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Cards keep looking down their noses at Atsushi whenever he walks into the palace to join Akutagawa for whatever events he keeps on getting up. Atsushi ignores them as he hops along, pocketwatch a grim reminder of the verbal sparring he kept on getting himself into.
Something than none of the cards could dare to dream of. If they spoke back to the king, the day would end with their head fertilizing the black roses in the garden. Though if the bunny does it, he gets to be invited to another special lunch with the king. They always complained during their croquet and tea breaks, careful to not let a single word get back to the king. No one wanted to be caught gossiping about the king’s crush on an oblivious rabbit.
“King of Hearts? King of Hearts—oh, there you are.” Atsushi bounds into the hall, slightly daunted by the portraits of Hearts that line the wall, and not at all daunted by Akutagawa’s glare.
“You’re late.”
“I’m always late.” Atsushi points out, “If you want to start pointing out flaws, I can point to the heads in the garden.”
“Shut up.” Akutagawa hisses, but it’s fond, “Must you always be behind schedule. I had a lot of things to show you today, and we’re behind.”
“I should introduce you to Kunikida.” Atsushi murmurs, just low enough that Akutagawa doesn’t hear, “What do you have planned?” He asks, raising his voice. Akutagawa doesn’t answer him, just grabbing his hand and shoving him forward.
“In this hall, is every Heart that ever ruled over Wonderland.” Akutagawa announces in his ‘King of Wonderland’ voice. The pictures are all several cards high, about the size of one of the Dazai’s smaller award winning carrots. All people, looking severe as they gaze out of their picture, “And across from them, every card they married.”
These pictures were kinder, most of the occupants were smiling, and if they weren’t, they were making some humorous pose or didn’t have the same straight-backed air to them. One of the portraits had a card that folded itself in three, smiling cheerfully
“Where is your picture?” Atsushi asks, eyes drifting from painting to painting.
“All the way down. It has not been finished yet.” Akutagawa says, tone shifting, “It will not be officially finished until the point when I take a spouse for myself.”
“What if you never took a spouse? Then what? Would you not have a portrait?”
“That’s not the point—”
“It seems like an odd rule to have for no good reason.” Atsushi chirps.
“It’s tradition!”
“Why do you have tradition?”
Akutagawa lets out a long suffering sigh. His ‘ I can’t believe I spend my time with a woodland creature with no sense of tradition or manners or time’ sigh. It had been a while since Atsushi had earned that sigh last. At least a week. Maybe two months. Atsushi was notorious bad at time. Events flows together like the breeze. What felt like days of him knowing Akutagawa ended up being closer to months, months of forging a bond and getting closer.
A bond that felt as simple as breathing to Atsushi. Time was relative after all, to him, things that were meant to be happened quickly, which a trip through a forest that seemed to take a day was a good sign that he was going to happen upon a flying snake or a slithering hawk.
“ Anyway ,” Akutagawa huffs, “my portrait is set to go up soon.”
“...Didn’t you just say that the portrait goes up when you get married?”
“ Moving on .” Akutagawa slips back into his kingly voice and Atsushi drops it. He knows best fo anyone when that voice comes out, you’re never going to get a word in edgewise, “I’ve had the castle staff prepare a nice lunch for us. I would say I hope you’re hungry but,”
“I’m always hungry.” Atsushi agrees, hopping after Akutagawa as they leave the painting room. No cards dare sneer at him with the king at his side, but that doesn’t stop the weird looks he keeps on getting. Or the whispers of a queen.
“Why are they talking about a queen?” Atsushi asks. In an instant, everyone freezes, locked in place. One card is frozen tumbling down the stairs, cookies hovering in midair, “Gin isn’t on her way, is she?”
“Ah, no, she is.” Akutagawa replies quickly, nearly stumbling over his words, “She’s coming later in the day. I believe I reminded you that she was coming yesterday.”
“I thought she was coming next week.”
Everyone unfreezes, jumping when the flying platter of cookies smacks into the ground.
Akutagawa shakes his head fondly, “Time is always going to escape you, isn’t it?” He flicks Atsushi’s ear, knocking it to the side, “And she’s coming later. No need to talk about her now.”
“Sure, but isn’t Gin the Jack of Hearts, not the Queen? Or is she going to be coronated and raise a number?”
“Nothing that concerns you.” Akutagawa replies huffily, “Or anyone else.” Akutagawa raises his voice, addressing the rest of the cards, “Be gone. Do not dare to bother us until the day is done.” Everyone rushes off, leaving the two of them alone in the gold-plated halls, “Good, peace and quiet. Follow, rabbit.”
Atsushi just follows. Getting answers of out Akutagawa is like cracking open a coconut with his bare hands. Impossible.
Akutagawa leads him to a perfectly set tea party, even with a doily that put Atsushi’s to shame. On top, are layers of cakes and cookies and treats Atsushi can’t even begin to give names to. It all smells wonderful , and with a quick nod from Akutagawa, he descends.
(Akutagawa smiles as Atsushi goes through the sweets. He had cards…inspect what Atsushi ate at his tea parties at home, commanding them to make every food that they suspected Atsushi would enjoy. And for once, they were competent.)
“Akutagawa, try this!”
“And this!”
“This too!”
Atsushi didn’t think twice about feeding the King of Hearts food, just giving him whatever tasted good. Akutagawa was secretly delighted, even though he would never tell Atsushi. Atsushi knew though. Akutagawa only worked to hide a smile that much when he was really enjoying himself.
Atsushi slumps into his chair, stomach full with sweets, “That was all amazing!”
“There’s always more.” Akutagawa casts out a fishing line, “If you were here all the time, then you’d be here all the time. You wouldn’t have to worry about being late if you just lived here.”
Cast, line…
“Yeah, it would be nice.”
Sin—
“But I’d miss home. And Dazai and Kyouka and Chuuya and Fyodor—okay, maybe not Fyodor and Shibusawa. But I’d miss my home. And if I eat like this all the time, I’d forget what bad food tastes like.”
“Not if Dazai breaks into the kitchen again.” They both shudder. Atsushi doesn’t know how one makes pudding that screams in agony, but Dazai managed it, “But you can have all of that stuff here .” Akutagawa insists.
“You can’t have a tea party here,” Atsushi is quick to continue, “Come home with me and I’ll show you what I mean.”
Akutagawa blinks at him, stunned for some reason, “You’re inviting me to your home.”
“...Yes? You’ve done the same. Several times.” Atsushi looks around the halls, covered in numbers and gold, highlighted with deep shades of red, “I’m in your home right now? What’s so weird about you coming to mine.”
When he turns back to Akutagawa, he’s alarmed to see that the King of Hearts has gone bright red, just like his card, “Akutagawa!”
“Don’t look so alarmed, rabbit!” Akutagawa snaps before Atsushi can smother him with worry, “I was just mildly surprised, that’s all,” Mildly? “Though I suggest we don’t listen to your idea of time and set off now.”
“Sure. Chuuya must have cooled off by now. It’s Fyodor’s three-quarters not birthday today, so I’m sure he’s restarted the tea party by now.”
“...Three-quarters not birthday.”
“Yeah?” Atsushi questions Akutagawa’s tone, befuddled.
“Nothing.” Akutagawa groans.
It’s hard enough to tell the rabbit Akutagawa’s fallen for him, he’s not going to bother with understand weird customs until the courtship has been formally announced.