no but do you understand. kunikida being the one person who sees both dazai and chuuya as irrevocably human. dazai and chuuya each see the other as human but don't have the same faith in themselves. but kunikida. kunikida getting close with both of them, and finding the humanity in both of them. everyone else is so far away, so far below, everyone else sees the untouchable Double Black. everyone else sees the wake of their destruction, the craters left by chuuya's ability, the meticulous plans set up and executed by dazai, the infallible partnership that could level city blocks and take out entire organizations. everyone else sees them as gods, and dazai and chuuya see themselves as monsters, but kunikida--
kunikida sees them after the comedown. he sees dazai on his bad days, when he can't even drag himself out of bed, when it's more painful to hold himself back from jumping in the river than just letting the water fill his lungs. he sees chuuya post-corruption when everything hurts and dazai's touch is the only relief and he's vulnerable and willing to ask for help instead of just taking whatever it is he needs. he's seen them laugh at stupid jokes (both each other's and his own), he's seen them throw popcorn at each other during movie nights, he's seen them during the quiet moments when there's no performance, when they can just relax. he's seen chuuya without the hat and gloves, and he's seen dazai without the bandages. he's seen their pasts laid out on their skin in every scar. he's heard some of the stories and inferred others. he's seen them as Double Black too, of course - he saw the destruction caused after the dead apple incident and he's seen the darkness that lingers in dazai's eyes and he's seen chuuya come home with blood on his clothes and a grim expression on his face. but he's also seen chuuya half-asleep wearing a shirt that's too big for him and he's seen dazai light up at something as simple as kunikida making an extra cup of tea for him. he's seen the destruction caused in their wake, but he's also felt their hands on his skin, gentle, holding him like he's something precious. he's seen beneath the surface, and knows that they are neither gods nor monsters; they are just two humans who have never been told that is all they ever need to be.