#oki i'm going to. attempt to sleep now 🫡

[zukkaoru]

in the mirror was someone who technically looked like him, but was not him.

In the mirror was someone who technically looked like him, but was not him. When Chuuya raises his hand, the person in the mirror mimics the movement. When Chuuya tilts his head, they do the same. But still, Chuuya cannot convince himself that the person he is looking at really is him.

There is some sort of disconnect—a gap he cannot bridge.

He brings his hand up to his hair, but before he can tug just to see if it hurts, there’s a knock on the door. It has to be Dazai, because Chuuya lives alone and no one else has a habit of breaking into his apartment just to bother him. Chuuya thinks, Go away, shithead, but his mouth stays firmly shut and so a moment later, the door swings open.

Dazai appears behind him in the mirror. He takes Chuuya’s hand in his—or maybe he takes the hand of the reflection—and he offers whoever it is he’s interacting with a goofy smile. “You should stop wasting time admiring your reflection and give me attention instead.”

Chuuya frowns. The person in the mirror frowns too.

Then, Dazai copies the expression. He moves his hands to Chuuya’s shoulders, turning him so he’s no longer staring in the mirror. Instead, he’s face-to-face with the real Dazai.

He relaxes, marginally. Under Dazai’s touch, he feels like something that’s just a bit closer to himself.