Chapter Text
“Kiss me.” Akutagawa commands, head still held high despite the blush that had overtaken his face. Atsushi stills, face inches from the prince’s. The needle in his hand wavers before falling to the ground with a small clatter. They both ignore it as Atsushi obeys, leaning forward.
He turns his head so their lips can connect, firmly pressing his mouth against Akutagawa’s. And it feels…amazing. Just that simple touch has Atsushi reeling, pulling away after only a second to catch his breath. His heart is going to beat out of his chest, Atsushi can feel his heartbeat down to his fingertips.
“Is that it, Jinko? Or do I have to command you again?” Akutagawa’s eyes, which Atsushi had once thought to be endless pits of derision, now held mirth. His cheeks, normally so pale, were growing pinker by the second but he was not backing down.
Jinko.
Atsushi had spent so long fighting against the beast. When it said to fight, he ran away from the orphanage, leaving his Headmaster behind. When it said to hunt, Atsushi decided to scavenge and when that failed, he decided to starve. When it said to welcome the moon, Atsushi decided to hide from the celestial body.
When it said to eat the man they found injured on the side of the road, Atsushi decided to nurse him back to health. When it said to fight back against the man that was using Atsushi’s very few possessions as weapons, Atsushi instead calmed him down.
When it said the open sky was better, Atsushi decided to take the job the strange man, the prince of Yokohama, offered to him.
But for the first time in a long time, Atsushi and the beast were in agreement.
Atsushi surges forward, kissing Akutagawa, his Akutagawa again, tilting his head to kiss the other deeper, hands planted on the stool. Atsushi swallows up Akutagawa’s soft gasp, ignores the way the unfitted clothes are falling off Akutagawa’s shoulder, forgets that he has a deadline next week. Instead he chooses to kiss Akutagawa again and again and again.
This time Akutagawa breaks away, stopping their kiss with a quick nip to Atsushi’s bottom lip.
Atsushi takes a primal delight when he notices how disheveled Akutagawa is, hairs out of place, lips reddened, and his naturally sharp gaze has turned hazy.
“See?” Akutagawa says breathily. He’s conflicted, his attention flickering between Atsushi’s lips and his eyes. Atsushi isn’t in a place to judge, he’s doing the exact same action, “Maybe you should learn to just trust me.”
Atsushi rolls his eyes, pulling Akutagawa back in by the back of his head.
Atsushi waits a moment, silently asking for permission. Akutagawa inhales sharply, hands flying to Atsushi’s back. He’s always been a man of actions instead of words, but the way Atsushi is shoved forward is more than enough of an answer—
Atsushi whips around when he hears the door open, so fast that he loses track of his limbs, knocking Akutagawa off the stool. Of course, with Akutagawa’s hand in his shirt, Atsushi goes down as well, turning them into a puddle of limbs on the floor.
“Prince?” A servant calls out. Atsushi knows that voice, but his head is fuzzy, too unfocused to figure anything else.
Ah, that’s incorrect. Atsushi’s head is fuzzy, but everything is not lost to him. Namely, Akutagawa below him. Somehow, the pink looked natural on his face, but the fall had revealed just how little tailoring Atsushi had gotten done. The seams around the front of Akutagawa’s chest, down his collarbones, around his shoulders—they’ve all fallen apart, revealing more flushed skin. Atsushi couldn’t tear his eyes away if he tried.
He didn’t bothered to try.
“Prince?” The servant calls out again, seconds away from finding them in this compromising position but Atsushi can’t find it in himself to move.
“Tachihara? What?” Akutagawa snaps, but his voice has lost its harshness, “And don’t move.”
“...Okay. Gin’s looking for you. Has been for the last twenty minutes or so. There’s something you need to Mori and the rest of them about ten minutes ago.” Akutagawa swears under his breath, so quietly that Atsushi barely heard.
“I’ll be there in five minutes.” Atsushi perks up, leaning down for another kiss, but Akutagawa turns his head, forcing Atsushi to kiss his cheek instead, “I need to redress myself.” He gives Atsushi a pointed look at this point. Atsushi scrambles to his feet, gathering Akutagawa’s clothes that he had carefully put aside before getting distracted, “My seamstress got me a bit distracted.”
Tachihara snorts before Atsushi can protest, “Sure. I’ll tell Gin you’re on the way.”
“My seamstress got me a bit distracted, huh?” Atsushi asks as Akutagawa picks himself off the ground. More of his clothes fall away and Atsushi has to fight to not stare, “If I remember correctly, I was only following orders.”
“Shush, and dress me quickly,” Cheeky bastard. I thought you didn’t like it when I dressed you, “I just bought us a bit of time.”
Oh.
In five minutes, Akutagawa is fully clothed but he looks far less put together than he did when he first walked in. There’s still hair out of place, and while he’s no longer as flushed as before, a small blush still clings to his cheeks. There’s nothing that could be done about his lips however, but Atsushi didn’t see any problems with that.
“I said five minutes, not ten.” Akutagawa complains as Atsushi runs his hands down his side, lingering at his waist.
“I’m just making sure your shirt is tucked in right.” Atsushi lies, running his hands over the lace sides, “But fine, I’ll leave your shirt alone.”
Maybe someone has noticed how Atsushi has influenced Akutagawa’s outfits. At first it was repeated variations of his first outfit, with that coat and “white frilly thing” but over time Atsushi has expanded it. Akutagawa’s wardrobe still consists of shades of black, but Atsushi added varying textures.
Atsushi places his hand on Akutagawa’s neck, tilting his head up with his pointer finger.
A little color never hurt him either.
“I thought it was you who was rushing me.” Atsushi remarks, “I was only checking the ribbon.” Atsushi uses his other hand, testing the tightness of the pink silk ribbon. His fingers rest right over Akutagawa’s pulse point, so Atsushi can feel how it picks up, “Is it too tight?”
Akutagawa gulps as Atsushi’s fingers start to move, searching for sensitive spots.
“Time.” Akutagawa manages to get out as Atsushi finds one under Akutagawa’s right ear, “Atsushi, we don’t have time.”
“Now.”
“Now.” Akutagawa agrees as he finally steps away. His focus is split again, between Atsushi’s eyes and his lips, “I have a late meeting tonight. But I’m free tomorrow.”
“We didn’t finish the fitting.” Atsushi replies easily.
“And when do I need this?”
“Oh, next week at the earliest. But with how much work there is to be done, I’ll need you here day and night.” Atsushi bundles up the unfinished clothes, “And I couldn’t have any distractions.”
“None.” Akutagawa breathes. In a moment, they’re pulled together like opposing sides of a magnet. Sadly, they only manage a single kiss before someone starts pounding at the door.
-
Lucy takes one look at him and groans, “Oh, you are going to be insufferable for ages, aren’t you?”
“...What?” Atsushi asks as Lucy stomps forward, throwing her Ane-shaped pincushion to the side, “Lucy!” He complains, voice muffled as Lucy pulls his upper lip to the side.
“Hmpf. I knew it. Just what were you and Akutagawa doing for so long? Huhhh?” Lucy taunts, cutting Atsushi off whenever he tried to say that they didn’t do anything, “Someone has their fangs out?”
Atsushi just looks at Lucy, baffled.
“And some prince really has a thing for your fangs,” Atsushi flushes, “And those two just spent over an hour and a half doing a routine fitting that should have taken fifteen minutes. So,” Lucy finally lets go of his mouth, “What happened?”
“You’re going to use it as blackmail.”
“Correction.” They both jump when the head seamstresses voice drifts around the corner, “We are going to use it as blackmail. Keep on going, Atsushi. I want to hear everything.”
Atsushi flushes a deeper red, “Well, I can’t tell you everything. ” They both start hollering.