Operation Weretiger: Backfired (Bungo Stray Dogs)
Heyo everyone! This is a collab with the amazing @intheticklecloset! She had the great idea to do a “Moment in time” duology of fics in which we both took the same moment and altered the outcome! For Nym, she’s doing Lee!Atsushi, Ler!Dazai; and I’ll be doing Lee!Dazai, Ler!Atsushi!
This was an absolute joy to write, and collabing with you has real treat! Now I wanna dive into more Bungo lols! I hope y’all like it, and I’m definitely down to do more collabs with you in the future, Nym!
For Nym’s fic: Operation Weretiger: Success!
CW: Mention of previous suicide attempts
Summary: Dazai calls Atsushi up with ulterior motives. Things don’t go like he planned.
“Dazai, which tree are you in again?” Atsushi spoke into his cellphone as he walked into a nearly empty park, searching for the man in question. Not even an hour ago, he sent an SOS- something about “A failed attempt at suicide.” and “being stuck and can’t get down.” It was a little odd that he chose a place like this for his latest attempt, but Dazai has been found in wilder places with even more peculiar setups. This was normal- tame even.
That should have been Atsushi’s warning.
“By the big tree? You mean the one here?” Atsushi walked up to the large tree in question, brows furrowing. Across the wide spread branches, he saw nothing. No marks of someone climbing recently, no broken branches where feet pressed up to climb.
No Dazai.
Odd.
“I don’t see you. Don’t tell me you fell?” Falling from this height would hurt, but would it kill? He went to check around the back-
“Gotcha!” Dazai’s yell startled him so bad he dropped his phone, the device snapping shut as it hit the grass. Atsushi whirled around to…nothing. Dazai’s voice was like a ghost.
“D-Dazai?” Atsushi looked around. Maybe he really did kill himself this time.
“Up here, Atsushi.” There it was again. This time, the weretiger looked up. “D-Dazai?”
“Hello there, Atsushi! Glad you got my message!” Dazai- who was nowhere to be found moments ago, was now a foot above him, his feet hovering to Atsushi’s shoulders while his arms were bent, the sleeves caught in the branches. Really- all of Dazai’s coat was caught in the branches, along with the back of his vest. “As you can see, I’ve found myself in a rather uncomfortable position. Would you be so kind-”
“This…is your latest attempt at suicide?” Atsushi blinked, staring up at him. “Jumping from a tree?”
“Suicide? Oh, right- that's what my message was. Oh no, I just wanted to get the jump on you.” Dazai mused, unfazed while Atsushi gaped.
“HUH? Wh-What do you mean by that?”
“I suppose an explanation is needed. See-I had this brilliant idea recently. You’ve been rather fidgety around the office as of late- I had no idea why until I saw Naomi poking you. Then I remembered you were ticklish.” The word alone made Atsushi blush, his arms subconsciously pressing into his torso. “It’s been awhile since I’ve heard you laugh, so I figured I’d invite you out here-”
“You said you needed help.” Atsushi cut in.
“Invited you under false pretenses, yes.” Dazai waved a foot, his hands too stuck in the tree to make the gesture. “So I could tickle you, but as you can see, the universe had other plans.” He gave an experimental tug to the branches, finding no give. “Would you be so kind as to help me out? I’ll buy you all the tea on rice you can eat if you do.”
Atsushi’s stomach growled, the mention of his favorite meal like a trigger to his appetite. It was tempting. So very tempting.
But so was this opportunity before him.
“I guess I can help you, but before I do that…” Atsushi walked forward slowly, taking in the other’s trapped state. “There’s something I want to try myself.”
“Oh? And what would that be?” Dazai asked, trying to follow Atsushi with his eyes as best as he could.
“Dazai, are you ticklish?”
The voice came from behind, as did the fingers latching into the bound man’s ribs.
“Ah! Ahhh, N-No! Not at all!” Dazai’s voice was a pitch higher, his body coiling at the sudden waves of sensitivity bleeding through his torso. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing, willing his body to still. “No need to do thAAHT!”
“Do what? I’m just trying to get you down.” Atsushi began to squeeze repeatedly, the motion gentle but consistent. His efforts were rewarded with Dazai’s legs twitching faster, his squirms increasing as he fought down the growing noises within his chest. “Stop moving-you’ll only get yourself tangled more.”
“I’m tryiHIING!” Dazai yelped when Atsushi dropped his hands to his waist, squeezing just beneath his ribs. “NOOOHOHO!”
“No to not squirming or no you’re not ticklish?” Atsushi asked, starting to smile as he watched the wobbly grin spread along Dazai’s flushing cheeks. “I’m starting to think you were lying to me, Dazai.”
“Don’t go saying tHIIngs like tHAAHAT!” The detective’s squeaks increased as Atsushi’s hands shifted down again, pulling his tucked shirt free before worming his fingers against the now bare skin. “AtsHihihihihihi!”
“Hey, wanna see a trick?” Atsushi asked, not waiting for an answer. With a shift, his hands grew furry and soft, the nails tucked deep within the beds of his Tiger paws. With an evil grin, he started wiggling those soft fingers against Dazai’s belly and sides.
“Atsusshhihihihiihihihiihi!” The dam broke- within seconds Dazai was laughing, head thrown back in mirth as his belly and waist were prodded at. It was bad enough with fingers, but weretiger fingers? It felt like a thousand little feathers were shoved down his shirt, tracing every nerve along his skin and setting them ablaze. Even spots that weren’t even touched felt hypersensitive- the thought alone of those soft paws going for his neck, his armpits…it only made him laugh harder, weakened by the ghost tickles.
“So much for not being ticklish.” Atsushi giggled along with him, clearly enjoying himself. Hesitantly, he let one of his pawed hands drop from the older man’s stomach to his thigh, giving it an experimental squeeze. Dazai all but flailed at the touch. “Oo, ticklish legs too?”
“Aahhahahahtsuhuuhshi, plehehehhehahahahse!” Dazai cried out, his squirms growing more frantic, swinging him this way and back. Above him, he heard the cracks of a tree branch, but the stubborn thing wouldn’t give. He was still so effectively trapped.
“Please what? Please keep tickling you?” Did Atsushi get taller? How’d he get up here? Through his giggles, Dazai saw the other had shifted his legs, giving him additional height.
Enough height to reach his armpits.
“I suppose I can, if you’re asking for it.”Atsushi squeezed the middle of the brunette’s ribs, earning a fresh round of squeaky giggles. “How about…” He began to walk those fuzzy fingers up, one rib at a time, pressing in as he went. Dazai’s squirming increased, his giggles shaking his swinging torso as he tried to lean away. The hand was getting closer and closer to his armpit. “Here. What do you think?”
Dazai shook his head frantically, his laughter near silent. Atsushi smiled, all teeth now. A new glint was in his eyes- vengeance.
“You know- as your favorite victim, You’ve done similar things to this.” Atsushi hovered his paw over the spot, occasionally twitching his fingers just to tease the other. “You just love to hover over my worst spots, threatening to tickle me but never quite getting there.”
“Atsuhuhuhushi, plehahahse!”
“You always talk about how you love seeing me sweat. How I get all kinds of nervous- waiting for you to strike. I bet you’re feeling it now- that moment of anticipation-” Atsushi moved his hand forward by only an inch, making Dazai jump with a cackle. “Never quite get there.”
“Spahahhahre me, Atsuhuhuhushi! Dohhooohohn’t!”
“Don’t what? Don’t tickle you?” He smiled deviously. “Or don’t keep you waiting?”
That evil, evil weretiger! When did he get this good at teasing? Must have been practicing on Akutagawa. “Juuhuuhuuhst doohoho it!”
“Do what?”
“Tihihihihickle me!”
“Are you sure? You don’t sound sure.”
“Aahahahahhahtsuuhuhushi!”
“Well…okay..” Atsushi’s hands wasted no time digging into his armpits, earning an honest to god squeal before he was booming with laughter. Legs kicking, swinging the best he could, Dazai could only howl in mirth as Atsushi traced circles against the sensitive skin. The thin material of his button down did nothing to protect him- doing even less when Atsushi used two nails to cut a hole in said fabric, slipping his furry fingers against the skin. “Sorry about the shirt- it’s for the greater good.” Atsushi chimed, laughing when Dazai went silent.
Before he could move to a different spot, and before Dazai could wheeze for mercy- something snapped. Atsushi’s eyes widened as he watched the branch tangled in Dazai’s coat begin to break, releasing its grip. And then it broke free, sending Dazai down with it.
Or it would- hadn’t Atsushi’s reflexes kicked in. Moving with lightning speed, he gathered up the equally shocked detective in his arms before jumping, just narrowly missing the shower of branches and leaves coming down. A good chunk of Dazai’s coat ripped off but that could be replaced.
At least now no one had to go home with broken bones.
“Eh…hehe…yohohu’ve got gooohohod.” Dazai breathed, cradled against Atsushi’s chest. Whether he meant it regarding his reflexes or the tickles, Atsushi didn’t know. He put down the older man as his limbs shifted back to normal, guilt twinging his chest at the torn up clothes and disgruntled outfit.
“Sorry about the…yeah.” Atsushi waved a hand at Dazai’s attire. “I can pay for it.”
“No need. This isn’t the first coat I’ve destroyed. And I have tons of these shirts.” Dazai smiled as he tucked back in his clothes, wincing as he pulled off a stray twig. “Remind me to cross out trees on the suicide list- they’re rather sharp, and I’m sure a spider bit me in a rather inconvenient place.”
Atsushi hooted out a laugh at that, clamping a hand over his mouth when Dazai glared. But then the brunette was laughing just as much, pulling Atsushi with him as they made their way back to the office. “Let me get changed before we go get your Tea over Rice. Hate to spook the lovely woman there looking like this.”
“As if you don’t spook them enough with your talks of double suicide.” Atsushi voiced, earning a light nudge.
“When’d you get so sassy? Have you always been like this?” Dazai asked, eyes shining with intrigue. Atsushi laughed nervously, suddenly self-conscious.
“Sorry-” He began.
“It’s fine. I like you like this.” Dazai smiled as they walked onto the main road. “It means you’re one of us.”
One of…them.
The thought alone made Atsushi smile- a genuinely happy one that hurt his cheeks after a moment. Even when he tried to dim it down some, there was no hiding how happy those words made him feel.
One of them.
Thanks for reading! And thank you again, Nym! This has been an absolute joy collabing with you!
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