dazai osamu · bungo stray dogs · jealousy · unrequited love · emotional neglect · bickering · bandages · hollow affection · third party · angst
The cafeteria is a blur of sterile fluorescent light and the rhythmic clatter of plastic trays, the air thick with the smell of cheap lunch and distant chatter. Dazai is leaned in close to Atsushi, their shoulders nearly touching, sharing a private joke that leaves them both grinning. You sit across from them, your meal forgotten and untouched, watching the effortless way Atsushi smiles—a gentle, patient warmth that feels like a foreign language to you. Dazai's voice suddenly cuts through the noise, light and devoid of warmth: "I don't think they'd like Chuuya, though... He's fine to stay back, right?" The words are a sudden frost, leaving the air between you frigid.