Aurore, French, 24. I write fanfiction for Bungou Stray Dogs and occasionally Attack on Titans. I mostly write reader inserts, but don't mind writing about ships either, mostly when participating in events. I hope you'll enjoy my stories, feel free to come and talk to me, I'd love to know what you guys think about what I do!
thoughts....shitposts....priorities....reflections... (Very critical self-reflections on writing so don't read this if you aren't into that!)
Quite excitingly, I am now officially registered for Mandarin classes at my local university, so ya girl is finally getting a formal education in her (sort of) native tongue!!! This will sadly make my writing slower tho 😔... And of course I am hustling at my actual full time job/career LMFAO so that will also make my writing slower.
BUT SPEAKING OF MY WRITING, I had this minor (major?) crisis today where I was reading another fic and I realized I was not super happy with my own writing. (It was MDZS fic lol that fandom spoils me. Superb fic, honestly!)
My prose is the #1 thing bugging me, particularly after my realization that I had arguably better prose at age 17 than I do now LMAO. But I think even in terms of narratives, I have my hits and I have my misses and I have more misses than hits (Kokushibou was objectively my greatest hit which is extremely funny to me).
So! To improve my prose I think I need to be a little bit more calculated about the content I consume and the projects I take on. I might be quieter because I'll be reading more published fiction than fanfic, and I think what will really hurt this blog is that trying to develop myself as a writer might mean ditching old projects and streamlining my goals. It might mean writing less for fun and taking my time with things instead. I'm not sure yet. We will see!
Stuff I do want to get out in the imminent future:
10K Lanterns chapter 2 (LMFAO)
Hopefully Daki fic?
Moonlit Night sequel
Moonlit Night spinoff
AOT challenge fic (lol I have to do a lot of research for this one, wtf)
(I am sorry my Tsugikuni hoes - I will wrap up the threesome fic but it may not be very elevated porn 😔 )
Anyway YEAH writing crisis woohoo!!!! I thought I was happy being a hack of a writer but sometimes all it takes is one intense paragraph about Lan Wangji and you're like "damn why is my brain not like this"
I remember you saying you had troubles with Mandarin, it's so cool to see you taking action and going to classes, I'm so happy for you!!
As for the rest, I sure don't mind if the updates and content output get slower, if you feel the need to work on yourself and become a better you / writer, then work on that, you don't owe people anything. As long as it makes you happy about the things that you do, I don't see a problem at all in not being as productive / active as before!
I know I've been a really silent follower until now (mostly because I started following you for AoT stuff and I haven't taken the time yet to get i to MDZS or any other things you write for) but I wish you all the best nonetheless and will be supporting you no matter what!
THIS IS IT MY FRIENDS! “I Will Embrace Your Solitude” chapter 6 is finally HERE!!!! It took it’s time coming, but I promise it’s a good one!
As you guys may have noticed, the rating of the story has changed to explicit, as this new chapter is just pure, simple sex, a total self-indulgence which still fits perfectly in the story haha so no major furthering of the plot, you’ll have to wait until next chapter that!
I hope you enjoy it, thanks to all of you who waited patiently for this!
A little update after what felt like ages just to say that I'm currently writing chapter 6 of IWEYS and let me tell you smut is pretty difficult to write and I'm screaming through the whole process!!! I'm still hoping I'll manage to get it done by the end of the week, this chapter has been sitting in my drafts for too long and I need to continue the story!!!!
Hi guys! A little update since I've been pretty silent lately!
My laptop is still down, and I still don't know when I can get it repaired or buy a new one. I was planning on using my brother's to try and get some writing done, but his laptop crashed as well (talk about bad luck!), so the only option left is using my mom's but it sucks a little and writing with it is pretty uncomfortable, so I'm sure what to do yet.
On another note, I bought all Bungou Stray Dogs light novels, in Japanese, so I was thinking about translating them into English and/or French so anyone could enjoy them, hopefully I'll do a decent job on that!
I also got a few nice ideas for lengthy fanfics, some Chuuya/reader and Levi/reader, plus some Attack on Titan ones without any kind of shipping involved, so I'll be researching and planning them as much as possible before getting access to a computer again. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten I Will Embrace Your Solitude, I will be update it as soon as I can, I was still half-way through chap 6 when my laptop crashed, luckily I had saved everything on a hard drive so I haven't lost anything. I'll be planning out the entire story until its ending; I only have a rough idea of where I wanna go with it so things should be all mapped out once I'm back into writing!
I'm starting work again on Friday this week, so I won't have much free time to do all the things I want to, but hopefully I'll manage to get as much done as possible before I figure out what's going on with my computer (it also means I'll have enough money to buy a new one if necessary, so that's a good thing!!)
I think that's all I needed to say, I'll update you all again if I have more news! Happy holidays everybody please don't forget me and my stories, I promise I'll be back as soon as possible!! 💜
fear | staircase
“but my arms want to carry
my heart wants to hold.
tell me your worries. I want to be told.”
—J Newsom
day two (november 26th, 2019)
surprise | graveyard
“don’t you know I love you but am hopeless at fixing the rain?
but I am learning slowly to love the dark days.”
—Derek Walcott
day three (november 27th, 2019)
anger | basement
“your body is a sky I want to sing into forever and my body is that trembling song.”
—Jeremy Radin
day four (november 28th, 2019)
hope | roadside
“I feel extremely low when I wait for people, need people, cling to people, look around for people: that only thickens the dark cloud hanging over me and makes me feel myself a villain.”
—Rainer Maria Rilke
day five (november 29th, 2019)
guilt | doorway
“I came and sat in front of you as I would at an altar
every promise I made before, I broke when I saw you.”
—Rumi
day six (november 30th, 2019)
longing | parking lots
“think of someone you want to touch whom you cannot touch, someone forbidden.”
—Chelsea Holdon
day seven (december 1st, 2019)
happiness | rooftop
“Destroy my desires, wipe out my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you.”
—Fyodor Dostoevsky
I hardly finished ChuuAtsu week and here I go getting into another ship week because I’m a mad person and I apparently have a death wish!
Hopefully my posting schedule will be better than it was for ChuuAtsu since I’m back from travelling the UK, I’m at home again and still not back to work so things should go a lot more smoothly!
Excited to start writing this (although day 1 is literally today so I will be very certainly late for that but oh well), I’m gonna rewatch some bsd first to get into the KunikiDazai mood!!
Nevermind, I can't use my laptop anymore, the cable broke or something and it doesn't charge anymore, I don't have access to another computer and I have no idea when I can get another cable or get the laptop repaired, so I won't be able to participate this week, I'm pissed
fear | staircase
“but my arms want to carry
my heart wants to hold.
tell me your worries. I want to be told.”
—J Newsom
day two (november 26th, 2019)
surprise | graveyard
“don’t you know I love you but am hopeless at fixing the rain?
but I am learning slowly to love the dark days.”
—Derek Walcott
day three (november 27th, 2019)
anger | basement
“your body is a sky I want to sing into forever and my body is that trembling song.”
—Jeremy Radin
day four (november 28th, 2019)
hope | roadside
“I feel extremely low when I wait for people, need people, cling to people, look around for people: that only thickens the dark cloud hanging over me and makes me feel myself a villain.”
—Rainer Maria Rilke
day five (november 29th, 2019)
guilt | doorway
“I came and sat in front of you as I would at an altar
every promise I made before, I broke when I saw you.”
—Rumi
day six (november 30th, 2019)
longing | parking lots
“think of someone you want to touch whom you cannot touch, someone forbidden.”
—Chelsea Holdon
day seven (december 1st, 2019)
happiness | rooftop
“Destroy my desires, wipe out my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you.”
—Fyodor Dostoevsky
I hardly finished ChuuAtsu week and here I go getting into another ship week because I’m a mad person and I apparently have a death wish!
Hopefully my posting schedule will be better than it was for ChuuAtsu since I’m back from travelling the UK, I’m at home again and still not back to work so things should go a lot more smoothly!
Excited to start writing this (although day 1 is literally today so I will be very certainly late for that but oh well), I’m gonna rewatch some bsd first to get into the KunikiDazai mood!!
Day 7!! It’s the end!! Last day of ChuuAtsu Week, so you guys get a fairy tale AU because why not! I just want them to be wearing kimono, I had this image of the two surrounded by beautiful fabric in my mind and it didn’t want to go, so there goes~
A BIIIIIG THANK YOU to the mods who took care of this event, Cherry and Yoyo, I loved taking part in this, hopefully we’ll be doing a lot more ChuuAtsu things in the future!!
This is also on AO3.
The Prince and the Tiger
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, lived a young prince and his pet tiger. The child had received the tiger cub as a present for his fourth birthday, and since then they had been inseparable. Every day they would walk together around the palace, run through the huge traditional gardens and eat together in the big dining hall; everything the young man did, the little tiger would do. In summer, they would swim in the pond on the palace property, in winter they would roll around in the snow, not caring for status, only enjoying the world around them. Every night, the little tiger would cuddle against the boy’s stomach and they would both fall into a peaceful sleep, lulled by the other’s deep breathing.
As years went by, the tiger became a magnificent beast, its black and white fur mesmerizing all subjects of the land, while the young boy turned into a handsome young man, his cerulean eyes and tangerine hair the talk of young and old people alike. The elegance of both human and creature was praised by all who saw them; the manners taught to one had been learnt by the other. The two were always seen together still, now traveling across the land to see their dear subjects or visiting other rulers in neighboring countries.
One day, on one such voyage, the king of a great country joked about, asking for the young man to marry his daughter. The prince laughed, seemingly wholeheartedly, but deep inside he knew the time had come for him to receive more official requests of the kind, a thought that was piercing his heart. He had no interest in marrying anyone, wanting to rule his land with only his tiger by his side. As time went by, marriage proposals became more numerous and the prince’s parents were pressing him to finally come to a decision. Eventually, their insistence became so overwhelming the young man had no choice but to cave in, with one condition: he would decide who to marry during a ball they would host at the palace in a month time. As much as it pained the prince, he knew he had to fulfill his duty, to obey the rules attached to his rank.
The tiger, seeing the distress in his beloved human, tried to think of a solution to help his friend. The magic of the night sky, though capricious, was renowned the world over for its power and potency. Thus, every night he pleaded the moon, asking for something, anything that would allow him to help the prince. For a month, the tiger would wake up at night, go to the garden and look at the moon, hoping, praying with all his might that the shining satellite would hear him and grant his wish.
The day of the ball had finally arrived, and the prince was getting ready in his chambers. Servants were helping him with his kimono, laying layers after layers of lush, heavy fabric, tying intricately embroidered fabrics around his waist, arranging his hair with different accessories and ornaments. The graceful tiger always found by his side was nowhere to be seen: he had disappeared in the middle of the night, leaving the poor prince alone with the lump in his throat and the knot in his stomach. The ball started soon enough, a cacophony of music and chatters. The prince was smiling and talking and dancing, entertaining his guests as best he could despite his heavy heart. A few hours went by, and the prince still couldn’t make up his mind on who he would marry, none of his suitors leaving a lasting impression on him. All he wanted to do was run out of the room, find his tiger and cuddle with him, patting its soft fur until he fell asleep.
As the prince was trying to think of where his beloved animal could have gone, a young man entered the ball room. He was dressed in the most splendid kimono ever seen, its pure white fabric laced with extremely intricate designs, threads of black, gold and silver delicately dancing all over the clothe. His hair looked like it was shining, a magical pearly glow only broken by the darkest strand of hair flowing on one side of his head. His eyes were the colors of sunset, deep violet meeting bright yellow in an enchanting blend. He walked across the room, his steps confident, his head held high, charisma flowing from him and catching everybody’s eyes.
The prince, realizing the room had gone silent, turned to where the gazes had all shifted to. His eyes fell on the young man walking towards him and his heart skipped a bit. He didn’t know why, but this stranger seemed extremely familiar, as if he had known him his entire life. The man in white approached him and knelt in front of him, delicately holding the prince’s hand to his lips and leaving a soft kiss on top of it. At the contact, the prince’s mind flashed with images of the past and a genuine smile graced his lips, a sight that hadn’t been witnessed for a while now. The two men stayed still for some time, lost in the other’s gaze, unable to move or say a thing. The silver-haired man eventually stepped back, bowing down again before walking away from the prince. The ball continued for the rest of night without any other noticeable event. The prince was still making an effort to dance with all his suitors, gallantly talking with them as they waltz together, but his mind and eyes were elsewhere, always searching for the man in white around the room, and always finding his captivating gaze in the packed crowd.
The end of the night was drawing near, and it was finally time for the announcement everybody was waiting for. The prince was standing at one end of the room, the king and queen right behind him. All the suitors were lining in front of them with one knee to the floor and their head bowed, a string of colorful men and women impatiently awaiting their fate. All of them had tried their hardest to get the prince’s attention all night, with words or physical actions, and all thought they would become the next addition to the royal family.
Without a word, the prince stepped forward, examining everyone’s face meticulously. He didn’t like to be the bringer of bad news, but his choice had been made for some time now, and he knew it would disappoint many in this room. He started walking, his feet gliding slowly in front of the lined courters until he was facing the very last bowed man. His silver hair was falling over his face, hiding his expression, but his body looked relaxed, as if unaware of the tensed atmosphere surrounding him. The prince bent down in front of him and put his hands on each side of his face, guiding him into making eye contact. They both smiled and the prince suddenly pulled the other up, his hands travelling down to his hips. The silver-haired man just had time to put his hands on the prince’s shoulders before this one propped him up and started twirling, their kimono dancing around them in flashes of colors, the two men giggling softly.
The red-head finally put the other man down, realizing such an act was not befitting of his rank. Not that he cared, but his parents and a lot of other people were still in the room, and he didn’t want them to witness this reunion. This reunion, yes, because the prince had immediately recognized his beloved tiger in the eyes of this young man. He didn’t know what magic came into play, but he was grateful for it: the only creature that he had been close with for so many years had returned and in the best way possible, saving him from a fate he thought he couldn’t escape.
Eventually, the ball came to an end and the guests left the royal palace, some of them frowning in disappointment, others smiling from the sight of true love they had witnessed between the prince and this unknown, handsome stranger. None of them had realized the man in white had never introduced himself, not once mentioning where he was from, which kingdom he was representing: his charisma and manners had spoken for themselves, the only proofs they needed of his royal upbringing, gaining him respect from all who had seen him that night. Even the prince’s parents had fallen under the same spell, elated by the prospect of their son finally marrying, never asking the man who he was or which country he was from. Had they asked, the young man would have answered that his territory extended for miles after miles, encompassing forests and rivers, mountains and seas; he reigned over many, for every animal knew that, in these lands, the only ruler was the mighty tiger, the king of all nature.
The young prince and the tiger-turned-human married not too long after the ball, their union celebrated in the whole kingdom. Soon, their life went back to what it used to be, with the only difference that now the tiger could finally talk and laugh with the prince, their bond becoming even stronger. No mention of the real tiger’s disappearance was ever made again, all believing it had gone back to the wild. On some nights though, when the sky was dark and the moon full, a black and white beast could be seen, sometimes walking around, more often cuddling against the prince in his bed, sleeping peacefully next to his one and only.
Finally it’s here! Day 6 with Monochrome! Lots of troubles to get this story out, but I managed!! I didn’t want to do something angsty and yet it still ended up being kinda emotional ^^’
Hope you’ll enjoy it, it’s quite short but still long enough to have a little going on!
Find it on AO3!
The Canvas of Your Skin
Chuuya walked out of the bathroom only wearing dark blue briefs; a towel was loosely hanging around his damp hair. The light coming in from the windows was pouring over his body, remaining drops of water glistening in the yellow rays. Atsushi couldn’t take his eyes off the Mafioso’s figure. He knew from working with him that the man was strong yet seeing the red-head almost naked in front of him was shining a new light on the power the man possessed in him. Of course, his ability was destructive and Atsushi knew he wouldn’t have a chance against it, but now he was starting to think he probably wouldn’t fare too well either if Chuuya only were to use his natural strength.
They were on their fourth mission together. Nobody knew how it had happened, but somehow the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia had ended up working together more and more, Mafiosi and detectives sharing missions after missions, putting a common effort into pursuing their own interests. So, for the fourth time now, Chuuya and Atsushi were partnered up for a case. Despite the small amount of time they had shared, they had become a great team, working together with better synchronization each time. Tonight, they were staying in a hotel a little outside of Yokohama, trailing after yet another rogue ability user.
Chuuya walked to the window, looking over the city with an absent gaze while drying his hair with his towel. Atsushi, as if under a spell, stood up and stepped closer to him, eyes fixed on his bare back. The skin was covered in thin, translucent lines, almost invisible in the dim light. As he got closer, he understood what they were; white, faded scars were running all over his body, a monochromatic painting over the pale canvas of his skin. They were embracing his entire body, lacing around his legs and arms, slithering up his sides and back; Atsushi could only guess his torso was also full of these intricate lines. He was now standing right behind Chuuya, and couldn’t help the hand rising to the other’s back, fingertips lightly caressing the marks overprinted on his shoulder blades.
The feather-like contact made Chuuya jump and he turned around quickly, coming face to face with the tiger. The younger man still had his eyes glued to the red-head’s skin, this time intently gazing at his pectorals. Without noticing, his fingers approached Chuuya’s body again, following a pearly trail along his collarbone. The Mafioso smirked; he’d always had this effect on people, his toned body fascinating women and men alike, his scars always drawing a morbid fascination out of anyone seeing him without the armor of his clothes. He was about to make a sly remark but before he could say a thing he noticed Atsushi’s lower lips trembling a little, his chin twitching ever so slightly. Blue eyes traveled up to meet the tiger’s jeweled gaze and what he saw there took him aback a little: glistening in the street lamps’ light, a few teardrops were threatening to fall over delicate eyelashes, anger and sadness intertwining and lightly hardening the young man’s features. Confusion rushed through the Mafioso and he turned back to the window, traces of a frown curving his eyebrows.
Atsushi took his hand down, still in a dazed, unable to tear his eyes away from the scared skin. He cleared his throat, trying to shove down the ball that had appeared there without him realizing. His voice followed right after, whisper breaking the tensed silence that was surrounding the two men:
“-What have they done to you?” His tone was laced with the same bitter feelings Chuuya had seen on his face just a couple seconds before. Silence fell between them again. The Mafioso didn’t know what to say; should he tell him the truth, or brush it off with a witty joke? The young man seemed quite shaken, he surely wouldn’t judge him, whatever Chuuya would say. Maybe he could confide in him, even just a little. Maybe it would be of some help, and Atsushi wasn’t part of the mafia anyway, he wouldn’t have to see him all the time if things didn’t go well. With these thoughts twirling in his mind, Chuuya started talking, his voice low, his gaze still on the city outside.
“-I wasn’t born an ability user, it was a result of several years of experimentation. These scars… well, you know, these scars…” His voice died down, he felt a lump in his throat. Even if he wanted to keep up with his story, he couldn’t, emotion almost strangling him. He was never talking about his past, always avoiding the subject, mostly because he didn’t know much about what had happened, but also because he hated how emotional he’d get every time he mentioned it. He felt Atsushi’s hand landing on his shoulder and squeezing lightly.
“-It’s okay, you don’t have to say more if you don’t want to.” Chuuya’s shoulders relaxed at the soothing tone of the tiger’s voice. They stayed like this for a while, both looking out to the city, comfortable silence surrounding them. After some time, Atsushi spoke again, still whispering as to not break the silence entirely.
“-I was experimented on as well, when I was younger. I know what it feels like… what it’s like to be reminded of what happened to you, just by glancing at your own skin…” Their eyes met in their reflections on the window. Atsushi’s features had softened; sadness was still showing, but this time mixing with understanding and kindness instead of anger. Chuuya’s lips curved in a hint of a smile, his eyes closing a little. He raised his hand to cover Atsushi’s on his shoulder, holding onto it for a while, before letting out a sigh.
“-It is getting pretty late, we should go to bed. We have a long day ahead of us.” Atsushi only nodded, not moving a single muscle. They stayed like this a little longer, gazing at the city, their eyes sometimes meeting in their reflections, taking in the calming atmosphere around them.
After that night, their team work and synchronicity in combat grew even stronger, one understanding the other without saying a word, exchanged glances telling all they needed to say.
Some terribly sweet fluff for day 5, just because! Main prompt is Forehead Kiss, with a bit of Winter going on as well.
It seems like I can only write stories where the two meet for the first time, why is that!? I guess I have a thing for beginnings, or something like that ^^’
This is way shorter than the previous works, so it’ll be a quick read I think (for once haha). Hope you enjoy Atsushi being all mother-like towards Chuuya, for once he’s the one being taken care of!
Find it on AO3.
The Cure to All Disease
His eyes fluttered open, bright light burning his irises. His head was pounding, his mouth was dry, his throat was stinging. He turned around, realizing he was lying on a bed. It was warm and comfortable; it felt like a piece of heaven surrounding the hellish war happening inside of him. A shiver ran up and down his body, drawing a painful groan out of him. His whole body hurt, he felt like his core was burning while his skin was floating in an ice bath. He couldn’t remember what had happened or how he’d ended up curled up in this bed. He gripped the covers tighter, shoving his head harder in the cushion. He closed his eyes again, hoping for the sweet darkness of sleep to embrace him again so he could forget the horrors of the physical world around him. Nothing came and he stayed there lying, suffocating in the sheets but gladly keeping them around him at the same time. Eventually, two soft knocks on a door made him stick his head out of the covers’ shelter.
The sky was clear blue outside, not a single trace of clouds could be seen. Snow was covering the ground, shining brightly under the shy rays of the sun; winter was here with its beautiful landscapes and biting temperatures. Atsushi entered the room with a tray in hands. Various bowls and cups were standing precariously on it, swaying dangerously with each of the man’s movements. He closed the door with his foot and placed the tray on the nightstand. A mop of persimmon hair was sticking out of the pure white bedsheets, two squinted sapphire eyes hardly visible underneath. Atsushi sat down on the chair next to the bed, his voice rising in the air in a hushed, quiet tone:
“-You’re finally awake. How are you feeling?” The covers moved down a little and the face hiding behind them was brought into full view. Chuuya looked completely exhausted: his face was a lot paler than usual, dark circles were stretching down his face, his lips formed a thin, dried line. He tried to talk, but his throat constricted, painfully letting but a tiny amount of air out, just enough to form a whisper:
“-Like hell-” a coughing fit took hold of him before he could finish his sentence. Atsushi brought one of his hands to the covers, squeezing lightly.
“-It’s okay, you don’t have to talk.” He gestured towards the tray on the night stand. “I’ve brought some soup and water; please drink it all so you can get better quickly!” His voice was still hushed but Chuuya could hear the concern in it.
He propped himself up, sitting down with difficulty. He was still squinting; the bright shine of the snow was too much for his sore eyes. Understanding the problem, Atsushi hurried to the window and closed the curtains, leaving just enough light for them to see what they were doing. The throbbing in Chuuya’s head seemed to calm a little. He grabbed a glass of water on the nightstand and gulped the liquid quickly; its freshness was a relief in his mouth, even if his throat was protesting against the sudden contact.
Atsushi sat back next to him, his eyes glinting like gems fixed on the bedded man. Chuuya put the empty glass on the tray and reclined back on the cushions, breathing with difficulty. He tried to remember how he had ended up here, and most of all who was the man next to him; he felt like he had seen him before, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on when or where that was. As if he had read his mind, the young man spoke in his now familiar quiet voice:
“-I’m Nakajima Atsushi, I’m part of the Armed Detective Agency. I don’t know if you’ve heard of me before but the Port Mafia was after me some time ago…” Chuuya’s mind was slowly working out what he’d just been told. Nakajima Atsushi… Wasn’t he the tiger boy Akutagawa was supposed to capture for this rich American guy? Before Chuuya could think about it further, Atsushi spoke again:
“-You must be Chuuya, right? Dazai’s told me about you before. Don’t worry! He doesn’t know you’re here!” A delicate smile graced the weretiger’s lips, his gaze falling softly over the Mafioso. “I found you passed out in a street nearby, I wasn’t sure what to do so I brought you in. It seems you caught a really bad cold.” Chuuya nodded, the movement reminding him of the ball of needles lodged in his throat.
Thinking about it, he could slowly make out what had happened. He was on a special mission on his own, a mission of extreme importance, which had made him ignore the signs of sickness in his body. He thought he would still be able to work despite the fever, but he had apparently overestimated his capacities. His last memories were of him standing in a street, trying to keep his balance as his head was spinning furiously. After that, total blackness, and then he had woken up here. He tried to speak again, but he could feel the cough rising in his chest.
Atsushi brought his chair closer to the bed, as silently as he could. He grabbed a bowl of soup and a spoon from the tray, and approached them from Chuuya. He scooped some of the warm liquid in the spoon and brought it to Chuuya’s lips. The red-head raised an eyebrow at Atsushi.
“-Here, have some. It’s chicken soup, I heard it’s good against colds.” His earnest tone made Chuuya give in and he opened his mouth, drinking the warm food. Despite his sickness, Chuuya could still taste the different flavors of the soup; it was delicious and heartwarming. The temperature of the liquid was soothing against his throat, calming the stinging and relaxing the muscles.
Atsushi fed Chuuya for a while; he had managed to drink most of the bowl before he had to stop, unable to take any more down. As he slipped down under the blankets again, a warm feeling took over him. It was the first time someone had ever helped him in such a way while he was sick. A tiny smile made its way to his lips, carefully hidden from Atsushi’s view. This complete stranger, this enemy even, was caring for him just like a mother would. The thought made his blood creep up his face. Atsushi, noticing his sudden redness, approached him. He rested a hand on his forehead for a few seconds, before leaning in, his face coming dangerously close to Chuuya’s. The Mafioso tried to back down on the bed, but he couldn’t go any farther. His voice erupted, rough and a little panicked:
“-What are you doing?” The tiger didn’t answer, only letting his mouth land on the man’s forehead. He stayed there, immobile, soft lips kissing skin warmer than normal.
After a couple seconds that felt like eternity, Atsushi straightened up, face moving up a few centimeters, multicolored gaze meeting ocean eyes. He froze in place, blinked a couple times, and as if finally realizing what had just happened, he stood up quickly, taking a few steps away from the bed. His face was a deep red and he was stuttering, trying to get his words out.
“-I-I-I just heard tha-that’s how your we-were supposed to do to t-take someone’s temperature, th-that’s all!” His hands were waving in front of him, as if to keep Chuuya away from him, although the man couldn’t really do much in his current position.
The faint sound of a chuckle flew from under the covers, making Atsushi calm down right away. All that was visible of Chuuya were his tangerine hair, softly glinting in the tiny rays of sunlight still coming in from the windows, his cerulean eyes glistening with something that Atsushi could interpret as joy, and the tips of his ears, as red as strawberries in the morning sun. The view made Atsushi’s heart flutter and the red on his face deepen. He quickly grabbed the tray on the nightstand, asked Chuuya to take some rest in a shaky voice as he did so and raced for the door, leaving the red-head alone once again.
Chuuya cuddled up under the covers, feeling a lot better than he would have imagined a mere half hour ago. The warmth in his belly and in his heart was slowly lulling him to sleep and he let himself be engulfed in sweet slumber, a gentle smile curving his lips; he seemed to have found the best way to cure his sickness, and maybe more.
Chazuke for day 4! And obviously I had to do a rewrite because that’s just who I am as a person! Reimagining the story, Atsushi meets Chuuya instead of Dazai (but somehow doesn’t end up in the mafia because he’s just too pure and I can’t do that to him!! Chuuya can’t either)). The title is obviously based on the first episode of BSD~
There’s some fluffiness happening, the ending is kinda sad, but it’s like... Not angsty or whatever.
It ended up lot longer than originally planned (over 5,000 words), but I like what the story has become ^^ Hope you’ll like it as well!!
It’s on AO3!
Of the Impredictability and Mutability of Fortune
All he could think about was Chazuke. The sourness of the pickled plums. The saltiness of the slivered nori. The chewiness of the left over chicken from dinner. The fluffiness of the rice. All of it doused in piping-hot water and sprinkled with salted kelp. How much he enjoyed his nightly trips to the kitchen, sneaking about so no one would see him. He had made it some kind of ritual, preparing his bowls in the utmost silence, putting the ingredients in one by one, almost religiously. Atsushi’s mind was fixed on his memories of Chazuke bowls, his mouth watering as the ghosts of the food’s flavors were teasing his taste buds. His stomach produced the loudest growl he’d ever heard, bringing him back to reality.
He was standing in a dark alley in between warehouses, close to the harbor. He had been walking all day, trying desperately to find a bit of food, but none had come his way. If things kept like this, he would end up dying of hunger. He collapsed to the floor; his strength was leaving him slowly. Memories of his time at the orphanage were invading his mind: the yelling, the beating, the incessant humiliations. Screams of “Good-for-nothing!”, “Just die in a ditch!”, “No one will ever want you!” were bouncing around his head. He shook himself violently, erasing the voices slowly. Now that he was out of this place, he had to do his best to live and prove them all wrong!
But what could he do to get his hands on even just the smallest bit of rice to get in his stomach? Should he try to rob someone!? The thought had crossed his mind several times today, but he had shaken it away each time: being in a dire situation didn’t mean he had the rights to go against the law, and the poor person he would take their money from didn’t deserve to be robbed; who knew what they were going through themselves? However, this seemed like the only viable option left for him; he was getting desperate. He looked around but couldn’t spot a single soul. He stood up and walked down the alley, reaching a bigger paved road. He scanned the area in search of a victim. A beggar was sitting with his dog at the corner of a warehouse: definitely not someone Atsushi could get money from. A little farther up the street, two police officers were guarding the entrance to a high security building: that wasn’t an option either.
Atsushi let out a deep sigh and turned around. As he was just about to give up, he spotted a man a few meters away from him. He seemed quite small, was wearing a long black coat and a hat. Maybe he could try getting something out of him. The young man slowly approached the person, trying his hardest not to make a single noise. Just as he arrived behind the dark figure, he reached his hand out, targeting the coat’s left pocket. Before his fingers could caress the fabric, a strong hand grabbed his wrist forcefully and a powerful hit took the air out of his lungs. The man’s knee sent him flying up in the air before he collapsed on the floor, face first in the dirt. As he tried to breathe in again, Atsushi couldn’t help but think that this was it, this was the end.
Chuuya looked at the form lying in front of him. It was a young man with weirdly cut silver hair falling all over his face. He was wearing greyish rags; he almost looked like he had broken out of prison. A groan of pain left the man’s lips, his arms wrapping against his stomach, eyes looking back up at the Mafioso. Chuuya’s breath stopped in his throat: deep pools of purple and gold were fixing him, their shading mimicking the setting sun around them. He blinked a few times, trying to register what he was seeing. The young man was getting back up slowly, supporting his body as best he could on his knees and elbows. He coughed a couple times, eyes looking back at the floor. The disappearance of his gaze brought Chuuya back to reality.
“-Oi, boy, what were you trying to do there?” He tried to sound as annoyed as possible, hopefully hiding the flutter that had taken over his chest. It seemed to have worked as the other man replied with fear laced in his voice:
“-I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to attack y-you, it’s just-” Before he could finish his sentence, his stomach emitted yet another loud growl. He let himself collapse on the floor. “hmmmm I’m just so hungry…”
At these words, Chuuya let out a sigh. The deplorable sight of this young man was stirring something in him; he couldn’t really explain the feeling, but he felt the need to help the poor person in front of him. Another sigh left his lips as he stretched out his hand for the silver-haired man to grab.
“-Get up, boy, today’s your lucky day!”
This may have not been a good idea after all. Chuuya was watching the silver-haired man before him munching on his food, bowls after bowls of Chazuke piling up in front of him. It’s not that he lacked money or was tightfisted, Chazuke wasn’t expensive after all, but it looked like the young man was never going to stop shoving bowls down his throat, and as a mafia executive, he couldn’t afford to appear so generous, he had a status to uphold. He took a sip of his green tea, dark glare fixed at the young man in front of him.
“-You said you’re name was Nakajima Atsushi, right?” The younger man nodded.
“-Atshushi, yesh.” His mouth was full of rice. Chuuya closed his eyes, frustration sipping in his veins; how could he be so cute while doing something so disgusting! The Mafioso let out yet another sigh, his grip tightening around his tea cup. The clinging of chopsticks being put down and bowls pushed away called his attention back to the present. Atsushi was reclining on his chair, rubbing his stomach, a look of utter bliss taking over his face. Fourteen bowls were piled in front of him.
“-I’ve had enough Chazuke for the next ten years!” The tone in his voice was the happiest Chuuya had heard since he’d met him a few hours ago. He only hummed in response, not sure if he was amused or annoyed by what the man had just said. “I am really thankful, you know.” The tone in his voice changed, the atmosphere becoming a lot more serious. “Chuuya… you’ve just saved my life.” Their eyes met, both gaze locked into the others, unwavering.
Atsushi started explaining his story: how he had been kick out of the orphanage because of food shortages, how he had roamed around in search for shelter and food, how he had ended near the harbor’s warehouses, almost starved to death, and how he had decided to rob Chuuya in a last effort towards survival. The Mafioso couldn’t help but emphasize with Atsushi’s struggles: he too had a rather harsh life before joining the Port Mafia; he didn’t know his parents and didn’t have much clues on how he’d ended up being experimented on by the government or how he got his ability. Hearing the hardships the young man had to go through were pulling at Chuuya’s heartstrings: he wanted to protect this man, to make sure he wouldn’t have to suffer needlessly again. He couldn’t understand why he was feeling so strongly about this, but seeing the gentle smile on Atsushi’s lips was enough for him to take his decision: he would help this young man no matter what he needed.
After a lot of coaxing and arguing, Atsushi had finally agreed to spend the night at Chuuya’s. He hated to be so dependable on him right now, and he was starting to owe the man a little too much for his liking, but he didn’t have much of a choice: although he had told him about his story, he had left quite a big detail out of his retailing, the tiger. The beast had been chasing after him since the orphanage, and even though he wasn’t too pleased to stay with the red-head for the night, at least it would provide him with shelter away from the beast’s claws and fangs. As they entered Chuuya’s place, Atsushi couldn’t help but let out a yelp. It was a huge apartment, with a window wall on one side overlooking the city. The furniture looked expensive, the rugs even more pricy. The whole place looked so elegant, Atsushi didn’t know what to do with himself.
“-What did you say you’re job was again?
-I didn’t say anything. Now, come here, you can take the spare room close to the kitchen. There’s a bathroom attached to it.” Chuuya pointed at a door at one end of the living room, right next to the open kitchen. “I’ll get you some pajamas, just make yourself comfortable. If you’re hungry, there should be some food in the fridge or cupboards, feel free to have a look around. I have to leave early tomorrow so I probably won’t see you, but you can stay here as long as you need.” The red-head started walking up the stair leading up to the mezzanine.
Atsushi carefully walked to the door Chuuya had showed him and opened it, only passing his head through the small opening. The room was rather big, with large windows on one side. The bed was huge and seemed to be covered with silk sheets. Everything looked as expensive as the rest of the apartment. The young man didn’t know what to feel about this; on one hand he needed a place to stay and Chuuya had kindly offered his spare room, but on the other hand Atsushi felt completely out of place here, all this luxury was too much for him, what if he ended up dirtying something or even worse, breaking one of the ornaments; he would have to repay it one way or another! The weight of a hand on his shoulder made him jump.
“-Here you go, pajamas. Have a good night, Atsushi.” Chuuya shoved the clothes in the young man’s arms and left him standing there, unaware of the internal struggle he was suffering from.
Eventually, Atsushi entered his room; after all he had been through, maybe he deserved to indulge himself little. He would not come across such an opportunity again any time soon, so he just had to make the most of it for as long as it lasted. He took a long, hot shower, the water running down his skin melting away all tensions and stress. He stepped out of the bathroom with reddened skin, the soft glow of joy and sleepiness oozing from his entire being. The fabric of the pajamas was smooth against his skin, and as he slipped in the silky sheets of the bed, he could feel the comfortable hug of sleep surrounding him. He had never felt so satisfied in his entire life.
Chuuya woke up with a start. A quick glance at the clock by his bed told him it was certainly not a time to be awake. He turned around, trying to find a comfortable position when the noise of glass breaking echoed through the whole apartment. He shot out of bed and ran downstairs in nothing but his pajama bottoms. The sight he was met with stopped him halfway through the stairs: the glass coffee table in the living room was shattered, huge gapes were revealing the stuffing of the leather armchairs, the floor lamps were lying on the floor, all cables out, but most surprising of all, a huge white tiger was standing in the middle of his kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards.
Chuuya closed and opened his eyes a few times, trying to make sure this was really happening and he was not still dreaming in his bed. He walked down a couple more stairs. The tiger’s ears moved at the slight sound his feet made, but stayed with his head in the piece of furniture. The Mafioso jumped down the last few stairs remaining, making the tiger turn back for good. The feline recoiled, readying his body for a jump. Chuuya fixed him intently, his body already glowing red from his ability, waiting for the big cat to make his move. They looked into each other’s eyes for a while, and the red-head could swear he had seen this gold and lilac pattern before. The white beast didn’t give him much time to think about it as it pounced on him, all claws out and mouth wide open. Chuuya stood still, only stretching his arm in front of him. His fingers met the tip of the tiger’s nose, and before the animal could close its fangs on him or sink its claws in his skin, a red glow took over its body and slammed it on the floor forcefully. The tiger let out an angry roar: it couldn’t move anymore, intense gravity keeping it glued to the floor.
Chuuya let out a deep breath in relief and looked around to assess the damages, only now realizing the guest room’s door was missing. He ran to it, hoping the young man he had rescued earlier was still alive. He was met with another scene of chaos. The room was completely trashed, bed turned around, mattress destroyed, curtains and bedsheets ripped apart. The rest of the furniture was in the same state of disarray. The red-head looked around, looking for a sign of Atsushi, but found nothing, not even a trace of blood. Could it be…?
He stepped out of the room, coming back to the tiger. The creature was still on the floor, growling menacingly. Chuuya knelt down next to it; grabbing its head and meeting the animal’s furious gaze. Was this why he seemed to have recognized the tiger’s eyes earlier? Was this Atsushi? Chuuya gently called the man’s name. The tiger’s ears moved towards him as if he was setting all his attention on the red-head, his eyes were focused on Chuuya’s; the man could feel something human hiding in them, behind the beast’s anger. He softly patted the animal’s head, whispering Atsushi’s name from time to time, hoping this would calm him down a little. The creature stopped his angry growl, relaxing a little under Chuuya’s touch.
The man hummed to himself, trying to think of a solution. If this was really the young man he decided to help today, why didn’t he say a thing? Could it be that he didn’t know about his condition? He suddenly remembered a conversation he’d overheard at the Port Mafia’s headquarters: Mori had asked Akutagawa to search for a beast, a white tiger that was running havoc on the farmlands nearby; a rich client was ready to pay an extravagant sum of money to get their hands in the animal. Chuuya’s heart tightened in his chest; he couldn’t hand him over to the mafia. He shook his head at the thought: he was part of the mafia, why would he go against orders for someone he’d only met a few hours ago? His hand reached deeper into the tiger’s fur, scratching behind his ears. The beast relaxed more under his touch, letting out a loud purr as Chuuya’s finger were rubbing his head from side to side. He was still maintaining his ability’s grip on the beast, one was never too cautious, but he had diminished the force of attraction pulling him down, giving the tiger a little more freedom in his movements. He ended up resting his head on Chuuya’s lap, and the red-head eventually fell asleep there, his hand on the tiger’s head, forgetting all about the tug of war going on between his mind and his heart.
The sun rays were entering the room through the gaping holes in the curtains, softly shining over the carnage in Chuuya’s apartment. He blinked a few times; his back and legs hurt, he could feel pins and needles in his feet. His hand clutched around something soft and he turned his gaze down, only to realize it was resting in Atsushi’s hair. Said man was lying there sleeping, his head on the Mafioso’s lap. Events of the night came back to him, and it seemed that what he had speculated was true: Atsushi was the white tiger. He tried to move his legs to get some blood back into his feet, which only served to wake the younger man up. He propped himself on one elbow, looking around with a confused look. As his eyes fell on the disaster that was spreading across the room he jumped up, scared gaze frantically searching around.
“-Th-the tiger, it was here, wasn’t it? Where did it go? I have to leave before it finds me and eat me!” He kept on looking around, panicked. Chuuya let out a painful groan and stood up as well. He grabbed the other’s shoulders and shook him lightly.
“-Calm down, Atsushi, the tiger won’t eat you.” The silver-haired man looked at him nervously; he didn’t know if he could believe the man or not.
“-How can you be so sure!?” Chuuya took a deep breath in; he had to break out the news to him, and the faster the better.
-Because you are the tiger!” Atsushi looked at him for a few seconds, not a single expression visible on his face. He suddenly exploded into a nervous laughter, as if he had finally processed the words he’d just been told.
“-Thank you for trying to reassure me, Chuuya, but that’s not possible, that tiger has been chasing me since the orphanage, I would know if-
-Exactly! Don’t you find it weird that it had followed you since then?” Atsushi’s gaze turned to the floor, the gears in his brain visibly working as he was trying to process what was happening.
Chuuya, his hands still on his shoulders, turned him around and pushed him towards the sofa, sitting him on one of the small portions that hadn’t been touched by the tiger. He sat there as well, careful not to fall in the unstuffed hole in the middle of it. He cleared his throat and recounted to Atsushi the events of the previous night: how he had apparently devastated the whole apartment, how Chuuya had found him ransacking his kitchen, how he had managed to take him down. He purposefully left out the part when the Mafioso had ended up petting him to sleep, Atsushi didn’t need to know that. The younger man had his eyes fixed on his hands, a look of horror glued to his face.
“-So… What you’re saying is I’m the one who destroyed your place?” He could already see it, the bill he’d have to pay to reimburse Chuuya. How would he ever be able to gather that much money, he had no idea. The fact that he turned into a tiger at night didn’t seem to have reached his mind yet.
“-If you’re worrying about paying me off, don’t. We have more urgent problems to deal with right now.” Atsushi looked up at him, confusion on his face. “Let’s go out and get some breakfast, okay?”
Chuuya had lent some clothes to Atsushi; he couldn’t let him walk around in the rags he had kept from the orphanage. The young man was now wearing a simple white shirt with black trousers; he had insisted on adding a tie and other accessories to the mix, so he wouldn’t look to unsophisticated next to Chuuya. The red-head had been able to suppress the blush creeping up his cheeks at the comment and had let the tiger look around his drawers in search of anything he liked.
They were now walking around town in search for a place to have breakfast. Chuuya had called Mori to let him know he wouldn’t be able to come in today: a pipe had broken in his apartment and he had to replace most of the furniture there, he had to take care of that today. This excuse, as well as their outing for food, were just pretexts to get away from everything and have a little time to think of his next course of action. He needed to deal with this whole human-tiger problem, and fast. Atsushi’s excited voice brought him out of his reflection.
“-Chuuya, let’s go here, I’ve heard they have the best Chazuke in the area!” The red-head couldn’t help a frown to cross his face.
“-Chazuke again? Didn’t you say you’d had enough for ten years yesterday?
-But that was yesterday!” He grabbed the frowning man’s hand, pulling him towards the restaurant’s entrance. “Come on, let’s go!” Chuuya let out an amused sigh and let the other man pull him inside.
They spent the day out together, exploring the city. Chuuya often found himself staring a little too long at Atsushi, who was always giving a warm smile in return. The Mafioso ended up spoiling the other man a little, indulging him in all kinds of food and drink, even offering to buy him some new clothes, which the tiger had categorically refused: Chuuya was already spending way too much money on him, he couldn’t possibly accept to take any more. The red-head had eventually caved in; he could get some clothes for him another day, when he wasn’t around to scold him. They went back to Chuuya’s place as the sun was falling. The place was still as trashed as it had been in the morning, and reality came crashing back down onto the two men.
Chuuya couldn’t believe he had let himself get so distracted he hadn’t even spared a thought to that situation all day. What was he going to do with the tiger-man? Atsushi, on the other hand, couldn’t help the guilt gnawing at his mind: he couldn’t believe he really was the cause of all this destruction. How could he apologize to Chuuya properly? It was with grim looks on their faces that they went to bed that night; Chuuya insisted on having Atsushi in his room, to keep an eye on him, and the poor tiger could only accept, seeing it as they only way to avoid destroying the apartment more. They were now both upstairs, Chuuya in his own bed, Atsushi cuddled up in a few blankets on the floor.
“-So, Chuuya… You’re an ability user, right?” His voice was soft and sleepy, hardly soaring from under the covers.
“-Yes, I told you so, why?
-Are you part of the Armed Detective Agency?” His tone was sheepish, like a little child’s asking Santa for presents.
“-What? No! Why?” Chuuya couldn’t help the curt tone sipping in his voice.
-Oh nothing, I just thought… since you seemed really powerful, I thought you might be one of the detectives. I heard they would take on jobs even the police or military couldn’t handle, so if you managed to take care of the tiger with just one finger last night, it means you’re strong enough to be one of them…”
Chuuya didn’t know how to react to this: on one hand, Atsushi was complimenting him for his strength, which he couldn’t help but feel flustered about, but on the other hand, he was comparing him to those damn detectives… As if he was comparable to that stupid Dazai! He simply huffed and turned back in his bed.
“-Well, I’m not one of them.” Atsushi hummed in response, dropping the subject at the somewhat irritated tone he could hear in Chuuya’s voice. He fell asleep quickly after, the activities of that day weighing on his limbs, all the food he had eaten weighing on his stomach.
The tiger didn’t wake up that night. The next day, Chuuya had to leave Atsushi alone in his apartment; he couldn’t stay away from the mafia for too long, it’d be suspicious. The young man took this opportunity to clean up the red-head’s place as much as he could, gathering the pieces of glass scattered everywhere, putting away the stuffing of the sofa – he had tried to put it back in but it didn’t fit anymore – and setting the furniture in order as best he could. Of course, because of the damage, he realized most of it had to be changed, but he could at least make the rooms a little less messy, as a way to apologize to Chuuya.
A few more days went by like this, with Chuuya leaving in the morning and coming back at night, and Atsushi cleaning up the apartment; he had even taken upon himself to mend the curtains, a skill he had developed at the orphanage where he would often help the younger kids with holes in their clothes or favorite toys. The two men would eat dinner together, more often than not going out for Chazuke at Atsushi’s special request. The tiger didn’t make an appearance until the fourth night Atsushi had spent at Chuuya’s. Once again, the Mafioso had to use his ability to tame the beast, and once again he spent the night scratching his ears, keeping the tiger calm and purring on his lap. This time however, Chuuya couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was racing, ideas and thoughts bouncing around in his head, each of them contradicting the previous one. As time passed, one idea seemed to keep nudging at his mind more and more often.
The thought had been eating at Chuuya’s mind since Atsushi had first mentioned the Armed Detective Agency: if he wanted to keep him safe, he had to hand him over to them. He couldn’t possibly let the Port Mafia get their hands on him, and as much as he hated to admit it, the ADA was the only organization capable of rivaling with them. He had heard from Mori that the head of the Agency possessed an ability that would help Atsushi with his own, that would enable him to control the tiger inside of him. The more Chuuya thought about it, the more it seemed like the only viable choice he had. He had to make his move the next day; the faster the better.
Once again, Atsushi found himself in a dark alley close to the harbor. This time however, he wasn’t starving, and more importantly, he wasn’t alone. Chuuya had taken him here, saying he would introduce him to someone that could help him. They had taken a lot of detours to get where they were now, hiding from plain sight as much as possible; the tiger didn’t really know why, but the red-head had told him it was necessary, that they had to be careful, and he had trusted him. The sun was setting around them, casting its orange glow all over the city. Everything looked just like the day they had met, hardly a week ago.
As twilight was approaching, a tall silhouette appeared at the end of the street. The shadow walked to them, revealing a middle-aged man in a green kimono. His look was serious, almost stern. He got closer until he was facing the two younger men, eyeing the red-head severely.
“-You have requested a meeting, haven’t you?” Chuuya nodded.
“-Yes, I hope you kept your word and didn’t inform Mori of this.
-I am a man of my word.” The man took a quick glance at Atsushi, who hid a little behind Chuuya. He couldn’t help but feel intimidated by this person. “Is he the one you wanted to talk to me about?” Chuuya nodded once again.
“-He’s an ability user. A powerful one, at that. I want you to take him with you, to make him join your agency. I’m sure he wou-
-Why would I do this for a member of the mafia?” The man cut him unceremoniously. Chuuya cleared his throat. He was obviously annoyed, but had to keep calm, for Atsushi’s sake.
“-You’re gaining a strong ally, and now a mafia executive owes you a favor, I think you are benefiting a lot from this situation.
-And what’s in it for you then?” A frown accompanied those words.
-I just… I just want him to be safe, okay? He’s not the kind to do dirty jobs, and I won’t be able to protect him if he stays with me anyway. Fukuzawa…” Chuuya’s voice broke, but he quickly regained his composure. The tall man could see the distress in the Mafioso’s eyes. “You know what Mori is capable of, and the other ability users under him are no better. Myself included. I’m just trying to keep this kid away from all that. My only condition is that no mention of me helping him is ever made to any member of the mafia, is that clear?” His tone hardened as he said these last words. He knew he was in no position to threaten Fukuzawa, but he felt like a cornered prey under the older man’s strict gaze and he didn’t want to show any weakness in front of him.
Fukuzawa stayed silent for some time, deep in thoughts. Atsushi was still hiding behind the red-head, not sure what was going on. What were they talking about? What were these talks about the mafia? What agency was this man from? And who were these people they both seemed to know? One thing he did understand was that he was in a dangerous situation; he had no idea how he’d ended up there, but now it seemed like there was no escaping it. The taller man turned his gaze to him, locking eyes as if judging if he was worth anything. The tiger kept his head high, eyes unwavering despite the intensity of the man’s gaze. Fukuzawa eventually looked back to Chuuya, nodding his head subtly. The Mafioso understood the message and turned to Atsushi.
“-I think it’s time we say goodbye. Next time we’ll see each other, we’ll probably have to fight.
-Wait, what? I don’t understand-
-Atsushi!” The red-head cut him before he could ask anything. “Promise me you will take care of yourself.” The young man nodded. “Promise me you will fight your hardest to stay alive and safe, no matter what happens.” He nodded again. The concern and hurt in Chuuya’s eyes were unmissable. The red-head’s lips curled into a smile. “Promise me you will eat as much Chazuke as you possibly can, whenever you can.” Atsushi nodded again, letting out a small chuckle.
“-Of course, I will!”
“-Good. Now go, there’s a new family waiting for you.” Chuuya pushed him towards the tall man and turned around, standing straight, his shoulders tensed. He couldn’t help but question his decision. What if Mori was to learn he had betrayed the mafia and given over the man they were looking for to an enemy organization? He shook his head violently. It was too late now, and it was all for the good of this man he had ended up caring so profoundly for, without understanding the reason why.
Fukuzawa took Atsushi with him, walking down the street slowly. The tiger turned around a couple times, hoping to meet Chuuya’s ocean gaze one more time, but the Mafioso was stubbornly keeping his back from him.
The next time they would meet again, they would be fighting each other indeed.
Day 3 for Freefall! Part 2 of Welcome to Paprika ^^ it’s longer than part 1, so the story ends up with a total of 8,122 words, it’s crazy!
A lot more ChuuAtsu moments in there, some softness at the end, hope you guys like it! Dazai and Akutagawa appear as well, their relationship is tensed (see me ignoring cannon and choosing the better life for the dark boy!), tiny appearance of Kunikida and Yosano too.
This part is less dark than the first one, there’s a little bit of inverstigating going on, some weird dream stuff as well, hopefully you’ll enjoy the ending!
It’s on AO3!
Welcome to Paprika - Part 2: The Only Way Out
“-And why would I team up with him, exactly?
-Come on, Dazai, you used to work together back then! If not to help them, you could at least do it for Atsushi…” Kunikida turned to Atsushi’s sleeping figure lying on the bed: his face was crossed by a deep frown, whimpers escaping his mouth from time to time.
“-I know, I know… I just don’t wanna investigate with that feral dog-
-DAZAI! You do not have a choice! Now stop complaining and go before I kick you out!” Kunikida yelled at his fellow detective, raising his leg up menacingly.
Dazai eventually complied and left the agency’s infirmary with a grumpy look on his face. He knew he had to be amiable and work with the Port Mafia for his junior’s sake, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it, above all when he had to team up with his former junior, Akutagawa. He stumped out of the building, grumbling unintelligibly.
“- This doesn’t make me happy either, Dazai.” A dark figure was leaning against the wall, head hanging low, hands in pockets, dark eyes almost burning holes thought the taller man’s back.
“-Already here, I see. Let’s get going then.” Dazai started walking ahead, not once turning back to look at the younger man walking behind him. They went on for some time, nothing breaking the awkward silence except for Akutagawa’s occasional shallow coughs.
Atsushi and Chuuya had been found three days ago, passed out a couple streets away from each other. No traces of fighting had been found around; it didn’t seem like they had met or had struggled against an opponent. They both had been taken to the detective agency to be taken care of by Yosano. Medical checkups had come back normal; the two just seemed to have fallen asleep there, outside in the middle of the day. The only logical reason for their state would be that they were both attacked by an ability user without their knowledge. Dazai had tried to use his own ability on them, without success. Atsushi seemed to have reacted to it somehow as he had stirred in his sleep when Dazai had touched him and tried to talk to him, but he had no way to know if the young man had really heard him or not. It had thus been decided that the Detective Agency and the Port Mafia would be working together on the case. Dazai had been chosen for obvious reasons: he was Atsushi’s mentor and knew enough of the mafia members to be able to work with them without too much hassle. Akutagawa had volunteered to be the mafia’s investigator, wanting to help saving his friend and new mentor Chuuya.
Long gone were the days when Akutagawa revered Dazai like a god. After the man had left the mafia, Akutagawa had felt more betrayed than could be explained, having lost the person who was holding his life together. Things had deteriorated quickly, madness almost taking over him. Luckily, Chuuya had been there for him in those difficult times, helping him regain his confidence and understand the toxicity of his and Dazai’s previous relationship. The young man owed so much to the mafia executive; he now had found a chance to repay him for all the support he had given him. And so here they were, ex-mentor and ex-junior, trying to work together again despite all that had happened, to help the people they held dear now.
“-So… You’re Chuuya, right?” Atsushi was still standing a few centimeters away from the smaller man, his eyes to the ground, fingers awkwardly fidgeting in front of him.
“-Yeah… Atsushi?” The tiger lifted his head, locking his eyes into the Mafioso’s azure gaze. He nodded slowly, confirming his name to the man. The way it sounded in his voice was soothing somehow. “You’re the tiger Akutagawa was after, right?”
“-Oh, hum… yes…” he rubbed his neck nervously. This man knew who he was, yet he didn’t know anything about him, except for the fact that Dazai didn’t seem to like him much, judging by the tone of his voice when he had called him a midget earlier. “And who… I’m sorry for asking, but who are you?
“-I guess that dimwit Dazai doesn’t talk much about his past in the mafia, huh?” Atsushi shook his head. “We were partners back in the days, but that’s all in the past.” He let out a sigh, relief and annoyance mixing in his exhale.
Chuuya turned around, trying to assess the space behind him to find a better position. As he did so, his hands brushed against Atsushi’s, still awkwardly folded in front of him. The slight caress felt warm against his skin, the first time he had been able to feel touch since he’d woken up in this nightmare. His head turned around quickly, meeting the tiger’s stunning eyes. The young man looked flustered, his cheeks colored with a hint of pink.
“-Did you… did you feel that?” Chuuya’s voice left his lips in a whisper. Atsushi nodded again, not sure of how to react. He hadn’t felt a single thing for so long, this mere contact had sent electricity fly up his arm through his entire body. Without thinking, he grabbed the red-head’s hand, squeezing it between his fingers. The warmth was so calming, so tangible, both of them forgot for an instant the dire situation they were stuck in.
Finally realizing what was happening, Chuuya cleared his throat, bringing the two of them back to reality. They let go of each other’s hands hastily and the Mafioso turned his back to Atsushi again, this time hiding the blush that was creeping up his own face. What was he doing, seriously? They stood there, awkward silence filling up the entire cave they were hiding in. After a long time, Atsushi was the one to break the silence:
“-So… You know how this man said we were stuck in dreams? Do you think we could change what’s happening?” Chuuya looked back at him again, an eyebrow raised at the young man’s questions.
“-What do you mean?
-Well, you know, sometimes when you’re asleep you can tell that you are dreaming, and then you can manipulate the dream, like make things appear or disappear… you know?” Atsushi tilted his head to the side, hoping Chuuya would understand what he meant.
The Mafioso felt his heart skipping a beat at the cute gesture and turned away from him once more. He stayed deep in thoughts for a moment, processing what the detective had just said. He could understand the logic behind it, but Tsutsui had told them they were stuck in other people’s dreams, so the chances of his theory actually working seemed pretty slim. He could still try something out; they had nothing to lose anyway. He placed his hands on the cave’s wall in front of him and pushed hard, but nothing moved. He tried again on the other sides, without success.
“-I don’t think it’s worki-
-Let’s try together!” Atsushi placed himself next to Chuuya, their shoulders touching. He took a look at him and started counting down from three. At zero, they both pushed with all their might. At first, nothing happened, but as they put more thoughts and power into what they were doing, the walls started moving back slowly. They exchanged triumphant smiles and kept on pushing. This was just a small victory but it still meant a lot; if they kept on working together, they could find a way out of this nightmarish place.
Dazai and Akutagawa were back in the area their friends had been found, looking around for clues that could help them understand what had happened. Nothing had been spotted when the two were discovered, and three days had passed since then, but they didn’t have a lead and had to start their investigation somewhere. They scrutinized the floor for some time without success again. Akutagawa was running impatient; he didn’t want this case to drag on, he had a man to save and another to get rid of. He looked up to the sky; night was about to fall, orange and purple blending together in between skyscrapers. As his gaze fell on the tall buildings surrounding them, an idea developed in his mind. He looked around for a ladder or external stairs, but having found none, he decided to go up one of the buildings using his ability. He summoned Rashoumon and climbed up a wall, the ability’s teeth digging holes between the bricks. Dazai looked at him and understood without a word, looking around for a way to have a bird's-eye view of the area. He eventually caught up to the broody man five minutes later; the sun was completely out of view, the sky turning a deep shade of blue, moon shining softly behind clouds. Akutagawa pointed at the floor under them: they finally had their clue. Where Chuuya’s and Atsushi’s sleeping body had been found was shining a silvery powder, glittering in the moonlight. It was mimicking the shape of the two men and a small trail of it was going from one silhouette to the other.
The two men looked at each other and went back to the ground. They could still make out the presence of the strange powder on the floor, its shimmer in the moonlight visible only from certain angles. They took out some samples of it, not daring to touch the substance with their bare hands. It seemed to have the consistency of beach sand, but the color had something magical to it, almost dream-like. They decided to stop here for the day: they though it preferable to analyze the substance first before doing anything reckless. They went back to their respective headquarters, each with a sample of the powder to analyze, and with the agreement of meeting again the next day to compare their findings.
Not a lot of words had been exchanged during their outing today, but thanks to this discovery the tension seemed to have decreased a little. Akutagawa would still tense at the sound of his ex-mentor’s voice, but he had managed to stay calm despite the proximity of the man. He didn’t necessarily look forward to the next day, but if the case kept on progressing like this it would be over soon and he wouldn’t have to see Dazai again.
They were both on the floor, facing each other. They had managed to free up enough space to sit down comfortably. The storm was still raging outside, the beast was still waiting for them to go out; it was not as insistent as it was at first, not trying to force its way inside anymore, but it was pacing in front of the cave, wings flapping menacingly from time to time. Atsushi was looking at the ground, trying to avoid looking at the cave’s entrance; Chuuya had his gaze directed towards the tiger, his eyes unfocused, his mind deep in thoughts. They had managed to manipulate this world a little; they had struggled a bit but the results were apparent. Now all they needed to do was to find ideas to break out of here, to find their way out.
“-Hey, Atsushi? You said we could make thing appear in dreams, right? How about we try to summon an object here?
-What kind of objet are you thinking about?
-Hm… maybe some shovels? I don’t think we could manage anything bigger; it was hard enough to push the walls for a couple meters…” Atsushi stood up and walked to Chuuya, grabbing his hands to help him up. “Or any other object that could help us find a way out of here.”
“-I have an idea… instead of making shovels appear and dig a hole, we could like… try to jump and think about the floor breaking and opening on a room close to the exit… what do you think?” Atsushi tilted his head to the side again. Chuuya’s face heated up; this man was too cute for words and his way of thinking was so imaginative, he didn’t know what to do with himself anymore. He shook his head violently; now was not the moment to get distracted by this kind of things. His hand was still in Atsushi’s; he tugged at it a little but the tiger didn’t let go. Chuuya looked up at him, dazzling eyes fixing him questioningly. The Mafioso let out a sigh, annoyed look on his face: he didn’t like what Atsushi was doing to him.
“-Fine, let’s try that. How do you wanna do it?
-Well… We just have to think about the next dream, jump together and it should appear, right? So… Let’s just imagine it’s a nice dream that doesn’t want to eat us or anything, and then jump…” Chuuya nodded and looked back at Atsushi who grabbed his other hand tight. “Ready? Three, two, ooone… JUMP!” The two of them rose in the air and Chuuya couldn’t help but close his eyes.
After some time without feeling anything, he opened them again only to realize they were floating. A look of complete fascination was plastered on Atsushi’s face. The red-head looked around and immediately understood why: clouds of all colors and shapes were puffing around them, looking just like cotton candy, tiny birds and butterflies were flying next to them, feathers and wings sometimes caressing their cheeks. When they reached the ground, the world was even more marvelous: baby pink and tender green hills were rising here and there, a clear stream of water gliding in between, mythical creatures were jumping around, griffins looking at the two men peacefully, unicorns grazing by their sides. Happy laughter could be heard coming from far off.
Atsushi’s eyes were wide open, taking in the landscape, liking it calmness compared to what they had seen before. A gentle smile was gracing his lips.
“-This looks like-
-A kid’s dream.” Chuuya’s harsh voice interrupted him. “That bastard.” The red-head fists clenched strongly, his face was contorted by anger.
“-Wait, do you mean that…
-Yeah, some poor kid fell victim to that sicko’s ability.” Atsushi’s eyes fell to the ground, all traces of happiness gone from his face. He could feel the sting of tears in his eyes. He had been so happy to see such a cute place, it had given him a bit of hope, but the potential explanations behind the presence of this dream world were horrific, he was almost feeling nauseous.
“-We need to find a way out of here, fast!” Chuuya only groaned as an answer; his whole body was shaking with anger.
The two of them used the jumping method again and again, crossing a lot of different places, some more normal than others, some more childish than others. They kept on going without having any idea of how long it was taking them, seemingly never finding the end of this nightmarish world.
Akutagawa was sitting on the sofa in the agency’s reception area, waiting for Dazai to arrive; the man was, as was his habit, late. All the other detectives were carefully avoid the Mafioso, the somber look on his face not enticing them to start a conversation. Dazai eventually appeared, hands in his pocket, humming a song with a radiant smile on his face. The smile turned into a frown as he spotted Akutagawa in the office.
“-Akutagawa, you’re here early.
-I only want this investigation to be over as quickly as possible.” His hands pushed deeper in his pockets, his whole body tensing. “Have you seen the results?
-Yes, it was some sort of sleeping powder, right? Looks like we’re fighting against the Sandman.” Akutagawa raised an eyebrow at the name. He couldn’t believe Dazai was making jokes in such a situation.
“-Some of my subordinates are looking for information on any ability user who can manipulate sand.
-Good, good… but you can tell them there’s no need to look further into that.” A smirk tugged at Dazai’s lips. “Someone in the government owed me a favor, so they snooped around a little for me.” In reality, he’d had to beg Ango for a favor, but he would never admit that to anyone. The government agent, understanding the urgency of the situation, had agreed to help him, with the condition that Dazai now owed him a huge favor. The man hated finding himself in these kinds of situations, but he hadn’t found a faster way to help Atsushi.
The detective plunged a hand in his coat, took out a file and threw it on the table in front of Akutagawa. He kept on talking while the Mafioso was reading through the record.
“-Tsutsui Yasutaka, 32, born in Osaka. His ability is called Paprika; it creates a parallel world that feeds on people’s dreams and nightmares, those stuck in this world are slowly consumed by it. He awoke his ability at the age of 5, when he trapped three of his school friends in his world. He’s been monitored by the Special Ability Department since then and has been in and out of their cells for years. It seems he had recently escaped the high security facility he was held at by trapping the guard in his other world and stealing their keys. Nothing else of interest in the file.”
Akutagawa looked up at Dazai, puzzled look on his face.
“-What do you mean, ‘nothing else of interest’? Doesn’t it say how to get Chuuya and the weretiger to wake up?” Dazai’s eyes darkened at the question.
“-There are no known survivors. All those taken by Tsutsui have remained in Paprika, never to be seen again.”
The atmosphere around the men seemed to freeze, the air filling with dread, chilling them to the bones. How would they save the two men sleeping in the infirmary when their odds of survival were so low? For all they knew, that Tsutsui was also in this parallel world, untouchable. The silence in the office was heavy, all the people present dwelling on grim thoughts. Everybody was tensed; even Dazai had abandoned his usual carefree and cheerful attitude. A sudden set of screams broke them out of their hopelessness.
“-That’s it, I have enough!” Chuuya let himself fall to the floor. They had jumped through dozens of different dreams, and nothing seemed to change: they were still stuck in this terrible place.
“-We should think of another way…
-Well my brain’s run out of ideas, but feel free to do whatever you want!” Chuuya snapped at Atsushi, but regretted it right away. It wasn’t the young man’s fault; he was only trying to help. He took off his hat and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “Sorry about that, I’m just… I can’t stand this place anymore.
-I know, it’s the same for me. I’m sure we’ll come up with something.” Atsushi’s voice was soothing and the red-head closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands. He felt the warmth of the weretiger appearing next to him and a gentle hand coming to rest on his shoulder. He leaned into the touch, his body pressing against the other’s. They stayed like this for some time, taking comfort into the each other, appreciating the warm tingles taking over their bodies.
Chuuya eventually registered the repetitive, clicking sound around them. He opened his eyes, only to see feminine legs, all clad in tights, their feet wrapped in fancy-looking heels, walking everywhere. There were hundreds, thousands of them, these legs without owners, just walking, the click clack of their heels ceaseless. The sound was barely there, but now that he had heard it he couldn’t ignore it anymore, just like the hand of a clock ticking the seconds away. He bent his knees up towards his chest and put his arms over them, hiding his face and ears to protect himself from the annoying sound, but without success: the click clack were omnipresent, unavoidable.
“-Atsushi, if you have an idea, you should let me know now, I think I’m gonna get crazy if I have to listen to those heels for another minute.
-I’m trying, Chuuya, I’m trying…” The tiger couldn’t help the little hint of panic slipping in his voice: his own ears were being assaulted by the sound too, and his mind didn’t seem to find a single viable plan. He jumped up on his feet, ready to start pacing to help his mind a little, but as he stood up completely, his whole body froze. Maybe he had found the solution after all.
“-Chuuya!” The other man looked up at him, confused by the sudden burst of the silver-haired man in front of him. “Do you ever have these moments when you’re asleep, and you feel like you’re falling and then BANG! you’re awake? I think that’s what we have to do!”
The Mafioso couldn’t help but smile at Atsushi’s behavior. He stood up as well facing the weretiger, trying to ignore the legs as much as he could.
“-What do you suggest then? We’ve been doing some falling befo-
-No, we were jumping. Now I’m talking about letting ourselves fall, without controlling what we’re doing.” The fire in his eyes was raging with determination, he knew he had found their way out, it had to be or he would just give up entirely.
“-Okay, I get it, I’ll try. Your idea has to work, otherwise…” He didn’t need to finish his sentence for Atsushi to understand what he meant: the Mafioso was at his limit too, this would be their last attempt before surrendering completely.
They both stood next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, Chuuya’s left hand tightly wrapped around Atsushi’s right one. They had their eyes closed, trying to ready themselves for what was coming. Atsushi’s voice rose, trembling a little:
“-Remember, you have to imagine yourself falling, as if you had jumped from the roof of a high building.” He let out a shaky sigh, his fingers tightening around Chuuya’s. “Okay… three… two… one… now.” The last words left his lips in a whisper.
They both went backward and felt the strange pull of gravity taking a hold of them; they hadn’t felt this sensation since they had first opened their eyes in this place. The wind was ruffling their hair, whistling in their ears. They opened their eyes again to see the city stretching under them; they were high in the sky, flying between the clouds. They locked eyes again, finding reassurance in the other’s gaze. This was it; there was nothing to stop their freefall now.
They fell for a couple minutes, gravity pulling them with all its mighty force. As the ground was approaching, Atsushi realized they were above the detective agency, quite far from the place he thought he had been before being taken away from the real world. The ground was approaching faster and faster, and panic was taking over them. They were about to crash on the building without being able to do anything, their abilities still refusing to activate. They grabbed each other’s arms firmly, trying to find a tiny thread of reassurance in the gesture. As the roof of the agency’s building came in their field of view, they screamed each other’s name, letting out all their fear before blacking out.
“-YAAAAAAAA!
-SHIIIIIIIIIII!”
Chuuya and Atsushi both woke up with a start, sitting on their beds in a panic. They breathed heavily, the air sweetly burning their lungs; they felt like they were reborn. A door opened and Dazai and Akutagawa came in, alerted by the screams they had just heard. Chuuya jumped out of his bed, ignoring the two men, and rushed to Atsushi, who only had time to sit on his bed before the red-head tackled him in a bone-breaking hug.
“-We’re alive, we’re ALIVE!” Hot tears of relief were running down his cheeks, falling down Atsushi’s neck. He could feel the tiger’s tears on his skin as well. Atsushi’s chest convulsed a few times before a laugh of pure happiness escaped his lips, his arms embracing the small Mafioso. They had made it out alive, they were back in the real world.
All their senses seemed enhanced, everything was overwhelming; the touch of the other’s body, their smell, the warmth of their skin, the softness of their hair; they could feel everything at the same time as if they had never felt anything before. They couldn’t let go of each other; they needed to feel these sensations now just as they needed to breathe air to live. However, the sound of someone clearing their throat brought them back to reality.
“-I’m sorry to interrupt this heartwarming reunion, but it seems like we have a visitor.” Dazai was standing at Atsushi’s bed, wicked smile on his face, his left hand holding a weirdly dressed man by the collar: Tsutsui. The man looked confused and lost, he was muttering under his breath:
“-I-I don’t understand, this was never supposed to happen. No one’s ever escaped before. How… how… How did that happen?” A never ending stream of questions was falling from the man’s mouth; he didn’t seem to register the world around him anymore.
Dazai and Akutagawa tried to interrogate him but the man wouldn’t say a thing, too busy trying to understand what had happened: he looked like he had lost his mind. Chuuya and Atsushi couldn’t leave each other’s side, still shaken up by what they’ve been through and by the return of their senses. The other detectives decided to give them some time alone to process the events they had just gone through, which the pair was thankful for. Eventually, government envoys came to retrieve Tsutsui. He was still in a dazed as military men forced him in an armored car, not taking in what was happening to him. The car slowly drove away; it was now time for the Detective Agency and Mafia’s joint investigation to end.
Chuuya and Atsushi were lying in one bed, in each other’s arms. They didn’t know how they ended up in this position but they didn’t really care: the warmth between them was calming, it seemed like it could melt all their bad memories away. A soft knock on the door shook them out of their sweet lethargy. Yosano entered and quickly closed the door behind her, apparently trying to prevent other people from coming in.
“-Hi, you two. I’m glad you made it back alive. Now… I’m sorry to tell you this, but you have to go back at being enemies. Red-head! Your grumpy friend’s waiting for you. Hurry up, I hate having him around!” Yosano’s authoritative tone made Chuuya jump up and off the bed. He walked passed her to the door and grabbed the handle. He took a last glance at Atsushi, their eyes meeting one last time. He would miss this magically colored gaze. He let out a sigh and opened the door, leaving with his head high. Akutagawa ran to him and took him out of the agency, back to the Port Mafia’s headquarters.
Atsushi stayed in bed for some time. He didn’t feel like doing anything, loneliness taking over him since Chuuya had left. He would sigh a lot, eyes fixed at the door. Eventually, Yosano passed her head from behind the wooden screen next to Atsushi’s bed.
“-Atsushi, would you stop sighing so much? You sound like a young girl whose fiancé has just left for the war. I’m sure you’ll see your red-head again!” At these words, Atsushi’s entire face turned red. He stuttered a little, hand waving in front of him.
“-I-I-I have n-no idea what you’re t-talking about!” He hid his face in the covers, hearing Yosano walking away with a chuckle. Deep down, he hoped she was right.
Finally managed to finish day 2 YAY! Went with the prompts Dreams, it’s kind of a scary story, I mean, it’s not so bad, maybe more like suspenseful ^^ It’s almost 3,500 words long, so kind of a long read.
Part 2 of this will come with day 3′s prompt!
The villain is based on Tsutsui Yasutaka, his ability on his book Paprika (it was made into a movie), it’s about dreams and has some weird stuff going on, which is why I used it for my character!
I hope you guys enjoy it, hopefully the next prompt will arrive faster than this one did haha
It’s on AO3 as well!
Welcome to Paprika - Part 1: Stuck in a Dream
Fog was everywhere; Chuuya could hardly see his feet. He had woken up just moments ago and had no idea where he was. His senses were dull somehow; he couldn’t feel the air on his skin or his breath going in and out of his lungs. The fog wasn’t hot or cold, the ground under him wasn’t hard or soft; he felt weightless, as if he was floating through the atmosphere, yet he knew his ability was not activated. The only things he could sense were his heart beating in his chest, a little faster than usual, and the uneasiness that was slowly engulfing him, cold sweat seeming to form at the back of his neck. He tried to scream, but to no avail: his voice was but a mere whisper, a counterfeit of his usual powerful vocalizations. He wrapped his arms around himself, apprehension sipping more and more through his veins, trying to understand what was going on. He didn’t want to give in to panic but the apathy brought on by the fog around him was slowly getting a hold of his heart, the lack of senses paralyzing his blood and thoughts more as seconds passed.
Atsushi’s eyes fluttered open, revealing an electric blue sky spreading above him. He blinked a few times, the color almost burning his sensitive eyes. As he got used to the brightness, he observed his surroundings. Trees and bushes were scattered around, neon pink and vivid yellow leaves detaching over the unnaturally green field. Multicolored birds were flying over heads, large wings moving without a sound despite their size. Atsushi knew he was lying down but couldn’t feel the ground under him, the wind and blades of grass seemingly going through him without a single caress. Nature’s smells were not reaching his nose; the sounds around him were muffled, as if his ears were clogged. He tried to rub his eyes and stand up, but his body wouldn’t agree with him: all his limbs felt heavy, as if filled with lead. He had no choice but to stay on the ground, eyes fixed at the abnormal sky and birds, jarring colors making his head spin. Fear started spreading in his body, his eyes darting form left to right in search of help, his voice stuck in his throat.
The air seemed to clear somehow; Chuuya could see a little farther ahead, he could take a step without fearing what would happen next. The extreme nervousness in him quieted down a little, he was regaining his calm. He took one tentative step; nothing happened. He went ahead, one foot after the other, hoping he would eventually find something in the greyness surrounding him. He moved for some time, unable to see farther than his feet, unable to feel anything against his skin, unable to tell how long he had been walking for. The more he walked on, the more dread was spreading in his veins again. He could have been walking for two minutes or five hours, he didn’t know. He could have been walking in a straight line or in circles, he didn’t know either. He came to a stop, paralyzed by fear. Where was he? What was he doing here? What was happening to him? His mind was running fast, questions after questions not finding their answers and making his heart pump faster and faster. Was anyone close by? Just as the words formed in his mind, a blood-curling scream erupted far away in the fog, echoing all around him.
His muscles were starting to feel a little lighter and soon Atsushi was able to turn himself on his stomach, taking his eyes away from the overly bright sky. The pressure around him was decreasing, not enough for him to stand up and use his body properly but at least he could move his arms and legs and hide his face away. He started crawling at some point, body grinding against the grass without feeling a single touch. Colors were still attacking his vision, he could even feel them, if not a little duller, when closing his eyes. He crawled for a while, moving through the field that seemed to never end. What had happened? Why did his surroundings seem so surreal? These birds flying over him, what were they? They looked menacing but seemed to ignore him for now, which he was thankful for: he didn’t need something to add to his anxiety. He kept on going, desperate to find an escape, needing to flee from this unbearable place. Someone, he needed to find someone. He went on, more desperate than earlier, but quickly came to a stop: a terrifying cry ripped through the sky, chasing the birds away and leaving him petrified.
Chuuya was looking around, trying to find where the sound was coming from, but without success. It was resounding all around him, and whenever he felt like he had found the direction from which it came from, another echo was reaching his ears from behind. The sound wasn’t stopping, bouncing around him again, and again, and again, and again. Chuuya put his hands to his ears, trying to block the horrifying scream, and crouched to the floor into a ball: he couldn’t take it anymore, this was torture, and he needed it to stop, now. As despair was starting to fill him, his mouth opened, ready to scream along the cry around him, but as he was about to do so, the fog started clearing a little more. Looking up at the sky, he saw gigantic birds going over him, their wings silent in the air, chasing the fog away. Their feathers were extremely dull; Chuuya could hardly tell the different colors as they were all ranging on the grayscale. As they flew by, more of the fog cleared up, revealing a sky as colorless as the smog itself. The ground under his feet was of a similar hue, the grass barely detaching against the bleak roof overhead. Having gained some visibility, Chuuya started walking again, heading to where the birds were fleeing from.
The cry was still ringing in the sky, bids flying away in a whirlwind of ostentatious feathers. Atsushi tried to cover his eyes and ears, in vain. The shriek was as loud and terrifying as ever and the colors were as vivid and hurtful as they had been since he had woken up. The fear coursing through him slowly unlocked his muscles and he started crawling again, following the bids as his instinct was telling him they were escaping this way for a reason. As he thought so, the scream finally came to a stop. The pressure on him was still strong, holding his body to a ground he couldn’t feel as he dragged himself forward. His arms and legs were heavy but he kept pushing on, ignoring the discomfort, following what panic and instinct were dictating him. His head was dizzy from the effort, dizzier from the sight around him, his head spinning as the colors were entering his eyes and bouncing in painful nervous signals in his brain. The birds were slowly getting out of view, their immense wings taking them away faster than Atsushi could manage. He tried to keep calm, only focusing on the movement of his limbs, tiny slither of hope telling him he could escape whatever he was going away from. The birds had now completely disappeared, leaving Atsushi alone with his anxiety and desperate flee.
Time did not make sense anymore. It hadn’t made in a while, but it seemed even more striking now. Chuuya had been walking. He knew he had been walking, but that’s the only thing he knew. The colorless birds had disappeared from the sky behind him what felt like days ago, he wasn’t even sure he was still going in the right direction anymore. The landscape looked the same, dark and light grey trees and bushes appearing in the remaining fog sometimes, hardly visible against the lifeless sky and dull ground of the field he was in. The little faith he had managed to regain when he had seen the birds earlier was getting flimsy, was there anything here apart from a black and white field? His steps were getting more hesitant, his hands shaking as all negative emotions were coming in full force again. Frustration was taking a hold of him, anger slowly creeping in the midst of fear and hopelessness. He tried to walk towards a tree to let his exasperation out on it in the form of kicks and punches, but as hard as he tried, the tree remained as distant as ever. He finally collapsed, giving up. The never ending field was stretching all around him, a frown contorted his face as his fists tightened to the point it should have been painful had he felt any physical sensations. His eyes were not focusing on anything in particular until his gaze was caught: something was wiggling on the ground farther ahead.
Atsushi was on the verge of giving up; the lack of progress in his movements was starting to get to him. His eyes were tired; he couldn’t take the harshness of this environment anymore. He stopped moving, resting his head in his arms. The colors were still harassing him, but not as strongly as before. He couldn’t seem to find the strength to go on, this was all too much for him and surviving in such a place didn’t seem like a viable option anymore. The scream from earlier hadn’t echoed again, and whatever had produced it or triggered it hadn’t showed up since it had gone quiet. The birds were nowhere to be found, and Atsushi was starting to feel the loneliest he had ever felt. Even if they were strange, the creatures had been a sign that there were beings other than himself here, and it had given him a bit of courage. Now that they were gone, true despair was flowing through him, and he didn’t see how he would be able to survive anymore. He looked up from his arms, giving one last hopeful glance around before he would completely surrender. Nothing had changed, the same trees and bushes were splashing their multicolored leaves around. As he lowered his head again, something odd caught his eyes: what seemed to be another tree was standing farther ahead. It was rising towards the sky just like the others, if not a little less high. What really caught Atsushi’s interest was its color: it was pitch black, something he hadn’t seen since he had opened his eyes in this strange land. He started crawling again, advancing towards the dark tree in hope of finding answers or help there.
Chuuya could feel his legs running under him, the weightlessness dissipating a little. The wiggling form on the floor was getting closer, slowly, surely. This felt like his last hope, the only thing he had left that would help him in this world of numbness. His steps were large, he was almost floating between each one as if he was on the moon, jumping from a leg to the other in slow motion. As he was finally getting closer, he could discern the wiggling shape a little better: it seemed to be a man, crawling on the floor, coming towards him. His thoughts were lighting up: he had finally found someone, another human being, in this terrible ordeal he was going through.
As Atsushi was progressing forward, faster than he ever had before, the form he had taken for a tree’s reveled itself to be that of a man, moving in his direction. Could this be help coming for him? Someone who was sent to save him from this torture? After some time, the form was close enough that Atsushi could see who they were: a man in a black coat and black hat, wearing a stylish suit underneath. His hair was falling on one of his shoulders, the orange tints seeming almost life less against the harsh colors surrounding him. Atsushi welcomed this dullness, his eyes were relishing in the calmness of this man’s appearance, the quietness of his colors. The man was standing, apparently not affected by the power keeping Atsushi on the ground.
In front of Chuuya was a young man in a white shirt and black trousers, silver hair surrounding his face. It seemed like he couldn’t stand up and was stuck to the floor by an invisible force. Chuuya’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes met the other’s: beautiful yellow and purple hues were dancing in his gaze in an intense and magical waltz. He couldn’t help but let out a yelp:
“-Colors! I can see colors again!” He dropped to his knees in front of the man, his next sentence escaping his lips in a whisper. “Your eyes… they’re beautiful…” His eyes were set on Atsushi’s, unwavering as if he was scared to look away. He put his shaky hands on each side of the young man’s face, pulling him a little closer without breaking eye contact.
At the touch, Atsushi felt the weight on his body decreasing considerably. He pushed himself up, regaining control of himself, without taking his eyes off the red-head’s. The blue in it was soothing, far from the electric burn of the sky’s. They both stood up, Chuuya’s hands still around the tiger’s face, eyes glued to the other’s, finding in them some solace from this awful place. A high-pitched voice broke their trance.
“-Welcome to Paprika, where your dreams come true and your nightmares reality!” The voice resonated through the sky.
The two men turned around, trying to find where the voice came from. What they saw left them speechless for a moment. The world had found its colors back for Chuuya, the soft green of the grass almost shining under the clear blue sky, the trees and bushes calmly standing with their yellow and orange leaves falling from the branches here and there. The sense of dread had disappeared, and although he still couldn’t feel the wind against him or smell the scents in the air, things were starting to become a little more normal. Atsushi was looking around with wide eyes. The sky had lost its jarring color and was now stretching above heads in a quiet, calming shade of blue, while the grass was slowly moving in the wind, jade green blades swaying softly. The other plants had also regained their usual colors, autumn shades reigning over leaves, all traces of bright neon gone. Things still didn’t feel completely right, but Atsushi’s aching eyes and mind welcomed the changes nonetheless.
As the two men were looking around with wonder, a vicious laugh resounded in the sky. This time, it was clear the noise was coming from just above them, and as Atsushi and Chuuya looked up, the figure of an oddly dressed man appeared, floating in the sky. His long hair was falling to his knees, jet black flowing around him. His eyes were a dark shade of brown, small streaks of gold visible here and there. His outfit consisted of a long sleeved shirt and trousers, both adorning red and white stripes. A blue collar was going up around his neck while ruffled fabric of a similar shade was circling his wrists and ankles. His feet were encased in white shoes with red laces. His laugh was still resonating around, sending shivers down Atsushi’s and Chuuya’s spines, reminding them of the terrible scream that had ripped through this field some time ago. The man floated down to the floor and set down with grace, his hair elegantly falling around him, seeming to almost hug his body. He bowed down in front of the two men, left hand behind his back, right hand on his heart. As he straightened up, another sinister laugh escaped his mouth.
“-Ha ha, yes, welcome, welcome indeed! I am Tsutsui, and as I just said, you are now finding yourself in Paprika. You may have guessed it; we are not in the real world anymore but in one of my creation. A world of wonders, of magic, of dreams… of nightmares.” A smirk crossed his lips as he said the last two words, glint of malice shining in his eyes. “Only your minds have entered this place, your bodies are still in the real world, sleeping like babies. You may have realized that there is no point in using your abilities here; they won’t work no matter how hard you try! Now, you’ve already had a small glimpse of what could happen here: the fantasies of those trapped before you will entertain you for as long as needed. Whatever happens here will not harm you physically… That is, if you can escape before Paprika makes the two of you hers forever!” His high-pitched laugh erupted again as the man disappeared from view, the sound echoing through the sky again in an ominous cry.
Just as the man vanished, the floor started trembling, the landscape changing around Atsushi and Chuuya: sharp, high mountains were rising from the ground, the sky was filling with dark, menacing clouds, all vegetation was receding. Thunder was brewing above heads and undetermined creatures were starting to fly around in a whirlwind of screeches. Without thinking, Chuuya grabbed Atsushi’s hand and started running, trying to escape from the ghastly beasts. One of them noticed the two men fleeing and went chasing after them, gaping mouth full of teeth ready to swallow its preys. The Mafioso was still leading the way, not daring to look back as he could hear the flying monster behind them. Atsushi was holding onto the other man’s hand strongly, as if letting go would mean losing any chance of escaping from the beast, and escaping from this nightmare as well.
“-We need to find a place to hide!” He was panting somehow, even though he couldn’t feel the air in his lungs still.
“-As if I didn’t know that!” The tiger could hear the fear sipping in the harsh tone of the other man’s voice.
The creature behind them emitted a piercing scream. Atsushi turned around at the sound, realizing it was still rather far from them but seemed to accelerate, flapping its wings harder than it previously had. Looking forward again, Atsushi tried to run faster, pushing on the red-head’s back with his free hand. Understanding the gesture, Chuuya increased the speed as much as he could. The went on for what felt like ages, the beast crying behind them, the dark, terrifying mountains rising around them, the stormy sky thundering above them. Atsushi took another look behind: the beast had decreased the distance between them by half, its jaws about thirty centimeters away from the tiger’s head. The blood stopped in his vein, his face contorted in terror, his voice stuck in his throat. Just as the beast snapped its jaw at him, Atsushi got pulled to the side and fell backward onto something soft. The beast tried to follow but seemed to be stuck, unable to reach him no matter how hard it tried. Atsushi realized he was in a narrow cave, barely large enough for him and the other man to hide inside. A groan rose from under him, and he quickly stood up, understanding the soft thing he had fallen onto was the red-headed man. He helped him up, apologizing for using him as a cushion.
“-Don’t worry about that, at least we managed to hide from that thing.” He pointed at the creature at the entrance of the cave. “I don’t know how we’re gonna go out though. We have to find a way to escape this world, and I doubt we’ll find anything in this tiny hole.” They both looked around but couldn’t see anything of interest, the hide out hardly big enough for them to stand without touching. Atsushi rubbed his face in his hands, trying to think of a solution.
“-I suppose we could wait until the thing goes away, it will get tired of waiting at some point.
-We don’t really have a choice, and if what that weird jackass from earlier said is true, then we won’t die of hunger of thirst while waiting. We’re in a world of dreams after all.” As Chuuya said those words, a faint voice reached them, a lot quieter than that of Tsutsui’s, almost sounding like a whisper.
“-Atsushi! It’s me, Dazai! It seems you are stuck in someone’s ability with that midget Chuuya. We will find a way to get you out, I promise!” The voice died down, leaving the two men in the cave to stare at each other, confused by what they had just heard.
ChuuAtsu Week Day 1! Fluffy fluff because why not!
I love sugared violets, so when I saw the prompts I knew I had to pick this one haha hope you like this little story, I wanted to start the week with something soft but not too sweet either.
Got inspired byt this song, please check it out, it melts my heart, it’s so soft!
Find it on A03.
Morning Lights and Sugared Violets
The first rays of the day were starting to shine, turning the deep blue sky a dark shade of grey, painting the clouds in soft hues of pink and gold. The moon had set and the stars were fading little by little. The air was chilly but pleasant: the coldest hour of the night was slowly warming up in the light of the firmament’s emperor. The emerald grass was glistening with dew, tiny droplets sometimes rolling down the tender blades to feed the earth. Small dots of blue, purple and white were sprayed across the hills, soft pastels not yet showing their authentic colors. Everything was quiet. Most of the birds were sleeping; their chorus would start soon enough, but for now the air was still, lethargy enveloping nature and its habitants just a little while longer. The hills and mountains were rising towards the heavens, sharp edges barely visible in the now gunmetal sky. The clouds were puffing around them, soft, multicolored cotton candy wrapping the rocky giants in their delicate tones.
Sitting amongst the tall blades of grass, observing the horizon from a relatively high hill, was a young man. He was wrapped in a warm blanket, trying to protect himself from the damp ground. His silver hair was almost reflecting the earlier morning colors, not quite catching the weak rays sneaking from behind the mountains. His bicolor eyes were glued to the sky, expectantly waiting for the sun to show up and illuminate the Earth in a myriad of intense shades. It had been a while since Atsushi had been able to admire the sun rise. When he was at the orphanage, he could sometimes sneak out early in the morning to the building’s roof and marvel at the rainbows rays shooting through the sky, one of his only peaceful moments at the institution. His life had been so busy since he’d left the horrendous place, he hadn’t found the time to unwind and gaze at the morning lights. Working for the Armed Detective Agency had been nothing but great, but his days were so packed with cases to solve and paperwork to fill in that he would find himself going to bed late at night and waking up as late as he could to try and garner as much sleep as possible to face the busy day. Today, however, he could finally indulge into his old habit and had left the hotel he was staying at very early to catch all the beauty of the sun waking up.
His eyes were so fixed on the horizon, all his senses so consumed by nature around him, that he didn’t realize a silhouette was approaching behind him, huffing a little in the cold air.
“-What are you doing out here? You’ll get a cold with all this humidity!” Chuuya scolded him, a tinge of concern sipping in his annoyed voice. Atsushi answered without taking his eyes off the sky, face barely moving towards the red-head:
“-That’s why I brought a blanket.” Chuuya groaned and sat down next to him, tightening his coat around himself, making sure he was not sitting directly on the wet ground.
The two men were currently on a mission together; a truce had been negotiated between the ADA and the Port Mafia, and a few of the organizations’ members had been sent on various missions around Yokohama that would require the two ability users’ institutions to work hand in hand. Atsushi and Chuuya were now in the mountains west of Yokohama, investigating on a series of disappearances in the area.
The two men sat next to each other in silence, waiting for the sun to appear from behind the mountains. Chuuya glanced at the silver-haired man next to him from the corner of his eyes and took one arm out of his jacket.
“-Here.” He poked Atsushi on the arm with the small plastic pack he was holding in his hand. It was full of purple, sugar-coated flowers. “I saw you looking at them through the shop’s window yesterday.” Atsushi’s eyes turned to Chuuya’s hand and lit up at the sight of the sweet violets.
They had crossed a small town the previous day, questioning people on the way about the strange disappearances. While Chuuya was finishing up with a witness, Atsushi had wandered around and ended up in front of a fancy looking sweet shop, the windows full of expensive chocolate, sugared flowers and other sweet delights. His eyes had been particularly attracted to the candied violets, the small purple flowers making his mouth water just by the look of them. A glance at their price however made Atsushi close his drooling mouth right away and give up on the idea of ever tasting the mauve petals.
The tiger reached for the small bag hesitantly, unsure if he should accept it are not. Chuuya’s gaze softened at his indecisiveness and he poked him with the bag again, hitting the tips of Atsushi’s outstretched fingers. He looked up at the Mafioso and smiled at his relaxed feature, grabbing the bag of sweets and thanking him with a brighter smile and glowing eyes. Chuuya quickly turned his eyes back to the skyline, a tiny tinge of pink coloring his cheeks. Atsushi looked back to the sky as well, savoring his first tiny blossom. The taste was exploding in his mouth, the sweetness caressing his taste buds, the flavor of the flower transporting him to a meadow in full bloom.
The firmament above heads was brightening as minutes were passing, peach and coral now replacing grey, clouds slowly paling as the sun rays were getting bolder. Stronger smells were starting to tickle the nose, flowery fragrances mixing with the sweet humidity of the dew sprinkled all around. Chuuya was eyeing the young man next to him from time to time, taking in the look of pure joy illuminating his face. He had only met the tiger boy a couple days ago, but he could feel himself wanting to protect him with all his might already. He looked so innocent all the time; Chuuya was mesmerized by how even the simplest thing could make him instantly happy. The tiger’s reaction to everything was stirring something in the Mafioso and he just felt a strong urge to shield him from any harm that could go his way. He had heard of him from Akutagawa, but the depiction the broody man had made of the weretiger was so far from what Chuuya had witnessed in the past two days he had even wondered if the person his junior had talked about really was the one he was with now. However, he knew he couldn’t get too close to him. Atsushi was part of the ADA, and even though they were allies of sorts right now, chances were they would be back to being fierce enemies in a very near future. Despite that, he had figured he could indulge in this caring feeling, at least for the few days they would be on this mission.
A small gasp escaped Atsushi. The sun was finally peeking from behind the hills, golden rays pouring over the earth. His breath was stuck in his throat at the beauty in front of him. The sky had taken a soft, golden hue, the mountains were now clearly visible between the clouds, the beige of the rocks and deep green of the forests taking tints he had never seen before. Chuuya had turned his eyes to Atsushi when the quiet huff had escaped him. His face was entirely illuminated by the soft glimmer soaring through the heavens, tired features almost entirely erased by the bliss taking over his entire being. The tiger grabbed another sugared violet, eyes slightly closing with joy as he sucked on the candy. Chuuya’s blush grew redder as he observed the young man. He almost looked like an angel in this morning rays, his silver hair glowing in the light resembling a halo around his gentle face. The morning dew was glittering around them, adding an ethereal aura to the whole scene. Seeing Atsushi enjoy his present so much was warming the Mafioso inside; he had offered presents to Akutagawa or Kouyou before, but none of them seemed to have appreciated them as much as Atsushi, this almost stranger, was in this exact moment. His heart fluttered a little at the thought and sight. Feeling the heat across his cheeks, Chuuya cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.
Atsushi turned his head to him, eyes locking for a second into the blue gaze of the red-head before the Mafioso looked back to the sunrise, trying to avoid eye contact with the young man. The tiger smiled at Chuuya, admiring the way the sunlight was playing in the few fiery strands visible under the man’s hat. He could see the red hues covering his cheeks; he didn’t know such a person could be so sensitive to nature’s wonders. They may be able to get along after all. Atsushi turned his attention to the giant orb again.
“-It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Chuuya answered with a simple nod, not sure if he was thinking about the sunrise or the man next to him as he did so.
Slowly, the sun made its way up and was finally completely out. The magic was disappearing little by little as the sky turned bluer and the light whiter. They sat there for some time still, both looking at the now clear blue sky, puffy clouds gathering around the mountains’ edges.
“-Have some, please.” Atsushi shook the small bag of candied violets in front of Chuuya. He was so grateful for this present, he had to share it with the red-head. Dazai had told him about him, and he had heard stories of how powerful he was, but the person he had with him right now was the complete opposite of the image he previously had in mind. Of course it had been a little weird at first, having to work so closely with the mafia and actually going on a mission with one of their members, an executive at that, but Atsushi had quickly changed his opinion on the man. He wasn’t some kind of blood-thirsty monster or a stupid gnome, far from it. Atsushi smiled at the red-head as their eyes met and softly shook the violets again.
“Th-Thank.” Chuuya couldn’t help but stutter as he accepted one of the flowers. The tiger quickly stood up, tightening his blanket around him.
“-We should get back to the hotel.” Chuuya only hummed in response as he rose up. He put the sweet in his mouth as he started following Atsushi, flavors filling in his senses. It seemed the young tiger was warming up to him, and the idea of getting close to him didn’t seem so impossible or silly anymore. One thing was sure: he knew he would never be able to eat another sugared violet without thinking about the young detective. As they were making their way back, Atsushi’s mind was filled by the same thought.
The time has come! Here are the prompts we’ve both chosen for ChuuAtsu Week (November 10-16)! There were a lot of good ones, so we’ve picked three prompts for each day and a song lyric to go with them!
Check out the playlist Mod Yoyo has compiled for the event with the following songs over here!
Day 1 (11/10): Musical | Violets | Dusk
“Wherever you are, it’s never as dark. Whenever I start slipping, you make all the difference. Been there from the start, no matter how hard, whatever piece is missing, you know how to fix it.”
—Better With You by Jesse McCartney
Day 2 (11/11): Fashion | Dreams | Starcrossed
“I stand by your side, unmoving ‘till the moon and sun collide. This is right! Let’s take a step towards forever…”
—Infinite by Justin Robinett and Michael Henry
Day 3 (11/12): Surprise | Freefall | Stripes
“We’ll come down from the highest heights, still searching for the reason why. And now I know what it’s like, reaching from the other side. After all that I’ve done…”
—Ever Enough by A Rocket to the Moon
Day 4 (11/13): Chazuke | Polychrome | Allies
“I like the self-confident look you borrow from the boldest monuments. Your stare mild as a secret and your nearly indecent caresses. You understand every single silence of mine, my little blanks. If I went to paradise I could probably not tell the difference.”
—ça ira by Joyce Jonathan
Day 5 (11/14): Drive | Forehead Kiss | Winter
"It’s funny when you’re nervous and you look away. You stutter when I laugh and give yourself away, take a deep breath…”
—Bishounen by Hikaru Station
Day 6 (11/15): Monochrome | Corruption | Raison D’etre
“You’re afraid to meet someone ‘cause you’ve been burned, you’ve been burned, you’ve been burned… Love is good until it’s gone, that’s what you learned, what you’ve learned, what you’ve learned…”
—Temporary Love by Ben Platt
Day 7 (11/16): Free Day!
Remember to read over our rules about submitting for the event! For any questions and comments, our askbox is open! We look forward to seeing all your superb creations!
I know I should be working on I Will Embrace Your Solitude but chapter 6 is giving me a lot of troubles so now I’m just fooling around and announcing that I will be participating in this event, I already have some sweet ideas for some of the prompts, I’m super hyped!
On a less happy note, I won’t be able to update I Will Embrace Your Solitude today, hopefullly I’ll be able to do it tomorrow or the next day. Chap 6 is far from finished and I want to take my time with it so it’s good, I don’t wanna rush things and end up with a chapter I’m not satisfied with. I still have a day off work tomorrow so hopfully I’ll get to work on it properly and update it in the following days, wish me luck!
Aaaaaaaand here comes the last entry for the Dazatsu Halloween event! It’s a little late because life, and stuff, you know, but it’s finally done! Hope you like it, it’s a light piece to finish the week on a cute note! (Can you tell I’m a big scaredy-cat and just CANNOT DEAL with horror stuff? haha)
I would like to thank the mods who made this event possible, Cherish, Datura and Mango, thank you soooo much, I had so much fun writing all these stories! It got me out of my writing comfoort zone and made me explore genres or themes I probably wouldn’t have explored on my own. Thank you!!
Now that I’m done, I’ll be reading through all the other works submitted and enjoy eveyone’s hard work!
Find this on A03.
Demon in the Dark
The Armed Detective Agency was as busy as ever, but for once, the detectives were not drowning in paperwork. Halloween was approaching and they had decided to host a costume party. All the staff was invited of course, as well as notable clients and other officials who had worked with the agency before. The office had been entirely decorated for the occasion, ghosts and bats hanging here and there, pumpkins and spiders adorning desks and walls; even a bloody trail had been drawn on the floor of the corridor, leading the way from the elevator to the office’s door. As evening was approaching, the detectives were making sure it was all perfect, dusting a shelf here and there or adjusting a decoration on a desk. Food and drinks would be served at the arrival of the first guests. They had spent the day cooking and baking, preparing all sorts of savory and sweet appetizers and cookies: pumpkin tarts, tiny spider-shaped rice balls, cupcakes topped with orange or white buttercream, cinnamon-flavored ghost cookies and other deliciously evil dishes were patiently waiting to be eaten. Several cocktails, with and without alcohol, had been mixed up, ready to be served in massive punch bowls. Some even had lychees filled with cherries floating in them, mimicking a soup made of eyes floating in blood.
All the detectives had dressed up with their best costumes: Kunikida had put extra care in his vampire costume, even bringing a huge coffin to the office, Kyouka was posing as a puppet master, walking around with a stuffed rabbit wearing a dress similar to hers, Rampo was dressed as a witch, massive bag of candies attached to his broom, the Tanizaki siblings were impersonating the monster of Frankenstein and its wife, Yosano was a spider queen, black dress gracefully undulating around her, Kenji had a forest spirit costume on, with moss and leaves hanging from his little antlers, Dazai was wearing the long cape of a reaper and swinging around a giant scythe, and Atsushi had become a mummy, bandages usually reserved for Dazai now dangling around him, sometimes dangerously getting caught around his feet. Even Fukuzawa had dressed up, impersonating what looked like a vampire hunter, having traded his usual kimono for a more Western-looking outfit.
The first guests arrived with nightfall, and soon the office was filled with animated conversations, loud laughter and the sound of clinging glasses. Music was playing in the background, keeping all the costumed guests entertained. Candles had been put around, giving the room a somehow mystic atmosphere despite the electric lights shining above heads. Most of the detectives were delighting the guests with conversations of past cases. Most of them, because Atsushi was just awkwardly standing in a corner, not really sure how to approach the important people filling up the room. As he was new to the agency, he didn’t have much to talk about and was a little intimidated by the fantastic stories his colleagues were narrating. Kenji, who had noticed him from the buffet, approached him with a sweet smile.
“-Atsushi, why are you alone here? You should go and talk to people, it will be fun!
-But I don’t know what to tell them!
-Don’t worry about it. You can just join in one of the others’ conversations, I’m sure you will find some interesting things to say!” The teenager tried to reassure him, pointing to a small crowd that had gathered around Dazai.
Taking the hint, Atsushi left his corner and walked to his mentor, who was extravagantly retelling their last investigation, clearly including exaggerated details here and there. His scythe was only adding to the dramatic effects in his storytelling. The people around him were holding their breath, hanging to his every words, relishing in the nerve wrecking stories. Atsushi blended in the group, amused by Dazai’s manners. The older man’s gaze fell on him, and with a wide flailing of his arms, he wrapped himself around the tiger, continuing his story.
“-Atsushi! This young kid, here! He was so brave! Oh, you should have seen it, my belladonna!” he reached for one of the women’s hand, who blushed and giggled at the gesture, “He ran to the villain head on, not caring for anything else but MY LIFE, and tackled him to the floor, restraining his moves so he couldn’t touch me anymore. I wouldn’t be here to tell this story if it wasn’t for him!” He rubbed his knuckles against the weretiger’s head, ruffling his hair playfully.
The young man didn’t remember any of these things but he smiled as people were praising him, humbly accepting the kind words. Dazai kept with his tale, sometimes coaxing Atsushi into agreeing to a weird detail here and there, although most of them were obvious lies. The tiger was slowly getting more comfortable with the crowd, easing up into his own conversations. Dazai was glancing at him from time to time, happy to see his junior gaining confidence.
Suddenly, the lights flickered a couple times. A few people around the room joked about a ghost or spirit roaming the building, others were laughing nervously. Atsushi looked around, a little anxious. Nothing happened in the following minutes, and everybody went back to what they were doing. The tiger, still tensed, engaged in a conversation with a client he had met a few months back. After about ten minutes however, the lights turned off completely. The only light left was the ominous glow of the candles casting long shadows against the walls. Silence had fallen around the room, people not daring to make too much noise. A few nervous whispers were running around the crowd.
“-I will check the electricity panel, everyone stay put!” Kunikida’s voice flew up from a corner of the office, and soon he passed through the crowd with a candle in his hand, walking out the find the source of the problem.
Atsushi could feel his nervousness grow. As much as he liked Halloween and other spooky things, it still made him a little jittery to think about ghosts and haunting spirits. He suddenly felt a cold breeze blowing against his neck. A high pitched shriek escaped him before he could stop it.
“-Aren’t you a little jumpy, my dear Atsushi?” Dazai voice was whispering right in his ear; the weretiger could sense the mocking smirk gracing the man’s face.
“-D-D-Dazai! That’s not funny!” Atsushi rubbed his neck, trying to erase the uncomfortable feeling creeping up his skin.
“-But I find it extremely amusing.” His voice was teasing, tone a little darker than usual.
Atsushi’s body stiffed at the words. Dazai was up to something, and he was going to be his victim, he was sure of it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he felt the man’s hands on his shoulders, making him jump a little. Dazai’s fingers were trailing up to Atsushi’s throat, tugging at the bandages. As he was about to rebuke his mentor, the lights turned on again, blinding everybody around. The weight of Dazai’s hands lifted from his shoulders, and he clearly heard a frustrated sight behind him. Turning around, he saw his mentor running towards the tall blond who was entering the office again.
“-Kunikida! You saved us! I was so scared; I thought a demon was going to attack me in the dark!
-Shut it, Dazai!”
Atsushi couldn’t help but scoff at the remark. A demon in the dark, he was one to talk! The party went back in full swing. The tiger tried to forget about Dazai and immersed himself in the festive atmosphere again, enjoying the food and entertaining the guests.
Eventually, as night progressed, the office emptied out, people returning home after having enjoyed the thrilling stories and filled their bellies to the brim. Soon enough, only the detectives were left, a little drained from all the socializing. Kenji and Kyouka had fallen asleep on the sofa, Rampo was sprawling on a chair, rubbing his candy-filled stomach. The siblings had just left and Kunikida was already clearing up his desk, while Yosano and Fukuzawa were putting the remaining food and drinks away in the fridge. Dazai was sitting at his desk, lost in thoughts and Atsushi was nibbling on one of the last cookies he had found. Everybody had fun and clients and officials had assured they would ask for the agency’s services in the future when needed. It had been a successful night.
The detectives eventually left the building, leaving Atsushi to close everything. He had stayed behind to swipe the floor a little; they would have a big cleaning day tomorrow, but he had still wanted to get most of the crumbs away before leaving to avoid having any crawling visitors during the night. After he was done with his broom, he checked around the office one last time to make sure no food had been left behind and turned the lights off. As he was about to close the door, a strange noise made his whole body tense. All his senses were alert. A soft scratching sound was resonating through the corridor, as though mice were digging their way through a wall. Atsushi tried to ignore it and closed the office entrance. He put the key in its hole and as he turned it, the sound intensified, getting closer to him. Loud steps were now resonating through the hall as well. Atsushi took a step away from the door as silently as possible. His heart was beating uncontrollably, filling his ears with its frantic pumping. He raised a hand to his chest, clutching the bandages of his costume, hoping whatever was in the room wouldn’t hear the fear inside of him. A small whisper suddenly echoed:
“-Atsushi! I know what you’ve done!” The tiger jumped at the sound. What had he done? His heart started pumping faster, his breathing getting shallower. He tried to reach the elevator, the only light helping him the faint one of the emergency exit sign. The scratching intensified, and the voice started again:
“-Atsushiiiiii! I know what happened! You will be punished for your wrong doing!” Fear made Atsushi’s legs a little wobbly, and as he tried to step back some more, his feet got caught in one of the dangling bandages and he fell back to the floor. He let out a small cry, pain and panic mixing together in his voice. He crawled back a little but was soon stopped by something pulling at the bandages around his legs. The voice, louder than earlier, rose through the air once more, sending horrible shivers down Atsushi’s spine:
“-Atsushi! You have abandoned me! You will pay for this!” The poor man’s mind was filling up with incoherent thoughts, trying to understand what was happening.
He tried to crawl back again but his legs were still stuck. Was he going to die here tonight? As the dreadful thought took over his mind, the lights went on, revealing the tall silhouette of the Reaper standing in front of him, large scythe glistening under the electric light. A loud scream escaped Atsushi’s lips. This was it, this was the end. A sudden clear, happy laugh filled the corridor, stunning Atsushi for a second. The Reaper took its hoodie off, revealing a cackling Dazai, tears almost running from his eyes. Realization soon hit the weretiger and he tried to get up without success, bandages still stuck under his mentor’s feet.
“-Dazai! Stop it already, this is not funny! I was so scared!” The man moved away from him, freeing his legs, but kept on laughing, unable to stop himself.
“-A-A-Atsushi! You should have seen yo-your face!” he managed to let out between giggles.
The younger man huffed, his heart and breathing slowly coming back to normal. Now that fear had washed out of him, he was slowly getting pissed. He couldn’t believe Dazai had played such a trick on him. He knew the man had something planned, but still, this was actually pretty mean. Atsushi gave an annoyed look to his mentor and turned around, deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator. As he stomped down, he heard Dazai call his name. He didn’t stop until he reached the door downstairs. Running steps were coming towards him.
“-Atsushi, wait!” Dazai quickly reached him and stopped him from opening the front door. “I probably shouldn’t have gone all out like this, but you’re so cute when you’re scared. It’s Halloween after all, I just wanted to mess with you a little.
-I know, Dazai, but still, that was mean! I can’t believe you waited for me just pull this out!” Atsushi turned around to face him, accusing look in his eyes.
“-Actually, I didn’t really wait for you, you almost locked me in the building.” A smirk appeared on his face.
“-Wait, is that what you meant by ‘abandoning you’? Seriously…” Atsushi let out an exasperated sigh, hints of a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn’t remember seeing Dazai leave but hadn’t seen him in a while so he obviously concluded the man had left and was going to close the front door without checking the toilets or anything, which would have successfully locked the man in for the night. He looked up at Dazai, his mischievous look infecting him right away and making him smile back.
“-Okay, maybe I deserved a little scolding. But all that… That was too much.
-I’m sorry, Atsushi. But as I said before, you look adorable when you’re scared, I couldn’t help it.” The young man blushed at the words, gazing at the floor, smile still gracing his lips.
Dazai patted his head softly then walked past him, holding the door for his flustered junior to walk out. He knew Atsushi couldn’t stay mad at him for too long. He had been lucky to see his cute scared face tonight but, most importantly, the look of relief he liked to see on his features so much. It had really been a successful night.
Day 6! The prompt I chose for today is Ritual, although there’s a bit of candle and demon stuff going on. I’m proud I managed to get it out today, the universe has been trying to prevent me to work in this, but I managed and here it is, on time!!
It’s pretty graphic, rated M on AO3 for violence, there’s some kind of torture happening at some point. The story revolves around serial murders. Definitely not something that anyone can read.
Actually came up with my own character, an ability user based on a famous writer, I won’t be saying anything more or it’d spoil the story a little. It was fun to think about a new ability, from choosing the name to deciding how it works, I’d love to do more of that in the future!
Now, without further delay, please enjoy!
Meurtres en Série
It was the fourth murder this month. The modus operandi was always the same: a circle painted in black was adorned with several red-painted alchemical symbols, black candles were positioned around the circle at each cardinal point and right in its center was placed the naked, hardly recognizable body. On their foreheads were always the same letters, traced with the victim’s own blood: AC. The bodies were always found on a Saturday, with a time of death always estimated between 12AM and 3AM on that same day.
This was Atsushi’s first serial murder case. He and Dazai were currently assisting the police; they suspected the murderer to be a particularly vicious ability user, and Dazai’s connections with the underground could prove useful. As usual, the crime scene was particularly nasty, and Atsushi was feeling sick to his stomach from the smells and the sight before him. This investigation was starting to take its toll on him: he wanted to offer justice to the victims for their gruesome death, but as the body count went up, the clues and leads went down. No similar cases had ever been recorded, even in other countries: Ango, who was also on the case, had asked around official ability users’ agencies all over the globe, but to no avail. No one had ever heard of such murder methods, and even the letters AC weren’t revealing their secrets. To top it all, the victims had nothing in common, all of different ages, sex, social classes. No link had been established between any of them; it seemed they were just unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, coming across the killer as he was looking for his next prey.
Atsushi and Dazai were being filled in on the details of this new murder, the younger man trying to keep his eyes away from the corpse as much as possible. After their talk with the officers, Dazai went to take a peek at the body and examine the scene for himself while Atsushi walked away to the poor man who had found the body this time. He was a simple construction worker, and had found the corpse when he had arrived at his machineries’ parking lot this morning, hidden away behind a dump truck. The weretiger sat with him, drinking tea and asking the man a few complementary questions while waiting for his partner.
Once Dazai was done, they went back to the agency, in silence. Atsushi could see that Dazai was deep in thoughts, his usual playful-self long gone since the case had started to drag on. They were both worried and stressed from this investigation; the younger man could guess that his mentor was in the same lost state has he was himself, which he had never seen happen before. This whole case felt like a disaster, and for it to be Atsushi’s first brush with a serial killer was demeaning. He had wanted to prove himself so much, and there he was now, completely defeated and unsure of what would happen next.
Back at the office, the two men went straight for the white board displaying all the information they had on the case and added the new ones they gathered today. Headshot photos of the victims were displayed along with pictures of the crime scenes, important facts on their lives summarized under them. A detailed description of the murderer’s modus operandi was written on the left-hand side of the board, while a map of Yokohama with the location of the homicides was fixed on the other side. Atsushi started putting the new photos up while Dazai had his eyes on the map, searching the exact building this morning’s killing at taken place at. As he circled the location with a red marker, his hand stopped halfway, his body noticeably tensing. Atsushi, sensing the change in his mentor’s attitude, turned his head to him with slight curiosity. His eyes were scrutinizing the taller man’s face. His expression had completely shifted from what it was earlier. His gaze was glinting with new found determination and a smug smirk was twisting the corners of his mouth. Without a single word, Dazai finished his circle on the map and looked back at Atsushi; a cryptic aura was surrounding him. The weretiger knew exactly what this meant: the man had cracked the case, or at least found something significant that could help them finally catch the criminal they were after.
“-My dear Atsushi, I know where the next murder will take place.”
A week had passed, and the two detectives were now ready to confront the culprit. The plan was simple: get to the location of the next killing and catch the assassin before he could attack his next victim. Dazai hadn’t said much about his findings, only that the locations of the murders were forming a pentagram, the fifth one they would prevent today being the final corner of the shape. Atsushi didn’t have a real idea of how they would catch the killer, but Dazai seemed to have a plan, and he trusted him.
They arrived at the abandoned warehouse on the harbor. The sun had set some time ago; murder hour was approaching. The area was already pretty quiet and, unbeknownst to Atsushi, Dazai had made sure the police had evacuated all the streets and buildings around, insuring there wouldn’t be unnecessary victims. He had asked Atsushi to patrol on the western and southern sides of the building, close to the entrance, and to pretend he was a worker hanging around the docks as to not arouse suspicion. Dazai was to watch the east and north parts of the area. Everything was calm, only the sound of the ocean waves nearby was breaking the silence, bringing a false sense of peace. Atsushi was pacing around, not really sure how to look like he belonged here but trying hard nonetheless. They had been waiting for a couple hours now, it was nearing 1AM. The late hour was starting to make him nervous. He didn’t want to doubt Dazai, as he knew the man had a great mind, but he couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, they were at the wrong location and they wouldn’t be able to stop the killer tonight. He didn’t know if he could handle seeing another disfigured corpse. As these dark anxieties were gnawing at his mind, the temperature around seemed to lower a little. Atsushi shivered, the cold and his apprehensions crawling through his body. He let out a sigh and cleared his throat, rubbing his hands together.
Without a single noise, a hand suddenly reached out of the dark and landed on his nose, rough piece of cloth clogging his nostrils. The acrid smell coming from it immediately burnt Atsushi’s insides. A strong arm wrapped around his neck, and he tried to rip it away from him, without success. He struggled with his attacker for some time, but they were stronger than him. As the awful smell filled in his lungs, Atsushi’s vision was blurring. He could feel his strength leaving him slowly, his mind unable to focus, his eyes closing on their own. As much as he tried to fight, he soon blacked out.
The first thing he felt was the sharp, needle-like pain in his head. He tried to grab it in his hands, but his muscles were hardly answering, limbs sluggish and aching. The second thing he felt was the strong urge to vomit. It felt as though his body was spinning around in the air, yet he could feel the cold, sturdy ground under him. Laboriously, he managed to lie on his side instead of his back, trying to breath as deeply as he could to avoid being sick. He finally managed to open his eyes, and the sight in front of him chilled him to the bones. He was inside a dark, unknown building, the only light coming from the streetlamps outside. On the floor all around him was traced what looked like a circle, strange signs painted in red surrounding his head and body. He knew exactly what this was: he was about to become the serial killer’s fifth victim. The candles had yet to be lit, he was still unharmed as far as he could tell and his forehead was clear of any marking. As his fingers were grazing his face, a hoarse voice erupted from an unlit corner of the room:
“-You have woken up at last. Welcome to the sacrifice, boy.”
Atsushi stirred frantically, trying get up. His body still felt heavy, he could hardly curl his knees, even less lift his chest up.
“-Now, there is absolutely no need to move, boy. See, the circle you are finding yourself in, it has some… let us call them proprieties, shall we? One of these proprieties is to keep you from running away. You should not even be able to raise your little finger; you must be incredibly strong to move this much…” A wicked laugh followed. “To think I found such a powerful offering for You, my Master…” The evil laughter started again.
The weretiger could feel panic rising inside of him. What could he possibly do? He let out a muffled groan; even his voice seemed to be restrained. The voice resounded again:
“-You cannot speak either, at least for now. My Master does not appreciate unnecessary talking. Do not fret! You shall find your voice back soon enough. As soon as we get started actually. He may not enjoy futile babbling, but screams of agony are a delight to His ears.” A sinister chuckle followed this statement.
What was Dazai doing? Had he been caught too? Atsushi’s mind was racing, trying to think of anything that could help him. Hopefully his mentor would show up soon, he was his last resort now. As Atsushi was trying to send telepathic messages to the older man, heavy steps resounded through the warehouse. They were approaching the poor man on the ground, slowly. Turning his head to the sound, Atsushi could see the silhouette of the man appearing in a puddle of light coming in from a window. He was wearing a maroon three-piece with a white shirt underneath, dark brown oxford shoes on his feet. Around his neck was a bow tie, cream with dark red flowers. A gold chain was slinging from a pocket of his waistcoat, a cream pocket square was tucked in the pocket of his jacket. His face became more and more visible as he walked into the light. He was a rather young man, a little older than Atsushi. A crazy mop of brown hair was hanging over grenadine eyes. His traits were delicate, a staggering contrast with the rough voice that shot out his rosy lips:
“-Alright, boy, let us start!” He stepped around the circle, taking in the sight of Atsushi lying there, unable to move. After having walked around three times, he went back into the darkness, only to come out again a second later, holding a single black candle. He paced around Atsushi again while lighting the candle up before setting it down at the young man’s feet. He started chanting in a powerful voice:
“-I, Aleister Crowley, offer You, King Baal, this dark light shining upon the southern side of your kingdom. May this fire open the Gates and lead the infidels Your way.” As he finished his sentence, an intense pain took over Atsushi’s entire body. It felt as if a thousand knives were reaping his skin open. He let out an agonizing scream, his voice acute, distorted by his suffering.
His vision went white, he couldn’t hear a single thing, not even his own voice. The only thing he knew now was excruciating pain. After some time, its intensity decreased a little. Atsushi took a breath in; he was panting, his head spinning from the recent torture. Every single cell in his body felt like it had been lit on fire. He felt a few tears escaping his eyes.
“-Yes, cry for Him, boy, let Him know how you feel!” The crazed voice erupted again. Atsushi looked at the man standing at his feet. His face was twisted with a vicious smirk, eyes glinting with pleasure and madness. The poor tiger tried to reply but his erratic breathing would not let him do so. His eyes were shooting daggers at this Aleister. Please Dazai, hurry up!
The man moved around him again, three times. He reached for a second candle, placing it on Atsushi’s left. The weretiger tried to prepare himself for what he knew was coming as the man chanted again:
“-I, Aleister Crowley, offer You, King Baal, this dark light shining upon the eastern side of your kingdom. May this fire open the Gates and enlighten the infidels with Your wisdom.” Once again, Atsushi’s body was assaulted with pain.
His insides were on fire, lava was coursing through his veins. His brain was blank, unable to form a single thought as the awful feelings were tormenting him. More time seemed to have passed before the sensations calmed down again, leaving him panting even harder. His lungs were hurting, but he needed air, and he gulped down as much as he could. Rivers of tears were falling from his eyes, whimpers involuntarily escaping his mouth. The man standing above him seemed to relish in his weary moans. The crazy glow in his eyes had intensified. For the third time, he circled around Atsushi, and for the third time, he placed a candle on the floor.
“-I, Aleister Crowley, offer You, King Baal, this dark light shining upon the western side of your kingdom. May this fire open the Gates and…”
“-Let’s stop it all here!” Dazai’s voice boomed through the room. The vicious man turned his head towards the entrance, trying to see who had interrupted him. At the sound, Atsushi felt a wave of relief flow through his body. Dazai had come, he was safe now.
“-Hey, you stylish tormenter! The police have surrounded the area! Give yourself up now and we won’t have to be forceful!” Aleister let out a scoff.
“-Who dares interrupting my sacrifice? I shall inform you that there is no way in stopping this. Is this boy your little friend? He will die tonight, whether you fancy it or not. Now, where was I? Oh, yes… I, Aleister Crowley, offer You, King Baal…” The man suddenly went flying to the side.
Dazai was standing there, rubbing his fist. Atsushi could feel the hold of the circle casted around him loosen. Hard steps could be heard behind his mentor, and soon they were all surrounded by a dozen officers in tactical gear. Ango was trailing behind them.
“-Do not touch him! We don’t know how his ability works.” He turned his head to his old friend. “Dazai, could you…?
“-But of course, my dear Ango.” Dazai approached the man on the floor, but before he could touch him, the man yelled:
“-Goetia of Solomon the King.” As the words rose in the air, the circle under Atsushi started glowing, purple and red hues casting long shadows all around. Atsushi’s torments came back again, this time with even more intensity. He let out a long, terrified and pained scream. His face was distorted, his skin breaking, his organs imploding under the spell he was put under. His arms were stretched towards Dazai; the last thing he saw was the man’s horrified expression, his name leaving his lips in a panicked cry.
He blinked a few times, trying to get used to the bright light blinding him. The sheets covering him were soft against his skin, the mattress under him comfortable. Atsushi felt at peace. His body was sore, but he was no longer in pain. After getting accustomed to the brightness, he realized he was at the agency’s infirmary. He propped himself up on his elbows, looking around. Nobody in sight. He tried to call out for Yosano, but his voice wouldn’t rise higher than a whisper. He laid back down, waiting for someone to come to him. After about ten minutes, Yosano entered, followed by Dazai. Realizing the tiger had woken up, they rushed to his side. The young doctor started inspecting him.
“-Atsushi, you’ve disappointed me again! Your ability had already done a good enough job before you came to me, and Dazai forbade me to try anything to heal you myself!” She smiled warmly at him, relieved by the current state of her young friend. Atsushi smiled back at her, apologizing on behalf of the tiger. He then turned to Dazai.
“-How did I end up here? The last things I remember are the strange light and the pain…
-Apparently, there were a few different steps in Crowley’s ability. Luckily, he hadn’t completed the entire ritual before launching the final stage, otherwise…” His voice trailed, letting Atsushi imagine what could have happened to him. A shiver went down his spine. His mentor smiled at him softly and continued, “It seems like the man can summon different powerful entities through his ability. They could potentially destroy entire cities, but necessitate several sacrifices to work. We’ve barely avoided a catastrophe.
-Where is he now?
-The Special Ability Department is taking care of him. He should be locked up for some time.” Atsushi let out a relieved sigh at the news. The case was over now; there wouldn’t be any more victims.
Yosano, having just finished Atsushi’s checkup, walked out of the room, leaving the tiger and his mentor alone. As she did so, Dazai covered Atsushi’s hand on the bed with his. His head was down, hair falling over his eyes. His voice was a little chocked when he spoke up.
“-Atsushi… I’m so sorry, I wasn’t intending for things to go this far. The police took so long to dispatch… You shouldn’t have gone through all this pain… I’m sorry…” His voice broke.
Atsushi raised his other hand to Dazai’s head, ruffling his hair a little, smooth strands tangling around his fingers.
“-It’s okay, Dazai, things don’t always go as planned. I’m just glad I’m still alive.” His voice was just a whisper, but his tone was full of kindness. He kept patting the man’s head for a while. Dazai eventually looked up at him, gentle smile illuminating his face.
