Dictator

17. Reliving Memories

"Huaaaaghh....." One long exhausted exhale escape Dazai's lips. He'd been shuffling in his bed from side to side for what felt like hours now. In fact, he didn't even know how late it was even. All he knew was that he could see the moon's luminous glow that was obscured by rainy clouds, indicating that it was probably past midnight. He watched and listened to the gentle raindrops that were flowing down his window. Dazai kept groaning all by himself like a little child. Sleepless nights weren't foreign to him, but tonight in particular, he felt intensely irritated that he couldn't just sleep already. Normally he didn't care, but tonight was a different case, even after taking his sleeping pills, which had little to no effect this time.

Dazai released a shaky breath from the cold.

Dealing with The Guild for the past few weeks or so has been exceptionally tiresome. Dazai convinced himself that it was just the stress of work catching up to him. Yeah, that was it. He turned on his side for the nth time tonight, away from his window, and he spotted his phone by his side. He stared at it for a couple of seconds before grabbing it immediately and going through his contacts. This time he was not going to hesitate.

He tapped the call button on a certain number and he waited for the other side to pick up. Anxiety flooded his system as he did.

The ringing finally stopped, and he heard a voice on the other side of the line speak up. "'Samu? What in the world are you calling me for this late at night?" He heard the other person chuckle at the end of the sentence, and his heart fluttered. His eyes perked up, enchanting a bit of sweet light into his irises that have been sunken into the darkness for the past month or so. He sat up to lean against the wall while tucking his legs underneath his blanket.

"Oh. Well, hey, Mi-chan~." He said, "I thought you might've been having trouble sleeping, so I went ahead and called to keep you company! It'd be cruel to let your demons consume your head instead, no?"

"Dazai, are you self-projecting right now?" Tomie snickered. "How are you even sure that I wasn't asleep just now?"

"Your cheerful voice gives away," Dazai heard shuffling on the other side of the line, alongside audible footsteps and rain. "You're out somewhere right now, aren't you? It's raining, and it's a bit windy. What would you be doing outside at 1:30 in the morning, hm?" He teased.

Tomie groaned in response. "You know how it is. Whenever I can't sleep I take a stroll around town. Even though the weather's quite cold tonight I figured it might help a little."

Dazai released a hum. He tilted his head towards his window and watched the rain as he listened to her soothing voice, waiting for her to continue.

"So, how have you been doing lately?" She asked. "Everything's alright?"

Dazai swallowed a lump at her words. "...You seem to be interested and care a lot, huh. I appreciate that, you might just steal my heart."

Which was what happened. But he wasn't exactly going to admit that.

"I've always cared, Osamu." Tomie sighed on the other line, and Dazai's eyes widened slightly. "I'm worried about you, you know. I can't tell what type of shenanigans you'd pull while I'm not there."

Dazai chuckled at her words. "You of all people saying that... But, thanks. You humor me."

"Right. Is there anything in particular you'd like to talk about, then?" Tomie asked. Her voice remained monotonous as usual, but just hearing it put Dazai's mind at ease. Sometimes, at least.