Chuuya stood outside the doors of the Late Night Café. For days he had been contemplating and debating and trying to muster enough courage to visit the elderly lady.
But now that he was here, just three days after that night in Kawasaki, he found the place boarded up.
Gone were the flashing LED lights, the gaudy neon "OPEN" sign and the chalkboard with the café's opening hours. The door had been boarded up with wooden planks and the place was dark and empty inside.
Chuuya clutched at the bouquet of flowers he had in his hands. A wave of sadness washed over him.
"Chuuya!" A voice called out his name. Chuuya turned to see Dazai walking down the street, illuminated by a single, bright moon.
"Why're you here?" he said with surprise.
"There's a nice round, full moon out tonight, so I'm taking a walk at 3am," Dazai joked. "I'm visiting you, duh, stupid Chibi."
Chuuya blushed. He almost forgot. Dazai had texted him earlier in the evening to say he's skipping out on work the next day so he could spend some time at Chuuya's.
"And you're … visiting the elderly lady?" Dazai asked, coming up to Chuuya.
"Yeah but … the place is …"
Dazai stroked his chin. "Hmm … maybe if you stay out here and start bawling the elderly lady may come out with a cup of tea for you?"
Chuuya snapped at the taller man. "Stop fooling around! She's not here anymore!"
"Lighten up," Dazai laughed. "I have her personal details. She still lives in there."
Chuuya furrowed his brows. "Uhh … I think the Agency needs to update their database …"
Dazai ignored Chuuya and went around the building, heading into the buttercup bushes that have grown around.
Skeptical, Chuuya followed, not knowing what to expect. But when they finally came to the back of the building, he gasped. There was a back door right in the brick walls of the house! A little path from the door led away from it, towards the direction of the roads.
"You see," Dazai said smugly. "She's still in there. Just that the café's permanently closed."
Oh, thought Chuuya with some sadness. It wasn't just the food, he'll miss her company too …
Sighing, he held up the bouquet he had. It presented quite a selection of flowers. Mostly simple, humble flowers, expressing his sincerity. However, with all the pinks, and purples and greens, there seems to be just one colour missing.
"Here," Dazai said, stepping to him. He pulled out a single fresh buttercup from his coat and slid that in the bouquet. "Now that looks better, doesn't it?"
Chuuya put the flowers down in front of the door and stayed there in silence for a while, thinking about the elderly lady and Onuki Kano.
Thank you for everything. Chuuya wished her the best.
Then, he stepped away and headed back to the main path, with Dazai behind him.
"That was sweet of you," Dazai remarked.
"Shut up," Chuuya grumbled, but a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth anyway. He felt good about what he's done.
The two of them walked in comfortable silence to Chuuya's apartment. As they went in, Chuuya suddenly remembered an interesting mission he had today.
"Ah anyway, I was tasked to rescue some kids today!" Chuuya started, switching on the lights as Dazai walked past, making himself at home. "In the evening, I had to infiltrate an orphanage to get these 2 kids out. It was surprisingly harder than I thought. Who'd ever think an orphanage would have such tight security?"
Dazai called out from the kitchen. "Huh? You mean you couldn't just pretend to be an orphan and walk in?"
Chuuya found him at the counter and aimed a kick at Dazai. "I'll kill you!"
Dazai laughed, dodging easily. "One day, one day."
"Can I continue?" Chuuya rolled his eyes. "So Mori apparently wants these two in the Mafia because they've got really compatible abilities. He's thinking of forming a new duo …"
"Do you think they'll be more successful than us?" Dazai smiled mirthfully.
Chuuya sighed, leaning back against the counter beside the taller man. "You must be delusional to think we were successful. Not only were we constantly at each others' throats, we also split apart in 3 years."
"But now we're back together," Dazai said.
Chuuya hesitated. "Yeah … I guess? But not really? I mean, well … it's not like Mori or your President knows that we're …" He trailed off uncertainly.
Dazai waited. "That we're …?"
Chuuya paused. He … he wasn't sure himself. What are we now?
"What are we now?" Dazai repeated after Chuuya who had echoed his thoughts. He grinned seeing his favourite redhead's red face.
"Well, I don't know actually," Dazai admitted, turning back to the counter table.
"But in a way, we're still partners, aren't we?" He suddenly handed Chuuya a cup of chamomile tea.
Chuuya stared at Dazai, then at the tea. Truth to be told, Chuuya was afraid. He was very afraid of how things might turn out from here. He wasn't sure if there was anything he should do or pay attention to, or if this happier, sincerer Dazai was here to stay. But Chuuya found comfort in how they both, at least, have faced their deep-seated, troubled emotions with each other and cleared up some misgivings together.
That was undeniably a huge hurdle they had crossed – settling their pasts, tying up loose ends … and he was glad for it. Now, they just need to look at the future. Their future.
Chuuya smiled shyly. "Yeah," he replied, taking the cup.
"Let's take it from there."
A/N: What can I say? This was certainly one heck of a ride. XD
There are however, a few things I would like to address. Firstly, the buttercups. Those are the flowers on the café's awning and with this epilogue, Dazai has actually offered a buttercup to the elderly lady twice – the first time being in Chapter 5.
There are a few reasons I can think of as to why buttercups are symbolic. Did you know that they represent immaturity/childishness and humility? The elderly lady acted as Dazai's (and Chuuya's) guide in this fic and probably made him realise later on, how immature Dazai had been to hold on to his pride and ideals, forgetting the most important part of being human. At the end of the fic, it's evident that Dazai feels humbled by the experience and therefore, presents a buttercup to her for the last time by adding it into Chuuya's bouquet.
Speaking of which, while Dazai worked on unshackling his emotions, Chuuya's angle was his past. Facing it, amending it, and realising newfound hope for the future. I hope I can somewhat bring this across to everyone!
Regarding his nightmares, I had decided that Chuuya's always burdened with them, given his honour and respect for life (especially evident in how he treats his comrades, regardless of rank). The only difference is, recently the nightmares have been surrounding Dazai, due to his interactions with the elderly lady, reminding him about a specific time of his past. When Dazai is present and next to him however, the nightmares stop, and I think that is representative of the amount of trust Chuuya places in Dazai and his decisions – so much so that he is comforted by his presence and assured of his past actions.
I hope I managed to convey both characters' pain and conflicted emotions. My favourite part was writing the last part of Chapter 12. I needed that Soukoku fluff so much! Finally, finally, for the first time in the fic, both Dazai and Chuuya aren't battling each other or some twisted thought or emotion! They felt free.
I would like to leave all of you here, with the song that heavily influenced this fanfic. It was the basis of the kind of feel and type of fic I was going for. I interpreted the lyrics as Dazai's message to Chuuya. I hope you can see where I'm coming from!
watch?v=2elxK1gydEU (Please paste this link into Youtube!)
Who knew that a fanfic like this, inspired by passing by a closed café at night with a hungry stomach would bring me so much joy! There was a time when the research and schoolwork was bogging me down so much, I almost gave up on this. I was so glad I didn't! I honestly wouldn't have found the strength to continue writing if it weren't for everyone's encouragement – so you all took a part in the completion of this fic!
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for your support! And now, with a heavy heart, I finally close The Late Night Café.
