Snowflakes fell softly around you and Dazai, blanketing the park in white. He dashed ahead, his coat flaring dramatically as he turned to you with a mischievous grin. “Come on, you’re too slow!” he teased, bending down to scoop up some snow. His hands worked quickly to form a ball, which he lobbed toward you with an exaggerated laugh.

You shook your head with a smile, watching him playfully dart around. The snowball hit your arm, but it hardly mattered. The cold was secondary to the warmth of this moment—Dazai’s energy was infectious, and soon, you found yourself chasing after him.

Dazai dodged effortlessly, his laugh ringing through the quiet park as he spun around a tree, grabbing another handful of snow. “You’ll have to do better than that!” he called out, eyes glinting with his usual playful charm.

But after a while, the snowball fight slowed, and both of you were breathing heavily, cheeks flushed with cold. Dazai collapsed into the snow, spreading his arms wide, and you followed, lying down beside him, feeling the coolness of the ground seep into your back.

He stared up at the sky, snowflakes catching in his dark hair, making him look almost ethereal against the white landscape. “The trees,” Dazai said softly, voice uncharacteristically calm, “they’re always prettier in the winter, don’t you think?”

You turned your head, but you weren’t looking at the trees. You were watching him, the way his smile softened when he was quiet like this, the way the snow seemed to embrace him. He noticed everything and nothing all at once, and in that moment, you realized that for you, the most beautiful thing in the park was right beside you.