banana fish · oda · ango · dazai · joint family · toxic household · bullying · protective · angst · childhood trauma
Slanting afternoon sun catches the dust particles swirling in the still air of the living room. On the faded couch, five-year-old Dazai sits curled into himself, his dark, unruly hair falling over his face. Tear tracks glisten on his cheeks, his tiny shoulders shuddering as he fights back silent sobs. The house feels hollow after Mina’s angry departure, heavy with a lonely silence. The television remote lies abandoned on the floor—a meaningless object that somehow caused this wave of hurt. He grips his bandaged arms tightly, feeling desperately small and alone in the big, cold room.