Work Text:
It started out by accident.
Atsushi would go to the nearest café that stays open at all hours when he got nightmares or insomnia and he would find someone unexpected. Akutagawa. He would be sitting at a table with a pot of tea, reading.
They had long since stopped trying to kill each other but by no means did they get along. They would exchange glares, spar, insult each other but nothing more.
At first Atsushi had no idea what to do but, when he wasn’t attacked, he would drink his tea and leave. Then he would take a book and read for a while, watching Akutagawa half the time to try and understand why he was there. But, no matter how long he waited, Akutagawa wouldn’t do anything suspicious. Sometimes he would leave on his own, sometimes he would receive a call and leave.
All in all, it was strange. Atsushi wanted to find out more.
One night he went to the café without sleep problems to blame. He was determined to see what Akutagawa was up to. He ordered his tea, one of the cheapest ones to save some money, and took his cup and pot to the taken table. He stopped by the table and cleared his throat.
Akutagawa looked up over his reading glasses, bemused. It seemed he wasn’t bothered enough to ask what he wanted this time.
Atsushi gathered all of his foolish courage and asked, ‘’may I sit here?’’
He was stared at for a few seconds. ‘’There are plenty of other tables to sit at. Surely you know this by now.’’ So he had noticed him.
He mustn’t give up. ‘’I mean this one.’’
A few more seconds of eye contact. Then, finally. ‘’Do as you wish, man tiger.’’
With a sigh of relief he set his teapot and cup down and took a seat opposite Akutagawa who had already gone back to reading.
Not sure of what to do, Atsushi poured himself some tea and leaned his book against the table. He tried to read the kanji but he couldn’t focus when someone who had tried to murder him for so long was placidly sitting across from him. He tried to be careful about it but it seemed he failed since Akutagawa looked up at him.
‘’If you have something to say, say it.’’
‘’No, nothing.’’
A few more seconds of burning eye contact and Akutagawa looked back to his own book. Atsushi tried to focus on his own book but was unable to do so. He left soon after, making sure to have drunk his tea. There was no way he would be wasteful.
***
Surprisingly enough, there was a next time. Atsushi couldn’t sleep and took a new book and went to the café. As expected, Akutagawa was there, reading. Atsushi ordered his tea, took it to the able and sat down. He opened his book and read.
Neither of them said a thing until Atsushi left.
‘’See you, man tiger.’’
Atsushi managed to stutter, ‘’y-yeah, see you,’’ before he left.
***
The next time was better. Atsushi did the usual and read until his thoughts wandered. Sitting like this, reading with Akutagawa, drinking tea with him… it was nice. He felt himself wanting to smile but he rubbed his hand over his face and through his hair.
‘’If you have something to say, say it.’’
Atsushi shook his head. ‘’No no, it’s nothing.’’
He was met with a stare. Just as he was about to blurt it out, Akutagawa looked back down and continued reading. When he took his cup and drank from it, Atsushi remembered about his own tea and drank it. It wasn’t the best but he liked it still.
Fairly used to the presence of his once mortal enemy, he kept reading his book. He didn’t notice the time go by until he got too sleepy to continue. He yawned, stretching, and checked that he had poured every drop of tea from the pot.
‘’If you’re tired, go home.’’
Atsushi was startled by the voice. It seemed he had relaxed much more than he had meant to. Strangely, Akutagawa didn’t appear genuinely irritated, just frowning at him for the show of it.
Atsushi waved him off, ‘’don’t worry, I’m going, I’m going.’’
‘’I wasn’t worried.’’
‘’Of course.’’ He wasn’t sure where this friendly conversation came from but he enjoyed it.
He got up and held onto the back of his chair to not fall over. His vision blacked out. When it returned, he looked around to see Akutagawa’s face slightly marred by… worry? That can’t be.
With a smile he reassured, ‘’I’m fine, just tired.’’
Akutagawa shook his head in incredulity, ‘’I wasn’t worried.’’
Atsushi took his book and waved at him, walking out of the café. His sleep that night wasn’t interrupted by a single nightmare.
***
The next day he returned to the café to read. He wasn’t expecting to see Akutagawa two days in a row but here they were.
He went up to the counter, where his order was made the second the barista saw him enter, paid and took it to the usual table. Akutagawa looked up at him and watched him sit. When Atsushi was about to open his book, he spoke up.
‘’How did you sleep?’’
Atsushi was startled by the question and responded after a second, ‘’well, thank you.’’
Akutagawa nodded and reached for a teapot. Except it was Atsushi’s teapot. Atsushi was too shocked to speak up. He poured the tea in his own cup, set down the pot and tasted it. He grimaced.
‘’This is cheap tea. Barely drinkable.’’
He took his own teapot and poured tea in Atsushi’s cup. Still blindsided, Atsushi only realized he was supposed to try the tea when he noticed Akutagawa staring at him. He lifted the cup and smelled the fragrance. It was exquisite. It tasted even better than it smelled, he found. It tasted like sitting under a tree in the hot sun. without noticing he let out a content sigh.
‘’Better than yours, I assume?’’
Oh right, he was with Akutagawa.
‘’Yes, it’s great!’’ he was surprised that Akutagawa would let him taste his expensive tea. He was grateful though.
‘’Then drink mine.’’
‘’W-what?’’
Akutagwa’s stare was stony. ‘’I’ll drink your tea.’’
Atsushi sputtered, ‘’b-but that’s too much!’’ Too nice from a dog of the mafia. Too nice for an orphan like him.
He only lifted his cup to his lips in response. He returned to his book.
Atsushi couldn’t help but feel guilty that he was taking Akutagawa’s good tea from him but he did enjoy it. They returned to reading until Akutagawa received a call and left. Atsushi finished both of their teas, content.
***
They repeated this routine a few more times, sharing a bigger teapot of different expensive teas, until one day Akutagawa told him a time to be at the café when they were both leaving. Bewildered, Atsushi agreed. He didn’t think he would be lead into a trap this time, none of it felt real and he doubted Akutagawa would take advantage of this tender peace.
He arrived that evening to Akutagawa standing outside the café. When he saw Atsushi, he nodded to him and walked away. Belatedly, Atsushi realized he was supposed to follow. He scampered after him and walked beside him. He was curious of where they were going but the silence was comfortable.
They arrived at a high class neighborhood. The buildings were modern and classy. The streets clean and empty. Akutagawa led him to one of the apartment buildings and swiped an access card. The door opened for him.
Shocked, Atsushi followed inside after him.
Like outside, the halls were clean but abandoned. There were potted plants and carpets, obviously well cared for. Akutagawa led him to an elevator. They went up a few floors and exited. Atsushi numbly followed him to a door that Akutagawa unlocked and opened. He waited for him to get in before closing and locking it.
Atsushi would have been dead if he’d been here a few months ago but now he was content. Surprised but content.
They took off their shoes and coats, something Atsushi hadn’t seen Akutagawa do before. They hung up their coats next to each other. Akutagawa got out two pairs of slippers from a cupboard and placed one down while putting on the other. Atsushi slipped them on and followed when Akutagawa went to the kitchen.
While Akutagawa made tea, Atsushi looked around. The apartment was impersonal but modern. There were doors to more rooms than Atushi thought was possible in an apartment.
Akutagawa made tea and put a teapot and two cups on the table in the living room. He then went to a bookshelf and picked out two books. He gave one to Atsushi.
When he sat on the couch, Atsushi sat next to him. Akutagawa looked so normal in his white shirt, reading glasses and home slippers. Atsushi looked at the book and deemed it might be interesting. They read in silence, occasionally pouring tea for both of them and sipping on it.
It was strangely domestic.
Eventually it got late enough that Atsushi felt sleepy and yawned. Akutagawa looked up at him and put his own book down.
‘’You should go if you’re tired.’’
Atsushi nodded and mumbled, ‘’yeah, okay.’’
‘’Can you find your way back?’’ What Atsushi heard was ‘’I can lead you back.’’
‘’I’m… not sure I can.’’
‘’Okay.’’
As he half expected and half didn’t expect, Akutagawa got up and went to the front door and started putting on his shoes. Atsushi hurried to follow, pulling on his boots and coat. He forgot about the book he left open on the couch.
Akutagawa in his coat looked much more like Atsushi was used to seeing but he had now seen under the gruff exterior and couldn’t ignore what he’d seen. He knew factually that Akutagawa was human but he’d never had proof of it.
He was led to the café where he remembered about the book.
‘’Oh right, that book was very good but I forgot it…’’ he mumbled to himself.
‘’You can continue next time.’’
‘’…yeah, you’re right.’’ So there would be a next time. Very interesting. Atsushi couldn’t deny that made him happy, and not just because of the book.
***
Akutagawa waited at the café for Atsushi a few more times before he remembered the way. He would see Akutagawa waiting outside his apartment complex. He would be let in, tea would be made, book retrieved and seats taken. Eventually he got his own pass card and rung the doorbell when he arrived.
They had gotten into a comfortable routine and both were too content to say anything about it.
One night there was a new development.
They had tried a new tea, pleasant as always. That wasn’t the development, they’d tried many teas, Atsushi shocked by the taste of every one. They sat next to each other, Akutagawa had gone to change from his fancy work clothes to home clothes. He’d been doing that for a while though.
They had physical contact.
When Atsushi was sleepy one day, he accidentally leaned his head against Akutagawa’s shoulder, who sat frozen until he cleared his throat. Atsushi apologized profusely, barely hearing Akutagawa’s ‘’it’s okay, man tiger’’s. He was grabbed by the shoulders and told it was okay until he believed it.
The next time he leaned his head against a warm shoulder, he didn’t panic when he realized what he’d done. Instead an arm wrapped around his shoulders and he smiled softly. The hand resting on his arm rubbed it, leaving a warm trail.
Akutagawa closed his book and set it down beside him. With his free hand he reached up for Atsushi’s hair and pet it, burying the fingers in the soft strands. Atsushi let out a soft sigh.
After a while Akutagawa tugged at his shoulder. He assumed it was to get him away so he leaned forward but he was tipped toward Akutagawa until his head rested in his lap. He was too tired to be surprised. He turned to his back and looked up at Akutagawa. The eyes that met his were soft, lips in a fond smile. Atsushi smiled widely and reached to cup his cheek.
Akutagawa leaned down and brushed their foreheads together. His strands of hair tickled Atsushi’s cheeks. They sighed in bliss.
Slowly, Atsushi fell asleep.
When he later woke up, the mugs and pot of tea were gone, both books on the coffee table with bookmarks, a blanket over him and his head on Akutagawa’s lap.
He hadn’t ever thought he’d be in this place like this but here they were.