Shark (Dazai X reader)

(C. 4) Rumor

Atsushi was deep in thought as he walked home to his apartment. It had been a week since they had met Dazai's wife, and Atsushi still had a lot more questions than answers. His superior had never mentioned being married before, but no one really found that odd. He was very secretive about his life, after all, and finding out their coworker was married to a current Mafia executive would have made guessing his old occupation, an office secret, a lot easier.

No one at the Agency had crossed paths with Y/n since the day they had all had lunch together, but Dazai at least mentioned her on occasion now. It was never anything big, just excuses for why he was late to meetings or explaining what it was he was doing on his phone. One time, when he had come in without his trademarked jacket on, he had even revealed to them all that Y/n had practically wrestled it off him, claiming it needed to be washed.

Dazai had shared the story in the guise of annoyance, but there was a softness in his eyes all the while. It was clear to the Agency members that his lack of mentioning her was not a lack of care. That it was in fact anything but.

Drawn from his reveries by the sound of yelling, Atsushi picked up his pace, jogging to the source of the disturbance. As he rounded the corner, it was to see a man, maybe in his late twenties or early thirties, standing nearby what seemed to be a small girl in a black lolita style dress. Without a second thought, Atsushi ran up to the girl, putting himself between her and her aggressor as the golden sunset washed over them.

"Leave her alone!" he yelled to the man who simply laughed.

"Guess you're not all cracked up as your thought to be." he teased, clearly aiming his comment at the girl behind him.

"What..." Atsushi began to say, only to be cut off as the girl placed a hand on his shoulder.

It was a light touch, barley a tap, but Atsushi turned to her all the same.

"I'm alright, don't worry." she said and it suddenly hit him that she was not a little girl at all rather, that he had somehow found himself in the presence of the exact woman occupying his thoughts.

She pushed past him, her heels clicking gently on the cement of the sidewalk as she did.

"I told you," she said to the man, her voice firm, "I have no business with you, you should leave."

"And lose my chance to become the person who finally takes you out? Never."

A malicious grin spread across the man's face and Y/n sighed, throwing her head back in annoyance.

"I told you this happens a lot." she muttered to Atsushi, "You should head home, he wouldn't want you to see this."

Whether Y/n had meant Dazai, the man across from her, or some third unnamed party didn't matter. Atsushi was stuck still with surprise at having come across the girl. He watched curiously as she took a few more steps towards the man.

He was practically twice her size, but she didn't even flinch as she looked up at him. Suddenly, she began to laugh.

"What are you laughing at, little girl?" the man growled, readjusting his grip on the knife in his hand.

"I'm... I'm sorry, just... gimme a minute." she managed to get out, holding one hand to her mouth as she calmed herself down.

With a sigh and a tear wiped from her eye, she regained her composure.

"You really have no idea who I am, do you?" she asked, her voice silvery and soft as it had been when Atsushi first heard it only, it had an edge to it now. Something sharp in its hand.

"You are the Shark, are you not?"

"Yes, yes I am."

"Okay?"

"If you really knew anything about me, you would know not to mess with me."

Her intimidating aura was enough to make Atsushi shudder. The man took a stumbling step backwards, seeming to have felt it's effects as well. Y/n scoffed.

"Not so brave now, are you." she stated as she began to slowly approach the man, hands clasped behind her back.

With every step forward she took, he took one back. It took only about five feet of space to be crossed for him, trembling, to let his knife fall from his hand and take off running.

Y/n hummed in thought, watching him as he disappeared around the corner Atsushi had come from. It was a moment before she shifted her gaze to the silver haired boy.

"Sorry you had to see that." she said, walking over to him and seeming much less intimidating now that just a few seconds before.

"Who was that man?" he asked.

"I have no idea." she admitted, turning her gaze to the sunset behind him, "It's getting late, we should both be getting home."

"I..."

"What is it?"

"What are... how..."

Y/n smiled at him.

"A reputation has its pitfalls but also its advantages." she revealed.

"So the rumors about you are true?" he asked and it didn't escape her notice that he took the smallest step away from her as he did so.

"Depends on which ones you're talking about." she shrugged, "I mean, clearly I don't have rows of shark teeth hidden away in my mouth, not that that would make a very good weapon in a real fight anyways."

"What about the ones where you don't start fights?" he followed up, trying to remember the things his coworkers had said when they had first caught sight of her out the window.

"That one is true." she nodded, "Unless its an assignment at least."

"And the whole... not leaving anyone alive?"

"That.... That's an old one, I didn't know it was still circling around." she mused before giving Atsushi her answer, "I am one of the Port Mafia's top five executives, I wouldn't get anywhere in life if I let my enemies live... but I also wouldn't get anywhere if I killed every ruffian who started a fight with me in the middle of an empty street."

Atsushi was silent and Y/n examined his features carefully.

"You're struggling to put me in context with the man you know." she observed.

"How could you tell."

"I know things." she said, tapping her temple with her finger twice as she did, "Osamu was a very different person when we met. We were both very different people."

"That still doesn't really explain anything."

"Why don't you join us for dinner one night," Y/n offered, "I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Atsushi nodded after having considered the proposition.

"Yeah... yeah okay."

"I'll mention it to Osamu when I get home, he will set everything up." she said before turning around, "See you around, Atsushi." she called lazily over her shoulder as she walked off into the growing night.