Hello there!

My first multichapter fic in a long time. I've been wanting to start one for ages but just couldn't get any intriguing ideas which motivated my to actually write something. I planned on doing an AU in which either Atsushi or Dazai meet Akutagawa and Gin while they're still kids, but I couldn't think of a proper plot to make that work (I still like the idea though, someone please write it lol), then I suddenly got this idea and thought yep, that's it!

Some clarification: Everything which happened up to this point is canon, but Atsushi has been thrown out of the orphanage at the age of thirteen already due to for now unknown reasons (I know them ;p). To set things into perspective; Dazai is 17 and has recently picked up Akutagawa who is 15, meaning Odasaku is 22. I'm actually not quite sure when exactly the Dragon's Head Rush Conflict took place; I think it was six years before canon when Dazai was 16? So yeah, that happened around a year ago.
I'm not entirely sure yet where I'm going with this but it's to be expected that there will in fact be Mafia!Atsushi at some point, even if Odasaku isn't happy about it.
For now, enjoy the read!

Atsushi shivered.

It was a cold night in the dark streets of Yokohama, a night which seemed to be darker than usual despite the flickering streetlights illuminating the surroundings. A slight rain fell down from the sky, drenching him and adding to his shivering.

"It's gonna be fine", he muttered to himself for what felt like the hundredth time in the past two weeks.

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since he had been released from that hell.

He still wasn't completely sure what had happened. One day he had been chained to a wall as usual, tortured by that man, starving and miserable, the next he had been lying abandoned in an alleyway without any idea what had happened or where he was, his only clue being a small bag with a water bottle and three apples and a bread bun, as well as a letter with one single word on it:

Live.

He didn't know what happened. He didn't know what was going to happen. The only thing he knew was that he was finally free and could go where he wanted whenever he wanted, he'd never have to see that man's face again, he could finally live his life the way he saw fit.

Of course, he wasn't delusional; he had known he wouldn't suddenly be living comfortably, happy, safely. It was just as if not more dangerous to stray around on the streets. Unlike in the orphanage, he wasn't guaranteed food anymore, or a place to sleep, or to not be killed in his sleep...

However.

Everything would be an improvement from that hell.

Almost everything, a quiet voice in his mind muttered. He shook it off.

If he was being honest, he wasn't entirely sure how he hadn't starved yet. While he had planned on stealing food multiple times throughout these weeks, he hadn't actually gone through with it yet, not wanting to be a burden to anyone. His stomach seemed to be a rock in his body, clawing at his insides, and he could barely stand anymore, but he didn't collapse yet. He wasn't going to collapse.

...I'll survive. I'll become worth living. He had no idea who had freed and left that note for him, but he was forever in that person's debt, and he wouldn't deny them their only wish for him.

So, he could handle hunger. He could handle the cold, having to find a new place to sleep every night, sometimes not sleeping at all. It would be fine.

If there wasn't that one, peculiar problem following him around...

"Hey, you dirty brat!" He flinched violently, turning to the direction of the voice. A well-clad man stood leaning on a riverbank, a pretty woman clinging to his arm with disgust in her eyes. He had wandered away from the dark, abandoned alleys and into the main street without realising. "Get lost before I call the cops on you and they put you down like a stray like you deserves!"
Atsushi shrieked a quick apology and spun around, sprinting into the next alley without looking back.

The few people he came across usually ignored him aside from the occasional curious, mostly condescending glance, which was probably due to persons traveling during the night in places like these being used to homeless orphans like him. He didn't blame the earlier couple reacting the way they did; from what he could tell it was almost midnight and he didn't boast a very appealing appearance with his torn clothes and dirty hair.

He bit his lip, nervously eyeing his surroundings. Dark, dirty, completely abandoned; a few rats crossed the way every now and then; a stray cat sat next to a trash dump and cleaned itself.

I wont survive like this. If I come across it again...

He would have liked to avoid traveling by night, however he had quickly learned that he didn't belong in the light of the day yet.

He closed his eyes, hopelessness consuming him once again. At first, he had hoped that maybe he'd come across some black work so he could at least afford new clothes before looking for a proper job.

Who would want a thirteen year old to do their work?, the voice taunted again.

Shut up.

Once he had a job, he could have bought food and stopped feeling like he was going to collapse any moment. Then perhaps looked into buying an apartment. Slowly building a life for himself.

Sighing yet again, he reached into the bag gifted to him by his savior to pick up his first apple. The main reason he hadn't considered just giving up yet was this supply of necessities. He hadn't expected to survive without touching any food for two entire weeks, and it was obvious he was nearing his limits now. The water bottle was empty already, but the food was still there. So, one apple every two weeks, plus this bun... I can last at least two months like this. Maybe three. I can do this. His hand bumped against the apple's smooth surface, he was about to pull it out-

"Meoooww!"

Atsushi yelped when the stray cat suddenly jumped at him, driving its claws into his hand and grabbing the bag with its teeth. Before he could blink it was on the ground a few meters away again, including his luggage with all its contents. It looked at him as if challenging him.

"H-hey", he said weakly with a rusty voice. "...give that back." The cat just blinked at him, before turning around. He closed his eyes. That was it. He couldn't catch up with a running cat, even if he wouldn't be on the verge of collapsing.

To his surprise, when he opened his eyes the cat was still there, tail waving from side to side. It was walking, but it was walking slowly. He grit his teeth and started jogging to catch up to it, but when the cat noticed its action, it suddenly sped up.

What the... He quickened his pace, eventually breaking into a run. His 'run' wasn't very fast and the cat could definitely outrun him if it wanted to, but it remained just out of his reach. Is it making fun of me?

"Hey", he called yet again, slowly becoming desperate. "Please give that back! I need it!" He began to pant, feeling his strength leaving him.

Outmaneuvered by a cat. What a fitting end for him.

Just as he really was about to collapse, but unwilling to give up, the cat suddenly stopped so abruptly that he fell over his own feet, landing in the dirt with a quiet "oof". He propped himself onto his elbows, only mildly taking in that this alleyway was slightly more illuminated than the ones he usually wandered through.

The cat sat down right in front of him. He reached out an arm to grab the bag, and it dropped it.

He breathed in, relieved.

"Thank you", he said quietly, sitting up. He reached out yet again to carefully pet it. "I... you..." He hesitated, then he reached into the bag and took out the bread. He looked at it in consideration for a moment, then he tore it and held a small part to the cat. "I... I'm not sure if you can even eat this, but... I mean. I guess you're just hungry too, huh?" The cat blinked at him, turning away its head when he held the bread closer. He laughed softly. "Yeah... I guess cats don't eat bread. I doubt an apple would be any better, though..." He dropped his shoulders in defeat. Tears started gathering in his eyes and he tried to stop his voice from shaking. "I'm sorry... I can't even help you... a cat..."

You're completely useless. You can't help anyone. The world doesn't need a useless brat like you who does nothing but take away its resources just by existing.

"You're on your own too, huh?" This time, the cat leaned into his touch when he laid a hand on top of its head, slowly dragging it through its soft fur. "Does no one feed a cute thing like you?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Atsushi flinched violently, scrambling backwards while turning around as quickly as he could. The cat didn't seem impressed by his sudden start, jumping onto his lap when he pressed his back into the wall behind him, looking around in fright.
He hadn't even noticed that he had wandered into one of the livelier alleyways because there hadn't been any people around. A bright sign shone on the opposite side to the left, indicating perhaps a café, but his vision began to swim so he couldn't make out the letters. He gulped and slowly directed his gaze onto the person standing in front of him. He didn't dare looking into his face; he had done that before with some men clad completely in black and had nearly been beaten up for it.

This person didn't wear black. Quite the opposite; they – he – wore a bright beige coat which stood in stark contrast to the darkness surrounding them. Still, someone who wandered these streets at this time couldn't be a normal civilian, so he pressed harder against the wall and kept his gaze downcast.

"I-I'm sorry", he murmured quietly, so quietly he couldn't be sure if the man had heard him. What had he said again just now? He couldn't remember.

The feet in front of him shifted and he eyed them nervously, brazing himself for a kick.

"I meant", the man started again, "that this cat is actually pretty well fed. He frequents this bar. And I think he has an owner, too. So there's no excuse for him stealing your bag." Atsushi heard the words, but he couldn't really understand them. What was this stranger talking about? Had he listened in on him talking to the cat?
"Anyway... are you okay?" Atsushi flinched slightly when he realized he was still crying, quiet sobs wrecking his body. The man crouched down in front of him and Atsushi stubbornly looked to the side, scared of what kind of face he'd see. His vision was still blurring and his ears ringing; he couldn't concentrate.

"Y-yes."
"Are you sure?" Atsushi closed his eyes, which was a mistake. "Hey. Are you really-"

The world went black.

"A-ah!" Atsushi shrieked and darted upright, unfocused eyes scanning the are around him. What had he been doing just now? He directed his gaze in front of him and felt his eyes widen.

From what he could tell, he was still in the same alleyway in the exact same positioned he had lost consciousness earlier. In front of him was a man with red hair and clear blue eyes. Despite the frown on his face he radiated calmness, like a rock in a sea of heavy waves. In his hands were a water bottle and a cloth. Both raised towards Atsushi. "W-What...?"

"Good, you're awake." He stilled, staring. "You blacked out for a moment. Don't worry, not even five minutes passed. I went into the bar and got water for you. Your lips are completely dry." He held out the bottle. "Can you drink on your own?" Atsushi still stared, trying to form words, but nothing would come out. His throat which he had been ignoring suddenly started burning with water in such close proximity and his gaze traveled to the bottle. He licked his lips.

"C-can I...?"

"Of course." The man urgently held the bottle closer. Atsushi took it and when the first drop of water touched his dry mouth he immediately downed it all. "Careful, you'll-" The man gave him the cloth when he started coughing violently. He waited until he had calmed down, before taking the empty bottle from him and looking at him questioningly. "Do you need more, or-"

"Who are you?" Atsushi bit his lip; the words escaped him before he could help it. He was still dizzy and the entire situation confused him beyond words. The man blinked, shifting his weight so he sat on his knees instead of his foot soles.

"I'm Oda. Oda Sakunosuke. And you are?" Oda Sakunosuke. The name had something calming to it, as had the entirety of this man.

"A-atsushi", he silently cursed himself for stuttering so heavily. "...Nakajima Atsushi." He looked around searchingly.

"Your bag is right here." He curled and uncurled his hands when Oda cocked his chin to the side. The cat was gone, the bun had been tucked back into the bag. "Atsushi, how old are you?" Atsushi blinked. He was beyond confused. He should be intimidated by the way the man searchingly stared at him, be scared of the attention he gave him, but... there was something about him, something he longed for, and he couldn't tell what it was. But he needed to be careful, very careful. After all, appearances could be deceiving.

The smell of blood and silent screams clung to this man.

"...thirteen", he hesitantly answered. The frown on Oda's face deepened. He nodded slightly to himself.

"Okay. Would you be okay with telling me about your circumstances?" He didn't ask it in a mean way, didn't say the obvious. Homeless orphans like Atsushi weren't completely uncommon in Yokohama, but most of the time they were in the undertown where violence ruled and only the strong survived.

"Uhm... I..." He hesitated. It wasn't like he had anything to lose by telling this man, but he didn't want to burden him by making him feel responsible for him. However, the look in Oda's eyes was genuinely concerned. "I... I'm an orphan", he said hesitantly and almost immediately stopped talking because he felt so stupid for stating such an obvious thing. He gulped. "I, uh... left my orphanage a few weeks ago. I'm just wandering the streets at the moment and ended up here... I didn't come here on purpose! I didn't mean to rob anyone!" He panicked, the sudden realization hitting him that Oda may suspect him of trying to rob the bar. "I-I'm unarmed, I swear! You can check if you want!"

"Hey, calm down. I didn't think that. I can see at first glance that you don't have anything on you." Atsushi felt his cheeks burn, thinking of his torn and barely covering clothes.

"You're hurt." He blinked.

"What?"

"There." Oda very slowly raised his hand and showed him his free palm, before pointing at his revealed ribs. Atsushi quickly covered the wounds with his arms.

"T-those are old scars", he quickly said. I didn't get them recently or anything. I wasn't hurt at all ever since I ran- I mean, left!" The doubtful look in Oda's eyes made him want to attempt another excuse, however before either of them could say anything, a growl sounded through the alley. Atsushi blushed even harder and looked away in shame; his stomach clawed at his insides yet again and he longingly looked at his bag.
"You're not going to get a full stomach with this. What do you want to eat?" Oda stood and looked down at Atsushi expectantly. Atsushi stared up at him with wide eyes.

"W-what?"

"What do you want to eat?", he repeated, slower this time.
"N-no, I heard you, but... what do you mean?" He quickly scrambled to his feet, his neck hurting from looking up. He held his bag close to himself.

"Ah, you're right. I guess most restaurants are closed by now. We can look around a bit, or I'll cook you something." He glanced behind himself at the bar's sign which Atsushi could make out to read Lupin now with a thoughtful expression, before slightly shaking his head to himself and turning back to Atsushi. "So?"

"W-what? No, I couldn't... I mean, I don't have any money or anything to pay you back..." Oda looked at him, still with a thoughtful expression.

"You don't have to pay me." - "I-I couldn't-!" - "But if you insist, see it as payment for bringing Sensei back. He's the cat who you chased here." Atsushi slumped slightly when he realized he didn't have any energy to think up new excuses. The worst was that he didn't want to think up excuses. He was starving and Oda was so very nice.

However, that was exactly the reason he couldn't stay with him.

"I-I'm really sorry. But I really can't. I... it's dangerous." He bit his lip and looked away. Oda blinked at him.

"It's fine. Really. Even if it was dangerous." Atsushi looked at him with wide eyes. Oda nodded encouragingly. His eyes were so warm despite his serious expression.

"... do you think we could get Ochazuke?"

He gave in.

"So you've been traveling on your own for two weeks now?"

"Mfmmfkpf."

"I see. That's very impressive for someone your age."

"Mmpfafpkf."

"No, I mean it. You did really well."

"Mpfpanfmmfp?"

"Hm... I work for a big organization. I just do their dirty work though."

"Mpfpmmpf?"

"Stuff like defusing bombs. Bodyguarding. Delivering messages.

"Mppfpfmm!"

"Hm, yeah I guess it sounds dangerous to the average person. My current job is kinda dangerous though. I'm looking into a case with a huge tiger which has been rumored to stray around Yokohama lately."

Atsushi spluttered, almost spitting out his food. "E-excuse me?!" Oda frowned and he quickly tried to compose himself. "I-I mean... what do you mean?"

After he had given in, Oda had taken him to a close restaurant which miraculously was still opened. He had excused himself for a moment while they were walking and took a quick phone call during which his eyes had traveled to Atsushi, making him fidget. It had been a mostly one sided conversation with not much more than "yeah", "sorry", "I see", "okay" from Oda. He couldn't hear the other voice.

"Ah. Well, a few weeks ago there was a sighting of a tiger attacking a warehouse in my employer's territory. Ever since then they've been looking into what's behind that since tigers usually don't just show up here, you know?" Atsushi bit his lip.

"That, uhm... sounds dangerous."

"I guess so." He stilled for a moment, looking thoughtful as his eyes took in Atsushi's nervous face. "It's all the more reason I can't let you wander off alone anymore."

"I-it's fine, really! You did so much for me, I can't demand even more... not for someone like me..." He bit his lip when Oda's frown deepened even more.

"Someone like you?" Atsushi twirled his fingers under the table, suddenly having lost all appetite.

"I... I don't deserve to live. I'm just a burden to everyone I meet." He dropped his gaze.

"Who told you that?" - "What?" - "Who told you that you need to 'deserve to live'?" When Atsushi didn't answer, he continued, voice neutral. "I'm not sure how a kid like you could even do anything like that. I mean. I don't know your circumstances, but my kids make me appreciate them just by existing and being themselves. They don't need to do anything to be deserving of existing." Atsushi's eyes widened. Then he looked down again.

"It... it doesn't work for me like that. I..." He thought about his parents who tried to drown him, he thought of the other kids who would use him as excuse to get more points, he thought about the caretakers who didn't waste a single chance to punish him, he thought about that man who...

He shivered. "I don't deserve to live", he repeated quietly. He couldn't put it into words.

"Hmm. But you wanted to share your food with that cat despite almost starving yourself?"

He hesitated. "I...I need to help others."

"To get the right to live yourself?" -"Yes." Oda looked at him, face still neutral, but he still seemed unsatisfied. "Okay. I don't agree with you, not at all, but I won't force you to change your views." He got up and went to the counter, presumably to pay the bill. Atsushi breathed out. This was it, this was the moment where he had to say goodbye. He couldn't depend on Oda, no matter how nice he was. Being with Atsushi was dangerous.

But actually, shouldn't he tell him about his problem? If he was looking for the tiger anyway, shouldn't he try and assist him?

Run, get away, you'll be a burden, the voice inside his head whispered and he shook. He couldn't endanger the nicest person he ever met. Oda hadn't met the tiger. He couldn't know how dangerous it really was.

"Uhm, Oda-san", he started when they had left the restaurant. "I should be goi-"

"Can you do me a favor?" Atsushi blinked and looked at the man in confusion. "It's nothing big. I just need you to come with me for a moment." Atsushi knew he should be suspicious, but he really felt he could trust Oda by now. Even if he smelled like blood, it was obvious that that was in the past. And he couldn't just reject the man a favor after everything he had done for him.
"...of course", he answered, deciding it wouldn't hurt to part ways just a bit later.

It was calming listening to Oda talk. Despite Atsushi having a feeling the man usually wasn't a big talker, he kept talking in a quiet but strong voice while they were walking through the streets. Mostly asking Atsushi mundane questions but never pressing for an answer when he didn't want to answer. Sometimes he looked at Atsushi as if expecting him to ask a question himself, but he just didn't dare to, fearing it would be rude.

Still, after a while it began to feel like it would be rude not to ask anything, so after a few minutes of walking in silence, he finally asked: "Oda-san, you have kids?" The man looked up from what he had been inputting into his phone and put it away.

"Ah, yeah. Five. They are orphans like you. I took them in during the Dragon's Head Rush conflict." Atsushi had no idea what that was, but he didn't inquire any further. "They're all younger than you. Ah, we're there." Atsushi directed his gaze from Oda to what appeared to be a huge abandoned warehouse.

"Uhm, Oda-san...?"

"It's fine, don't worry. I just need to pick something up from here. I'll tell you the favor inside." With that, he opened the unlocked door and stepped in, followed by a hesitant Atsushi. The warehouse's roof was collapsed in many places, leading to the entire building being illuminated by the full moon's light. It was almost unsettling bright. They walked a bit, before Oda stopped a far distance into the building and turned around to face him. Atsushi stopped a few feet away and tilted his head in question.

"So, I wanted to ask you something. Atsushi, do you know anything about the tiger? You looked really surprised and nervous when I mentioned it earlier." Atsushi paled, taking a slight step back.

"A-ah, about that..."

"Any information would be really useful. My employer is getting a bit impatient with the repeated attacks on-"

"You can't hunt it down!", he burst out, eyes wide. Oda closed his mouth and kept looking at him, face as stoic as ever. "You-you haven't seen it... it's huge and ferocious! A human doesn't stand a chance against it. I... I have no idea how I'm even still alive. It's been following me around these entire past weeks, it keeps staring at me... at first I kept seeing it during the day so I decided to travel at night, but..."

"Atsushi, calm down." Atsushi breathed heavily, his heart beating heart against his rib cage. Oda looked like he wanted to walk towards him, but he stayed where he was. Glanced at his phone, then back up. "It'll be fine, okay? Also, I'm sorry. This'll be over in just a moment. Don't worry, I'll help you." Atsushi looked at him with wide eyes, not sure where this was going.
"What-?"

He froze. His gaze shot towards the sky, the full moon seemingly increasing in size. His entire body froze up and he couldn't take his eyes from the white circle.

The world disappeared.

Sakunosuke saw it before it actually happened. Flawless showed him a gruesome vision of claws stabbing his body, sharp teeth ripping off his head. He jumped backwards as the huge tiger lounged at him, growling lowly.

"Sorry, Atsushi", he said, hand flying to his gun but not taking it out. "I can't end up as cat food just yet. You'd never forgive yourself." Still, he was slightly impressed; despite the various proof, he still hadn't entirely believed in the tiger's existence. Thinking about it, for it to be an ability had been the only logical conclusion. Still, without that person Sakunosuke probably wouldn't have realized it so early.

At first he hadn't thought about Atsushi; for all the world he appeared than nothing more than a shy tired and scared orphan. That had already been enough for him to decide that he couldn't leave him behind, but when the boy had mentioned that he'd been wandering the streets for two weeks without any food, he became intrigued. The nervous reaction at the tiger's mention had confirmed it. And it had made the choice for him.

The boy would either be detained by the police in his tiger state, or found by the Port Mafia. By him. Or he would have been shot dead.

It had to have been one of the three. He couldn't just let him run. Because of the tiger, and because of the kind of person he was.

He dodged yet another strike, eyes darting towards the warehouse's entrance. He risked a glance at his phone, which caused him to stumble over an uneven part of the ground. He nearly lost his footing, Flawless showing him the various ways the tiger would rip him apart-

A bright flash, and suddenly the warehouse seemed to become darker.

Sakunosuke caught his footing and looked up.

"My my Odasaku, you wouldn't actually let yourself get killed by an overgrown cat, would you?"

He looked into the pouting face of Dazai Osamu, who held onto an unconscious Atsushi by his left arm.

"You're late", he said neutrally, walking towards the boy. Dazai huffed.

"Please, that's your fault for sending only a location. What is a man to take away from that?"

"You're right. Sorry. I'll write the reason next time."

Dazai had called him earlier while he had been on his way to the restaurant with Atsushi, complaining about 'having been left alone with Ango after Odasaku just up and disappeared'. True enough, Sakunosuke had left the bar to smoke a quick one, seen a battered boy chasing a cat through the alleyway, went back into the bar to get some water and a cloth without explanation despite Dazai's loud complaints and inquiries, and had since then not returned.

"Really Odasaku, I've been worried! I thought you might be sleep walking or something."

"Sorry."

"You better be!" A short silence."Okay, sorry to come to this with you this late, but I have some hints regarding that tiger thing. I'm pretty sure by now that it's an ability. Some – to be fair pretty unreliable – witnesses have said they watched the tiger transform into a young boy when daylight hit. As I said, not very reliable, but it would be the best explanation. So, keep an eye out for little boys with torn clothes~"

"Okay."

He had a hunch that Dazai had known exactly that he had accidentally picked up said boy, but he didn't voice it.

"Still", the brown haired boy started, looking at Atsushi in his grip, "looks like this kid doesn't actually have any control over his ability and just ran rampage on his own instead of willingly antagonizing the Port Mafia. That's at least something." His eyes clouded slightly. "That could be trained."

Sakunosuke looked at him. "You want to take him in?" Dazai returned his look, thoughtful. The darkness was swirling in his eyes and Sakunosuke almost frowned. Then, he suddenly dropped Atsushi.

"Maaaybe! But well, I'd rather keep this a secret from Mori-san for now. Doesn't hurt to have something over him. I'll come up with an excuse so he doesn't blame you for the investigation not progressing, don't worry." He smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Besides, by the looks of it Odasaku already claimed ownership on him, didn't he?" Sakunosuke considered that statement. "Well, it's kinda unfortunate but I don't recommend you to take him to the other kids. I think he doesn't randomly transform every night or something, but it does seem to be kinda irregular and unpredictable. Actually, he's kinda dangerous like this without any control." Dazai frowned, thoughtful. "Hmm... maybe I should take him with me after all. I wouldn't want to endanger Odasaku, and I could try and teach him to contro-"

"No", Sakunosuke said, and he wasn't sure where it came from but for some reason he suddenly had a sinking feeling in his stomach. Dazai looked slightly stunned, and Sakunosuke himself wasn't quite sure why he felt like it would be a bad idea to let Dazai take Atsushi. He knew the seventeen year old for around two years now and maybe it was the thought that he was too young himself to take care of a kid like Atsushi, or maybe because Sakunosuke knew how lost Dazai himself was.

Maybe it was because he saw the darkness in Dazai's eyes which only seemed to melt away when he was with him and Ango, maybe it was because he sometimes caught a glance at Dazai's new apprentice who seemed to look more beat up every time he dragged himself around headquarters.

"...okay." As always, it felt like Dazai could read all his thoughts, although Sakunosuke thought the boy looked slightly confused and lost this time. "We're just gonna pretend this meeting didn't happen. You just so happened to pick up a new orphan. But, Odasaku", his face turned serious, "I don't want to patronize you, but Mori-san is going to find out sooner or later. I can't guarantee you that you'll be able to keep him like you keep the others. Mori-san and the other higher ups know it's an ability as well and they're highly intrigued."

Sakunosuke simply nodded and knelt down next to Atsushi, scooping him into his arms. He was light, way too light for a boy his age.

"Thanks, Dazai." The silly grin returned to the brunettes face and this time the mischief reached his eyes.

"For you always, Odasaku~ Just don't ditch Ango and me in favor of the brat. And introduce us sometime!"

"Sure", he replied. Just not anytime soon, if I can help it.

Thank you for reading! Comments are very appreciated.