Free Fall - Dazai Osamu x Reader

4. Progress

The harsh, flat ringing of skin hitting skin echoed in your ears. An unnatural sound, yet completely and utterly natural at the same time.

Skin to skin contact.

It took you by surprise when it finally happened. After all, it was the first time you'd done it. Your mouth fell open. You gasped.

You'd hit Dazai.

Reeling slightly, you took a step back, feeling lightheaded. Both of your hands flew to your mouth and your eyes bulged, watching as Dazai winced in pain.

He took a step backwards as well, which looked like more of a stagger. His hand covered his nose, wiping to reveal a stripe of blood trailing to his cheek.

You weren't surprised. Going easy on him was not an option.

Over the last three weeks, you'd been working tirelessly to get to this moment. The first several days had been much of the same; learning self-defense moves, practicing them over and over until they were burned into your brain, and until Dazai was happy with your work.

But things changed one day, when you arrived at the now-familiar hall to see a portion of the floor covered in thick gym mats. Instantly, you knew what it meant: things were about to get serious.

From that point forward, Dazai no longer acted as your practice dummy. He came at you with attacks. He blocked your moves and fought back with his own, forcing you to increase your speed and get used to dodging.

To be blunt, it was brutal. You knew he wasn't going all out in his attacks, but that didn't stop him from knocking you down, from grabbing you, and as he promised, hitting you.

He didn't need to explain to you why this was necessary. You knew the stakes. You knew that there was no possible way for you to improve, and quickly, if you didn't have an opponent that challenged you. At the end of each day, when you pulled your sore body under the covers to rest, you felt a small sense of accomplishment.

It crossed your mind every now and again as your body hit the unforgiving leather-covered foam, what Akutagawa must have felt when going through training with Dazai. You were sure it was anger, hatred for the man who was putting him through the ordeal, leaving him bloodied and bruised on a daily basis.

Because of that, you tried as hard as you possibly could to not let that rage overtake you. The fire burning behind your eyes was one of determination, a need to improve and to survive. You were resolved to keep your emotions in check.

So, every time you hit the ground over the last few weeks, which happened more times than could be counted, you got back up. You pictured yourself alongside the other Agency detectives, alongside Dazai, fighting the Port Mafia or other criminals during investigations. The vision pushed you to keep going.

And as many times as he knocked you down, Dazai always made sure that you were okay and never seriously injured. He would help you back up and sit you down on the stage when he thought you'd taken too much. He always made sure you were well-fed before and after training, and that you had sufficient bags of ice for your sore muscles and bones. And you knew you could always count on him for a spare bandage.

Even though you hadn't been training for very long at all, it was clear to both you and Dazai that you were improving beyond what you thought you were capable of. You'd become faster. You'd become stronger. You'd become smarter. And you were learning to hold your own against Dazai.

All of that had led you to where you now stood. Watching the blood drip from Dazai's nose onto the floor below, as you both realized what had just transpired; you finally hit him back.