Preferences ~ Soukoku

☹︎𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 1☺︎︎

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𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚗𝚎
𖦹𖦹𖦹
𝙼𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙳𝚊𝚢
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"Thank you for helping me move in, Odasaku, Ango. You have no clue how thankful I am." A brunette, Osamu Dazai, says to the two men walking beside him. Each of them carry a box or two into the vacant apartment.

"Anytime." The redhead, Oda Sakunosuke, replies, setting down the boxes on the doorstep. "Me and Ango can come and help out whenever you need us to. Right, Ango?"

Odasaku turns to look at the other brunette, Ango Sakaguchi. "I suppose. Whenever it doesn't interfere with work, of course."

Dazai unlocks the front door with a key, shifting his box to one hand. He pushes the door open, slipping inside and flicking on the lights. "Ah, Ango. Always so work-centered! Learn to live a little!"

Dazai smiles brightly as he invites the two inside. The pair picks their boxes back up to bring inside, setting them on the kitchen counter.

Oda looks around the surroundings. It's a relatively small, empty apartment apart from the couch and dining table that came with the rental. "It looks nice, 'Zai. Do you need help unpacking?"

Ango sighs, knowing he's already given up a good portion of work time for this. He doesn't make a move to get out of it though. After all, Dazai is still his friend.

"Actually, I think I can do this bit on my own. Thank you both for helping me! Maybe we could go out for drinks soon, like old times?" Dazai says cheerfully.

The tall redhead immediately agrees, promising the first day off he has next will be the perfect day for the three to go to their usual bar. Ango agrees as well.

After the pair says goodbye to Dazai, they both leave. The switch in how Dazai acts is almost immediate. He's no longer cheerfully energetic as he was, rather just annoyed with everything. Ango and Odasaku are the two very few things he keeps up the happy persona for. And even then it drops more often than not.

He forces himself to unpack his few boxes anyway. Most of it is clothes and a few collector's edition posters of bands he likes that he refused to leave. Packed carefully away are photos. One is of him and his younger brother, Atsushi. Another of him and the couple that had just left.

He smiles looking at the photos, setting them carefully on the kitchen bar. Atsushi isn't much younger than him, just now starting his first year of highschool.

He didn't want to leave him in that house, no older sibling would ever want to do that. But taking him wasn't an option. Not only would their father see to it that he was arrested for kidnapping, but Atsushi's school was too far from his college. He couldn't uproot his whole life like that.

They came to a compromise, promising to call every night. Dazai cared for his younger brother more than he had for anyone else. Other than Odasaku and Ango, of course.

After unpacking everything that went in the living room and kitchen, Dazai carries the remainder of the boxes to his bedroom. It's significantly darker in here. He mentally notes. Definitely going to buy a lamp.

He sets down the box in front of the bedroom door to turn on the light. The room is immediately bathed in a warm glow.

He hadn't noticed anything on the rental listing regarding roommates, though. How ever, a young boy, who looked about Dazai's age, was sound-asleep? He didn't even look like he was breathing- in the bed.

Dazai's first instinct is to yell at them and demand who they are, but he doesn't. It's entirely possible he didn't see the listing for a roommate. He instead approaches the bed, determined to find out who the boy was.

He's barely 3 feet from the bed when the boy whips his head around, blue eyes meeting brown. The boy shoots up, clearly just as shocked as Dazai.

"Who are you!?" The boy shouts. "I could ask the same thing! I didn't see anything about a listing for roommates!?" Dazai yells back.

"Roommates?" The boy asked, seemingly stunned. The shouting ceased between them.

"Yeah, this apartment was up for rent. Are you- DID YOU BREAK IN!?" Dazai shouts, half confused and half tempted to call the police.

"No-!? Ive lived here for years! Nobody even owns this place! Did YOU break in!?" The redheaded boy shouts back.

"I literally have a key!" Dazai says, pulling out his key to show the boy. The redhead sighs, "Clearly neither of us are in the wrong here-" Dazai gives the boy a glare"-maybe we can compromise?"

The taller brunette calms down, nodding. "I'll let you continue living here on one condition." The redhead beckons for Dazai to continue, crossing his arms.

"Firstly, I'd like to at least know your name-" Dazai is cut off by the boy, "Chuuya Nakahara." He answers. "-Secondly, you have to pay half the rent, since we're going to be both living here it's only fair."

The redhead - Chuuya, considers it before agreeing. "I suppose it's only fair, but I have some conditions, too. Seeing as you're technically the one moving into my house." Dazai crosses his arms, glaring at him, but he gives in. "What is it?"

"One-" Chuuya holds up one finger, "-Any wine I buy is completely off limits, I don't care how much you want any." Dazai opens his mouth to interject, to say he doesn't even like wine anyways, but Chuuya continues.

"Two-" A second finger, "-Absolutely nobody is to be brought over. I can tell just by looking at you that you're the type to have a new girl every other weekend." Dazai is completely offended, ready to kick him out entirely at this point. He agrees anyway, letting him continue.

"Finally, the attic is off limits." He finishes. Dazai agrees to the conditions, stepping forward to shake Chuuya's hand, to finalize the deal. He nearly jumps away from him when he feels how cold he is. Colder than death itself.

"Yeah, its- a bit cold in here, don't you think?" Chuuya says, brushing off Dazai's reaction. Dazai nods, "I guess it's a little cold."

This is going to be an interesting year for sure.