Disclaimer! I do not own Bungou Stray Dogs. The characters are owned by Kafka Asagiri and illustrated by Sango Harukawa. The only things I own are my storyline and OC's. I am not making money off of this story, nor do I plan to.
This story takes place sometime after season 3 of the anime. This can be seen as canon divergence as I do not follow the manga nor the light novels.
*Happy Valentine's Day folks!*
…...
The drive to Chuuya's apartment was awkward. He sat on one side of the car with his chin propped in his fist and watched the world pass by. Charlie sat on the other and rubbed at her throat. It was still sore. She held her satchel of clothes in her lap as the buildings passed, and they made their way closer and closer to Port Mafia Headquarters. She could even see the buildings in the distance as the car pulled out of traffic and up to the curb.
The car came to a stop outside a luxurious high-rise apartment building with glistening windows and a parking valet waiting out front. The sleek black vehicle dropped Chuuya and Charlie off by the front doors, and Chuuya led the way inside, nodding to the valet in greeting.
It was warm inside, a nice contrast to the cool spring air outside. Charlie quickly took a moment to shed her jumper and draped it over her arm as she followed Chuuya inside and towards the elevator. He pressed the top floor. So he was filthy rich, huh?
The ride up to the penthouse floor was silent. Charlie stared stubbornly at her shoes and fiddled with her jumper sleeve, which she had slung across her satchel. Chuuya was tapping out a lengthy text message on his phone to who she presumed was Mori. He yawned and adjusted his hat as the elevator dinged and opened its doors. The hallway was just as glamorous and elaborate as the rest of the apartment building, with plush patterned carpets and paintings lining the walls.
Chuuya led her down the hallway to a door that had a golden 745A stamped across the front. He pulled a set of keys and unlocked the door, holding open the solid oak so she could enter first. She quickly slipped off her shoes and into a pair of indoor slippers before taking in the apartment.
Inside was decorated in varying shades of blacks, grays, and reds. A spiral brass staircase with black floorboards sat in one corner, leading up to where she presumed bedrooms were. It was all very fancy and very expensive looking. Charlie felt extremely out of place.
The entire apartment was an open floor plan, with no walls and only changes in flooring to indicate the different rooms. Charlie was currently standing in the sitting room. It had black carpets and gorgeous wooden side tables, and a beautiful coffee table in the middle of the room. A sizable red U-shaped couch took up most of the space, with an entertainment system directly across from it. She took a moment to marvel at the sheer size of the television. It was much bigger than anything she ever wanted to buy, but it was impressive to simply look at it.
The rest of the room was just as sleek and expensive as the sitting room. A kitchen sat off in one corner with a dining table set with four chairs in the other. Charlie ran a finger along the table as she wandered the room. No dust. Chuuya likely had a cleaning crew, or he just took very, very good care of his things. She was starting to lean towards the latter option. He didn't seem like the type to trust a maid or butler. Part of her smiled at the thought of Chuuya cleaning this massive apartment by himself, but she figured it likely wouldn't be a problem with his ability.
Chuuya shut the door, and it locked automatically behind him. He shed his coat and hat on the coat rack and his shoes in the genkan. He then headed towards the stairs, Rimbaud trailing behind him.
"Follow me. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." He called to her, and she hurried to follow the shorter man. She peeked out the windows of the apartment and saw the view.
Oh, what a view.
A view she hated.
She hated being this high up. It made her nauseous, so she quickly looked away. But she had seen the sun setting and knew it was almost time to go to bed. At least it would be for an average person. But, unfortunately, she knew she likely wouldn't be going to bed any time soon. Not with this serial killer out and about. The stairs were long and winding, and once they made it to the top, Chuuya quickly led her down the hall, past several doors, and to the last door on the left. He opened the door and allowed her inside.
It was simple compared to the extravagance of the rest of the apartment. The walls were a light gray with a single window looking out on the city. However, there were curtains that could be drawn, which she was grateful for. The double bed sat in the center of the room, with the headboard against one wall and a set of nightstands on either side. It had crisp white sheets, and what looked like the softest pillows Charlie had ever seen. Part of her wanted to jump in bed right away, but the other part of her knew she had work to do.
Charlie set her bag down on the bed and turned back to the door, but Chuuya was gone. Peeking her head out, she spied the door directly across from her open and showed Chuuya rummaging through the dresser. He pulled out a pile of what looked like silk and crossed the hall to Charlie's bedroom. He thrust the pile of fabric into her hands, and she realized it was pajamas. Silk pajamas. Why would he have silk pajamas? Chuuya noticed her funny look and sighed, rubbing his gloved hands down his face.
"They were a gift. I noticed you didn't bring any night clothes with you and they've never been worn. Use them if you want. I'll be downstairs." He said and left her to her own devices.
She debated changing but ultimately decided to stay in her day clothes for a little longer and get started on her work. Luckily for her, she had written transcripts from her voice recorder, given it had been stolen and likely destroyed. Fortunately, her transcripts had been one of the only things not destroyed when the morgue had been ransacked, probably because they had been hidden under some other paperwork that had been destroyed. Charlie and Chuuya had managed to salvage some of the destroyed documents with tape and staples, and those were carefully folded in her bag, and as she took them out, she glanced over them. Then, gathering up all the documents and papers she had brought with her, she headed downstairs to the table where she figured they would be working.
Chuuya was pulling out a bottle of alcohol from a wine cabinet next to the fridge. He pulled out a second glass and set them down on the counter when he spotted her.
"You drink?" He asked, and she shrugged as she set the papers down on the table.
"Occasionally, not often, though. It doesn't mix well with my ability." Chuuya hummed in response, poured two glasses of wine, and offered one to her.
Charlie took it and smelled the beverage, swirling the dark liquid around in the glass. She had never had anything this expensive before. Her wine and alcohol came from the 100 yen store down the street from the morgue. Not that she drank often. Like she had said, it didn't mix well with her ability. She had lost more than a few friends by babbling about her ability while intoxicated. However, the idea of getting drunk and forgetting her worries was more than appealing. She hadn't done that in a while.
Making up her mind, she gestured to Chuuya, who had already begun drinking his glass and had taken a seat at the table.
"One glass, that's it. We have work to do tonight." She said, and he waved a nonchalant hand. He didn't look worried in the slightest. Like the idea of getting drunk appealed to him as much as it did her.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't worry. I can handle my alcohol.
…
Three glasses of wine and four hours later, Chuuya was wasted. He was facedown on the table, lazily swirling his empty wineglass in his fingers as Charlie scribbled another line down on her current piece of paper. She had felt fine the entire evening despite three glasses of wine. Charlie always prided herself on being able to handle her alcohol. After Chuuya's fourth glass and him nearly spilling on their work, she had cut him off and put the wine away. He had let out a very undignified whine at that and slumped over, downing the rest of his alcohol before she could take it away.
Charlie continued to work despite Chuuya's happy babblings. And finally, another hour later, she was finished. Chuuya was softly snoring at this point, face smushed into the table. It was quiet.
So when her phone rang, she nearly screamed. Then, she checked the screen and came face to face with an unknown number.
"You might want to answer that." Came an unfamiliar voice in her ear, and this time she did scream.
Chuuya didn't stir once.
Whirling, Charlie came face to face with Oda Sakunosuke. He watched her with those blank white eyes and gestured to the phone.
"I recognize the number. It's Dazai. You'll want to answer it." He elaborated, unphased by her scream. She glanced down at the number and hesitated. The last time she talked to Dazai, he had nearly threatened her. What should she do?
She pressed the button and held the phone up to her ear.
"Hello, my little Port Mafia rat." Dazai crooned into the receiver, and she cringed. A shiver ran down her spine at the feeling of his voice washing over her. She swallowed and set the papers in her hand on the table.
"I told you I wasn't part of the Port Mafia. I just work for them occasionally." She replied and heard him laugh darkly on the other end.
"You work for them, so you are one of them. Don't think you are all that much different, Charlene Joanne Dickens. You're just as bad as the rest of them, turning your back on all their wrongdoings." The sound of her full name made her gasp, and she nearly hung up then and there. Very few people knew her full name.
So that meant he had been digging into her past.
And for what?
Why did he need to know about her? Was he going to threaten her?
Did he know about her ability?
Charlie gripped her phone so tight it almost cracked, briefly taking it away from her ear to put it on speaker. Her eyes strayed back to Oda, and he shrugged. He obviously didn't know what Dazai wanted; he wasn't a mind reader.
When she replied, her voice and hands were shaking.
"What do you want?" She demanded and heard Dazai hum, mulling it over. She knew he already knew what he wanted; he was just doing this to stress her out. And it was working, fantastically.
"To know why you came to the Armed Detective Agency, I suppose. Call this a precaution to protect the reputation and members of the ADA." He mused. Charlie was trembling. She didn't want to be on the phone with Dazai. She knew what he could do. She had heard rumors and read files on the legendary Dazai Osamu, youngest ex-Port Mafia executive and part of Double Black.
Charlie took in a shaking breath and gathered her wits about her before answering,
"I'm investigating a serial killer who is killing off American and European members of the Port Mafia. I have reason to believe it's former Port Mafia member Washington Irving. That's it." It was silent on the other end of the line for a moment, and she heard Dazai flipping through a folder. Then, there was the sound of indistinct chatter in the background. It sounded like everyone at the Agency was working late on a case of sorts.
"It sounds like we have something in common then. The Agency is looking into Washington Irving at Ranpo-san's insistence. I suppose he's looking out for you. I guess that means you two truly are friends."
"Of course we're friends. I told you he could vouch for me." She said and heard him laugh again.
"So you did. So you did. How about this, how about we meet face to face. Tonight. We can exchange information and work together." It wasn't a question. It was a demand. He was going to meet her. And it was going to be tonight.
"Alright." She said softly, hands still shaking.
"I'll send you the address," Dazai said, and then there was a click as he hung up. Then, a moment later, there was a text from the same unknown number. She opened the text and scanned the contents.
From: Unknown Number
Meet at Yokohama Park at 10:30 PM. Don't be late.
Short, sweet, and only mildly threatening. Charlie glanced at the time and noted that it was ten o'clock on the dot. She had thirty minutes to get across town and to Yokohama Park. Glancing to Chuuya, who was still snoozing away, Charlie sighed. This was getting tedious. She stacked the papers together and ran upstairs to grab her satchel. She emptied the clothes inside on the bed and slid the documents inside. Then, going back to the table, she wrote out a short note to Chuuya, letting him know where she'd be and not to worry.
Chuuya,
I am going to meet Dazai at Yokohama Park (don't freak out, I have it under control.). I'll be back soon with more information on the case. So don't worry about me. I'll be fine.
Charlie
With the note written, Charlie swung her satchel over her shoulder and unlocked the door. She slipped on her shoes, lacing them up, and shut the door behind her. It beeped as it locked behind her, and suddenly, she was alone. Part of her wanted to bang on the door and wake up Chuuya so he could come with her. But the other part of her knew that would be a terrible idea. Chuuya nearly blew up when she had mentioned him before; who knew what would happen if he actually met him face to face.
Making it downstairs, Charlie hailed a cab and told the cabbie her destination. Then, as the car merged into traffic, she pulled out her wallet and made sure she had enough money for the ride. She slipped her wallet back into her pocket and watched as cars passed, fiddling with her satchel strap as she did so. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was ten-fifteen. She still had another fifteen minutes until she got to Yokohama Park, and even then, she didn't know what part of the park she was supposed to meet at.
Was she supposed to text Dazai?
No, she wouldn't stoop that low. Charlie would figure it out herself.
Let's hope she didn't get killed in the process.
…
FairyTailWzard's OC's (these are mine! Do not steal them!):
Charlene "Charlie" Dickens: Sleep-deprived 23-year-old medical examiner works to solve homicides and perform for the police, Port Mafia, and the Armed Detective Agency. Ability: The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain; allows her to see and interact with the spirits of the dead.
Rudyard Kipling: Deceased Englishman in his 30s, unknown background. Ability: The Jungle Book; he can manifest his tattoos into real animals. He has the tattoos of a python, a Bengal tiger, and a giant bear.
Jacob Marley: He is Charlie's assistant in the morgue and during autopsies. He lives with his nephew Tim Cratchit and businessman Ebenezer Scrooge.
"Bones": Port Mafia member found dead
Katrina Van Tassel: Port Mafia member found dead
Ichabod Crane: Port Mafia member found dead. The only one not to come back as a ghost.
Diedrich Knickerbocker: Port Mafia member found dead. Ability: Storyteller-Basically whatever he reads/writes becomes a reality.
Dickens Family: Mother, father, eight children. Charlie's family.
Washington Irving: Suspected serial killer still on the loose.