Work Text:
When Akutagawa first comes to, his vision is slightly blurry but not so blurry to recognize the familiar metal ceilings from Port Mafia's underground offsite base. He hears something on his right, turning to and finds himself staring at his sister laying quietly. Immediately, he instinctively attempts to sit up, his vision readjusting to see bandages wrapped around her legs extending up to her thighs, her clothes unfamiliar except for the gray short sleeve and the choker still around her neck.
"Akutagawa! What are you doing?!"
He can hear a familiar high-pitched shriek coming from his left but ignores it. Except he watches as she's still in the hospital bed, with IVs on her right arm but her chest slow and quiet. Akutagawa brings his right hand against his forehead, feeling a tight pain worse than the migraines he usually gets when he's at home. He turns to face the noise on his left and sees big purple-gold eyes staring back at him. His head twitches back, his body near readying into a fighting stance but realizes that he can barely move his left arm. Akutagawa looks down, ignoring the migraine for a bit, and sees a similar IV line punctured in his left forearm*.
"Relax, you're safe... everyone.... we won, Akutagawa," Atsushi responds back, eyes serious.
Akutagawa looks back at Atsushi again, dark eyes still wide.
"We won," Atsushi repeats, his mouth morphing into a smile.
Akutagawa nods, his migraine slowly fading and lets out a sigh, eyes closing in relief.
"Of course," he responds back.
Of course, they won... Akutagawa jerks, hands reaching to his neck and feels bandages around his neck. His eyes snap back open. He... had died. The death was near instantaneous and yet, he was still here. I'm alive?
"Ah, Dr. Yosano healed almost everyone that was infected... or at least, were damaged enough to be healed," Atsushi offered. "Your healing process was harder than what she's used to."
E-Explain," Akutagawa stutters, unsure of why.
"Well..." Atsushi sits more straight in the chair that he's pulled at the bedside, a hand under his chin and ponders quietly. "It's a little confusing to be quite honest but.. she said because you were the first victim, it was like the infection was fighting to still have at least one victim in its grasp..."
Akutagawa, still unsure of even how he become a victim, looks blankly at Atsushi. He sees the boy close his eyes, hands still under his chin and the confused face that appeared as he explained becoming more and more evident. Of course, he wouldn't get any more information after that, he's so stupid, I don't understand why Dazai–
"D-Dazai! Where is he?! Is he safe?" He growls back, hands grabbing out and tugging at the loose necktie around Atsushi's neck.
"H-Hey! Le-Let go! He's fine!" Atsushi barely pushes him back before Akutagawa lets go, letting out a heavier sigh.
The fading migraine came back in full force and Akutagawa pushed his right hand against his forehead, hoping to will it away. He had so many more questions, he wanted to see Dazai and tell him that he defeated that damn Angel, he wanted to make sure everyone at Port Mafia was okay and well and ... he just... I just really want to sleep too.
"I think–" Akutagawa glances back at him and watched Atsushi as he played with the lapels of his jacket... His jacket?
"I think it also too Yosano a while to heal you too because... you died before...."
Atsushi trails off and Akutagawa... has absolutely no idea what he just said. Because he's paying attention to Atsushi's clothing. His black tie was still tattered but still on his person, just more looser. The white shirt he always wore was gray-brown, stained with blood and so very near the end of its days. Akutagawa can't tell what happened to his suspenders or whether or not there's a gaping hole in his side. Because Atsushi's still wearing his black coat. The black coat that he gave to activate Beast Beneath the Moonlight–Rashomon.
His migraine is getting progressively worse.
"Why.. do you still have my coat?"
Because it doesn't make sense for him to keep the coat, his ability wasn't being able to control this specific black coat but rather clothing in general. Preferably black. But that's beside the point and Akutagawa isn't really thinking right now. His migraine wants more attention. Atsushi stops fiddling with the lapels of the (his!) jacket, his face turning slightly pink. His eyes shift, purple-gold flickering between the bed sheets and his lap.
"I-I.. Uh..." Atsushi stammers and quietly responds. "It.. protected me... Rashomon.. that is...."
Akutagawa watches his head shrink further into his chest and.. into his jacket, face still pink but eyes glazed over like he was thinking of something... like he was looking back at something. Akutagawa stares blankly and the migraine, although agonizing, still allows him to think, unfortunately. Because Rashomon wouldn't be alive without him controlling it, even if it were on another person. Rashomon should have been dead the minute he died, even resurrected, Rashomon wouldn't be under anyone's control. Rashomon either would have laid dormant or attack and eat everything in sight.
Atsushi pushes the chair away as he stands up, arms carefully slipping out of the black jacket. Akutagawa watches, mesmerized at the fact that his Rashomon didn't just... jump off the weretiger's body. He watches Atsushi carefully fold it over twice and places it gently on his lap. Akutagawa reaches out, gently touching the fabric and feels the lower murmur of power coming from Rashomon. Atsushi is still standing, hovering over him but Akutagawa doesn't notice. He's... he's unfortunately still thinking.
Akutagawa breaks the silence, "I'm still going to kill you in 6 months".
"Yeah... I know."
Akutagawa feels a gentle hand on top of the bandages on his neck and another hand holding his face. He feels his face going into shock, his cries for protection going unheard by Rashomon, and finally, he.. feels something on his lips. Dry and chapped, desperate and thankful, full and overpowering. Atsushi was kissing him with closed eyes while Akutawaga stares with wide eyes, wide-open eyes. Those same lips pushed a bit more and Akutagawa inadvertently opened his lips, allowing the lips to slip more against him, slotting against each other like they were made to be together this way. Atsushi pulls back, a small 'pop' noise following suit. While Akutagawa has had many kisses, this one ... left him breathless. Literally. He watches Atsushi, the small heaves as he breathes in, his face a dark red but eyes still passionate and.. gold now. Meanwhile, Akutagawa knew he had a sliver of color on his face, his chest rising more notably as he gasps for air. Like it was his last breathe on his earth.. again.
"Ah.. I'm glad that you're alive," Atsushi quietly says.
Akutagawa snaps back, his eyes narrowing down and feels more power from Rashomon.
"Get. Out."
Rashomon finally awakes, black tendrils slowly coming from his jacket and Atsushi immediately recognizes the situation. He scrambles back, tripping over the chair and falling straight on his butt, the pink no longer staining his face. Pity, Akutagawa ponders. While his glare and the small black tendrils were enough to have Atsushi rush out of the room– with "Sorry!" echoing the room as he makes his escape– Akutagawa now gives in to his migraines, tiredly leaning against the bedpost with a hand on his forehead.
He wasn't thinking during that kiss and– I swear, that damn weretiger is not going to get me like this. I'll be prepared next time! He moves his hands to his lips, barely touching them.
Akutagawa blinks, eyes leering to his right.
"Gin...were you actually asleep?"
"Heh."
Akutagawa flinches and fully faces Gin on his right, who's still in bed but with eyes sneering back and a familiar smile on her face. Her eyes seem to sparkle and whatever heat is coming on his face is nothing to be concerned of because its likely from the pain he feels and nothing else.
"Of course not, brother, I had just woken up,"
Akutagawa glares violently at her but Gin just stares back, eyes bright and teasing. They both know that she's lying.
"Shut up and go to sleep," he hissed.
Gin smiles wider, the sharp words having no effect on her.
In six months, weretiger, I'm going to fucking rip you apart.