Chapter 3

2K 86 4
                                    

''What? Do you wanna go first ?'' Chuuya looked down at Dazai, whom stared at him, he seemed a bit nervous. ''No, but I need you to promise me something.'' Chuuya thought for a moment.

A promise that can't wait till after a bath?

''What is it ?'' He asked. Dazai looked down to the floor and stuttered hesitantly. ''Can you... can you not look ?'' Chuuya was shocked at his words. He didn't realize that taking his body meant that he could see whatever's underneath, when the bandages wouldn't be there to hide them. Dazai's eyes shifted, he looked at Chuuya, waiting for his reply with his head still facing down. Chuuya smiled softly, reassuring him. ''Yeah.''

After closing the door, Chuuya turned his back towards the mirror. He removed the bandages covering his right eye, and those on his arms, his neck, and his torso. He stepped onto the shower base and turned the shower head on. Cold water streamed down his neck, making him shiver a bit. As he touched his skin, he could feel the unpleasant sensation at the tip of his fingers.

He felt the damage done to this body. The amount was unholy, unholy enough to send chills down his spine. There were some which went deep, and some which protruded. They were everywhere, it felt as if there wasn't any part unharmed except for the hands and above the neck.

As promised, he didn't look. He was curious and he wanted to take just a quick glance, but he remembered the look on Dazai. Unlike his usual self, Dazai had fear in his eyes. He didn't say it out loud, but he was begging Chuuya to keep this promise.

He then let Dazai in to help him with the bandages. Sitting on the countertop, he looked at Dazai in silence. The latter wrapped the bandages around him. Then Chuuya decided to try. ''Dazai, why do you--'' ''Done, my turn.'' He knew what Chuuya was trying to ask, it wasn't the first time.

He avoided it, juz as usual...

In the past, Chuuya had tried asking Dazai as to why he would wrap himself in bandages. But every single time, Dazai would avoid answering. He was curious, but Dazai apparently didn't want to talk about it, so he eventually gave up the thought of seeking for answers. It's been a year they've been together, but Chuuya had never known what's under Dazai's bandages, not until this day.

Dazai, the one who didn't understand emotion, allowed himself to feel more, to feel like how a normal person would. Dazai might be the terrifying most-feared mafia prodigy, but he did put down his shield when he was with Chuuya, he did put down that wall between himself and something, something called 'emotion'. But the scars, they were something he hadn't opened up to anyone yet, not even Chuuya, or maybe he himself couldn't face them head on just yet.

Chuuya silently walked out the bathroom, regretting that he had brought that question up again knowing that Dazai wouldn't want to hear it.

*

''Boss ,'' Chuuya addressed the man sitting in a luxurious chair. ''Ah Dazai-kun, I was gonna call you. How was work in Tokyo? Did you manage to find the firearm dealer ?'' Mori asked. ''Actually, Mori-san, you're talking to Chuuya ,'' Dazai spoke. Mori tilted his head in confusion as he turned to look at who he thought was Chuuya. It was really weird hearing someone address themselves as the third party.

''Yeah we somehow switched souls, I guess ,'' Chuuya added. ''What happened ?'' Then Dazai replied, ''We don't know, we woke up like this.'' Mori nodded after thinking for a second. ''Alright. In this case, I won't be giving you any work that requires going into the battlefield, not until you've fully adapted to each other's body. I'll get Hirotsu to look into this ,'' the boss said, then he dismissed the two after Dazai had reported about his one-week-long mission earlier.

*

''We can't tell others that we've been switched ?'' In a ramen stall, Chuuya repeated what Dazai had just told him. Dazai nodded, then Chuuya thought for a second. ''That makes sense, if the enemies hear the news they'll come for us knowing that we need time to adapt, so we'll be relatively weaker than before right ?'' Dazai nodded again while eating his noodles, without looking up at him.

''Are you that hungry ?'' Chuuya raised an eyebrow. Dazai stopped slurping his noodles and looked up at him. ''Yeah, this is how you look like when you eat, by the way. You eat sooo much and you eat like you've been starved for a wee-- oww !'' He got kicked at his knee from beneath the table before he could finish his sentence. The poor boy frowned and pouted.

They were going to leave. But before they could stand up, a stranger suddenly sat down beside Chuuya, wrapping her arms around his, basically sticking her face onto his arm. He stared at her, dumbfounded, eyes widened, confused. He didn't know how to react.

?????????

Parted Entanglement { ② }Where stories live. Discover now