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Chuuya feels out of his element, but in reality, he's visually completely in it.
An extremely nice restaurant meets their attentions when they arrive. A violin playing in the background paints the atmosphere immediately pleasant. The floors are lush in carpets under the soles of their leather shoes; polite conversations pass by their walk while they make it to their reserved table.
Atsushi is in awe. That is the only word that came to mind when Chuuya glanced up and watched the bright hues in his eyes widen to impossible sizes that there was a chandelier on the ceiling.
"I feel like an idiot," he admitted freely, which wasn't entirely in character of him but he felt instinctive needs to be somewhat honest. "You've never been to anywhere so upscale before have you?"
"No way, I was happy to eat anything I could find,"
Chuuya's heart made an involuntary tight twitch. What did that even feel like? He's always been privileged with money, his current status with the Mafia didn't defer that lifestyle.
Chuuya was reminded that the clothes Atsushi was wearing were not his own. Though they were tight in a few places, like right around his elbows or along the high ridges of his thighs where the cloth bagged a little too much-- he looked still good with expensive clothes.
The hostess sat them in the far corner and pulled a privacy screen to take away the restaurant.
"You can order anything and everything if you want. It's Italian food. I might have a mild obsession with cheese and carbs," Chuuya didn't look at the menu at all and would be content eating anything Atsushi decided.
"Is that because of all the wine you drink?" Atsushi was glancing at the menu, but his fingers had reached around the bowed bench to thread with his. Chuuya moved his palm readily to let them touch.
"I don't drink that much wine,"
"Oh? Dazai said you have to drink yourself to sleep every night because you are lonely in that condo,"
Atsushi sounded genuine in that concern, and it released a tired sigh from Chuuya at those words.
"Tsk-- he's filled your head with exaggeration. I am not an alcoholic, and to be honest, I am not that into wine. Someone bought me a bottle one year and next thing I knew-- I had a collection," Chuuya would happily take any wine as a gift, but whoever started the rumor about him and his obsession with wine had only allowed him never to have to buy any. He did have a lot though. Ok, it was a little bit of a lie. He loved expensive wine, but he wasn't going to admit it, or it allowed Dazai to win.
"Why do you love cheese then?" Atsushi asked when the waiter came up to let Chuuya try the wine. They both shared a look, and Chuuya nearly laughed into the glass. Ordering appetizers and approving the wine, Chuuya leaned back in the booth to better see Atsushi also relaxing at the promise of a lot of food.
"I like how they surprise you sometimes. You read 'cranberry tart cheese' and think ok; this won't be too bad. But then you eat it, and it's like something died in your mouth," Chuuya laughed a little at a fond memory. "Some melt smoothly, and others do pair well with meals. It's a very entertaining area I guess?"
Atsushi was trying to hold back his laugh, face slightly flushed and cheeks puffed out comically.
"Well laugh then-- I know how it sounds," Chuuya was stupidly smiling cause it did appear incredibly nerdy now that he's put it to words.
"It's not!" Atsushi waved his hands quickly between them. "I just didn't realize that was the reason. Dazai said it was because you secretly wanted to eat fatty foods in hopes to getting bigger all around."
The vein in Chuuya's forehead pulsed.
"Atsushi, you can't believe anything... and I mean anything he says about me-- ever,"
"But he's already told me more than I think I wanted to know," Atsushi didn't seem like he believed it all-- thankfully as his lips quirked in a tease. At least they would have something to talk about tonight. Chuuya sipped his wine and pulled his foot up to the bench to face Atsushi entirely.
"Ok-- what else is there?"
"Um," Atsushi bit the edge of his thumbnail, amusement had made its way on his face now, and Chuuya could only imagine all the lies. Dazai was the world's worse person.
"How about, do you sleep walk?" Atsushi tucked his hand under his jaw and leaned his elbow on the table, fingers of his other hand still clasped with Chuuya's. Having full attention from the other was a bit discerning, maybe because there was this feral glint of mischief that he's never seen before in the weretigers gaze.
"Mhmm," he responded. Atsushi raised his brows. "Well, I sometimes do if I am exhausted. I'm trying to anticipate what he told you now, but I have been known to end up on the ceiling."
"Upside-down?" Atsushi laughed freely, a rich, beautiful sound from the center of his belly. "How have you not broken your neck from such things?"
"Please, Dazai would hear me stomping and would touch the top of my head making me fall back into bed or his arms-- if he wanted blackmail material,"
"He told me, that when you sleep walk, you reveal secrets," Atsushi sipped the wine after he spoke, the slightest hint of red hitting the tips of his ears.
"Don't let that get out alright-- it's bad enough I am under scrutiny wanting to be with you," Chuuya felt the twitch of muscles along their held hands from Atsushi. Maybe he hadn't worded that correctly, he leaned forward to reassure. Lips ruby red from the red wine; they pursued to press a soft kiss to his cheek.
"You won't get killed because of it will you?" Atsushi asked cautiously.
"Dazai won't let anything happen to us," Chuuya sighed, "of anything I know as a constant? When he says, he has your back he truly and honestly does. Even if his methods are a right pain in the ass to deal with."
"I didn't want to talk about this stuff-- this is why I was bringing up the silly things," Atsushi admitted, "it's difficult to ignore the elephant in the room. But-- I want to-- it's nice to have you. Well," Atsushi waved his free hand at them as if searching for the right words and Chuuya grabbed the hand moving about bringing it to his lips to kiss each knuckle with a warm grin.
"We both suck at this-- it's okay though," Chuuya didn't add on that he was growing increasingly more love sick as every encounter passed. He also didn't speak to the fact it was dangerous they were together at all, it was easy at this moment to pretend it was all fine. That Dazai would look after all his pawns and friends, but Chuuya was an executive of the Mafia for a reason. A deadly scheme that he was determined to finish and execute flawlessly.
Food accumulated onto the table then saving them for the moment, Atsushi's eyes grew to impossible sizes and filled his plate from all the entries. Chuuya waited his turn, an affectionate want to see Atsushi stuff himself into a cat nap was high on his list for tonight. Atsushi though had other ideas, the plate he was making was for Chuuya, and the mess of mixed foods slid right in front of him with a coy smirk.
"There-- you can start eating," Atsushi began making his plate giving Chuuya had no time to mask his surprise nor the blush that crept up his cheeks.
"Thanks," Chuuya smiled and tossed a napkin on his lap to dig in. A pleasant silence filled the booth while they ate until Atsushi turned with a slurp of noodles to say something.
"I assume you are unafraid of heights, Dazai also told me you jumped out of a plane without a parachute once," Chuuya hummed around a large bite of ravioli and nodded with a swallow.
"Learning how to fight alongside Dazai took a lot of time and patience. I got annoyed with him making fun of my hat and chose to jump out of the plane early," Chuuya gritted his teeth a little, "he did it on purpose you know. He was ordered to see if I could handle landing after reaching a peaked velocity from the fall. I did, obviously--"
Atsushi laughed, "well he convinced me that a tiger was chasing after me when I was the actual tiger so."
Dinner progressed with an ease Chuuya had secretly wanted all along. It wasn't often he thought about his role with the Mafia and how it affected others outside the family who took him in. There was a decerning thought about how easy it was for them to be here comfortably together, as if something precious could be held clasped between his fingers and Chuuya could experience being genuinely happy without worrying about it being torn away.
But it's happened. Kouyou had tried to run away from the Mafia long ago, and her lover had been killed. Atsushi chattered on animated over the dessert they had-- double stuffed cannoli with chocolate drizzle. He had reassured this was okay but as he peered away from the image of Atsushi offering him a bite of the treat he felt the hairs along his arms lift gently as if someone was watching them.
"Chuuya?"
His gaze moved from the corner of the screen back to the other who had his head tilted in question.
"Sorry, food coma I think-- I'm getting tired of all this wine and food," Chuuya lied immediately, and Atsushi beamed with a light rub of fingers to his forearm proving he believed it.
"Me too, this was fun. Ready to go?"
Chuuya paid the check with cash, leaving the envelope on the table while they clasped hands and walked out of the lavish restaurant. The night air was welcoming, and the walk back was quiet in a comfortable way. Chuuya didn't realize he was smiling so much until Atsushi was peering up to catch it and it flustered him into pulling down the brim of his hat to hide it.
"You smirk a lot, but your smile is really nice," Atsushi spoke casually as if saying a compliment like that was the easiest thing in the world.
"Shut up-- you're too adorable for a dangerous tiger," they stopped outside the condo where Chuuya lived, and Atsushi didn't even wait a second before he leaned forward. The kiss was quick, just a gentle compression that hovered over his mouth afterward as they both released a shaky exhale. Chuuya's hands lifted until they gripped Atsushi's sides, pulling him closer to meet again. This time Chuuya took over the kiss, tilting his head and deepening it with a vibrated hum of pleasure to part their lips.
"Keep the clothes for now," he said with a smirk, kissing Atsushi's red cheek before pulling away.
"I'll call you this weekend," he waved walking up the stairs, pausing at the top to peer over his shoulder to see the other still standing in the same position.
"Oy! Wake up-- get home safe alright?" Chuuya added, and Atsushi gave him a bright smile and a quick thumbs up.
"Of course! Bye!"
"Geez, so cute. Bye--" Chuuya's chest was thundering and his gut twisted in fluttering butterflies at the lovely sight. He turned and opened the lock on the condo door, waving to the guard inside.
"Chuuya-san, evening. You have visitors upstairs," they said walking with him towards the elevator.
"What? I don't need an escort," Chuuya frowned as the doors opened and they gestured for him to enter.
"Boss' orders," they pressed a key card to the elevator and hit the floor Chuuya lived on. All the happiness he had felt from tonight fell into a perfectly sealed box in his mind; a coldness resurfaced as his fists curled by his side. His phone chirped, and he quickly pulled it out seeing a text from Dazai.
Get out
The elevator slowed as the doors opened revealing a hallway filled with men.
"This is unnecessary," he rolled his eyes, squaring his shoulders while making his way down the hall to see his door open. He walked inside, fingers buried in his front pockets.
"Mori-san, didn't think you would intrude of someone's home like this," his words were sharp as knives, and it was evident all these men were here to intimidate him into some submission. Though it was trifling, he could kill everyone here with in a few seconds. Mori knew this-- and yet he had opened one of his wine bottles and was sitting on a barstool near the kitchen with ease in the space that Chuuya wouldn't be able to get out of his mind.
"It's not yours anymore,"
The single guard from downstairs had unfortunately been overlooked in the crowd of mafia men. A gun with a needle on the end injected something into his neck before he could react. The whites of his eyes bled into a red, pupils dilating until they all the color was consumed. He fell to the ground, fingers spread onto the hardwood as his hat tumbled off his head. His chest heaved in and out, gasping for air as his muscles seized, he slid to the floor on his side. A scream ripped out of him as the poison and drug rushed through his circulatory system-- as did a burst of gravity that broken apart the floor in a ring, forcing anyone near him to stick to the walls.
"Bag him," someone made it to him, forcing a sack over his face and tying the knot too tight to his throat. He tried to use his ability, but darkness was consuming his mind not directly from the loss of sight. What did they give him? He felt them remove his jacket and throw his phone, and before he could decipher anything else his head took a blow with something hard and he was greeted with nothingness.