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He was trying his best to concentrate on the files before him. Reading was already a difficult task for Atsushi so what he wanted less than anything was the constant tapping of fingernails against the hardwood of the table. But he tried to pay no mind, sooner or later, his partner would get tired of drumming his fingers and Nakajima would be able to concentrate again.
Except his partner was set on annoying him.
“Stop that already!” Atsushi exclaimed hushedly as he batted at Akutagawa’s hand. The black-haired sighed in defeat and let his fingers flatten against the surface.
“Why can’t I get you to actually snap, Jinko?” Telling him to stop and swatting his hand could barely be considered snapping taking into account how many snarky remarks the weretiger had or how quick he was to point the finger at him before insulting him. Not that Ryuunosuke took those at heart, it was their dynamic.
“Why would you even want to make me mad? Are you that bored?!” Atsushi questioned with frustration bubbling through his words. At a sided nod and a shrug of Akutagawa’s shoulders, the gray-haired scoffed and returned to his papers. “It’s four A.M, I’m tired and I don’t want to argue for your amusement.”
“Not for my amusement, I’m trying to make you leave.”
“God, you can be such an asshole at times!” Atsushi was truly starting to get infuriated by his partner but he resigned himself to just adjusting his glasses and underlining a possible clue for their case.
He almost thanked God for the few seconds of quiet, but it didn’t last long.
“You are the asshole, always thinking badly of me.” Akutagawa scoffed before crossing his arms over his chest, waiting for the other’s attention. When he finally got sunset eyes inquiring from above the man’s glasses, he continued. “You said it yourself, you’re tired. I really think you should go home and sleep.”
Atsushi stopped for a second to think. He had been in Ryuunosuke’s apartment for over thirteen hours working on getting as much information from the files given to them by both organizations. They had only stopped for dinner, which had been quick and more than six hours ago. But still, they weren’t done at all.
“I need to get this done for our mission next week, we can’t just jump in without a clue” Nakajima argued after his pause. The pair of gray eyes looked at him as if he had said something wrong, maybe even something insulting. “What?”
“You don’t need to, we need to. For all your ‘we are partners’ thing, you really forget about it a lot” The black-haired leaned toward Atsushi to force him to not look away. It was easy to coax Nakajima when you put a bit of pressure on him, especially if said pressure was his partner’s taunting eyes. “And we have five days to break through this.”
Still, Atsushi remained silent, staring at Akutagawa just as intensely as the man was staring at him. They were lucky the black-haired’s sibling wasn’t home or they would have mocked them for being so ridiculous at such an hour.
“The sooner we get this, the sooner we can plan out the mission, and go over it until we are sure of it all” Atsushi seemed more and more tired as they spoke to one another, and Ryuunosuke’s well-trained frown was slowly softening at the sight. His eyes were moist with tiredness and he was trying to hide his yawns as best as he could. “I’m not even allowed to take these home, Akutagawa.”
That was true. Mori’s conditions for sharing the Mafia’s intel was that both their own and the agencies’ documents were in Akutagwa’s possession at all times. The realization made Ryuunosuke sigh again and run a hand through his hair, this only gave Atsushi more arguments to not let himself rest.
But, even if Akutagawa wasn’t a genius quite like Dazai, he was smart enough to think of another escape route.
He stood up, walking closer to where Atsushi sat, and leaned his hip against the wood before speaking. “Go lay on the sofa for some time, and then come back to it”
“I’m fine, I will finish this and in an hour or so you won’t have to see me anymore” Atsushi shook his head, not even facing the older man towering over him. His gloved hand attempted to move on to the next page before a paler one slammed the paper down, preventing Nakajima from reading anything.
“Atsushi” The gray-haired could no longer avoid looking up at Akutagawa when he called his name in a stern voice. Well, stern for an outsider, Atsushi could hear the hint of concern in his tone. “Do me a favor and take a nap on the sofa. Just twenty— thirty minutes and I will wake you up myself.”
Nakajima could no longer argue with his partner, it was pointless, they were both tired and he wouldn’t get any work done if he was sleep-deprived. It didn’t matter how many times he looked at the page, it didn't matter if Akutagawa moved his hand from the papers, he would just be reading over and over without getting any conclusions.
When two-toned eyes met gray ones again, a sense of relief ran through Ryuunosuke, threatening to flash a smile at the younger man. He could tell Nakajima had finally given up, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel a sense of pride at the accomplishment. It was usually Atsushi who convinced him to take better care of his health, not the other way around.
“I’m setting an alarm in thirty-five minutes. If you haven’t woken me up by then—”
“Sure, sure. Threatening it’s not your forte, Jinko.”
Just like that Atsushi had been guided to the couch, given a pillow and, once he had laid down on the— overly comfortable— cushions, a blanket was draped over him with care. The gray-haired sighed in contentment and snuggled himself in the soft blanket that provided him cozy warmth. With such a setup, with such comfort, it wasn’t surprising how fast he was dragged to sleep. But it did make Akutagawa chuckle lightly when he saw how the weretiger hadn’t even taken off his glasses.
The black-haired kneeled in front of him, carefully reached for the pair of glasses and successfully took them off without steering the man. He allowed himself a moment to watch how the crease between Atsushi’s eyebrows was gone now, and how his lips parted as he breathed softly.
Akutagawa would have liked to sit there and watch over his partner, to ensure he slept well. He had always been wary of sleeping in others’ presence, but Atsushi had fallen so quickly to slumber in a— mostly— unfamiliar place. Ryuunosuke was left surprised. Were it because Nakajima trusted him with his life or exhaustion taking him in, it was still something that Akutagawa had never been able to do.
Despite his mind telling him to stand up already and get back to the files, his hand had other plans. He brushed off Atsushi's bangs from where they sat against his eyelid, he made sure they stayed in place so they wouldn't bother the other. Then, he couldn't stop himself from running his finger over Nakajima's warm cheek, cupping it with a feather-like touch.
When Atsushi's face turned, he decided to raise his hand, regretting how he had stirred the man. But this one kept turning his face until he found Akutagawa's palm, finally stilling and melting into the couch again with a soft huff.
The gray-eyed blinked in silence at him before taking in the way Atsushi leaned into his hand during his sleep, like a cat that trusted that hand that pets it. He decided to run his thumb over the undereye of the weretiger, disliking the more prominent dark circles caused by that night's work.
Akutagawa reached for Nakajima's phone to check the time. Ten minutes had passed since the youngest drifted off to sleep, and only twenty remained before Ryuunosuke had to wake him up from his peaceful slumber. He had already promised to tell him when the thirty minutes were due, but really, half an hour didn't make up for six hours of no rest.
Resigned, Akutagawa carefully slipped his hand from Atsushi's face and stood up to get back to the files. He was used to all-nighters and he had slept plenty in the morning, so he wasn't having such a hard time going through the papers— not the best, but still tolerable.
While he worked, he made sure to check his watch every now and then, to not miss the time Atsushi had told him he wanted to wake up. He was thankful when the time didn’t seem to fly by, so maybe the weretiger on his couch slept in that slow-timed illusion as well, granting a better sleep. He hadn’t moved at all since Akutagawa left his side, no sound came out from his lips other than a soft snore here and there.
Ryuunosuke cursed when he saw he only had five more minutes before he had to shake Atsushi awake. He fiddled with the papers in one hand and rolled his pen in the other before making up his mind and standing up. Surely, five minutes later, he was crouching next to the couch, one hand reaching for the younger’s shoulder as the other held a mug.
“Jinko, wake up” He whispered, helping his words by shaking the other lightly. “Atsushi, half an hour went by, wake up”
Akutagawa tried his hardest to school his expression rather than allow his lips to form a fond smile at the sight of Atsushi rubbing his eye when he woke up. His eyes were soft with sleep as they met Akutagawa’s. There the oldest couldn’t help but smile, and he hoped it came across as a teasing smirk.
“Are you awake now?” He asked when Nakajima sat up on the couch, eyeing his partner momentarily. Almost accusingly.
“I am” He nodded slowly then pointed at the mug in Ryuunosuke’s hand. “Could have waited for me, I could use some coffee”
Barely-there eyebrows raised in dumbfounded disbelief before Akutagawa snickered at his partner. His attempt to disguise that as a cough was a failure. “This is yours, here.”
Now it was time for Atsushi to raise his eyebrows, he felt fully awake now. Grabbing the mug, he smelt the sweetness of the coffee, just like he preferred it. He felt at a loss for a few seconds. It wasn’t like his partner wasn’t thoughtful, but it was never something so mundane, so…Domestic.
“Thank you” Atsushi smiled then, after taking a sip from the mug and relishing in how the contents weren’t hot but warm.
Sitting back at Akutagawa’s dining table, in front of tons of reports, didn’t seem as bad now that he’d been able to rest. The coffee mug by his side was liquid fuel for him, not only the caffeine energized him, but the fact the black-haired had merely thought about making him one of his favorite drinks to help him work, made him buzz with vitality.
Like that, he was able to work through another hour before he thought it was time to tidy up and head home for the night. But upon turning his attention to the mafioso, he saw his eyes had closed and his head fell heavily on one of his arms. He’d fallen asleep at some point, and he looked peaceful despite the terrible position he lay in.
A soft grin made its way to Atsushi’s lips. He was aware Akutagawa avoided sleeping around others, or rather, falling asleep just like that, even if the man hadn’t told him so. Seeing such a trust display toward him made Atsushi’s chest fill with an unknown warmth that he couldn’t say bothered him. As much as he didn’t want to disturb Ryuunosuke, he couldn’t let him sleep at the table and have his neck ache all day afterward.
Standing from his seat, he made a move to grab Akutagwa in his arms. It was a difficult task when trying not to make too much hustle. He’d had to move him back, away from the table, and then circle his back and the underside of his knees to hoist him up. Once he was holding him against his own body, he just had to walk the long hallway to Akutagawa’s room.
Atsushi felt the other’s cheek pressing against his chest accompanied by a soft sound that made him look down at the man in his arms. His gray eyes blinked up at him without a trace of panic or disgust. Nakajima offered him a beautiful smile.
“Just pretend you are asleep”
Pretend, he said. Akutagawa closed his eyes again, with a soft content sigh— he wasn't completely lucid. Yet, despite having closed his eyes, he stayed awake as Atsushi carried him to bed. It was odd to think about it, and even odder to feel it. The weretiger held him close, a safe embrace that didn't suffocate Ryuunosuke. It didn't make him feel weak, it made him feel…Loved, if he was allowed to even think of such a thing.
The trip to the bedroom wasn't much longer. Atsushi's voice was soft, barely louder than a whisper when he asked his partner to circle his neck as he pulled back the duvet— so much for pretending to be asleep. Once the covers were open, Nakajima left him on the mattress and tucked him in swiftly.
The gray-haired didn't step back as he stared at the other for a bit, hands resting at each side of his body, on the mattress. Akutagawa's long lashes graced his cheeks and there was a subtle tint to these that made Atsushi's heart falter for a second.
He swallowed when his throat felt dry, right before leaning lower on the bed and planting a tender kiss on Ryuunosuke's exposed forehead. His lips lingered for a few seconds even though he knew he should pull away. He liked the feeling of Akutagawa's skin against his lips.
"Thank you for taking care of me, Ryuu" he whispered as he straightened his back, just as if he had begun to believe his partner wouldn't hear him in his sleep.
With still closed eyes, upon hearing the other walking away, he whispered back. "Thank you, Atsushi."
There were many thank you's conveyed in both their grateful words, many that Akutagawa couldn't help thinking about once the door of his apartment closed with a soft thud. And h e couldn't imagine Atsushi would be doing the same once he got comfortable in his own house, covered by his futon.
But it wasn't so bad if they fell asleep while thinking of the many times they had been grateful to have the other in their life.