Hotline {Soukoku}

{9}

The cold air sent a shiver down the ginger's spine as he grabbed onto the sides of his coat, pulling them tighter around him. He never buttoned the coat he wore, whether it was a fashion statement or just a random, baseless decision, nobody knew. His bright, red, chest length hair fell effortlessly on either side of his shoulder, which contrasted the dull blue in his eyes just a few inches higher. Even the most fashionable person in the world would have trouble hiding their emotions, eyes are the window to the soul, after all.

Standing before him, locking up the door to the cafe was none other than the barista himself, Osamu Dazai. The man now stood in a form that the redhead wasn't used to seeing: a normal person. Don't get mixed up, Chuuya did NOT think that this man was normal, but his attire was. He had mostly seen this man wearing an apron, but right now, he stood wearing a long, brown coat, with a white undershirt visible, and a necklace, which looked to be some sort of pendant maybe? It looked nice, too nice for a man of his caliber, anyway. Chuuya looked up at the taller man's brown, somewhat messy hair, except, it wasn't a bad messy, it was more of a purposeful, fluffy sort of messy. It looked like it'd be soft to the touch. Why does he want to touch his hair?

The sound of a click was heard, and the brunette turned around, now looking slightly down at the man standing behind him, "Done!"

Now looking away, the redhead nodded, acknowledging that he had heard.

Didn't you lock it from the inside, already? Why'd you need to lock it again out here?

Thus, the pair began walking. Dazai slipped in front of the other, but only slightly, as they still walked somewhat side by side. Despite the fact that Chuuya hadn't mentioned his question out loud, Dazai spoke, breaking the silence, "It always takes a minute to lock it from the outside, I hate that thing. If it were up to me, we'd only lock it from the inside, but the boss loves to be thorough, so.. Two locks, fun."

Following after him, the shorter man glanced up at the man, but didn't respond verbally. He still wasn't in the most talkative mood, hell, he didn't even know why he had agreed to this in the first place. Not only has he never really gone into any bar, but the fact that he agreed to go with Osamu Dazai is enough to make him shudder. It really must have been the end of the world right then and there.

The two walked in silence for a little bit. Only about three minutes had passed, but it felt like a lot longer. It hadn't been too hot during the day, but due to the fact that it was now closer to evening, especially in the middle of fall, it had gotten a bit chillier. Being in a port town didn't help either, as the ocean breeze blew through, causing more of a chill than there would normally be.

Chuuya had put both of his hands in his pockets by this point, having forgotten his gloves at home. Or maybe they were in his car, he hadn't seen them in a while. His cheeks now bore a slight shade of red, but that was due to the cold temperatures blowing in his face. He kept his eyes on the floor before him, but occasionally, they drifted towards the taller man guiding him ahead. The way his coat swayed, the way it fell loose, and the loose piece of fabric that hung below it. This man was so carefree in his appearance, it was almost baffling, until Chuuya remembered who he was, then suddenly, it all made sense. Yet, despite the carefree nature, it still looked at least somewhat put together. It complimented the man well, but you would never catch Chuuya admitting it.

In front of him, the brunette walked, his hands also in the pockets of his coat, and he looked straight ahead of him, paying better attention to his directional skills than usual, as he had to remember the directions to the bar he liked to go to sometimes. It is one thing to get lost on your own, but to get lost while guiding someone else? Not cool.

Although it'd be quite funny, he had the feeling that now wasn't the best time to be funny. Maybe later, but that could wait.

Looking around, he began to question himself on whether he was going the right way. Maybe he should have turned right a street ago.. No, his turn wasn't here yet. He knew it, it was coming up, don't second guess yourself, Dazai. Then you really will get it wrong.