the other side of paradise | bsd x gn!reader

sixteen.

The next few months are very ordinary. You don't accidentally activate your ability, you don't get kidnapped, and you don't get caught up with any new dangerous criminals. There is no sign of Fyodor, Nikolai or Sigma anywhere. Uriel bombards you with texts every day, under the pretense it's research for his future detective career. Despite there being no progress on restoring her missing memories, you hear that one of Irina's paintings was recently sold for a high price. Good for her.

Dazai has practically moved in with you, claiming your apartment is better than his. Both are exactly the same, so that's definitely just an excuse to spend more time with you. He's like a sly cat seeking comfort, pretending that's not what he wants. It's nice though, not having to be alone all the time, so you don't mind the ex-mafioso living with you at all. You're glad you're able to be there for him when he's not doing good mentally. When things are slowly getting worse, Dazai will silently lean against your shoulder or plop his head into your lap. You'll comb your fingers through his hair, and he'll fall asleep in your lap. He cares for you just as much. When you awake from a nightmare, the deaths of Anastasia and Edmund haunting you even in your sleep, the brown-haired young man is there, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. The best sleep you ever have is sleeping in his arms, as it's like nightmares can't reach you there.

You still regularly exchange letters with Oda and the kids, Dazai now adding his own paragraphs to the letters you send. The kids don't particularly like him and threaten him, saying that "he better not break your heart or else they'll beat him up". Dazai just chuckles when he reads that out loud, but he responds and promises them he never would. Kunikida thanks you on multiple occasions having such a good influence on Dazai, though you're not sure what he means by that. Sure, he's slowly becoming a better person than in canon, but he's not annoying the Kunikida Doppo any less. It's not like you've been changing Dazai for the better. You've just given him a push in the right direction, the rest is all his own hard work.

Meetings with Chuuya have gotten even rarer. He's been making his way up the mafia ranks, and therefore has a lot more assignments. The most you can do chat on the phone, but even that is not as often as you'd like. You're proud of him for achieving what he wants to do, but sometimes you can't help but wonder what would've happened if you managed to convince him to join the agency. Would you be able to spend more time that way? You miss your Friday meetups. Sometimes, you end up at that same park when you're craving his company, and yet he's not there. How could he be when he's so busy?

Every now and then you spot the young Akutagawa around the dark alleys, but you decide you shouldn't bother him yet, especially not with that murderous aura around him. Besides that, everything else feels the same.

It's just another regular day when you and Yosano take a stroll along the busy streets of Yokohama. After finishing work the two of you went shopping, acquiring many stylish items of clothing. Happy with your haul and with the day slowly coming to an end, you are on your way home.

"Y/n?" A familiar voice calls out, making you stop in your tracks. Yosano gives you a curious look, and both of you turn around to see the short redhead coming closer, a confused expression on his face.

"Chuuya? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on your mission?"

"Yes, but I finished early. I was just on my way to see y- uh, on my way home." Chuuya corrects himself mid-sentence, ears flushing slightly. You don't notice it, but Yosano certainly does.

The black-haired woman coughs and steps slightly closer to you, her grip on the shopping bags tightening slightly. She stares down at Chuuya. "I'm Yosano Akiko, their friend. Who might you be?"

"Yosano and I-" you start, before Chuuya can say anything.

"Akiko," she interrupts, not breaking eye contact with Chuuya. "You can call me Akiko, dear. I think we're close enough for first names."