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Atsushi was no stranger to dealing with the Fatui. As a proud Knight of Monstadt and professional errand boy for his superior in the ranks, Dazai, he often ran into minor agents causing trouble in the wild and dealt with them swiftly. But this was the first time he ever met a Harbinger.
Were all Harbingers this handsome?
The Fatui man stood a short distance away, swiftly dealing with a horde of hilichurls that were acting up. Originally Atsushi had been sent to deal with them but now he was rooted in place, taking in the agent's graceful movements and stoic expression. There was a tingling in Atsushi’s heart for the first time ever and he was worried he was going into cardiac arrest. Dazai would later tell him he was feeling emotions (ew).
With the hilichurls eliminated, the mysterious Harbinger stood solemnly staring out into the distance. Atsushi, completely enveloped in the sight, instinctively took a step towards him and classically stepped on a twig, alerting the Fatui of his presence.
Shit.
“Who’s there?” The Fatui swiveled on his heels, jumping towards Atsushi, his sword raised. Atsushi met the blade with his own, the clash of metal sending vibrations up his arm. He rolled to the side, trying to put distance between himself and the Fatui agent. But the man only chased him, his gray eyes holding murderous intent. They exchanged blows back and forth when suddenly a familiar figure broke through the trees.
“Atsushi!” Dazai was rushing forward, some more knights behind him for support. Immediately, the Harbinger leapt backwards, sheathing his sword. His eyes locked with Atsushi and he snarled out the threat,
“Next time, I’ll definitely kill you.”
Then he was gone and Dazai was by his side. The superior knight slapped Atsushi’s back, drawing the young man out of his thoughts. “Who was that?” he asked.
“Akutagawa of the Fatui’s Harbingers.” Dazai answered grimly. “He’s very dangerous.”
Atsushi responded with the first thing that came to mind. “He’s hot.”
Dazai smacked Atsushi across the head.
~
Akutagawa and Atsushi did meet again. In fact, they met multiple times, and contrary to his promise, Akutagawa ended up saving Atsushi’s life a few times. Abyss Mages and minor Fatui agents swarmed the wilderness outside of Mondstadt and Atsushi kept getting assigned to deal with bosses much stronger than him. Thanks, Dazai!
Not only had Akutagawa saved Atsushi’s life, but even assisted him on certain quests. In return, Atsushi would share snacks and stories with Akutagawa during their rest periods. But despite all of this, Akutagawa would still shout, “I’ll kill you!” at every opportunity he could get. It confused Atsushi to no end but he couldn’t deny how helpful the Harbinger was.
He was in the middle of completing his daily commissions when a familiar black coat caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He swiftly dealt with the Abyss Mage before turning to greet Akutagawa, who leaned against a tree watching him. “Akutagawa!” If Atsushi had a tail, it would have been wagging back and forth as Akutagawa approached him. He smiled at the Fatui member. “What are you doing here?”
Suddenly and surprisingly, Akutagawa’s cheeks turned red. He made a displeased expression and pointed to Atsushi in a demanding way. “Listen carefully!” he shouted. “I’m only going to say this once!” Despite himself, Atsushi’s cheeks turned pink as he watched an embarrassed Akutagawa stand before him. Was this… a confession!?! “I’m going to kill you eventually, so don’t even think of leaving my side!”
Atsushi sighed. He stepped forward and Akutagawa shrunk back, his cheeks reddening and his eyes going wide in surprise. He looked angry and embarrassed at the same time which was a miraculous thing. Atsushi had never seen him look anything more than mildly inconvenienced.
Atsushi reached out and grabbed a pinch of Akutagawa’s cheeks, tugging lightly. “H-hey!”
“Can’t you go two seconds without saying that you’ll kill me.” Atsushi said, but he was smiling, grinning like a school boy with a school boy crush. “Also, I accept.”
Akutagawa blinked. “You… you do?”
“If you didn’t think I would accept, then why’d you confess in the first place!?”
“Obviously so I could move on after you reject me!”
Atsushi laughed, releasing Akutagawa’s cheek and taking his hands in Atsushi’s own. He smiled, gentle and soft, and Akutagawa averted his eyes, his embarrassment growing. “I’ll kill you.” he muttered. Atsushi pressed his forehead to Akutagawa’s.
“I love you too.”
~
“So, this is the boyfriend?” Kunikida glared down at Akutagawa. Akutagawa, not one to back down from a challenge, glared right back up at Kunikida. Atsushi chuckled nervously, squeezing Akutagawa’s hand lightly.
“This is Aku.” he introduced. Kunikida crossed his arms, his frown worsening. Suddenly, Akutagawa bowed, surprising Kunikida and Atsushi.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” he said. “I hope it will be ok with you but I intend to marry Atsushi one day.”
“Wait, what–? Marriage!?” Atsushi squealed.
Kunikida didn’t even bat an eye. “I expect you to take good care of him, then. I’m sure Acting Grand Master Fukuzawa would be more than happy to help you pick out an engagement ring.”
“Kunikida!” Atsushi’s face was burning now but his cries went unheard.
The corner of Akutagawa’s lips pulled up into a smile. “I appreciate the offer, but I already have the ring.”
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you!?”