«The Language Of Flowers» (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Beast Beneath The Moonlight -END- «Nakajima Atsushi»

He fell asleep.

Like a child after crying, he passed out which made me giggle. He was such a child, so innocent to the world and yet... so utterly lost and nearly devoid of hope. It was what drew me to him, the wish to fix him and protect him. I didn't think in the span of one night, the man before me would have become something of an irreplaceable part in my life.

He looked so peaceful in his sleep, the complete opposite of his self-loathing form when awake. I couldn't help but trace my fingers gently over his hair, my heart wrenching at its sorry state. It was probably the work of a bully and it made me upset that he carried it like a shameful badge he deserved to wear.

He was so broken, hateful of himself to the point he wondered why he even deserved any kindness. What did the orphanage hope to achieve by turning him into such a man?

"Atsushi?" I whispered his name, the call caused him to groan, making me nervous that he might have heard me and woke up. When he didn't, I sighed and couldn't help but blush when a small genuine smile graced his lips.

"You should smile more. You look more radiant that way..." I admit before giving him a chaste kiss on the forehead and getting up to switch off the lights in the hopes of getting some shut-eye as well.

"Good night. Sweet dreams..."

--*--

My bed creaked in protest when I felt something soft and warm hovering over my figure. I strained my eyes to open, the necessity to scream caught in my throat at the sight before me.

The white tiger hovered over me, making me wonder if I was dreaming. This could all be a dream, a terrible dream at that. It was impossible that a tiger would be in my room of all places!

Its front paws moved over to rest on either side of the space next to my shoulders, the full moon from the window of my room shining over its white fur in an ethereal embrace. I flinched when its head moved closer to mine, its warm breath surprisingly devoid of the stench of rotting meat.

It could indeed be a dream... An unusual dream at that.

A white tiger visiting me in the dead of night. Now that is the stuff of nightmares and yet why did this particular dream seem less frightening? Was it because the tiger had yet to ravage me whole? Or was it because of how magical it felt in an odd way?

I carefully reached out my hand to touch it, the fur in my fingertips were soft and warm. The tiger's head leaned in on my touch, purring in the process which made me widen my eyes in surprise and chuckled. A frightening beast purring like a house cat was a sight to behold indeed.

The moment its eyes met mine, I could've sworn I felt my heart stop beating for a split second in my chest. It was of the purest gold, yes, but a flicker of violet could be seen behind it and I felt myself call out to him.

"A-Atsushi?" The moment I called out his name, the beast growled and backed away from me. I abruptly stood from my bed and gave chase to the tiger, the huge beast completely taking over the entire space in my living room. The sofa was empty and was upturned as well as a few of my remaining furniture.

There was no signs of blood on the sofa, meaning the tiger didn't eat him. It could only mean that in this unusual dream of mine, he was a tiger?

The moon still remained full and luminous from outside my window, the white tiger huddled at the corner of living room. Even in this dream, Atsushi was still apprehensive of me. As I took a tentative step towards it, Atsushi would growl in protest-

A silent plea to stay away.

But I wouldn't listen. I kept walking- dream or not, I would not abandon him. That wasn't the kind of human my parents raised me to be. The moment our spaces were about a few inches, the tiger before me stared into my eyes, golden yet shaded with violet, pleading- begging.