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“Call him.” Akutagawa hisses. Atsushi jumps at the opportunity to miss the usual argument about who deserves to call Dazai when somethings wrong, but Atsushi knows that this is because nothing is going to change and Akutagawa is getting angier by the second. And he started off livid, now he’s apoplectic.
The singular bed burns a hole the edges of their vision, even as they resolutely keep from looking at it. Maybe if they ignore it, it’ll split into two. It’s nearly impossible, but so is a weretiger and Rashomon, so they hold out hope.
Dazai’s ringtone smashes it.
“Hello, Atsushi-kun! Please put me on speaker! Hello, Akutagawa-kun! There were no other bookings available with two beds,” They shoot each other a look. This place was completely abandoned. Probably on account of the fact there was a shoot out and a building collapsed less than five blocks away, “So you two will have to share a bed for the night! Have fun with each other.” The last two words brought a vivid image of Dazai waggling his eyebrows. Atsushi shuddered, “And don’t destroy the room! Or each other!”
The ringtone cuts off there.
“...What if someone else were to call him?” Atsushi mutters, throwing his phone back into his pocket.
“Who bothers to call him?” Akutagawa retorts back.
“Two idiots that are about to share a bed.” Atsushi snaps back, matching Akutagawa’s acidity, before calming down with a sigh, “How bad could it be? It’s only you after all.”
(Very, very bad. Akutagawa almost throws him through a wall when Atsushi mentions how Akutagawa hasn’t showered. Atsushi was two seconds from biting Akutagawa’s head off when he kept on choosing the most expensive things on the menu despite Atsushi’s begging.)
(Okay, maybe it wasn’t all bad. Akutagawa did end up getting some expensive things for Atsushi. In return, Atsushi told Akutagawa about a clear bathing robe that he would be able to shower in without getting rid of Rashomon.)
The problem came when it was time to actually go to sleep .
“You stay to the left, I get the right.”
“I doubt the jinko is a calm sleeper.” Akutagawa turns his nose up and Atsushi wants to flick it.
“What, you think that I think you don’t thrash in your sleep? How do I know that I won’t end up in pieces before the sun comes up.”
“Keep on talking to me like that and you won’t last five more minutes.” Akutagawa threatens, but there’s no real heat behind it, the words habitual, “Besides. Be assured that you’ll survive until morning if you keep your mouth shut,” Just had to slip that threat in there, did you, “If I did do that, I wouldn’t have Gin anymore.”
“I still don’t trust you.” Atsushi says plainly, sitting on the bed. It’s a shitty mattress, with springs that Atsushi knows will poke him all night, “We’re enemies. Who says that you won’t take the chance to do me in?”
“You have my word that I won’t kill you like this.” Akutagawa replies, “Now shove over. You’re on my side.”
‘You’re on my side.’ Atsushi mocks under his breath, but he does shift over, staring at Akutagawa as he lays down.
“Turn the other way jinko.”
“Why should I ? I’m keeping my eye on you in case of you going on a rampage or something.”
“Must I promise not to become a serial killer in order to not have someone staring at me as I sleep?” Akutagawa challenges, narrowing his eyes, “If you can’t trust me to do even that, then one must wonder why you even agreed to this mission.”
Because Dazai-san said so. While being correct, was definitely not something Atsushi wanted to say.
“Because we had to.” Atsushi shrugs. For a second, Akutagawa’s face turns with something that looks like pain, which was impossible because they’d said so much shit to each other that Atsushi knows what to avoid. Akutagawa was the one that always brought up the excuse of things being just for work.
Why did he take Atsushi out for lunch after missions? Because Akutagawa refused to get any complaints about ‘the jinko’ being off after missions with him.
Why did Akutagawa walk him to the ADA once a mission was over? Because they worked together, and it was in their best interest.
Every time that Atsushi thought that they were getting closer, had a chance of being something other than enemies, Akutagawa dashed that chance with the same excuse over and over and over again.
Akutagawa snorts, derision overriding his hurt, “What wouldn’t you do on account of your job?”
Atsushi thinks for a moment, “Murder, actually, wait—”
Akutagawa winces, “That was meant to be a joke, Jinko.”
“Well, what wouldn’t you do? And murder is already off the table for you.”
“Murder.” Akutagawa says blandly, “Did you forget our deal already, Jinko? Or must we cut things short?”
“Don’t.” Atsushi warns the tendrils of Rashomon that curve around him, “And no, I didn’t forget. But if Mori were to demand you to kill someone, you would.”
“Wouldn’t.” Akutagawa replies haughtily, because of course he has to have the last word, “Now sleep, Jinko, I have no time for your incessant questions.”
“But,” Akutagawa closes Atsushi’s eyes with his fingers.
“ Sleep. ” Akutagawa hisses. Atsushi tries to keep awake, to continue arguing with Akutagawa, but the Akutagawa’s surprisingly gentle touch lulls him to sleep.
When Atsushi awakes, he wonders if he’s in some sort of bad romance novel. He’s tucked against Akutagawa’s chest, arms wrapped around his back keeping him close. But the cherry on top! The cherry on top is that Akutagawa is holding him back , keeping them locked together, so Atsushi has no chance of escape when Akutagawa inevitably wakes up.
It’s such a shame that Akutagawa woke up so angry when he looked so calm when he was asleep.
Atsushi immediately goes on the defensive before Akutagawa knocks off his sleepiness and throws Atsushi into the wall, “Wait! You’re holding me too!”
Akutagawa’s frown is still thunderous, but before Atsushi is kicked off the bed, he sees the flush on pale cheeks.
When Atsushi climbs back into the bed, ready to continue sleeping, Akutagawa does not throw him off again.
While they do try to not cling onto each other, they don’t start fighting when they end up in each other’s arms again.