Generations of Rain || Dazai Osamu/Reader

22. kidnap.

It takes a few days for you and Dazai to fix your dorm: You needed to find a replacement TV, a new fan, and all the clothes that were ripped needed to be thrown out while the crumpled ones needed to be ironed. You're ironing Dazai's shirt on the board, steam bursting from your hands as you're doing so, while Dazai closes the cabinet door.

"They really made a mess, huh?" He says, watching you readjust the shirt to iron a new patch of fabric. You hum.

"More work for us," You sigh. "Seriously, why did they have to leave a message? Just d0 it Treasure Island style: Leave a paper with a black dot on it. So simple."

"That would make our lives way easier," Dazai agrees. He checks his phone. "By the way, your next appointment is today at 4:00 PM. It's 3 right now, so we might as well get ready."

"Sure," You say. You're finishing up ironing the shirt before folding it into a neat square, tucking it into the cabinet and closing it with your hip. You head towards your room and pull a thinner shirt over your head, sliding into a pair of shorts. You give yourself a small pep talk before exiting your room with a click.

"Ready?" Dazai asks, shrugging his signature beige coat on. On his face is a kind smile, and you find yourself smiling in response to his own.

"Yep."

The car ride is comfortably silent, with Dazai humming and tapping his finger against the steering wheel while you stared out the window, looking at his profile through the glass. You admire his face before a feeling overwhelming guilt washes over you. This is the same thing you would have done had it been Odasaku on the wheel, and it makes you feel like you're betraying both Dazai and Odasaku. Just because he was buried doesn't mean your love for him stopped existing; you would always have Odasaku in your heart. It was simply that your heart was beginning to evolve, forming around the scar that Odasaku left behind to take in Dazai. And that is not a pleasant experience. You bite your lip and avert your eyes back to the scenery, trying to ignore the compulsion to stare at his face again.

"I can see you staring at me, you know."

Your ears heat up.

"Oh," Is all you can manage. You laugh nervously, before your palms become sweaty. "Oops."

"Am I that charming to stare at? Should I be winning the best smile award of Yokohama?" He teases, and you let out a whine, covering your face with your hands.

"Don't make fun of me!" You say. "It just so happened I looked at you."

"Ah, so you admit it!" He triumphantly says. You sigh.

"Yes, I was staring." You admit. Dazai laughs, proudly, and you turn your head to face him. There was a look of tenderness on your face that you didn't know you had, as though you were inviting Dazai to hurt you. To touch you in ways that would only devastate you. And it makes Dazai want to protect you like you were part of his DNA. His bone marrow. Everything that began in his body that constituted him as Dazai Osamu. "You're a handsome man. What else can I say about that?"

"Hearing that from you, ah~" He sighs dramatically, closing his eyes before you snap your fingers.

"Hey, eyes on the road!"

The two of you arrive at the counselling centre safely, with Dazai parking the car with his arm over your seat. The classic gentleman move. But you're too busy thinking about what to say to the counsellor to swoon over it.

The same counsellor greets you, with Dazai cheerfully waving at you while she leads you into the same room. You sit on the chair and she follows suit.

"How are you feeling today?" She asks, kindly. Her fingers are laced together and you stare down at them.