Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Dazai’s day started like any other one. He woke up, got dressed, ate shitty takeout from yesterday's dinner and arrived at work at a reasonable time of exactly 1 hour 9 minutes late. Pushing the door open with a slam he entered the ADA, but instead of Kunkida’s grating voice reaching his ears… the office was quiet.

Not peaceful quiet, or early morning quiet, but wrong quiet.

 Looking around, everyone was there. Tanizaki and Naomi were whispering together in a corner to quiet even for him to catch. Kunikida was pacing anxiously, Ranpo was sitting on his desk seemingly deep in thought next to Yosano whose expression was unreadable. Even Kenji wasn’t smiling, sitting on the couch with Kyoka, his hat clutched in his lap.

Atsushi was… 

Huh. 

Atsushi was missing?

“Good morning everyone!” Dazai announced after a slight pause of confusion. “Where’d our dear Atsushi-kun get to this time?”

No one answered for a solid moment.

Tanizaki and Naomi paused in their conversation. Ranpo didn't look up, just continued tapping his heel on the desk in a slow rhythm, eyes half lidded but still sharp. Yosano’s gaze flicked to Dazai before turning towards the infirmary. Kenji clutched his hat a little tighter. The frown on Kyoka’s face deepened. Kunikida froze mid-pace, shoulders ripe with tension as he turned to glare at Dazai. 

“Dazai! You're late! It is important you arrive on ti-” Kunikida began to rant.

“He’s in the infirmary.” Yosano interrupted.

Dazai raised an eyebrow. “How did he get hurt already? The day just started”

“The day did not just start! We’ve been here waiting for-” 

“He's not hurt.” Yosano interrupted him again. Kunikida seethed silently - she ignored him and kept talking. “Well… technically-”

She hesitated.

Yosano never hesitated.

Dazai’s eyes narrowed. “And?” he prompted.

Ranpo slid off the desk, taking a lollipop out of his pocket. “Technically he isn’t hurt… though  Atsushi is”

Well that's not confusing at all.

Yosano spoke again. “What Ranpo means is… you should go see for yourself.”

The office was silent, a thick tension lingering in the air. Dazai’s eyes drifted from face to face, waiting to see if any more information would be given. Tanizaki and Naomi had gone back to whispering, Yosano walking over to join them. Kenji’s fingers twisted his overalls as he bit his lip, staring into the ground, Kyoka doing the same. Ranpo had gone uncharacteristically quiet, lollipop stick shifting between his teeth. And Kunikida - poor Kunikida - looked one more interruption away from spontaneously combusting.

Dazai sighed dramatically, eyebrow still raised. “You’re all being very cryptic this morning, but alas! I suppose I should follow our dear doctor’s orders.”

Kunikida pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dazai, for once in your life can you take something seriously?

“I take many things seriously!” Dazai said as he strolled past him, reaching for the infirmary door. “My naps, lunch breaks, ‘The Complete Suicide Manual’...”

Kunikida sputtered. “That is not- that is not what I’m talking about Dazai! Now is not the time-”

But Dazai was already pushing the door open with a small smile -leaning more smirk- on his face, though there was a slight furrow in his brow, only visible to those who really knew him, revealing the concern hiding behind his carefree attitude.

Looking inside, the infirmary seemed normal. Nothing was out of place, except for…

“Ahh Atsushi-Kun! Finally found you!” 

Atsushi was sitting in a chair by a medical cot,  turning towards Dazai at his loud entrance. His face was a mix between confused and concerned, though he lit up a little at seeing him.

“Dazai-san!” He paused for a moment before quickly lowering his voice to a whisper, “You need to be quiet, we don’t want to wake him.”

Atsushi turned back round to the cot, and Dazai followed his gaze too… another Atsushi? His hair was different, slightly shorter, and from what he could see of his clothes under the sheets, they were much darker. He also had what seemed to be a collar around his neck, covered in wicked sharp spikes, though it was mostly hidden under his hood/coat thing. All in all, it was definitely Atsushi, if a little edgy.

Dazai blinked once. Then twice. Then a third before his brain finally kicked in.

“Atsushi-kun,” He said, voice deceptively calm. “Why is there another you in the infirmary?”

Atushi winced, avoiding his eyes. “We… don't know. Well-  we know why he’s in the infirmary, but we don’t know why he’s here um-”

Dazai raised a hand, silencing his rambles.

The other Atsushi, the one lying on the cot, didn’t stir. His breathing was steady, almost too steady, like someone in a deep unnatural sleep. He was unusually still, not even a twitch, the only sign he wasn’t dead was the very slight movement of his chest as he breathed. 

Dazai stepped closer, head tilted to the side as he stared down at the uncanny doppelganger. “Where did he come from? Where did you find him?” 

Atsushi hesitated. “He just… appeared.”

“Appeared.”

Atsushi nodded apologetically. “Just in the middle of the office, nearly an hour ago. There was a glowing orb? Thing? It just dropped him on the ground from thin air. Yosano looked him over after deeming him unconscious and said he was injured, so she bandaged him up and left him in here. Considering he’s… me, I decided to watch over him in case he wakes up."

Dazai’s eyes narrowed as he leaned over the knock-off.

“Yosano said he was injured?”

Atsushi nodded once more. “Bruises, cuts, he has some serious scars, and he’s incredibly exhausted. She said it looked like he’s been fighting for a long time.”

“Mmm.” Dazai hummed thoughtfully. “And the collar?”

“We… don’t know. Yosano couldn't figure out how to remove it, so she just left it for now.”

The metal of the collar gleamed in the sunlight coming from the window, the air around it felt wrong. Something about it poked in Dazai’s mind, its twisted appearance familiar to him, though just on the tip of his tongue.

“Interesting,” He murmured.

Atsushi shifted nervously. “Dazai-san… do you think he’s dangerous?”

Dazai didn’t answer immediately. He straightened from where he was leaning over, turning to face the Atsushi he was familiar with. His expression was indiscernible. 

“I think,” He said at last, “That one who wears a collar like this one has certainly been treated as dangerous.”

Atsushi’s eyes widened. “So he’s a prisoner?”

“Or a weapon,”Dazai answered. “Or both. We won’t know for sure without asking him.”

Atsusi glanced at his twin, worry etched clearly into his face. “What do we do?” 

“Why it's rather obvious, Atsushi-kun, we just wait for him to wake up!”

Chapter Text

Nakajima woke slowly, which was already a red flag as he was trained to remain hypervigilant at all times. His first sense to come to him was touch, soft sheets covering his body, too soft to be familiar. Then smell, sterile like a hospital. Taste gave him nothing but the saliva pooling in his mouth. Hearing revealed that while there was currently no one in the room, there was talking in a nearby room. Finally sight came to him. There was a small window nearby, illuminating the area. It was clearly a medical room, shelves lined with various medicines and bandages, and a mostly open red curtain around the cot he was lying on.

The room was clean and orderly, but welcoming. 

And it was wrong. 

The Port Mafia’s facilities were nothing like this. Which meant Nakajima was in a completely new and unknown environment– and he needed to be on alert.

His memories were jumbled, the last thing Nakajima remembered was a fight. A fight… against who? An ability user. They were looking for something. Something important. Very important. He’d managed to fight them off. Not alone, though. He’d been with…

Ryuunosuke. 

He gasped and lurched upright, sheets pooling around his waist. 

Ryuunosuke. Where was Ryuunosuke.

Quickly getting out of the cot, clutching the wall to fight off the dizziness, Nakajima racked his thoughts.

The attacker had used their ability on both of them, so Ryuunosuke had to be nearby, right? Or at least in a similar situation, whatever this situation was. What if Ryuunosuke got hurt? Nakajima had to get out of here, there was no telling what could happen to Ryuu.

He reached for the window, nimble fingers making quick work of the latch, only for the main door to burst open.

“I’ll go check on him if that will cease your worrying, Atsushi, but according to Yosano he shouldn’t be up for a whi-”

Nakajima froze.

Standing in the doorway, looking as healthy and alive as ever, was the Port Mafia boss. 

Not his boss.

Not the one whose dying body he’d cradled in his arms as his last words rang throughout his head.

But it was Osamu Dazai all the same. 

He stared at Nakajima with a mix of apprehension and calculation. Surprise flickered across his face, real surprise, at seeing Nakajima upright and actively trying to escape through a window.

It was an expression he had never seen on the Boss before.

“Huh. Atsushi-Kun! You’re awake.”

“...” Nakajima didn’t move.

“Why don’t you move away from that window so we can talk in the main office. Jumping’s more of my thing anyway” Dazai joked. Nakajima flinched as if struck.

Dazai didn’t bring attention to the strong reaction, though he had definitely filed it away.

“Come, I’m sure you have the answers to the questions we’ve been asking.” He beckoned for Nakajima to follow him, turning around only once he’d moved away from the window

—---------------------------------------

The office was quiet as Dazai walked back in, Atsushi No.2 following silently behind him.

“This is the agency…”  Edgy Atsushi froze. It was more of a statement than a question though Dazai answered anyway.

“Correct. Is something wrong, Atsushi-Kun?” Dazai turned back to look at him.

“Nakajima. Don’t- please don’t call me that, it’s Nakajima.” He corrected quickly.. “And no, Dazai-Sama, I just… didn’t expect it.” 

The silence that followed was heavy. There was too much to unpack in the few words Nakajima had said, and for once Dazai wasn’t sure what to say. 

Nakajima’s eyes darted around the room, taking in every face, every possible exit, searching the shadows. “This place… is too open,” He finally said, not quite breaking the tension.

Tanizaki blinked. “Too open?”

“It's not safe. How did I get here? This cannot be my world.”

“We-” Atsushi spoke up, and Nakajima’s steely gaze switched to him. “...We were hoping you could tell us that.”

“You appeared in our office in a flash of light, fully unconscious. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” Kunikida said, adjusting his glasses.  “What happened on your end? What were you doing before you arrived here.”

“We’re not even sure where you came from.” Yosano said.

“Yes we are.” Ranpo announced. “He’s obviously from the book.” 

—---------------------------------------

The detective with the glasses (Ryuu had definitely mentioned him, what was his name? Aran? Po?) grinned around the lollipop stick in his mouth. “He’s obviously from the book.”

Nakajima blinked. 

So they knew about the book.

But they spoke… calmly about it.

As if it were a mere object, just a tool.

As if it wasn’t the only thing keeping his universe together.

This universe was outside the book. Holy shit.

Chapter Text

“The book? I guess that makes sense," said Atsushi, glancing between his double and the others. His eyes lingered on Nakajima, but he had barely reacted to the mention of the book, just a slight twitch. 

Did he… already know?

“Kunikida is still right though,”  Ranpo continued, rocking on his heels. “what was happening before this in your world?” He tapped the lollipop against his teeth. “An ability user brought you here, correct?”

Nakajima’s breath hitched. 

Atsushi quickly butted in, trying to defuse the tension. “You don’t have to tell us everything at once, we’d just like to help”

Ranpo’s gaze sharpened. “But you were fighting someone, weren’t you?”

Watching as Nakajima’s fingers curled into his palms, and his eyes flicking to all the exits, Atsushi nearly spoke up again but Nakajima beat him to it.

“Yes.” The word came out short and controlled, like he had to force himself to talk. He kept his eyes firmly trained on the floor.

“We were fighting an ability user.” 

Kunikida adjusted his glasses, hand moving swiftly across a page, taking notes as if this were any normal case. “And what were they after?”

Nakajima hesitated, just long enough for it to be noticeable.

“They were after something important,” he said finally. “Something the late boss-” His eyes just barely flicked over to dazai and back. “-entrusted to me. An artifact they cannot be allowed to have.”

“The late boss?” Atsushi questioned.

“...You're with the Mafia.” Dazai said. It wasn’t spoken like a question, more like a confirmation of something he had already theorised.

Atsushi couldn't imagine a world where he was part of the Port Mafia, but the proof was standing right in front of him, and had started talking again.

“Was,” Nakajima corrected quietly. “I was… Port Mafia. I left after the Bosses death”

The way he spoke wasn’t proud. It was resigned, and cold, like someone who had long ago come to terms with the crimes he had no doubt been forced to commit.

Kyoka’s breath caught, Kenji’s fingers tightened around his hat. Tanizaki shifted slightly, placing himself between Naomi and Nakajima.

Kunikida’s pen hovered mid air. “And this late boss of yours-”

“Dazai-Sama”

The room froze, Atsushi’s heart missed a beat. Yosano’s frown deepened. Ranpo rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah back to the problem at hand,” Ranpo said flippantly, uncaring of the revelation he probably already knew. “The person you were fighting, do you know the specifics of their ability? They used it on you right? That's why you're here.”

Nakajima’s fist clenched, knuckles turning white, and he turned from where he was staring at Dazai to looking at Ranpo.

“We didn’t know about their ability,” he said. “And yes. They used it on me. And on Ryuunosuke."

Kyoka’s eyes widened. “Ryuunosuke- you’re talking about Akutagawa.”

Atsushi stiffened, Kunikida’s pen stopped mid sentence. Even Yosano’s calm mask shifted.

Ranpo’s smile sharpened. “Ah. So that's the missing piece.”

Dazai folded his arms, studying Nakajima with a curious look.

“So,” Dazai said, “Akutagawa was hit by the same ability. Which means he must be around here somewhere.”

Atsushi watched as Nakajima’s eyes filled with an emotion he couldn’t name.

“But-” His voice wavered slightly. “But… what if he’s not?”

Atsushi opened his mouth instinctively to comfort him (which was absurd, comforting himself over Akutagawa of all people), but Dazai spoke first.

“Trust me Atsu-... Nakajima–san,” Dazai corrected himself smoothly. “We’ll find him.” 

Nakajima stared at him. Not with devotion or fear, but completely stunned and confused, disorientated by hearing comfort from the oh so familiar voice. It was weird to see his own face looking so lost at Dazai, one of Atsushi’s most trusted companions.

“... You would help?” He asked quietly.

Dazai raised an eyebrow at him. “ Of course. Think of it as a case, we’re looking for a ‘missing person’. And, if he’s anything like the Akutagawa we know, he’s probably causing quite a ruckus anyway, so it would be beneficial to find him.”

Atsushi winced. “I didn’t consider that, two Akutagawa’s running around…”

The fear previously present in Nakajima whenever Dazai spoke disappeared in a moment as he glared towards him. His eyes were fixed on him, searching his face with a kind of wary disbelief.

“He wouldn’t cause trouble unless forced,” Nakajima said, stiff and defensive. “Ryuunosuke is calculative, and careful. He doesn’t jump straight into danger"

Atsushi’s eyebrows shot up. Akutagawa? Careful?

Kyoka looked just as startled.

Yosano let out a low whistle. “Wow. Your world really is different.”

Nakajima’s jaw tightened but he didn’t deny it.

“You two are close, huh?” Dazai said. “If he’s as capable as you say, then he should survive until we locate him. All the more reason to start looking.

Nakajima exhaled sharply, not with panic though. It was closer to relief, smothered in caution.

“... Right.” He straightened up, now in mission mode. “I can debrief you in anything you need to know about him, his combat, how he thinks-”

“Not so fast,” Yosano interrupted. “You need to rest, don’t think I've forgotten about the condition you arrived in.”

Nakajima blinked at her, looking very lost and confused. “But we need to find him, resting would be a waste of time.”

“You’re exhausted, underweight and have multiple injuries.”

He stiffened. “I can’t just-”

Atsushi jumped in. "At least just sit in the infirmary until we find any new information, We’ll let you know immediately. You won’t be able to help your Akutagawa if you’re half dead on your feet.” He felt a little bad about guilt tripping Nakajima, but he really did need the rest.

Nakajima’s mouth opened, probably to argue again, before he hesitated and turned almost involuntarily to look at Dazai.

Dazai didn’t say anything, he didn’t need to.

Nakajima’s posture shifted, hunching over slightly as if accepting defeat. 

“Understood…” He muttered quietly.

Yosano nodded, satisfied. “Good, then back to the infirmary. You don’t have to sleep, just sit down for a bit. And I’m coming with so you don’t try to leave through the window again.”

Dazai clapped his hands, bringing the attention back to him. “Excellent. While Yosano’s watching over you, the rest of us will start brainstorming on where to find this missing… friend of yours.”

Kunikida straightened his glasses, pausing in his writing. “We can check for reports of unusual ability signatures, and-”

“And maybe try not to overwhelm the poor guy with logistics just yet,” Tanizaki butted in gently, glancing at Nakajima.

He was looking at the ground, stock still as if awaiting orders that were never coming. 

Yosano placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving him a light push towards the infirmary door.

“C’mon, before you fall over.”

Nakajima obeyed, walking forwards without arguing. As he passed Dazai though, he hesitated, eyes flicking up to meet his. 

Dazai gave him a small smile, masking his true emotions, though still genuine.

Nakajima looked away immediately, speeding up to finally leave the room. Yosano only a few steps behind him.

The door shut with a quiet click.

—---------------------------------------

Yosano was… contemplating. What it was that she was contemplating, she wasn’t really sure, but her mind was churning. 

Everything about this other Atsushi, Nakajima, was familiar. His face, his voice, him just being Atsushi, but also the things that screamed mafia about him. His clothes, his demeanor, the way he looked at Dazai as if he had simultaneously strung the stars in the sky, and torn them down.

Now, he was just standing in the middle of the room, eyes unfocused, looking incredibly lost and worried.

“Hey, kid.” He startled at the sound of her voice, quickly turning to face her. “You're here to rest, so sit.”

Nakajima nodded sharply at her, as if having received an order and sat down on the bed. He sat stiffly at first, posture too straight to be comfortable, until exhaustion won out, bringing his knees up to his chest and curling his arms around them. He rested his head atop his arms and resumed his staring into the distance. Looking closer, she noticed a slight wet, sheen to his eyes. 

“... We’ll find him.”

“...what?”

“We’ll find him,” She repeated. “I don’t know what he means to you, but you obviously care about him and I can only assume vice versa. You may not be close to us in your world, but we are in this world, so we only want to help. And if that means finding Akutagawa, then we’ll do it.”

He stared at her, expression mostly unreadable, though the furrow in his brow softened at her words.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, kid.”