Chapter Text
Atsushi enters the main room as the sun is setting. He finds a tall figure at one end of the glass windows covering the floor of the corporation. He looks around for more signs leading to that person’s presence in the office at that time of day.
Dazai doesn’t turn around at Atsushi’s arrival. He doesn’t need to. He immediately recognizes him just by the sound of his footsteps. Slow, gentle, almost insecure. Even Atsushi’s footsteps represent the issues he wears on his sleeve.
Atsushi finally matches the figure’s outline to Dazai’s beige coat and relief settles.
“Dazai-san, aren’t you going home soon?” Atsushi decides is the logical question to ask.
“Aren’t you?” Dazai answers, seemingly aware of Atsushi’s motives. He always knows what people are up to.
As Atsushi steps closer to marvel at the sunset’s magnificent play of colors unfolding in front of the two men, he takes note of a very familiar scent. Dazai’s cologne. Something that always takes him back to the first time they met. The scent that reminds him of home and sets peace into his soul.
“I wanted to look through the documents for bringing Kyouka into the Agency and forging them. But I guess you already caught on that I wasn’t onto something entirely civil.” Atsushi confessed, switching his weight from one foot to another, as if he wasn’t sure the right action to take was telling Dazai, the president’s right hand.
“Don’t worry”, Dazai immediately responded like he was reading Atsushi’s mind. “You’re not causing harm to anyone so I won’t be getting in your way. Just this once though.”
“Thanks.” Atsushi said, following a sigh of relief. He finally turned to face Dazai and realized he just now took sight of the other man’s face since he walked into the room.
“What are you so fascinated by?” Dazai suddenly asked as he also turned to face Atsushi. Seems he’d been staring for way too long.
“N-no I was just.. admiring the way the sunset reflected in your eyes. It looks picture perfect from my angle.” Good job Atsushi. Now he definitely has no idea how you feel about him.
“Hm. Interesting. Because I think it’s way more beautiful how your eyes are the colors of the sunset.” Dazai smiled. Atsushi couldn’t figure out if there was any irony in that statement.
At that moment a hand flew to his face and Atsushi seemed to tense up out of instinct. Dazai noticed that and slowed down his movement, and very gently moved a hair out of Atsushi’s face, tucking some of the longer strands behind his ear.
“There. I don’t need to stare at the sunset anymore.” Dazai said as he leaned against the wall behind him and crossed his arms in a ‘job well done’ manner.
Atsushi felt blood rise to his face and hoped to God the dim muted colors of the upcoming night hid his rosy cheeks.
“Such beautiful eyes..” Dazai continued gloating and that made Atsushi realize none of Dazai’s actions were genuine. They couldn’t be. Unless they were. Atsushi’s hands buried his face, being stared at this intensely, especially by his crush, was a bit too much to handle.
He then felt hands on his bunched up shoulders. “Atsushi-kun, hey, look at me” Dazai was suddenly at an alarmingly close distance and spoke softly. Atsushi felt so exposed, like his feelings were never a secret. He felt stupid. Why would he allow himself to fall for one of the most wanted men in Yokohama? What did Atsushi do to be more special to him than the rest of the town?
‘He saved me.’ Atsushi thought, despite himself.
‘He likes the color of my eyes.’
On a whim, Atsushi turned off the conscious part of his brain and settled into the hands Dazai had placed on either side of his face. He looked up.
‘He likes the color of my eyes’, he thought again and let Dazai take as much time as he wanted, savoring the sunset in Atsushi’s eyes.