Kyandi: Greetings all!
Dimir: It's early this week, but we have a new chapter for all of you.
Kyandi: Yeah, I'm going on a retreat this weekend, and leave tomorrow, so I'm posting this week's chapter early.
Dimir: Also, she's still kind of recovering from a concussion from a car wreck last week.
Kyandi: That I am, so if you find a mistake, I'm sorry. I'm still having a little trouble focusing.
Dimir: So please forgive her.
Kyandi: Right. Also, I have a new poll up on my page about a possible Halloween special, so go vote!
Dimir: I think that's all we have to announce?
Kyandi: Yep. So, everyone, enjoy and review.
Dimir: Kyandi-sama does not own Bungou Stray Dogs.
Chapter 12 Day In The Life of Dimir
The moment Chuuya awoke, he fully expected to find himself still laying where he had passed out. When he did wake, however, he found himself cradled in the soft folds of a bed that was far too soft and piled with pillows to be his own. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring at the morning sun-lit, cream colored ceiling of a room that was definitely not his.
Wondering where the hell he had ended up, Chuuya, despite his body protesting, pushed himself into a sitting position. He found himself sitting in a bed piled high with pillows and blankets all in either a shade of blue, yellow, or orange. Looking around the room, his eyes traveled over a vanity and dresser, a desk in one corner, an open balcony door through which he could see a little coffee table, the open door to a bathroom, and a wall of bookshelves crammed to the brim with books and picture frames.
Not sure as to whose room it was, Chuuya finally realized something else...he was dressed only in his pants.
Looking down at himself, he found that all of his clothes, save for his pants, were missing. Someone had obviously undressed him and bandaged the wounds he had obtained while using Tainted for there were bandages covering his skin. He knew it couldn't have been Dazai for the man couldn't care less what happened to him, so that left only one of three options. Either an enemy had picked him up, a stranger had found him and brought him home, or...
Humming getting louder, drew Chuuya from that thought before he could complete it. Looking up towards the door leading out of the bedroom, he watched as, humming to herself, Dimir appeared, a basket of clean clothes cradled in her arms. The moment she saw him sitting up in bed, she came to a stop, a smile curling her lips.
Yeah, this was the third option.
Dimir had brought him home with her.
"You're awake! I'm glad. I was starting to wonder if you were going to fall into a coma." she told him, heading for the dresser to place the basket on top of it. Once that was done, she turned to him. "You've been sleeping for two days."
"Two days?!" he repeated.
"Yes. Not that I blame you. All I do is sleep and eat for a few days after I use more than one of my abilities in a row. I imagine Tainted uses the same, if not more, energy than that. But you woke up just in time. I'm making breakfast. Wait there and I'll bring you some when it's done." Dimir told him before leaving the room once more.
Chuuya could only blink after her. He had known that Dimir didn't begrudge him for being apart of the mafia, but this was taking that to a whole new level. Though his body was yelling at him to do as she said and stay put, Chuuya tossed the blankets aside and got out of bed. Walking stiffly, he made his way over to the door she had vanished through. There was a short step of five steps that lead down into the hallway.
Following the hall, he found a spare room to the left and a laundry room to the right before the hall opened up into a huge living room. Two couches lined a glass-top coffee table with a love seat on the end, a fifty-two inch TV screen set up opposite of the love seat. A long set of three steps lead up into the modern kitchen with an attached dinning alcove. A table big enough for six sat in the alcove and it was there that he found Dimir.
The girl was sitting in one of the chairs, humming to herself as she worked on sewing something in her hands. He noticed, then, that her hair was currently pulled over one shoulder and braided, probably to keep it out of her face as she cooked, and she was wearing an apron over an orange sundress and white, thigh-high stockings. She had just finished sewing up what she was working on when she looked up and found him leaning against the wall, watching her.
"Oh! Chuuya! You should have stay in bed." she said, sitting aside her sewing to get to her feet.
"I'm fine." Chuuya insisted as she rushed over to him.
"Are you sure?" she asked, eyeing him.
"Yeah. Are you mental, or something? What kind of person brings an enemy to their house? Especially an enemy man? You're a girl who lives alone for crying out loud!" he retorted. An amused smile curled her lips then, the girl obviously finding his question to be funny. "What?!"
"Chuuya, the fact that our two organizations currently have a truce, no matter how fragile it is, aside...I know you wouldn't do anything to me." she told him.
"And what the hell makes you think that?!" he snapped.
"Because...you're a man of more honor than that."
Chuuya was taken by surprise by the soft smile that appeared on her face, but more so by her statement. She thought him honorable despite the fact that he was a mafioso? If he had thought her weird before, than the feeling had only doubled.
"Besides...you already used my breasts for a pillow for, like, twenty minutes." Dimir added. Chuuya felt his cheeks burn with a blush, which only made Dimir's smile grow. "That aside, I already told you once, Chuuya. All life is important to me. Osamu might have wanted to leave you there, but I couldn't. There was no telling what could have happened to you if we had, and, well...Osamu wouldn't tell me where you lived, so I had no choice but to bring you here." Dimir told him, half turning back to the kitchen. "Well, now that your out of bed, why don't you come have a seat and I'll get you something to eat. You have to be starving."
Turning away without offering to help him to the table, she headed for the kitchen. Chuuya was sure that she hadn't offered to help him because she knew it would prick his pride. She kept her back to him as he stiffly made his way to the table. When he pulled out a chair and dropped to sit in it, he found that what she had been sewing, was his clothes.
"Are these my clothes?" he demanded.
Dimir turned towards him, pausing in the middle of spooning rice into two bowls. Her eyes landed on the pile of clothes on the table top.
"Oh! Yes, they are. I just finished up sewing up all of the rips in your vest. Sorry I wasn't able to do the same for your pants, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't have taken it well if you had awoke in my bed in nothing but your underwear." she told him, smiling sheepishly turning back to put rice in bowls. "Not to mention that I know that some men aren't fans of underwear and I wasn't willing to bet you weren't among that percent of men."
Chuuya felt his ears go hot at the meaning behind her words hit him. He could tell that her cheeks had gone a little pink and was sure that the idea of removing his pants would have been embarrassing for her regardless of whether or not he was wearing underwear. He was grateful she had decided not to take the gamble.
"Anyway, I had to get you a brand new shirt completely because between the ripped-to-shreds sleeves and all the blood stains, it just was not savable." Dimir continued, setting dishes on a tray before carrying the tray over to the table.
She sat the tray down before moving the clothes to one of the empty chairs. Turning back, she transferred the dishes to the table. Chuuya found himself supplied with a hearty breakfast fit for two people. She took the tray back to the kitchen before she joined him, sitting across from him. When she was settled, she clasped her hands before her to offer thanks for the meal. It was then that he noticed.
The majority of the length of her right arm, from about mid forearm to her bicep, was wrapped in bandages
"Dig in." Dimir told him when she finished her prayer.
She laid her injured arm down and reached for her chopsticks.
"What happened?"
Dimir looked up at Chuuya to find him focused in on her injured arm with laser focus. His expression was displeased and serious as he stared at the bandages.
"Don't worry about that." she told him, smiling as she once again reached for her chopsticks.
She was stopped, once more, when Chuuya suddenly, but gently, grabbed the wrist of her injured arm. Dimir turned her eyes to his hand and then to his face, finding him staring at her intently.
"What happened?" he repeated his, his tone a little more gruff this time.
Dimir could see that he wasn't going to let this go, so she was sure he had somewhat guessed that he was responsible for the injury. Heaving a silent sigh, Dimir laid her free hand on top of his that was gripping her wrist.
"Chuuya," Chuuya looked from her hand and back to her face, finding a gentle smile on her face. "I said not to worry about it. Besides, it was my own fault. I should have left it to Osamu, but...he seemed to be taking too much pleasure from watching you destroy yourself. I couldn't stand by and watch you hurt yourself anymore, so it's my fault for getting in your way."
Giving his hand a squeeze, she gently pried it off her wrist and set it aside, pulling her injured arm back. She smiled at him, before turning her attention back to the food before her. Chuuya watched her as, with a smile on her face, she picked up the chopsticks and got to eating.
"You're just gonna forget it, just like that?" Chuuya asked.
Sometimes, he really didn't understand this girl.
"Yep. Like I said, it was my own fault. I was just glad that you stopped after that. I thought Osamu was the only one that could stop you when you were like that, so I was pleasantly surprised when you seemed to hesitate on your own." Dimir told him.
Chuuya, shocked, stared at her, his brain taking a moment to work over what she had just said.
"Wait, it wasn't Dazai that stopped me?" he asked.
Dimir looked up from her food when she heard the surprise in his tone. She gave a shake of her head.
"No. When I got in your way and tried to stop you, or, at least, prompt Osamu into doing so, and got hurt, you hesitated. It was like, for a moment, you realized what happened and tried to bring yourself to a stop. It was only then that Osamu stepped in." Dimir told him. "Has that never happened before?"
"Never." Chuuya replied.
"Huh, well that's strange. I wonder why it would happen now." Dimir remarked, blinking in confusion. He watched her head tilt to the side, her expression thoughtful. "Could it be..."
Chuuya raised an eyebrow as she trailed off and gave her head a shake. For a moment it sounded like she might have an idea as to why he had acted the way he had while in his Tainted state, but then a look of frustrated confusion fell on her face.
"Nope, I can't think of a single thing." Dimir said finally, heaving a sigh. "Sorry."
"It's not your problem anyway." Chuuya told her.
"Well...oh! A little off topic, but Mr. Mori got in contact with me when you didn't return that night. I let him know that you were fine and resting. I promised him you would return once you were able." Dimir told him.
Chuuya stared at the cheerful look on her face as she casual spoke about chatting with the leader of the mafia. She was even smiling as she told him how Mori was more than happy to leave him in Dimir's capable hands.
"Wait...why would he be happy about that?!" Chuuya demanded.
"Probably because he knows you'll be safe with me."
Chuuya felt his spike of annoyance drain away when she smiled at him. As much as he wanted to be annoyed by the mere insinuation that he might need her to protect him, he was finding it was really hard to be angry with Dimir when she honestly was just trying to be sweet and nice and when she smiled at him like that.
"Really? How?" he demanded.
"Well, I've already made it clear that I won't kill someone else, so he knows I mean no harm to you and it's already been made plenty clear that I won't allow anyone else to hurt you while I'm around, regardless of the fact that I'm sure you can defend yourself against any of my colleagues." Dimir told him truthfully.
"Yeah, about that...what exactly is your deal? A normal person wouldn't treat their enemies like you do." Chuuya said tartly.
"I'm not normal."
The way she said that...Chuuya was taken by surprise as she sat down her chopsticks and leaned back in her chair, giving him a sad smile. He had a bad feeling that he had just said something wrong and he felt a painful thud in his chest as he looked at that sad smile.
"Come on, Chuuya, be reasonable. Can you honestly look at me and say anything about me is normal?" she asked.
"Well, I..."
Chuuya trailed off, unsure of what to say here. Dimir just gave him a smile, letting him know, without words, that it was alright if he couldn't think of anything to say in argument.
"Just think about it. Part of my hair went old before I did, I'm an abnormality with multiple abilities instead of the standard one, my brain clearly doesn't work like others', and when others would simply run, or think about themselves, I rush head long into something that shouldn't even concern me, always getting hurt for others and then smiling like an idiot like everything's just fine. Even I know there's something wrong with me."
Even as she said this, obviously repeating words that others had spoken to her, she smiled brightly, as if she couldn't bring herself to hold against others, the cruel things they had said to her. Now he understood why he somewhat liked her. Dimir, regardless of what others said about her, would never change who she was.
"So to answer your question as to what my "deal" is," Dimir said, continuing on. "Yeah, I know I'm not normal, and that's fine, that's just who I am. I just...I don't believe in judging another until I've gotten to know them for myself. It doesn't mean I'm excusing the things people have done in their lives, it just means that I know everyone has a reason for the things they do. We all make mistakes and make choices that, sometimes, only make sense to us. It could be for survival, for another, or something purely selfish. The reasons are endless. After all...that is what it means to be human, right? Free will?"
"I guess." Chuuya replied.
"So that's my deal. Regardless of the fact that your in the mafia, and, therefore, suppose to be my enemy, I don't know...I just like you."
Chuuya nearly choked on his own saliva, his cheeks heating up when Dimir bluntly stated this, smiling at him.
"What the hell are you talking about?!" he demanded.
"I like you, Chuuya. Yes, we work for opposing organizations, but I like your spunk and how, despite our loyalties, you've been nothing but kind to me. I like how, when I look at you, when you look at me, I see no judgment in your eyes. You're one of the few people I've met who didn't instantly judge me. You're not a bad person, Chuuya, and I won't listen to others tell me otherwise."
Chuuya, unable to believe his ears, stared at Dimir. He had no idea what to say in response to her words. He was use to others being around him because they either wanted or feared his power, or because they had to. His power had been the reason the mafia wanted him and why his previous group had wanted him and, then, had tried to kill him.
Dimir, though, didn't care about his power. She liked him for who he was and despite the fact that he had helped put two of her friends in danger. It baffled him and seeing the expression on his face only made Dimir's smile grow.
"Speechless? I told you my brain doesn't work in a normal way." Dimir told him.
"T-this goes beyond that!" Chuuya sputtered.
"Does it? Does it really? By now you should know me well enough to know that I have no qualms with stating my thoughts and feelings, Chuuya. If I like someone, regardless of whether or not it makes sense to others, I'm going to say so. Are you going to say you don't like me?"
Chuuya opened his mouth, automatically, to deny it, as he always did in an embarrassing situation, but had enough forethought to slap a hand over his mouth. Trying to hide the blush he could feel burning in his cheeks, Chuuya turned his face away from Dimir. Why she had to be blunt about her feelings, he didn't know. Seeing him turn away from her like that, though, had her giggling.
"You're too cute when your expressions are more honest than you, Chuuya." she remarked.
"Alright, cut it out!" Chuuya snapped at her, finally catching on to the fact that she was teasing him.
Dimir's giggles turned into a full blown laugh. She couldn't help it. He made it far too easy and fun to tease him.
"Teasing aside, I meant what I said, Chuuya. You might be in the mafia, but I still consider you a friend." Dimir told him. "And, sadly, for you...you're going to have to deal with my teasing for a few days. Mr. Mori said he wants you to stay here and rest until you're back to one hundred percent."
"He did?!"
Dimir nodded, turning back to her food.
"So eat up. If you're staying here, even for a night, you're not getting off easy. You're going to need your strength."
Chuuya's eyes snapped up to look at Dimir when she said this. Her words could be taken in many different ways and each one was worse than the last, but she offered no more information. Chuuya didn't even know what to think.
All he knew was...he didn't like the grin on her face.
-0-0-0-0-
"Di...Dimir! That's too tight! Ahn!"
"I said relax, didn't I?"
Chuuya was about two second away from blowing his top and the teasing laughter he could hear in Dimir's voice wasn't helping.
"My goodness, be a man. I know you can handle it." Dimir remarked, shifting before Chuuya let out another yelp. Dimir let out a soft giggle then. "You're so cute when you're flustered, Chuuya."
"Shut up! How do you even wear these things?!" Chuuya demanded.
Dimir, who was currently bent over behind him, looked up from where she was trying to adjust a seam on a corset she was having him model so she could make the right adjustments. Smiling in amusement, she turned back to her work.
"A woman's body is built for pain, Chuuya. How else do babies get here? I've dealt with far worse pain than this little thing has ever given me. You should worry more about the inability to breath that accompanies it when you first wear them." Dimir told him, making him look over his shoulder at her. "Besides, by adjusting this on you, it'll give me a little wiggle room. Now relax, already. I'm almost done."
Though he would rather be out of the stupid corset, Chuuya stood still, letting Dimir finish her adjustments. He heaved a big sigh or relief when she finally finished and released him from the corset's death grip. He bent over double, pressing a hand to his chest as she carried the corset over to coffee table of her living room.
"Alright, now on to the next one." Dimir said.
"More?!" Chuuya demanded.
Dimir, chuckling lightly to herself, turned to face him, holding up the shirt she had in her hands.
"Just the shirt I bought you. You can't continue to walk around my home naked from the waist up and I need to make sure it actually fits. After all, I was just guessing when I bought it." she told him.
"Oh."
Chuuya took the shirt from Dimir, just glad that it wasn't another corset. While Dimir turned towards her sewing kit, he pulled the shirt on, buttoning it up. When he made a noise of surprise, she turned to look at him. Chuuya was adjusting the cuffs, rolling them back as he normally did with his shirts. To his surprise, the shirt fit just like any of the ones back home in his closet.
"It fits great." he remarked.
"Maybe..." Dimir circled him, tugging here and there as she checked the fit.
Chuuya spread his arms out wide when she came to a stop in front of him, adjusting the way the shirt hung from his shoulders. Humming to herself, she checked the length of the shirt before nodding to herself, as if satisfied.
"I thought it might fit. I'm glad to see I was right." Dimir remarked.
"You know a lot about being a seamstress, don't you?" Chuuya asked.
"My mother taught me. She said that the key to a successful woman, along with hard work and heart, is good clothes that fit well. She taught me that clothes don't have to cost a small fortune to look great. We use to have fun going to second-hand stores and buying clothes to bring home and fix up anyway we wanted. They didn't even have to fit because we could adjust them ourselves." Dimir told him, smiling fondly.
"Your mother, huh...What about your father?"
Chuuya couldn't help but ask. As someone who wasn't born, but created, he didn't have parents. Dimir, he knew, was an orphan who had spent most of her life on the streets. It was the first time he had heard her speak of either of her parents, so it had him curious.
"I never knew him. He was a Russian-American here on vacation when he met my mother. She didn't know she was pregnant until months after he went back home. She found out, a few years later, that he passed away in a boating accident. My mother and her mother raised me." Dimir told him.
"And...what happened to them?"
He wasn't trying to make her upset, or drudge up any memories that would make her sad, he just...couldn't contain his curiosity. Dimir, though, didn't seem the least bit upset.
"My grandmother passed away from illness when I was only five. Afterward, my mother decided that, perhaps, a change in scenery would be good for us, so we took a long journey. Two years long, in fact. Somewhere along that road to anywhere and nowhere...my mother was killed. I was seven."
Chuuya turned to Dimir as she walked away from him, picking up the stack of his clothes she had been mending. She removed pins from the cloth, her smile soft and a bit sad.
"What happened?" Chuuya asked.
"She was mugged. He came out of nowhere, pulling a gun on her. Her thoughts, naturally, were on protecting me. When she yelled at me to run...he opened fire." For a moment, Dimir's hands stopped, Chuuya sure she was lost in the memory. She stood like that for a moment before she snapped herself out of it, going back to her work. "He turned on me next, but I moved faster. One of his shots grazed my side, even left a scar, but I zapped him before he could actually hurt me."
Dimir paused for a moment, laying a hand on the left side of her ribs, just under her breasts. She rubbed the spot, as if the memory made the old wound ache.
"I ended up in Michida three years later." Dimir finished with a sigh. Turning, she gave him a smile as she brought his clothes over to her. "Let's check to make sure I didn't create any unflattering lines when I sewed up the rips."
Chuuya took his clothes from her, piece by piece, and pulled it on, Dimir checking each piece before letting him move on.
"So...what happened?" Chuuya asked suddenly as she tugged on his vest, checking it.
"When?" Dimir asked idly.
"You said your mom died when you were seven and that you ended up in Michida three years later. What happened in that three year time?" he asked.
"Mostly it was just me jumping from location to location, scared out of my mind because I had no idea where to go or what to do to survive. I figured it out eventually, but it didn't help me at the time. There was, though, about a seven month period that I can't remember at all."
Dimir looked up when Chuuya whipped around to stare at her. Not getting, at first, why he was gaping at her, Dimir blinked back at him in questioning before she asked why he was staring at her.
"You can't remember seven months?!" Chuuya half yelled.
"Yeah. It's not a big deal. It happened a lot." Dimir replied, moving past him.
"A lot?! Do you know how crazy you sound, right?!" Chuuya demanded. "Is something wrong with you?! Are you even okay?!"
"Chuuya." Chuuya, who had been close to jumping into a long string of questions, cut off when Dimir softly called his name. She turned to him, smiling softly at him, truly touched by the concern he had unintentionally shown. "It's fine. I started having these black outs when I was four. There are times when I lose only a few moments, sometimes hours. Other times it's days. Those seven months were the longest I've ever blacked out before, but it wasn't the only time I did."
"And you move when you have them?" Chuuya asked, shocked.
"Sometimes. Sometimes I wake up in a new location, other times I wake up after getting into a fight. Which I did just the other day."
"You really are crazy."
Dimir turned to look at the sour look on Chuuya's face as he stared at her. A smile curled her lips as she folded her hands together in front of her.
"Perhaps. But I'm fine. Anyway, enough about me. I feel ridiculous sharing my sob story." Dimir told him sheepishly. "I need to go to the market if you want dinner tonight."
"Market?"
"Yes. Do you want to come with me?" Dimir asked.
He certainly didn't want to stay in her apartment by himself. So, after Dimir changed, coming out of her room in a white sundress and orange, thigh-high stockings, and making sure everything from breakfast was put up, Dimir grabbed her wallet and keys. Chuuya watched her lock up and followed her down to her building's parking garage.
"You drive?" Chuuya asked.
"I do turn eighteen soon. I've been driving pretty much since I could see over the dash board. Not legally, but oh, well." Dimir replied, hitting the "unlock" button on her car remote. The car lights flashed and there was a beep as the doors unlocked. "I've been racing and drifting for about as long, too."
"Drifting? Racing? Isn't that illegal?" Chuuya asked, going to the passenger side door.
Dimir paused, looking at him over the top of the car. A grin curled her lips in a definitive sign of amusement.
"Now Chuuya, are you, a mafioso, going to scold me for doing something illegal?" she asked. "Because if you are, then I have to call hypocrisy."
Chuuya's back stiffened as she teased him. He could tell she was teasing him, but he knew she had a point behind all the teasing. He really didn't have any right to say anything about whatever law she chose to break.
"No. Do what you want." he told her, pulling open the door.
"Oh, I will."
The way she said that set off warning bells in Chuuya's head. He gave her a questioning look, but, grin on her face, she merely slid into her seat behind the wheel. Chuuya climbed in, too, closing his door. When that was all he did, Dimir reached across him and grabbed his seat belt.
"Seat belts are a must in my car, Chuuya. I don't break all of the rules." she told him, buckling it in place before buckling her own.
"What are you planning?" he demanded as she started the car and shifted into reverse.
"You're about to find out."
And then she punched it.
Chuuya instantly stiffened up, latching onto whatever he could grab as the car shot out of its parking space and rocketed backwards. Dimir pulled the hand brake as she yanked the stirring wheel, hard, to one side. The car whipped around, barely missing the bumpers of several parked cars parked across the aisle from Dimir's.
Putting the brake back, she shifted into gear and the car raced down the aisle and out of the parking garage. Another pull of the hand brake and yank of the wheel and Dimir swung expertly onto the busy street, instantly swinging around a car going to slow for her liking.
Chuuya hung on for dear life through it all.
"You okay over there, Chuuya?" Dimir asked. "Cause you're gripping my leg pretty tightly."
It was only then that Chuuya realized that, in his scramble to find something to grip, he had reached out, grabbing Dimir's thigh just above her knee. he didn't let go though. he had a feeling he wouldn't be peeling his fingers off anything until the car came to a stop.
"You're trying to kill me!" he accused.
"No, I'm not, Chuuya, so just breathe. If I was trying to kill you, I would have left you in those woods like Osamu wanted me to. Relax. I haven't crached a car since I first started drifting. That's been years." she assured him, reaching out with one hand to pat his knee.
Chuuya tensed further as Dimir swung around a turn at a crowded intersection, smoothly handling the car as if she did this every day. She certainly seemed to know what she was doing, her eyes never leaving the road. A glance at the speedometer, showed him that she was inching ever closer to one hundred-eighty kph.
"You're going too fast!" he snapped.
"You should see it when I apply Lolita to the car. This is nowhere near as fast I can go then."
"No!"
Dimir laughed, truly amused by how vehemently he shot down the idea. She had never taken him as one to be scared of a possible car crash. After all, she was pretty sure he could cause more damage than any car wreck could.
"You going to have a heart attack over there?" she asked.
"Yes!"
Another laugh.
"Okay, okay. I'll slow down. We're almost there, anyway." she told him.
Chuuya watched, with relief, as the needle on the speedometer, started to descend back down to safe levels. When she finally pulled into a parking space near the outdoor market, he released a sigh. Dimir put the car in park and turned it off before turning to him, laying a hand on the hand still gripping her leg.
"Chuuya, you can relax. I swear, I would never do anything to cause you harm. Even if you can't or won't return the favor. You never have to fear being in a car with me." Dimir assured him, smiling at him. "So...you can release my leg now."
Dimir gave his hand a pat before prying it off her leg. Chuuya let her, staring at her face. Once again, she had managed to shock him speechless. When she opened her door and climbed out, he followed her, closing his door behind him. Peering over the top of her car, he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"You expect me to believe that, when we come from enemy organizations?" he asked.
Dimir turned to look at him, still smiling sweetly. Chuuya could see the honestly of her next words, deep in her gold speckled, blue eyes.
"Have I not already proven it? Think about it, Chuuya. I could have hurt or killed you when I first met you and came up behind you. I could have watched you and your men continue to struggle and possible die when Q's curse nearly destroyed the city. I didn't, and, instead, helped you. I could have left you in those woods where anything could have happened, yet, I didn't. Three times I could have hurt you, killed you, or watched you die, and I didn't. Do you really think, after all of that, that I'll hurt you?"
Chuuya, left speechless in the wake of the evidence presented to him, just stared at her. Dimir took his silence to mean that he saw her point.
"Regardless of who we work for, I like you, Chuuya. I don't know about you, but I feel a kinship to you and I refuse to let others pick my friends for me. Believe me, Osamu has already tried it."
With that, Dimir closed her door and walked away. Muttering to himself, Chuuya swung his door closed, the lock beeping as Dimir hit the "lock" button on her remote. He hurried after her, catching up with her and jamming his hands into his pockets.
"Are you stupid?" When he demanded this, Dimir merely laughed. "Do you know what the Port Mafia could do with that information? My boss could use that against you. He's probably already planning to!"
"I'm well aware of what Mr. Mori is capable of, Chuuya. I might be a little ditsy at times, but I'm not blind or stupid." Dimir replied. "That being said, I won't let that control who I'm friends with. Or are you trying to say you don't want to be my friend?"
When Dimir turned a big pleading look on him, Chuuya grit his teeth. How was he suppose to say no to that face? It wasn't like he didn't like Dimir. In fact, he really did like her and her sweet and straight forward ways. She wasn't afraid to tell it how it was, and she did things her own way, regardless of what others wanted or thought.
He knew it was stupid and dangerous, but...part of him really wanted her in his life.
It was really rare to find someone like Dimir.
"I didn't say that." he said, turning his face away from her.
"Yhay!"
Chuuya sputtered, feeling his cheeks burn red, as, in her cheer, she jumped at him, wrapping her arms around one of his, a big smile taking over her face. To those they passed, they probably looked like a couple. It made Chuuya a little glad that none of his men were around.
He'd never hear the end of ti for more than one reason.
The moment they joined the early afternoon crowd, Dimir started dragging him about. Their first stop was a stall selling homemade jams and jellies. The woman running the stall, greeted Dimir like an old friend, Dimir asking her how her husband was doing.
"You know him...stubborn as a mule." the woman answered, shaking her head. "The usual, sweetie?"
"Yes, please. Add an apple butter jam to it this time, please." Dimir requested.
"Coming right up, hun."
The woman grabbed a bag from under the table and started stuffing a few jars into it. Dimir paid her and took the bag.
"By the way," The woman leaned towards Dimir. "I didn't know you had such a cute boyfriend. A little short, though, isn't he?"
Chuuya didn't know what to protest first; the fact that she thought he was Dimir's boyfriend, or the short comment she had made. He could no longer claim, as he had when he first met Dazai, that he was only fifteen and still growing, but that didn't mean people could call him short. Dimir, though, fielded the comment like a pro.
"Is he? I never noticed. To me, he's the perfect height to cuddle with."
"Dimir!" Chuuya exclaimed, his face heating, again, while Dimir grinned widely and the woman roared in laughter.
He wished he could say that he had seen that comment coming but, even when he should have known she would have come kind of comment like that up her sleeve, he still found himself being surprised. One just never knew what would come out of Dimir's mouth.
"Have a nice day, ma'am." Dimir told the woman before grabbing Chuuya's hand to pull him after her.
The woman giggled behind one hand as they walked away. Dimir turned to look at Chuuya when they were our of earshot of the woman stall.
"You really shouldn't get so flustered. It was just an old woman enjoying a little teasing and gossiping. No big deal." she told him.
"Oh, so you like them thinking you're dating a Port Mafia executive?" Chuuya demanded.
"Doesn't bother me."
Chuuya slapped his free hand against his face, groaning to himself. Sometimes, he didn't understand Dimir and had to wonder how she could say what she said with such a straight face.
"You're too laid back about everything." he told her tartly.
The heat in his face intensified when Dimir moved closer to him until she could lay her head on his shoulder, her grip on his hand tightening.
"I already told you, Chuuya...I like you. If people want to think we're friends or dating, or even thinking about eloping, I don't care. All that matters to me is what you call us. If you're willing to be my friend, then I'm happy to ignore everyone else and their comments. It's not up to others to decide what we are." she told him.
Dimir was so up front about the whole thing, he didn't know what to say. She was far more honest with herself than he was with himself.
Did he like Dimir?
If he was honest, yeah, probably more than he should.
She was like a breath of refreshing air with a smile as bright as the sun. She bluntly stated where she stood and wasn't afraid to speak her mind regardless of the situation. Something he wished he had more of in his life. Sometimes, even a mafioso just wanted some honesty around him.
Did he want to admit any of this?
No.
It was dangerous enough that she was willing to admit that she liked him and wouldn't fight him. Mori could really use that against her and the Agency. If Chuuya was to admit that, yes, he liked her, and, no, he didn't want to hurt her, then the Agency could use that against the Mafia.
It was a situation, and a relationship, that could end badly for them both.
For the rest of the day, these thoughts ran circles in his head. Dimir dragged him from stall to stall, from one end of the market place to the other, until her shopping was complete. They took the groceries back to her apartment, where Chuuya helped her to put them away. By the time they had finished shopping and putting away what they bought, they had missed lunch and it was closing in on six in the evening.
Instead of making Chuuya sit around and wait for her to cook something, Dimir took him to a favored restaurant of hers that was far out of the way. It was an isolated place, off a dirt road. The kind of place that ran off an exclusive circle of customers and one that people wouldn't "accidentally" stumble upon unless they were really lost.
It was a cute little place with a wide, wrap-around porch and a perfectly manicured lawn. The parking lot was detached from the building, people having to follow a cobblestone walkway across the lawn in order to reach the building. The inside, Dimir told him, was comfortable, lit by candlelight, with classical music playing softly in the background. It sounded like the kind of place where Chuuya could probably find a good vintage wine.
Dimir lead the way, the host greeting her with a big grin when she walked in through the doors. Apparently, Dimir was a regular customer on good, personal terms with the owner and head chef. He instantly had them seated at the restaurant's best table.
Once they were seated and Dimir had shed her trench coat, a waiter came over to take their drink order before leaving them to give them time to decide what they wanted. Chuuya turned to Dimir the moment he walked away.
"Do you make it a point to befriend everyone you cross paths with?" he asked her.
"Mostly, yes. There are some people that don't respond well to it, though. Like Akutagawa. He really didn't respond well. I tried to crack a few jokes with him, but yeah...didn't go well." Dimir replied, smiling brightly.
She...had tried to be friends with Akutagawa?! Had tried to joke with him?!
"Are you crazy?!" Chuuya hissed lowly.
To his shock, Dimir held up her forefinger and thumb, measuring out about an inch or less of space between them, as if saying "Just a little bit". Chuuya slapped a hand to his face, heaving a sigh.
"Honestly, Chuuya, you shouldn't be so uptight. Life it too short to sweat the small stuff. You're how old, twenty? Twenty-one?"
"Twenty-two." he corrected, not seeing her point.
"Twenty-two...did you know, my mother was only twenty-six when she was killed. Only four years older than you." Dimir told him. "My grandmother was considerably more lucky in that she lived a longer life. She was forty-one. Still pretty young, though. Both got pregnant young and both died young. Truth be told, nobody in my family has been incredibly long lived."
"What are you getting at?" Chuuya asked.
Dimir gave him a smile as she dropped her chin into the palm of her hand. She didn't say anything as the waiter chose then to show up with their drinks. Chuuya and Dimir gave him their orders and once he was gone once more, Dimir returned her attention to Chuuya.
"What I'm getting at is that...I probably will be the same as them...short lived." Chuuya opened his mouth to protest, but she merely shook her head. "If that's the case, I don't want to waste anything. I want to live my life to its fullest and on my own terms, doing things I want with whoever I want. That includes making as many friends as I can. If nothing else, I want to leave behind in my friends, how much I cared about them. So, yeah, I might be a little eccentric-"
"A little?!"
"-but I don't want to be there, at the end of my life, saying to myself, "I regret not doing this" or "I wish I have made more friends". After all...everyone needs a friend, right?"
Dimir grinned at him. Chuuya heaved a sigh and admitted defeat. It was hard to argue with someone who smiled so brightly even when she was talking about her own death. Not to mention, he saw her point. Her family had the misfortune of dying young and, if her life took that turn too, she didn't want to leave anything to chance. She didn't want to go to her maker, regretting something or wishing she had spent more time making friends.
When her life ended, regardless of when that would be, she wanted to be happy with the life she had lived.
Didn't mean he didn't find her weird for admitting it aloud.
"You're weird." he told her, leaning back in his seat.
"You think? Well...you haven't seen anything yet."
-0-0-0-0-
It was dark and raining by the time they left the restaurant. The only light between the building and the parking lot, was a single street lamp. Chuuya stood on the porch, peering out from under the over hanging at the weeping sky above.
"Shoulda brought an umbrella." he muttered, not wanting to get wet. "I'm staying right here until it lets up."
"Oh, Chuuya," Dimir giggled. "Are you afraid of a little rain?"
"No! Stop teasing me. I just don't want to get wet." Chuuya retorted, frowning.
"It's just a little rain." Dimir told him, making sure her trench coat was closed tightly around her, the belt tied securely.
Chuuya grumbled to himself, peering up at the sky once more, trying to judge how long the rain would last. When he heard a thunk behind him, he turned to find Dimir ditching her boots and pulling off her stockings.
"What are you doing?" he demanded.
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, Chuuya." she told him before launching herself off the porch and out into the rain. She instantly raised her face to the sky and twirled, her arms spread out wide as if to welcome the rain. "It's learning to dance in the rain!"
Chuuya watched as she twirled, barefoot, about the the lawn, dancing through the rain. The rain quickly soaked her, her hair sticking to her skin. Chuuya really shouldn't be surprised after seeing all she had done since they met and, in fact, it was actually a little amusing to him to watch her prance around the soaked lawn.
"Ya know, I don't think that saying was meant to be taken literally." he called to her.
"But why not? It's fun!" Dimir replied before she danced her way back towards the porch. Stopping in front of him, she held out her hand to him. "Come dance with me, Chuuya."
"Are you insane? I just said I don't wanna get wet!" he retorted.
Chuuya flinched slightly when one of her cheeks puffed out. She stared at him like that for a moment before she reached up to grip her trench coat by the lapels.
"Fine. If you won't come dance with me, then I'll take this trench coat off. Just remember, my dress under this...is white." she told him.
"So?" Chuuya replied, not getting it.
"Chuuya...my undergarments are orange."
It took a moment for it to sink into his head why that mattered. Then his brain connected the dots for him, his face burning with heat for the umpteenth time that day.
White dress plus orange undergarments, plus rain equals...see-through clothes with very vivid colored spots.
Chuuya smacked a hand to the lower part of his face, trying to hide how red his face was getting at the mental image that popped into his head. Despite however she saw him, he was a healthy young man and the image just wouldn't go away. It really didn't need to actually see his mental image come true.
"No! Keep it on!" he yelled at her.
"Then dance with me!"
While he had a feeling he was going to regret this, just a little bit, later on, Chuuya, groaning to himself, took her hand. Dimir yanked him into the rain, Chuuya having just enough time to toss his hat over with her boots and stockings. Pulling him further into the rain, Dimir pulled him close, taking one of his hands into her own and placing the other on on her hip. When his hands were settled, she pulled him into a dance, ignoring the fact that they didn't have music.
"You know, the guy is the one that's suppose to lead." he told her.
"Haha...yeah, no, I lead."
Finally getting a little fed up with Dimir always setting the pace, Chuuya yanked her closer to him, his hand on her hip slipping around to her lower back. Surprised, Dimir looked up at him and, in the light of the sole street lamp, Chuuya could see her face turn red. Silently celebrating being able to make her blush, Chuuya pulled her into a dance where he was leading. Dimir stumbled at first, but quickly caught up for him, letting him set their pace.
She wanted him to dance with her, well, that was what she got.
Neither knew how long they danced like that, but by the time the rain picked up, forcing them to call it to an end, both of them were soaked to the bone. Collecting their things from the porch, Dimir laid towels out on the seat of her car and the two made their way back to her apartment.
"I have some spare clothes for you if you want to change into those and let me dry your current ones." Dimir told him as they entered the apartment.
She quickly made her way down the hall to her room. When she came back out, she had changed from her wet clothes into a nightgown and had a pile of clothes for him. Handing them over to him, she told him there were towels in the bathroom. Chuuya went and changed, making sure to dry his hair well. He came out of the bathroom ten minutes later, still toweling his hair dry, and found Dimir in the spare room.
She obviously used the spare room as an office/library with a desk against the far wall and bookshelves lining three of the four walls. A pull-out couch sat against the fourth wall and Dimir was currently making up the mattress, putting new sheets, blankets, and pillows out. she looked up at him as she adjusted the sheet.
"All dry?" she asked.
"Yeah. Is this where you slept while I took over your bed?" he asked.
"Yeah. It's actually a lot more comfortable than it looks. That being said, I would love to have my bed back, so you get to sleep here tonight." she told him.
He didn't have a problem with that. He knew he would want his bed back if he had just lost it for two days to someone else. He watched as she continued to make up the mattress, humming to herself as she did. When she was done, she turned and gave him a smile.
"Alright, there you go. If you need anything else, just let me know." she told him, walking past him.
Chuuya reached out, before she could get too far past him, grabbing her by the elbow. Dimir came to a stop, turning to look up at him.
"Uh...thanks, for...for helping." he told her awkwardly.
Dimir smiled at him and did something he hadn't been expecting. Reaching up, she planted a kiss on his cheek.
"You're welcome. Good night, Chuuya." she told him before leaving him alone.
Chuuya stared after her, reaching up to scratch at his head. He didn't always get Dimir, but that wasn't always a bad thing. The fact that he couldn't easily tell what she was going to say or do, actually made him smile. Of course, he had his concerns about getting close to her because, one, the Agency could use that against the mafia, and two, he could get in a whole lot of trouble for befriending the enemy, but, maybe, that wasn't such a bad thing.
At least...he hoped so.
END
Kyandi: God, I would have been laughing my butt off watching him as he connected the dots.
Dimir: Really, he should have gotten it instantly. I mean, water and white clothes always yield the same results.
Kyandi: Yeah, well...some guys are just a little slower on the uptake.
Dimir: And it finally got him moving.
Kyandi: Oh, yeah. I just love writing the two of you together. You're always yanking him about.
Dimir: I'm just a girl who knows what she wants.
Kyandi: And who doesn't take no for an answer.
Dimir: That too.
Kyandi: Anyway, I have to get things packed for my retreat, so we'll leave it here. Everyone, enjoy and review.
Dimir: We'll be back as soon as possible.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!