Jabberwocky ↠ Dazai Osamu

1 | Cheshire Cat

The burning sensation of the liquid would relentlessly travel down his parched throat. The heavy weight on his chest made him conscious of his own heartbeat, questioning just how many more times it will beat before it halted. His flaying limbs had a mind of their own. His current actions wouldn't register through his brain. He wanted more. He didn't want to stop. It wouldn't matter how many times he consumed the addictive poison to fulfill his cravings. He would end up drinking more and more as if it were an experiment with the same result.

The bars he frequented always had pretty women. They would come in to experience the lustful dangers of the night just so they could forget the responsibilities of their own reality. They would spot the captivating man drinking alone in the dimly lit setting as if it were to hide the desire radiating from their eyes. He wouldn't protest, nonetheless. He was, after all, too much of a gentlemen to ignore a radiant nymph leaning in front of him. It would only take a matter of endearing, meaningless compliments just for them to end up sluggishly wrapping their bare arms around his bandaged neck. Their long, painted nails would course through his matted hair from the euphoria the man infused inside them.

He would tell himself this was laying low. Nobody would be looking for an unemployed and flirtatious alcoholic. He'd already done all this within a year, so who's to say one more year would be difficult? He just needed a total of two years in order for him to join the Armed Detective Agency.

He would tell himself that, but fuck the wait was agonizing. His past records proving he was one of the most infamous members of the Port Mafia were clearing up so agonizingly slow. It would seem the alcohol coursing through his organs made his patience thin out.

Odasaku was probably shaming him from his grave.

He couldn't remember laying his body on the clumped pile of snow. Snowflakes would land on his skin just as fast as they melted upon contact. The frost piling on his chest didn't ease the burning sensation of his palpitating heart. The dark bags under his eyes were begging for the slumber he deprived himself from. His limbs fell into a sort of angelic sprawl as he allowed his vision become engulfed by darkness matching that of the night sky. He thought, for a moment, that it would be a disappointment if he were to wither away on this very spot before he could succeed by perfectly killing himself.

She couldn't believe what she was witnessing in front of her. The heavy coat she wore didn't prevent her body from shivering. She couldn't make out if this certain reaction came from the frigid weather, or the unnatural sight of the snow mercilessly burying a young man in front of her apartment complex. The woman leaned forward as her eyes readily studied the man's appearance. She quickly retreated and winced from the alcoholic stench his body emitted despite the snow encasing him.

"Hey, can you hear me?" She attempted to rouse him from his slumber. Her brows scrunched together in a skeptical manner, waiting for any kind of safe signal to begin inquiring how he ended up in such a disarray. She deemed it useless when there was no response from the man.

He was still breathing without a doubt. She watched his chest swell and flatten from breathing oxygen any human being would need in order to survive. The situation in hand admittedly stressed her, not really desiring to get caught up in trouble if the police and ambulance were involved if she contacted them. She could only trust her gut instinct to determine if the man appeared to be harmful once he woke up.

She really hated succumbing to her guilty conscious.

She gathered her erratic thoughts collectively as she did her best to not breathe in his strong scent. She secured his bandaged arm over her shoulder, and began dragging him by mustering up all the strength she wished she possessed. Her humble abode wasn't too far since it was the first door to the far left of the complex. The tips of his shoes left a trail behind them as he was unfortunately much taller than her. She would lose her balance momentarily and readjust the arm around her shoulder despite the short trip.