Chapter Text
BREAKING NEWS: NOTORIOUS JOHNNY JAMES BROUGHT IN BY ROOKIE SHERRIF MIYA ATSUMU
After a reign of terror lasting several months across three states, the notorious outlaw, Johnny James, was caught by the famed rookie sheriff, Miya Atsumu of Inarizaki City. It was at half-past 3 yesterday afternoon that Miya confronted James in a tense standoff in the town of Karasuno, just five miles north of Inarizaki City. Miya, known for his smooth-talking ways and ability to talk down even the most notorious of criminals, wasn’t faring well. His usual methods were no match against James. Things were beginning to go south for Miya when James whipped a pistol out of his back pocket. Miya was reaching for his own 6-shooter but the confrontation ended abruptly when James crumpled to the ground having taken a hefty hit to the head from the butt of a passerby’s gun. When questioned, the passerby, Yachi Hitoka, said she was tired of no good cowboys and outlaws thinking they can ride into whichever town they like, cause chaos, then leave after they’ve had their fun, and making the locals clean up their mess. Miya thanked the passerby gratefully before loading a tied-up James onto his horse and setting off for the county jail in Inarizaki City. For the third time in as many months, this region finds itself indebted to the hard work of Miya Atsumu.
Another outlaw in jail means another night spent around Kita and Aran’s rickety, dented kitchen table with a pot of lukewarm coffee between them. It’s become a tradition for the six of them—Kita, Aran, Sakusa, Atsumu, Suna, and Osamu himself—to get together and listen to Atsumu spin the tale of his latest achievement.
“Third one in 3 months, huh.” Osamu squints at the newspaper laid out across the table. Atsumu’s face is plastered across the front. Osamu recognizes it as the one that was taken the day, nearly 8 months ago, now that Atsumu first accepted the position as sheriff. Underneath Atsumu, there is a much smaller photo of the infamous Johnny James. With an entire gang rallying behind him, James is one of the biggest threats to the region. Or he was until now.
In the past 8 months, Atsumu has made quite the name for himself bringing in wanted criminals on several occasions. In the past three months alone, he’s brought in at least one extremely notorious outlaw a month. Osamu can’t say for sure, but it might even be a record. Definitely for the county, if not the whole damn state. Atsumu is on his way to being the best damn sheriff on this side of the Mississipi, not that Osamu would ever tell him that to his face. The newspapers do enough to feed his ego.
“Yer makin’ quite a name for yerself,” Kita says, picking up the paper to take a look for himself. “Ya think he’ll be convicted?”
“Undoubtedly,” says Sakusa without hesitation. Osamu supposes that, out of all of them, he would be the most likely to know, considering he’s a lawyer and all. “He’s been seen causing trouble in towns all over the area, the evidence against him is more than enough for a conviction. And that’s just here. Plenty of other jurisdictions have reasons to try James.”
“He’ll serve time?” asks Suna.
Sakusa nods.
“Johnny James, huh,” Kita says, punctuating the sentence with a whistle. “Ain’t that somethin’.” It isn’t phrased like a compliment but Osamu recognizes what it is that Kita means, just as Atsumu does.
“It’s somethin’ alright,” Aran says with his arms crossed over his chest, the corners of his mouth quirked downward. “Somethin’ dangerous.”
“Don’t sound too excited.” Kita pats Aran’s arm. “Yer worried.”
Aran sighs. “How can ya not be a little worried when Atsumu’s dealin’ with the most notorious criminal this area has seen in nearly a decade.”
“Ya can’t work yerself up.” Kita pats Aran on the shoulder. “This is Atsumu’s job.”
“Can’t help it, I worry.”
“We know ya do, dear. But these boys have been givin’ us trouble since the day we met ‘em.”
Osamu cringes. He can recognize when an embarrassing childhood story is about to rear its ugly head. Atsumu and Osamu don’t remember their parents very well. They were both gone before they were older than seven years old. What Osamu does remember is Aran and Kita. Aran and Kita who, barely in their twenties at the time, took in two scared, orphaned boys, and gave them a home.
Aran cracks a smile. “Lots of trouble.”
“That’s right. I’m sure ya haven’t forgotten the horse incident.”
“How could I ever forget the horse incident?”
“Horse—” Suna says, barely concealing a laugh.
“—incident?” Sakusa finishes for him.
Osamu groans. “Please no, not that story again.”
Atsumu pats his arm. “There’s no stoppin’ ‘em now.”
“The boys were, oh I’d say about 9 years old,” Kita says, looking to Aran for confirmation.
“Yeah, that sounds about right. It was a year after we adopted ‘em.”
“What was?” Suna says, perking up. The bastard can sniff out a good story from nothing more than crumbs. “You can’t leave us hanging now.”
Aran throws back his head and laughs. “Go on then, darlin’.” He nudges Kita. “It ain’t often that we get the chance to embarrass the boys first hand anymore.”
Osamu hides his face in his hands as Kita recounts the time he and Atsumu were determined to learn to ride a horse. They’d never been on one, let alone up close with one. But in their nine-year-old heads, anything seemed possible. Even jumping a fence and giving each other a boost to clamber onto the horse’s back. Their plan was foiled before it even began when the farmer came out of the barn (he and Atsumu had not considered that the farmer might be nearby when they formulated their original plan) and chased them away from the horse. But that isn’t even the worst part. The most humiliating bit of it all was that the farmer chased them down and offered to teach them how to ride anyway.
“They really thought that would work?” Suna says.
“In their defense,” says Aran. “They were just kids. Not a brain cell between ‘em.”
“Incredible,” Suna says.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Sakusa deadpans.
“So see,” Kita says as he finishes the story, “there’s no sense in worrying extra now because we’ve been worrying since them since the moment we took ‘em home with us.”
Aran leans back in his chair with a loud sigh. “I suppose that’s true.”
Kita leans over into Aran’s space, tugs him close with an arm around his shoulders until Aran’s head is tucked against Kita’s shoulder.
“Ya still don’t like it,” Kita says.
Aran shakes his head and presses himself closer against Kita. “It’s not that I don’t like it. I just...” he trails off.
Osamu suddenly feels like they’ve walked in on something far more intimate than they have any right to witness.
“Ya want the boys to be safe,” says Kita.
Aran sighs. “I want all of us to be safe. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Well, my dear,” Kita says with so much love Osamu can feel it from all the way across the table. “We moved to one of the wickedest towns in the west, we were bound to run into a bit of danger. The boys too.”
Aran pulls back, looks Kita in the eye. “Remind me again, why did we move to the wickedest town in the west?”
“My love,” Kita says as he runs a hand soothingly up and down Aran’s arm. “We moved here for the very reason ya hate it so much. Because, no matter how dangerous this business is, in the end, what’s life without a bit of excitement?”
“We run a general store. We aren’t exactly the adventurous type.”
“Are ya trying to tell me that there ain’t anythin’ excitin’ about oats, tobacco, and hard candy?”
Aran laughs. “Of course, of course.”
Kita smiles. Warm and soft and all for Aran.
Atsumu coughs, dragging Aran and Kita out of each other's eyes and over to where Atsumu and Osamu still sit. “Oh,” Kita says. “Nearly forgot ya were there.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Atsumu says, eyes fixed onto the beaten wood table.
“Well boys, is that all ya have for us this evening?”
Osamu breathes a sigh of relief and reaches for Suna’s hand. They say their goodbyes and the four of them head for the door.
“Oh,” Aran says right before they go. “Sorry for bein’ a downer, Atsumu. it’s a big accomplishment and I’m proud of ya.”
Osamu’s wiping down the freshly washed glasses when two guys he doesn’t recognise come shambling in, sitting at the bar with a heavy sigh. He wipes another cup dry then picks up another. It’s not that it’s unusual to have new faces in his bar. This is a frontier town, people are always coming and going. Two new faces are nothing to blink at. But there’s something about these two that Osamu can’t quite shake. Something about them makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Makes him hesitant to turn his back for too long.
He sets the last of the cups down and flicks his towel across the bar, taking his time to wipe down every inch with more care than he would under normal circumstances, going even slower when he reaches the area closest to the two strangers. Whatever these guys are talking about, they’re taking care to keep their voices low. If he can just catch a bit of their conversation and confirm that it’s nothing nefarious they’re planning, then he can rest easy. It wouldn’t be the first time that someone up to no good spilled the beans where Osamu could overhear. And every time he takes that information right to Atsumu.
“Who watchin’ the store?” The one on the left asks.
“Clive and Flint,” says the other.
“Clive? The best they could do was Clive?”
The guy on the right shrugs. “Jack trusts ‘im. That’s all the reassurance I need.”
“I dunno. Ya remember what he did last time, Jaspar?”
The one on the right, Jaspar, shudders. “Yeah. I remember. That was a close call.”
“That’s what I’m sayin’! If ya want somethin’ done right, ya don’t send Clive to do it!”
“Flint is with ‘im. Let him worry about Clive. We gotta keep our eyes on the prize. One of the bartenders here is supposed to be that guy’s, Miya’s, brother right?” asks Jaspar.
The other guy nods.
“Our only concern is watchin’ this place and reportin’ back to the boss.”
“What do ya think the boss is gonna do?”
“Dunno. But I know he’ll burn this whole town down if that’s what it takes to get Johnny outta prison.”
Osamu pauses, his knuckles go white clutching the towel tight in his hand.
“Oi,” one of them says, Osamu doesn’t know which. “Can I get another?” He holds up his empty glass. “We’re gonna be here for a long time.” Osamu doesn’t know if they realize who they’re talking to. If they know that he is the brother they’re looking for, the one they’re supposed to be watching.
“Comin’ right up,” Osamu says through clenched teeth.
“Ya alright there, buddy?”
Osamu can’t let them know he overheard. He plasters on a fake smile, the one he uses when he’s trying to bug Atsumu. “Never better.”
“Get a move on then. We ain’t got all day.”
Osamu walks away from the men, hating every moment that he has his back turned to them.
“That him?” one of them says. With his back turned, Osamu isn’t sure which.
“Yeah, definitely.”
“Ya think he heard?”
“Oh, I hope he did.” The man stands abruptly. “Forget about the drink.” He throws a few coins onto the bar and stares down at Osamu. “You’ve been warned. We’re watchin’ ya.”
Osamu swallows but remains steadfast. He won’t bend to a couple of thugs. “Watch all ya want, I dunno what ya think yer gonna find.”
“Don’t worry,” says the other man. “We’ve already found it.”
Osamu rereads the article that night. When he finishes, he puts down the newspaper with a sigh. His brother is good at what he does. Osamu knows this. In the year since Atsumu accepted the position of sheriff in Inarizaki City, he’s pushed hard for reform at all levels of the law. Reform and taking no shit. Atsumu lives by the old adage: you do the crime, you do the time. No pandering, bribing, or threatening will change that. In a time and place known for corruption and scandal, Atsumu’s hard moral stance is a tough one to come by. And a dangerous one for more than one reason.
Like it said, this isn’t the first outlaw that Atsumu’s brought in for trial, but it is the first time that the criminal in question has had an equally notorious gang to back him up. Atsumu was lucky to catch James on a day where he was without his posse. And he was lucky that Yachi woman came by when she did. Osamu has no doubt that given enough time, people would have rallied to James’ cause, and there Atsumu would have been, alone, fighting off a gang known for far worse than things that just cattle rustling and getting rowdy in a saloon after a few too many drinks. Osamu shudders to think about.
There was a time when Osamu considered leading a life like Atsumu’s, working hard to clean up towns gone dirty with outlaws, crime, and violence. Growing up it seemed they were both destined for it. They would be an unstoppable duo with Atsumu’s blind courage and staunch moral standards and Osamu’s charm that could talk just about anyone down. But a life like that is rarely calm and never peaceful. And while Osamu always liked the idea of a loud, exciting life, when the time actually came to make his way in the world, lawing didn’t have the appeal he expected it would.
There have been days where he’s questioned his decision. Days like today. No, he still has no interest in a career as a sheriff or any other kind of lawman, but then he pictures Atsumu and what could have happened if James hadn’t been alone that day. He pictures what could happen next time Atsumu is caught alone in a gunfight staring down one outlaw or twelve. What if Yachi Hitoka and her nerves of steel hadn’t passed by when she did. It’s with that image in mind that Osamu wonders if he made the right decision after all.
“You look like you’re gonna hurl,” Suna says. Osamu startles. He hadn’t heard him come in. “If you’re gonna be sick, can you at least take it outside?”
Osamu wrinkles his nose. “I ain’t gonna be sick.”
“Coulda fooled me.” He takes the newspaper from Osamu.
“You’re still readin’ this? If Atsumu catches you, he’s going to get a big head.”
Osamu snatches the paper back. “I’m just thinkin’.”
Suna hums and shoves the last slice of his breakfast toast into his mouth.
“I’m just wonderin’ what the hell Atsumu might’ve gotten himself into.”
“Overthinking, you mean. Since when are you such a worrywart? Isn’t that Aran’s job?”
“I dunno! It just seems dangerous to me, dealing with criminals that notorious.”
Suna snorts. “Osamu, that’s his job. He’s supposed to end up in dangerous situations and miraculously make it out alive on the other side with a newspaper article proclaiming how amazing he was while doing it. Although, this time, I’m not sure it’s Atsumu that deserves all the glory. That Yachi person definitely earned half, probably more. The article should have had her name in the title.”
Osamu frowns. He’s got a bad feeling about this. James has an entire gang backing him up and they can’t be happy that their leader is in jail waiting on trial. It only makes sense that it was guys working for James that Osamu dealt with at the bar. The ones that threatened him and his entire damn family. Osamu’s heard the stories. He knows what these guys are capable of. As he glances down at Atsumu’s victorious face, immortalized in black and white newsprint. He has a feeling there is hell yet to come.
“I think I’m gonna pay Atsumu a visit today,” Osamu says as he carefully refolds the paper.
“Whatever will get you through the day,” Suna says, patting him on the arm.
“Heard something odd today,” Osamu says, waltzing into Atsumu’s office at the county jail.
“Not even a hello?” Atsumu says.
“Real odd.”
“Yer a bartender. Don’t ya hear weird stuff every day?”
“Ya know what I mean.”
Atsuu sighs, and puts down the paperwork he’d been working on. “Fine, what did ya hear, ‘Samu?”
“There were two guys in the bar. Didn’t recognize them from around here.”
“That’s not strange either. This is a frontier town.”
“Would ya let me talk?”
Atsumu waves a hand, urging Osamu to continue.
“Well, most strangers don’t threaten me as I pour their drinks.”
“What do you mean threatened ya?”
“I think they’re workin’ for Johnny James. They said they’re watching all of us—Aran and Kita too.”
“Come on Samu, it’s just empty words. That’s all petty threats like that are.”
“Petty? The most notorious outlaw of our time and ya think they’re just words?”
Atsumu rubs his eyes. “Ya don’t know they’re working for James.”
“Who else would have a reason to be watchin’ us? To be watching me? Watchin’ Aran and Kita? It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
“Ya can’t take everythin’ ya hear so seriously.”
“Do ya laugh off threats made to yer face? What about when it’s yer family that’s bein’ threatened?”
“I’m the sheriff, people threaten me every day.”
“So yer not going to do anythin’.”
“What’s there to do?”
Osamu huffs and crosses his arms. “I don’t know. At least keep an eye out.”
“I’m always keepin’ an eye out. That’s my job. But this ain’t anythin’ to get worked up over. It’s just words. They can’t hurt ya.”
Osamu takes a deep breath and sinks back into the chair. It’s not the words he’s worried about. It’s the people speaking them.
“Relax, Samu. It’s going to be fine.”
For once, Osamu hopes his brother is right.