Soukoku One-Shots

Spring Afternoons

Alternate Universe

The cool water was comfortable as it curled around Dazai in a gentle embrace, coaxing the tension from her bones. She blew tiny air bubbles and watched the ripples spread along the surface of the water. It was rare that Dazai found moments of peace, when the buzzing of her thoughts wasn't so incessantly loud. But she hoped the water might help today.

The sun was low in the sky, casting a warm afternoon glow overhead that trickled in from between the trees. Dazai had always liked it here—the gurgling of the water brought with it a sense of comfort.

The snapping of twigs brought Dazai out of her thoughts, though, and she turned to see a head of blazing red hair come into view.

"Hey, idiot," Chuuya said by way of greeting, and as she came further toward the spring, Dazai could see the small picnic basket she carried.

"Darling."

Chuuya wore the same blue slip dress she had been all morning—it was one of Dazai's favorites, because it brought out Chuuya's eyes. Dazai loved Chuuya's eyes.

"Just got the bread out of the oven, so I brought that and some jam. Thought you might be hungry," she explained, seating herself beside the spring and pulling out a loaf of golden bread.

Dazai felt her heart clench—it had been countless years since she'd met Chuuya, but she didn't think she would ever get used to all of the care Chuuya gave her—albeit with lots of scowling and name-calling.

"Oi. Dumbass."

Suddenly, there was a flick to her forehead and Dazai yelped, flinching backward with a pout. "Chuuya!"

She shrugged.

But the bread smelled so good, and Chuuya made the best jams, so Dazai crept carefully toward the basket.

Chuuya snorted at that. "You're acting like I'm gonna beat you."

"You might!" Dazai exclaimed, sticking out her lower lip. "My beloved is quite cruel to me."

"Oh yeah? Remind me who poured honey into my slippers last week?" she snapped, and Dazai couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled from her lips at the memory.

"Who could say?" she hummed, reaching up to snatch one of the jam jars from Chuuya's hands.

"Hey!"

"You snooze, you lose, my dear."

"Fuck you."

Dazai chuckled, taking a bite of her newly jammed bread slice and watching as Chuuya spread a different jam on hers. Peach, if she wasn't mistaken.

Like this, with sunshine in her hair and the sky in her eyes, Chuuya was beautiful. Even doing something so mundane as spreading peach jam on homemade bread, she was a vision. Dazai could see the smattering of freckles across her collar and shoulders from here—she'd kissed them all so many times and she didn't think she'd ever stop craving it.

Chuuya caught her staring, apparently, because she arched a brow when Dazai met her gaze. "What?" she asked, looking perplexed and slightly flushed.

Dazai noticed, of course, and leaned forward with a smug smile, ignoring the jam that was beginning to drip onto her fingertips. "Nothing," she hummed, raking her eyes up and down and up again. "Chuuya's very pretty."

Chuuya flushed further, and with gloriously pink cheeks, she tossed a few nearby leaves at Dazai's face. "Shut up," she murmured.

Dazai couldn't help but laugh at the sight—it was hardly unfamiliar, but something childish in her swelled with pride whenever she could annoy Chuuya, in however small a way. It had been that way since they were fifteen, and she suspected that it would stay that way until they grew old and grey.