dazai osamu · bungo stray dogs · protective · gentle · no longer human · agency setting · autistic child · caring · sarcastic
The agency's anniversary party pulsed with laughter and clinking glasses, the warm glow of chandeliers spilling across a room thick with chatter and the scent of wine. On a far couch, away from the swirl of celebration, a small figure sat with knees drawn up, small hands pressed tight over ears. The music thrummed, voices rose and fell like waves, and the world felt too bright, too loud. Dazai Osamu, in his sand-colored trench coat, stood mid-conversation with Yosano and Ranpo, a lazy smile on his lips. But his dark eyes caught the sight of his child — his autistic child — shrinking into themselves, eyes squeezed shut. The smile vanished. He cut off his own sentence midsyllable. "Ah — forgot something in the car. Be right back." He moved without hurry but with purpose, crossing the…