Chapter Text
Atsushi shivered, looking out of the window as the city rushed by. He was currently seated on a bus to the center of Yokohama, where he was told by Yosano to get some medical supplies for her. Apparently, these supplies were only sold to the Armed Detective Agency by this one supplier.
And since everyone had decided to miraculously vanish the moment she appeared, Atsushi had had no choice but to accept.
When he stepped off the bus, he was greeted by the cold night air, and he wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck. It was nearing winter; it was bound to be colder than usual. He breathed out lightly, watching his breath form water droplets in the air. He felt like he would freeze if he stood motionless for a long time. With another shudder, he hugged himself a little before heading towards the shop.. wherever that was.
Instead of his usual attire, Atsushi was currently dressed in an oversized light blue hoodie (that didn’t keep him warm enough) with darker long pants, and sneakers. Normal clothing.
He stared at the map in his hands, feeling lost for the first time.
Dazai had created the map himself — how was Atsushi to trust it?
With an exasperated glance at the strangely drawn directions, he looked around and tried to find a shop that may hint that they would sell medical supplies.
Not a single shop looked like they did.
In fact, all of them looked like they were selling food, or cosmetic products. He drifted a little closer. There were even stalls along the street that sold mouth-watering food, food that Atsushi wished he could try, but the only food he recognised was.. Akutagawa…?
Akutagawa?
Atsushi gaped at the black haired man standing in front of the roadside store he’d been ogling. He’d almost mistook him for someone else. Really, he didn’t often see Akutagawa wearing a button down dark grey shirt with black dress pants and dark tinted shades that accented his pale skin so well. Hanging off his arm was a dark leather bag that showed off to the world the amount he earned by being an executive of the mafia. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but you could tell that it was pricey. Why is he here?
The man was ordering whatever that store was selling, and Atsushi took a moment to sigh, having a small wish that he would be kind enough to donate him a little food. Maybe if they were friends right now, Akutagawa would offer him some of whatever that was. His eyes trailed over his hands.
Akutagawa had nice hands.
They were slender.
Then he remembered Akutagawa trying to strangle him through picking him up by the collar of his shirt with those same hands, and he shook the ugly memory away.
A small blush darkened his face as he realised he was admiring his enemy. Stupid! What if he got caught? What if Akutagawa were to see him? He slapped his hands against his cheeks, trying to focus.
Right. Yosano’s supplies. Yosano’s supplies. Yosano..
Atsushi swallowed, hoping to take another peek at where he’d last seen the older man. From this far away, it was probably safe for him to stare at—
“Jinko.”
Atsushi jumped, letting out an involuntary yelp as Akutagawa appeared right behind him.
Spinning around, his eyes widened and he willed his blush to go away. Akutagawa’s gaze roamed over his reddened cheeks, questioning gaze lifting back up as he blinked at him.
There was a silence as they both stared at each other, the black of Shin Soukoku his usual silent, the white at a loss for words, horrified to have been found.
“Are you stalking me?” Akutagawa asked, breaking the silence, and Atsushi almost choked on air. He actually sounded suspicious.
As if I’d follow you around. He rolled his eyes mentally.
“No, I’m not.” He opted for a better reply after clearing his throat.
“Why are you here?” Was the question, Akutagawa yet again staring at his cheeks, and Atsushi was embarrassed. Did he see me staring?
“A-ah, well, you see, Yosano-sensei needs me to get supplies for the Agency,” he answered, shuffling and looking around again. “Dazai-san provided me with a hand-drawn map, but I can’t understand the directions. I don’t think it was well drawn—”
The paper was out of his hands before Atsushi could finish his sentence, Akutagawa snatching at it and staring hard at the paper. “Idiot, if you can’t read Dazai-san’s drawing, it’s because you’re dumb.” He retorted. “I shall read it.”
Atsushi rolled his eyes mentally, again, folding his arms. “As if you could.” He muttered, lurching to the side when Akutagawa’s black coat violently pierced the area he’d been standing at less than a second earlier.
Atsushi made an annoyed sound, giving his best death glare to Akutagawa, his previous enchantment of the man now gone. “We have a ceasefire,” he said. “If you’re not happy, just give it back.” He grasped at the paper, tugging to pull it out of Akutagawa’s grasp.
“Don’t, you’ll tear it.” Akutagawa snapped.
“It’s not like you can read it!” Atsushi fired back. “Besides, it’s just a drawing. This won’t help me find Yosano-sensei’s items.” He sighed tiredly. “You can keep it.” he waved dismissively, turning and hoping that the dark man wouldn’t attack him.
A few more steps, and Atsushi was away from Akutagawa, even if he could still feel the man’s overbearing presence and the way his eyes bore into his back.
It was stupid to try to force him to return a paper that had probably taken Dazai less than a few seconds to draw out, because it wasn’t even an actual map.
It was stupid that Atsushi felt a sense of loss as he walked away.
It was stupid that he longed to turn back around. Yeah, strange feelings within his heart that he ignored.
It wasn’t even like Akutagawa was anywhere close to resembling a friend. Hell, most of the times he even wanted to murder him for Dazai! He shook his head in disappointment at himself. Had he forgotten how the mafioso was truly like? How cruel he could be?
These thoughts could be saved for a later time.
He strode past the mouth-watering food, staring at it longingly. His stomach rumbled, and he patted it lightly. He didn’t have any extra money on him; he couldn’t get himself food. With a saddened last look at it, he focused on what he was supposed to do. Now, he really needed to find that store…
“You’re breathing so loudly, it’s irritating.”
Atsushi jumped, again.
He almost cursed as he spun around and glared daggers at the well dressed killer. “What do you want?” he hissed. “I don’t need someone competing with me to get literal supplies for the Agency! I would be very thankful if you could leave me alone.”
But the anger had left Akutagawa’s face. He said nothing, staring at him with an unreadable expression.
Atsushi sighed frustratedly. “Look, I.. I’m tired and kinda hungry.” He admitted, turning his face towards the sky. “I just want to buy whatever I’m supposed to and head back.” He didn’t know why he was explaining his actions to Akutagawa, but he was. A bad habit from growing up in an abusive orphanage where you had to be honest with everything, you could say.
The tiger ability wielder almost continued on, until Akutagawa’s hand landed on his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks. Surprised, Atsushi glanced back at him with widened eyes, and Akutagawa dropped his hand. “Come.”
And that was how ten minutes later, sitting beside each other on the heightened ground, Atsushi was savouring whatever food that was, nearly moaning at the insanely good taste. Akutagawa wasn’t eating, merely taking in his fill of Atsushi.
“This is so good.” Atsushi mumbled, his mouth full of food.
Akutagawa had dragged him towards the store he’d noticed he was eyeing previously and bought an unusually large amount of the same thing. Atsushi couldn’t say he minded.
In fact, if he ever considered taking a boyfriend, he would put Akutagawa in the list of possible suitors just because he’d bought so much food -
Atsushi choked on said product when his brain finally caught up with the implications of the thoughts his heart forced it to spill, coughing painfully as he tried to regain his composure and his face heated up in embarrassment.
Akutagawa patted his back, taking a bottle of water out of his bag for Atsushi to drink.
After calming Atsushi down, Akutagawa didn’t remove his hand. He found that he liked touching the younger in some way. It wasn’t inappropriate, per say — rather, it was more.. comforting.
“Thanks.” he heaved, putting the bottle down, before he realised something. Did I just drink from Akutagawa’s bottle? His face flamed. What’s wrong with me today?
There were a few more pieces of the food on the little paper tray they’d been given, and Atsushi decided to put a pause on eating for a bit, before he glanced at Akutagawa. Albeit hesitantly, he asked, “Do you want one?”
And he waited.
No response.
Typical.
Without his reply, Atsushi picked up a piece of it and pressed it against Akutagawa’s lips, and the elder reluctantly complied, opening them for Atsushi to pop it into his mouth.
When did they get so touchy-feely? It was kinda weird. They were literally at each others’ throats just moments earlier.
Atsushi was suspecting that someone was behind all this.
From this close, Akutagawa could see into Atsushi’s heterochromia coloured eyes. There were little flecks of gold in the yellow, and darker shades of violet accenting his kind eyes. He noted the way Atsushi’s lashes would touch his cheeks lightly whenever he blinked. Distracted, Akutagawa’s lips closed before Atsushi could get his fingers out of his mouth.
Atsushi yelped, jerking away from the warm sensation of his lips. Pink dusted the younger’s cheeks as he stared at his fingers in shock. He stood up and paced.
What was he doing? Atsushi wanted to smack himself. He went out to get Yosano’s supplies and yet, he was out here getting close to the enemy, for god’s sake! It was so stupid he wanted to scream his exasperation, but something else bothered him more: the fact that he’d naturally acted like he and Akutagawa were close.
As if they were dating.
Atsushi groaned, running a hand down his face as he turned away from the sight of Akutagawa munching on the food with an almost innocent look. “I’m losing it.” He muttered aloud, pulling at his hair. He repeated this a few times, pacing around.
“We’re not dating.” he proclaimed.
“Mmm.” Akutagawa mumbled.
“Never were.”
“Mmm.”
“Not friends either.”
“Mmm.”
“We’re enemies.”
“Mmm.”
“And you want to kill me.”
“Mmm.”
Atsushi glared at the night sky. Was the supply store even legitimate? Had Dazai been pulling his tricks again?
With a last resounding sigh, Atsushi sat heavily next to Akutagawa again and cradled his head in his hands. Was there even a point in him coming all the way out here? The supply store obviously wasn’t located here. He’d bet the next curry udon he would buy that Dazai had tweaked the location to make it seem like it was here.
Akutagawa’s attention followed Atsushi. The white haired boy was muttering endlessly, eyes glaring at a spot in the ground so hard even Akutagawa feared it would burn.
“I think Dazai-san planned for us to meet like this.” Atsushi muttered.
Akutagawa shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past Dazai-san to do such things,” he agreed.
Atsushi leaned back on his hands, eyes drooping tiredly. “There really was no point in coming out here at all, huh.” he lifted a hand towards the sky, seemingly able to touch the stars.
The silence that blossomed between them was not awkward in any way. Rather, it was a soothing peace that they both liked, and this continued for a good half an hour as the new double black watched the darkness birth stars and the moon.
“Jinko.” Akutagawa started. Atsushi side-eyed him. “I will prove to Dazai-san that I am stronger than you someday.”
And the quiet continued. Until Atsushi broke it by shifting, sitting cross-legged and placing his hands on his calves. He lightly tapped the older man on the shoulder.
Akutagawa moved his head slightly to the side. “Akutagawa,” the weretiger said gently, “I believe Dazai-san has acknowledged you a long time ago.”
The older glanced at him, showing no outward emotion although it swirled in his dark eyes. Atsushi gave him a small smile. “I hope you’ll realize that someday.”
And Akutagawa took his first breath.
-
The red head clenched his fists, scowling at the other man within his office, who seemed oblivious as he hummed a tune. “Why are you here?” he muttered, irked by his presence. “How did you even get inside here?”
“My, my, Chuuya. You needn’t sound so hostile to me. After all, I don’t stand a chance against a Port Mafia Executive! And the all high and mighty gravity manipulator, at that.” Came a taunt from the dark shadow draped over his armchair at the corner of the room.
Dazai grinned, eyes tilting up at the sides as he caught Chuuya’s gaze. “I developed the security system here. It was too great a chance to see if you’d changed it, but you didn’t. Of course, my system is flawless!”
“Shut up, shitty Dazai. I have work to do. Why are you even here?” Chuuya repeated with an annoyed edge to his tone, even though he didn’t actually mind the other being there.
Dazai sauntered over to his desk and played with his hat that he’d placed on the table prior to starting work. “You were never good at paperwork,” he mused with a pointed glance at the piles of paper in front of Chuuya. The shorter glared, willing him to get on to the main point.
“Akutagawa and Atsushi are out on a date!” Dazai announced.
Chuuya stood up immediately, pushing his chair back so fast it slammed against the wall, eyes wide with surprise and disbelief. “What?”
Dazai let out a little “hee hee” before twirling around the spacious office, hugging an invisible partner as he danced. “They’re on a date, down in the center of Yokohama with lots of food!” he sang.
Chuuya narrowed his eyes. “You set this up, didn’t you?” he sighed. “You somehow knew that Akutagawa was going to be there tonight.”
Dazai gave him a grin. “Of course, Chibi. Nothing escapes my notice.” he tapped Chuuya lightly on the nose, causing him to glower. “Not even you.”
“Bastard.” Chuuya muttered half-heartedly. Chuuya knew not to question the mafia traitor; everything he did had his reasons, and he trusted Dazai enough to know that he’d planned for Shin Soukoku to meet for their own good.
His heart fluttered as Dazai gave him a genuine smile. “Tonight is Soukoku night!” The brunette took Chuuya’s hand. “Let’s dance.”