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Atsushi wasn’t sure what to do about this situation.
Akutagawa had walked into the Agency at 6:07 p.m. and Atsushi’s brain had officially left the station at 6:08 p.m. The whole ordeal was mortifying but Atsushi had no idea how to get his brain back under control.
It wasn’t that unusual to see a Port Mafia member at the Agency these days - especially this particular Port Mafia member. Dazai was obsessed with pairing Atsushi and Akutagawa up any chance he got and their respective organization leaders relied on him too much to disagree. Regardless, seeing Akutagawa around - not particularly out of the ordinary. Seeing Akutagawa around with mussed-up hair, carrying his coat instead of wearing it, and covered in dirt - that was a sight Atsushi wasn’t exactly used to.
Atsushi had seen all of those things individually. They’d been working together for a few months, it would be weirder if he hadn’t seen Akutagawa’s hair messed up or his face a little dirty. Maybe it was the combination of all three or the days getting hotter or the fact that Atsushi hadn’t slept well the previous night but Akutagawa looked good . Dirt wasn’t supposed to be attractive and as a normal person Atsushi didn’t think people covered in dirt, sweat, and blood were attractive... usually.
Part of Atsushi wondered if it was rude to think Akutagawa looked good when the man was clearly exhausted. The same part was wondering if he should have offered him a chair by now so that if Akutagawa did pass out he wouldn’t fall on the floor. If he fell and bruised his face Atsushi would feel awful plus Akutagawa’s face looked so good, bruising it would be extremely upsetting.
Speaking of Akutagawa’s very unfortunately attractive and angry face, Atsushi had been staring blankly at it for far too long. He wasn’t sure how long it had been but he knew it had to be way longer than polite. Plus, he could see a slight furrow forming between Akutagawa’s brows. The one that said You are far too stupid for me to understand, Jinko. What are you doing?
Maybe it was a reflex but seeing that furrow ticked Atsushi off a little. It wasn’t HIS fault Akutagawa had come in here looking like that. Or that he had slowly made his way to Atsushi’s desk asking for a file regarding their last mission in his dumb soft voice he always used outside of battles. Atsushi couldn’t be blamed for staring when Akutagawa had been acting so normal and familiar . As if walking into the Agency for random case information wasn’t anything new. Looking at the situation objectively, it wasn’t new but Atsushi refused to shoulder all of the blame here.
Akutagawa must have reached his limit for Atsushi’s weird behavior because he shifted one last time under Atsushi’s unwavering stare - and wow when was the last time Atsushi had blinked - and let out a light cough.
“Is this some kind of way of saying you want to battle, Jinko? If so, I’ll remind you that we are not scheduled to fight for another two months; though I’d be happy to move up the date of your demise if you desire it that much.”
Talking like that when you look like a tired kitten isn’t fair at all. Atsushi hated that he kind of liked it.
“Uhh…”
Well, it wasn’t exactly a response but a noise is better than more silent staring - Atsushi knew how to stay optimistic. He also knew that he should give it another try if Akutagawa’s unimpressed look was anything to go by.
“No, thanks?”
“Is that a question? Are you unsure, Jinko?”
“No?”
Akutagawa stared some more and shifted the coat hanging from his arms. Great. This was so awkward that even Akutagawa felt it.
“Did you- um...do you want to sit down?” Atsushi finally managed to ask.
Akutagawa squinted at him. Atsushi was pretty sure he would say no just because he’s stubborn and also an idiot. A really attractive idiot.
“Okay.”
Wait-
“What?”
Akutagawa scowled and that was all the prompting Atsushi needed to grab a nearby stray chair and offer it to his...partner? friend? destined rival?
Akutagawa sat down and Atsushi didn’t miss the way he sunk into the chair a little more than normal or the small sigh that escaped his lips for finally being off his feet. Atsushi tore his eyes away to look on his desk for the files Akutagawa had requested and tried to sound as casual as possible when he asked-
“When was the last time you slept?”
Another little sigh came from his right.
“Sometime yesterday?”
Atsushi glanced over.
“Did you have a mission? Seems pretty rough if it got you that dirty.”
Atsushi half expected to be told off and that it wasn’t his business, but maybe Akutagawa was too tired because he, surprisingly, answered.
“I had to go stop an arms deal. Bad information. Had to deal with an Ability user when we hadn’t expected it.”
Atsushi winced. In their line of work, faulty information was the last thing you wanted.
“Since you’re here it seems like you managed though.”
“Of course. I’m not you, Jinko.” The insult was there but it lacked actual bite. Atsushi couldn’t even bring himself to be offended by it.
He really had to resist the urge to ask “are you okay” because the answer would likely be some variation of being stabbed by Rashomon. Plus, looking at Akutagawa maybe that was a stupid question.
He looked back to the desk and finally spotted the file he’d been looking for. A quick glance of the contents confirmed it to be the correct one so he silently handed it over to Akutagawa.
Atsushi watched as Akutagawa leaned forward where he sat, opening the file to rest on his legs. He really was a mess. A smear of dirt went across one cheek to the tip of his nose. Looking at the coat tucked against his side, Atsushi could see more dirt and tears covering it. His hair was tangled and his bangs stuck up against his forehead. Atsushi watched as one of Akutagawa’s hands went up to one of the two long strands of his hair and pushed it behind his ear absentmindedly.
It looked...cute.
Atsushi felt himself flush and he prayed that Akutagawa would be distracted enough with the file to not notice. Luckily, Akutagawa took time looking at each page and flipped through slowly. Since they started working together, Atsushi had found out that Akutagawa had a pretty good memory. He didn’t normally need to bother much with case files the way he was now. He might have just been too tired to remember or, and Atsushi hesitated to consider it a valid idea, he might just be stalling.
Figuring out why Akutagawa did anything was normally equivalent to trying to tie your shoelaces with cooking tongs, but watching strict posture fall into a slouch and the slowed blink that was happening far too often, Atsushi felt pretty confident that Akutagawa’s memory wasn’t the problem.
He glanced around the Agency, nearly everyone had already gone home for the night. Kunikida remained scribbling in his notebook across the room and the Tanizaki siblings were chatting idly as they gathered their things together.
Atsushi had planned to stay late tonight. He wanted to get ahead on paperwork so he would have time to take Kyouka out for dinner soon - he’d missed her since she moved into her own dorm though he liked not having to sleep in his closet anymore. Taking another glance at Akutagawa sitting across from him looking as if a gentle tap would knock him onto the floor, Atsushi made a decision.
He reached out and shut his laptop that was sitting open on his desk before stretching his arms above his head with a yawn. He could feel Akutagawa’s eyes on him as he faked a grimace at the clock. He then turned abruptly to face Akutagawa who looked startled at the sudden attention.
“You wanted to go over the file together right?”
“I-”
Atsushi cut him off.
“I’m actually pretty tired. Think you could come with me to my apartment so we could go over it after I get a quick nap in? It isn’t far from here.”
Akutagawa stared at him. He wasn’t stupid. It was obvious what Atsushi was doing and he hadn’t really tried to hide it. He hadn’t said anything directly but they both knew what the request really was. If Akutagawa wanted to deny the olive branch being extended that was fine, but Atsushi really hoped he would take it. He didn’t want Chuuya to call demanding to know why Akutagawa was found passed out on the street and maybe Atsushi didn’t really want Akutagawa to pass out on the street either.
They stayed silent for a long time. Atsushi knew that things like this required patience, if he put pressure on it there was no way Akutagawa would accept so he waited silently. He watched Akutagawa’s hand clench around his coat a few times before Akutagawa finally cleared his throat to speak.
“My coat...it needs to be repaired.”
Atsushi quirked an eyebrow at him. He didn’t understand what Akutagawa’s coat had to do with-
Ah.
Akutagawa’s coat.
The man wasn’t completely defenseless without it, but looking at the thin white shirt that he wore underneath, it was obvious the coat worked better as protection.
Atsushi considered that for a moment.
“How do you normally repair it?”
Akutagawa was the picture of hesitance.
“My sister...she normally takes it to our tailor for me.”
Atsushi nodded. That made sense. He knew Gin cleaned it for him too and Atsushi doubted that it was because Akutagawa didn’t know how to do laundry. The separation from what essentially was Akutagawa’s ability probably stressed him out more than he wanted to admit.
“I could...drop it off to her.”
Akutagawa’s eyes looked downward for just a moment before he reached into his pocket and grabbed his phone. He typed a quick message and held up a finger signalling Atsushi to wait. Atsushi organized his desk and began gathering his things while Akutagawa texted back and forth for a while.
“My sister is outside. She’ll pick it up from me so we can...go over the case file?”
It was said like a question as if Akutagawa wasn’t quite sure what the invitation actually was or if it was genuine. Atsushi mentally sighed and added another item to the list of things Akutagawa does that are apparently really cute. Outward, he smiled at Akutagawa and nodded at him.
“That’s really nice of her. Ready to go?” Atsushi asked, standing up and grabbing his bag.
Akutagawa stood with him and nodded. Atsushi walked to the doors with Akutagawa trailing behind slowly as if he still wasn’t sure exactly what was happening - not that Atsushi did either.
He said a quick goodbye as he passed Kunikida - who didn’t even blink at the two of them walking out together - and led Akutagawa to the elevator. He pointedly did not look as Akutagawa slumped against the wall.
They walked out of the building together and Atsushi looked around. He didn’t see Akutagawa Gin at first because he hadn’t expected to see her in casual clothes, but his eyes quickly settled on her standing a few feet away. Akutagawa shot him a look.
“I’ll wait here.”
Akutagawa nodded and made his way over.
The two siblings talked for a while and Gin sent a few suspicious glances his way. Atsushi waved nervously back. Something about her was intimidating even in her nice dress with her hair flowing past her shoulders. Looking at her, it was pretty obvious that looks ran in the family. He watched Akutagawa shake his head violently in response to her a few times before she rolled her eyes and grabbed his wrist, marching the two of them back over to Atsushi.
Atsushi forced himself to stay still as Gin marched towards him. Murderous auras ran in the family too apparently. He pointedly did NOT think about how Akutagawa was obviously sulking as his sister dragged him along.
“Atsushi-kun! You’re taking my brother to your apartment? For casework?”
Atsushi shifted. He glanced at Akutagawa but he wasn’t meeting his eyes.
“Um, yes?”
“That’s pretty nice of you. You’re doing that while I take his coat to get repaired?”
“Yes…?”
He should probably stop answering with questions but it was hard considering who was asking him the questions.
Gin stared at him. She let go of Akutagawa’s wrist and grabbed Atsushi’s and pulled him further away.
“Gin!” Akutagawa called as they walked away.
“Just a moment!”
Atsushi felt like he was going to die. There was no way she wasn’t going to kill him. He must have answered one of the questions wrong.
Gin squinted at him.
“You know I know where you live right?”
Atsushi nodded.
“And that I’m a skilled assassin?”
Another nod.
“And that my brother isn’t completely defenseless even when he isn’t wearing twenty yards of fabric?”
Atsushi snorted at that one and nodded.
“You aren’t really taking him there for casework right?” She asked this time with a glance back at Akutagawa who was watching the two carefully. Atsushi almost detected a plea in her tone and decided to chance directness with her.
“Honestly? He looked too tired to stand and I didn’t want him passing out on the street somewhere so I was bringing him back to sleep for a while since our dorms are a lot closer than the Port Mafia headquarters and I assume wherever you guys live.”
Something shifted in Gin’s eyes then and she smiled at him. Atsushi got the feeling that was the correct answer - he definitely did not want to know what would have happened if he had answered incorrectly.
“Thank you. I’m glad to know someone’s looking out for him even if you don’t always get along. The repairs should only take a few hours - he doesn’t like to be without his coat for very long and I’m pretty persuasive.” She shot Atsushi a smile that he did not want to interpret.
With that, she seized hold of Atsushi’s wrist once more and marched him back over to Akutagawa. She held her hands out to her brother and he passed over the coat without fanfare. Or maybe a little since there was a red stain on Akutagawa’s white shirt under where he had been holding his coat. Gin started scowling and wow they looked alike when she did that.
“Why are you bleeding?”
“A small injury. I already took care of it.”
“You can’t just wrap things in your ability and call that ‘taking care of it’.” She protested.
This seemed like a familiar fight between the two and Atsushi was absolutely enthralled. Obviously, he wasn’t very happy that Akutagawa was injured, but watching him bicker with his sister was something new and kind of sweet.
“I didn’t just ‘wrap it with my ability’.”
Gin’s scowl deepened as if she knew that was a complete lie. She abruptly turned to Atsushi.
“Could you do me a favor and look over that- ” she gestured towards the blood on Akutagawa’s shirt “when you get to your apartment. I promise he won’t hurt you or try to stop you.” She said the last part while glaring at her brother who simply sighed in defeat as a response.
Atsushi was kind of in love with how easily Akutagawa did things to keep Gin from worrying. Atsushi nodded his consent which seemed to appease her. He watched as she tucked Akutagawa’s coat into a bag she had been carrying and gave a small wave as she walked away.
“Remember, don’t cause trouble Ryuu - I will know! Take care of him for me, Atsushi-kun!”
Atsushi waved back as she turned a corner out of sight.
Akutagawa’s cheeks were slightly red which wasn’t a fair addition to his current state of appearance at all . Atsushi shuffled awkwardly for a moment before leading Akutagawa on the path towards the Agency dorms.
They walked slowly. Atsushi didn’t want to keep Akutagawa awake much longer, but he also didn’t think he was capable of walking much faster.
The walk was silent, but Atsushi didn’t mind. It was kind of nice just to have Akutagawa with him - neither of them fighting or trying to kill the other.
They arrived at the dorm building and Akutagawa looked it up and down.
“The Agency should provide its workers with better housing.”
Atsushi snorted.
“Tell me about it. It isn’t as bad as it looks though. This way.” He led Akutagawa up the steps and watched the barely noticeable struggle Akutagawa had with each step.
When they were both finally in the apartment Atsushi breathed a sigh of relief. Akutagawa’s face was always pale, but it was clear the walk wasn’t in his body’s best interest judging by his paler-than-normal skin and the persistent cough acting up.
Akutagawa was lingering awkwardly by the door looking around curiously.
“It isn’t much but make yourself at home. Do you want some water?”
Akutagawa nodded. Atsushi left him alone by the door as he moved the short distance to the kitchen. He briefly wondered if Akutagawa was hungry but dismissed the thought. First, he needed water, then he needed whatever injury that was on his side looked at, and then Atsushi had to get him off his feet. Three easy steps that Atsushi had no idea how to navigate. Gin had told Akutagawa to be cooperative but that didn’t mean he would be. Atsushi sighed as he finished filling up a cup with some water.
He turned back around to find Akutagawa watching him. He seemed just as tentative with the situation as Atsushi was. The thought made Atsushi smile.
“Here. Drink that and then I’ll take a look at your side. Your shirt is covered in blood so you can borrow one of mine.”
“That’s not necessary.”
Atsushi rolled his eyes. There it was.
“I don’t really want to be killed in my sleep by your sister so it actually is necessary.”
Akutagawa frowned.
“She wouldn’t actually kill you.”
Atsushi stared at him.
“She wouldn’t kill you without reason.”
“I think letting her brother die of an infected cut is a pretty good reason to kill me.”
Akutagawa sighed but didn’t say anything else, choosing instead to drink the water Atsushi had handed him.
Atsushi went off to the bedroom. Luckily, he still had an extra futon from when Kyouka lived with him. He quickly set it up and threw a random shirt from his closet onto it.
Akutagawa was waiting for him, still lingering by the entrance.
Atsushi gestured towards the bathroom. He could practically see the internal conflict that took place before Akutagawa finally relented and went into the bathroom with him. Atsushi gestured for him to sit down on the toilet lid and grabbed a washcloth to run under the tap. He wasn’t too concerned about the injury since he was pretty sure the bleeding had already stopped. From what he could tell as they walked over the stain hadn’t been growing at all. Plus Akutagawa was surprisingly tough when it came to pain.
“Alright, let’s see it.”
Slowly, Akutagawa brought one hand to the hem of his shirt and lifted it just enough for Atsushi to see. Atsushi barely saw white tendrils of Rashomon retreat from where they had been pressed against the wound. Ah, so that’s what Gin meant. Did he always do that with injuries?
Atsushi grabbed the washcloth and moved to kneel in front of Akutagawa.
“There’s a bit too much blood to look at it properly, so I’m just going to clean some of it off.”
He didn’t expect a response and he didn’t receive one. Atsushi reached towards Akutagawa’s abdomen and nothing stabbed him so he took that as permission to carry on. He wiped gently, trying not to think about Akutagawa’s eyes focused on him. The blood was a good distraction. There wasn’t nearly as much as Atsushi had expected which was good, between using Rashomon and Akutagawa’s continual movement, the stain had likely spread larger than it normally would considering the size of the wound.
While cleaning the surrounding area, Atsushi’s eyes caught on a few other small scars but they didn’t linger. It wasn’t his right to look or to ask so he stayed focused on the task at hand.
The cut curved slightly upwards and his hand lightly knocked against Akutagawa’s once or twice. He could feel his face get slightly red.
“It might be easier if..uh…your shirt wasn’t-”
Akutagawa’s glare said that wasn’t happening. Atsushi wasn’t sure if he was grateful or disappointed. Though it did make the clean-up a bit more awkward since he had to maneuver around the shirt and Akutagawa’s hand.
Once he had gotten most of the excess blood cleaned up, he squinted at the wound.
“I’m not really sure but it would probably be better if you got stitches. Yosano-san is normally here around this hour so I can go get her. It shouldn’t be too bad as long as you deny her ‘special treatment’. Seriously, you don’t want it.”
Atsushi glanced up from where his eyes were looking at the cut.
Akutagawa’s face was red again and - oh, that was embarrassing. Atsushi yanked his hand back from where it had been against Akutagawa’s side, his thumb absently moving back and forth. His face heated up. He hadn’t even meant to do it, it just sort of happened.
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine-”
Atsushi’s eyes got wide.
“ -I don’t need stitches.”
Oh, that made a lot more sense.
“Are you sure? It looks pretty deep.” Atsushi’s eyes flicked back to Akutagawa’s waist but he made sure to keep his hands in his lap.
“It isn’t really bleeding anymore and I don’t mind scars.”
“Isn’t it better to be safe than sorry though? Really, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind coming up here and it wouldn’t take long.”
Akutagawa looked as if that was the last thing he wanted Atsushi to say. He coughed lightly and looked away.
“I’m...not interested in needles.”
“Not interested? Oh, you mean you’re afraid of them?”
That was clearly the wrong thing to say as the glare was back on Akutagawa’s face.
“No. I am not ‘afraid’ of needles. I simply don’t care for them to come near me.”
Wow, Akutagawa was afraid of needles and really embarrassed about it and it definitely wasn’t cute.
Atsushi looked back at the cut. It wasn’t that deep. He looked back up at Akutagawa’s face, still streaked with dirt, and decided he was way too soft to ever be a doctor.
“Fine. I won’t call her, but you have to promise to see an actual doctor about this because I have no clue how taking care of injuries works. Especially since, you know, I don’t really keep any injuries long.”
Something in Akutagawa’s face relaxed and Atsushi kind of loved watching it. Loved his expressions that is. He obviously didn’t love Akutagawa.
“Also, we’re going to bandage this. I don’t want it to get dirty.”
This time he received a nod. Atsushi smiled back at him and quickly finished up cleaning the cut. He grabbed a large square bandage from the first aid kit under the sink and laid it over the cut.
Atsushi knew he was gentle, but no one was gentle enough to avoid irritating an injury completely - especially when cleaning it the way Atsushi had. Despite that, Akutagawa hadn’t let out a single noise of complaint nor had his face even shown that he felt Atsushi’s hand against the cut the entire time they had been dealing with it. It made Atsushi a little sad that this didn’t seem to be anything new to Akutagawa. He secured the bandage in place and ran a light hand over it a few times to make sure it stuck. He watched goosebumps form on Akutagawa’s abdomen and flicked his eyes up to Akutagawa’s face. His next words came out as a whisper even though he wasn’t quite sure why.
“Are you cold?”
Akutagawa shook his head. His eyes roamed over Atsushi’s face as if searching for something. Everything felt slowed down. Akutagawa kept searching and Atsushi kept watching. This time, he was hyper-aware that his hand was still pressed against Akutagawa. He felt each breath the other took and every small movement he made.
Akutagawa’s eyes settled back on Atsushi’s and they stared at one another. Slowly, Atsushi felt something curl against his wrist but his eyes remained locked with Akutagawa’s. It gently pulled his hand off of Akutagawa’s bandages. He hadn’t even realized his fingers had been curling inwards.
“Careful. You’ll mess them up.”
Akutagawa was whispering too.
Atsushi’s eyes flicked down. Akutagawa’s hand still circled Atsushi’s wrist, so gently it barely felt there at all. He watched Akutagawa release him slowly until the very last point of contact between them separated. Atsushi breathed in slowly staring at his wrist.
He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and snapped back to the present.
“Don’t let your shirt touch the bandage. I don’t want blood on the outside of it too.”
Akutagawa obediently lifted his hand and shirt back to where they’d been before.
“I’ll go get you one of mine and then you can wash some of the dirt off your face.”
Akutagawa frowned and turned to the mirror. His free hand rubbed at some of the grime as if he hadn’t realized it was there.
Atsushi laughed a little and turned away from him. He quickly retrieved the shirt he had set out on the spare futon and returned to the bathroom.
“Sorry, it isn’t very nice, though it is free of blood which I consider a step up. You can throw the one you’re wearing in the sink and we can try to wash it later.”
Akutagawa nodded and took the shirt from him. Atsushi made sure to set out a new washcloth so Akutagawa could wipe down his face and then left the room. He stopped by his closet to change into more comfortable clothes as well before heading into the kitchen.
He figured tea couldn’t hurt. Worst case scenario, Akutagawa refuses to drink it and pours it on Atsushi’s head while calling him poor but Atsushi was pretty confident that wouldn’t happen. For one, Akutagawa was still really obviously tired and for two, he seemed to be in a decent mood for now.
It definitely wasn’t something Atsushi was used to, but he liked it. A lot.
Akutagawa had a lot of sides to him that didn’t really make sense, but once he began to get the hang of it Atsushi kind of enjoyed discovering all of them. This one might be his favorite so far, though part of him still loves their teasing fights that lack actual heat the most. He didn’t even try to stop himself from smiling as he made tea and the water turned on in the bathroom.
Once it was done, he poured two cups and placed them next to the futons in the bedroom. He had tried to put space between them, but the room wasn’t very big to begin with.
It didn’t take long for Akutagawa to poke his head into the room. He looked significantly cleaner and more himself though Atsushi spared a moment to mourn the disheveled look from earlier.
“I made tea.” He said, gesturing at the other futon and the cup next to it. Another nod was sent in his direction.
“Are you hungry at all? I don’t have many options but I could throw something together.”
Akutagawa shook his head and crawled onto the futon across from him. Atsushi watched as he took a sip of the tea in front of him. There wasn’t much reaction which was probably for the best - Atsushi didn’t even really like it, it was just the cheapest he could find. He looked over Akutagawa. The shirt he had loaned him fit well. Both of them were thin and about the same height so it worked nicely. The shirt was blue and Atsushi didn’t think he’d ever seen Akutagawa in color before. It was nice.
“Why are you smiling?”
Oops, caught red-handed.
“I don’t know. This is just kind of nice.”
Akutagawa hummed across from him.
“I suppose.”
Atsushi was pretty sure his eyes were going to pop out of his head. Akutagawa agreeing with him? Akutagawa liking his company? This had to be a hallucination there was no way for it to be real.
But, even as silence dragged on, Akutagawa remained across from him, in Atsushi’s house, holding one of Atsushi’s cups, in Atsushi’s shirt. Miracles apparently did exist.
They sat in silence for a while. Atsushi eventually grabbed one of the books he had recently invested in to pass the time. He had pushed the stack towards Akutagawa in case he wanted to read anything but he had shaken his head, continuing to take occasional small sips of tea.
The book wasn’t terribly interesting. It had been marked down so Atsushi had bought it, but it wasn’t exactly suited to his tastes. Eventually, he grew tired of it and set it to the side. He opened his mouth to say something about it but stopped himself quickly.
At some point, Akutagawa had shifted to his side and fallen asleep. He hadn’t even bothered to pull a blanket over himself. Atsushi stared at him then looked at the blanket bunched up next to Akutagawa’s feet.
He was actually considering tucking the Rabid Dog of the Port Mafia into bed. And, judging by how hot his face felt, blushing over it too.
He only hesitated at this point because he knew Akutagawa had killer reflexes - literally. He didn’t really want to surprise him awake and get stabbed. But on the other hand, Akutagawa looked kind of cold and his nose was scrunching up and - yeah, Atsushi was already moving to grab the blanket as quietly and gently as possible. He grabbed the edge and moved it to lay over Akutagawa. As he settled it over Akutagawa’s shoulders, he saw grey eyes blinking slowly at him. Atsushi was proud he managed to hold in the flinch of surprise.
“I didn’t want you to get cold.”
Akutagawa blinked at him again.
“Thank you.”
Atsushi wanted to die .
No one’s voice should be able to sound like that and no one should be able to look like that and no one should be able to be Akutagawa Ryuunosuke because it wasn’t fair.
“You’re welcome.”
It came out less smoothly than Atsushi would have liked, but he was proud he managed to say it at all. Akutagawa’s eyes were falling shut again. Atsushi wondered if “sometime yesterday” was an accurate answer for when Akutagawa last slept. He bit his lip and reached a hand out to rest on Akutagawa’s shoulder.
“Akutagawa. Sorry, wake back up for just a second. Where’s your phone?”
Akutagawa blinked a few times.
“Why?”
“I was going to text your sister to bring your coat tomorrow. You seemed tired and I figured it would be best to just let you sleep rather than wake you up when it isn’t necessary.”
Akutagawa hesitated again, but Atsushi could swear it didn’t last as long this time. There was a little bit of shuffling before a hand reached out from under the blanket holding Akutagawa’s phone. Atsushi took it from him with a smile.
“Don’t snoop, Jinko.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. I’ll take care of everything, go back to sleep.” Atsushi hadn’t even finished his sentence before Akutagawa’s eyes were closed.
He sent a quick text to Gin’s contact only to receive “I figured, be there at six tomorrow morning.” in response. Atsushi set the phone down within Akutagawa’s reach and looked at him once more.
He had already fallen back asleep. Before he had a chance to even think it through, he rested a hand on Akutagawa’s hair - he received no reaction. Atsushi stroked through it once or twice before standing up and shutting off the lights.
He then laid down on his own futon and fell asleep watching a silhouette in the dark. And maybe thinking about how he was a little in love with that silhouette too.