BSD One-shots!!

Chapter 8: the circle of life

Chapter 8: The circle of life

⚠️TW: Animal death/abuse, dog attack towards another animal⚠️

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Atsushi was on his way home from a mission, walking alone today since Dazai had taken a "sick day." Atsushi of course knew that this was a fake excuse, used to stay home and do whatever he wanted, but he didn't say anything. Kunikida had worked the poor brunette to exhaustion this past week, so Atsushi just let it go. Dazai deserved a break. Speaking of what Dazai deserved, Atsushi quickly stopped by a small seafood shop to buy a serving of crab and Sake, a treat from how hard Dazai worked. After paying for the goods, Atsushi exited the shop, quickly checking the time.

4:45 PM.

Ah, he had already wasted half an hour, and he knew that walking the normal route, that included many stoplights and crossroads would take too long. So, he opted for a shortcut, through an abandoned alleyway. It was one he had walked a few times before, mainly to escape being seen by enemy Port Mafia members, so he had a basic knowledge of where it led. He at least knew it led home, and that was enough for him.

Peacefully walking along, he let his guard down, humming a gentle tune. Then... He heard it. It was small at first, but then, as he approached a nearby dumpster, it got louder. Concluding that it was coming from behind the dumpster, and that it needed help, he decided to take a look. Cautiously looking behind the dumpster, his heart stopped for a second. There, in front of him, was a cat. Not just a normal cat thought, no. A feral, 𝘪𝘯𝘫𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 cat.. It sounded so weak...
A familiar instinct to 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 and 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦, overcame Atsushi, and he slowly crouched down, reaching over to let the cat sniff him.

Before he could get his hand close enough however, a loud snarl emitted from nearby. A few seconds later, a dog, most likely feral as well, came charging towards Atsushi. Obviously startled, he quickly retreated his hand and backed up, holding his arms up to defend himself. But, when he was expecting a large dog attack towards him, what he got instead was a painful and sad 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘭, coming from the dumpster he was just at. Then, it got quiet. Willing himself to calm down, Atsushi finally, and slowly put down his hands, eyes widening at the scene in front of him.

The dog, who was looking at him innocently now, no bloodlust in its eyes, was standing over a bloody pile of fur. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵. The boy just stood there, in shock, and watched as the dog retreated back deeper into the alleyway, cat in its mouth.

Atsushi was never good with death, especially animal death. He could never explain why when he was a child, maybe now because of the tiger, but he always felt a strong connection to animals, especially cats. And seeing an Innocent, sentient animal die always managed to upset him. It's the main reason the ADA never pressures him to take on cases involving some sort of animal death. Obviously, Atsushi was greatful for that, because he was getting triggered less often, improving his mental health. But, like many triggers, it's bound to come back eventually. And today just so happened to he that day.

After everything eventually caught up to Atsushi, he 𝘳𝘢𝘯. He was 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥. Not of the dog, but because he witnessed something so.. 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦. Sure, he didn't see the actual act, but he 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵 and saw the aftermath and that was enough to send him into flashbacks. Flashbacks from his childhood, and the numerous animals he took care of in the orphanage. He would always have to keep them hidden, otherwise 𝘩𝘦 would come and take them away from him. At first he just thought that the manager just put them back outside, back in the wild streets of Yokohama. Yes, the possibility was still bad, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what the man 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 did to the animals. Atsushi shook as he recalled the memories, the sight of such  𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦 creatures, just simply tossed away and into garbage bags. He never went near any animals for years after that.

Back to the present, Atsushi found himself at his and Dazai's shared home. Relieved to be out of the alleyway and eager for Dazai's comfort, he quickly unlocked the door and collapsed inside. He was instantly greeted by Dazai's voice. "Atsushi, my beloved! Welcome home! Y'know, you won't believe what Kunikida said to me today! He called me and said that--" At this point, Dazai realized that Atsushi wasn't paying attention to what he was saying. "Atsushi? Are you alright?"

All of the sudden, Atsushi just starts 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨. "It died, Dazai! It 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥!! And I did 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨!!" He sobbed.

Dazai, obviously discombobulated, quickly took Atsushi in his arms, trying to console him despite not knowing what was wrong yet. "Shhh, it's okay, Atsushi. Can you tell me what happened? What's wrong?"

Atsushi tried his best to explain, talking in between gasps of breath. "I- I was on my w- way back from the agency- And I took a shortcut." Atsushi took a deep breath. "I was walking and then I h-heard a c-cat and I saw it and it was injured and--" A sob chokes Atsushi up, but he manages to finish. "A dog came and caught it!!" He choked out the last sentence, ending it with a sob.

Dazai's face softened, he knew Atsushi had issues surrounding animal death. Sighing softly, he gently picked the boy up, taking him inside and to their shared bedroom. He was able to slowly and gently coax Atsushi out of his old clothes and into a pair of cozy pajamas, and the two just cuddled under the covers. They didn't say anything for a while, given that Atsushi was on and off crying. Dazai just comforted him, knowing words wouldn't do much at this stage. He just had to wait, gently rubbing his back and scalp as he did.

Eventually, Atsushi was calm enough to explain the situation better. Afterwards, Dazai took him to the kitchen and whipped up a warm cup of hot chocolate, knowing that that always helped the boy feel better. The two sat on the couch, Atsushi on Dazai's lap, and pulled up a movie. They didn't necessarily pay attention to it, Atsushi instead just buried his head in Dazai's chest.

"Are you alright now, baby?" Dazai finally asked.

"Mhmm... M fine.." Atsushi mumbled.

Dazai kissed his head. "I love you. I'm sorry that happened."

"It's fine... It wasn't avoidable.."

"Still, it upset you. I don't like seeing you upset." Dazai pouted.

Atsushi sighed. "I've been upset before.. It's fine."

It was Dazai's turn to sigh. He hated that  Atsushi always blamed himself for everything, but he knew there was a reason for that. And he also knew that he would be there for him when he needed him.

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This ending was rushed af bleh.

Thank you for reading!

REQUESTS: OPEN

ALSO HI IT'S MY BIRTHDAY I'M 17 AAAAA

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