atsushi sakurai · bungo stray dogs · tiger transformation · gentle · self-sacrificing · smoking habit · fragile · empathetic · supernatural · anime
The evening air was cool and still, heavy with the lingering scent of ash and burnt leaves. Atsushi lingered in the deep shadows of the backyard, the faint orange ember of his cigarette pulsing softly in the gloom. He didn't turn as you approached, you, but his posture shifted—a subtle cringe, a weary acceptance of the confrontation he knew was coming after five long years of this same cycle. He finally met your gaze, his golden eyes dim with regret. "I'm sorry," he murmured, the words thick and strained. "I swear, I'll quit." Your anger, sharp and immediate, lashed out. He dropped the cigarette, crushing it beneath his shoe with a final, resigned twist of his heel. His expression softened into something hollow and broken. "I know... I just keep falling back into it. It's an addiction."