Enemies

Interrogation

"Why the fuck are you calling me?" Chuuya grumbled into his phone.

"Well, I was wondering if we could meet up at a bar tonight-"

"What are you planning Dazai?" He asked, annoyed and rolling his eyes.

"I'm not planning anything! How dare you suspect me!" Chuuya did feel like he wanted to go, like how they used to, but it wouldn't really work, and both of them knew that.

"Outside of work and only for a little bit. Ren and Mori will kill me if they found out. I'd rather not though." He whispered so no one could hear and his eyes darted around the room.

"Where we used to hang out at 10pm. I'll drive you home if you're drunk. See you." He hung up, and Chuuya sighed, banging his head on his desk, before he heard a knock on the door.

"You should really talk more quietly when taking a phone call." Ren pushed the door open, standing there and looking at him knowingly, waiting for him to say something.

Fuck. I'm dead.

"Please don't kill me. Dazai asked to go out for drinks." He tried to explain, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"So that's what you were talking about-"

"YOU-"

"So he's making a move? Or are you planning to?" It took a second for him to realise and process what she was saying, and he looked at her in confusion.

"You're not mad...?" He said cautiously.

"No. As long as you don't spill any classified information. Your private life is your private life. Who am I to interfere? I just walked past and heard you talking on the phone with someone." She shrugged.

"You're talking as if I have a crush on him..." He narrowed his eyes.

"Well you brought up that topic. Are you denying it? I don't give two shits either way, so you can tell me." Leaning against the window, Ren waited for his reaction patiently.

"It's just- I really enjoyed some of the interactions we used to have together. I want to feel that again, at least just once." He sighed.

"So you're lovesick."

"WHA- NO I'M NOT! I haven't really thought about my own feelings though." He crossed his arms and frowned.

"Tell me once you've figured them out." Ren turned around to leave.

"Never in a million years."

Dazai saw Chuuya walking towards him, and grinned to himself. He whispered something into the bartender's ear and turned back to Chuuya. The bar was in a small, secluded area, and only had a few other people. It had a dark yet elegant feel to it, and was eerily quiet and intimate. The decorations were simple yet elaborate, with a glossy dark oak framing everything. The glasses had a few carvings, and was filled with a drink and ice clinking against the glass, the only sound in the establishment. Very faintly in the background, there was some vague 1920s era music playing, almost making the bar seem like it came out of a period film. The area was dimly lit, and there were shadows creeping in everywhere, like the ocean at the dead of night. 

"Does this place remind you of someone?" Dazai leaned towards Chuuya while he received his drink.

"Am I obligated to answer that question?" Then bartender handed Chuuya his drink and he sniffed it before taking a sip, his cheeks beginning to flush.

"I never knew you were such a lightweight drinker. Well this alcohol is quite strong. Now, let's begin." His lips quirked up into a smirk.

"Whaa-" Chuuya tried to steady himself, but the drinks had already begun to set in.

"Alright. What do you know about Takahashi Ren?" The question seemed for catch Chuuya off guard for a moment, before he went back to his drunken state.

"What do I know about her? She can be terrifying, but she never talks about herself." Even though he sounded wasted, he could still talk coherently, and he talked about her with respect but also a hint of fear and curiosity.

"In what way?"

"I went with her twice on assassination missions. She's- ruthless, and says weird ominous things. I still remember. 'Just because I don't have a special ability doesn't mean I can't completely and utterly destroy you.' She looked like an emotionless machine. The way she sometimes kills people is to shoot them so that they don't die instantly, before saying something and then they die. But she is human." The alcohol hadn't fully set in yet, so Chuuya still talked normally, but he was a lot more talkative than he usually was.

"How old is she?"

"At least legal age. Can handle her liquor." Dazai thought about what he said and kept going.

"Does she care about anything?"

"She'll kill me if I told you."

So she does care about something.

Discreetly bringing out a gun, Dazai held it against Chuuya's chest, loading it and asked again, this time with a more threatening tone.

"O-Ok. She likes cats? It's weird. It's like she cares about them more than humans." Dazai smiled to himself a little.

"What's her personality like?"

"What you'd expect. Emotionless, smart, but she likes to tease or roast me. Always with a straight face." Chuuya pouted, tilting his head back to drink more.

"How does she roast/tease you?"

"She calls me short and a child sometimes. When she teases me it's usually about you. It's annoying as fuck."

"Hm... has she?" Chuuya brought out his phone and opened it to do something, but Dazai snatched it out of his hands. Ren was near the top of his contact list, and Dazai quickly scribbled her number down and looked at their text messages.

Chuuya
Mori said we have an an assignment together soon

Ren
What about it?

Chuuya
Do you want to discuss it sometime...?

Ren
We see each other at work. And we can text.

Chuuya
You're impossible. Can't we at least spend some time as friends or something?

Ren
Don't have a preference.

Chuuya
I'll let you know if I have a plan.

Ren
Do whatever you want

"What an excellent opportunity." Dazai looked over at Chuuya quickly and typed something into his phone.

Chuuya
Do you want to meet up at X place to discuss our assignment?

Ren
...Fine.

Chuuya
Alright. So does Thursday work for you? After work?

Ren
It does. Now I'm busy right now, so bye.

He quickly deleted it for Chuuya and drank one last shot before dragging Chuuya outside and catching a cab to drop him off before getting another to take him home. He sat in the cab and stared out the window with the soft, monotonous hum of the engine in the background. The city buildings passed by quickly, some with lights still on and people working, others with them off. The rest of the sky was dark and seemed to spread everywhere, concealing everything it touched.

Perfect for someone like her. She's certainly mastered the art of hiding herself. She also likes cats. That's certainly interesting. And cliché. I'll keep that in mind for later.

- - -

This is kinda more exposition but drunk Chuuya is drunk Chuuya. Ren also ships Soukoku to some extent. This sort of showed how much Chuuya actually knows about Ren, which isn't really a lot... Does she know Dazai sent the text? We'll see.

Also I'm going back to online learning and it feels kinda weird.