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title: a gift, just for you (4,1k)

pairing: atsushi nakajima/dazai osamu (bsd)

tags: valentine’s day, gift giving, dazai asks for advice (shocker), dazai shows that he’s actually rich

rating: general audiences

summary:

dazai makes a plan to give atsushi the best gift he possibly could, after the weretiger left him speechless with a bouquet of flowers

this is my @dazatsu-exchange gift to @endlessparadox07 !! decided to post it here as well <3

ao3 link here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/37116982

Dazai Osamu was stumped.

It was odd to consider, as usually he knew what to do for practically everything. He wasn’t as smart as Ranpo - he could never compare to Ranpo’s smarts - but he was still pretty intelligent and well respected in the Armed Detective Agency. Well…maybe respected wasn’t the right word. Some workers did look up to him, but others were aware of how mischievous he often acted.

Putting that aside and focusing back to the point: he was stumped. Why was he stumped? Well, because Atsushi had given him a thank you gift and he was determined to return the favor.

But what could he possibly give Atsushi in return?

He didn’t want to overwhelm him, but he also didn’t want to get something cheap. He wanted to get something that would last for a while and that Atsushi would be able to hold onto for a long time.

Not to mention that Valentine’s Day was right around the corner!

Dazai was determined to make Atsushi’s day, no matter what it took. But first, he just needed to get some advice…

“You want…advice on what to get Atsushi-kun?” Yosano sounded confused, staring at Dazai with a raised eyebrow. He didn’t usually come to her for advice on this sort of stuff. Whenever he planned things, it was always in secret and no one ever knew what was going on until it was already happening.

“I know it may be really odd to hear me of all people asking for advice, but it’s really important and I have to know before at least the fourteenth.”

Yosano still seemed suspicious. “How am I supposed to trust that you aren’t going to do something really mean to Atsushi-kun, or to the rest of us?”

Dazai whined, pouting at Yosano. He felt betrayed, but at the same time it made sense that Yosano was hesitant. If he ever asked for help, it was mostly to prank someone. However, this time was different and he needed Yosano to understand he was being serious.

“I know it’s hard to trust me on this,” he started, sighing and leaning against the counter, “but I’m serious about needing help. I don’t plan on pulling any pranks, I just want to make Atsushi-kun happy.”

Yosano studied him, only looking away to restock her items. She considered his words, closing the cabinet and turning to face him.

“Well, you said you need a plan before the fourteenth, right? Why not offer to take him out to dinner at a place he’s always wanted to go to?” She shrugged. “Or maybe you could get him a stuffed animal and some sweets? He always seems happy to get those.”

Dazai considered those ideas. He could surprise Atsushi by taking him out to dinner, but that wasn’t something he could hold, and he wanted to actually hand a gift to Atsushi. The stuffed animal and sweets could work, although he would have to do more digging to figure out what would be best…

After a moment of thinking, he decided he would have to ask more people. At least he was one step closer to figuring things out.

“Thanks, Yosano-sensei, I’ll keep your ideas in mind!” He waved to the doctor, moving away from the counter and walking over to the door to her office. He opened it, then turned to look at Yosano again. “I’ll be sure to inform you on if things go bad or not! Buh-bye~”

The door closed behind Dazai as he left, narrowly avoiding his coat getting caught in the doorway. Yosano shook her head fondly as she watched him leave, sighing.

She hoped Atsushi appreciated whatever Dazai gave him.

Over the next few days, Dazai made various different plans, each one depending on how Atsushi reacted to being asked out to dinner on Valentine’s Day. If he accepted, then Dazai would bring him to a nearby restaurant that sold chazuke and proceed from there. If he declined but didn’t have any other plans, then Dazai would ask if he just wanted to hang out at home. If he declined and had other plans, then the subject would be dropped and Dazai would continue on with his day.

It was currently the thirteenth, just a few minutes away from lunch.

Dazai was leaning back in his chair, avoiding the paperwork on his desk as always, instead deciding to look around the office, his gaze soon landing on a certain weretiger.

Atsushi had his gaze focused on the computer in front of him, typing up reports to missions he had done over the week, occasionally pressing the backspace to fix any errors. He stuck his tongue out a small bit, as he usually did when he was really focused. Dazai found it cute.

Once lunch break started, Dazai got up, his hands in his pockets as he made his way over to Atsushi’s desk. “Oh, Atsushi-kun~”

He watched as sunset-colored eyes lifted from the computer screen to focus on him, blinking in confusion. “Yes, Dazai-san? Do you need something?”

Ah, Atsushi was so cute…

“Lunch break started,” Dazai pointed out, taking his hand out of his pocket to jab his thumb towards the clock, showing how a new hour had started, “and I was wondering if you’d like to go down to Uzumaki with me. I’ll pay.”

A frown formed on Atsushi’s lips as he studied Dazai. “But, you never have any money on you…please don’t tell me you’re going to steal Kunikida-san’s wallet again.”

“I’m so wounded, Atsushi-kun!” Dazai whined, pouting at his subordinate. “You have such little faith in me! I was going to use my own money this time, I swear!”

Atsushi still didn’t seem very convinced, but gave in either way, moving to stand up after saving his progress. “I’ll believe you when I see it happen,” he shook his head, closing his laptop for now. “Will it be just us, or is someone else coming along?”

Dazai tilted his head, as if thinking about his answer, although he was already very well aware of what that answer was. He didn’t want anyone else tagging along, especially when he had a very important question for Atsushi.

“Just us!” He finally answered, grinning at the weretiger. “What, do you not want to spend some time with your oh so wonderful mentor?”

The look he got in return was great, and he half wished he could take a picture of how unamused Atsushi was. It was very cute, although he was sure Atsushi would’ve immediately disagreed if he said that out loud.

“No, that’s not it…” Atsushi shook his head. “Nevermind. Lead the way.”

Dazai grinned, leaving the office with Atsushi, heading downstairs to the cafe. Once there, he opened the door for Atsushi, gesturing for him to go in first. “Kitties go first~”

Atsushi playfully rolled his eyes, walking into the cafe and waving at the owner. Dazai made sure to close the door behind him as he followed Atsushi inside, happily strolling over to one of the empty booths.

There weren’t very many people in the cafe, which was pretty normal for this time on a weekday. Either way, it was a very peaceful environment, perfect for calm talks and lunch breaks.

“So,” Dazai spoke as Atsushi was in the middle of looking through the menu, causing the weretiger to look up at him with a confused look, “do you have anything planned for tomorrow? It’s a pretty special day, after all.”

“Special day?” Atsushi repeated, only looking even more confused as he shifted to pull his phone out to check the date, blinking. “Oh, right. Valentine’s Day… I was just going to stay at home tomorrow. Don’t really see any point in doing anything…”

Dazai brightened up at that. Perfect. Atsushi didn’t have any plans.

“How would you like to go out to dinner with me, in that case?”

“...Eh?”

The look on Atsushi’s face was priceless. His cheeks and ears gained a red tint to them, and his eyes became wide while staring at Dazai. “I- you…you mean as…as co-workers, right?”

Dazai waved his hand around, tilting his head. “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t. It’d be fun, wouldn’t it? Just the two of us, going out for some yummy dinner on Valentine’s Day…”

“But…” Atsushi bit his lip, shifting in his seat, the red tint to his skin never leaving, “wouldn’t people mistake us for being a couple…? I mean, especially if it’s just the two of us… aren’t you worried about that? And besides, wouldn’t you rather spend that day with…with some girl?”

Ah. Right.

Dazai has never told Atsushi that he’s bisexual. Of course he would assume that he’d rather be with a woman.

“I’m not worried about it if you aren’t,” he shrugged, finding no reason to worry about the possibility of strangers perceiving them as a couple. If they did, there was nothing Dazai or Atsushi could do to stop them.

Atsushi bit down on his lip, still worrying about something. Was Dazai aware of how he felt for him? Is that why he was asking him out to dinner for Valentine’s? Did Ranpo tell him?

After a moment of thinking it over, Atsushi finally sighed, not looking at Dazai. “I…I don’t mind going to dinner with you. It should be fine, right? Even if it’s just the two of us…”

Dazai grinned, reaching across the table and resting a hand over Atsushi’s, giving it a reassuring squeeze before letting go. “Of course it’ll be fine! You have me around! What could possibly go wrong, Atsushi-kun?”

He ignored the slight eye roll from Atsushi when he said that. If things worked out as Dazai planned them, which they usually did, then everything would be perfectly fine.

February 14th

Dazai kept checking the time on his watch, spinning around in his office chair and occasionally whining to Kunikida about how bored he was. He didn’t want to be in the office when he had such big plans for tonight with Atsushi!

Speaking of…

He looked over at Atsushi, noticing how he was intensely focused on his computer, typing out reports and responding to emails. Dazai smiled to himself, finding Atsushi to be really cute when he was so focused on something. He made a small noise when feeling something bonk his head, turning to look at Kunikida, who was holding a rolled up newspaper.

“Get back to work and stop staring at your coworkers, Dazai.”

Dazai stuck his tongue out at Kunikida. “I’ve already finished my work, Kunikida-kun~ I’m just waiting to be freed! I have big plans tonight, y’know.”

“Sure you do. Knowing you, you’re going to laze around at home and get drunk.” Kunikida rolled his eyes, setting the newspaper down and turning his gaze back to his computer, ignoring Dazai’s whine at his words.

“You have no faith in me!” Dazai huffed, pouting. “I actually have a date, I’ll have you know. And the longer I’m stuck here means the less time I have to prepare!”

Kunikida raised an eyebrow, glancing at Dazai. “You have a date? Don’t tell me it’s some random woman who you’ll just break the heart of at the end of the night and leave her stranded.”

The loud whine that escaped Dazai in response to such words was enough to make Atsushi look up from his computer, blinking at Dazai and trying to figure out if something was wrong. If Dazai wasn’t focused on being a menace to Kunikida, he would’ve teased Atsushi for worrying about him.

Instead, he smiled at his subordinate, feeling his heart flutter when Atsushi smiled back.

Oh how he wished to see that smile more often, directed at him…

The rest of the day felt like it went by so slowly. Dazai so badly wanted to get out so that he could go on his date with Atsushi. Ah, right, did Atsushi even consider it a date? Or did he just consider it a friendly outing with his mentor?

Dazai really hoped he wasn’t the only one to see this as a date.

When work was finally over, Dazai practically bounced out of his chair and went over to Atsushi, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. He waited until Atsushi was looking up at him before he spoke.

“Dress in something nice.”

That’s all he said before turning and walking out of the office, coat swaying behind him. Leaving Atsushi to stare at his back, not even sure on how he was supposed to react.

Dazai headed home, digging his keys out of his coat pocket and unlocking the front door. He stepped inside, sliding his shoes off and closing the door behind him, letting out a sigh. He shrugged his coat off, hanging it up before walking further into the apartment, his gaze landing on a certain gift resting on his couch.

It was a simple gift, nothing too fancy, just a bag of candies with a tiger plush sitting on top, along with a card and some pictures that Dazai had printed out himself, covered by tissue paper. He had done his best to get something that Atsushi would like.

He had even asked Kyouka what she thought Atsushi would like, as long as she promised to keep the plan a secret. And so far, that has succeeded. All Atsushi knew was that they were going out for dinner and that was it. He didn’t know where Dazai would be taking him.

Dazai hopped into the shower to get nice and clean, making sure to wash his body really nicely. He wanted to look good for Atsushi, and besides this was the first time in a while that he actually had the energy to take care of himself.

Once out of the shower, he dried off, making sure there wasn’t any more water on his body before grabbing new bandages and wrapping his arms and neck. He hummed to himself while getting dressed in a simple black suit with a blue tie, looking at himself in the mirror while fixing the tie to make sure it laid correctly.

He tucked one side of his hair behind his ear, using a silver hair clip to keep it in place. After a bit of considering, he opened the cabinet that was beside the mirror and grabbed some silver earrings that he kept in there.

Not many people knew that he had his ears pierced, as he didn’t wear earrings very often. Yosano knows, if only because he had gone to her once to get new backings for his favorite pair since they had gone missing.

Chuuya is also aware, as they got their ears pierced at the same time. However, Dazai didn’t want to think about him anymore. He had to get ready for Atsushi, after all!

After making sure the earrings were in correctly, Dazai took a deep breath. He could do this. All he had to do was go and get Atsushi, go to the restaurant, and then give Atsushi the gift.

He’s got this. He’s Dazai Osamu, after all!

He left the bathroom, turning the light off, and heading into the living room. He picked up the gift, making sure the items inside remained hidden. He didn’t want Atsushi to see the items before he was ready to give the gift to him.

Dazai checked the time as he walked to the front door to get his shoes on. It was twenty minutes until it was time to meet up with Atsushi. He considered how long it would take to get to the restaurant before leaving his apartment, humming while making the trip to Atsushi’s.

He knocked on the door once there, waiting for an answer.

About two minutes passed before Kyouka opened the door, blinking at Dazai before turning to call out to Atsushi. “It’s for you,” is all she said, watching as Atsushi peeked out from the bathroom. He ducked back in, long enough to fix his hair and shirt, then stepped out and offered a small wave to Dazai.

“Hi, Dazai-san. I thought you wouldn’t be coming by for another twenty minutes…”

Dazai shrugged, admiring Atsushi. He was wearing a simple outfit that consisted of a gray button up with folded sleeves and a black vest, along with black pants that were cuffed. The longer strand of his hair was braided, and there were bunny hair clips in the shorter part, probably from Kyouka.

Either way, he looked really cute and Dazai really wanted to kiss him.

“Wanted to stop by early,” Dazai finally responded, “figured if we leave early, we could catch the sunset by the time we leave the restaurant. That is, if you’re ready.”

Atsushi blinked, before nodding, fixing his vest. “Uhm…I should be. I just need to get my shoes on and then I’ll be done.” He turned his attention to Kyouka. “Kyouka-chan, will you be alright on your own?”

Kyouka nodded, even gently pushing Atsushi over to the door so that he could get his shoes on. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call if I need anything. I know where everything is.”

Atsushi seemed glad to hear that, patting her head. “Alright. I’ll be back once we’re done with dinner!” He smiled at Kyouka, tugging his shoes on and turning to Dazai. “Alright, we can go now!”

Dazai hummed, leaving the apartment with Atsushi. Kyouka closed the door behind them, waving goodbye to them both. Atsushi lingered for a moment, at least until he heard the click of the door locking, before heading down the stairs with Dazai.

It was mostly quiet as they walked to the restaurant, both of them just taking in the other’s presence. Dazai opened the door to the restaurant once getting there, letting Atsushi go in first, then followed him inside and walked up to the front desk.

“I have a reservation under Dazai, table for two.”

The receptionist nodded, finding the reservation before grabbing two menus and guiding Atsushi and Dazai to their table. Atsushi looked amazed at how fancy the place was as he sat down, looking around the building.

“Woah… it’s really fancy here, huh?” He turned his gaze to the menu, opening it and staring at the prices. “Dazai-san…the food is really expensive. Are you sure it’ll be okay to eat here?”

Dazai waved a hand in dismissal, setting the gift bag down beside his feet while getting situated in his chair. “It’s completely fine, I’ll cover the bill. Don’t worry about it, Atsushi-kun. Get whatever you want, my treat.”

Atsushi still seemed hesitant on the idea, but eventually nodded, deciding to not fight Dazai on the matter.

Throughout the night, they talked about various things, laughing about things that have happened at work, and having a very nice time with each other. It was peaceful and nice, not to mention the fact that Dazai got to hear Atsushi’s beautiful laugh.

At one point, Atsushi decided to mention something that’s been on his mind the whole night.

“By the way, Dazai-san… what’s with that bag?” He pointed at the gift bag with his fork, blinking at his mentor.

“Oh, this?” Dazai picked the bag up, looking at Atsushi and smiling at him as he handed the bag over to him. “It’s for you, Atsushi-kun. Think of it as my own thank you gift to you.”

He found it amusing how Atsushi looked very surprised from being handed the bag. He set his fork down, carefully taking the bag and setting it on his lap. He glanced at Dazai, just to make sure this wasn’t some kind of mistake, before opening the bag and carefully taking the items out.

He pulled the plush out first, staring at it in awe. It was very soft and easy to hold. Not to mention that it was of a white tiger. He was sure that Dazai did that on purpose.

After setting the plush aside, he pulled out the pictures. There were six total.

The first one was taken after the Agency had defeated the guild, with everyone gathered together and celebrating. There were smiles on everyone’s faces, some having a flush to their cheeks due to being drunk, like Yosano.

The next one was during Halloween, when Ranpo had gotten everyone to dress up in different costumes for fun. All of them were with the Agency in one way or another, except for the very last one. The last one was a picture of the fireworks that they had seen just a few weeks ago, and Atsushi had said he wished he had gotten a good picture of them because of how pretty they were.

Atsushi looked up at Dazai in surprise after looking through the pictures. Dazai was watching him with a fond look, smiling at him. The weretiger could’ve sworn his heart flipped in his chest after seeing that smile.

“You…printed these out for me?” Atsushi managed to ask, looking back at the pictures. They were even laminated!

Dazai nodded, looking quite proud of himself. “Yep. I had some help, Yosano-sensei was the one who had the pictures so I had to ask her for them, but it was fully my idea.” He tilted his head, asking an obvious question: “Do you like them?”

Atsushi nodded, smiling at Dazai when looking at him again. “Yes. Thank you so much…”

Dazai cleared his throat, not used to being thanked for something like this. He simply nodded, shoving down the feelings that were bubbling up. “There’s more,” he mentioned, gesturing to the bag.

Atsushi looked into the bag, reaching into it and grabbing the candies, giving a small ‘woah’. They were candies he’s seen Ranpo eat before and had made a passing comment about how he kinda wanted to try them. He didn’t think anyone had been paying attention.

He blinked when seeing the note, picking it up after setting everything else aside. He glanced at Dazai, before turning his attention to the card, opening it to read what was inside.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Atsushi-kun

I hope you enjoy your gift

There’s a special place I’d like to take you after dinner

It’s important

Dazai ♡

Atsushi looked up from the card once he was done reading it, focusing on Dazai. “You…want to take me somewhere?” He asked, closing the card and watching as Dazai nodded.

“Yep,” he grinned at Atsushi, “do you want to go now, since we’ve finished eating?”

Atsushi thought about it, carefully putting the items back into the bag to make it easier to carry everything. “Uhm…yeah, sure. I don’t mind.”

Dazai made sure to pay for the bill, not letting Atsushi see the price, before getting up and leading him out of the restaurant. The sun was beginning to set as they left, casting Yokohama in a pretty orange glow.

Dazai soon stopped once getting to a bridge, leaning against it and looking out to the water, admiring how pretty it looked with the sunset. Atsushi hurried over to him, probably worrying about the possibility of Dazai jumping off.

He wouldn’t, not around Atsushi. Besides, he had important news for him.

“Isn’t it gorgeous?”

Atsushi blinked, looking at Dazai, then looked at the water and nodded. “Mhm…the sunset is always pretty. But, is…is there a reason you wanted to bring me here, Dazai-san?”

Dazai hummed, turning to face Atsushi, admiring the way the sunset casted an almost angelic glow onto the weretiger. How fitting, considering Dazai often thought of him as an angel who had been sent down to save him.

“I wanted to say thank you, Atsushi-kun.”

“Huh?” Atsushi turned his gaze to Dazai, looking confused as to why he said that. “For…what?”

Dazai reached out and fixed a part of Atsushi’s hair for him, admiring him. “For sticking around me, even after finding out that I used to work for the Mafia. For seeing me as a good person, even after everything you’ve witnessed.”

Atsushi tilted his head, before smiling at Dazai. “Of course! Dazai-san is a good person! You saved me, countless times. If you weren’t good, you wouldn’t have done that.”

Ah.

Dazai wasn’t expecting this to be turned around on him like this. Really, Atsushi was too sweet for his own good sometimes…

He rested his hand on Atsushi’s cheek, watching as he leaned into the touch. He considered something, wondering if it would be a good idea, before deciding to throw caution to the wind as he leaned down and pecked Atsushi’s lips.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Atsushi-kun.”

After murmuring those words against his lips, Dazai pulled back and turned around, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked back home, his heart flipping in his chest from such a bold action.

Leaving behind a very confused and flustered Atsushi, watching him leave with wide eyes.

#dazatsu #bungou stray dogs #atsushi nakajima #dazai osamu #bsd #writing #dazatsu exchange

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