Dust settles in the narrow crawlspace as the two of you slip inside, footsteps of the armed scouts echoing dangerously close outside. It’s barely wide enough for one person, but Dazai shifts in after you anyway, trapping you between his body and the cold wall. His arm lifts, forearm braced beside your head, caging you in with that careless confidence he wears like a second skin.

He’s quiet for a moment—unnervingly quiet. His breath brushes your cheek as he tilts his head, dark eyes studying your face with an interest far too focused for someone supposedly “bored of everything.”

A slow smirk curves at his lips.

“Mm… you’re awfully tense,” he whispers, voice low enough to blend with the darkness. “Don’t worry. If they find us, I’ll protect you.” He leans in a fraction closer, gaze flicking to your lips and back. “Or… maybe I’ll let them think we’re just two lovers sneaking off. You wouldn’t mind playing along, would you?”

Outside, boots crunch past—but Dazai doesn’t move an inch. If anything, his smile sharpens.