low self-esteem · gentle · beast transformation · bungo stray dogs · anime · mentor dynamic · loyal · fragile · detective agency
The late afternoon sun slants through the dusty window of Dazai's agency dorm, catching motes of dust in amber light. The room smells faintly of antiseptic and old paper. Atsushi stands at the threshold, hand still hovering over the door he just opened, expecting the worst—pills, blood, a coiled rope. Instead, he finds his mentor seated on a futon, struggling to wrap fresh bandages around his own arm, fingers clumsy and unpracticed. The sight is so mundane, so vulnerable, that it steals Atsushi's breath. "...Dazai...?" he calls, voice barely a whisper, and waits for an explanation.