#i could probably find a few things to reach for with connecting san and tigers | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

latte-fairytaekwoon · 4 years

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Ateez: Their GF Has Superpowers

Kim Hongjoong:

It was after a party that you guys had with the boys that he found out. They were in the process of cleaning up, and all that was left was to take down the balloons, which he was doing. Being bored with nothing to do, you absentmindedly began to play around with a few decorations, making them float around in mid air. It was Wooyoung's piercing scream that had everyone's attention on the floating confetti that currently was making weird shapes.

"I fucking told you that old lady looked like a witch! But you still bought the decorations from her!" Mingi began exclaiming, as he shielded himself behind Yunho's body.

"How was I supposed to know she'd voodoo curse them?!" Hongjoong tried defending himself, but was scared to death as well.

Coming out of your trance, you realized you had to come clean about your telekinetic powers before they developed high blood pressure.

"Guys it's not demons...... it's me." You let out a sigh.

"Babe, now is not the time for jokes! The room has bad vibes and we gotta call an exorcist!" Hongjoong wasted no time and threw you over his shoulder as they all made a break for the door.

You protested, saying you'd prove it by opening the door, which you did, leaving them all stunned and frozen in place. You finally convinced him after moving objects that he asked you to move. Realization hit him that his girlfriend has super powers. He'd be so upset that you never told him.

"And in the 2 years we've been dating, you couldn't mention that fact instead of making me believe that other demons besides San existed?!"

Park Seonghwa:

You and Seonghwa had a very loving and open relationship, full of trust, neither of you hiding anything from the other..... Well except the fact you have the ability to know what anyone is thinking, even from kilometers away. You could just block it out, but being curious, more often than not, you found yourself wanting to know what your boyfriend was thinking. Even when he was away on tour, you connected your mind to his. Needless to say, sometimes there were some very impure thoughts at times, not that you minded.

It was one night, you two almost nearing your first year anniversary. Seonghwa and you were cuddled up in bed, just looking at each other and placing innocent kisses. But you knew better, you could hear how Seonghwa wanted to go further but obviously wasn't going to, thinking you weren't ready.

"I am ready and I want to." You casually blurted out.

"What?" He simply asked.

"I know you want to go further, and I want to as well." You assured him.

He blushed a little and ruffled your hair. "Wow it's like you can actually read my mind."

Biting down on your lip, you looked back up at him. "I can....."

Of course, he only released a soft chuckle, thinking you were obviously joking, cause no one can read minds. You proved that to be untrue, citing down examples of times you read his thoughts. You even made him think of several things, some deemed impossible to guess, and accurately relayed those thoughts into words. You left him stunned for sure, even flustered by your ability.

"Does that mean you even heard what I was planning to get you as an anniversary gift?" He asked, genuinely worried the surprise was ruined.

You poked his nose, assuring him you won't find out.

Jeong Yunho:

To say that Yunho loved how small you were compared to him is an understatement. He adored how tiny you were, it made him feel like your knight in shining armor, your personal protector and boosted his confidence in you needing him for stereotypical manly things, such as opening a jar a pickles.

What Yunho didn't know was that even though you seemed tiny and fragile, you possessed super human strength. You rarely showed it off though, preferring to keep a low profile and if it made your boyfriend happy, why spoil it? Unfortunately, your boyfriend likes to be spontaneous, dropping in on you randomly. It was during one of those surprise visits that he witnessed your true potential, in the form of you lifting up your marble dresser with one hand, like it was nothing more than a basketball. He just stood there with his mouth open, silence for what seemed an eternity.

"Well say something!" You finally exclaimed, hating the silence.

"How long have you had that power?" Yunho simply asked.

"Since birth........ are you mad?" You wondered if he'd be upset about finding out this information.

Instead, he just picked you up and spun you around rather happily.

"Are you kidding?! My tiny girlfriend has super strength! Is there anything cooler than that?"

Yes, he was ecstatic about this discovery.

"Do you know what this means?!" He asked you.

"What?"

"You'd beat Jongho in an arm wrestling match! Oh how I'd love to see his shocked face" A mischievous grin spread across his face just picturing the maknae's face.

"The possibilities are endless baby!"

Kang Yeosang:

You had a super natural ability of healing faster than any human possibly could. If a bullet shot you, you'd feel it as nothing more than a punch and in a couple hours you'd be perfectly fine. Not that the situation ever happened, just an example. And you weren't really the clumsy, accident prone type, so rarely ever needed to make use of your ability.

Which is why you often forgot about it and therefore never told Yeosang about your special gift. But it became known when he was playing around in the company building. While distracted by something, he left his skateboard on top of the stairs, and you happened to be walking over to see him. Holding a bucket of chicken, you didn't see his skateboard and therefore tripped on it, causing you to fall down an entire flight of stairs. Yeosang ran over to you, panic all over his face thinking about all the damage you probably had, he definitely heard bones cracking. But to his surprise, you sat up just fine, only rolled your shoulders back, looking in mint condition.

"You literally just fell down about 20 stairs, how are you not dead?" He questioned you.

You then remembered about your super natural healing and proceeded to explain why you're fine to him. He was silent for a while, but then nodded in understanding.

"Are you sure you're fine? Nothing's broken?" He was still worried about your well being.

"Just my shoulder popped out of place, but I put it back when I rolled them back." You assured him that you were fine and he had nothing to worry about.

You did however scold him for leaving his things scattered randomly. Had it been anyone else, he probably would have been guilty of an accidental murder.

Choi San:

Growing up, you enjoyed your ability to become invisible, both figuratively and literally. You liked keeping to yourself and didn't mind that no one ever noticed you. However someone did notice you eventually, and his name was Choi San. His eyes were always on you since day one and you were all he could see. It took a while, but he finally won you over and the relationship was going wonderful.

The problem arose when he started becoming more bold, more teasing towards you, that's when you weren't able to keep secret that you could disappear into thin air. Knowing fully well you just finished showering and were probably changing right now, he decided to 'accidentally' walk in on you naked. As soon as he opened the door though, the cheeky grin he had was replaced by utter confusion when you turned invisible before he could even get a good look at you.

"Holy crap! What the-!" He could not process what happened and became even more scared when all he heard was your voice telling him to get out and wait for you in the living room.

After putting on clothes and calming him down, you told him that you had invisibility powers. San was amazed and curious about your strange yet unique ability. He proceeded to ask you many questions, which you happily answered to him.

"Ok but if you turn invisible right now, would I be able to touch you?" He asked, while simultaneously reaching his hand to your face.

Song Mingi:

You honestly loved your ability to fly. Sometimes if you had a bad day, you'd just go to a secluded area and fly around without a care in the world. It proved to be somewhat therapeutic for you when you were stressed or sad. You hardly needed to make use of it after meeting Mingi, he was such a ray of sunshine and always there for you, that he became what you needed if you were having a tough time. He never knew about that part of your life of course.

Until one day when he was busy with schedule and you felt bored. You found yourself walking to your favorite place and began reminiscing about old times. Soon you were just happily flying around, thinking no one was around to see you enjoy what you had missed for a while. But Mingi saw. After a canceled schedule, he went looking for you, and having mentioned before that this was your go to place, he went looking for you. He did found you, flying around trees and seeing how gravity didn't affect you at all. Once you finally noticed him, you panicked and came straight back to solid ground.

"How, how long have you been watching?" You fidgeted nervously with your fingers.

"A good 5 minutes." He simply replied.

Your heart sank. What if he didn't like you after this? What if he thought you were weird? What if he would never want to see you after this?

He seemed to notice what you were thinking and he was quick to push your worries aside, pulling you into an embrace and kissing the top of your head. That said it all for you. He loved you and this wasn't gonna change anything.

"So.....by any chance, can you hold my hand and take me flying with you?"

Jung Wooyoung:

You came from a family of shape shifters. Your parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, could all shift into some type of terrifying beast. Wolves, tigers, lions, alligators, bears, you name it. So why the hell were you only able to transform into a weak little kitten? It was embarrassing for you growing up and for that reason you avoided shifting all together, it caused you to have low self esteem.

When Wooyoung came into your life, it was like a breath of fresh air. He made you feel beautiful in every possible way and suddenly you were more confident in yourself. Wooyoung never questioned what made you so insecure, knowing you wouldn't want to talk about it. Eventually he had to find out though, and he did during a family gathering of yours. While he was looking around the pictures, he noticed a lot were of fearsome animals. When he questioned you about it, you took a deep breath, and pointed out that they were your family. He didn't believe you obviously, until he witnessed for himself a few of your relatives morphing into their animal forms. He was genuinely intrigued by this and of course, wanted to dug deeper.

"So what do you turn into?"

You simply turned away, not wanting him to know and refusing every time he asked.

"Why not?!" He screeched.

"Because it's embarrassing!" You hollered.

"Come on! I just saw your grandfather turn into a black bear and scratch his ass on a tree, how embarrassing could it be?"

Sighing softly, you gave up and slowly morphed into the tiniest and cutest ragdoll kitten he had seen. A smile crept up on his face, before bursting into laughter.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!" Your squeaky kitten voice piped out.

"I'm sorry baby! It's just that it's too adorable!" He was definitely enjoying this.

Choi Jongho:

Speed was your thing. There was nothing that was faster than you on this earth. And it was somewhat euphoric for you. The adrenaline that rushed through you every time you ran faster than light was indescribable. You often wanted to show off your skills, but avoided it knowing how nosey people could be.

You felt attracted to Jongho because of his strength. You often wondered if maybe he was just like you, but you found out that wasn't the case. He had his limits. But you didn't. Of course, you wanted to tell him, you felt sure he wouldn't judge you or pester you about your speed. But you could never find the right moment. It came spontaneously, like the many things in your life. It was when you were watching him workout. Repairs were being made on the ceiling and that's what caused a small piece of it to fall off, almost landing on Jongho had it not been for you pushing him to the opposite side of the room, you landing on top of him.

He just blinked as he processed what just happened.

"Did you just yeet us into another dimension?" He chuckled.

You blushed and laughed softly before proceeding to tell him everything. He didn't need any more proof than what just happened.

"I always knew you were my special girl." He winked at you.

Gifs not mine. Credit goes to their respective owners.

#ateez #ateez reactions #ateez hongjoong #ateez seonghwa #ateez yunho #ateez yeosang #ateez san #ateez mingi #ateez wooyoung #ateez jongho #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines

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manako-no-yami · 5 years

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when your soulmate has too much health insurance

Rating: T Relationship(s): DazAtsu, a bit of sskk Tags: Hospitals, Soulmates, Fluff and Humor, Nursing Student!Atsushi, Dazai-Typical Suicide References Summary:

Atsushi, nursing student at the Yokohama hospital, is having a bad day. A bad few days, actually. In a world where soulmates share each other’s pain, Atsushi has had the bad luck of being paired with someone who is constantly getting hurt. On top of that, he has to deal with one particularly annoying patient—who seems determined to come back to see him at every chance he gets.

for day 8 of @dazaimultishipweek2019!

Atsushi is having a bad day. His side aches like a bitch, he has a headache, he’s barely slept in three days, and all he wants to do is lie down and maybe illegally administer himself some morphine.

He shifts, and his side gives him a sympathy twinge. He sighs.

I wonder if you’re having a bad day, too, he thinks to himself. And why on earth do you keep getting hurt?

Maybe it’s illogical to worry about someone you’ve never met, but, well. Soulmates defy logic, anyway.

Imagine this: the universe gives you one clue to who your “other half” is, and that clue is—of all things—pain . There’s probably some message there about people being brought together over shared suffering, but, well, if that’s so, Atsushi isn’t sure if he wants to know what the universe thinks of humanity.

So he deals with phantom aches and pains that he receives from his soulmate, tries his best not to get hurt himself, and studies hard to get a job in the medical field.

(Maybe it’s illogical. Maybe it’s just the universe’s fucked up sense of irony. But Atsushi can’t help but worry, sometimes, about how often his soulmate seems to get hurt.

And if that’s one of the reasons why he decided to go into medicine, well…who’s going to know?)

“Atsushi!” Yosano-sensei calls. Atsushi quickly stands up from his seat by the nurse’s station, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the drowsiness.

“Yes, sensei?”

“Attend to the patient in room 107.”

Atsushi tilts his head in confusion. He’d been so sure he’d covered all the rooms assigned to him…

He nods, anyway, giving the doctor a quick bow as he passes.

He stops by the door, and gives himself a quick pat down—his scrubs are a bit wrinkled, but they’ll do (they’re dark blue with a repeating pattern of little white tigers running all over it—a welcoming gift from the team when he first started here as a nursing student). Finally, he slaps his cheeks lightly, puts on his best customer service smile—bedside manner is important, after all—and opens the door.

“Hello! How are you doing tod—oh it’s you again.”

The man sitting on the hospital bed gives him a cheerful wave.

Dazai Osamu. Also known as: the hospital’s most frequent client and visitor, a nightmare for insurance, chronic malingerer, professional pain in the ass, and the most annoying patient Atsushi has ever had the misfortune to tend to.

“Atsushi-kun!” Dazai calls out delightedly. “Looking well today, I see.”

Atsushi is quite sure he looks like absolute crap, actually.

“Thanks. So are you. Which begs the question: what are you here for this time?”

Dazai holds up a bandaged arm, and points at it emphatically with a dramatic pout.

Atsushi blinks.

Dazai is always covered in bandages. Just what is he supposed to be looking at?

“Would you believe it? I left the window by the kitchen open, and a stray cat came in! I tried to pet it, but then it scratched me and knocked over the pot that was cooking.”

Atsushi frowns.

“Is the cat okay?”

“Is the—yes, the cat’s okay. But aren’t you worried about me, Atsushi-kun? I am bedridden from this terrible disaster!”

Atsushi hugs his clipboard close, narrowing his eyes at Dazai.

“Dazai-san, with all due respect, this is the fifth time you’ve come in this week, and none of it was for a legitimate reason. I’m surprised they keep letting you occupy beds at this rate.”

And why does Yosano-sensei keep asking me to tend to you? Since when did I become Dazai-san’s designated caretaker??

Dazai gasps. “I’m wounded!”

Atsushi rolls his eyes. “If only. How bad is the burn?”

Dazai shrugs. “I’m not quite sure.”

There’s a pause. Atsushi squints at him again, edging nearer to inspect Dazai more closely. Bandages don’t quite look fresh, so they haven’t been newly dressed, no pinkish or reddish skin, no visible discomfort from chafing...

“Dazai-san…” Atsushi pinches his nose. “Did the pot or its contents actually hit you when it was knocked over?”

Dazai flashes him an absolutely cherubic smile.

“Are you hoping for some grave injury to befall me so you can keep me to yourself longer? How sly of you. Why, Atsushi-kun, if you wanted to spend time with me, you could’ve just said so! By the way, I’m free Friday after five.”

Ah, yes. In addition to being a total pain in the ass, Dazai is also resident hottie and fuckboi. All the nurses like to moon over him, and he’s definitely aware of it. His looks? Sublime. His attitude? Atrocious. His favorite pastime? Teasing Atsushi.

Atsushi sighs. He knows from experience that there’s not much he can do to get Dazai to leave faster—he’ll either cause a dramatic and embarrassing (for Atsushi) scene, or he’ll find a way to get injured and come back before the day is over.

Atsushi’s learned to just ignore him.

It’s not like he’s serious about any of his advances, anyway, he thinks to himself.

“That’s a no, then. I’ll never understand how you even manage to weasel your way into this part of the hospital, Dazai-san.” Atsushi gives him a judging look, hands on his hips, but relents. A job is a job, after all, and Yosano-sensei asked him to attend to the patient in this room, so that’s what he’ll do.

“Is there anything you need, Dazai-san?”

“Coffee, please.”

“The usual?”

“If you could, thank you.”

Just as Atsushi is about to turn and head out the door, he notices something. He leans in, hand reaching up to gently turn Dazai’s jaw to the side. Dazai follows obediently, compliant under gentle fingers, tilting his head when Atsushi pokes his cheek. Atsushi’s eyebrows furrow even further.

Is that blood , dripping from his hairline?

“Dazai-san.” Atsushi straightens. Before he can pull away, Dazai grabs the hand that had been on his cheek with both of his, tugging him back in.

“Yes, Atsushi-kun? What is it?” His eyes sparkle. “Don’t tell me! You can’t bear to leave me alone like this! It hurts you just to see me lying here—”

“ Dazai-san. Do you have a head injury?”

Dazai lets go momentarily to scratch his head, then pulls his hand away to look at the blood that collected under his nails, and blinks.

Atsushi’s headache intensifies.

“Why, it seems I do! Atsushi-kun! How did you know?” He gasps. “Could it be, that we’re connected? Like soulma—”

Atsushi tugs his hand away and is out the door before Dazai can finish, calling out for a doctor.

After the initial panic over Dazai’s now-treated head wound (God knows how long he sported it without noticing ), Atsushi finally manages to find a moment to sit down. And of course, the moment he sits down, he’s called to go check on another patient.

He pauses outside of the door of room 111 and takes a deep breath.

“Hello! How are you tod—” Atsushi gulps.

The man in the bed is glaring balefully at him, as though he’d personally murdered his dog.

“Do you often ask your patients that?”

Atsushi quails under the icy scrutiny, and peeks at the charts in his hands.

Name: Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. With a slew of chronic respiratory problems, he’s just been released from OR after being treated for...a gunshot wound??

“I am in a hospital,” Akutagawa continues. “I was shot. My subordinates didn’t follow my orders. I am apparently being treated by an idiot. I am doing terribly today. Must you ask?”

Atsushi shrinks back.

“M-My apologies...Akutagawa-san.”

“Tch.”

Atsushi felt the disdain behind the force of that ‘tch’ down in his very bones.

“W-When did you sustain your injury?”

Atsushi barely holds back a squeak of fear when Akutagawa pins him with another glare.

“Early this morning, at around three am.”

Huh. That’s weird, that’s around the time Atsushi had woken up, gasping at the sharp eruption of pain in his side. He hadn’t gotten a lick of sleep for the rest of the night, unable to ignore it nor the worry for his soulmate.

...Could it be?

Atsushi gulps.

How...how does he confirm it, though?

“You...you wouldn’t also happen to have a headache, right now, would you?”

“I’m looking at one right now,” Akutagawa spits, staring him right in the eye. Atsushi winces.

Right. Hospital patient. Having a terrible day. A headache is a given under those circumstances, right? Besides, maybe the headache is caused by Atsushi, from acute sleep deprivation. If that’s true, he definitely doesn’t want Akutagawa to know that he’s the reason. If they are...soulmates.

But he can’t bring himself to leave it alone. If this man is his soulmate...he’d never forgive himself if he didn’t find out, and let him go.

“May...May I see your injury?”

Akutagawa is silent. Then with a sigh, he shifts and lifts the blanket, gesturing towards his lower left side.

Exactly the area near where Atsushi’s soulmate pain originates from. What are the chances of two people getting hurt in the exact same area at almost the exact same time?

Atsushi walks forward, and lifts his hand—only to realize, he’d have to lift Akutagawa’s hospital gown to look at it. Lift it...above the hips. When he may or may not be wearing anything underneath it.

His hands shake. Akutagawa continues to stare balefully at him.

Oh no, he thinks to himself. Oh no.

“I just—”

Atsushi steps away, and decides to just go for it.

“It’s just that I...I um. I’ve been having a sharp pain near that area as well...since early this morning. As well. Like you. I have it. Too. So. I thought. Ah…”

“You think you could be my soulmate.” Akutagawa deadpans.

Atsushi nearly bursts into flame right then and there.

“R-right, well, yes. Yes—that. That’s what I thought. Too.”

Akutagawa gives him a quick once-over, clear disgust taking over his features.

“Well?”

Atsushi gapes.

“Well, I mean, we could—we could be—!!”

“Soulmates, yes, we’ve established that. What do you want to do about it?”

“Well, I...When people first meet their soulmates, they…”

What do people do when they meet their soulmates?

“They...they go on a date?”

The silence that follows is deafening. Akutagawa looks like he’d rather murder small children than go on a date with Atsushi. Well, actually, he looks like murdering small children would be like a walk in the park for him. He looks like Atsushi had just asked him to cook him dinner and massage his feet, or do whatever else it is that normal, healthy people do instead of murdering small children.

Finally, Akutagawa sighs, and coughs into his hand.

“All right.”

“Wait, really?”

“Must I repeat myself? Yes, really.”

“Okay!” Atsushi flashes him a quick smile, immediately brightening. Finally, they were getting somewhere! “Where would you like to go?”

Akutagawa looks pointedly down at his body, where it lies on the hospital bed.

Oh. Right.

Gunshot wound. Hospital stay.

“We can...wait until you’re discharged?”

“No. Let’s get this over with.”

Well, that doesn’t leave them with many options.

“Oh...well. I can take my break soon. And I guess we could...go down...to the cafeteria? Grab some coffee?”

Akutagawa closes his eyes and sighs.

“Fine.”

“Great!”

Atsushi closes the door behind him, and heaves a sigh of relief.

“Ah, Atsushi-kun!” Dazai greets. Atsushi jumps, hand flying to his chest.

“Dazai-san! Don’t scare me like that.”

Dazai leans against the wall by room 111, fresh bandages wrapped around his head, covering his right eye.

“I just wanted to see you,” Dazai says.

“Well,” Atsushi gestures to himself, “now you’ve seen me.”

Dazai tilts his head until it rests on the wall.

“And you’re a sight for sore eyes,” Dazai responds with a grin. “Or eye, in this case.”

Atsushi sighs, and elects to ignore his comment.

“Have you been discharged? Or are you staying overnight for monitoring?”

Dazai gives him a wink. (It doesn’t work. Only one eye is visible.)

“I’ll be staying overnight in case of further complications. You have another shift tomorrow, right, Atsushi-kun?”

“Dazai-san...how did you know that.”

Dazai perks up at that.

“We’ll be seeing each other again, then!” He seems very happy with this conclusion.

Atsushi sighs.

“So? What are you doing here?”

“Ah, I was looking for the toilet!”

...Suspicious.

“I’d think you’ve been here enough times to know where the toilet is, Dazai-san. It’s in the opposite direction, down that hallway over there.”

Dazai crosses his arms in front of his chest, hunching over, as though feeling...self-conscious?

“Ah, you got me. I was actually looking for you because I wanted to ask you a question.”

Atsushi is caught a bit off guard. No “Ah, but your blinding brilliance must have made me stray off my course!” or “But how could I remember something as mundane as where the toilet is when my mind is filled with only the beautiful color of your eyes?” or some other ridiculous, Dazai-typical statement?

Atsushi eyes him warily.

“Oh. What is it?”

“Your break is soon, right?”

“...Yes? How did you—”

“Would you,” Dazai steps closer, so that there’s only a few inches of space between them, “like to come with me somewhere?”

Atsushi hesitates, feeling uncomfortable, and shrinks back.

“Dazai-san...don’t you think this joke has gone on long enough?”

A beat of silence.

“What joke, Atsushi-kun?”

Atsushi’s heart thuds.

What a good liar, he thinks. He almost seems sincere.

“W-Well, either way, I already have plans. Sorry.”

Dazai studies him for a moment before his eyes flick to the door behind him. An unreadable expression crosses his face.

He takes a step back. Something in Atsushi clenches as the space between them widens.

“Well, that’s too bad,” Dazai says agreeably. “Rain check?”

Atsushi bites his lip. Dazai’s eyes flicker down to watch.

Really, Atsushi thinks to himself, this man is too good-looking for his own good.

“...You should really get going, Dazai-san. It’s not good to linger in the halls, especially when there may still be complications with your head wound.”

Dazai almost looks disappointed.

“Well then. See you, Atsushi-kun!”

“Bye.”

Atsushi lets out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. With yet another sigh, he heads back to the nurse’s station.

“So…” Atsushi begins, as he pushes Akutagawa’s wheelchair down the corridor.

It’s time.

Atsushi’s on his break, and he’s pushing Akutagawa in a wheelchair. They’re on a ‘date’.

A date to the shitty hospital cafeteria, to get the same kind of shitty hospital coffee he could make at the machines by the nurses station, but a date nevertheless.

The elevator door dings behind them and slides closed.

Silence reigns supreme.

Atsushi gulps, and tries again.

“So...how’d you get shot?”

Akutagawa doesn’t even look at him in acknowledgement.

Atsushi winces. Sore topic, maybe?

Stupid! Of course he doesn’t want to talk about how he got shot, what kind of opening line is that?

Atsushi continues to sweat as the silence stretches onwards. What do people talk about on dates again? Oh yeah, that’s right, he’s never been on one , so he has no idea. Who does he know that might be good at this?

Immediately, Dazai’s face flashes in mind, and he flushes.

No. Nope. Don’t think about it, Atsushi.

Dazai’s method of flirting definitely won’t work if Atsushi tried it. In the first place, it only works because Dazai has the advantage of being ridiculously attractive.

Why couldn’t the elevator go faster? Why couldn’t it just drop them to their imminent deaths? Why must he suffer like this?

The elevator dings on the ground floor, and Atsushi takes a right towards the cafeteria.

They find an empty table to sit at.

They sit.

...and continue to sit.

Atsushi could die from the sheer awkwardness of this encounter. Never in his life has he been more uncomfortable. What’s more, Akutagawa looks like he couldn’t give a damn, content with continuing to attempt homicide through his eyes alone.

“WellthenI’llgogetsomecoffeehahaI’llbebackbye!”

He makes his escape as quickly as possible, spends as much time dawdling by the coffee machines as possible, and drags his feet the entire way back.

Is this some kind of joke? He asks the universe. This is the furthest thing from a perfect match I’ve ever seen.

He dreads going back, but eventually he catches sight of Akutagawa again, and sits down in his seat, passing the drink back over to him.

Akutagawa takes a sip.

“It’s cold.”

“Oh, well...yes.”

“And sweet.”

“...would you like me to grab you another?”

Please say yes.

Anything to escape this sheer discomfort.

Akutagawa doesn’t reply, and just continues to sip at his coffee with a frown.

“Why would you make a cold coffee?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Atsushi flushes in abject horror.

That would be...because of Dazai.

Without realizing it, he’d instinctively gotten Dazai’s usual order. Cold coffee, but with no ice. Extra milk, and double the sugar. Decaf.

For himself, he’d gotten a regular old medium roast straight from the machine.

Gosh, what had he been thinking? He should’ve asked Akutagawa what he wanted, but he’d been in such a hurry to leave… A part of him must’ve just, instinctively…

“...Sorry,” he finishes lamely.

Akutagawa just closes his eyes and crosses his arms, as though he’d already accepted that Atsushi is a total idiot, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

Atsushi squeezes his hands together, his nerves skyrocketing as the silence stretches.

Something to talk about...something...anything…

“Ah, what do you do for a living, Akutagawa-san?”

Akutagawa snaps his eyes open and stares at him with a startlingly intense look.

“Why do you want to know?”

Atsushi pales. Another sore topic?

“Ah,” he flounders, “I’m sure that whatever it is, it must be more exciting than my job, haha! Not that working at a hospital is boring, of course, and not that I don’t like my job, I love my job! Even though the hours on top of school is a lot and I’m always tired and I don’t sleep well because my soulm—” He gulps.

“—ah, but that’s not interesting! I’m sure you’d like to hear about something else, something interesting, uhm, like, uh…”

Akutagawa, if anything, looks increasingly unimpressed.

“...Did you know that we have a regular?”

Akutagawa’s face finally changes from complete boredom to something like resignation.

“A...regular?”

“It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Because it is! We have a regular!” Immediately, Atsushi gets fired up, seizing upon the easy topic of conversation.

“A regular patient who comes in every other day, whining about some minor injury or another, while completely neglecting to mention the important things!”

Akutagawa raises an eyebrow, and slurps his coffee.

“Furthermore, he keeps tormenting me, and I don’t know why! It’s like he specifically has it out for me and for whatever reason, I’m always assigned to his room! If I didn’t know better I’d think Yosano-sensei and he were in cahoots!” Atsushi slowly grows more and more heated, gesticulating with his hands as he rants on and on.

“You know, just this morning he came in for a fake injury and then neglected to mention he had a head wound ? Last week he came in for a ‘terrible chest pain’—which was also fake, by the way—while walking around on a twisted ankle! And he told no one! All he said was ‘Oh, Atsushi-kun, this pain must be from my broken heart, please, only you and your gentle radiance can possibly cure me!’ Everyone laughed at me! He’s infuriating ! And did I mention that he targets me especially? Because he does! He keeps making fun of me, and thinks I don’t know what he’s doing! I swear, the guy is an annoyance and a complete waste of all of our time. The next time Yosano-sensei asks me to attend to Dazai-san I’m going to say—”

Akutagawa stands abruptly, nearly knocking his coffee over, and then doubles over, clutching his side.

“Akutagawa-san?! Akutagawa-san, what are you doing?! You can’t be getting out of your wheelchair—it’s dangerous! Sit back down!”

Atsushi rushes over to press him back into the chair.

“ You. ”

Atsushi freezes at the pure vehemence in his voice.

“You...you just said… ‘Dazai-san’, didn’t you.”

“I...yes. Do you...know him?”

Oh god, does Akutagawa have some kind of grudge against Dazai? Atsushi wouldn’t put it past Dazai to have gained a number of mortal enemies, given how infuriating he can be.

“You...just said Dazai-san is an annoyance and a complete waste of time .”

A prickle of shame makes its way down Atsushi’s arms. His cheeks must be in flame right now, and he has the urge to look around and hide.

Akutagawa growls.

“You. You know— nothing . Nothing about Dazai-san—about— ”

He doubles over, coughing.

“Akutagawa-san! Please, calm down, this isn’t good for your hea—”

Akutagawa slaps Atsushi’s hand away.

“Dazai-san...Dazai-san is…”

He never finishes his sentence, but the look of desperation that comes into his eyes is answer enough. He pants, wincing and gripping his side.

“Dazai-san is a thousand times more than whatever you could hope to be in your entire lifetime. He is—Dazai-san is—You know nothing .” Akutagawa repeats.

...That’s true, isn’t it.

Atsushi...what does he really know about Dazai?

Nothing.

“You—you have what I would kill for. What I would die for. And you’re throwing it away? Treating it like trash? Calling it an annoyance and a complete waste of time ?”

That... had been rather harsh, hadn’t it? But—but after all the teasing he’s had to endure because of Dazai-san—after all the beatings his self-esteem has gone through, knowing that Dazai-san couldn’t possibly be serious—after everything—

“I—”

He has no words to say.

The cruel one isn’t Atsushi. It’s Dazai, for knowing what effect he has on people, and using it to make fun of weak people like Atsushi.

Right?

Akutagawa scoffs.

“We’re done here.”

Atsushi gapes.

“W-wait, but…”

“My soulmate would never speak such a way about Dazai-san. We’re done here. Take me back to my room.”

After the disastrous date, Atsushi is back at the nurse’s station, when Yosano-sensei calls upon him again.

"Atsushi," Yosano says. "Room 107."

Atsushi knows who's in that room. He gulps.

When he pushes open the door, Dazai is looking out the window, unusually quiet.

"Atsushi-kun," he says. Strangely enough, Dazai doesn’t look over at him. He seems...subdued.

"...Dazai-san." He nearly chokes on the name, the syllables like ash in his mouth, his guts roiling with nerves. He feels irrationally paranoid, like Dazai could take one look at him and know about all the bad things he’d said about him in a fit of nerves and frustration. The conversation with Akutagawa ricochets inside his head.

You know nothing.

Dazai-san is a thousand times more than whatever you could hope to become in your entire lifetime.

"Have you come to relieve me of this tiresome, banal world?” Dazai finally turns to look at him through his one eye. Atsushi, inexplicably, feels a shiver run down his back.

He hands him a cup of water, in lieu of a reply.

“No coffee this time?”

“Water is good for you.” Atsushi doesn’t really want to make more coffee right now.

Atsushi hesitates, hovering. Dazai isn’t acting like he normally does and Atsushi finds that he...misses it. He doesn’t know what to do with this strange, quiet Dazai. Without him to fill the silence, Atsushi feels as though something heavy were weighing him down. Like something’s missing. He fidgets a bit more, then bites his lip.

But does he have the right to ask, when he so clearly knows nothing about Dazai? When he’d bad-mouthed him less than an hour earlier? When he’s just a random nobody in Dazai’s life?

He’s just a nursing student at the hospital Dazai frequents. Just a bystander that Dazai sometimes gives attention to out of amusement. What right does he have to ask him what’s wrong?

And yet, despite all that, he finds himself opening his mouth to speak.

“Dazai-san...what do you do for a living?”

Dazai looks up in surprise.

“I work as a private detective,” he answers with a smile.

“A private detective, huh… Well that explains the number of injuries, I guess,” Atsushi says with a small laugh, scratching his cheek.

Dazai leans his cheek upon his hand and gazes at Atsushi through his bangs.

“What’s with this sudden interest in my life, Atsushi-kun? Wondering if I’m single? Want to know about my past lovers?”

Atsushi rolls his eyes and resists the urge to smack him with his clipboard.

“No just...wondering.”

“Wondering…what?” Dazai leans forward eagerly, eyes twinkling.

Atsushi knows he's flirting again. His first instinct is to recoil and blow him off, but Akutagawa's words float into his mind.

He thinks about everything that Dazai has said and done to him, about the weeks and weeks of taking care of him and putting up with his wild antics...and realizes something.

“Wondering...why you almost never have any visitors.”

The only visitor Atsushi has ever seen is an angry, blond, be-spectacled man who, judging from his yelling, is a coworker. But even he is a rare sighting. Most of the time Dazai comes and goes, with no one but Atsushi and the other nurses and doctors to notice his passing through.

Atsushi had always assumed it had just been because Dazai gets injured so often that people have stopped coming by to check on him but...even that is sad.

“Ah,” Dazai puts on a cheerful facade, but his tone is bland. “Well, I do have an adoptive father, but we’re not on speaking terms.”

...Is that all?

Even Atsushi, an orphan, has a few friends that would come see him if he were ever hospitalized.

And Dazai is constantly hospitalized.

“So...you never knew your real parents?”

“Yup! Though I never really wondered about them, anyway.”

Atsushi wishes he could say the same. He shuffles his feet, pushing back memories of crying behind the orphanage garden, beneath the covers, in the library, always wondering why he didn’t deserve parents like other children.

“Does that mean that...at one point, you and your father were close, then?”

“Oh, absolutely not. Mori-san was...well.” Dazai turns to look out the window again, and his hand comes up to brush at the bandages that cover his eye. “Mori-san had certain...expectations. It’s why we don’t speak anymore.”

That sounds so...cold. And lonely.

Both of which are feelings Atsushi is not unfamiliar with—and that’s why it’s so distressing to him.

“I...I never knew my parents either.”

Dazai hums, and cocks his head in interest. Atsushi looks away, unable to meet his eyes. With no small surprise, he finds himself speaking up again.

“I...was an orphan. Grew up at an orphanage. It was...well. The director there also had...expectations, of a sort.”

He expected Atsushi would fail at everything he ever did, and would wind up as the trash of society. A burden. Useless.

“Did you fulfill them?” Dazai’s eyes are strangely knowing. Usually that would make Atsushi feel uncomfortable, or wary. But somehow, he feels...calm. Maybe he just got used to Dazai’s presence after seeing him so often, and he's mistaken the familiarity as a sense of security and trust. Maybe hearing that they have something in common made Atsushi lower his guard.

Or maybe there’s just something about Dazai that makes Atsushi want to be known.

Atsushi clutches at his clipboard, fingers turning white.

“I...maybe. I don’t know.”

Dazai reaches up to press his fingers into his bandages again.

“I fulfilled Mori-san’s expectations rather easily. Too easily, I think. But in the end, I decided not to be the person he wanted me to be. Even if, maybe, that was who I was born to be.”

Atsushi finds that he would do anything to erase the carefully controlled, fragile expression on Dazai’s face.

He finds that he wants to know. Know more, about Dazai. About everything.

“Why didn’t you want to be that person?”

Their lives may have begun similarly, and yet...they are so different. Atsushi would’ve done anything, at that time, to earn the director’s approval. Now, he wonders why.

Dazai smiles, nails digging into the bandages on his head.

“A friend told me I could be better.”

Atsushi wonders what happened to that friend, for Dazai to make such a pained expression, and for Dazai’s bedside chair to always remain empty. He knows, instinctively, not to ask.

“Are those bothering you?” Atsushi asks, indicating the bandages.

“Ah, no,” Dazai pulls his hand away, “It’s fine.”

Atsushi frowns.

“I can redo them for you, if you’d like.”

Dazai pauses, an unreadable look crossing his face.

“...If you could, then.”

It’s strangely intimate. The way the bandages unravel and collect in a bundle on the blankets. The way Atsushi brushes aside his hair, or brushes past his ear, his skin. The slow reveal of Dazai’s features. The moment when the bandages come off and Dazai gazes, with both eyes, straight at Atsushi, who is nearly cradling his face.

Atsushi grabs new bandages and re-wraps his head, this time leaving his eye clear.

“Not too tight?”

Dazai shakes his head lightly.

“Perfect.”

Atsushi gives himself a mental pat on the back.

“I’m not sure why they decided to cover your eye, anyway. Maybe they thought putting more bandages on would keep you from hurting yourself again.” Atsushi jokes.

“...Thank you. Really.”

Dazai is already looking more like his normal self, color returning to his face, his cheeks lifting lightly and eyes squinting at the corners. It's as though the bandages had, before, turned him into a lost child.

“It’s no big deal, really.” Atsushi assures him. “Were they bothering you that much?”

Dazai’s expression slips a little.

“Yes, they were.”

The sun is beginning to set outside the window now, light filtering through the sheer curtains.

“They reminded me of...a younger me.”

Atsushi doesn’t quite understand, but he thinks he can fill in between the lines.

“You’re...I’m sure you’re not the person your father made you into, Dazai-san.”

Dazai looks up at him.

“And how would you know that, Atsushi-kun?”

Atsushi finds that his voice comes out stronger and clearer than he ever knew it could be.

“I think, if you were who your father thought you were, your friend wouldn’t have advised you differently. He was an important friend, right? He must’ve known you better than your father, who didn’t see who you were, but only who he wanted you to be. I won’t lie, you’re a rather annoying person, Dazai-san, but I think...you aren’t a bad one. So I think, you don’t need to be afraid of becoming whatever it is you are afraid of becoming. Because Dazai-san is a good person, so no matter whatever else you are, that’s what’s most important.”

Dazai stares at him, mouth slightly parted.

After another pause, Atsushi’s brain finally catches up with his mouth, and he pinks.

“I’m so sorry! I stepped out of line, that was rude of me. I’ll. I’ll just be going now… S-See you tomorrow, Dazai-san…”

He rushes out the door, and slams it closed behind him, leaning against it with one hand on his beating chest and the other pressed against his hot cheeks.

I can’t believe I just did that! Bad Atsushi! Bad Atsushi!

Dazai watches him go, silhouette framed by the dying light of the sun. He looks down at his hands, which are curled around the old bandages.

“Oh, Atsushi-kun,” he murmurs, “you’re really too much for me.”

Atsushi groans as he finally lies down in his bed, feeling the way his spine stretches out.

It’d definitely been a long, long day. He congratulates himself for getting through it alive and arguably in one piece.

Some of it definitely could have gone better, Atsushi thinks, as he stares up at the ceiling, chewing his lip.

There’s no two ways about it. The date with Akutagawa had been terrible. They barely talked, and if possible, left on worse terms than they’d started.

And they’d started on awful terms.

Maybe he was wrong. Maybe Akutagawa’s injury was just a coincidence.

Secretly, he hoped so. Akutagawa seemed like an unpleasant person and not at all like someone Atsushi would want to spend the rest of his life with. Either the universe had made some kind of mistake, or Atsushi did, and the latter is much more likely.

What was he going to do if he does turn out to be his soulmate though? How does he mend that bridge when he’d so obviously offended Akutagawa?

My soulmate would never speak such a way about Dazai-san.

And anyway, what was it about Dazai that had Akutagawa so angry and...obsessed?

Atsushi thinks about the delicate features of Dazai’s face. The slender yet sharp jaw, aristocratic nose, glimmering, deep brown eyes. His porcelain skin, the wicked curve to his lips, the soft angle of his cheekbones. His deft, clever hands. The way he glides when he walks. His soft, messy hair, which glows russet in the right lighting. The fact that he always smells good.

Okay, so maybe there was a lot to Dazai that could be obsessed over. But that’s all just physical stuff! Not important!

And then he thinks about Dazai bursting in on the scene with some ridiculous excuse in the middle of a boring work day. Dazai showering him with extravagant compliments and (albeit unwanted) attention. Dazai smiling at him even after Atsushi brushes him off.

Dazai’s fragile expression when he talked about his adoptive father. His solemnity when he talked about a dear friend who’d passed away. The way he always listened to everything Atsushi had to say, even if he tends to choose to ignore the complaints, the way he hadn’t pitied Atsushi the moment Atsushi had told him his story.

Atsushi thinks that now he may understand, just a little, the desperate look that had been in Akutagawa’s eyes.

Even without comparing him to Atsushi, there were possibly a few, or possibly a lot, of things about Dazai to be desperate over.

Wouldn’t be nice, he thinks to himself, if Dazai were my soulmate, instead of Akutagawa?

When he realizes where his train of thought had lead, he immediately groans and buries his face in his hands.

Why? Why, brain? Why would you take that train of thought in that direction? Why would you even think—

Atsushi freezes.

Oh.

Oh, no.

Oh god, do I like him? No, no, no, no… You promised yourself not to let that happen! It’s not possible! No!

...Okay.

So maybe he’s grown a bit fond of Dazai’s antics, and maybe he worries about how good Dazai is at hiding his real injuries.

Maybe he isn’t as immune to Dazai’s charms as he acts.

But, it’s impossible. There’s no way. None of that has to mean he has a crush on Dazai. It doesn’t! Him with Dazai-san? Dazai-san with him ? That would never work. It’s best to shut it down before he can begin to hope, and save himself the heartbreak.

He curls up on his side, mind whirling.

He needs to sleep. He has morning classes, three exams coming up, and he agreed to cover someone else’s shifts at the hospital, to boot.

Atsushi’s exhausted. He wasn’t built for this kind of stress and drama.

His side suddenly erupts in pain, and Atsushi gasps.

“Just what are you getting yourself into?” He asks the empty air, knowing he’ll get no response.

At this rate, his soulmate is going to die before they ever get to meet.

Assuming that it isn’t Akutagawa, at least.

“You need to take better care of yourself,” he whispers. His side continues to radiate pain, as if in direct response to his words.

Atsushi sighs, and prepares for another sleepless night.

Atsushi didn't get another wink of sleep that night.

“Here’s the juice you asked for,” he says quietly, handing it over to Akutagawa.

That’s right.

Akutagawa is staying at the hospital for the time being, and due to where he’s located in the hospital, Atsushi is still tending to him.

Talk about awkward.

Atsushi sighs, feeling heavy from exhaustion. He can't even muster the energy to feel alarmed by the stink eye Akutagawa gives him.

“Did you...sleep okay, last night?”

He thinks about the sharp pain that he’d experienced, that had kept him awake even when he'd been in tears, praying for sleep.

Akutagawa takes the juice without a word, and haughtily turns his face away, with his eyes closed, as though being forced to even look at Atsushi was a personal affront to his very being.

“I slept fine. They administered painkillers, so I felt nothing.”

“Ah, that’s good…”

Silence.

“...Let me or one of the other nurses know if you need anything else…”

He runs out as quickly as he can.

As he goes, Akutagawa’s words catch up to him.

Wait...he didn’t feel any pain last night? Then does that mean…

Was it really a mistake after all?

“Sooo, Atsushi,” Naomi kicks the ground and rolls her swivel chair over so she can lean closer to Atsushi’s ear. “How’d the date yesterday go?”

Atsushi winces. “It went...okay, I guess.”

“Hmm, really?”

Atsushi groans and covers his face.

“Who am I kidding, it went terribly .”

“Aw, what? I thought you said he could be your soulmate!”

Atsushi mentally scolds himself for telling her that.

“That’s...I’m not so sure anymore. I kind of...hope he isn’t. I can’t imagine living my life with someone like that… He acts like he can’t even stand to look at me.”

“Didn’t you just go in to check on him?”

“Yes, and it was extremely awkward!”

Naomi laughs.

“Oh, come on, it can’t have been that bad.”

Atsushi blows a piece of hair out of his face. “It was. You have no idea.”

He pauses for a moment, then looks at Naomi consideringly.

“Naomi-san…”

“No,” Naomi says, without pause.

“Naomi-san...please? Please, can you take over for just his room? Just until he’s discharged? Every time he speaks I get scared for my life, Naomi-san. I’m serious!”

Atsushi whines as Naomi laughs at him.

“Naomi-san, this is serious! If I have to tend to him any longer I think I’ll die! He hates me! So much! You have no idea .”

“All right, all right. But you have to tell me more about the details of your date later, okay, Atsushi?”

Atsushi groans.

He does not want to relive that experience. But if it means he can avoid Akutagawa for the rest of his stay...

“Fine. Deal.”

Naomi glances over at him slyly, and leans against the desk.

“I kinda feel bad for the dude though. He never really had a chance, given that you’re...biased. Don’t you think?”

Atsushi cocks his head to the side.

“Biased about what, Naomi-san?”

“Well… You know.”

Atsushi blinks at her. “What do I know?”

Naomi stares at him. “Seriously? Isn’t it obvious?”

“Isn’t what obvious?”

Naomi groans. “Oh my god you’re hopeless.”

“Fine then. Don’t tell me.” Atsushi pouts.

Naomi heaves a sigh and holds back a groan. “Dazai, silly.”

Atsushi frowns. Why is everyone constantly bringing him up?

“Dazai-san? What about him?”

Naomi rolls her eyes. “I’ll admit, you’re good at pretending, but you can’t hide from me. I know you like him, Atsushi.”

Atsushi gapes at her, then flushes up to his ears.

“I—I do not!”

A distant figure rounds a corner, and begins to walk down the hallway adjacent to them.

Naomi giggles at him.

“Oh, look at you, you’re so cute. Stay in denial if you want, then. It’s funny.”

“I’m not in denial!”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so!”

Their voices echo.

“All right then, Atsushi.” She winks at him.

Atsushi’s still blushing, looking anywhere but Naomi.

“W-Who would like someone like Dazai-san, anyway? He’s over-the-top and a flirt! He’s constantly harassing me, doesn’t take no for an answer, and in general is just—a nuisance! I don’t like him. I don’t!”

Something uncomfortable grows in his stomach as the words come out of his mouth. He thinks about bandages falling away, two eyes pinning him with an earnest gaze, a fragile smile.

He doesn’t notice Dazai standing, frozen, just around the corner of the hallway.

“You talk about him a lot for someone who doesn’t like him, though.”

“That’s—! That’s because he’s—he’s insufferable! I really just wish he’d leave me alone.”

Dazai clenches his hand into a fist, staring at his shoes.

Naomi looks at Atsushi with pity.

“Is that how you really feel?”

Atsushi looks away, fiddling with his fingers. He tries to imagine coming to work and never seeing Dazai again. Never dealing with his shenanigans, never hearing his voice, never again being able to know how he’s doing and whether or not he’s recovering from his latest injury.

No, he thinks to himself. No, it isn’t.

“...Yes.” he says, instead.

Naomi gives a skeptical hum, but pushes herself away from the desk and returns to her own work.

“Okay, okay. I’ll drop it. For now.”

Atsushi slumps into his chair. “Thank you.”

Unbeknownst to them, Dazai turns and walks away. His expression is blank, wiped clean.

“Okay then, Atsushi-kun,” he whispers to himself. “If that’s what you want.”

Atsushi is on the computer, trying to ignore the continuing pain in his side and looking up a patient’s room number so he can redirect a small family of three, when he hears it.

Dazai’s voice, laughing merrily from somewhere down the hallway.

“That’ll be on the third floor, room 317,” he says with a smile, accepting their thanks with grace.

After they leave, he waits.

And waits.

Strangely enough, Dazai doesn’t head towards the nurse’s station looking for him. No one calls him over specifically to tend to him. Occasionally, he thinks he catches the sound of Dazai’s voice as he rounds a corner, but he isn’t bothered or harassed like he usually is. Not even once.

As the hour goes on, Atsushi gets more and more uncomfortable.

Why is he making a big deal out of this? This is what he wanted right? For Dazai to leave him alone, so he can finally get over his stupid crush? To stop having his feelings played with?

He opens the cabinet where they store extra blankets, and frowns.

He’s tired. It’s nearing the fourth day he’s gotten little to no sleep. He’s ready to pass out, but he can’t. He has things to do, and whatever injury it is that his soulmate has, has apparently not been healed yet, because he can still feel it. A dull, throbbing, constant pain.

At this point, he’s relatively certain it isn’t Akutagawa. Naomi administered more painkillers at his behest, and yet the pain in Atsushi’s side has yet to abide.

Meaning that entire ordeal was completely pointless, unless the goal was to shoot Atsushi’s anxiety even higher than it already is.

He tugs at one of the blankets, standing on his tiptoes to reach. The door next to the cabinets opens. Atsushi turns to look, and freezes.

It’s Dazai, and another nurse, Sasaki-san.

Sasaki giggles, hand daintily going up to her mouth, and Dazai leans closer to whisper in her ear. His right arm is in a cast.

She’s really pretty, Atsushi thinks. They look good together.

“I’m free Friday after five,” Dazai says with a quirk of his lips.

“Oh, that’s perfect,” Sasaki says, “I get off my shift right around then.”

Dazai turns, and meets Atsushi’s wide-eyed gaze.

Atsushi feels sick.

“Oh, Atsushi-kun,” Sasaki says, before pausing. “Atsushi-kun, is everything all right?”

To his horror, he realizes he’s about to cry.

“Oh, I—I, yes—”

He stumbles back, but in his hurry, he tugs at the blankets too harshly and brings them tumbling down on his head.

He stands there, blankets draped over him and strewn across the floor, and thinks to himself, Could you be any more pathetic?

“I—sorry, I just, was grabbing some blankets…” He kneels down, carefully hiding his face, and begins picking them up and re-folding them.

He’s hastily wiping at his eyes when he realizes someone has knelt down to help him.

“No, it’s okay, I can—” Atsushi looks up.

“D-Dazai-san,” he squeaks in surprise. What is he doing?

“Dazai-san, stop. You have a broken arm.”

Dazai gives him a wink.

“Oh this? This is nothing. At least, it’s nothing compared to the pain of seeing a beautiful creature such as yourself in distress.”

Atsushi can’t help but sniffle, face screwing up.

Typical Dazai. Being kind, yet cruel, all at once.

He takes a deep breath and mentally steels himself.

“Dazai-san, really, I’m fine. And you can’t do much with one arm in a cast like that, anyway.”

He reaches out, meaning to help Dazai stand up, hand braced under Dazai’s elbow.

“Atsushi-kun, wait—”

Atsushi lands with a thwump back on his butt.

He stares down at the cast in his hand, then looks at the empty space where the rest of Dazai’s arm is supposed to be.

And screams.

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

“I can’t believe you! You faked another injury?! To do what? To flirt with the nurses? What is wrong with you?!”

“Well I didn’t think you’d grab someone by their broken arm…”

“So this is my fault? Is that what you’re saying? Get out.”

“Wait, but—”

“You don’t actually have any pressing injuries, right? That means you can’t be here. Get out.”

“Wait, Atsushi-kun, I said I’m sorry—”

Atsushi is livid.

After tugging off Dazai’s fake cast and nearly having a heart attack, thinking he’d pulled someone’s arm off, Dazai revealed the rest of his arm, which he’d tucked up in his sleeve, and admitted that it was “just a prank”.

He’s had—

“Enough. I’ve had enough. If you don’t get out, now, I’m calling security.”

“I can explain—”

Atsushi turns and begins to stomp down the hallway.

“Wait, Atsushi—”

A hand grabs him by the elbow and he whirls, ready to yell again, when he stumbles off-balance and bangs his other elbow on the wall.

“Ow!”

“Ow.”

Atsushi opens his mouth, then pauses.

That second “ow”? That hadn’t come from Atsushi.

Dazai and he stare at each other. Slowly, the pieces click together.

But—how can he be sure? What if—what if this is another prank?

...There’s only one way to find out.

Atsushi lifts a trembling hand—

“Atsushi-ku—”

—and does what he’s been aching to do for weeks now.

He slaps Dazai Osamu right across his pretty face.

Dazai stares at him, open-mouthed, hand reaching up to rub at his cheek.

Atsushi blinks right back at him in disbelief and lifts his own hand up to his own face, feeling where the echo of the force of his own slap radiates from.

He felt that.

He’d slapped Dazai, and in that very same moment, felt that very same pain on his own face.

“Oh my god.”

This can’t be real.

He lifts his hand again, and Dazai backs up.

He needs to check. Just one more time. To make sure.

“W-Wait, Atsushi-kun, I really don’t think that’s necessary—”

“It is.”

“There must be some other way—”

Atsushi pauses for a moment, thinking.

If they’re soulmates, and they share each other’s pain, then that means…

He narrows his eyes.

“Dazai-san.”

Dazai gulps.

“Oh, would you look at the time!” Dazai flashes him a fake smile and looks at his bare, watch-less wrist. “Wouldn’t want you to call security on me! I’ll just be going then, haha—”

“ Dazai-san. ” Atsushi’s suspicions have been all but confirmed. “Take off your clothes. Now.”

“I don’t really think that’s appropriate, Atsushi-kun—”

Atsushi stomps forward, and Dazai continues to back up, holding his hands up in a placating manner.

“Now, now, Atsushi-kun, we can talk about this—”

“Take off your clothes! Now!”

Dazai breaks into a flat out run, with Atsushi chasing after him.

“Get back here!”

True to his expectations, as Dazai runs, the pain in Atsushi’s side flares.

They skid to a stop at the end of the next hallway, panting, both of them clutching their sides.

Atsushi pushes Dazai up against the wall, tugging at his shirt.

“Atsushi-kun I think we’re moving a little too fast don’t you think—”

Atsushi pauses, and glares at Dazai’s bare stomach.

“Dazai-san. What is that.”

Dazai gulps.

“...Nothing.”

“I’ve been feeling it for two days, it isn’t nothing .”

“...may have run into a knife.” Dazai mumbles.

“You got STABBED?!” Atsushi screeches.

“If anything, it’s the knife’s fault.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that it’s completely your fault for making someone want to stab you. What I want to know is why you felt the need to fake a broken arm to get in here when you’ve already been stabbed. ”

“It’s not even that bad—”

Atsushi screeches again, and grabs Dazai by his arm, dragging him back the way they came.

“That’s it, I’m bringing you to Yosano-sensei.”

Dazai suddenly stops, clinging onto Atsushi’s arm and dragging his feet.

“But I can only be healed by the gentle touch of your love!”

“Oh, stop that. Don’t be ungrateful. Though her methods of practice are...unique... Yosano-sensei has a very high success rate!”

“But I’d really much rather stay by your side—”

“You’re not getting out of this one, Dazai-san.”

Dazai grows more desperate, recalling all the rumors he’d heard about Yosano’s “treatment” and his past luck in dodging it.

“But you’ll have to suffer with me!”

“Gladly.”

They jerk to a stop.

Atsushi huffs in annoyance, ready to ask “What is it now”, when Dazai interrupts him.

“Even if I’m a compulsive liar with trust issues who sometimes can’t bring himself to get out of bed in the morning?”

Atsushi is taken aback.

“W-what?”

“Would you gladly suffer with me even though I’m annoying and I don’t know how much is too much and I embarrass you in front of everybody?”

Atsushi gapes at him, mouth opening and closing silently.

“I—”

He looks away, and tightens his grip on Dazai’s arm.

“...Yes. Even then. You’re my... soulmate, after all. But…”

Dazai watches him, studying his features in the fluorescent lighting.

“But?”

“...But even if you weren’t. I wouldn’t... couldn’t just leave you to suffer alone.”

The beginnings of a delighted grin begin to creep up onto Dazai’s face.

“You like me. You actually like me.”

“Don’t push it.”

The grin continues to grow as Atsushi begins to squirm uncomfortably.

“...Okay fine! Maybe I do like you. A little. But we really need to get that stab wound looked at so let’s just...get going, already.”

He blushes.

“Okay,” Dazai sing-songs.

Atsushi sighs, feeling the waves of exhaustion crashing over him.

“What am I going to do with you?”

“Well,” Dazai says, walking next to him amiably now, “I’m free Friday after five.”

Something warm pools in Atsushi’s gut, and a small smile sneaks its way onto his face.

“That works just fine for me.”

#dazaishipweek19 #dazatsu #bsd #dazai osamu #nakajima atsushi #akutagawa ryuunosuke #fanfic #fic #ficlet #drabble #clod not lefting but #and thats a wrap!#thats it folks for this week #im sad :(#sighs #o well #hopefully the next time i write smth will be sooooooon

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