Archive of Our Own ^beta

It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon. Dazai’s fiddling on his phone trying to beat his previous record on his Candy Crush app with one hand (he’s already completed all the levels available at least once but he’s looking to get higher scores and faster times), the other stroking Chuuya’s calf, a thumb brushing back and forth. Chuuya’s sprawled his legs across his lap, his head resting on the other end of the couch on the armrest, lazily perusing the Christmas catalog that Tachihara dropped on his desk yesterday. 

“You know, I was thinking about doing something different for Christmas this year,” Chuuya starts off without looking up from his magazine. 

“Oh? I hope you didn’t hurt yourself in the process, my chibikko,” Dazai chuckles teasingly, instinctively leaning back from the gentle kick Chuuya aims towards his stomach. 

“You know what? Forget it. We’ll do the same stale routine—lay in bed until three recovering from sex with the red fluffy handcuffs and the fucking penguin dildos, take a shower at four after we get one last round in, fight over the last dregs of crusty eggnog we left out overnight and watch a shitty Hallmark movie before “falling asleep” at nine. For more sex. Merry Christmas,” Chuuya scoffs, turning over the next page with a little more force than necessary.

“My my, someone’s in a bad mood,” Dazai stops his ministrations on Chuuya’s calf and gives it a gentle squeeze, dropping his phone to his lap. “Okay, you’ve got my attention now, chibi. What do you have in mind?”

Chuuya drops the magazine. “I wanna do something... special. Maybe we go to a new place. Think about it—this year is our five-year anniversary since we got back together. Five Christmases of the same thing and when we go back to work on Monday and I have to hear Tachihara grilling Akutagawa about where he took Atsushi to this time-” 

Dazai holds up a hand. “You made your point, Chuuya. Let’s do it. You have time off you’ve accumulated from Port Mafia, right? And I know even Kunikida’s not going to ask us to come in on Christmas. So let’s get away.” 

Chuuya blinks. “Wait, really?” 

“My adorable husband, you’ve never asked for much. If this is what makes you happy, then I’ll make it work. We’ll do this together. Sound good?”  

“Dazai…” Most days, okay, almost all the time, his husband is near insufferable with his incessant demands, pouting, jealousy, and absolutely no concept of personal space. But sometimes, only occasionally, he acts sweet in a way that steals the breath from Chuuya’s lungs and makes him fall in love all over again.

“Why don’t you let me pick the place and we’ll go from there? Using your credit card, of course.” Dazai’s amber eyes catch the afternoon rays streaming through the window and soften into a warm chocolate as he gazes at him, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, but the gentleness is unmistakable, a face he shows no one else. 

“That sounds lovely, Dazai,” Chuuya breathes. Dazai shifts and crawls his way up towards Chuuya, maintaining eye contact the entire time, and Chuuya closes his eyes expectantly, letting the catalog fall to the floor. 

Sometime later, when Chuuya decides it’s time to get up and eat, he wiggles his legs from underneath the slumbering log that’s unceremoniously draped itself all over him near smothering his small frame, arms grabbing at his waist. He’d rather stay here but his stomach continues to remind him it’s hungry and would like nourishment yesterday, please. 

“I’m just getting some food, Dazai, I’ll be back soon,” Chuuya laughs. There’s some muffled grumbling but Chuuya’s pretty sure he can make out a “want some too” in there. 

He scratches at the back of his head and looks at the ground, noticing something from the corner of the eye. Oh right, the catalog. 

He stoops to pick it up and lets his eyes wander over the page, scanning through the ads for an espresso machine (his is three models past the one currently being advertised), some house slippers, a vacuum cleaner, when something interesting catches his attention.

Onesies. More specifically, Christmas deer onesies. 

It’s definitely one of the most unusual things Chuuya’s ever seen but it looks...really warm. A little tacky, but definitely fluffy. Absolutely perfect for a winter vacation.

He smiles, an idea hatching in his head, and sets the catalog down on the table before turning to the fridge to scourge for some leftovers. Finding none, he picks up the phone to order Chinese.

Chuuya mail-orders the onesies and makes sure Dazai doesn’t get a single peek at them, hoping to surprise him with them Christmas Eve. It’s not that hard considering Dazai’s not the one doing the cleaning, and he does his best to act nonchalant when the topic of presents comes up. He knows Dazai’s will likely involve a brand of wine even Chuuya’s never heard of and he managed to find silk bandages (highly suspecting they may end up being used in the bedroom more than on Dazai’s actual body) but he never once mentions the onesies.

The remaining few work weeks before Christmas pass by in a blur- the two don’t see each other much except at night when he feels a chest pressed against his back, an arm wrapped around his waist. He’ll smile and snuggle deeper, but they haven’t had a proper conversation in a long, long time. 

But finally, finally the morning of Christmas Eve arrives, both free from work, and Dazai’s the first one up surprisingly, peppering kisses on Chuuya’s neck before nuzzling the crook. 

“I picked out the place allll by myself, Chuuuya~” Dazai preens. “I just know you’ll love it so hurry up, sleepyhead.” 

“Five more minutes, mackerel,” Chuuya groans. “Our mission lasted too late and I’m tired.” 

“You can sleep in the car—it’s a few hours’ drive away. I already packed everything for you—all our sleepwear (of course we’ll most likely barely wear anything at all )-” a kiss pressed on his forehead- “other outfits, travel toiletries and you wanted something new -” another kiss, this time on his cheek- “right? So are you ready?” 

“Just make me some coffee, please? And t-thank you for driving,” Chuuya stutters as Dazai leans in a hair’s breadth away from his lips before pressing them against his. 

“Time to go!” Dazai pulls back and throws the covers off from Chuuya. “I’ll be in the car and we’re leaving in five minutes~”

“It’s fucking cold, Dazai-” 

“Four minutes and fifty-seven seconds,” Dazai singsongs.  

“FUCK YOU, DAZAI!” Chuuya leaps out of bed and nearly trips on his socks slipping against the hardwood floor. Dazai’s laughter rings in the air as he walks out of the room.

He runs to the bathroom and quickly brushes his teeth, splashes water on his face. “Shit, shit, shit,” he curses. 

He dashes back to the bedroom and yanks off his nightclothes, pulls on the first pair of jeans he sees stashed in the corner and one of Dazai’s shirts. He’s sure he’ll get flak for it later but it’s better than being left behind on Christmas Eve on a vacation that he wanted in the first place.

He slings his backpack on his shoulder, thankful he’d already remembered to put the onesies inside and slips on his winter boots, running to the garage. 

“I’m here, Dazai!” He calls out, popping open the car door and sitting down, putting the backpack down by his feet. “Okay, I don’t know how fast I was, but I made it at this godforsaken early hour, and-” 

“Aww, chibi, you actually rushed over here, that’s so cute,” Dazai croons. He looks so well put-together with the red scarf that Chuuya got for him last winter wrapped around his neck and a leather jacket draped on his shoulders. How does he manage to look this good this early in the morning?

He leans over and cups Chuuya’s cheek. “You know I wasn’t actually going to leave you, right? I’d wait here even an eternity if that’s what it took. But still, thank you for hurrying. It’s sweet.” 

“You didn’t leave me much of a choice,” Chuuya gripes.

Dazai takes his scarf off and wraps it around Chuuya’s neck. “You look cold. There’s coffee in the cup holder and if you open up the glove compartment, you’ll find a sandwich. I know you didn’t grab your jacket so I left it in the back seat. Just eat and sleep, okay?” 

It’s times like these where Chuuya’s so happy he married the right person, one who’s actually thoughtful and sweet. When he wants to be.

The next time Chuuya becomes aware of his surroundings, he sees snow surrounding both sides of the road. White, pristine, sparkling snow as if it had been newly laid down. It glistens in the sunlight, near blinding him with its beauty. 

“Oh, you’re awake now, my chibi?” Chuuya turns to him and smiles, in a much better mood than earlier this morning. 

“Finally,” Chuuya chuckles, sitting up in the seat and rubbing at his eyes. “How far are we?” 

“Another ten or fifteen minutes away.” 

“Are you tired? Do you want me to take over driving?” He can’t even imagine how exhausted Dazai must be from driving non-stop and feels a little guilty he left him to do this all by himself when Dazai doesn’t even have much experience driving long-distance.

“I can handle it but thank you for the offer.” Without taking his eyes off the road Dazai reaches over and ruffles his hair.

“Where are we going again?”    

Dazai ruffles a hand in his hair. “We’re almost there , chibi, why ruin the surprise when we’re so close? Why don’t you turn on the radio to distract yourself from wondering?” 

Chuuya hits the power button and changes the station to Japanese rock.

“No Christmas carols?” Chuuya doesn’t even have to look at him to know there’s a smirk playing on the corner of his lips. 

“I don’t think I can stand ‘Silent Night’ at 11 AM,” Chuuya grumbles. 

They get through a couple songs before Dazai calls out, “We’re heeere~!” as he pulls into the parking lot of a small complex, cozy-looking cabins lined up in a row. “Welcome to Tokoyama, a highly-ranked couples’ winter destination!”

“Huh, never heard of that one.” Chuuya racks his brain but the name’s definitely never come up on his missions.

“Kouyou recommended it to me—apparently she takes Yosano up here for Valentines’ Day. She pulled a few strings and helped me get a cabin here for the next few days.” Dazai finds a spot and parks the car.

“Thought that you would have gone for the biggest most expensive secluded cabin out there,” Chuuya comments. “Especially because you paid for it using my money.” 

“Oh, don’t worry, I made sure she got us one with soundproofed walls.” Chuuya’s mouth drops open as Dazai shuts off the engine. “Can you wait here and unload the suitcases? I’m going to get us checked in.” 

He closes his mouth and shakes his head. “Uh, sure.” 

“Be right back, love.” Dazai presses a quick kiss on his cheek and pops open his car door, walking briskly to a smaller building away from the line of cabins. 

Chuuya yawns and stretches his arms over his head. He’s definitely feeling a bit sore from the long drive, but the car is so warm. Still, the sooner he hops outside and gets the suitcases ready, the sooner he and Dazai can start their Christmas getaway. With the soundproof walls. 

He pushes open the car door handle and immediately winces at the cold air rushing inside. Brrr.

Backpack in hand, he heads to the back seat. True to Dazai’s word, the jacket’s there, along with Chuuya’s black gloves. Seems he really did think of everything this time around. 

Chuckling, he pulls on the jacket and the gloves, then closes the door and walks to the trunk while slinging the backpack over his shoulder. Two identical suitcases are laying on the floor and he uses his Ability to float them down to the ground.

He rolls the suitcases (as best he can given the snow) to the front of the car and shoves his hands in his pockets, looking up at the sky. It’s a bright blue, not a single cloud in sight. If not for the biting cold and snow everywhere one could easily confuse the day for the summer.

“It certainly is a beautiful day for our vacation, isn’t it, chibi?” Chuuya looks down to see Dazai smiling at him, dangling the keys in front of his face. 

“Shall we go inside?” Dazai leans towards him and presses a kiss on his cheek. He reaches behind him to get a suitcase and starts walking. 

“H-hey, wait up!” Chuuya protests but Dazai merely laughs. Grumbling, he grabs the handle on the other suitcase and starts walking quickly trying to match the pace set by the mackerel’s annoyingly long legs, the suitcase dragging behind him. 

He does manage to catch up and they walk side by side, Dazai humming some tune that Chuuya eventually recognizes as his suicide song. It’s nice to see him in such a good mood- he must have been looking forward to this more than Chuuya had thought. 

“Ah, I forgot to ask you earlier—what’s the backpack for?” Dazai inquires.

“You’ll find out later tonight,” Chuuya replies mysteriously.

“But I wanna know nowww~” Dazai whines.

“You made me wait this long to tell me where you’re taking me so you can afford to wait a few hours for this,” Chuuya counters.

“Fair enough,” Dazai remarks. After a bit, they detour off the main path and walk down a small stone path leading up to a red door labeled “15” to one of the cabins. “We’re here!” Dazai chirps. “Want to do the honors of opening the door?” 

“I guess so—let’s see what Ane-san picked out for us with these ‘soundproofed walls.’” Chuuya takes the keys Dazai offers and slides the key in the lock, turning it.

He opens the door slowly and finds himself pleasantly surprised—while the cabin isn’t the largest accommodation he’s stayed in before, it’s nice. The walls are cast a warm orange glow by the fire blazing in the fireplace against the wall—must be artificial, Chuuya notes. There’s a kitchen to his left and a living room with some black couches and a wooden coffee table facing the fireplace, a stack of folded blankets neatly stacked on the armrest of one of the couches. A red fuzzy rug takes up most of the floorspace.  

“Chibis first,” Dazai gallantly offers. Chuuya rolls his eyes and rolls his suitcase behind him inside the cabin, setting it the kitchen before taking his shoes off. Dazai follows suit, wiping his shoes on the doormat and taking them off.

“So? Do you like it?” Dazai’s tone is level but Chuuya knows him well-enough to see the excitement gleaming in the depths of his eyes, hidden but not to him.

“I love it, Dazai. You chose well.” Chuuya stands on his tiptoes to press a kiss on his cheek, earning him a genuine smile.

“I’m so glad,” Dazai murmurs. “I had a feeling you would, of course. I never choose wrong,” he arrogantly pronounces.

“Don’t spoil the mood, asshole.” Chuuya wraps his arms around the mackerel, nuzzling his chest. Dazai brings a hand up to tangle in his locks, another arm wrapping around his back. They stay embracing each other for some time before Chuuya becomes aware of a growing sensation he’d been avoiding for a while.

“I don’t know about you, Dazai, but I gotta pee,” he confesses. “Where’s the bathroom?”

Dazai laughs. “Ah, even the great wielder of a god has human needs—how refreshing.” He lets go and points to a doorway next to the fireplace. “Through there is our bedroom and on the right side is the bathroom. You go and I’ll start getting us set up in here, okay?”

“Thanks. I’ll be right back—no peeking in the backpack, okay?” Chuuya warns. “Please?”

“I promise I won’t look,” Dazai declares. “Now go!”

Chuuya needs no further motivation and drops the backpack, pulling his jacket off and letting it fall down. He rushes through the door and to the right as Dazai had instructed. He’ll check out the bedroom later—he thinks he saw a nice king-sized bed just as they had at home—but priorities first.

The bathroom is small but cozy with a bathtub that looks like a slight inconvenience to step into—he’s sure Dazai won’t miss the opportunity to tease him about it—and the toilet tucked into the corner.

He relieves himself and washes his hands in the sink, taking a minute to look at himself in the mirror. His blue eyes stand out against the light pink dusting his cheeks—he looks happier than he has in a while. He’s absolutely going to enjoy this vacation with the one he loves and make memories of a lifetime while he’s here—he’s sure of it!

Once he’s wiped his hands on the towels, he goes back to the bedroom where Dazai’s stretched himself out on the bed, legs crossed and arms folded behind him. The suitcases are in the corner of the room.

“Ah, you’re back,” Dazai comments. “Feel better?”

“Very,” Chuuya replies. “The bathroom is pretty nice too so I’m glad. Maybe we can take a bubble bath or something later. Do you wanna go too?”

“I’m okay for now,” Dazai answers. He pats the space next to him. “Come here.”

Chuuya’s more than happy to comply, approaching the bed and crawling up to Dazai. He rests his head on Dazai’s chest and Dazai starts stroking his hair, just as Chuuya likes it, his other hand tracing random patterns on Chuuya’s leg.

“Seriously, Dazai, thank you for doing this for me.” Chuuya feels compelled to say. “This cabin is lovely, and I really appreciate how far you went to fulfill my request. I’ll make it up to you soon, okay?”

Dazai continues carding through Chuuya’s strands methodically, his long fingers tingling his scalp. “Chibi, it was no trouble at all. And if it meant this much to you, I would move heaven and earth. So what do you want to do for the rest of the day? We can stay in here and watch movies, go outside to do some skiing and shopping, or even an off-road Jeep tour through the mountains.” He points out the glass doors leading to a balcony to the large red mountains

“Off-road Jeep tour?” Chuuya echoes. “That sounds interesting—didn’t think you’d be up to it.”

“I wanted to give you the full experience of going to a new place, my love. Even if it meant going outside of my comfort zone a little.” Dazai’s surprisingly thoughtful when it counts—one of the many things Chuuya loves about him.

“Well, we just came from a long drive, so I think I would appreciate moving around a little before we call it a day. Maybe we can go on that off-road trip tomorrow,” Chuuya decides. “How about we take a shower to warm ourselves up and head out for some lunch?” He tilts slightly up to see Dazai’s face.

Dazai nods. “Good plan, chibi.” He stops his ministrations in Chuuya’s hair and loops that arm around Chuuya’s back, reaching over to tuck the other one under Chuuya’s legs.

“What are you—" Dazai shifts off the bed and picks Chuuya up, clutching him close to his chest.

“Allow me this small pleasure, my princess,” he chuckles, as he carries Chuuya to the bathroom and shuts the door behind them with his foot.

They enjoy a long, long shower, hands roaming and lingering kisses under the steam of the hot water. The rest of the day passes in a blur—they enjoy a delicious lunch of soups and sandwiches (Dazai making sure to take “proper care” of Chuuya’s soup mustache by wiping it off with his thumb and Chuuya stealing Dazai’s bread while he’s busy doing that) and true to Dazai’s word, the small town that’s close to the cabin is filled with small shops selling unique trinkets. Chuuya buys Dazai a colorful poncho and Dazai gets him a scarf.

It’s the most carefree Chuuya’s been in a while, absolving himself of his duties as an Executive and enjoying the feeling of that constant weight on his shoulders being lifted. Dazai acts as the perfect husband (mostly), holding the door open for him and linking hands with him every chance he gets. In Yokohama they aren’t allowed this pleasure for fear of sending their enemies the wrong message and potentially exploiting their relationship as a point of weakness, but here, far removed from everyone, they’re free to be a normal couple away from any prying eyes.

They enjoy sightseeing and don’t get back to their cabin until later that evening after they’ve eaten dinner.

“That was a lovely day out, Dazai,” Chuuya remarks as they enter. “I had a great time.”

“I’m glad, my sweet,” Dazai ruffles his hair before helping Chuuya out of his jacket. “How about we plop on the couch and give each other our presents? I’m so curious to know what’s in the backpack!”

“That time already?” Chuuya laughs. “Fine, I suppose that’s the least I can do to thank you for the day.”

They change into pajamas and curl up together under the blankets, Dazai with a predictable rectangular box and Chuuya with the backpack next to him and a small square box on his lap.

“Let’s get started!” Dazai hands him the rectangular box and Chuuya gives him his box, one hand on the backpack.

“Let’s open these first and then I’ll show you what’s in the backpack, okay?” Chuuya wants to keep the surprise hidden just a little longer, just in case Dazai’s not amenable to his gift.

“Fiiine, but you have to show me soon!” Dazai pulls off the red ribbon on his box and takes off the top.

“White…silk?” He questions as he picks up the strands, holding them in front of his face

“Silk you can use for your bandages,” Chuuya confirms. “I thought you might be bored of using the same scratchy cotton you’ve been using for years, so I wanted to change things up.”

“Hmm…” Dazai tilts his head, running his fingers down the silk. “That’s true…but I think I can use these a different way—on you instead.”

“Called it,” Chuuya snickers.

“Hurry up and open yours!” Dazai whines. Chuuya pulls off the purple ribbon and pops off the top but instead of a wine bottle, he’s greeted with the sight of ties.

“Oh!” Chuuya exclaims, looking at Dazai. “That was certainly unexpected.”

“These aren’t just any ties,” Dazai brags. “These ones will never get dirty no matter how much gets on them, they’re flame-resistant, and they smell like lavender! I know you were always complaining about how every time you went for a business meeting for Port Mafia your ties would end up destroyed so I took the trouble to find this alternative.”

“That’s very considerate of you, thank you, Dazai,” Chuuya praises. “I’ll certainly use them in the future.”

“Yes, yes, now what’s in the backpack!” Dazai impatiently exclaims.

“Guess it’s time, huh.” Chuuya turns away to unzip the large pocket, feeling for the plastic bag instead.

He pulls it out and puts it on his lap. “I got this present for both of us—and I don’t want you to laugh, okay? It’s by the highly respected Lans company that provides only quality products, and I thought it would be a nice addition to our vacation—” 

“Just open it!” Dazai screeches.

“Here goes.” Chuuya opens the bag and pulls out the onesies. He stands up and takes one of them, unfurling it and pressing it against his body.

“Ta dah,” he says softly. “Christmas deer onesies.”

Dazai blinks at him. Once, twice, then chuckles, his shoulders shaking as it becomes a full-blown laugh.

“Christmas deer onesies?” He giggles. “My god, chibi, of all the things you could have surprised me with, this has to be one of the most amusing! I must say they look quite warm. Give it here,” he gestures, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

“You like it?” Chuuya skeptically questions. He was hoping for this reaction as the best possible outcome, but he knows his husband can lie when he wants to.

“Like them? I think this just made this Christmas the best one yet!” Dazai smiles broadly. “It’s absolutely perfect to create more perfect memories with you, my love, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“I’m so glad, Dazai,” Chuuya sighs, relieved. He gives Dazai the one he’s holding and picks up his own folded one, unzipping it and slipping his feet inside. Dazai stands up and mirrors his actions, both of them helping zip up the other.

They settle back down on the couch, Chuuya resting his head on Dazai’s shoulder.

“Mmm, warm. Christmas deer onesies,” Dazai says in wonder. “They even come with pockets.”

“And a hood,” Chuuya chimes in. “With horns.”

“Well this certainly gives ‘doggy style’ a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?” Chuuya lifts his head and playfully smacks his shoulder.

“When is your mind not in the gutter?” He chides but the merriment must be apparent in his expression for Dazai merely grins.

“Now, now, let’s just say you…reined me in.” Dazai’s gaze turns soft and he leans in, closing his eyes.

Chuuya closes his as well as he leans forward. "Merry Christmas, Dazai."