I love your stories! Maybe 46? Dazatsu? Hell I even have a song in mind to help you, Moondance by Van Morrison! Thank you so much!
so so sorry it’s taken literally forever, dear nonnie. I’ve been having a rough couple of months and just couldn’t focus. I’m here now though! Hopefully you don’t hate me for it ^u^;
also, you gave me a song to go off of, but i’m not gonna like I had “can i have this dance” from high school musical 3 in my head the whole time
Atsushi sucked in a breath, straining his eyes in the dusky office to look at the report before him. He could barely distinguish the words from each other anymore, yet he was glued to his spot, unable to move to turn on the lights. Everybody else had long since gone home, even Kunikida- when he begrudgingly dropped keys to the office on Atsushi’s desk, instead of feeling pride at the monumental moment in his career, Atsushi could barely bring himself to look up from his papers.
He had been assigned to an undercover mission, one of the “realest” he had ever been on- or, at least, one that adhered the closest to the principles he came to learn through movies. Kunikida had told him he’d need to wear his only good suit- Atsushi hoped the mission would be easy, so he wouldn’t tear such expensive clothing. Based on the reports, there would be tens or hundreds of the elite, all dressed up and far more comfortable in that kind of attire than he. He spent the next hours trying to memorize the layout of the building, their exact instructions and the backup plan they gave him, every last detail until his brain felt as though it would split open. It didn’t seem like enough.
Exasperated, Atsushi put his head in his hands and groaned, hoping to curb the anxiety boiling in his belly and clawing up his throat. There were a million thoughts running around in his head, most surrounding him getting caught. He didn’t fit in anywhere fancy, what with his scrawny build and choppy hair. Even in the suit, he was sure he’d stick out like a sore thumb. That wasn’t even the biggest worry in his mind, however- he knew there was dancing involved, something he had no idea how to do.
The office door opened suddenly, snapping Atsushi out of his thoughts. He was shocked to find Dazai in the doorway, looking rather rumpled and like he had just woken up. As if confirming Atsushi’s thoughts, Dazai stretched his arms over his head and yawned, splaying out his fingers and wiggling them for emphasis.
“D-Dazai-san,” Atsushi stammered, watching as Dazai peeked one eye open like a cat and watched him. “I thought you had gone home. What are you doing here?”
“Hm? Oh, someone locked me in the broom closet,” He answered nonchalantly, shrugging. Cocking an eyebrow, Atsushi watched Dazai stretch out his hips and shake out his legs and shoulders before finally making his way towards him. “What are you doing here?”
“Who locked you in a closet?” Atsushi asked, hoping to evade the question. He knew Dazai would just ask again after this discussion, but a small part of him still hoped.
“Dunno. Maybe Ranpo. Probably Kunikida,” Dazai answered. “On accident, of course. Or maybe he knew and just didn’t feel like letting me out.”
“And it took you that long to get out?”
“I was napping.” Picking a piece of fuzz off of his coat, Dazai rounded Atsushi’s desk and leaned over him to peer at his papers. “Ahhh, you’re going over the reports for the upcoming mission!”
Atsushi scrambled to cover his papers up, knowing his attempts would be futile. “Y-yeah! I just wanna make sure I’m ready.”
Dazai hummed, bending further over Atsushi’s back, more to annoy him than to see his files. “You’re awfully jumpy for someone who has spent hours looking over the same papers.”
Knowing he was defeated, Atsushi sighed. “Yeah, okay. I’m just….nervous that I’ll have to dance or do something and mess up and then I’ll get us all caught.” Atsushi admitted. His voice came out muffled as Dazai smashed his cheek against the desk with his body weight.
“But Kunikida-kun told you you most likely wouldn’t have to!” Dazai answered, releasing Atsushi. Straightening out his own back, Atsushi turned his chair around and looked up at Dazai as a thought hit him.
“Wait, Kunikida-san told me that this morning. How long were you locked in that closet?”
Dazai smiled wryly. “Most of the day.”
The two of them sat in silence for an extended moment, interrupted only by the staccato cracks of Dazai’s bones as he continued to stretch. Atsushi was about to interrupt him and make his leave when Dazai let out a loud yawn.
“Man, I just can’t loosen up these old limbs of mine. Do you think you could help me out, Atsushi-kun?”
“Uh, sure. What do you need?” Atsushi asked, gathering up his papers and putting them in a folder to put in his messenger bag. Dazai held out a hand to help Atsushi up, and after a momentary hesitation and a swarm of fluttering butterflies in his stomach, Atsushi took it. When he was pulled up, he nearly fell into Dazai, who refused to back up and give him more space. When he felt a spindly arm wrap around his waist, he yelped in protest. “Wh-what are you-”
“Dance with me, Atsushi-kun!” Dazai answered cheerfully, taking a step back and pulling Atsushi with him. Atsushi tried to protest, though most of his words came out in jolted stutters as Dazai yanked him around the room.
“Dance? Here? Dazai-san, there’s not even any music!” He insisted, narrowly twisting his hips to avoid a corner of a desk. Dazai laughed and spun in a circle, making Atsushi grip on to his coat sleeve tighter.
“We don’t need music! Just keep up with me and you’ll be able to adapt to any pace!”
Atsushi quickly shut his mouth when Dazai spun again, choosing to focus on the movements of their feet instead of his protests which were obviously falling on deaf ears. Over stray papers and uneven tiles they danced, often times stumbling or slipping and relying on the other to keep them upright. Each time Atsushi slipped, Dazai only laughed and secured his grip, guiding them between desks and past chairs. A few times, he kicked a few chairs out of the way, startling Atsushi with the crash and earning himself a scolding from Atsushi.
Even with his destruction, Atsushi couldn’t complain much. After all, he was starting to get the hang of whatever this was- it certainly wasn’t dancing, but it was a lot of fun. Dazai seemed to think so, too- when Atsushi looked up, he saw what looked to be one of the most genuinely gleeful smiles he’d ever seen on Dazai. (How fitting it was that it only emerged as they twisted through the room like a tornado, uprooting every piece of furniture in the office and then some.)
Atsushi wondered, for a moment, if dancing was something Dazai really enjoyed. From what little he had seen and heard, Dazay was an abysmal dancer with absolutely no rhythm, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy it. Maybe he just needed someone to dance with, someone with as little experience as him- or who didn’t care about skill, and only wanted to dance.
Atsushi thought for a moment that he wouldn’t mind being that someone - especially if simple, chaotic dancing like this brought him such happiness.
After a while, though, he was beginning to get breathless. He couldn’t keep up with Dazai’s restless energy- although he had had a full day’s work behind him while Dazai did not. Atsushi couldn’t stop himself from leaning into Dazai until he was practically being dragged across the floor. After bumping into the third desk, Dazai finally slowed down and allowed Atsushi to catch his breath.
“You know, right now you’re making about as good a dance partner as a…” For a second, he trailed off, eyes looking off into the distance. “You need to build up your stamina before the mission.”
Atsushi chuckled into Dazai’s shirt, not quite wanting to push away. An idea hatched in his mind- should he go ahead with it?
“Ah…should we practice again before then?” He asked, looking up at Dazai bashfully. He was suddenly thankful that the room was dark- he didn’t want Dazai teasing him for the blush he knew was there.
Dazai watched Atsushi with a perplexed expression before laughing- though the small burst of joy sounded more like a boyish giggle to Atsushi. “I don’t see why not! It is my job to make sure you’re as prepared as can be for this mission.”
Finally, Atsushi separated himself, looking around at the disheveled room and sagging his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Dazai contemplate escaping before picking up one of the overturned chairs.
“You’re staying?” Atsushi asked.
“Well, you’re treating me to dinner, right? In exchange for the dance lessons,” Dazai returned. Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, Atsushi decided to pick that fight after he had roped Dazai into cleaning and locked their hard work safely behind them.
