The Malfoy’s Winter Ball was approaching, and this year, Draco had actually requested him to come!
He walked into the Lupin Bar, where he now spent so many of his nights drinking with Odasaku and Ango— maybe his only friends outside of Hogwarts.
“Odasaku! You're here already!” He beamed an ear-to-ear grin of pure joy upon the sight of Oda sitting with a glass of whiskey at the bar,
“Oh, hey Dazai.” He smiled warmly, gesturing for him to come and sit.
“It’s been a while, is everything okay at school?” He questioned as Dazai sat down, the bartender immediately pouring him a glass of whiskey which Oda as usual seemed to eye more often than not, “You're only 16, Dazai, you really shouldn't be drinking—”
“Odaaa! You know I'm going anyway, why bother? And as for school, I’ve murdered a few teachers, melted a total of 134 cauldrons and snapped 4 wands, what's going on with you?” His cheerful smile may not have matched his morbid words, but it seemed to please Oda. That was all that mattered.
“As expected of one of the Boss’ favourites, but that's not something to boast about, Dazai!” Ango chimed in, stepping into the bar and placing his bag neatly on the floor.
“Ango!” Dazai laid his head back, giggling as he took another sip of his whiskey.
“Have your friends been well?” Ango turned to face him with a sigh and a soft yet concerned frown drew onto his features, placing his whiskey on the counter beside Oda’s.
“Yep! Blaise is just as well as ever, and everyone else is good too!” This really was the highlight of his day.
“Ah— Blaise! Your best friend? How many lectures have you had on ‘not getting attached’ so far?’” Oda’s small grin met his own as he replied swiftly,
“Off the top of my head, I've had 2 this month, not to mention 4 through letters recently!”
“What's going on with you guys?” He gestured to the bartender for another glass; he couldn't resist.
Oda raised a brow at Ango as he flickered his eyes back to Dazai, who was sipping his drink again. Ango returned this look with an ‘I know, but what can we do’ look, which was fair, when Dazai thought about it.
“Hey! One of my friends is hosting some Winter Ball, Odasaku, wanna come and meet the famous Blaise?” He said mindlessly as he twirled on his seat, setting his drink down on the counter before continuing, “Bet Mori would let you, too— you could just say you were my father, Blaise knows about the whole mission, so he’d love to meet you!”
Oda seemed to be asking himself in his head, and when a small nod replied, accompanied with a, “Sure, if boss lets me—” Well that was all Dazai needed to jump up on his seat in joy! His two best friends were finally meeting!
“Dazai, get down from there, you’ll get yourself hurt!”He brushed off Ango’s serious voice with a yawn and replied, grinning, “Are the injuries life threatening?”
“Oda, you need to get him to stop talking like this! If we stop him, maybe he won't go completely crazy.”
Dazai simply rolled his eyes, sitting down as Ango wished, and turning to Oda after asking for his third drink, “Oda, I think you'll get along really well with Blaise, you guys are kinda similar now that I think about it!”
“So when is this ‘Winter Ball?’” Oda inquired as Dazai pulled out his phone,
“Hold on, I need to see if Mori will even let me go.”
He had to go through hell to even sneak in last year.
“Yeah, the Malfoy Ball—”
“I know, I know!”
“Can Odasaku come with? He can pretend to be some scary mob boss or my dad or something—”
“Oda Sakunosuke, yeah.”
“Alrighttt!”
The agitated look he bore talking to Mori quickly wore off as he turned back to Oda, practically jumping out of his seat with joy, “He says head up to his office tomorrow! The ball is on the 19th, so we can arrive in England one or 2 days before— If that's okay with you.”
Oda nodded, smiling.
—
The plane doors opened; It was raining outside. Dazai followed him swiftly through to the airport, smiling and skipping all along the boarding bridge— It made him so happy to see Dazai smile.
“By the way, we don’t look alike at all, I’m not sure if anyone will believe that I’m your dad— Not to mention I’m only 7 years older than you.”
“It doesn't matter! They also think you're the boss of the Port!”
Oda swallowed nervously as a bead of sweat ran down his rather calm face. They all thought he was a mass murderer. He left that behind years ago.
His red hair fluttered in the wind as they left the airport, and dazai’s bandages frayed edges did, too.
The ride to the Malfoys was pleasant, if not for the horrible weather— It was England, to be fair, what did he expect? The countryside was gorgeous, from what he could make out, but Dazai was yapping in his ear the whole car ride— he had no idea what he was going on about.!
Malfoy Manor was enormous, to be blunt. The fact that they had a ballroom was no surprise— They could probably fit three!
“It's huge.” He blurted out as Dazai trailed off to the front door, knocking loudly 3 times.
“They are filthy rich, trust me.” Dazai sighed, and the door opened.
A tall, long haired man opened the door, smiling bitterly. It wasn’t him who had intvided Dazai. The boy himself had seemed momentarily surprised that it was him opening the door and not one of the servants, but it easily melted off remembering what Mori ordered both the first and last girl to open the door for them.
“Hello, Mr. Malfoy, sir! Lovely seeing you again!” Dazai held his hand out for Mr. Malfoy to shake, but he ‘politely’ pushed his hand out of the way.
”You must be Oda Sakunosuke! Dazai’s ‘father.’ Correct?”
“I trust you know about this, but this is not a mission for me. Dazai simply asked me to come, and we needed an excuse.” Oda explained, keeping eye contact with the man.
“And you are Lucius Malfoy?”
A small nod replied as a boy around Dazai’s age came scurrying through the hall.
Dazai quickly tapped on Oda’s arm— morse code.
‘He knows about the mission, but his dad doesnt know he knows, if that makes sense.’
Dazai looked up at Oda, awaiting a nod. From any other's standpoint, it would just look like a son bothering his dad by frequent arm taps. He did as expected, and followed Draco and Dazai through to what seemed to be Draco’s room.
A sharp British accent broke the silence,
“You're… Oda? Dazai has told me about your time at the— the bar.” He watched as Draco's eyes sent Dazai a ‘you shouldn't be drinking, and you know it.’ look. A bit specific, but obvious nevertheless.
“And you're Draco, I suppose?” He asked politely with a light Japanese accent, tilting his head.
A knock on the door.
Draco scurried downstairs, coming up with another set of footsteps— was that.. Pansy Parkinson? He wasn't too sure what to think of her, after hearing about some of the things she did when they were younger, but she seemed nice enough.
He watched as Dazai’s eyes lit when Blaise entered the room, and they immediately hugged each other.
Oda sent what could hopefully be deciphered as a ‘Are they—?’ to Draco, who sat next to him on one of the sofas in his room.
Draco replied with a ‘no one really knows anymore.’ look and a shrug, which satisfied Oda.
“Blaise? I’ve heard so much about you.” He hoped that his warm smile was welcoming enough, as Blaise came to shake his hand, “Yep! And you are Odasaku? Dazai’s— Drinking buddy.”
Oda could tell that his friends were not fond of his drinking habits, whether it was the expenses or his behaviour when he was drunk, however, he could not tell.
“I’ve tried to get him to stop, but he keeps coming back—”
Blaise reassured him with a smile, “So have I— He’s awfully stubborn.”
Dazai was right, Oda did like Blaise.
—
Before he knew it, Dazai was entering the hall with Oda, who everyone believed to be the Port Mafia Boss. Quite a sight, he supposed, for the mafioso who refrained from killing anyone to be pictured as the monster ruling Yokohoma's underworld.
A few whispers were scattered around the room, not to mention a few anxious looks as Dazai dragged Blaise along, tugging on his fancy suit.
A few minutes passed by and the hall had returned to its usual chatter.
“Dazai! I told you to stop doing that!” He mouthed an ‘I'm so sorry’ to the poor butler, who was shakingly pouring Dazai a drink.
“Dazai! You can't go around threatening that you'll get your ‘Dad’ on them if they don't give you a drink! Just ask nicely!” Blaise lectured Dazai, who was clearly not listening, and already eyeing up his next victim.
“They don't let me! They all say I’m underage, like so what!” He was starting to slur his words— considering he’s had 5 drinks— and that's only the ones Blaise had counted— he wasn't doing too bad, but he quickly signalled to Oda who seemed to have gathered a small crowd of powerful people sucking up to the Port Mafia “Boss”, who noticed what was going on and rushed over,
“Shit— not again! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let him run off—”
Blaise wondered if Dazai was drunk often with Oda, when he was home.
“It's fine, I've been trying to get him to stop, but he just won't listen.”
Dazai was right, Blaise did like Oda.