over again in his head.

This is certainly not a song he 's working on for Hirotsu.

Chuuya sighs as he sits up again. He grabs a pen from on top of the piano to mark the sheet music sitting in front of him. Even from this far away Dazai can see the page is filled with scribbles.

Dazai forces down a feeling of unease. He knows Chuuya is talented, he 's noticed him expertly tweaking songs for others since he started working for PMR. Dazai hadn 't imagined this would be the type of music he 'd write on his own though. The level of skill of the song he expected, it was the tone that was off-putting. He fakes a smile as he waltzes into the room.

'Do Chuuya 's neighbors complain when he wails on the piano all night? ' he asks casually.

Chuuya tenses up severely at his voice but relaxes when he turns to see Dazai. 'Oh, it 's just you. '

'That 's a pretty little tune you 're working on, ' says Dazai. He approaches the side of the piano to get a better look at the music Chuuya 's writing on. Chuuya has almost ripped through the page with the force of his pen in places. 'Although I 'm not sure how well it 'll sell to an American audience. I didn 't know chibi was into Japanese mythology. It doesn 't seem like the kind of song they 'd play on the radio. ' Dazai crosses his arms and leans on the top of the piano towards Chuuya.

'I 'd rather bash my brains in than hear this on the radio. ' Chuuya half-snorts. His smile shows no sign of pleasure. He twirls his pen in his right hand slightly violently.

Dazai wonders how long he 's been sitting here. This is a mood he 's never seen on Chuuya.

He 'd noticed Chuuya was off lately, but he gets the feeling it was a coverup to hide whatever this is. Dazai has watched Chuuya curse and rage in anger, observed as he stared at an ocean without speaking for great lengths of time. Neither was as unsettling as this dark and bitter aura he 's looking at now.

He struggles for what to say next but Chuuya speaks first. 'How much do you know about my past? ' He turns to face Dazai, blue eyes locked on his.

That was not the direction he 'd thought this conversation was going to go. 'Infuriatingly little, ' answers Dazai honestly. Something about Chuuya right now makes lying seem like the wrong move. 'And not from lack of effort. If Mori knows more he hasn 't left any trace of it anywhere or revealed anything in conversation. '

'My mother was a musician, ' says Chuuya. It 's the first time Dazai has ever heard him mention his family. 'She also played the piano. She was a concert pianist, although not widely known. She also composed a little from time to time. '

Dazai stays silent, afraid he 'll break whatever offering this is if he speaks. He doesn 't want to screw this up.

'When I was seven, she put me in the backseat of the car and drove off a cliff, ' continues Chuuya. His voice is emotionless, but he doesn 't look away. 'I survived, she didn 't. '

Chuuya 's hands tremble slightly at his sides. Dazai glances down at them, feels the odd urge to reach out and steady them. Which is stupid, Chuuya would probably hit him if he did.

Dazai doesn 't know what it 's like to have feelings about your family. All he feels towards his own is distance, he doesn 't really care if he ever sees them again. They had shoved him into music lessons as almost an afterthought, for something to keep him occupied. He 's not even sure how Mori tracked him down in the first place. He never used to play anywhere outside of the studio where he had his lessons. He 'd only gone with Mori because it had at least the possibility of being interesting.

His family had never done anything to outright hurt him though. Dazai is revolted that someone would treat a child so horribly. But he doesn 't interrupt. Dazai might not know anything about Chuuya 's past, but he knows who Chuuya is as a person. He wouldn 't tell this type of story for comfort or sympathy, there was a reason he was revealing it now.

'It doesn 't make sense that I lived, ' says Chuuya, only frowning slightly. He discusses his own brush with death as if he 's describing the weather. 'The people who pulled me out of the wreckage were shocked. The car was absolutely destroyed, yet I somehow avoided any fatal injuries. I woke up in the hospital three weeks later, and apart from some scars I was perfectly fine. '

Chuuya pauses to get his reaction. Dazai fights to keep his expression neutral. His voice comes out shakier than he would like it to. He won 't be the one to look away though. 'Then what happened? '

'I didn 't do well in the foster care system, ' says Chuuya, answering his question but also skipping over a million details Dazai wants to know. 'When I was thirteen I ran away and met The Sheep. They were the first family I ever had. ' And Dazai had ripped them away from him, they both add in their heads. Dazai still doesn 't regret it though.

'My mom is the one who told me the story of Arahabaki. She told me I reminded her of it. '

Chuuya sighs deeply. He finally breaks eye contact to look at his right hand as he slides his fingers up and down the keys, touch light enough not to make a sound. 'It 's not a song about a god, Dazai. It 's about me. '

Oh,

thinks Dazai blankly. There was the reason. His whole body feels cold, like Chuuya 's stolen all of the warmth out of the room. Now he 's the one who 's hands are trembling. Dazai has never been a violent person, but he feels the need to destroy something at this moment. Maybe that would rid him of the taste of bile creeping up his throat. He stands up fully, keeping one hand on the piano to steady himself.

Chuuya isn 't paying attention to his breakdown. He 's gone back to playing the lighter part he was working on when Dazai walked in. It makes Dazai think back to the lyrics,

did you trick them into thinking you 're human?

It hits differently this time. Dazai doesn 't want to hear any more. He grabs Chuuya 's wrists roughly, forcing his hands away from the keys. Chuuya looks up at him again, expression neutral, but it 's clearly an act. He doesn 't try to pull away though.

'Okay, fine. Your past is something straight out of a sadistic horror movie writer 's wet dream. Why are you writing music about it if it makes you so miserable? ' Dazai demands. He sounds almost desperate, surprising himself. He can 't decide if he 's more sad or angry.

'Mori wants me to release a solo album, ' says Chuuya. He shrugs, as if that justifies him hurting himself to do what Mori wants. 'He told me when we got back from tour. He was impressed by the reaction

Golden Demon

got, decided I was ready. He wants me to write it myself, warned me that it had to be up to Port Mafia Records standards. '

Dazai feels slightly disgusted with himself. If he hadn 't goaded Chuuya into playing, they wouldn 't be sitting here discussing this. He doesn 't regret the new information, he had wanted to know, but he 's not as pleased as he imagined he would be to finally have some answers.

Some of the blame goes to Mori and Chuuya too. Mori no doubt knew about all of this and just didn 't care as long as he got an album out of it. And Chuuya was never going to tell Mori no. There was no point in Dazai trying to convince him to.

So Dazai focuses on what he can do. 'Solo artists are overrated. We should be a duo. '

'What? ' asks Chuuya, clearly surprised. He pulls his wrists out of Dazai 's grip to stare at him. His eyes flicker across Dazai 's face, looking for a sign he was pulling something. Dazai makes sure he doesn 't see any.

'We should be a duo, ' he repeats. 'It makes more sense anyway. Our voices sound nice together. ' It was true. He 'd noticed when they 'd sung karaoke in Yokohama. He knows that Chuuya had noticed too.

Chuuya still looks skeptical. 'Mori won 't-. '

'Leave Mori to me, ' says Dazai sharply. Chuuya takes a moment, then nods. He doesn 't ease up completely, but there 's less of a heaviness to his posture. He 's more like the person Dazai knows.

Chuuya looks down again at the sheet music for the song he 'd just played. He gathers it up and goes to throw it in the trash. The paper is light but the strength Chuuya throws it with makes it clang as it hits the bin.

'That song only works as a solo, ' he says, as if that 's the reason he threw it out. 'But I 've got a couple things here that we could tweak into a duet. ' He moves back to the piano to begin sorting through the remaining music before pausing and looking up at Dazai.

'If we 're really going to do this, I have a condition, ' says Chuuya. His eyes narrow. 'I 'm not singing a fucking love song with you. '

Dazai rolls his eyes. His relief at things going back to normal is immense. 'Ew. Like I 'd want to sing one with you, hat rack. '

'Good. Wait, what did you just call me? '

'Now, this is a surprise, ' says Mori. He rests his chin on both his hands, leaning forward on his desk towards them. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of the two of you coming to see me? '

Dazai would rather stick his tongue out and leave as quickly as possible but the redhead standing next to him keeps him here. Damn Chuuya, always making such a mess of things.

Dazai hadn't even thought that hard about the consequences when he 'd offered up the idea to Chuuya. Consequence number one: having to ask a favor from the man he detests. Chuuya owes him for this.

He supposes he could have taken a different route to address the problem. Dazai wasn 't sure he could have stomached sitting through that though. This was quicker and easier. Plus, he can admit he 's interested in making music with Chuuya.

None of that makes playing nice with Mori any easier.

'Chuuya and I have a proposal for you, ' says Dazai. He told Chuuya he 'd handle this and the other boy lets him. He knows how Mori works. This will go much easier if he presents it as a choice to Mori. 'We 'd like to record music as a duo rather than Chuuya doing a solo album. '

Mori 's face stays carefully neutral, but Dazai can tell from the gleam in his eyes that he 's excited. 'Oh, do you? And why is that? '

'There are several reasons. ' Dazai lists them off on his fingers. He speaks with a confidence he doesn 't feel. 'First, our voices fit together well. The sound will be richer with the two of us playing off each other than either of us alone. Second, having two people creates an opportunity to orchestrate a dynamic listeners can latch onto. It 'll make interviews and public relations easier to navigate in our desired direction. Third, we 're both attractive young men that 'll draw more attention as a pair. Especially to young girls. ' Chuuya raises an eyebrow at him calling them attractive but adds nothing himself.

'So you 've changed your mind about recording music then, Osamu? ' Mori asks. He only calls him Osamu when he 's really trying to rattle him. Dazai wants to wipe the smirk off his face painfully.

Chuuya looks at him at that, gaze questioning, but Dazai ignores him. Dazai had told Mori that he would never record music for PMR when he 'd agreed to work for him. He hadn 't been interested in being under Mori 's thumb and being famous had seemed so boring. Mori had seemed disappointed, but had agreed without arguing.

Now Dazai was giving him exactly what he 'd always wanted, and Dazai could tell Mori was laughing at him on the inside. But Chuuya doesn 't need to know any of this.

'It still seems boring, but I figure if Chuuya of all people can do it I should be able to pull it off no problem, ' says Dazai, smirking right back at Mori. Chuuya scowls and looks at the floor, playing his part perfectly. Mori chuckles a little at the scene.

'Very well, ' he says. Dazai fights down any sign of triumph, but Mori isn 't done speaking. 'We 'll give it a try. You two come up with a song for me together, and if it works you 'll record the album as a duo. '

Of course it wasn 't going to be that easy. Chuuya doesn 't look disappointed though, speaking up for the first time. 'Sounds good, Boss, ' he says easily, without any of the hatred Dazai would have. 'Thank you for the opportunity. '

It pleases Mori to see him be so respectful. Dazai just maintains a thin smile and doesn 't say anything. 'Of course, Chuuya. I 'll let you boys get to it. '

It 's a clear dismissal. They turn to go, eyes meeting fully for the first time since they 'd entered the room. A silent declaration of victory passes between them, even if it 's a small one. Chuuya 's lips turn up just the slightest bit on the left side, out of Mori 's view.

They don 't speak until they 're in the elevator. 'I didn 't know you didn 't want to record music, ' Chuuya says to break the silence. He always pays more attention than Dazai wants him to.

'We need to start on that song, ' says Dazai, completely ignoring the statement. He looks down at his phone to check the number of meetings he has the rest of the week that he feels like attending. 'Mori won 't wait long. '

'I don 't want to force you into something you 're going to regret. ' Chuuya is watching his face carefully. He could be annoyingly persistent.

'I wouldn 't have said anything if I didn 't want to, mutt, ' replies Dazai. His tone is clipped. Chuuya takes it as a sign to give up, looking away. Dazai wishes that made him feel more settled.

Dazai gets off on the second floor, walking towards his scarcely used office. Chuuya doesn 't follow him, which makes him pause. He turns back around, holding the doors of the elevator in place.

'I was serious about getting started on the song, ' Dazai practically snaps. He knows he 's really angry at Mori, but Chuuya is not helping by being this obstinate.

'Don 't worry about the song, ' says Chuuya, not disturbed at all. He adjusts his stupid hat on his head, leaning against the wall of the elevator calmly. 'I 've got it handled. '

'Nothing else you showed me was all that impressive. Unless you 've changed your mind about

Arahabaki

? ' Chuuya 's expression immediately darkens, practically flinching at the words. It makes Dazai feel better, to have them both be on edge.

'No, ' he says forcefully. 'I haven 't. And I won 't. This is something else. ' He keeps his gaze trained on the elevator rather than Dazai.

'Show me later. ' Dazai lets the doors close, not waiting for Chuuya to answer. He walks to his office. It 's situated in a less populated part of the building, which he greatly prefers. He doesn 't have to speak to anyone on his way.

Dazai spends the next couple hours being extremely productive. He lets the music drown out his frustration, gets lost in the nuances of adjusting songs to their full potential (even if that potential was still very low).

Most people didn 't care for the little details when it came to music, they cared about the song as a whole without seeing all of the parts that went into it. Dazai is the opposite. He usually doesn 't care much for most songs, but making the parts work has always been something he 's excelled at.

Dazai can easily pick out the sounds that don 't flow right in a song. It 's why he can 't stand most music. All he hears is all the changes he would make to make it better. People call him a musical prodigy and a genius, but Dazai thinks he just simply listens harder than other people.

By the time he leaves PMR he 's calmed down considerably. He still wants to tie Mori 's shoes together and push him down the stairs, but that 's kind of an every day feeling. Now he 's interested in this song Chuuya is so confident will impress Mori.

Dazai enters Chuuya 's dorm to see Chuuya lounging on the couch with a controller in his hands. He 's playing the racing game he kept beating Dazai at an unacceptable amount of times. The room is clearer than when Dazai was here last though, he must have cleaned up.

Chuuya pauses his game and throws down the controller when he sees him. 'Fucking finally. Are you done throwing your hissy fit? '

'I was working, ' says Dazai with an air of superiority. 'I have things to do other than play video games all day. '

'Whatever, ' says Chuuya, rolling his eyes. He stands up and leads the way to the music room. Dazai follows, noting he looks slightly apprehensive.

Chuuya takes a seat at the piano, gathering the sheet music left sitting out on the top of it and shoving it at Dazai. Dazai grabs it, surprised at how neat the writing is. Chuuya has horrible hand writing, he must have taken his time with this. But this wasn 't one of the songs he 'd shown Dazai before.

'It 's called

Corruption

, ' says Chuuya. He watches Dazai closely as he examines the song.

'Kind of a dramatic title, ' comments Dazai. He frowns as he tries to picture how it 'll sound. Despite the neatness, it 's confusing and jumbled. Kouyou had mentioned Chuuya 's song writing was for an audience of one, and this seems to prove that.

'Give me that. ' Chuuya takes the sheet music back and flips to a specific section. He points at at a set of lyrics that have a

D

next to them. 'This is your part. '

'I barely sing anything at all, ' complains Dazai, reading the notes over. 'And what goes in this large blank space here? '

'It 's a piano solo, ' answers Chuuya, tone impatient. He scowls at Dazai, running a hand through his hair, clearly irritated.

'A piano solo? ' repeats Dazai. He still can 't make out whether the song is decent or not. 'In the middle of the song? And you didn 't write it down? '

'Just ', ' Chuuya starts angrily before taking a pause to calm himself. Then he meets Dazai 's eyes with an uncharacteristically unguarded expression. 'Trust me. '

Dazai doesn 't break the eye contact, struck by the fact that he

does

trust him, with more than just musical ability. Funny, he doesn 't remember deciding to do that. And he didn 't notice when Chuuya had decided to trust him either. Although, looking back it was somewhere before he 'd walked in on him playing his greatest secrets in song form and greeted him with only

oh, it 's just you.

He isn 't sure what he 's supposed to say, but Chuuya doesn 't wait for a response. He looks away to adjust his hands on the piano. He takes a deep breath and flexes his fingers a few times.

Oh grantors of dark disgrace

You need not wake me again

Chuuya sings the opening a cappella, with his usual vulnerability present. That 's what 's so jarring when he starts playing the piano almost violently, each note thundering. It raises the hairs on Dazai 's arms as Chuuya expertly plays the melody he 's crafted by himself.

Look at this, it 's my bone,

A tip of bone torn from its flesh, filthy, filled up with woes,

It 's the days of our lives sticking out

Look at this, it 's my heart,

A blackened thing, torn out and still beating

It 's the thing humans can 't live without

Chuuya sings the opening verses to match the forceful music, voice loud and strong, no hint of his usual softness. The pace is slow, he hits every note with a purpose, a creation of a feeling of deep sorrow. It builds as he sings the chorus.

You cannot escape gravity

It pulls us all down and apart

It rips away the gentlest souls

I fear I 've been ' ' '.corrupted

He pauses on the last word, lengthening it unnaturally. He starts the second verse a little more manically than the first.

Look at this, it 's my blood

A crimson river, dark and churning

But I think it 's supposed to stay on the inside

Look at this, it 's my mind

A hollow place, a boundless prison

But its tainted nature can not be denied

You cannot escape gravity

It pulls us all down and apart

It rips away the gentlest souls

I know I 've been ' ' '.corrupted

This is the space left blank on the sheet music. Chuuya stops playing for a moment, allowing total silence to take hold. Then he begins to play, softer and higher notes at first with his right hand. He adds deeper notes with his left, building the sound and the pace. It grows louder as he continues, as does the tempo.

Chuuya strikes the keys masterfully, playing a solo that 's organized in its disorganization. Dazai realizes he didn 't write anything down because he 's making it up as he goes, playing what he feels sounds right. It 's messy and unsettling, and somehow perfectly fits in the song.

Dazai lets it go on, fascinated at the sight of Chuuya 's hands slamming on the keys frantically. He wonders how long he could keep this up for. He 's got to reach a breaking point sometime. It hits him then that this is his role in the song, stopping it from reaching that point. Letting it go on long enough to do what it needs to, but keeping the music from ruining itself. It 's the perfect role for someone who can pick out the tiny details of the notes.

He leans over and lays a hand on Chuuya 's shoulder, he feels him tense and instantly stop playing. Dazai smiles to himself, this song is one of the most compelling things he 's ever heard (although not quite as good as

Arahabaki)

. He jumps in to sing his part with something close to excitement.

'

What does it mean to be human? '

Dazai sings as Chuuya starts playing a coherent string of notes again, matching Dazai 's pace of the words. The music is light and soft. '

I 'll make you be human. You 're no longer human, no longer human. Wake up. '

They sing the next part back and forth at each other, Chuuya alternating between the notes of the chorus and Dazai 's softer bridge notes.

You cannot escape gravity (what does it mean to be human)

It pulls us down (I 'll make you be human) and apart

It rips away the gentlest souls (You 're no longer human, no longer human)

I think it 's time to ' 'wake up

They sing the last line together, voices still blending together as seamlessly as they did in a cheap karaoke bar in Yokohama. Dazai usually doesn 't care much for duets, one singer almost always overpowered the other or ruined what made the other 's voice unique. But this isn 't like that, it 's an even match.

Chuuya switches back to the tone of his usual style for the outro, softer and cleaner. It wraps up the journey of the song nicely. He sings the last lines with a sense of regret.

Oh grantors of dark disgrace

I fear I 've woken again

The song ends and Chuuya fiddles with his fingers as he pulls his hands off the keys. He tries to keep his face blank as he turns to see Dazai 's reaction. He 's blatantly nervous though.

It 's clear Chuuya 's taken the feelings behind

Arahabaki

and worked them into this song, but made them somewhat lighter, especially with Dazai 's part. Dazai wonders how he was able to put the song together so quickly. Dazai had noticed he was a skilled songwriter, but not to this degree. Chuuya and his secrets, there always seem to be more.

'It 'll do, ' says Dazai simply. Okay, maybe Chuuya doesn 't owe him anything. 'But we 're going to have to work on your vocals, you 're a bit pitchy. '

'You 're insufferable, ' says Chuuya. The bright look in his eyes makes the scowl he 's trying to pull off ineffective.

After a few slight changes from Dazai, they had played

Corruption

for Mori. He had been even more satisfied with the song than Dazai had anticipated. Dazai rarely sees him looking so invested in music. He 'd given the green light for them to start working on the rest of the album as a duo.

Dazai had signed a standard Port Mafia Records four-year recording contract, so there was no turning back now. He 'd drawn up enough contracts for others during his time here, being on this side of it had been unpleasant. Mori had crafted it himself, so there weren 't any loopholes or mistakes for Dazai to take advantage of.

Mori 's only condition for the album had been that Chuuya still be in charge creatively, which had been a distinctly awkward moment for the two of them. Dazai had felt slighted, surprised, and uneasy. Chuuya had struggled between a mixture of pride and nerves. The words still hang awkwardly between them.

After they 'd left Mori 's office they 'd gone back to Chuuya 's dorm. Dazai had settled onto the couch, ready to start working. He had a few different arrangements they could try to work into something. Then Chuuya had turned on his video game console, not intending to work at all, and taken a seat in the armchair without noticing the glare Dazai is giving him.

'What are you doing? ' asks Dazai, snatching the controller off of the coffee table and away from Chuuya.

'What 's your problem? ' asks Chuuya, clearly confused.

'I thought we would get started on that album we just fought to get approved for, ' says Dazai flatly. 'I know you 're not used to working much, but they generally tend not to write themselves. '

'It 's called taking a fucking break, ' says Chuuya sharply, rolling his eyes. 'I 'm not a machine, I can 't just spit out songs on demand. '

'So what? You 're just going to play video games until another masterpiece comes to you? ' asks Dazai, giving him an unimpressed look.

'Do

you

have a song idea? ' asks Chuuya, almost like a challenge.

'As a matter of fact I do, ' says Dazai, grabbing his phone and opening to the audio recordings he 'd saved. He throws the phone at Chuuya with more strength than is necessary.

Chuuya catches it before it hits him in the face. 'Don 't blame me if you break another company phone. '

Chuuya rearranges himself in the armchair so he 's sitting cross-legged, with the phone close to his face. He presses play on the first file and listens intently, brows furrowed in concentration and biting his lip. He keeps the same expression as he plays through the second, third, and fourth. Dazai is silent as he watches, but he 's getting more and more impatient. He crosses his arms and quietly taps a finger against his shoulder in annoyance.

Chuuya tosses the phone back to Dazai after his listens to the last one, letting out a small sigh. 'Yeah, none of those are going to work. '

'Oh, really? One song and you 're suddenly an expert? '

While Dazai 's input will no doubt be of great value, I still want Chuuya to be in charge creatively of the album,

lingers Mori 's voice in his head. It fuels his annoyance to a much deeper level of anger. 'I wrote full albums worth of songs while you were still playing sheepdog. '

'Yeah, I get that you have more experience than I do, ' says Chuuya, slightly annoyed from the taunt. 'But that doesn 't mean I 'm wrong. These arrangements are just, I don 't know, boring and predictable. '

Dazai has been called a lot of things in his life, but never boring and predictable. It stings more than other insults. Chuuya seems to catch on to how offended he is, his expression slips from annoyed to apologetic.

There is nothing less that Dazai wants in this world than pity, especially coming from Chuuya. He can 't be here any longer. The small room has suddenly become stifling. Dazai stands up abruptly, walking to the door as quickly as his feet will take him. He turns back as he wrenches the door open.

'Well then, I 'll leave you to your break. ' Dazai says the words perfectly calmly, but his eyes are burning with anger when he looks at Chuuya.

Chuuya opens his mouth as if to say something but Dazai walks out before he can, slamming the door behind him.

Dazai goes back to his apartment rather than the office. He 's been more on edge than he can ever remember since this entire thing started. Perhaps he 'd made a mistake. It would be hard to weasel out of it now that he 's already signed the paperwork, but he 's sure he could pull it off if he put his mind to it.

He entertains the thought for just a moment before giving it up completely. It isn 't really what he wants. Although what he does want is harder to figure out. Dazai chips away at the problem for the rest of the day in the back of his mind but never gets any closer to an answer. He tries to edit music but everything he works on gets drowned out by the words

boring and predictable

. He ends up switching to working on tasks unrelated to music at all, album marketing and shipping issues mostly.

When Dazai wakes up the next morning he truly doesn 't feel like going back to Chuuya 's dorm, but it 's regrettably the only course of action forward. He 's the one that had stormed out, and Chuuya isn 't the type who would chase after him. Objectively Chuuya hasn 't done anything wrong, but the thought of seeing him sets Dazai 's teeth on edge.

He arrives to the familiar door at the end of the third floor hall with a tight knot sitting in his stomach. Dazai takes a moment to collect himself then opens the door carefully for once, not flinging it open as he usually does. His eyes find Chuuya immediately, turning to look at who 's entering from the kitchen. Dazai can 't help the frown that automatically jumps to his face at the sight of him.

Chuuya doesn't look that pleased to see him either. 'You 're back, ' he comments, not moving from his place at the kitchen counter. He 'd been pouring himself tea, and he doesn 't offer Dazai any.

'I don 't supposed you 've found any inspiration, ' says Dazai, walking over to the other side of the counter, tone as mocking as he could make it. He gives Chuuya his most impassive expression.

'God, I hate it when you give me that blank fucking look. ' Chuuya glares at him. 'You look like a stupid fish. Mackerel bastard. ' He mutters the last part under his breath as he takes a sip of his tea.

'If you were an animal you 'd be a slug, ' Dazai counters, voice innocent but smirking widely.

'Oh? ' asks Chuuya, leaning over the counter towards him, smiling darkly.

'You 've got all the characteristics of a slug, ' says Dazai, not thrown off at all by Chuuya 's threatening look. 'Small, slow, and ugly, ' Dazai lists happily.

'Funny, I remember you telling Mori I was an attractive young man. ' Chuuya smirks at him, and Dazai has to fight not to dump Chuuya 's tea over his head.

'I was negotiating, I would have said anything, ' says Dazai coldly.

There 's a long pause where they just look at each other, both slightly scowling. Then Chuuya sighs loudly and runs a hand through his hair.

'About what Mori said, about me having creative control of the album, ' says Chuuya, hesitating around the words. 'You know that 's bullshit, right?. '

'I highly doubt he was kidding, ' says Dazai, not quite keeping all of the bitterness out of his voice. He wishes Chuuya had just left the subject alone. It felt like he was picking at an unhealed scab.

'I 'm not saying he was, but he 's not in charge here, ' says Chuuya. He looks Dazai directly in the eye, dropping all of his earlier standoffishness. 'I 'm not fucking above you or whatever. If we 're going to do this, we 're going to do it as equals, as partners. Got it? '

Dazai takes that in, lips twitching in an effort not to smile. Perhaps what he wanted isn 't that complicated after all. He nods in agreement to Chuuya 's declaration, but there 's still more that they haven 't settled. 'As your partner, I think we should at least try writing a song. '

'Think of all the great song writers, ' says Chuuya, switching topics with ease. 'Not the ones that just did well at the time, but the ones whose music has stuck around for decades. People like Hemingway, Tolstoy, Victor Hugo. What do they all have in common? '

'They 're a bunch of old dead guys? ' asks Dazai sardonically, unimpressed by the semi-lecture Chuuya is giving.

'No. Well, yes, but that 's not the fucking point. ' Chuuya leans over the counter again, much less threatening this time. 'Their music is still relevant today because people connect with it, it makes them

feel

something. That 's the kind of music I want us to make. I didn 't reject the stuff you showed me yesterday because I thought it was bad, it was fine. But I know you, and I know you can do better. You 're a freaking musical genius, that kind of stuff comes to you without any effort. I 'd like to see what you can do when you actually fucking try. '

Dazai has been called a musical prodigy since he was a child. The compliments and praise had stopped having an impact on him long ago. But it 's different coming from Chuuya. Chuuya often says the biggest difference between them is that Dazai is a liar and he 's not. He doesn 't say things he doesn 't mean. If he says he thinks Dazai is capable of writing great music, he truly believes it. And Dazai doesn 't place much stock in the musical opinions of others, but Chuuya is one of the exceptions. All of his earlier annoyance evaporates completely.

'You 're a demanding little slug, aren 't you? asks Dazai, whining dramatically. 'Fine, we 'll do it your way. But it 's going to take so much longer. '

'Quit whining, ' says Chuuya, clearly trying to fight off a smile, and not very successfully. 'Do you want any tea? '

August, Five 'Months Until the Release of Corruption

It takes Dazai a moment to realize where he is when he wakes up, which is foolish because he 's in his own bedroom in his own apartment. Chuuya 's dorm has become their unofficial writing spot, and he 'd been staying over there most nights. He 's become very acquainted 'with Chuuya 's large, ugly couch. It 's easier than going home in the middle of the night.

To say their writing schedule is erratic would be a vast understatement. They 'd once gone two weeks without a hint of progress and then finished three songs in three days. Chuuya 's inspiration came on suddenly, and he could spend all night getting a song right when the mood strikes him.

Dazai would be annoyed with the process if they weren 't seeing any results. But the truth of the matter is that the album is shaping up to be something even Dazai has to admit has some real substance to it. He finds himself humming the songs to himself when he 's alone.

Yesterday he and Chuuya had called it a night early, they 'd reached a blank spot and Chuuya kept shooting down every idea Dazai had to fill it. In the beginning Dazai would have fought him on it, but now he knows better than to force something when it didn 't match Chuuya 's 'vision '. But having the same argument over and over had taught him it was better to try something new than keep pushing.

Dazai had wondered after

Corruption

if their album would be filled with only bitter and angry ballads, but the rest of the songs they 've finished range from angst-ridden borderline rock songs to fast-paced pop to slow and melancholic. Dazai calls it eclectic, Chuuya calls it a clusterfuck.

Because of this they can 't find a title for the album. Chuuya 's dragged a large whiteboard into his living room that serves as their growing track list, a place to work out lyrics, and their list of potential album titles (and doodling when Dazai gets bored). Dazai 's favorites include

Album Titles are Fucking Stupid, Things to Listen to Instead of Sleeping,

and

Slug and Mackerel 's Doo-Wops

. Chuuya doesn 't even try to erase the ones Dazai writes anymore as long as they 're not dog related.

Dazai walks from the bedroom towards the kitchen. One of the worst parts of staying at Chuuya 's is his obsession with tea. He never has any coffee. Dazai has considered dragging his coffee pot over there, but he still maintains that he is

not

living there. So he either gets caffeine-withdrawal headaches or suffers drinking tea.

'You 're finally awake. '

Dazai is not proud of the sound he lets out at the words. He whips around to find Chuuya sitting on his couch, watching him with a smirk. Dazai quickly tries to catch his breath, heart still beating uncomfortably fast.

'How did you get in here? ' demands Dazai, walking into the living room. He stops to lean against one of the armchairs, eyes narrowed at Chuuya.

'You made a key to my place, ' says Chuuya, obviously proud of himself. 'Fair 's fair. '

Dazai rolls his eyes. 'Why are you here? '

'I wanted to show you something, ' says Chuuya, dropping his superiority for excitement. He gestures to a pile of sheet music sitting on Dazai 's coffee table. 'I couldn 't sleep and ended up writing this. I figured your insomniac ass would be up too, but guess I was wrong. '

Dazai sighs but grabs it and starts to read. It 's titled

Wake Up Call.

He 's slowly learned the ins and outs of Chuuya 's song writing language, but it 's still not easy to decipher all the thoughts and scribbles into a coherent piece of music. He frowns as he tries to make out this one.

'What 's the 'S ' for? ' asks Dazai, flipping to the second page. The song goes from a quiet jazz beginning to a hard transition into an electric guitar driven melody with the lyrics

Do you know when it 's okay to chicken out and go home? Well, the answer 's never.

'Saxophone, ' says Chuuya, as if that were clear.

Dazai snorts a little. 'I guess we 'll have to go into the office to find someone to play this then. First read through shows promise at least. '

'Huh, ' says Chuuya, raising an eyebrow. 'I half-thought you 'd know how to play one. It seems like the type of thing you 'd hide just to spring on people. '

Dazai rolls his eyes, throwing the sheet music back at Chuuya. He 's smiling as he goes back to the kitchen to grab his coffee pot. 'Let 's stop at your place first. I want to drop this off. I 'm sick of your grass drinks. '

September, Four Months Until the Release of Corruption

Chuuya isn 't required to tell Dazai where he 's going. They don 't spend every day together, they 'd probably kill each other if they did. Chuuya spends more time than Dazai ever would with Tachihara. He also goes into the office to pester Hirotsu every once in a while. Chuuya makes friends with a bunch of PMR employees who Dazai doesn 't even know the names of.

Still, it 's irritating when Dazai has something to show him and he has to wait around for him. He 'd come up with a new idea for a song, he 's calling it

Rain Beyond the Window.

He 's actually pretty sure it 'll work. Two months into this thing now and he feels like he can already predict how Chuuya will react to a song before he even plays it for him.

He 'd amused himself for a while changing all the CDs in Chuuya 's dorm so they were in the wrong cases, but he 'd finished that and now he 's bored. Dazai has his laptop open in front of him, but he doesn 't want to work on other people 's music right now. He debates going out to try and find the slug when the door opens.

'Where have you been? ' asks Dazai, putting his annoyance at his absence clearly into the question. He puts down his laptop on the coffee table.

'The movies. Then I had a meeting with Mori. ' Chuuya shuts the door with a slight slam.

'You 're having solo meetings with Mori now? ' Dazai makes himself sound grossed out, but he 's mostly anxious. He didn 't want Mori digging his claws into Chuuya. They already get along much better than Dazai is comfortable with.

'It wasn 't scheduled, ' says Chuuya, toeing off his shoes by the door. He seems agitated. 'I took Elise to some bullshit kids ' movie. It was awful, and the music was unbearable. But she 's a lonely girl, you know? So I don 't mind. ' Chuuya crosses the room to lean over the side of the armchair, frowning as he looks at Dazai. 'But when I dropped her off back at PMR, Mori was there, and he had an idea for a song for the album. He wants us to do a duet version of

Golden Demon

. '

It 's an excellent idea, which makes Dazai deeply unhappy. Chuuya is obviously unhappy too, although for different reasons. 'And now you have to ask Kouyou for permission? '

Chuuya 's expression darkens even further. 'No, he already had. She agreed. '

Chuuya 's ongoing feud with Kouyou is a landmine that Dazai takes great pains to avoid addressing. Dazai had overheard a conversation between Kouyou and Mori back in July at the office after they 'd decided to record the album as a duo. Kouyou had gone to see Mori to tell him that it wasn 't a good idea.

'I was under the impression you thought Chuuya and Dazai functioned better together, ' Mori had said. He 'd smiled innocently.

'I meant they could be more productive if they didn 't spend all their time squabbling, ' Kouyou had replied, posture tense. 'Not release an album together. Do you really think it 's wise to put those two together? '

'It was their idea, ' Mori had said, as if he had no power in the decision. 'Besides, I was once given some advice, only a diamond can polish a diamond. '

Dazai had left the conversation more annoyed at the both of them. He 'd never told Chuuya about it.

'Ah, ' is all he says.

'Whatever, ' says Chuuya angrily. 'Clearly you all think it 's a good fucking idea, so we might as well do it. '

'I can find reasons it 's a bad idea, ' offers Dazai, keeping his tone neutral.

Chuuya sighs roughly, but shakes his head. 'No, it is a good idea. I just wish ' ' He sighs again, crossing over to the white board. 'Never mind, it doesn 't matter. '

Chuuya adds it to the track list, gripping the marker almost violently. They 're up to nine songs now, ten if things go how Dazai thinks they will.

'I 've got an idea for an album title, ' announces Dazai, thinking back to what Mori had said about them. He doesn 't think of them as diamonds, that 's for sure. But they were two halves of something.

'Go, ' says Chuuya, shifting over to write in their space dedicated to potential titles.

'Double Black, ' says Dazai, voice confident. It feels different than the suggestions he 's given before. It fits better.

Chuuya doesn 't write it down. He turns to face Dazai instead, his eyes excited. 'Soukoku. '

Dazai just smirks, and Chuuya smiles back, laughing slightly. He turns back to the board, whipping the other potential titles off with his sleeve.

He writes the title above the rest of the songs instead, making it official.

Double Black.

October, Three Months Until the Release of Corruption

Kouyou is watching him closely over the rim of her teacup. She 's perfected how to look intimidating over the years, and Dazai isn 't immune to her cold stare. He 's still not sure why he 's here exactly, he just knew that when Kouyou summoned you, it was best to show up. He highly doubts she wants to talk to him about the

Golden Demon

duet, seeing as she isn 't even talking to Chuuya about it. Her agreeing to them doing the song seems to have put her and Chuuya more at odds than ever rather than mending anything.

She hadn 't mentioned what the meeting was about, just calmly poured them both some tea when he 'd arrived. She drank out of her cup almost immediately after pouring it, when it still had to be boiling hot. Dazai had fought down how impressed he was by it, it wasn 't wise to compliment people when you weren 't sure what they wanted.

While Chuuya and Kouyou were extremely close (or had been, and will be again, Dazai is sure one of them will break down and apologize soon enough), Dazai has never spent a lot of time with the woman. She 'd already worked for PMR before Dazai had started, and she hadn 't gone out of her way to get to know him when he 'd joined.

Although Dazai didn 't blame her for that, he wouldn 't have been fighting to get to know the person who Mori had brought with him when he took over the company. Most of PMR 's employees had given him a wide birth during that shit show of a transition. It was for the best, and once everyone saw that everything smoothed itself out.

But nevertheless, he and Kouyou had never gotten on well, and Dazai didn 't foresee that changing. Dazai thinks she 's massively talented and worthy of her position as an executive, he just didn 't like her all that much as a person. And he 's fairly certain it 's mutual. His part in the whole South Korea incident hadn 't helped her warm up to him either.

'Did I ever tell you I once tried to leave Port Mafia Records? ' asks Kouyou, breaking the slightly heavy silence. Her tone is casual and her expression neutral.

'I had heard that, ' says Dazai, matching her nonchalant tone. 'Not from you though. ' It was something most people who worked at PMR knew, although it was never mentioned in front of the singer. Also, naturally, it was one of the first things Mori had ever told him about Kouyou Ozaki, that she had a loyalty issue.

'I was sixteen, and I was in love. ' Kouyou says the word as if it 's a disease. 'It was the beautiful, terrible kind that makes you feel like it 's the only thing in the world. I was convinced it was enough, and abandoned my recording contract on nothing more than a promise. '

'I was a fool and back in L.A. within two months, ' continues Kouyou, glaring at her tea as if it 's her younger self. 'The old boss lorded it over my head constantly when I got back. Mori doesn 't, he only brings it up when he needs something from me. '

It 's clear that she prefers Mori 's way, even if it gets deeper under the skin because he wields the information like a precise weapon. That was Mori though, he was cordial and cheerful up until the very moment he needed to be something else, then he was the most vicious and cruel person in existence. Dazai has seen him ruin artists ' careers, make deals with the most despicable crowd of people to get ahead in business, use his connections to smuggle more than just music overseas. There isn 't a line Mori wouldn 't cross to get what he wants.

Dazai has long given up trying to decide which side of Mori is the true one. The fact that he could slip into the darker one so easily is enough for Dazai to know he isn 't to be trusted. Dazai didn 't care either way if Mori broke the law or other people, he just knows that he has to watch his back if he didn 't want Mori to break Dazai one day if it suited his purposes.

'I do not want Chuuya to repeat my mistakes, ' says Kouyou, finally getting to the point of the story. She looks directly at Dazai, expression serious.

This was part of that loyalty issue. At the end of the day, Kouyou ultimately puts herself and those she 's claimed as her own over everything else, including Port Mafia Records. She 'd claimed Chuuya long ago, and despite the ongoing argument between the two, she clearly still thinks of him as someone she needs to protect.

'And why are you telling me this? ' asks Dazai, voice flat. Of course he knows why, but he 's going to make her say it, even if it feels like twisting a knife inside his own stab wound.

'The two of you are close. I think it would be best if you didn 't get any closer. ' She words it like a suggestion, but it comes off as a clear warning. Her eyes are hard as she looks at him, her posture tight.

Dazai laughs, only half-forced. 'You think that 's likely? ' The question is clearly mocking.

He 'd underestimated how observant Kouyou is. It would be best to dispel Kouyou of these notions before they went any further. He certainly didn 't want her to spread them to anyone else. The thought of her telling Mori any of this makes him have to fight to keep his cool.

Dazai sets his untouched tea down to deliver his explanation, tone losing all trace of lightness. 'Chuuya is one of the greatest assets PMR has, but his biggest weakness is himself. If I hadn 't stepped in he would have crashed and burned alone. I didn 't want to waste all the effort we put into him. It wouldn 't reflect well upon me for one of the artists I recommended to be such a disappointment. '

Kouyou listens to this attentively, only frowning slightly at the end. 'I suppose that 's for the best. '

'Why are you upset then? ' asks Dazai, slipping back into his fake cheerful tone and smile.

'It 's unsettling how much you remind me of Mori sometimes. ' says Kouyou, no indication that she knows her words feel like a slap to the face. Dazai keeps his smile in place, if nothing else Mori had taught him how to do that. 'I 'm not upset for me, I 'm glad you aren 't mucking things up with teenage fantasies. I just feel sorry for Chuuya, he thinks of you as more than a tool for success. '

Dazai doesn 't let any of what he feels show on his face. He shrugs, feigning disinterest. 'This is L.A. If it wasn 't me, it 'd be somebody else. '

'Ah, but it is you, ' points out Kouyou. 'Perhaps I should let Chuuya know your opinion of him, ' she adds, voice light but dangerous.

'Perhaps

I

should let Chuuya know that you 're making decisions for him without consulting him again, ' counters Dazai easily. He smirks as she flinches a bit. 'That is how you ended up with this current distance between you two, is it not? '

'I think we 're done here, ' says Kouyou, voice stone cold. Her eyes narrow, and if Dazai were a weaker person he 'd buckle under the weight of her steely gaze. But working under Mori did have its perks.

'I haven 't gotten to finish my tea, ' says Dazai, smiling innocently.

'You don 't even like tea, ' snaps Kouyou. She scowls deeply, annoyed as having lost her temper. She recovers her composure to dismiss him. 'Take it with you if you want. I believe you have an album to finish. '

'That 's alright, I 'm not very thirsty, ' says Dazai to her offer, standing up. He flashes her one more big smile. 'Thanks for the advice, Ozaki. '

Kouyou doesn 't reply, just glares at him as he walks out of the office. Dazai doesn 't look back.

His mind is already busy calculating next steps.

Obviously there needs to be some changes.

Early December, One & A Half Months Until the Release of Corruption

Recording an album has become painfully boring.

It had been more interesting when he and Chuuya were the ones being recorded. The number of times he 'd gotten to have Chuuya repeat the same lyrics over and over while calling him pitchy had been fun. Chuuya had ended up throwing extremely expensive sound equipment at him in a fit of rage.

(He 'd behaved while recording

Corruption

though. Dazai had limited the people listening to only those necessary in the room too. They 'd been able to get through it pretty quickly because it was only two sets of vocals and the piano. It had still been tense in the studio. Chuuya had struggled to accept all the compliments on the song, so Dazai had done it for him. He was happy to be finished with that one.)

But those times were behind them. The vocals, piano sections, and the guitar parts Chuuya played were finished. Now they were recording all of the instruments Dazai and Chuuya wouldn 't be playing themselves.

Chuuya doesn 't even show up to listen every day anymore. He had in the beginning, but he had gotten frustrated listening to Dazai adjust and readjust the same lines of a song repeatedly until he was satisfied. Now Chuuya waits until Dazai deems a part finished before he approves it. He usually doesn 't have any changes (and his fews ones were annoyingly insightful).

Dazai should be glad he 's not there distracting him. It 's for the best. He could focus better without Chuuya barking at him. Dazai doesn 't need to spend time lazying around in Chuuya 's dorm anymore either now that they 're done writing. He hasn 't seen much of Chuuya at all lately.

Listening to small sections of the same songs day after day is starting to wear him down though. He 's slumped in a chair in the recording studio they 've been using. He 's alone for the moment, having finally finished the part they were working on and had sent everyone away so he could think in peace.

He has a hand covering his eyes when he hears the door to the studio open and close. He hopes whoever entered sees his position and turns around to leave without bothering him.

'You want to get out of here? ' asks a familiar voice, ruining his hopes. Chuuya pokes at his hand until he puts it down to look at him. He 's dressed casually, so he hadn 't been working. Chuuya smirks at him, and Dazai sighs at his offer.

'Do I want to ask permission to leave and then be followed around by whatever leech they assign to drive us around? ' he asks, rolling his eyes. 'No thank you, hat rack. '

'I wasn 't planning on asking. ' Chuuya holds up something in his right hand, a driver 's license. It has Chuuya 's picture on it. He displays it cockily.

Dazai sits up straight, more than a little shocked. 'How did

you

get a license? Can your tiny legs even reach the pedals? '

'Stop being a dick or I 'll leave your bandaged ass here, ' says Chuuya. He holds out a hand to help him up. 'Are you coming or what? '

Dazai narrows his eyes at him in suspicion, ignoring the offered hand. 'You don 't have a car. ' Or at least Dazai hopes he doesn 't, hopes he hadn 't been that unobservant.

'I don 't. ' Chuuya 's eyes light up with mischief. 'But there are a lot of company vans sitting out in the parking lot. And, what do you know? I found a pair of keys lying around on my way here. Rather careless of them to leave them out where anyone could grab them. ' He takes back his hand to dig in his pockets then holds up a set of keys triumphantly.

Dazai smirks back. Chuuya had many different sides, and while Dazai 's favorite was always going to be his musical one, rebellious teenager Chuuya wasn 't that far of a second. 'Lead the way, chibi. '

They take off to the parking lot, holding back snickers as they climb into one of the black vans. Chuuya seems totally at ease adjusting the seat (Dazai would point out how close he is to the wheel if Chuuya wasn 't directly in charge of the vehicle and therefore his life at the moment) and mirrors, no hesitation as he backs up smoothly and drives them out of the lot. He doesn 't ask Dazai where he wants to go, evidently already having a destination in mind.

'How did you learn to drive? ' asks Dazai as he watches Chuuya, who has one hand on the wheel and the other resting on the ledge of the driver 's side window, the picture of relaxed and satisfied. He doesn 't have the nerves of an inexperienced driver. But Dazai would have heard about someone from PMR teaching him.

'Like I said, PMR leaves a lot of company vans just sitting there. It wasn 't hard to take one

unnoticed, ' says Chuuya, laughing a little. 'I started trying to learn once we got back from tour. Plus I 've had a lot of free time on my hands lately. The mackerel that was stinking up my dorm has disappeared. '

It doesn 't come off as an accusation, but it makes Dazai defensive anyway. 'I 'm working on

our

album. Just because you 've decided your part is finished doesn 't mean the rest of us can slack off."

'You 're being an obsessive bastard about it, ' says Chuuya, rolling his eyes. 'It would be finished already if you weren 't so fucking nit picky. I swear to God you almost made that drummer have a nervous breakdown. '

'I 'm not going to release something that 's inferior, ' says Dazai petulantly. 'He 's a professional, he shouldn 't be so bad at taking constructive criticism. '

Chuuya laughs, shaking his head. 'You called him a mediocre idiot with the rhythm of a wet mop. '

'He was being difficult, ' says Dazai, looking out the window. They were driving towards the coast, and he 's still not sure where they 're headed.

'He almost quit, and he would have if I hadn 't gone after him and apologized for you being suck a freak, ' says Chuuya, which Dazai hadn 't known. 'I told him you were a stupid perfectionist with a giant stick up your ass and not to take it personally. '

'Mori would have fired him if he quit, ' says Dazai, not sure how he feels about Chuuya cleaning up his messes behind his back.

'Don 't get people fired by being a jackass, ' commands Chuuya, glaring at him while pulling into the parking lot for a run down ice cream stand. Dazai doesn 't even see a sign advertising the name of the place. The only other cars in the parking lot are probably the employees. He doubts the place gets a lot of business even when it 's not December.

Chuuya parks the van in a spot up front, turns the car off, and turns to Dazai. 'What kind of ice cream do you want? Never mind, I 'll just get you the most disgustingly sweet flavor they have. '

Chuuya doesn 't give him a chance to respond, and Dazai is left watching him jump out of the van and walk away. In retaliation Dazai messes with the vent settings so they 'll blast Chuuya when he turns the car on again.

A few minutes later Chuuya walks back to the car with a cone in each hand, one that looks chocolate flavored and the other a rainbow of colors. He shoves them both at Dazai as he gets into the van. 'Be useful for once. '

Dazai rolls his eyes but takes the cones. He makes a big show of taking a lick of both of them. Chuuya doesn 't seem surprised, instead he focuses on turning all the vent settings back to normal before he turns the van back on. Dazai pouts as he licks more of his cone (not that he 'd ever admit to Chuuya that he likes the flavor).

Chuuya drives them a little further down the block to a different parking lot for a public beach. He parks in a spot near the edge of the lot without any other cars around. They have a clear view of the ocean. It reminds Dazai of the Yokohama ports in a way, perhaps that 's why Chuuya had taken such a liking to the place.

'Afraid to park next to the other cars? ' asks Dazai as he hands Chuuya his cone. Dazai 's already halfway through his own.

'Shut up and eat your ice cream, mackerel. ' Chuuya turns the van off but keeps the radio on. He throws back his seat so he can put his feet up on the dashboard. He looks completely relaxed, lounging in the sun that 's streaming through the windshield and swaying one of his feet to the song playing on the radio.

Dazai pointedly looks away to watch the waves instead. 'How 'd you find that dump anyway? It screamed health violation. '

'Shirase worked there a couple summers ago, ' answers Chuuya. 'We all used to go there and get shit for free. '

Dazai hasn 't heard him mention any of the members of The Sheep in a while, not since he 'd written that song about them. He 'd thrown the lyrics at Dazai with the title

It 's Harder to Tell The Difference Between Wolves and Sheep Than You Think

and said, 'This is either a good song or petty bullshit. Figure it out and let me know. ' (It had turned out to be both.)

But he 's never heard Chuuya talk about any of them without any bitterness like he just had. It makes him ask something he 's always wondered. 'How did you end up playing the keyboard for The Sheep? '

Chuuya pauses eating to shoot him a dirty look. 'Because we were all fucking friends? I know it 's a foreign concept to you. '

'Don 't be dense, ' says Dazai, ignoring the insult easily. 'I 'm asking how when they had you in the band

Shirase

ended up as the lead singer. ' He finishes his cone and wipes his crumbs onto the van 's floor.

Chuuya snorts a little, lips raising in a smirk. 'Because Shirase was the only one who didn 't know how to play an instrument and it was his band. Nobody wanted to fight him on it. Plus, we weren 't all that serious about music. We bullshitted about getting big and being famous, but it was mostly just for fun. ' He takes a large bite out of cone, smile slipping. 'Or at least it was for me. '

Dazai doesn 't say anything back. In his personal and professional opinion, The Sheep were all idiots. The fact that they 'd let Chuuya go without a fight proved that. Sure, he 'd manipulated them into it, but they 'd known Chuuya for years. Dazai hasn 't know him for that long, and he would never make a mistake like that.

The song on the radio changes over to something new. The lyrics '

I think that they 're watching us. Don 't let them catch you committing thoughtcrime if you want to live, '

make Dazai groan immediately.

'Ugh, turn that off, ' he demands, scowling at the dramatic lines and annoying and repetitive music that went with them.

Chuuya twists the volume down, raising his eyebrows. 'Not a George Orwell fan? '

'

1984

is deeply unpleasant to listen to, ' declares Dazai. 'It 's even worse than

Animal Farm

, which I didn 't think was possible. '

'Do you even listen to music when you 're not working? ' asks Chuuya, shoving the last of his cone into his mouth and wiping his hands on his sweatshirt.

'Why would I waste time doing that? ' Dazai asks back, rolling his eyes.

'You 're impossible, ' says Chuuya. He turns in his seat to give him a searching look. 'You have to have a favorite song. '

Dazai gives him a bored look in return. 'I don 't. '

Chuuya narrows his eyes, but Dazai doesn 't react. He huffs in frustration and pulls out his phone. Then he reaches across Dazai to open the glove compartment to grab a cord to plug it into the car with (the fact that he knows where the cord is means he was telling the truth about his van borrowing habits).

'There has to be something you fucking like, ' says Chuuya, scrolling through his music. 'I 'll play you my favorite song at the moment. I don 't know how familiar you are with Japanese music, but it 's a song by a group called Luck Life,

Namae wo Yobu yo

. '

'I 'll Call Your Name, ' translates Dazai as Chuuya finds the song he 's looking for. He doesn 't think he 'll care for the song, but he wants to hear what kind of song Chuuya would pick as his favorite. He wound 't have been surprised if Chuuya had picked a PMR song or one of Kouyou 's, he was sentimental like that.

The song started out softly, with a pretty guitar bit. A cymbal and the bass cut in right before the singer started.

Boku 'ga 'boku 'de 'irareru

Riyuu 'o 'sagashiteita

Anata 'no 'mune 'no 'naka 'de

Ikiteiru 'boku 'ga 'iru 'no 'naraba

Kurayami 'mo 'nagai 'sakamichi 'mo

Koete 'ikeru 'you 'na

Boku 'ni 'nareru 'hazu

'Chuuya, this is so

sappy

, ' says Dazai over the music as it builds to the chorus. 'I never would have pegged you as a ballad lover. '

'Namae wo yobu yo, anata no namae wo, '

Chuuya sang along, ignoring Dazai. He knows the words perfectly. '

Anata ga anata de ireru you ni. '

I 'll call out a name, your name, so that you can remain who you are- Dazai translates in his head.

It was a nice song, even if it was a bit dramatic for Dazai 's tastes. Chuuya doesn 't understand why Dazai doesn 't listen to music, but Dazai doesn 't understand why Chuuya listens to music when every version of every song Chuuya does himself is just effortlessly

better.

Dazai knows he 's a talented singer, but he wasn 't like Chuuya. Chuuya 's voice was 'Dazai didn 't often not have the words for something, but he can never describe how his singing made him feel. He 's known him for over a year, has heard him sing for hours on end, has heard him be pitchy and countless off notes. But the effect hasn 't worn off yet.

Dazai frowns deeply, this kind of thinking is troubling. Despite all the efforts he 's made, he still finds it coming up more and more. Fucking Kouyou, putting ideas in his head that he 'd been better off without.

And even if he

was

considering such absurd things, it just wasn 't possible. There was no way that Dazai would

ever

offer up that kind of thing for Mori to use. He can picture exactly how it would go, how Mori would twist the thing between them to get the reactions he wanted. Everything about them would become part of his game, everything would be manipulation.

Dazai would rather have nothing than have that.

Still, sometimes when Chuuya did things like kidnap him and sing to him in stolen vans in front of the ocean with the sun illuminating him and his voice being the only thing Dazai was focused on, it 's hard to remember all that.

But Chuuya had a point, trying to distract himself by dissecting their album note by note wasn 't a good strategy. And avoiding Chuuya was just boring in addition to everything else.

Chuuya misinterprets his expression, thinking he 's judging the music they 're listening to rather than scolding himself for being stupid. 'Oh, fuck you, it 's a good song. '

'Fine, I 'll play Chuuya my favorite song, ' says Dazai, grabbing Chuuya 's phone and flicking through it. He finds his choice easily. He smiles at Chuuya widely as it starts, cranking the volume up.

It 's a Friday, and it 's been a hell of a week,

blasts out the speakers. Dazai laughs loudly as Chuuya scowls and turns the volume down.

'I fucking hate you, ' says Chuuya, tone harsh but it just makes Dazai smile even wider.

'Let 's go finish our album, chibi. '

The Night of January 24, Hours Until the Release of Corruption

'What if everyone hates it? ' Chuuya asks. He 's pacing back and forth in his dorm living room. Dazai 's lying on the couch, extremely calm despite Chuuya 's ever increasing anxiety. 'I mean, who even releases music as a duo anymore? Who do we think we are, the fucking Grimm Brothers? And a fucking spontaneous piano solo, what was I thinking? Why would you let me do that? '

'Chuuya, it 's going to be fine, ' says Dazai flatly, rolling his eyes. He 's getting tired just watching the redhead. 'Have I ever lied to you? '

'Yes, like every fucking day, ' says Chuuya automatically, not stopping his pacing.

'Have I ever lied to you about

music

? ' adds on Dazai.

That forces Chuuya to pause, frowning as he considers the question. 'No. '

'So trust me on this, ' says Dazai, turning to look directly at Chuuya. He speaks plainly, no deceptions or manipulations. 'People are not going to hate it, the fact that duos are less common is one of the reasons it 's going to work, and the piano solo is what makes the song. Now stop being so dramatic. '

'Fuck, ' swears Chuuya. He takes a deep breath, but at least he 's stopped pacing. He heads into the kitchen then, and Dazai hears him starts messing with his tea kettle.

'That better be non-caffeinated, ' he calls out, turning back to lie down on the couch fully. He pulls out his phone to read his emails, most of them about the release tomorrow.

'Don 't mother me, it 's creepy as shit, ' says Chuuya loudly so that his voice carries. 'Do you want some? '

'I 'm not mothering you, I 'm being a responsible pet owner. We have a long day tomorrow, and I need my dog looking its best. ' says Dazai. 'And you can keep your disgusting hot leaf water to yourself. '

Chuuya doesn 't reply, and Dazai responds to a couple emails. By the time he 's done Chuuya is setting down two mugs on the coffee table. Dazai is about to protest he didn 't want any stupid tea when he notices that it 's hot chocolate. He hadn 't noticed when Chuuya had bought that.

He picks up his mug to hide his smile behind it, lifting the cup towards Chuuya as his only thank you.

'Are you really not nervous at all? ' asks Chuuya, settling into the armchair next to the couch. His question is plain, not asking him why he 's not nervous, just wanting to know if he is or not.

'I don 't base my opinion of myself on the musical opinions of the general population, ' says Dazai, risking burning his tongue on the hot chocolate. Luckily Chuuya didn 't keep his kettle on as of high a setting as Kouyou did, and all he gets is the taste of chocolate. 'I 've seen enough trash do well to not place much stock in them. '

'So you don 't care what people are going to think about the album? ' Chuuya carefully twists in the chair so his legs are over the side but he 's still upright enough that he doesn 't spill any of his tea.

'I mean, business-wise I 'm invested. ' Dazai takes another sip of his drink. 'But I know that it 's going to do well. The music industry isn 't as complicated as people make it out to be. '

'You 're that confident? '

'I could explain all the factors involved, but it would just bore you, ' says Dazai, and adds before Chuuya gets pissy, 'And beyond all that, it 's just genuinely good music. I actually have standards, and they 're met. '

Chuuya 's face lights up at that, more carefree than he usually would be. He seems more at ease, which is the point of the compliment (even if it is the truth). He drinks his tea in quiet content.

Chuuya stands up once he 's finished, stretching his arms over his head. 'Are you staying? '

Dazai almost spits out the hot chocolate he 'd just drank. In all the numerous times he 's stayed here, Chuuya has never been this

polite

about it, this borderline welcoming. He swallows roughly. 'It is late, ' he says neutrally.

'I 'll see you in the morning then, ' says Chuuya, yawning a little. He runs his hands through his hair and walks towards the bathroom. Dazai watches him go, a slightly suffocating feeling in his chest.

He fights it down as he turns off the lights in the main room then goes back to the couch. Dazai gathers the blanket left over the top of couch (he refuses to think of it as his, even if no one else uses it). He turns to face the couch to sleep, trying to get comfortable. If he was a smarter person, he would have left hours ago and been sleeping in his own perfectly comfortable bed.

In spite of that, he falls asleep incredibly easily, with the taste of hot chocolate lingering in his mouth. He even sleeps later than he usually does. The sun is bright in the room when he opens his eyes, and he feels oddly well-rested.

Dazai grab his phone, not surprised to see it filled with notifications. But there is one that sticks out in particular, a meeting invitation from Mori with no details other than the description:

Tour.

Double Black, Chuuya Nakahara & Osamu Dazai

Rain Beyond the Window

The Fake Flower 's Deceit

The Setting Sun

Never to Return

Wake Up Call

Shame and Toad

No Room for Sentiments

Some People Are Matches, Others are Pyromaniacs

Dead Apple Pie

Null

Golden Demon (Double Black Version)

It 's Harder to Tell The Difference Between Wolves and Sheep Than You Think

Corruption