"It's a gamble," she warns him, but she's already leaning up slightly to meet him halfway.
"We will either heal together," he concludes, mouth already pressed to hers, "or we will both be destroyed."
And, together, they fall.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Odasaku-kun," Dazai greets, blinking slowly to animatedly illustrate his surprise at seeing Oda at their favored bar.
Oda thinks the reaction is entirely too dramatic and absolutely unwarranted for considering it's Dazai who has been absent for a considerable amount of time from Lupin's Bar.
But he doesn't voice this, only nodding in acknowledgment before taking up his usual seat at the counter and asking for whatever beverage he can think of off the top of his head. After all, there is an unspoken rule among the three of them to not pry if it is undesired by the other party.
Dazai doesn't offer the reason for his absence and Oda doesn't ask. The latter is aware of the difference in their rankings within the Mafia and how seniority comes with more secretive missions that aren't always open for discussion purposes.
"I've finally gotten a bit of free time," Dazai comments, stretching his arms over his head and leaning back precariously. "Poor Nightshade is stuck babysitting Chuuya on an errand, but at least I'll get to rest tonight."
The nickname grabs his attention, drawing his gaze away from the amber liquid rippling in his glass to the boy next to him as he chatters about something else.
Nightshade, Oda ponders. He knows who Dazai is referring to-- the boy has managed to popularize the nickname almost as much as (Surname)'s other title: The Devil's Apprentice.
The pair are a favorite topic of debate within the organisation after all. In the Mafia, nothing remains secret for long, and Dazai and (Surname) hadn't even been trying from what Oda has managed to gather.
There are several who think they're both being the foolish children they are and that they will regret it because such indulgence is avoided in their world for a reason and that reason is inevitable weakness.
Oda doesn't really have an opinion. It's not his place to be judging their choices and it's really none of his business. He has other things to worry about.
Besides, the pros and cons of such intimacy that are often points of debate are probably inapplicable to people as proficient in the art of lethality as the Prodigy and the Apprentice.
"Odaaaaa," Dazai draws out, waving his hand in the elder man's face as the latter blinks back to attention, realising he has been thoroughly ignoring his companion. "What's gotten you so lost?"
The elder shakes his head before resting it against his fist, leaning on the counter. "Another long day is all," Oda says, and Dazai pouts as he sits back.
"What errands did you have to run today?" the dark haired boy asks. Raising his fingers to begin counting down, Oda lists his to-do list for the day while Dazai watches with an increasingly animated look on his face that eventually ends with a strange exclamation of awe that has Oda blinking in vague confusion.
