#were the dragons supposed to be profound? cause i think i missed the mark

[chouetteffraie]

dazatsu with 26 for the kiss prompt?

26. Jealous kiss

Coming right up, dear nonnie! I hope you like it! 

Kiss prompts closed!

Handsome. Charismatic. Charming. Upon first impression, these were all words one might use to describe a certain brunet- Atsushi would know, seeing as these are all things he thought (and still thinks) about him every day. When Atsushi was just another admirer in the sea of suitors, it didn’t bother him that he wasn’t the only one looking at Dazai like that. However, now that there was more to it- now that the two were an official thing, with hushed confessions and soft kisses, ghosts of touches and secret smiles to prove it- it bothered Atsushi more and more that there were others still looking at Dazai as if he were available to be won.

He wasn’t. Dazai was his. Why couldn’t everybody just get the message?

Walking on the street with Dazai was a double-edged sword as of late. It was wonderful to be able to roam the streets of Yokohama, basking in the bright sunlight as warmth started in his heart and pulsed through his body with every glance he sent towards his partner. On the other hand, however, the warmth that engulfed his body once he saw the few wistful glances sent Dazai’s way was an entirely new sensation, an envy Atsushi wasn’t accustomed to, an envy he loathed. Today was no exception.

He could feel the hot prickling on his skin moments after he caught a glimpse of the first look, coming from a young, attractive woman in a window seat at a cafe. She rested her head in her palm and tilted her head gracefully as her eyes followed Dazai’s lazy gait, paying no mind to Atsushi. This, he was thankful for: if he was caught staring, no, glowering, he didn’t think he could take the embarrassment.

The next came from another girl, one who made no efforts to hide her glances from the man her fingers were linked with. Atsushi clenched his teeth, feeling so hot he was certain his skin would be turning red any second. He shared a glance with the man accompanying her, one filled with equal confusion and anger, before Atsushi decided to take matters into his own hands. Gently, like a child tugging at his mother’s sleeve, he placed a hand on the inside of Dazai’s arm before squeezing gently and placing his other hand. The only indication that Dazai noticed was the slight shift in his arm, to allow for more room for Atsushi’s hand. Aside from that, Dazai gave him no attention, a fact Atsushi wasnt’ sure relieved him or made him angrier.

As the two of them passed a man on a bench, Atsushi caught him give Dazai a once-over before ogling at him fully. Following the man’s line of sight with his own eyes, Atsushi snapped his gaze towards Dazai’s face to say something, only to be met with Dazai turning and giving the other man a wink. He wanted to say something, to yell at the top of his lungs and make a scene, demand an explanation, demand an apology- he also wanted to drop Dazai’s arm and leave with no explanation, to shut himself away before Dazai could make a fool out of him again. He settled for a middle ground, squeezing Dazai’s arm tightly and making sure his fingernails dug in. 

Dazai wasn’t making any moves to acknowledge him aside from peering at Atsushi out of the corner of his eye. He wouldn’t admit it, but he like pushing Atsushi to his breaking points, to see how he’d react. When he pouted, it was unbearably cute, and when he did get angry, it was always reassuring to see him so willing to forgive. Dazai had long since abandoned pushing Atsushi away, promising under blankets late at night to slowly work on letting him in and trusting him with more as he learned to trust himself. What Atsushi hadn’t quite caught on to yet is that Dazai, instead of mending a broken habit, replaced it with pushing Atsushi too far. He wanted to push him past his limits so he could wake up and leave like he should’ve months and months ago, to make Atsushi realize that he was no good for him.

Yet he knew when that day came, it would break him, and that was enough to get him to retract.

Today he was feeling bold, however, and decided to push Atsushi just a little further. “Atsushi-kun,” he finally said, drawing the boy’s attention. Atsushi looked up at him, eyes wide and slowly growing hopeful, eager to hear some reassurance that would ease ever insecurity in his mind. Instead, Dazai merely said, “My arm is starting to tingle. Could you stop that?”

Atsushi stopped immediately and dropped Dazai’s arm, planting his feet firmly on the pavement and letting him walk ahead. After a few steps without Atsushi, Dazai froze before slowly turning around, knowing he’d been caught. Atsushi would scold him, sure, then they’d make up and pretend this never happened, right? With a snarky quip on his tongue, Dazai opened his mouth, and stopped at the expression on Atsushi’s face. Crushed.

Atsushi was shaking, his fists curled tightly into his palms and shoulders hunched. He avoided Dazai’s gaze, as if it disgusted him to make any more contact with the man. Dazai only let out a small breath, watching Atsushi sort through his mind. Finally, he heard a small, “Why do you do this?”

Dazai bit his tongue. He knew exactly why he did this, but that was not a conversation to have in the middle of a park. Actually, it wasn’t a conversation to have, ever. True, he was supposed to be working on his communication with Atsushi, but surely he didn’t mean everything when he said it-

“Dazai-san,” Atsushi said, breaking his train of thought. They watched each other carefully, in a standoff that dug a pit in Dazai’s stomach until he was sure this was where Atsushi would leave him. 

There were puzzle pieces connecting in Atsushi’s mind, painting a picture Dazai couldn’t yet see. Carefully, Atsushi took the few steps to stand in front of Dazai and reached a hand up to his cheek. “Dazai-san, would you ever leave me?”

Yes, Dazai’s mind answered, in a heartbeat, if that’s what was best. I would leave you the moment I knew that my presence put you in danger or led you to discomfort. In fact, I’ve already overstayed my welcome. We should part ways here and now, before we get in too deep-

“No,” Dazai said instead, appalled at how uncomfortable the truth felt on his tongue.

Atsushi let out a breath of a laugh before reaching up on his tiptoes, gently pressing a kiss against the corner of Dazai’s lips. The touch was soft, yet it lingered on his skin and sank to his bones, adding to the touches that sank into Dazai’s core and altered who he was. That was the scary thing about Atsushi: he seemed to know how to change Dazai’s very foundation, permeating every blockade he set up until Dazai himself believed he could be the person Atsushi saw him as. It was both comforting and terrifying, how he could rattle his core in seconds. Atsushi set his expectations dangerously high, and Dazai didn’t know he was afraid of heights until he realized that.

Atsushi wasn’t satisfied, as he hovered in front of Dazai’s face for a moment, eyes fluttered shut, before moving in again and placing a much firmer kiss to Dazai’s lips. Dazai felt his hands place themselves uncertainly on Atsushi’s back as hands drifted down to his neck, playing with the edge of his bandages absentmindedly. When Atsushi pulled away again, Dazai leaned his forehead against his and refused to look him in the eye.

“Hey…I won’t leave you either,” Atsushi said quietly, smoothing his hands down Dazai’s chest before remembering they were in a public park and backing away slowly. “I won’t leave you for somebody else, and I won’t leave you for you being you. I want you to let me in on every part of you, no matter how ugly you think it is.”

Dazai hummed skeptically. “Even to get to the castle dungeons, you have to go through the ornate palace entrance first.”

“Well, by the time I get down there, I won’t even be allowed out, then.”

Dazai chuckled before offering Atsushi his arm again, a small smile gracing his features. “Why, you’re absolutely right, Atsushi-kun. Now that I’ve captured you, I’m not letting you leave.”

Atsushi grabbed Dazai’s arm again, slowly stroking it with his thumb in reassurance. Underneath his breath, Dazai said, “Hm, isn’t it my turn to cook dinner tonight?”

Some things, Atsushi didn’t have to try very hard to catch up on. That, he knew, was an apology, one that allowed Dazai to save his pride along and himself from sleeping alone. Atsushi also noted how there was a glint of irony in Dazai’s eyes a moment ago as they mentioned captures and castles.

Atsushi was no princess captured by a dragon. If anything, Atsushi had tamed the beast and captured his heart, holding him in a tight, grounding grip and keeping him sane. Though, if anyone was to tame Dazai, he couldn’t say there was a more capable man for the job.