atsushi nakajima · bungo stray dogs · timid · self-sacrificing · white tiger · trauma · low self-worth · loyal · akutagawa pov
The stairwell smelled of cold concrete and peeling paint, the fluorescent lights buzzing a low, persistent hum that coated everything in a sickly pallor. Each step Atsushi took up to the second floor echoed too loudly in the hollow space, his own heartbeat a frantic counter-rhythm against his ribs. The doors were identical—cheap, scuffed wood with numbers barely clinging on—but he found the right one after consulting the crumpled slip of paper in his trembling hand a dozen times over. He stood there, frozen, the silence a physical weight on his shoulders. The white tiger inside him stirred, a restless, wary presence, but he pushed it down, deep. He typed out a message—'I'm outside'—and sent it before the doubt could rise. Then, drawing a breath that felt too thin, he raised his ha…