for gakuen akutagawa

[thesettingsun]

[It's unfair, really, that of all people not to pass on properly, it was Dazai.

He knows Chuuya passed on properly, because he's seen his reincarnations - generally midgets with a fondness for hats who he can never get along with. He knows Oda passed on properly, and he's grateful for that: the current reincarnation is a teacher, and seems to be happy doing that. He knows Ango passed on properly, although his reincarnations vary wildly in temperament.

The current Akutagawa is a pale, dark-eyed boy who Dazai can't quite keep properly away from. He knows he should keep his distance for a number of reasons, but - it's Akutagawa.]

How is school going?

[They met at a bookstore, of course, and now it's more or less become their ritual to meet at the tiny cafe there every week. They drink coffee. Dazai still hates coffee, but he'll drink it just for the chance to speak with Akutagawa.]

Comments

this is my first tag in approximately 8 months help

[omnivorous]

[ There are more things Akutagawa doesn't remember than things that he does. He has dreams, sometimes: he wakes up with a deep yearning for something he can't quite articulate, a deep-seated desire for someone that he can't immediately place. He has deja vu and nostalgia over things he has never encountered before, but in the end, he assumes that that's simply the nature of being human. After all; Gin has always had the same experiences, the longing for something that she can't articulate, the missing of a person that was never there to begin with.

Reincarnation, of course, is not so much an idea as a vague concept he's learned about in school. He would laugh about it, if he was the sort of person to have any humor at all.

In this life, he struggles with his health, as most of his incarnations do; he favors writing, as some of them do; he has a sister, like he does half the time; he has parents, absentee but within existence. He leads a relatively normal life, all things considered. ]

We're having a cultural festival soon. My class is trying very hard to come up with an idea that doesn't involve crossdressing. [ Akutagawa is absolutely certain that he will not willingly be put in a dress, and absolutely certain that due to his bone structure, he will be the first one in a dress.

He sips his coffee. He takes it with extra sugar, habitually, but has the taste for it by way of leaning on it to study and help clear his airways. ]

[thesettingsun]

[A normal life. It's a gift not all Akutagawas are given - Dazai is grateful for it, every single time. Better than the Akutagawas he's seen bleeding out on the street.

He chuckles at the comment, a light sound.]

I recommend calling in sick that day.

[omnivorous]

It won't save me from the dress rehearsals. [ Akutagawa doesn't sigh, exactly; he's too used to guarding his air intake and output, carefully manufacturing it arond the asthma that has followed him from life to life. He does press his lips together, the exasperation clear in his expression without any actual anger. ]

My class doesn't have much in the way of unified talents, so our options are limited. [ And Akutagawa, while reasonably studious, is absent too much to have as much say in the matters as he'd like. ]

[thesettingsun]

At least could be worse. My school did group gymnastics for the culture festival.

[You know, those complex formations that sickly Akutagawa definitely can't do, that lead to thousands of accidents per year, including some fatal ones...]

[omnivorous]

They still haven't forgiven me for sitting out the entirety of the last sports festival. [ Akutagawa had showed up, at least, which was all he thought anyone could ask for: he'd spent the entire thing conveniently on the sidelines and never participating in anything.

Honestly, they would have placed even worse if he'd participated, he's absolutely certain. ]

One of the other classes is doing a cat cafe, so thematically... [ Something about maids and cats was on the agenda. ]

[thesettingsun]

Themes are fine and all, but they can't ask you to do something like that. I'll fight them myself.

[Dazai hates fighting when he doesn't have to, always has and always will, but he is absolutely prepared to throw down with a random teacher for Akutagawa's emotional wellbeing.]

[omnivorous]

I'm hoping I can leverage a cat allergy to get out of anything. [ It isn't really so much an allergy as Akutagawa not being terribly fond of animals as a general rule, but given the precariousness of his health... ]

At any rate, you don't need to find a class of highschoolers. [ Though Akutagawa would almost like to see it, given that Dazai is sized like he could be punted. ]

[thesettingsun]

[He is definitely sized that way, but being a ghost is Cheating. Dazai's not above using that to his advantage.]

You don't want me to fight for your honor?

[...he isn't intending to flirt with the high schooler, it just happens. Because Akutagawa.]