Work Text:
Your eyes were fixated on the screen in front of you as your fingers gently tapped at the keyboard. The only light source was from the moon and the table lamp you switched on. It was dead quiet in the office, with everyone else having knocked off from work with the exception of you.
And your boyfriend Atsushi.
Earlier in the morning when he was assigned a case, Kunikida had already told him to be prepared for a long day ahead. You couldn’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation, and you told Kunikida that you’ll stay back to finish some reports, to which the man simply agreed to.
Not that Atsushi was incapable of going back to the dorms by himself. The entire office was well aware on how capable he was. However as his significant other you felt that it was no harm waiting for him to knock off from work before heading back together.
You took a quick glance at your laptop’s clock, 9.57pm. It was getting late, and you wondered exactly how tough the mission was that it took Atsushi nearly 12 hours to settle. But that was the least of your concerns. He wasn’t injured or anything right? He ate at least a sandwich or something right? It'll be bad if he went on an empty stomach.
You shook your head, hoping that the thoughts would go away. Deciding to trust your boyfriend, you resumed your work. Plugging in your headphones, you played a recording of an interview earlier in the day and continued writing the report.
Atsushi slowly made his way down the dimly lit corridor, waiting for the lift to bring him up to the agency. At this point, his legs were too tired to carry him up several flights of stairs, and he was prepared to spend the night at the agency.
It’s already 10, (y/n) probably went home by now.
A familiar sense of loneliness overcame Atsushi. He never spoke about it to the member of the agency, but he dreaded going on missions alone, terrified that he’d screw up in one way or another. Up till today, he was still not confident of his abilities and often had recurring nightmares of him at the orphanage.
Atsushi nearly lost grip of the file in his hand when he opened the door to the agency and saw you. He couldn’t fight back the smile that slowly made its way to his face.
So you did wait for him after all.
The both of you confessed to your romantic feelings a few weeks ago, with Atsushi being completely new to the entire ‘dating’ concept. While he enjoyed your presence a lot, he sometimes felt weary of his actions, worried that he may end up becoming too clingy, resulting in you being mad with him. And Atsushi hated to admit, but he sometimes felt that he was not good enough for you.
You never blamed him for the way he thought though. Even before entering the relationship with Atsushi you were well aware of his severely low self-esteem, and you didn’t mind reminding him everyday that you loved him.
Your ears perked up when you heard footsteps approaching you, instantly recognising it as your boyfriend’s. You immediately yanked out your headphones and turned around. Atsushi stood in front of you, dressed in his usual white button down and black pants, one of his suspenders coming loose and threatening to fall of his shoulder.
He looked exhausted, his hand barely being able to hold up the file with the case report. His white hair looked unkempt, and there were traces of mud in his shoes.
Meanwhile, what Atsushi really wanted to just dash forward and engulf you in a hug, but he hesitated, again. Multiple thoughts were racing through his head at that very moment, but it got cut off when you ran towards him and threw your arms around his waist. As you were slightly shorter in height, you found yourself automatically burying your head into his shoulder, your ‘safe space’ as you would like to call it.
Atsushi felt his heart race and a blush tinted his cheeks. His arms slowly found a way to wrap around you as well. Even if it was less than a day, he missed you. He missed the missions where the two of you would go out together, solve cases together, write reports together. But as the agency became more busy, it was also harder for the two of you to solve a single case together.
“I… missed you.” He whispered, hoping he was loud enough for you to hear.
You smiled, knowing that your boyfriend was completely sincere every time those three words left his mouth. You took his hand in yours and led him to the sofa. Sitting down, you pulled him gently to sit next to you, before gesturing for him to lie down on your lap, which he gladly did.
Atsushi felt his eyelids drooping, the long work hours finally taking a toll on him. But he was struggling to keep himself awake. He wanted to talk to you, he wanted to keep hearing your voice. It put him at ease, knowing that there was someone out there who loved him, and someone worth protecting.
“Did you eat?” You asked.
“Sandwich...” came the reply. Atsushi’s voice was soft, and you knew that when he had trouble forming sentences, he was extremely sleepy.
You smiled and let out a small sigh, placing your thumb and index finger on his forehead. You, like many others at the agency, was an ability user. By placing your thumb and index finger on any part of a person’s body, you were able to lull them to sleep. While your ability is not as flashy as Atsushi’s, nor is it useful in combat, it has proven to be helpful in such situations - when your boyfriend was trying to fight his sleepiness. You decided that while you understood your boyfriend’s kind intentions, you would very much prefer if he was getting the rest he needed.
Soon enough, Atsushi’s incoherent mumbling stopped, and his breathing became soft and steady. He was asleep.
You stared at the man who was in your lap, both his hands holding onto one of yours. No one could see it, but your cheeks were tainted a faint pink. You loved him with your entire heart, so much to the point where you swore to Dazai that you would protect his life at all costs even if it meant giving up your own. You nearly let out a giggle when you heard Atsushi’s stomach grumble faintly, and you made a mental note to get him a hearty breakfast when he woke up.
“Sleep well, Atsushi.”