(oh, scott. dazai's not good at this. when he first became a mentor, it had been violence and abuse that colored all his guidance, to create a strong and ruthless survivor. with atsushi, that would never work - and this is when dazai's learning how to tend to softness, to understanding, rather than breaking something apart to put it back in the way dazai finds the best fit.

but he hears the sniffing. he squeezes the hand a little tighter before he reaches to remove the sunglasses, unspoken safety before he finally leaves his childish mask to the side.)

Those are your feelings, it's okay to make any expression you want out of them. One general thing is, however, if you keep these things to yourself, they're going to slowly eat away at you. You're still a teenager, you can learn to better deal with it easier - talk, or don't talk, I won't make you, but you don't have to go through these things alone or hide them away.

(because scott is young. he's just met dazai, it hardly matters if dazai were to kick it the next day. just exploring his powers for the first time, finding hope, and then whatever it is that he went through when the monster took over - must be a lot.)