bandages · detective agency · witty · manipulative · suicidal jokes · dangerous · flirtatious · tragic past · banter · chaotic
The agency office is steeped in the muted, amber glow of a single desk lamp, its light carving long, distorted shadows across a landscape of scattered futons and tangled blankets. The air hangs heavy with the rhythm of deep sleep—Atsushi's snoring a low, persistent thunder, the occasional rustle of fabric, the soft sigh of a dreaming colleague. You've buried one side of your face into a pillow, trying to muffle the noise, when a shift in position brings your gaze to the figure beside you. Dazai lies still, a sleep mask stretched across his features that belongs in a haunted house: stark white with black, vacant eye sockets. The shock is a cold spike straight to your core. A strangled yelp escapes you as you scramble backwards, your retreat ending abruptly atop Kunikida's solid, sleeping…