Glue and Tape - Soukoku

The Man In The Mirror

Dazai was a strange man. That was for certain.

One minute he could be teasing Kunikida, and the next he could be plotting a giant scheme to take down another enemy of the agency.

But one thing that was eerily strange was that Dazai avoided mirrors.

He avoided them like the plague.

Whenever a mirror was anywhere in sight, Dazai would shield his eyes away from it.

Atsushi noticed it quickly. At first he thought Dazai was just being his usual strange self.

But then he noticed that Dazai did it all the time.

He wasn't the only one who noticed this either.

Chuuya noticed this strange habit a long long time ago.

When Chuuya first noticed it, he simply thought that Dazai was being dramatic.

Oh look at me! Can't look at my own reflection. Woe is me!

But then he realized that Dazai avoided mirrors for a more serious reason.

The first time it happened Chuuya thought that Dazai was acting.

And Chuuya thought he was very committed to this act since the man had been standing in front of a mirror for over and hour now.

"Oi shithead! The hell are you doing?", Chuuya asked as he walked over to the other. He was feeling worry creep up in his stomach.

"I'm looking".

Dazai's voice was soft. Meek in fact. As if he didn't want to hear his voice at what.

"Yeah no shit you're looking. But people don't look at themselves for over an hour", Chuuya hissed.

"We'll demons do".

Chuuya's head titled to the side. That was the first time Dazai openly admitted to him what he thought of himself.

And Chuuya hated it. He hated it more then he thought he would.

"You aren't a demon".

"Yes... I am".

Dazai's voice was starting to get quieter. Chuuya felt his fists clench and his toes curl when he realized that Dazai was caving in on himself.

And one should know what happens when Dazai caves in.

"You aren't a demon", Chuuya repeated once again. But this time his voice was kinder. Soft even. As if he was walking on eggshells.

Dazai didn't even respond this time. Instead he raised a bandaged arm to the sky and slammed it into the mirror.

Chuuya froze.

And then he snapped into action when the mirror shattered.

"Shit. Dazai stop!".

But Dazai didn't stop. Instead the arm continued its attack on the mirror.

And in retaliation the mirror hit into the man, causing blood to cry out.

Chuuya pulled Dazai away and dragged him to the bathroom.

He didn't even bother asking what Dazai was doing. Dazai wasn't fully here anyways.