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he-- they didn't mean to be in this situation. they didn't mean to relapse and fall back into old habits, it just sorta happened y'know?
"you see atsu-kun, people like you who aren't deserving of love do this to themselves," the staff member said, dragging a dull, old, pocket knife down atsushi's arm.
"they realize no one is going to help them and try to," suddenly the knife was jabbed deeper into their arm--they didn't know what to do it hurt so bad-- "end it."
thinking back on it now, they had to have an ability like dazai's since the cut didn't heal right after, even if they let go right after, atsushi was out by then. though that doesn't really give an context on why he was relapsing, does it?
it's simple really. atsushi happened to already be in a bad head space, dealing with their dysphoria, and just wanting everyone to shut up.
so! now their watching their skin open, bleed out, then re-close. open, bleed out, re-close. open, bleed out, re-close.
"at~su~shi~kun, where are you?" atsushi dropped the blade in his hand by accident, giving away where he was.
the footsteps got closer and closer and atsushi wasn't able to breathe at this point-
they stopped.
silence.
"..atsushi?"
dazai called yosano (for safety measures) and quickly ran over to atsushi.
"hey hey, stop that." he gently picked up the blade atsushi had dropped close to his knees, making sure not to make direct contact so he wouldn't stop the tiger's healing. "we don't need to do that here--" dazai noticed the look in atsushi's eyes.
"hey, atsushi? come back to me, you're not there anymore." he wasn't...there anymore?
"yup, you're here in your dorm. no one here is going to hurt you."
"th-they aren't?" dazai got a little bit closer so he could hold his arms out, asking for permission to hug him. when atsushi nodded he went and hugged atsushi positioning them so he basically sitting in dazai's lap. the cuts were healed enough so it wouldn't make much of a difference if the tiger stopped healing
"mhm! everyone in the ada, myself included, are here to make sure you're forever safe from them." before atsushi could answer a new voice came from the doorway,
"dazai's right, you know. you're like a younger sibling to a lot of us, the older sibling the younger member's probably wanted growing up too."
"wait--yosano?!" why was she here?!
"i'm here because dazai wanted to make sure you were okay, even with that tiger healing ability of yours." oh. made sense.
"now, can i see your arm atsushi? won't do anything you don't want but i need to make sure the wounds are okay." atsushi nodded his head and yosano got to work. she was so gentle and caring that atsushi wanted to cry. he probably did, but he wouldn't be able to tell you since he fell asleep during yosano's checkup.
---
"dazai." dazai looked up to meet yosano's eyes, hands still carding through atsushi's hair. "keep an eye on him. i don't know much but the orphanage was probably the reason for this." he nodded and looked at how peaceful atsushi looked while they sleeped.
"yeah yeah, i will. they need to know we are not going to leave them for something like this, or anything at all really, anyways."
"and we're going to make sure he understands that."