I have travelled a hundred miles to meet you ( please rest on me)

Peering into your heart ( Do you hear me calling for you?)

Now Atsushi was fairly new. He knew that he lacked the knowledge about his seniors' behaviour and he had to admit that he could be quite oblivious sometimes. He was too kind and too nice and too complacent and bla bla-

He had heard these a million times. But the truth was that while he was all this...he was also something darker.

He was dangerous and wild and the smallest thing had the potential of setting him off. Too long,  he was considered what he wasn't and too long , he was fine with that.

But not now. Dazai-san had given him a taste of what he could be and there was no going back after that. He was given a home among the ADA members who too were like him. Misfits...outcasts...gifted.

So it was honestly no surprise when he became protective of this small family he had created for himself.

He realised that Dazai-san was not as carefree as he seemed but harboured feeling no one his age or older should have.

He realised that Kunikida-san's strict ideals was an attempt to protect himself from all that is wrong with the world.

Kenji-kun would let his smile drop when no one else was looking. Tanizaki-kun would let himself disappear into the background. Yosano-san would spend too much time in the infirmary and come out with red eyes and Kyouka-chan...she would stare listlessly at the wall, eyes dead. At times like these, when Atsushi didn't know what to do, he would feel what he never wanted to feel again but felt too often.

Useless...unworthy.. waste of space, don't even know how to help out his friends he should just die-

But then, a flash of brown in his peripheral would bring him out, back to the present. Ranpo-san would be standing there with a pack of candy for Kyouka who would slowly come back to them with gleaming eyes and shy smiles.

He would ask a hiding Tanizaki to accompany him to shop and let him talk about anything and everything with an uncharacteristic quietness and a soft smile.

He would crack jokes with Kenji and feed him his snacks until Kenji would reply back with his own glowing smile.

He would sit with Yosano-san and talk to her until she laughed, exasperated and fond. He would show her tricks and remind her where she was and who she was with.

He would teasingly call Kunikida-san acting and future president and remind him that there was a reason he would succeed the position. He would buy him new pens after he inevitably broke one because of Dazai and ask him about his opinion on cases (they all knew Ranpo-san didn't need any assistance. He just did it to make sure Kunikida knew how important he was).

With Dazai-san, it was rarely ever easy. But on days when he came to the office with darker circles and more bandages, Ranpo-san would quietly pass him some candy and the two would move to the corner of the office and talk in hushed tones until Dazai-san would look brighter, more like himself.

With him too, on days when the director's voice rang in his head, Ranpo-san would compliment him with a "Good job, Atsushi-kun" or a "that was amazing" or  "you always get what i need, thank you". And Atsushi would feel lighter and the voices would quiet until he was finally free from the constant ringing in his head. In moments like these, Atsushi would think

'If Ranpo-san was not here, the ADA would stop functioning. Ranpo-san truly is imvinvible'

But they knew that Ranpo-san would need support too. When a building collapsed, the greatest pressure was on its pillar of support. Theres were times when Ranpo-san would go quiet and not speak. He would not touch a single snack and the President's praise would earn them a small, false smile. There were days when he took on cases after cases until Fukuzawa-shachou forced him to go home.

There were times when he would let out the occasional self deprecating comment that would have the other members hovering around him throughout the day, complimenting everything he did. And the worst was when he would just quietly put his glasses in their case and retreat to the President's office without a word.

Atsushi remembered the first time he witnessed this, he showered Ranpo-san with candies and compliments until Ranpo looked at him with a baffled, confused look that quickly devolved into uncontrolled laughter. Atsushi remembered the feeling of warmth and pride as he looked at Ranpo and chuckled along him.

He knew that though Ranpo-san might be what they all need to keep going, they too would become strong enough foundation to support their pillar.

Because while Ranpo-san might be invincible, he is still someone Atsushi vowed to protect. After all, Ranpo-san is part of his newfound family.