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Post by Behax on May 3, 2020 14:00:02 GMT
Chuuya was too highly strung to nap in the car, besides he had a job to do, and he couldn’t do it if he was asleep. While Dazai napped, Chuuya familiarised himself with what few contacts were in his phone, as well as doubt checking it was on vibrate only.
He had to fight himself to not shove Dazau off when the man slumped over to rest against him. Chuuya settled for carefully, but firmly righting the man.
Chuuya was at least relieved to find Dazai’s peculiar eating habits didn’t manifest in public. Either he was selfconcous about it, or knew that it was rude. Chuuya didn’t know which one he thought was more or less likely.
The food itself was ridiculously expensive, to the point where Chuuya felt weird ordering anything. He did of course, partly so he didn’t appear rude himself, and also so he didn’t end up working on an empty stomach. He only drank water and coffee with his meal.
The assumption that he was bored wasn’t far off either. The man Dazai was talking to was clearly out of his depth, but that wasn’t the worst part. No the worst part, was he just had one of those voices. If Chuuya had ever attended school, he might have been reminded of an elderly maths or history teacher who both looked and sounded like they were well past retirement, and who only got excited about stamps. He was glad to be out in the fresh air again.
His ears perked up when Dazai called his name and warned him about a sniper. The one thing Dazai hadn’t had to teach Chuuya was the art of looking somewhere, without signalling that you were looking. He barely had to turn his head, to get the direction Dazai meant in his peripheral.
Bullets could be a bit tricky, but Chuuya had had lots of practice with being shot at. The bullet stopped about 5 inches from Chuuya’s person, and almost as quickly as it had come Chuuya kicked it right back along its own trajectory using his ability to increase its weight and velocity. If the sniper had remained in place after firing the round (most snipers would because they needed to confirm the kill), then they were likely a deadman.
“Anything else I should be concerned about?”
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Post by quinnlocke on May 5, 2020 17:57:35 GMT
Chuuya was absolutely amazing. He'd heard rumors of what he was like in action but to see it first hand. His movements were fluid, as though he didn't even need to think about that what he was doing.
And then the smirk and the confidence that came with his next question. Dazai wanted to see more of that Chuuya. The confident Chuuya who knew he was damn near untouchable.
Dazai grinned, oh he couldn't wait to see what Chuuya would become with a bit more grooming.
"Are you actually bulletproof?" He asked once they were in the car. "Is it instinct? Is your gravity constant or do you change it? Is it like breathing?"
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Post by Behax on May 5, 2020 22:45:58 GMT
After the sniper Chuuya was a little more tense, and a little more alert. Not that he hadn’t already been paying attention, but now he was actively expecting there might be a follow up attempt. Dazai might have even been able to feel the heavy air Chuuya occupied as he kept his ability active just below the surface. He didn’t even really relax once they were in the car.
Chuuya raised an eyebrow at the sudden questions, he wasn’t used to it.
“I’m basically bullet proof if my ability is active, and I guess it's instinctual on some level. I did need to actually think about catching the bullet, mostly because it moves faster than I can see it, but being told to expect it helped.” He paused. “Yes I can change my own gravity but I don’t need to…..” He didn’t know how to answer that last part, because he’d never really thought about it that way.
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Post by quinnlocke on May 7, 2020 23:03:55 GMT
The next two days passed with little incident. Dazai attended board meetings with Chuuya looming in the corner. One or two members of the board (the legitimate one) bristled at the idea of a stranger having access to the whole of the building.
Their worries were quickly silenced once Dazai implied that they had something to hide and perhaps Chuuya should be searching their offices.
Though Dazai did make a memo to Chuuya to investigate their offices after hours, though he returned with little evidence other than proof that Hiro was in debt due to an online gambling addiction and Toshi was gay and chatting with an American during business hours.
Dazai pounded on Chuuya's door at 5 in the morning three days after the bullet incident. "wake up chibi-chan!"
He gave the rumpled Chuuya a beaming smile. "We're going on a road trip!"
Four hour drive from Yokohama up the coast to Sendai. One of Dazai's pocket groups was reporting issues with some local criminal organizations looking to push them out of Miyagi.
He could easily fly by private jet, but after Rimbaud and the sniper he was on edge and unwilling to put his safety in someone's hand other than Chuuya's.
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Post by Behax on May 7, 2020 23:41:32 GMT
It was a little weird. Standing there off in a corner behind Dazai as he conducted meetings. There to put the frighteners on the people in Dazai’s employ. The board meetings for Chuuya were largely boring, but he passed the time by memorising people’s names and appearances. Picking out key details about the way they looked, so he’d be able to pick them out if he ever saw them elsewhere. He’d entertain himself by trying to work out bits of their personality based on how they dressed, and their mannerisms.
Investigating the offices of Dazai’s members of the board had been interesting, but not too exciting. A gambling habit, and a closet gay. It at least gave Dazai heavy blackmail material. Not least because Chuuya was sure he’d seen a wedding ring on Toshi’s finger.
--
“Huh!?” He was more than frustrated at being rudely awoken. (He didn’t complain, his contract did say he was on call 24/7.) But it wasn’t far off from when he usually got up anyway at least, the really frustrating part had been the sudden road trip. The smile was the worst part, that was far too much for that early in the morning. He’d responded by shutting the door in Dazai’s face.
He’d reappeared 20 minutes later, fully dressed and ready to go.
It was going to be a long drive. It was fortunate for Dazai that Chuuya did in fact know how to drive… Though Dazai did have to provide him with a fake licence. It was scary how authentic it looked. In fact Chuuya was convinced (though he didn’t say it) that Dazai must have had someone at the National Police Agency, or even the local Public Safety Commission forge it for him. Chuuya was at least a competent enough driver just from observing others, that he was unlikely to attract unwanted attention anyway.
It was a 4 hour drive up the coast, but not even an hour into the journey and Chuuya was getting a bad feeling about the car. Something wasn’t right. The breaks weren’t as responsive as he’d like, while the accelerator was too responsive, and the steering was too stiff, so was the gear change.
When they just passed the 2 hour mark Chuuya made a judgment call. He did not like this car.
“Google, redirect me to the nearest hotel.”
“Finding alternate route.”
Google found them a place just off the road as they were passing through Ibaraki.
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Post by quinnlocke on May 8, 2020 23:45:12 GMT
Dazai enjoyed road trips simply for the benefit of being able to take a nap.
Cars, truth be told, felt safest to him out of anywhere else. The ones he drove in were bulletproof, he only used competent drivers, and once out of the city there were so few others on the road he was able to relax... except that Chuuya was a terrible driver.
His braking was jumpy, his acceleration too quick; he was begining to think they'd be better off with him driving and he was a terror behind the wheel.
Once they got onto a major highway things smoothed out and Dazai decided it was just Chuuya being nervous with city driving. He laid down in the back and let himself nod off for the rest of the trip.
Google, driect me to the nearest hotel
Google do what now???
Dazai sat up so fast he smacked his head into the roof. "What are you doing?"
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Post by Behax on May 9, 2020 9:58:21 GMT
Chuuya probably would have laughed at Dazai for smacking his head, if he wasn’t so concerned about the car. Dazai would be able to see his stern expression reflected in the rear-view mirror. He was also drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in a manner that suggested his stress levels were climbing high enough that he wanted a smoke. He was also driving a little under the speed limit, whereas until now he’d been maintaining something slightly above it (but not so much he’d get in trouble for it.)
“Finding us somewhere safe to pull over. I don’t like this car.”
He didn’t bother listing all the things wrong with the car right now, he was more concerned with getting them somewhere safe. He was also checking the rear-view mirror a lot, making sure they weren’t being tailed.
“Call Gin Akutagawa,” he instructed his phone when they were 15 minuets away from the nearest hotel and rest stop. Chuuya had never had a smartphone before, and it had taken him a little while to get used to, but damn he couldn’t complain about how convenient they were.
It took a moment but she answered, and was clearly a little confused that Chuuya was calling, considering he and Dazai had a long drive.
“Chuuya?”
“Gin. I need you to do something for me.”
Silence on the other end as she waited for Chuuya to continue. She could tell by his tone, this wasn’t a casual type of favour, it was something serious.
“I need you to get someone to check all of Dazai’s cars. Even the ones he uses infrequently. Check mine as well while you’re at it. Make sure you only get someone you trust to do it, and keep a close eye on them while they work.”
“Chuuya is something wrong?”
“Someone’s fucked with this car.”
Chuuya may not have learnt to drive conventionally, but he did know how to drive. He’d driven enough stolen cars to know what a car was meant to feel like. And this car felt wrong, and he didn’t want to drive it for a moment longer than he had to. It would only take a small incident to cause them to have a major accident. What concerned him more, was he knew how meticulously these cars were taken care of.
“I’m driving us to a rest stop. I’ll call again later.”
Then he hung up and waited for Dazai’s reaction. His fingers tightening on the steering wheel.
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Post by quinnlocke on May 9, 2020 22:05:10 GMT
Dazai was about to demand to know why Chuuya had let him pick the car if he didn't like it when he noticed the way he gripped the steering wheel.
He kept quiet, listening to Chuuya talk to Gin. Something in him cracked hearing Chuuya already taking charge and knowing the next step after what he'd discovered.
Dazai leaned forward and plucked the pack from Chuuya's jacket pocket where it lay on the front seat and careful not to distract him from the road he lit it. "I'm torching it as soon as we get a new one delivered so who cares if it smells lkke smoke already.
He leaned against the head rest of the passenger seat like a kid eager to be a part of the conversation in the front. "I picked this one on a whim. It's not even one of my favorites. Just one I prefer for..."
He let the rest of the sentence hand
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Post by Behax on May 9, 2020 23:02:20 GMT
Chuuya was just doing what his instincts told him to do. He doubted this was the only one of Dazai’s cars affected, only because it would be a pretty poor plan to only sabotage one car.
“Sorry…” He said with a sigh. “I probably should have explained it to you first, and asked what you wanted to do…I just thought it was best to act quickly.”
He noticed Dazai was doing something out of the corner of his eye, but didn’t take his attention off the road until he heard the flick of a lighter. He quickly glanced at Dazai to see he was holding a cigarette for him. Chuuya found himself a little surprised by that.
“Thanks,” he said, taking it, and immediately taking a deep puff.
Despite Dazai saying he was going to torch the car at the earliest opportunity, Chuuya still rolled down the window. He didn’t actually particularly like the smell of cigarette smoke himself, it was just the nicotine rush that put Chuuya at ease.
“We’re 10 minutes out from the nearest hotel, but I would prefer if you sat back, and made sure you have your seat belt on,” Chuuya phrased it as a preference rather than a demand because he didn’t want to get Dazai’s back up by telling him what to do. He hadn’t cared much earlier, but now...Now he knew the risk of an accident was higher.
After another 10 minutes or so Chuuya was turning into a service and rest stop. The hotel he parked outside of was a budget one. Once the car was stopped he had to take a deep breath before getting out. When he did get out he took a final long drag on his cigarette before stamping it out on the floor.
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Post by quinnlocke on May 9, 2020 23:25:36 GMT
"yes daddy," Dazai quipped, giggling at the pink in the tips of Chuuya's ears.
He watched the scenery with curiousity. It was quaint, with a sort of charm and he wasn't too bothered by the idea of staying in a low cost hotel.
There was a sort of giddy feeling at the idea of being away from everything. Of eating horrible junk food and watching bad movies that you dropped a few hundred yen to watch.
Once they'd pulled in he jumped out of the car and made his way to the hotel to check in and acquire lodgings.
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Post by Behax on May 9, 2020 23:36:27 GMT
“Yes daddy.”
Chuuya very pointedly kept his attention on the road for the short remainder of the journey. The blush had faded by the time he was out of the car.
While Dazai checked in, Chuuya removed all their belongings from the car, which admittedly wasn’t much, it was only going to be a day trip, 2 at the most from what Chuuya had understood. He made sure he left nothing in the car whatsoever. And then he popped the hood.
He didn’t know a lot about the inner workings of cars, but he knew enough to spot a few suspected points of tampering.
Chuuya was under the car when Dazai came back out with their room key. There were definite signs of sabotage and tampering, but they’d need an engineer to look at it properly. Chuuya slid out from under the car when he heard footsteps approaching him.
Mostly he’d just looked to prove to himself he hadn’t been losing his mind.
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Post by quinnlocke on May 9, 2020 23:43:11 GMT
"found the culprit?" Dazai asked, standing so casually it woikd have struck Chuuya as odd to see him acting so relaxed considering the car had been tampered with.
He listened as Chuuya explained what little he'd seen under the hood.
"We got lucky they had one room left with two beds. I told them we're waiting for marriage."
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Post by Behax on May 10, 2020 0:04:04 GMT
Chuuya blinked a little at how relaxed Dazai was. Considering the man’s general paranoia (though not completely unwarranted all things considered,) he would have thought Dazai would have been a bit more tense. Any small incident or accident could have been a catastrophe with them driving that car. Though in fairness any severe crash probably could have been avoided by Chuuya deploying his ability, assuming Dazai’s presence in the car didn’t negate him being able to affect its gravity.
He explained to Dazai how he’d noticed the breaks being unresponsive, the accelerator being too responsive, and the steering column and gearbox both being stiff. Explaining the true causes of what Dazai had previously assumed to be bad driving.
He further explained the car had clearly been tampered with, and showed signs of this. Though someone more experienced than him would have to take a look at it to know the full extent.
When he’d finished explaining things and it was Dazai’s turn, it took Chuuya a moment to catch up with what Dazai meant. Having a non-traditional upbringing on the streets, meant that come contextual clues took Chuuya a little longer to process.
“What the fuck Dazai!?”
His face turned a scarlet so deep, it almost matched his hair. He grabbed his own belonging's and stomped off towards the building, leaving Dazai to collect his own things from where he'd left them besides the car.
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Post by quinnlocke on May 11, 2020 2:52:23 GMT
Dazai couldn't help the fit of giggles that overtook him, shaking his body and making his belly ache. He was still wiping tears from his eyes when he made it to the hotel room door. A fresh wave of giggles came just from the look on Chuuya's face.
"Chibi is so easy to fluster," he said, opening the door and letting Chuuya in first to inspect. "I don't think I will ever grow bored of how your face reacts to your emotions."
He claimed the bed closest to the window, mostly for the benefit of being next to the cooling unit. Too many nights in hotel rooms that insisted on automatic machines trying to determine what temperature the room should be. No thank you, he would take care of that.
While Chuuya got himself settled Dazai skirted off to the bathroom to change out of his road clothes and into something a bit more relaxed.
He stepped out in dark wash jeans and a loose blue sweater that would probably be a dress on Chuuya it was so big.
Dazai pokes away at his phone, chattering to Chuuya about what take out options he'd found nearby. Most would deliver since neither of them were getting back in that car.
He tried to get Chuuya to express an opinion on food, only to be met with noncomittal shrugs.
"You have to have a favorite food Chibi."
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Post by Behax on May 11, 2020 13:12:57 GMT
Chuuya was not impressed, even less so that Dazai appeared to have gotten attached to that particular nickname.
Chuuya wasn’t too concerned about the room being a danger, though he did immediately draw the curtains. He wasn’t as paranoid as Dazai, but the car had made him just paranoid enough.
It was a couple of hours later that Gin called him back with a report. Every single car had been tampered with, bar one. The only car that had escaped was one that Dazai rarely used, Chuuya’s car had also been tampered with, as had his brand new bike, the first thing he’d bought with his absurd pay cheque. He almost crushed his phone when Gin told him. He assumed Dazai still intended to continue onto Sendai, so Chuuya asked Gin to source a new car from a trusted and reliable provider. He’d send her a message with their location later so the car could be delivered by morning. He asked her if she could drive it, or find someone else she trusted.
It was only after that, that Chuuya actually changed into something more comfortable. Loose leggings and a loose t-shirt. Dazai might notice that Chuuya didn’t remove the collar. He’d gotten used to wearing it, and actually found he prefered it to catching that cursed serial number occasionally in a mirror or reflection, even if it was only out the corner of his eye.
“I dunno, I guess I just mostly like sweet things?” Introducing him to high quality ice cream had been a mistake.
“Just get whatever you want that you aren't going to pick apart, I’m not fussy.” Growing up on the streets meant that he hadn’t had that luxury, and was used to eating a lot worse than what Dazai was listing off to him.
"And can you please stop calling me that?"
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