Chapter Text
Atsushi had experienced many, more or less disturbing, things in the short 18 years of his life. His catering job at the Akutagawa household would probably be categorized as one of the more disturbing ones.
But first, let's get into how he even got there.
Now, Atsushi never really had the choice to decline the job, his financial situation was way too dire for that. However he could have informed himself about the Akutagawa family beforehand. And he could have probably avoided a bunch of the problems he ended up facing. Obviously it was too late for that now.
When Atsushi turned 18 he was kicked out of the orphanage. Yes, on his birthday ! And ever since then his life was on a downwards spiral.
At first he was still optimistic. You know, finding a job and all? Yea. At first . After two weeks the small amount of money he had saved up over the years was used. He didn't really have any friends to turn to, as all he ever knew was the damn orphanage.
He did become street smart pretty fast though. He knew which shops would throw out perfectly good food and where there would be warmth at night. He quickly learnt how to pick locks to abandoned buildings when he needed shelter and he even made a friend.
That didn't change the fact that winter was approaching and Atsushi was not really able to keep his weight. Not like there was much to begin with.
After living on the streets for two whole months, it was November, he found himself at a gas station. He was hungry, dirty and just fed up with this life of his. He had nowhere to go and at this point going to jail would at least mean a bed and some food, right? Right.
So he decided to do what a homeless person should do. Steal something.
Now, Atsushi always tried to keep himself as clean as he could. But a river and an old bar of soap can only do that much . As he entered the store he got a hostile look from the lady at the cash register.
Oh, well. Let's do this.
Atsushi did not even try to be subtle. He walked into the shop, went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water and a packaged sandwich and then he just left again. Just like that.
And at first he did think it was strange that nothing happened. But in the next moment he was tackled to the ground, a heavy weight on top of him and the voice of a man screaming at him: "You disgusting little thief! You think you can just come in here and steal my goods and just leave like this?!"
Atsushi had hoped that the police would get informed. Unluckily he had chosen the wrong gas station for the police to get involved because this specific gas station was under the mafia.
Atsushi couldn't have known, but then again, maybe the mafia had some food and a bed for him?
He felt his arms get pulled behind his back and then he was dragged backwards. He didn't even bother screaming. He did bring this upon himself after all and if he didn't eat anything he would die anyways. Might as well go out by being killed by some crazy shop owner, right?
He was dragged into the back of the shop, some sort of storage room, and he could finally see the shop owner.
A short overweight man, he didn't look japanese. He was sweating from dragging the teenager and a little out of breath. He also now had a baseball bat in his hand.
Atsushi braced himself. Not the first time he would get a beating after all. Life really wasn't on his side. He almost started laughing. Nothing that man could do was going to be worse than what had happened prior in his life.
So when the man hit him across the face with the bat, hard , Atsushi did not even whimper. His head flung to the right. And yes, it hurt. Of course it did. But Atsushi was conditioned to just take a beating without complaint. That's just what he had learned growing up.
He felt the heat of his own blood run down the left side of his head. Probably a laceration, not his first. The man looked down on him. Though he did seem a little surprised by the lack of reaction it also fired him up more.
Atsushi sighed a little because he knew what was coming. And when he regained consciousness there was only dim light. He could taste blood in his mouth but it seemed as if all his teeth were still in place. Lucky . He was also not in the back of the shop anymore, no, he seemed to be in a big storage facility.
His head was pulsating, he had a hard time feeling his legs and his arms were restrained behind his back. A place to sleep and at least some food, huh? Good joke.
He heard footsteps approaching and then he saw him, a short man with red hair and a funny hat marched towards him. Behind him the shop owner who, to Atsushi's surprise, did look quite beat up himself.
"Hah?! Because of a fucking sandwich ? Are you kidding me? You beat up a fucking kid over a sandwich?" The redhead glared at the shop owner. That was unexpected.
The redhead kneeled down and grabbed Atsushi by the hair until he could look at his face. Blue eyes staring at him. "So, who are you? And why does he ", his thumb pointed over his shoulder towards the shop owner, "want you dead?"
Atsushi was not sure what to make of this situation. He wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. This was completely ridiculous. All he wanted was a fucking bed .
The gloved hand of the man grabbed his hair a little tighter. And Atsushi decided to give him what he wanted. He sighed. "My name is Atsushi Nakajima. I was hungry, so I stole something to eat. I don't know why he wants me dead but being dead honestly doesn't sound so bad!"
"Hah?!" The redhead janked his head up even higher. "How old are you to think you should just throw your life away?"
"I am 18 and honestly, no one would miss me so..."
The man laughed. Not a friendly or amused laugh, just a dry, sarcastic laugh. "I won't do you that favor! Yet . Tell me about yourself and I'll see what to do with you." He snapped his finger and a man in black brought two chairs.
The red haired man dragged forcefully by his hair until he at least kneeled. "Stand up!"
Standing on shaky legs Atsushi realized how short the man actually was. Atsushi was never a tall kid but even he was still taller by quite a bit. The redhead pulled one of the chairs and placed himself on it, offering Atsushi the other one.
"Get that piece of shit out of my face" he snarled at the man in black while staring down the shop owner who winced and ducked his head. "Everyone can wait outside. I want to be alone with the kid!"
So there they were, Atsushi sitting across the mysterious short man who seemed to have some sort of authority. The man just stared at him and Atsushi remembered, he was supposed to speak. He straightened himself up a bit.
"Well, my name is Atsushi and I got kicked out of my orphanage on my 18th birthday. It's been like," Atsushi tried to count back in his head, "a bit over two months? And, well, I hoped the police would come..."
The man raised a brow: "No police would come to that gas station. But go on, brat." Atsushi took a breath, so no police, unlucky. "Well, I have not really eaten in quite a while, and it's not like I have a place to sleep. So, yea, either police cell or death. What would you choose?"
The man snarled. He stood up, fumbling with his belt. Atsushi's head hurt so bad, it was hard to focus on what the man was doing, but then he saw the knife . And the man was walking over to Atsushi.
Is this it? Am I going to die here? At least I made it 18 years, huh? Will I meet my parents in the afterlife? Am I okay with dying here? Yea, I think I am. It doesn't sound too bad. Once I am dead I won't be hungry anymore, right? Yea.
The man came to a halt in front of Atsushi. He tilted his head to the side. "Aren't you scared , boy?"
Atsushi stared up to him, contemplating. "Well, death probably won't be the worst thing that would have happened to me."
The man gave him a lopsided smile. "Yea..."
He stepped behind Atsushi. And honestly, Atsushi was ready. Ready to die, to let go of that bit of life he had. And when he felt the man close behind him he thought of his favorite food, tea over rice, the thought about that one time, when a girl at the orphanage lent him a book, which got him in trouble. And then he felt the knife between his wrists, cutting the cable ties in one quick motion and-
His arms were free ?
"You are lucky kid. I have a soft spot for orphans."
Was Atsushi a little disappointed that he did not die? Probably. Was he happy that he got to walk out of here alive? Yea, quite. But, there was nowhere to go anyways.
He leaned back into the chair. Looking at his wrists and rubbing them together. They were sore. "Why?"
"Well, as I said, I have a soft spot for orphans."
Atsushi felt angry, irritated. "I have nowhere to go! Just because you don't kill me doesn't mean I will survive the time on the streets!"
The man was now back in front of him. The knife still in his hand. He grinned at Atsushi. "Well, why don't you come with me then?" His eyes were glistening in the dark.
Even though it sounded like an offer, Atsushi did not really have a choice in the matter. So he ended up in the car with tinted glasses, driving somewhere towards the center of Yokohama. The short man was not with him, he had a motorcycle .
After a while, Atsushi had no clue what time it was and how much time had passed, the car came to a final halt. They were in an underground garage. The door opened and the red head was already waiting for him, leaning against the car, head tilted, looking the boy up.
"You look like shit" he laughed.
Atsushi was aware that this was probably the case. He didn't get to change his clothes ever since he left the orphanage and his cleaning situation was limited . Also he got batted down pretty badly . If he wouldn't have built up a pain tolerance over the years he probably wouldn't have been able to walk in his condition.
"Well, let's go!" The redhead walked towards an elevator. He pressed the button and they waited in silence. As they entered Atsushi saw fifty-two stories ! His eyes went wide and the redhead pushed number 52. He was so gonna be thrown off the building.
The man turned towards Atsushi with a nervous chuckle: "By the way, I don't live alone and well, my partner is a little special . So please don't get irritated by him. I don't even know why I live with that guy to be honest."
Atsushi did not fail to notice the slight blush on the shorter man's face. Atsushi just nodded, he had no clue what he ment with special . Until - ding - the elevator doors opened and his eyes widened in surprise. It was a huge apartment. They walked down the hallway that led from the elevator into an open space, and there were windows everywhere . The view was crazy and Atsushi almost didn't notice the lanky man laying upside down on one of the massive leather sofas.
"Chibi! What is this ?" The man sat up, staring at Atsushi with big eyes. Not hostile, more... interested?
"This is my newest acquisition," the short man, Chibi? , grunted.
"You got yourself a stinking cat ? And you call me the weird one?" The lanky man started laughing. And now Atsushi saw it. He was covered in bandages, almost completely. He wasn't even wearing a lot of clothes, only a t-shirt and a pair of sweat shorts but the bandages were everywhere else, except on his face, hands and feet.
"He reeks !" The man waggled his hand in front of his nose.
"Osamu. Don't be a dick. He literally was living on the street." Atsushi still didn't say anything and he was surprised that the redhead would actually defend him. "Atsushi-kun, come, you go have a bath. And ignore the mummy on the sofa. He can't help it but being a dick. That's like his profession."
He turned his back towards the protesting dark haired man and left the room. Atsushi followed the man into a bath. And Atsushi did not even know that baths like this existed . It was huge . All Atsushi had ever known were bathhouses, the small shower at the orphanage, that he had to share with twelve other boys and the group showers they had next to the gym. So this was crazy .
There was a bathtub ! And it was separated from the shower and the mirror was huge and there was a fluffy carpet and-
"Come on! Use whatever you want in here, I'll bring you some clothes, I hope they'll fit. Take whatever time you need."
Atsushi nodded and the short man left the room and shut the door.
Atsushi turned towards the mirror and-
Yea. He looked like shit. Like a complete wreck. His gray hair was more brown-red and crusty from the blood. His left side was swollen and bruised.
When he peeled out of his clothes he saw the rest. Bruised ribs, when he touched them he flinched. Yep. Definitely broken. His legs weren't much better. But judging by his ability to stand... nothing broken there, didn't make the ache go away though.
He looked around. He had never had a bath, at least not one that he could remember of, except, well...
He decided to opt for the shower. Luckily it wasn't overly complicated to get it to work. He let cold water spray onto him, like he had done it for the past 10 years. He looked around for a bar of soap, but all he could find were flasks and bottles with liquid.
He felt a surge of panic rise within him. How should he clean himself without a soapbar?
He fumbled with one of the bottles. It was black and after popping open the lid smelled good. Was he supposed to use that ? There was another bottle in more of a pink color, that one smelled like flowers. Was he supposed to smell like flowers?
He opted for the flowery scented one and squirted some of the liquid onto his hands and scrubbed down his entire body and hair.
It stung when he would rub it over his open wounds, but that was nothing Atsushi wouldn't be able to handle. The cold water washed down blood and dirt and the smell of weeks on the street.
When he got out of the shower there were clean white towels waiting for him and neatly folded clothes. He hadn't even noticed that someone had entered while he was showering. Not like he was ashamed or anything, he was used to showering with other people around him.
He dried himself off. The towels were so soft, unlike anything he had ever felt before. The clothes were a little too big. A pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.
He looked at himself in the mirror. He did look a little better. At least his hair was back to it's normal color and there was no more blood on his body. The bruises were still very visible on his pale skin, but that was okay. He still had to figure out what to do with some of the open wounds, maybe the two men that actually lived here would be able to help him.
He stepped out of the bathroom and turned back towards the open living area. There were low voices and Atsushi knew he should probably not eavesdrop onto his hosts who, honestly, seemed dangerous but then again, he couldn't help it.
"...and you don't even know that kid. Are you out of your mind?"
"Please, Dazai, he has nothing and he stole a fucking sandwich ! I can't just let him go back out there."
"Don't look at me like that! We are not a fucking animal shelter that just picks up strays!"
"Come on . He didn't even wince a single time. He could be useful, his pain tolerance seems insane. Maybe we could have him work for us? Please ."
There was an incomprehensible grumble.
"Thank you! You know I love you, right? Now please, could you call Yosano? His wounds seem quite bad. That pig just beat him up with a baseball bat . Can you believe it? Over a fucking sandwich !"
“I’ll ask Yosano, don’t worry…”
Atsushi heard movement and he decided that he should probably get moving. He entered the space and... well, an unexpected view.
The two men were in eachothers arms, kissing and Atsushi instinctively turned his head away slightly and blushed. He had a hard time not staring, but, he had just never seen two men kiss. He had seen people on the streets kiss, even a girl at the orphanage once tried to kiss another boy. But two men kissing, that was new, and it was interesting .
Didn't the short man say his roommate was weird ? They seemed to be getting along just fine.
Atsushi took a sharp breath and that seemed to get the attention of the taller man. He grinned while still kissing his partner , who now also seemed to realize that they had a spectator. The shorter man pushed the bandaged man away from him with an impressive amount of force.
"Ouch, Chibi! You don't need to be so rude!"
"Get off me Dazai!" He straightened out his clothes, cheeks on fire, and he turned to Atsushi. "Sorry about that. And also, I didn't even introduce myself. My name is Chuuya Nakahara."
Atsushi bowed: "Thank you for letting me use your bathroom-"
The bandaged man had walked towards Atsushi and was sniffing him. "You smell like my boyfriend."
Chuuya rolled his eyes with such force, that Atsushi was surprised his eyes actually managed to snap back. "Fuck off , Dazai!"
Dazai chuckled and went back to his leather sofa, grabbing his phone typing a number.
"Dazai will organize a doctor to look at you" Chuuya had a soft expression as he walked over to Atsushi. "Let's go get you something to eat, you must be starving."
"Thank you Nakahara-san" Atsushi was indeed hungry. He hasn't had a real meal in weeks .
"Just Chuuya is fine" the redhead smiled and guided him towards the kitchen area. "We got leftover curry, is that okay?"
Atsushi nodded, anything was fine. He was so damn hungry and so grateful when Chuuya didn't warm up the food, because Atsushi just really couldn't wait any longer.
He spooned up the rice and curry in record speed and Chuuya served him some more.
"It's so good. Thank you so much ."
Chuuya blushed a little. "Thanks. It's my speciality!"
Half an hour later a black haired lady had arrived and was inspecting Atsushi. Chuuya was sipping on a glass of red wine and Dazai was hanging upside down on the sofa, reading his book, ignoring all the commotion.
"The laceration is fine, but you definitely have at least two ribs broken. Now, there is nothing that can be done there except for painkillers, so I'll leave you some here. Also, would you mind getting on the scale for me?"
Doctor Yasano was nice but he didn't really have any references. The orphanage doctor only ever treated his wounds and never really spoke much. She had taken his blood pressure, bandaged the wound on his head and checked all his bruises.
Atsushi was 170cm tall and the scale showed 49 kilograms. The doctor frowned. She turned towards Chuuya. "Do you plan on keeping him here? He needs to gain weight."
Chuuya shot a glance at Dazai who was still extremely uninterested in what was going on. Then he nodded. "Yea, he can live here for now."
The lady turned to Atsushi: "Do you know what your usual weight was?"
"Well about 55?" Atsushi thought about it. He was always very skinny and he had gone to bed hungry many nights, so he didn't really feel like he was supposed to gain more weight.
The doctor nodded and turned back to Chuuya: "He is in your care now. You need to make sure he gets back on track! I will come check on him again."
Chuuya nodded in agreement. He did look a little concerned glancing at Atsushi, who was putting his shirt back on.
"Dazai! I am leaving! Don't you want to walk me out?" Yosano had a strict voice and the bandaged man got up lazily.
"Of course my favorite cousin" he rolled his eyes and walked towards the elevator, leaving Atsushi and Chuuya on their own.
"Well, I think it's best if we talk about all of this tomorrow and you head to bed now. I am sure you need the rest." Chuuya started to walk back into the hallway. Atsushi bowed his head and finally found the courage to speak. "I really don't want to impose! I... no one ever treated me like that. So I... I will repay you. I promise!"
The redhead stopped in his tracks. "You really don't need to thank me. It's the least I can do for you."
Atsushi didn't understand, but he did follow the redhead into a room. It was big, way bigger than any room that Atsushi had ever been in. Not even the office of the director was this big . There was a massive bed, with pillows .
Atsushi's eyes almost popped out of his head and Chuuya did notice the shock on the face of the teenager.
"Well, it's not much but, you can use this room for now."
"What do you mean not much ?" Atsushi's jaw was hanging and he was staring at the bed. "You have pillows !"
Chuuya was confused. Who doesn't have pillows? "Well, yes!" He smiles nervously. Not quite sure how to handle the situation. "Why don't you make yourself comfortable? And I uhh... well, goodnight I guess?"
Chuuya left the room, still bewildered by the pillow comment. Who the fuck does not have a pillow?!
Atsushi indeed never had a pillow. And judging from Chuuya's reaction, that wasn't normal. He was too tired to put more thought into it and hopped into the bed.
So soft .
His body was so exhausted, from the physical strain but also from the weeks of sleeping outside. He quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
That sleep was terminated abruptly when he was shaken, not very gently, back into consciousness. For a brief moment he was confused, but then he remembered, the redhead, the massive apartment, the big bed. But who would wake him up like that?
Dark hair, stormy eyes, bandages and a mischievous grin were hovering over him. Dazai .
Atsushi jerked up, instinctively moving away from the other man. That just made the man smile more.
"Why so scared, Atsushi-kun?"
Atsushi wasn't sure himself, but he did have this unpleasant feeling about Dazai. Some sort of malicious intent coming from the man. So instead of responding he just asked: "What do you want?"
The man chuckled. "Well, nothing much. I thought you could make yourself a little useful." Dazai straightened himself up and started pacing up and down in front of the bed.
"And how should I do that?" Atsushi was determined to pay back Chuuya for his help, but Dazai? He wasn't so sure.
"Hmm.." Dazai rubbed his chin and then that lopsided grin returned. "Maybe, you could do a job for me."
Atsushi felt uneasy about the suggestion. He swallowed hard and asked cautiously, almost shyly: "What... What kind of job?"
Dazai's eyes flashed in excitement: "Well, just don't tell Chuuya yet."
Big red flag, but what was Atsushi supposed to do, in a situation like this. Dazai seemed to be Chuuya's partner... or well even boyfriend, from what Atsushi had seen and heard the evening before. If Dazai would pull something weird there was no way Chuuya would believe the orphan over his own partner. So Atsushi just nodded.
"Well, there is something I need you to do this weekend. It's tuesday today, so you have three days to prepare yourself and keep it from Chuuya. And when the day comes I'll get you to the job and you'll do great ."
Atsushi shivered. He did not trust the bandaged man at all. But what could an orphan like him even do . If Dazai wanted him to do that in exchange for him living here then that was more than fair.
"You see, I didn't really agree with Chuuya's whim on keeping you," and now Dazai's voice was low and threatening , "but if he wants something I have a hard time saying no . So in order for us to all get something good out of this, you will do as I tell you for this weekend. Do you understand?"
Atsushi was terrified and he could only nod frantically. It wasn't like Atsushi had never been faced with scary people, but generally everyone had bad intentions. This situation was different. Chuuya wanted to help Atsushi while this man... well he did not seem keen on helping him whatsoever .
Dazai's voice went back to melodic and sweet: "Perfect, Atsushi-kun!" He turned around and left the room, not looking back at the ever so slightly trembling gray haired boy who was holding on to one of the pillows.
The door shut close and Atsushi tried to calm himself down. He had experienced so many bad things in his life and for some reason the aura of this specific person was just too much for him to handle. He was radiating so much discomfort and fear. Was that some sort of special skill? And then in the next moment he was all sweet and nice again.
Atsushi didn't know for how long he was just sitting on the bed, wondering, what the job, that he had to do, may be. Was it something dangerous? Something that could get him killed ? Why was he not allowed to tell Chuuya? Did the couple have secrets from each other? Was that normal ? Was he -
The door opened again and Atsushi flinched slightly. To his relief it was just the redhead, smiling brightly at him. "Good morning Atsushi-kun! Did you sleep well?"
Atsushi nodded. He was still a little too shaken to speak.
"That's perfect . I have made breakfast! Don't worry, Dazai isn't here today, he left like an hour ago!"
An hour ? Was that how long Atsushi was sitting here panicking?
"I am sorry about him. He is not in the best place right now," the redhead frowned at the thought, "usually he isn't this... unfriendly, I guess? Like he is a nice guy, just a bit odd, you know?"
Atsushi nodded slowly, remembering that he should not let Chuuya know that Dazai had paid him a visit earlier and had threatened him into keeping something from Chuuya. "Yea, it's okay, I don't mind! I'll come to get breakfast!"
Atsushi scrambled up and observed the room, there were no clothes he could change into. He looked at the floor in shame. "I am sorry, Chuuya-san. I... I don't really have anything to- to wear!"
Chuuya looked at him sympathetically. "I got you some from Dazai, they are probably too big but... well mine would be too small."
Atsushi bowed gratefully and Chuuya handed him the bundle of clothes. "We will get you something appropriate sometime, I promise" Chuuya muttered before turning around and leaving the room.
Atsushi quickly got dressed and followed Chuuya out.
Now, one thing about Chuuya Nakahara that Atsushi absolutely loved was, the man could cook . And not just a bit of cooking, throwing things together and microwaving it. No , he cooked the most delicious meals that Atsushi ever tasted. Of course Atsushi's references were limited, but he knew that the new years dinner at the orphanage had always been special. And this breakfast alone tasted better than any new years dinner Atsushi had ever tasted.
He could get used to that, but he knew he shouldn't . He had to pay Chuuya back and then find out his life on his own. But first he had to survive whatever Dazai had planned for this weekend.
And so his week went on. Being a slightly anxious mess. But Chuuya did take him shopping and Atsushi got some clothes that actually fit him.
Atsushi never really had any clothes of his own. Clothes that would be considered his and not just something he got at the orphanage. He never had something he actually felt comfortable in. So Chuuya buying him something to wear meant so much . If he would have been used to crying, he probably would have cried.
Unfortunately with each great day passing with Chuuya the weekend drew nearer. And on friday evening, after Chuuya had gone to bed, Dazai showed up in Atsushi's room.
"Get up, we got things to do!"
Atsushi still did not know what kind of things, but he obeyed. There was just something about Dazai that screamed authority. Almost the same way as him -
Atsushi shook his head and followed Dazai to the elevator. "Where are we going?"
Dazai hummed, he seemed pleased. "Well, we are going to the Akutagawa estate!"
Atsushi had no clue what that was. "And for what?"
"You will be working there tonight. It's... catering ." Something about Dazai's smile made Atsushi shiver.
The elevator arrived with a ding and Dazai headed out towards one of the cars to the right side of the garage. It was some black car, Atsushi didn't know anything about cars.
He indicated for Atsushi to get in and the gray haired boy obeyed and climbed onto the backseat.
The drive was long. Outside of the city into the more rural areas. The dense city buildings changed into big, fancy homes.
And after another few minutes without any houses around them Atsushi saw it. Right there, ahead of them. A massive house came into view. His jaw went slack and he gasped surprised. He had never seen a building that big .
When they reached the gate Dazai lowered his window. Atsushi heard him say: "Dazai Osamu, yea, and I brought someone to cater."
The gate opened and Dazai drove towards the main entry. There were a lot of cars already. This must be some sort of fancy party.
"Dazai! I actually don't know how to do catering. Won't I embarrass myself?" Atsushi started to panic because every single cell in his body started to tell him that he should not be here . And even though he didn't know why or how, he sensed dread radiating off of that specific building and he just wanted to leave .
Dazai chuckled: "Don't worry. You'll be perfect !" And something about the way Dazai said that made Atsushi shudder in fear.
A clerk opened Dazai's door and he looked back at the boy. "Are you coming? I'd like to introduce you?"
Atsushi nodded instinctively and even though every single fibre of his being did not want to enter this building, he followed Dazai.
While they were walking deeper into the house, massive doors to their left and right, everything giving off the vibe, as if it was from a different century, Dazai casually explained some things to Atsushi. And even though it seemed casual, it all just felt like more threats and warnings.
"Now, mind you, the estate is massive . And it is fully gated. The only exit is the front gate we entered through. And apparently there are cameras everywhere , maybe not in the bathrooms but they would easily find someone who got lost in the hallways."
They had reached a big double door and the clerk opened it and-
The room was massive. It was more like a hall than a room. There were booths on the right side of the room, all of them elevated with 2 steps, high walls protecting whoever was in there from curious eyes. Small round tables with massive armchairs were placed in the big space in the middle of the room. And at the end of the hall, elevated above all other people, there was a massive dining table. Sitting in the middle, overviewing the entire scene, a pale man, black hair that reached his shoulders, the sides of his bangs dipped in white, a white blouse and a massive black coat with a stiff collar.
And the scene in the hall was quite something for an outsider. Atsushi felt fear creeping up in him. There were so many people, young and old, men, women and whoever else was among them. All of them were incredibly good looking. Some disappearing in pairs or groups through the doors on the sides of the hall, others devouring each other in one of the booths or in the middle of the floor.
Was this some kind of orgy ? People were making out and Atsushi panicked. What the hell did he get into.
"Don't you dare back out now" Dazai's tone was low and menacing. He grabbed onto Atsushi's arm and the boy winced . And then he felt a pair of eyes on him. From all across the room, Atsushi's head shot up instinctively, and, no matter how good looking any of the other people in this room were, not one of them was better looking than that man right there .
His eyes were resting on Atsushi and to Atsushi's absolute horror Dazai had noticed it. And Dazai smiled, a real winner smile, as if he just won the jackpot of the national gambling association.
The man's eyes lowered onto Atsushi's arm, which was still held by Dazai. Dazai shuddered and let go of Atsushi so quickly, it was as if someone had smacked his hand away.
Atsushi still wanted to follow his instinct and leave but his gut feeling told him that this was probably worse than staying.
Dazai placed them at one of the tables towards the middle of the hall. People would rush over and greet Dazai, most of them eyeing Atsushi interested but not talking to him at all.
Atsushi was a little confused. Wasn't he supposed to work here in catering ?
Dazai spoke to a red haired girl, she was wearing a white blouse and a black pencil skirt. She bobbed her head in agreement and then turned to Atsushi.
"Atsushi-kun? I am Lucy. I heard you are here to cater tonight?"
Atsushi nodded at the girl. He didn't sence any malice from her.
"Well, I think Akutagawa-san is interested in you." She glanced at the table. The man's eyes shot towards their table. Atsushi shivered. "If you don't mind, I would like to introduce you to him?"
Atsushi did not know what to think of that, but did he even have a choice ? Dazai was looking at him expectantly and Lucy was just trying to be nice and do her job.
Reluctantly Atsushi lifted himself out of his armchair. Lucy smiled at him reassuringly. And now, if Atsushi wouldn't have been so stressed out about the situation before, he would have probably noticed earlier , but there was no food . No food at all . This was supposed to be a dinner party . He felt panic rise in his chest and he fought it down. It was just a job . He needed to do this to pay Chuuya and Dazai back for their hospitality.
Lucy led him towards the front of the room. The man was eyeing them intensely.
Lucy came to a halt and bowed her head. Atsushi wasn't sure what was expected of him, but he followed her example. Obviously the man was some kind of respected figure and probably the owner of this entire party, no, this entire estate . But what the hell did he want with Atsushi of all people?
The man moved. Walking along the massive table, passing by several people, slowly stepping down the six steps to the ground, not once having his eyes leave Atsushi.
Atsushi was trembling in fear when the man came to a halt in front of him, tilting his ever so slightly to the side.
"Lucy, who is this?" His voice was deep, a little raspy, but very assertive.
"Akutagawa-san! Dazai has brought him along. He is part of the catering." Lucy smiled shyly at the man.
"Oh, is he now?" Atsushi felt like he was not part of this conversation. But Lucy nodded enthusiastically.
The man grabbed Atsushi's chin and tilted the boy's head to the side, eyeing his neck. His grip was tight but it wasn’t a painful hold, it actually felt soft . "I guess, if Dazai says so." And the way he said Dazai's name made Atsushi worry even more. Disgust would be the wrong word, it was more of a scoff, and Atsushi knew this man did not like Dazai.
Now generally that wouldn't be a bad thing. Atsushi also didn't like Dazai so the two at least had something in common. Given the nature of the situation though, Atsushi was brought here by Dazai. So he was just an extension of Dazai. If Dazai was not liked then Atsushi would not be liked either.
Akutagawa let go of Atsushi's jaw. "He reeks of fear. Are you sure he is here to cater ?"
What the hell is this catering even there is no food here ! Atsushi’s heart rate started to rise. There was no damn food. Where was the catering? What was expected of him?
And he had to try very hard to not just run away , because that was what his instincts were screaming . But he had to stay. Do it for Chuuya, the only person that ever bought him something, that cooked him food, that gave him a pillow.
The man sighed. "Well Lucy, you can leave. Thanks for bringing him." He dismissed her with a wave, his focus returning to Atsushi. "Well boy, shall we?"
Shall we what ?! Atsushi was just silently panicking, trying to keep his legs from giving in and the man did notice, but he didn't seem bothered by it.
He took Atsushi's arm and tucked it under his own leading the boy towards one of the doors.
Many pairs of eyes seemed to be following them, there were whispers by people close by and Atsushi was led out into an adjoining room.
The room was nice, even nicer than his room at Chuuya's home. It had a massive bed with red and golden covers and pillows. There were long red curtains that were shut close. The furniture was wooden, heavy, dark. It all gave it a feel, like it was from a different century, which followed the theme of the entire house.
Akutagawa led Atsushi towards the bed and Atsushi was so scared . Was he expected to do something on the bed? Like yes, Atsushi had heard about sex but that was nothing he was able to learn at the orphanage. And in his short time out there were more pressing matters than figuring that out, like food and shelter. But now, with a complete stranger and a man ?
The man made Atsushi sit on the edge of the bed. He himself kneeled down in front of him. It was weird, as the man had this dominant presence but here he was kneeling in front of Atsushi.
He tucked at Atsushi's wrist. Pushing back the shirt. "I don't want to mess up that pretty neck of yours, it's your first time, right?"
First time of what ? Atsushi didn't know so he just nodded.
The man chuckled. "You know you can speak, don't need to be shy. After all, I chose you . So many other people would love to be where you are right now. Everyone out there is so grateful, they finally get to enjoy their meals."
But there was no food ! What meal? Atsushi's thoughts were spinning and Akutagawa pulled Atsushi's wrist towards his face, kissing it ever so slightly.
Atsushi shivered at the touch. "Oh, you like that don't you?" The man nipped the wrist, teeth scraping over the skin. "This might hurt a little." He looked up at Atsushi with a smile, almost a grin and Atsushi saw these elongated canine and the eyes of the man became bloodshot and-
Atsushi panicked . He kicked the man's chest, which made him tumble backwards, and he jumped out of the bed running towards the door. He ripped the door open and-
The meal had started. There were people hanging onto other peoples necks, there was blood, there were naked bodies going limp.
Atsushi's head shot to the left, to the right, where the hell was the door.
And he remembered Dazai's words. It's fully gated, the only exit is the front gate, cameras everywhere .
No one paid attention to him. He ran towards the massive double door. He knew there was probably no way out but there was also no way of him staying in here for only a second longer . He was fleeing the scene, he didn't want to be here, he never agreed to being eaten alive or whatever the fuck was going on here.
He reached the double door, flung it open and ran down the hallway. He had forgotten the path out but he just needed to get distance between him, that man and that room .
Too bad Atsushi had actually forgotten that this was the house of Ryuunosuke Akutagawa. That very man who just got a kick to the chest by his dinner . And he was not far behind him.
"Hey! You! Wait!"
Atsushi kept on running, taking a corner to the left, one to the right and then... Dead end .
He turned around but there he was. And even though the man was not really taller than him his presence was . And Atsushi felt his body caving in. His knees giving out, his body trembling in fear and he started whispering: " Please , I don't want to die. Please sir, I only just got a life , please I am begging you." And he felt tears run down his face. Hot, painful tears. Atsushi had not cried in years but this moment he just couldn't keep it together. And it startled the man, stopping in his tracks.
Ryuunosuke Akutagawa was not known to be soft, once he had chosen his meal, he would devour it thoroughly. If he felt like it, he would also have his fun with it, but caving in because of tears? Not his style, and yet there he was, contemplating his options. And he probably didn't even know why at this point, he decided to close the distance between him and Atsushi, kneel down infront of the boy and-
Atsushi felt arms wrap around him. And then he was almost suffocating in a hug, the long black coat wrapping around him and fully enveloping him. And he started sobbing. As if all the tears of the past 10 years just had to be shed in one go.
He felt his body being lifted from the ground with ease , which just reminded him of how Yasano-sensei said he was underweight and that just made him cry even more . He didn't know where he was being carried to, and he was still scared of being eaten by the man, but at this point he had no way out. He couldn't leave the building and he just had to hope that Dazai would come to his senses and save him.
He was placed onto something soft. Was it a bed? He didn't know. The coat stayed with him but the person left and Atsushi prayed that he wouldn't return. That this was all just a bad dream. That he would just wake up in Chuuya's house and he would be fine again. That Dazai wasn't an evil person that set him up to be killed by a stranger.
And with all these thoughts clouding his mind and a headache starting to form behind his forehead, he drifted into sleep, jacket still enveloping him.
And Atsushi didn't know that the man actually went back to get someone else to be his meal that night. And Akutagawa didn't know why he did it. He never cared for the state of his food, as long as it tasted well, and it always did, since he always handpicked his treat.
But this night it just didn't taste as right as it could have been. And he was pissed .