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Dazai woke from his stupor to his phone ringing. He let out a groan and clutched his head. The mission he had gone on last night hadn’t been a hard one, but he did suffer a mild hit to the head.
Rolling over, Dazai grabbed the phone and looked at the caller. It read Slug.
Dazai let the phone ring out, but Chuuya immediately called again. Electing to ignore it, Dazai made his way to his little fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. He twisted the cap off and chugged the whole thing. The storage container he called home had little air circulation, and the recent heat wave was baking him in his black clothing.
When his phone rang for the third time, Dazai picked up.
“What does Chuuya need so urgently that he called three times?”
“Dammit, Dazai! I called you more than three times. Where the hell are you?”
Chuuya may have sounded angry, but Dazai could sense an undertone of worry. That confused him. Why would Chuuya worry about him?
“Why, I’m at my place, dreaming up the most painless way to die.”
“Shut up about that for a moment. I’m here with your drinking buddies, and we have something for ya.”
Frowning, Dazai began picking at the bandages wrapped around his wrist. Most of the time, he tried to keep Chuuya away from Odasaku and Ango. He didn’t really know why, but the idea of the Chibi mixing with his Bar Lupin friends didn’t feel right.
“…Dazai, DAZAI!”
Dazai realized that he had zoned out, leaving Chuuya to yell his name repeatedly.
“I’ll get it tomorrow, Slug. Now, goodb–”
Chuuya rudely cut him off. “Dazai, it needs to be today!” Chuuya heaved a sigh, then lowered his voice. “C’mon. I know you were gonna drink with your friends tonight anyway. Just come to the curry shop first, then you can go drink the night away.”
The phone shifted for a moment, then Odasaku’s voice filled the storage container. “Dazai, just listen to Nakahara and come over here. The kids are really excited to see you.”
Odasaku was playing dirty. Those kids of his had grown on Dazai; the last time they got together, Dazai had crushed them all in Mario Kart and teased them about being sore losers. The oldest, Kousuke, had vowed revenge, and Dazai had to promise that kid a rematch.
“Fiiiine. You owe me crab, though, Odasaku!”
Dazai hung up and walked over to his cracked mirror, peering at his reflection. His eye bandages were falling off—courtesy of his restless sleep—and his hair was a mess. He fixed his bandages halfheartedly, then set out for the curry shop.
As he walked, Dazai noticed that the day was beautiful. It was quite warm, and the blue sky stretched above him, not a cloud to be seen. Chuuya would’ve grinned and closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of a perfect sunny day. Too bad it was wasted on someone like him, someone who couldn’t find beauty in the simple things.
He hummed a small tune as he walked, a song he had been making up about suicide. There were many families out today, but Dazai ignored them all. When he reached the curry place, he noticed Chuuya’s motorcycle was parked out front. Dazai stuck his tongue out at the wretched vehicle. If it were anyone else, he would have arranged a not-so-accidental accident for the bike, but Dazai knew that destroying the motorcycle might actually damage their partnership beyond repair.
Turning back to the door, Dazai saw a shadow zip past the window and noticed the lights were off inside. How odd. Immediately, his brain started whirring with explanations. Maybe they were attacked, and the killer is waiting inside to shoot me up.
Dazai shook the thought off. Both Chuuya and Odasaku would never let anything happen to the kids, and even though Odasaku had a thing against killing, Chuuya had no qualms about such things.
Pushing the door open, Dazai stepped inside and…
POP!
Confetti exploded in Dazai’s face, and he blinked stupidly as the lights turned on to reveal Chuuya holding a spent party popper in his face.
“Happy Birthday, you damn Mackerel.”
Chuuya grinned, and Dazai scanned the room to see Odasaku, Ango, the curry man, and all five of Odasaku’s kids smiling at him.
…Birthday?
Chuuya cackled, “You shoulda seen your face when you walked in. Totally surprised you, didn’t we?”
Dazai turned to Odasaku and Ango and noticed they were wearing party hats. Odasaku seemed unbothered by his, but Ango’s face was a light shade of pink, showcasing his embarrassment.
“How did you guys know it was my birthday?”
In all honesty, Dazai himself had forgotten about what today was. The last time he had celebrated a birthday was when he was ten, and after that, he rarely told people his actual birthdate. Chuuya had only figured out after weaseling info from a slightly drunk Hirotsu at a bar. Dazai wasn’t sure if he had forgiven the older man yet for the slip of his tongue.
Odasaku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I ran into Nakahara while filing reports a couple of days ago, and he mentioned your birthday was coming up. We decided to celebrate since Nakahara said you haven’t had a party before.”
Dazai scowled at Chuuya, who only smirked back at him evilly. Then, all of Odasaku’s kids ran up, jostling him and wishing him a happy birthday.
Before Dazai could even get a word out, the Curry Man brought out a cake and set it on a table in front of Dazai. Chuuya gripped his shoulders and forced him down into a chair. Then he quickly walked around the table and grabbed a camera.
“Smile for the camera, Dazai.”
Just to spite him, Dazai stuck out his tongue childishly, and he heard Odasaku laugh before quickly turning it into a cough.
Looking down at the cake, Dazai noticed it was adorned with the words “Happy 18th Birthday Dazai!” Below it, in a pool of bright red icing, was a crude drawing of…
“Is that a dead man?”
A little stick figure was right below the words, its eyes X’s, while it lay in what looked like a pool of its own blood.
Ango cleared his throat, “We sent Nakahara to pick up the cake, and it seems he added his own little ‘artwork’ after he got it.”
Chuuya scowled. “Call me Chuuya, Doc Glasses.” He pointed at Odasaku, “And you too, old man. I’m not a fan of all that formality.”
The little girl, Sakura, brought over a candle and stuck it on the cake, right into the dead man’s stomach. She gave Dazai a shy smile, then went to hide behind Odasaku’s leg.
Pulling out a lighter from his pocket, Chuuya lit the candle.
“Don’t expect me to sing for you,” Chuuya pointed a finger, “so just make your wish and blow the fuc—er, I mean, stupid candle out.”
Dazai clutched his heart dramatically. “Is Chuuya censoring himself for the children? I didn’t think he had that much class.
Chuuya grit his teeth, “Do it before I smash your face right into that cake, candle and all.”
Dazai looked around the room at all the faces watching him. What did he wish for? The obvious answer would be for a painless death, but death would come for him eventually. He didn’t want to waste his wish on something he could easily do himself. Looking back down into the flame, he made up his mind. With a small puff of air, he wished for something that seemed impossible, but maybe—just maybe—it would come true.
–––––
After the cake had been devoured—mostly by Chuuya and the younger boys—Odasaku disappeared into a back room and returned with a gift wrapped in the most garish pink paper Dazai had ever seen.
“I wanted to help the kids with wrapping,” Odasaku explained, “but they insisted on doing it themselves.”
It had been a long time since Dazai had opened a birthday present. He gave it an experimental shake. He couldn’t hear any rattling, so it must’ve been something soft.
He tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box underneath, gasping in delight when he saw the gift.
It was a black cat plush, complete with one eye wrapped in bandages. It wore an unamused expression, and Dazai decided it was perfect. He ran his hand over its back, revelling in its softness.
A foreign emotion welled up in Dazai’s throat, making him swallow roughly.
He looked up to see Odasaku watching him with a small, knowing smile.
“Thank you,” Dazai said quietly, rubbing the cat's back.
“What’cha going to name it?” Shinji asked excitedly, peering over the table at the present.
Chuuya leaned over and plucked the cat from Dazai's hands. “I sure think he looks like a Mackerel, doesn’t he?”
“Hey! Give that back!” Dazai grabbed for his plush, but Chuuya danced out of reach. The kids laughed as Dazai tried to grab Mackerel back, finally succeeding when Chuuya tried to hold the cat over his head, forgetting that Dazai had grown taller over the past few months.
“Hah!” Dazai yelled in triumph, holding the cat close to his chest, “Chibi forgot that I’m taller now!”
Chuuya growled and chased him around the table. Odasaku watched Dazai with a fond smile while Ango had given up and gone to talk to the curry shop owner.
He finally tackled Dazai to the ground, and all the kids cheered.
“Hey!” Dazai wheezed, “It’s my birthday! Don’t cheer for the Slug.”
Chuuya lay flat on his back next to Dazai, not even breathing heavily. Then, he turned and whispered something in his ear that only he could hear.
“Come by my place later, yeah? I have a gift for you, but I’m not giving it to you in front of all these people.”
Dazai frowned. What could Chuuya possibly give him that needed privacy? Was it something scandalous? Dazai pushed those thoughts aside and nodded to show he heard.
Kousuke leaned over the duo, a smirk on his face. “I think it’s time for a rematch.” He pumped his fist in the air. “Get ready to be annihilated in Mario Kart!”
Standing up, Dazai ruffled the boy’s hair and teased, “How long did it take you to learn a word that big?”
Chuuya hopped up behind him and clapped the boy on the shoulder. “I’ll teach you all the tricks to beat Dazai, kid. The first is to ‘accidentally’ knock into his controller to mess him up. The second…”
Chuuya walked off towards the upstairs while explaining his plan to beat Dazai. This left only the Lupin trio in the restaurant as the curry man retreated for an outdoor smoke break.
“So, Dazai. Would you like my gift now?”
“Oh my, a gift from Odasaku!” Dazai clapped his hands together eagerly as Odasaku produced another wrapped gift.
Dazai tore through the paper and…
“Whoa.” Dazai breathed out.
It was a wooden chess set, and it looked quite expensive.
Dazai ran his fingers over the box, feeling the quality. Despite it being an expensive wood, there were several nicks that pointed to this set being an antique.
“I thought maybe we could put it in the Bar Lupin, for whenever the mood strikes us for a match.”
Dazai felt his throat close up again with the unknown feeling. He loved the cat he received earlier, but this chess set was something more personal, something that defined Dazai on a deeper level. Only someone like Odasaku could’ve gotten a gift this perfect.
Ango pushed his glasses up with a finger. “Well, now you’ve upstaged me, Odasaku.”
He lightly dropped a small box into Dazai’s lap. Peering down at it, Dazai realized it was a small jewelry box. He fumbled with the clasp for a moment before opening it.
Inside, a gold watch lay primly on top of a velvet fabric. He picked it up gently, letting it glisten in the light. It was exactly the type of present Dazai would expect Ango to give. He laughed, causing Ango to readjust his glasses nervously
“Wh—what’s so funny, Dazai?” Ango asked.
“It’s just that it’s such a you gift, Ango. But it’s nice, I like it. Thank you, Ango, and you too, Odasaku.”
Dazai didn’t trust himself to say any more. Usually, he could control his emotions and stop the flood from breaking through, but today was just full of surprises for him.
Suddenly, a voice called out from upstairs, breaking the moment.
“Hey shit—er I mean, crappy Dazai! Birthday boy! Ready to get your ass handed to you in Mario Kart!”
Dazai rolled his eyes. He gave one last small smile to his friends, then bounded upstairs towards the waiting kids and Chuuya.
“Wow, Chuuya’s so impatient! Also, ass is still a swear word. Chuuya needs to wash his mouth out with soap.”
“Haaah?”
And with that, Dazai spent the rest of the evening battling in Mario Kart, winning despite all of Chuuya’s efforts to stop him.
By the time the party wrapped up, the sun was setting, and Ango departed after a quick goodbye. Odasaku had to deal with five kids hyped up on sugary cake, so that left Dazai and Chuuya alone in the parking lot.
“Well Mackerel, ready for your last surprise?”
Chuuya smoothly mounted his bike and patted the seat behind him with a mocking grin on his face.
Dazai shook his head. “No way. I am not getting on that death trap!”
“Oh, you're such a baby. Hop on, I’ll take you to my place.” Chuuya retorted.
In the end, Dazai did get on the bike, but he spent most of the ride clinging to Chuuya’s back like a baby koala.
Finally, Chuuya slowed down and announced, “We’re here.”
Dazai was woozy as he made the walk to the elevator with Chuuya. He closed his eyes on the ride up to the penthouse (because of course Chuuya would buy the most obnoxious apartment) and didn’t open them until he was safely in Chuuya’s apartment.
“Wait here for a second.”
Chuuya disappeared into one of his rooms, and Dazai collapsed on the couch.
Today had been nothing like Dazai had planned. He had expected to sleep until late evening before getting up to drink with Ango and Odasaku. Then, he would fall back into an alcohol-induced sleep until Chuuya woke him up the next morning by spamming his phone. Instead, these crazy people had cared about him enough to remember his birthday and plan a whole party, even when he himself had forgotten.
Dazai felt a warm feeling enter his chest, and a smile threatened to break free on his face.
“What’re you grinning at, idiot?”
Chuuya plopped down next to Dazai on the couch, one hand behind his back.
Dazai pulled his expression back to neutral, “Just about the thought of throwing myself off this building, but I wouldn’t want to land on some poor lady on an evening walk.”
He turned to Chuuya, expecting him to groan and roll his eyes. Instead, he was met with a rare sight, Chuuya biting his lip and avoiding eye contact.
Unsure of how to proceed, Dazai sat in awkward silence, his silver tongue tangled for once.
“So uh, I wasn’t sure what to get you, but—,” a faint blush arose on Chuuya’s cheeks, and he shoved a small bag into Dazai’s hands. “Happy Birthday asshole.”
Peering inside the bag, Dazai saw something small and blue.
A…necklace?
“I know it’s probably stupid, and you’ll probably never wear it, but I liked the choker you got me, and wanted to settle the debt.” Chuuya rambled, but Dazai wasn’t paying attention.
He held the jewel up to the light, staring through it. As far as he could tell, it seemed to be an opal, a turquoise one at that.
Dazai turned to Chuuya, who was still rambling on.
“Hey, Chuuya?”
Dazai leaned forward right as Chuuya turned, touching his lips to Chuuya’s lightly. He pulled away, smiling at the necklace in his hand.
“Thank you.”
After a couple of minutes, Dazai realized that Chuuya had been silent. A quick look told him that the other boy had gone into shock. His mouth was open, and his gaze was locked solely on Dazai.
“Did the Chibi malfunction?”
Chuuya snapped his jaw shut with an audible click, then looked away, blushing.
“Shut up, shitty Dazai.”
Dazai laughed, a carefree laugh that seemed to lighten his body. Maybe his wish would come true after all.
“I call your bed, Chuuya!” Dazai leapt off the couch and dashed towards Chuuya’s bedroom. He heard Chuuya yell out, ‘Hey!’, but he ignored him.
Dazai landed on Chuuya’s king-sized bed and buried his head into the pillow. Chuuya came in scolding him, but he ended up running his fingers through Dazai’s hair, causing Dazai to sigh in contentment. His wish from earlier reentered his mind, and in that moment, Dazai truly hoped it would come true.
I wish that all my friends would be there for my birthday next year.