[and there it is - though the timing is enough to make Baren question out loud, under his breath - ]
Again?
[though he's at least careful, hovers over Chuuya instead of letting his weight fall on him and reaches out to cup his cheek automatically, getting a better look at his eyes as close as they are and questioning.]
[chuuya blinks up at him, refocusing on his face, on his touch. right. he's here, with him.
he exhales slowly, takes in a steadier breath.]
You remember me mentioning the guy I tried to kill, once? It was him. Dazai. We used to be partners, but- I don't know exactly what happened, I just know I thought of him as a traitor.
[he shakes his head, as if to clear it.]
So I don't know why the fuck I just remembered... working with him or something? I was hurt pretty bad, I don't know how, but-- I told him I'd trusted him and done something. Told him he'd better get me out of there. And he called me partner again, like he had any right-!
[now he's just getting himself worked up, hands clenched, teeth grit.]
Given what Baren had talked about with Kashuu. Knowing all that he did about how to trigger these memories. He knows the connection - in this set of memories, Baren is this Dazai. A person that Chuuya wants to kill. A person that Chuuya was betrayed by. A person that, despite all that, Chuuya chose to trust and call his partner.
He hesitates.
No one should ever really call him partner, because he knows he will turn at a moment's notice if his sister only asked.
But he doesn't say that. Instead he listens, tries to push down the difficult feelings around Chuuya being hurt, and Chuuya's teeth are grit and he's struggling and processing and -
Baren leans up to press a kiss to his forehead, tender despite its brevity.
And he backs up, meets Chuuya where he is, and urges—]
the kiss helps, though. it's a calming little gesture, and he tries again to close his eyes and breathe evenly, to inhale deeply and just. chill. he's fine. he can do that.
he's still a little unsettled, but when he opens his eyes again several moments later, he's at least more calm.]
[Baren waits. Watches. Evaluates as Chuuya slowly calms and he sighs, tilting his head as he watches and waits.]
Mm.... alright.
So you know more about this Dazai guy? You hate him, he betrayed you, you still trust him despite everything? Even when you're injured... That you're willing to kill him and he won't kill you.
Sounds about right?
[ . . . ]
You know, it's pretty shit that when I had one of these in front of you, you didn't believe me for shit, but I'll take you at your word but whatever.
[-ah. he had to sneak in that reminder, though, didn't he, and chuuya winces at it.]
-shit, I forgot about-- so that was a real one after all, huh?
[and he was a total dick about it.]
I- look, it seemed weird at the time that you'd get your first one ever right then, alright? And it seemed like the kind of thing you'd do to fuck with me.
[it's all excuses, though, and eventually he sighs, giving his head another little shake.]
[but for now, that's all Baren will leave it at. He doesn't mind the idea of having an upper hand against Chuuya, even though he'll most likely use it for laughs than anything else.
For right now, he settles for tucking locks of hair behind Chuuya's ear and tilting his head.]
... so?
What about this one that just happened? Are you alright? There's food on the stove if you feel queasy.
[Baren shakes his head even as he retracts his hand - acknowledging at the very least that it's a bad idea for Chuuya to get used to this kind of attention from him.]
.... well, relationships like that are supposed to be hard to break, right? Or something.
[not that he'd know. but. it's supposed to be those ties that last through anything, right?
Baren wonders what that kind of thing feels like.]
How can you say that out loud and then keep doing it.....
[He just has questions, okay. But also even though he entertains the thought of disappearing now - he doesn't quite go for it. Instead he shifts so he can lean against the couch, reaching his arms to move around Chuuya so that he can automatically start playing with his hair with his idle fingers.]
[ah, that's nice-- he'll want to move to the bed eventually, maybe, but for now? for now, this is good. chuuya settles in, letting baren do whatever he wants with his hair.]
Trust me, I'm gonna try not to. No point in not being there to enjoy the results of a job well done, yeah?
But it never hurts to have someone else watching your back, either.
["Whatever Baren wants" are just the familiar motions of a braid, just so that he can focus on that instead of how he's letting Chuuya get too close to him again. But - when you think about being a murderer, then about trusting a partner who betrayed you before, all while getting yanked around by your ex...
By your partner in crime.
For some reason Baren's legs feel too heavy to move.]
The sweaty one's god? I thought he just liked carrying around swords now because he hung out with Yamyamtaro too much. [in truth, he would probably have forgotten yato if he didn't just... keep running into him. he hasn't seen him in a while actually - ] Speaking of which, has he been into work?
[since... last he checked... yato picked up some pretty grim projects
but this is just his way of being roundabout in asking]
Nah, he's... well. He's in jail. Went after some guy, I don't know what for, but he says it was deserved.
[and chuuya is just taking his word for it. he sighs, shifting off of baren so he can get up.]
Honestly, the break might be good for him. Customers are having a hard time remembering he exists, I think it's kinda rough on him... said he'd be a patron for the bar, though, so I'm trying to get a little shrine or something set up before he gets out. See if we can make people remember he's around that way.
[He says. To his ex. Who just told him that he wanted to murder a twelve year old. Though to be honest mafia is pretty tame compared to "hey I'm a sword" and "what's up, I'm a god" and... whatever Baren's twistedass regains are.
Regardless, he's going up to wander over to the kitchen and get the food he made - curry, he probably had to bring the ingredients over himself but well. It is what it is.]
[And Baren, being Baren, ignores the defiant little glower.]
He's a walking shitshow, Chuu.
[SAYS THE WALKING GARBAGEFIRE.]
Sure, he's talented - and if you tell him I said that, I'm never answering your texts again. But he's so.... [a vague wave of his hand] Prideful? Like he's made of greed but won't own it. I'm impressed enough that he was able to accept his own anger enough to hunt someone down. He's always kinda been all talk, no action.
What kind of god is that?
[It's Baren's brutal honesty. The kind that he doesn't even mean maliciously, for all his judgmental words, he sounds more confused than contemptible. As if Yato's just a puzzle that he doesn't get.
He walks back to the couch with a plate of rice and curry for himself, then handing one over to Chuuya.]
[he shouldn't remember that but he does. he opens his mouth to say something but he just barely catches himself from dropping his plate of curry. it clatters on the coffee table with how suddenly he places it down and his whole body freezes as he's hit with a memory.
greed, avarice, arrogance. it dwells within an ailing soul. the enemy of mankind.
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Again?
[though he's at least careful, hovers over Chuuya instead of letting his weight fall on him and reaches out to cup his cheek automatically, getting a better look at his eyes as close as they are and questioning.]
Chuu. Earth to Chuuya, you're here. With me.
What did you see? Who?
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[chuuya blinks up at him, refocusing on his face, on his touch. right. he's here, with him.
he exhales slowly, takes in a steadier breath.]
You remember me mentioning the guy I tried to kill, once? It was him. Dazai. We used to be partners, but- I don't know exactly what happened, I just know I thought of him as a traitor.
[he shakes his head, as if to clear it.]
So I don't know why the fuck I just remembered... working with him or something? I was hurt pretty bad, I don't know how, but-- I told him I'd trusted him and done something. Told him he'd better get me out of there. And he called me partner again, like he had any right-!
[now he's just getting himself worked up, hands clenched, teeth grit.]
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Given what Baren had talked about with Kashuu. Knowing all that he did about how to trigger these memories. He knows the connection - in this set of memories, Baren is this Dazai. A person that Chuuya wants to kill. A person that Chuuya was betrayed by. A person that, despite all that, Chuuya chose to trust and call his partner.
He hesitates.
No one should ever really call him partner, because he knows he will turn at a moment's notice if his sister only asked.
But he doesn't say that. Instead he listens, tries to push down the difficult feelings around Chuuya being hurt, and Chuuya's teeth are grit and he's struggling and processing and -
Baren leans up to press a kiss to his forehead, tender despite its brevity.
And he backs up, meets Chuuya where he is, and urges—]
Hey.
Chuu.
I need you to chill.
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[no, you're fucking not
the kiss helps, though. it's a calming little gesture, and he tries again to close his eyes and breathe evenly, to inhale deeply and just. chill. he's fine. he can do that.
he's still a little unsettled, but when he opens his eyes again several moments later, he's at least more calm.]
-alright. Alright, I'm good.
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Mm.... alright.
So you know more about this Dazai guy? You hate him, he betrayed you, you still trust him despite everything? Even when you're injured... That you're willing to kill him and he won't kill you.
Sounds about right?
[ . . . ]
You know, it's pretty shit that when I had one of these in front of you, you didn't believe me for shit, but I'll take you at your word but whatever.
[gotta sneak in a moment to be PA]
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[-ah. he had to sneak in that reminder, though, didn't he, and chuuya winces at it.]
-shit, I forgot about-- so that was a real one after all, huh?
[and he was a total dick about it.]
I- look, it seemed weird at the time that you'd get your first one ever right then, alright? And it seemed like the kind of thing you'd do to fuck with me.
[it's all excuses, though, and eventually he sighs, giving his head another little shake.]
...let me make it up to you sometime.
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[but for now, that's all Baren will leave it at. He doesn't mind the idea of having an upper hand against Chuuya, even though he'll most likely use it for laughs than anything else.
For right now, he settles for tucking locks of hair behind Chuuya's ear and tilting his head.]
... so?
What about this one that just happened? Are you alright? There's food on the stove if you feel queasy.
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Queasy? How delicate do you think I am, huh? I've seen worse than that.
[that comes with a petulant little huff. yeah, super convincing, chuuya.]
...I'm fine. I just-- I don't understand why it happened, you know? Or what I did that messed me up that much, either.
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.... well, relationships like that are supposed to be hard to break, right? Or something.
[not that he'd know. but. it's supposed to be those ties that last through anything, right?
Baren wonders what that kind of thing feels like.]
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[baren stops the attention, but chuuya's not ready for it to go; he leans in, letting his weight rest against baren just for the contact.]
Fuck, maybe all versions of me just make bad decisions when it comes to that kind of thing.
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[He just has questions, okay. But also even though he entertains the thought of disappearing now - he doesn't quite go for it. Instead he shifts so he can lean against the couch, reaching his arms to move around Chuuya so that he can automatically start playing with his hair with his idle fingers.]
Whatever.
Just don't do something stupid like dying.
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Trust me, I'm gonna try not to. No point in not being there to enjoy the results of a job well done, yeah?
But it never hurts to have someone else watching your back, either.
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By your partner in crime.
For some reason Baren's legs feel too heavy to move.]
Yeah? Someone else? Like who?
[Though his tone is light - amused, teasing.]
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[he hums, as if he has to put some very serious thought into it-- though there's a laugh hidden in there, too.]
I might just have to settle for some flashy asshole of a peacock.
[and with that, he reaches up for a little tug at baren's hair.]
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even as he snorts]
Peacocks are majestic creatures and demigods that walk among us, you prick.
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[SO THERE. nyeh.
he deals with having his hand batted away by just draping it around baren, settling in even more. you're stuck with him now.]
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[Now he's curious???
Though Baren accepts the draping - sort of. He shakes his head in slight annoyance.]
Chuu, I wanted to eat dinner.
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[honestly he totally forgot about the food
which is saying something, considering how much he likes when baren cooks for them.]
One of my employees is-- you've met Yato, right? Or did you forget him.
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[???? lazy ass - but he just snorts.]
The sweaty one's god? I thought he just liked carrying around swords now because he hung out with Yamyamtaro too much. [in truth, he would probably have forgotten yato if he didn't just... keep running into him. he hasn't seen him in a while actually - ] Speaking of which, has he been into work?
[since... last he checked... yato picked up some pretty grim projects
but this is just his way of being roundabout in asking]
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[and chuuya is just taking his word for it. he sighs, shifting off of baren so he can get up.]
Honestly, the break might be good for him. Customers are having a hard time remembering he exists, I think it's kinda rough on him... said he'd be a patron for the bar, though, so I'm trying to get a little shrine or something set up before he gets out. See if we can make people remember he's around that way.
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[He says. To his ex. Who just told him that he wanted to murder a twelve year old. Though to be honest mafia is pretty tame compared to "hey I'm a sword" and "what's up, I'm a god" and... whatever Baren's twistedass regains are.
Regardless, he's going up to wander over to the kitchen and get the food he made - curry, he probably had to bring the ingredients over himself but well. It is what it is.]
You'd make a shrine for that guy? Is he worth it?
[be nice]
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[immediately defensive, giving baren a defiant little glower. as if any of his people wouldn't be worth it??]
If having a shrine and being a patron god for the bar makes it any better for him, I'm gonna do it. You can think whatever you want about him.
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He's a walking shitshow, Chuu.
[SAYS THE WALKING GARBAGEFIRE.]
Sure, he's talented - and if you tell him I said that, I'm never answering your texts again. But he's so.... [a vague wave of his hand] Prideful? Like he's made of greed but won't own it. I'm impressed enough that he was able to accept his own anger enough to hunt someone down. He's always kinda been all talk, no action.
What kind of god is that?
[It's Baren's brutal honesty. The kind that he doesn't even mean maliciously, for all his judgmental words, he sounds more confused than contemptible. As if Yato's just a puzzle that he doesn't get.
He walks back to the couch with a plate of rice and curry for himself, then handing one over to Chuuya.]
I don't get it, but whatever.
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[listen, he has few illusions here. chuuya just shrugs, picking at the curry on his plate.]
And I'd rather have a flawed god I know than a perfect one who I don't. At least I know this one exists and is trying, y'know?
[another small bite, and he pauses, adding:]
Besides, he's important to Anya.
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[he shouldn't remember that but he does. he opens his mouth to say something but he just barely catches himself from dropping his plate of curry. it clatters on the coffee table with how suddenly he places it down and his whole body freezes as he's hit with a memory.
greed, avarice, arrogance. it dwells within an ailing soul. the enemy of mankind.
the orochi.
seal immediately upon - ]
Hunt...? Hunting it down?
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