For ninjou.

[tenimuho]

[Tonight, Dazai is really drunk.

This is not different from most other nights in their favorite bar, save for a few things.

1. Ango isn't here.

2. Dazai is really drunk. The kind of drunk that has Odasaku concerned that he might be trying to die through liver failure. That drunk.

And so, it's with hesitation that he speaks up.]

Maybe you should stop drinking for tonight.

Comments

[tenimuho]

I'll ask.

[He only occasionally helps Dazai do terrible things to Ango. Not all the time. Really.]

[ninjou]

[HE WANTS THE GLASSES.

He's also just leaning on Odasaku now.]

I really like that bar...

[tenimuho]

It's a good bar.

[Just humor drunk Dazai, it's fine.]

Come on. We won't get to play Go Fish if we don't keep walking.

[ninjou]

Sorry, sorry.

[Dazai starts walking in the same direction they were going, then, and he looks Odasaku over instead of the sky. He feels... oddly warm and stupidly touchy feely. That's odd. But it's kind of strangely directed at Odasaku. Not humanity in general, just him. A dilemma.

They round a corner, and Dazai settles his coat back on his shoulders with a flourish.]

Hey, Odasaku?

[tenimuho]

[The apartment's not too much further from here. A nice place to rest, play cards, do whatever else Dazai has in mind.]

Yes?

[ninjou]

[Dazai has many things in mind, like cheating at cards and tricking Odasaku into letting him sleep in his bed.]

What do you think of me?

[tenimuho]

[Where'd that come from...? Odasaku thinks about it for a second, then gives a simple answer.]

I like you.

[ninjou]

[It came from drunk deep thoughts land. Be glad it didn't come from high deep thoughts land.]

I like you, too.

[Dazai smiles a little more than he ought to.]

I'm pretty happy when we go drink.

[tenimuho]

So am I. I'm always looking forward to it.

[He even smiles, just a little bit.]

[ninjou]

Me too! Especially when Ango doesn't show up.

[More smiling. He's kidding, obviously.]

[tenimuho]

I like Ango too.

[He pauses, thoughtful, then adds:] But sometimes it's nice with just the two of us.

[ninjou]

[Pout.]

I was kidding... But when it's just the two of us, we don't talk very much, do we?

[tenimuho]

Do you want to talk?

[He could do that, if that was the direction their friendship was going in. It's just always stayed at this semi-superficial level.]

[ninjou]

I don't know.

[He's looking around, thinking he knows what Odasaku's place looks like.]

I like it the way it is, too. That's such a hard decision.

[tenimuho]

[If things change, they won't stay the same. If they don't stay the same, they have a chance of being lost altogether. It's something like that.]

I don't mind it either way.

-it's this door, Dazai.

[He unlocks the door for him, nodding at him to go in.]

[ninjou]

[Oh. He was walking right past it. He'll just... go back... and go in the right one. He's careful to stop and remove his shoes, flopping on the floor to do so.]

Thanks!~

[tenimuho]

[Odasaku takes his shoes off and sets them neatly aside, then pauses.]

I might not own a deck of cards.

[ninjou]

[Dazai stops. No cards. Oh, he didn't think about that one. He pats himself down, like he might have some on his person. Cigarettes? Gun? Game system?]

I don't have any.

[Time to struggle to his feet.]

[tenimuho]

I guess we can't play Go Fish.

[Oops. That's actually disappointing.]

What do you want to do instead?

[ninjou]

[Damn. He had his heart set on Go Fish. So he considers things carefully, before leaning fully into Odasaku once he's upright. He's fairly pinned to the door with hands on his shoulders, if Dazai did his work right.]

Let me think...

[tenimuho]

[So he is. Most other people would be concerned about being in this position with Dazai Osamu, but not Odasaku. He's more confused than anything else, not trying to get out of Dazai's grip.

The amount that he is sure of what Dazai's going to do next could be described as 'fuckall'.]

[ninjou]

[Dazai is staring at him quite seriously, a little darkness in his eyes, maybe a little of his idle loneliness that he doesn't usually talk about peeking through and showing itself.]

O~da~sa~ku~

[tenimuho]

Dazai?

[Being stared at is a little bit uncomfortable, but he'll endure it.]

[ninjou]

[He half collapses against him, resting his head on Odasaku's shoulder as he slides his arms down and holds his hands.]

I drank too much for cards.

[tenimuho]

[Hand-holding. Um. Odasaku looks between the top of Dazai's head and where there hands are joined.]

I guess it's better that we didn't end up playing.

[...he gives Dazai's hands a light squeeze, if only because they're there and this is a thing that's going on now apparently.]