Chapter Text
'By what little remained of the moonlight, they made their way through a grass area of the forest.
When suddenly out from the thicket, leapt a tiger.'
Sun broke through the window to illuminate the dust of the office, a man rested his head on the glossy oak of his desk, tears stung his eyes as he yawned. Nothing to do except watch as the flecks of light descended from the sunny glass to become obsolete on the ground, how he wished he could do the same.
The cracking of fingernails on keyboard keys edged him ever, subtly, closer to snapping. Not that would do so outwardly, rather adding to the swirling mess building up that was Dazai Osamu.
Unfortunately the windows were impossible to open besides straight up breaking them, he'd tried to jump out once and when he came back the next day they were fortified.
At least Dazai knew the agency cared about him to some degree.
Or maybe they just didn't want to scrape a body off of the sidewalk.
That's probably it.
That's definitely it.
He likened the office to a painting. One where all the characters were in various stages of motion, yet trapped by their reality. Alas, that wasn't the case, everyone was moving frantically, whether or not he decided to perceive them as such. So in the end, perhaps he was the only one trapped.
Ranpo seemed to be the only one on Dazais wavelength as he was lazily popping a jawbreaker into his mouth.
First a blue one.
Then red.
Then orange.
Dazais not an expert but he's pretty sure one of those candies is supposed to last at least 20 minutes.
Distantly Kunikida yelled something at Naomi, not that he could hear of the humming buzz of boredom in his mind. He didn't care.
The agency has been perfectly boring the last few days, nothing but a low stakes case about a tiger entering the city. The beast caused a helpful distraction to many of his coworkers to avoid his own fate, but the detective believed that it was nothing that the police shouldn't be able to handle, but the universe loved giving him problems, and problems meant paperwork.
All over an animal.
"Dazai"
He lazily glanced over at the blonde yelling at him, wondering how long he could keep this going. The buzzing quieted for a moment.
"Dazai!"
Kunikida walked briskly before stopping in front of the detective slumped over his desk.
"Dazai, let's go!"
He finally decided to look at the strict man, huffing slightly as he figured out how to get out of this.
"Can't you see I'm having a crisis?" As he dramatically spun around in his chair.
The taller man raised an eyebrow, not continuing but a subtle mix of confused and intrigued.
"I doubt it's anything important."
Dazai plastered a panicked and horrified look onto his blank face.
"Apparently tigers can shed their entire coat once a week, growing in a completely new stripe pattern, or even a different colour!"
"...really?"
"Yes! Go! go! Write it down!" He shooed his hands while internally cheered for both the fact that Kunikida did as asked and the fact that nobody in the room stepped in to stop him, "I'm worried that by the time we catch up to the tiger, it'll look completely different!"
The uptight man muttered, "concerning indeed" as he hurriedly jotted down notes in his pocketbook.
2 seconds.
4 seconds.
8 seconds.
"I'm just messing with you."
The snap of a pen as Kunikida jumped to his feet. Dazai waved to Kenji and Ranpo, both of whom bid him farewell, as he was dragged into the hall by the collar of his shirt.
The buzzing stopped.
◇◇◇
The sun beat down on his face as he squinted up, he rubbed his wrists in annoyance. The thought of tigers and Kunikida pounding a migraine into his skull, at the very least the man had stopped dragging him around.
Papers were clutched in his hands as he sat at the bench, the subject of his ire scribbling hurriedly in his notebook.
Dazai couldn't help but notice his partner's hyper focused eyes and his quick forgiveness of prior pranks. Kunikida was always someone who took cases seriously, but he wondered what made this one different.
Perhaps that's the reason why he decided to actually take a look at the case he was supposed to be researching.
Words jumped out at him from the page, entire gardens being trashed, chicken coops decimateated, people being chased, and even injured on some certain occasions. Despite the moniker of 'man-eating tiger' it appears that nobody has died.
Nothing compared to the bombing and heists that usually marked his days, but the spark that got his attention was the physical description of the creature.
A majestic beast with snow white fur and glittering gold eyes with violet undertones, a more superstitious person would assume it was a supernatural being.
The maimings were far more interesting.
Two people got injured, one an older man with three perfectly clean cuts on his chest, and a younger thug with puncture wounds on his thigh. Almost like divine karma. An older man who had been arrested in the past for preying on children and someone who made quick cash scamming people off the streets.
He wonders what the odds were for the only two people to be harmed were miserable wreaks who no doubt deserved it. Not high.
The sun beat down on him.
"Hey, what's your opinion on the victims of the attacks?" He asked as papers rustled, it took the other man with him a moment to snap out of his focused trance to respond to the question.
"Well part of me wants to consider it a coincidence, however it seems more unlikely the longer I look into it."
Dazai hummed, "and its appearance?"
"Well I suppose there's nothing to extraordinary about it, until you compare it with everything else that is" He sighed, "I'm not entirely sure what to make of it"
He squinted at the blinding rays.
"20 bucks says it's an ability."
Kunikida looks forward with a thinly veiled look of outrage and horror.
"Dazai, do you have any idea how unprofessional that is, these are issues about the good of the public!"
"So you agree with me then?" He replied smugly.
A pause, then, "-I do recommend not making bets you can't win." A resigned sigh.
Dazai grinned with triumph as he stood up and made his way off the bench and down the streets.
"Hey, hey! Where are you going?!" The blonde man yelled out at the brunette.
"Earning my money!" As he runs away, waving as his back turns to his dumbfounded partner.
◇◇◇
Whistling a simple tune he walked down the streets with his arms behind his head.
The sun burned at his back.
His game-plan right now was to try to think of some sure-fire evidence to confirm what he already suspected, and he had a hunch about this place.
His original plan had been to head to the orphanage where the chickens were first slain, however as luck will have it the sightings showed a clear path of movement, straight to this area.
When he was forced to come to a stop.
It was a beautiful bridge, leaves raining down in the gentle wind. The river was nothing special, but the bridge itself was an exercise in perfection, the kind of place tourists stop for a picture, or the subject of an obscure painting or perhaps just a snapshot doomed to the place where forgotten memories go.
Or a serene final resting place.
He didn't really think about it as he stepped towards the railing, but no matter how often he was in this position he heart raced and his vision grew fuzzy.
A deep breath.
He didn't feel the sun.
He walked off the edge.
The water was too shallow.
The water was too shallow and his life ticked on, as he floated down the stream. Watching as his beautiful view was replaced with filth and slums. He would sigh in disappointment, but he was still very much in a river.
He closes his eyes, wondering if he should just relax and accept this and the potential of release it granted, or if he should cut his misery short and leave the water.
A river is not a very good place to make decisions.
So he stays, floats along in the cool water.
He hears a voice, and tries to focus in on it, but he finds himself not caring as much. In the fog that usually permeated his mind after another attempt.
Ah well, it'll wear off.
Then he can continue on with his task.
But, what was he doing?
He hears a splash.
Oh-
The tiger.
He feels two small hands grabbing onto his sleeve, kicking and flailing as he is dragged to shore, interrupting his inner monologue.
As he distantly feels sand rub against his back and hears the heaving breaths of someone beside him, he slowly opens his eyes.
Sitting up he huffed slightly, perhaps the cold water would've killed him eventually.
"Damn" he hissed, opening his mouth to continue before trailing off
He looks over at his saviour whom he didn't want.
It was a child, a young one.
Light brown to dirty blonde hair, or perhaps it was a different colour entirely? It was difficult to tell with the filth coating it.
The child, boy? Yeah definitely boy, the boy was coated in a layer of grime, more-so than you would get in average childhood play, he is thin and small, to the point where even Dazai could hardly guess his age.
His eyes were wide and staring on his own with a dull confusion, a look of unease growing in those gold and violet jewels the longer their impromptu staring contest continued.
"I suppose I have to thank you for saving me!" Dazai grinned, it probably wasn't alright to teach young children about his true plan was it? He wasn't good with kids.
The child shuffled back at the sudden statement, and the detective mentally stepped back to analyse the situation.
A child pulled him out of the river.
The boy looks frail and hungry, likely homeless.
The boy is petrified at the sight of him, despite their meeting.
"Save the weak, protect the orphaned"
Well shit, he couldn't just leave him.
"Hey" He softened his voice to an unauthorised degree, disingenuously, "I'm Dazai, Dazai Osamu." He cocked his head, "and you are?"
The boy blinked, those wide dual coloured eyes focused on him in general unease, hands touching like he wanted to run away.
He hears the roar of a beast.
"A-atsushi Nakajima"
Well at least he can talk.
"Well there Atsushi-chan, why don't I treat you to something to eat as a thank-you?"
The boy's eyes lit up while his face remained unchanged.
"T-thank you Mister," he murmured bowing his head, voice stuttering with timidness, "b-but you really don't have t-to-"
Dazai waved his hands dismissively, "Nonsense, I'm already looking forward to it", he paused to watch the realisation on the child's face, "-and just call me Dazai."
The boy slowly nodded, hesitantly opening his mouth, questions swirling his mind yet not giving the time of day.
"I- uh", he closed his mouth terminating the questions as the detective watched blankly, "T-thank you Dazai-san"
Oh well.
"Alright!" He clapped his hands together and the boy flinched, hard, the detective's brows knit slightly before he crouched down to the boy's level, "What would you like to get Atsushi-Chan?"
Dual coloured shifted from side to side, not quite meeting his own. The boy relaxes, if only slightly, and considers the older man's words.
"C-chazuke?" He tries.
"Tea on rice? That's what you want?" Caught off guard Dazais shoulders shake as he chuckles, "Sure, you can have as much of that as you want."
Dazai brushes the sand off his tan coat, before beginning to make his way to the street where he hopes to find such a restaurant. After a short while he hears small steps on the pavement behind him.
As he searches for a place, preferably somewhere he hasn't been, he runs a few small tests, an experiment.
When he stops, the footfalls behind him cease.
If he speeds up the boy pauses for a second, before running up behind him, always behind him.
When he looks back, Atsushi pauses, staring at him like a deer in the headlights.
They do find a shop eventually, a small one where Dazai doesn't get too many concerned looks for bringing the scared boy in with him.
They sit down at a small table in the corner as Dazai orders, getting the distinct feeling that the boy with him would hardly care what he got. He studied the small child as the boy glanced back at him nervously, though, noticeably, slightly less so than before.
Violet and gold eyes locked onto his own in the small facsimile of a staring contest, before Dazai breaks the silence.
"So Atsushi-chan, how old are you?"
Atsushi stares for a short while, seemingly not used to human interaction, not answering.
"Well, I'm 22, but people usually don't care much about age once you're old."
…
"I'm seven"
With the boy's small size that pans out fairly well, and the child showed no signs of lying. Not that he'd have the reason to.
Dazai flashed a smile, and then the food arrived.
The effect was immediate.
Atsushi's entire face lit up, and he stared at the meal for a few seconds. Casting a glance up at the older man who started to eat his own food, he seemed to take this as permission.
All with impeccable table manners the young boy polished the entire bowl faster than the detective had ever seen. Then another, and another.
After a while the brunette had finished his own meal, and just watched in thinly veiled awe.
Five bowls later and the child finally started to slow down, at least enough for Dazai to get a word in.
"I guess it's fair to say you were hungry" the boy nods slightly, a bit more comfortable now that the older man has made good on his promise, "when's the last time you ate?"
The boy shuffles in his seat a bit, and looks vaguely ashamed.
"Tuesday"
It's Thursday.
"You're not a very good liar, Atsushi-chan."
The boy flinched and sank down into his seat, seemingly thinking the adult at the table was angry at him. Dazai wasn't usually swayed by stuff like this, but even he found himself being more gentle.
"Hey, it's alright" He waves placating, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, i'm not your dietitian"
For a while it seems like the boy is going to do just that, before he opens his mouth.
"Two weeks"
In all actuality that number should be a lie, two days is a much more likely number. When you find out someone is lying about how long ago they ate, you'd assume that they'd stretch the number. You'd assume he was trying to gain pity so you'd spend more money on him.
That wasn't the case here.
The detective sensed no lie.
He felt no reason to feign shock, he already had an idea about this number due to the boy's face when he entered the restaurant. Not to mention that would likely aggravate the already delicate trust of the child he was with.
"I see" he says cryptically, the young boy squirms.
Just as the boy is about to open his mouth, for the first time to speak without being spoken to first, the ding of the restaurant door snaps them both out of the moment.
"Dazai!"
Oh no.
The young boy shrinks down as Kunikida bursts into the small building.
As he narrows his eyes at the brunette, Dazai responds with something he hasn't done to a colleague since his mafia days.
He glares at him.
Completely drops the bubbly persona as his partner appears to get the hint and visibly takes a step back, before his eyes lock onto a small child shifting away from the loud intruder.
Kunikida raises an eyebrow at Dazai, who proceeds to completely ignore it, instead focusing purely on the child across from him.
"Don't worry about him, Atsushi-chan, he's just a coworker of mine." To which the man in question huffed, the detective noted that the boy seemed to relax at this thought he wasn't entirely sure what that meant.
"More importantly, do you have anywhere to stay?"
Slowly Atsushi shakes his head,
At the very least it confirms that he's homeless.
"But- I'll be fine! Don't worry about me!" He claims desperately.
Dazai has seemingly in thought, before deciding to take a small risk the only evidence for this was him glancing up at his confused co-worker.
"But I am worried, it's not safe. Especially with the news of that tiger."
The effect was immediate.
A look of sheer horror crossed the child's face and his hands started trembling. That look of fear, Dazai nearly felt bad for having caused it.
He did feel bad.
"I-ill be fine, I have a place indoors…"
Dazais face softened, something that truly caught Kunikida off guard, "Yes, but you understand I can't just leave a child all by himself, yeah?"
He feigned thinking before supposedly getting an idea, "Okay, tell you what" He was about to clap his hands together but decided against it, "how bout we go our separate ways for the night, and I'll try to find you again tomorrow?"
The young boy cocked his head ( like a cat ), "but how will you know where I'll be?" He asked timidly, almost like he understood Dazai wouldn't budge, but wanted to get out of this arrangement regardless.
The brunette hooked his arms around a silent, but now very annoyed, Kunikida, "You see, we're detectives Atsushi-chan! It'll be a piece of cake." He grinned widely.
Suddenly the detective stood up and walked over the homeless boy, looking into those dual coloured eyes, he knelt down slightly. He brought his hands up to the boy's shoulders, slowly resting them on the thin body, and Atsushi didn't flinch.
"Everything will be alright, okay? You'll see, it'll all pan out fine."
The young boy looked up at him and an indiscernible look on his face before nodding.
"Thank you for the food, Dazai-san" He murmured, bowing his head slightly.
He cast a quick glance at the other man there, then the child exited the restaurant and disappeared into the night as Dazai stood up to face his colleague.
None of them spoke, Kunikida confused over the new side he saw from his partner and the brunette slightly mortified over the same thing.
Dazai broke the silence.
"How about instead of 20 dollars you pay off this meal?"
The strict man huffed and crossed his arms, "Now why would I do that?"
"Because that" He motioned toward the now empty doorway,
"That was our ability-user."
◇◇◇
Atsushi ran.
The day was already far too taxing, but he couldn't stop. He just wants to be somewhere, anywhere, else.
The man, Dazai-san, was someone whose small mind couldn't wrap his head around, someone who fed him and showed worry, someone who didn't seem to pity him.
Deep down Atsushi knows that eventually the detective will see him for who he really is, the monster, then he'll leave like everyone else and Atsushi will know better than to stop him.
The longer he sticks around the worse it'll be.
But as he steps into the warehouse, stomach truly full and having been shown kindness for the first time in years.
He falls asleep among the crates, easily, and without the fear of tigers.