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Gin gazed at the scene in front of her.
This was the first joint mission of the Port Mafia and the ADA that she had participated in since it was usually Ryuu or Chuuya that was chosen to go.
However, this time, each organization sent in four people. But, since one of them was Chuuya, Gin did not see the reason why, even if the organization had more people than they originally thought. But it wasn’t her place to question the Boss, so she rolled with it.
Other than her and Chuuya, Ryuu and Higuchi were also present for this mission, though Higuchi’s presence was just here to provide background support, not at all for fighting skills like Chuuya, Gin, and her brother.
The Agency had sent Dazai (because of course they did; if half of Soukoku was going to be here, why wouldn’t the other half be?), who was off to the side on the phone with their Agency’s president if Gin overheard correctly.
Kyouka was there too, along with a boy her age with blond hair and a bright smile, and Gin watched as they spoke with Chuuya. The Port Mafia Executive wore a small smile as he listened to the young boy with sparkling eyes, and Gin flashed back to the numerous times Chuuya would check in on her and Ryuu after Dazai had left.
And finally, there was the weretiger, which made Gin remember why she was staring in the first place.
Ryuu was arguing with him (and Gin was embarrassed when she realized she didn’t know the weretiger’s name, but, in her defense, whenever she heard Ryuu ranting about him, he never used a proper name), a scowl on his face, but that wasn’t why Gin was staring.
The scowl that was on Ryuu’s face was totally fake. Sure, it was convincing to an outsider, but Gin wasn’t fooled. And, apparently, neither was the weretiger, if the growing smile on his own face was any indication.
In fact, observing their back and forth, the hidden sparkle in both their eyes, the way they were starting to lean towards one another almost unconsciously…
Were they actually…flirting?
Look, Gin knew that there was something going on between her brother and the weretiger. Ryuu had been talking about him nonstop since he met him, but while in the beginning, the ranting had been along the lines of describing the many (and graphic) ways he could kill him, he now spoke of the weretiger with hidden softness, and lamenting over how to ‘get him to quit doubting himself, he’s only holding himself back.’
Gin was pretty sure Higuchi sensed something about the two of them too, evident by how she was sulking next to her, her eyes not leaving the two as they bickered. She had been speaking with Ryuu when the weretiger had walked up and immediately stole Ryuu’s attention. Her brother barely glanced at Higuchi after that.
But there was something that convinced Gin that she wasn’t imagining things, something she saw even Dazai raise an eyebrow at before he had walked away to answer his phone.
The weretiger was still wearing Ryuu’s coat.
Gin knew that Rashomon could erupt from anything her brother wore, but Ryuu still preferred to have his coat on him. Being apart from it for too long gave him anxiety, to the point that he didn’t like to take long baths or showers. But there he was, arguing(flirting?) with the weretiger, with seemingly no intention of taking back his coat.
The implications of that floored Gin, and she couldn’t do anything but stare.
But it was getting late, and as much as the scene before her was interesting, they had to get going and report to the Boss. Gin knew from Ryuu (and Chuuya too sometimes) that he was always a bit more interested in the missions Dazai worked on with the Port Mafia, wanting to know every detail, and making him wait was not exactly ideal.
However, as Gin made to step towards them, she sensed something in the air shift. She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she instinctively slipped her knife from its sheath on her arm.
It all happened within a second.
In front of her, she saw the weretiger stiffen. His head turned, his eyes shifted upwards.
His multicolored eyes widened the tiniest amount.
And then he was lunging towards Ryuu.
BANG!
Gin immediately dropped to the ground and rolled behind a crate, Higuchi by her side with a gun drawn.
More gunshots sounded, echoing loudly inside the warehouse, and Gin swore under her breath for letting her guard down, even for the smallest bit of a second.
Verlaine would be disappointed.
She heard Chuuya shouting something before a loud crash echoed around the warehouse, and then everything went silent.
Gin relaxed slightly before her body tensed up again when she heard a yell.
“Atsushi!”
Gin’s blood ran cold. That was her brother's voice. She had never heard him sound like that before. Shrill, panicked.
And broken .
She stood and made her way from her sudden hiding spot. What she saw made her eyes widen, and her jaw dropped behind her mask.
The weretiger was on the ground, his upper torso draped across Ryuu’s lap. One whole side of his face was covered in blood, and he wasn’t moving.
Ryuu’s hands were clutching his face, his expression a mix of horror and despair. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and his mouth was moving as he spoke words too softly for Gin to hear.
At the sight of all of that, Gin’s feet automatically began carrying her towards the two. She didn’t notice Higuchi joining her. She didn’t notice Kyouka’s horrified face as she tried to run to them too, only to be held back by Chuuya. She didn’t notice Kyouka’s blond friend’s ever-present smile disappearing and replaced with a look of terror. She didn’t notice Dazai hurrying over either.
No, Gin didn’t notice any of that; she only had eyes for her brother, and the wereti– Atsushi , who took a bullet to the head for Ryuu that, judging by where the wound was, would have killed her brother if it hit him because he still wasn’t wearing Rashoumon .
“You can’t do this,” Ryuu was saying when Gin got close enough to hear. “ You can’t do this. You stupid, self-sacrificing fool , you will not do this to me, do you understand? You promised me you would value your own life more so why in the hell would you do something so stupid… ”
One of Ryuu’s hands made its way to Atsushi’s neck, feeling for a pulse, but his hand was shaking so badly that Gin knew he wouldn’t be feeling anything. But still, the way her brother’s face crumpled broke her heart.
“You can’t leave me,” he whispered.
Gin felt her eyes widen and heard Higuchi gasp next to her. She knew there was something going on between the two of them. But she never wanted it confirmed in such a heartbreaking way.
She wanted to comfort him, but she couldn’t. Not because she didn’t want to and not because she wanted to hide their relationship (everyone here knew they were siblings anyway). But because she couldn’t move. Her legs were stuck to the floor, and her arms limp at her sides. Her body was numb with shock. She didn’t know what to do.
Good thing someone else did.
“Akutagawa-kun.” Dazai had appeared and knelt beside the two of them, placing a hand on Ryuu’s shoulder.
But her brother didn’t acknowledge him (???), only having eyes for Atsushi. “ You can’t… ”
“Akutagawa-kun.”
“ You promised… ”
“Ryuunosuke.”
The sound of his first name coming from Dazai must have reached him somehow, and Ryuu dragged his eyes away from the man lying across his lap. His face was dry, but his eyes were still glassy with tears.
“Atsushi isn’t dead,” Dazai said firmly.
“B-But…”
“ Look . His chest is moving, see? He’s still breathing. Now calm down because you’re the only one who can help him right now.”
Ryuu had looked down when Dazai said the weretiger was still breathing, and Gin’s eyes followed. And now that she was looking, she could see the subtle rise and fall of Atsushi’s chest. And apparently, so could Ryuu, who nearly slumped over in relief when he realized he was still alive.
“Akutagawa-kun, the bullet is still stuck inside Atsushi-kun’s skull,” Dazai said, bringing Ryuu’s attention back to him. “You need to dig it out.”
“ What ?” Ryuu’s voice was hoarse like it was when he spent a long while coughing. “You…want me to-”
“Yes.” Dazai was serious, with no trace of laughter anywhere on his face. “If I touch him, I’ll end up nullifying the Tiger, and it’ll stop healing him. He could die if that happens.”
Ryuu flinched as if he were struck. Dazai’s eyes softened just a bit, and he squeezed his mentee’s shoulder. “Do it for Atsushi-kun.”
Gunmetal eyes gazed at Dazai for a moment before they hardened in determination. Gin watched as her brother visibly steeled himself before he recalled Rashomon back to him, the coat unwrapping from the weretiger’s prone form to secure itself around Ryuu’s shoulders. Rashomon materialized two sharp but thin tendrils that hovered over the wound in Atsushi’s head. After a deep breath from Ryuu, they plunged inside.
The squelching sounds were loud in the quiet space. Gin wasn’t fazed by it; she had done similar things for her comrades in the past. And it’s not like her brother was uncomfortable with blood, either. But at this moment, his face was screwed up in nausea, eyes tight, and mouth scrunched up like it did when he was trying to hold in a cough.
After a moment, the look on Ryuu’s face turned into one of triumph. “I have it!”
With one last squelching noise, Rashomon retreated, the bullet wrapped up in its tendrils. It was tossed to the side, already forgotten, as Ryuu leaned back over Atsushi, his hands cupping his face.
“Atsushi,” he murmured. “Come on, Atsushi, open your eyes. Look at me.”
Gin was transfixed. She was holding her breath, waiting for something to happen, and it felt like everyone else was too.
Finally, the weretiger stirred, and hazy, sunset-looking eyes opened. Their owner blinked a few times before squinting upwards. Atsushi opened his mouth and said in a hoarse whisper, “Ryuu?”
Gin’s jaw dropped.
Few people had the privilege of calling her brother by his first name. Dazai was one of them, along with Chuuya, Kouyou, Hirotsu, and, of course, Gin herself. But even then, it wasn’t something the others did often. And Gin was the only one who got to call him by a nickname.
Or so she thought.
At the sound of the weretiger’s voice, Ryuu sucked in a ragged breath, and tears finally fell from his eyes. “You idiot,” he whispered quietly enough that Gin almost didn’t catch it. “You foolish, ridiculous–”
Ryuu choked on a sob as his voice broke, and he buried his face in Atsushi’s neck, his shoulders shaking as he silently wept. A gloved hand reached up to cup the back of his neck as the weretiger struggled into a sitting position, though he made sure not to dislodge the man clinging to him for all his worth.
Atsushi moving on his own must have broken the spell over everyone, for there was suddenly a wailed “Atsushi!” before Kyouka was there at his other side, gripping Atsushi in a bruising hug as she cried into his chest with the blond-haired kid seconds behind her.
Finally feeling able to move, Gin looked to the others. Higuchi looked as if she’d been slapped across the face. Dazai looked relieved, his eyes shut and his posture loose. Chuuya had a small smile on his face as he stared at the quartet huddled on the floor.
(But neither member of Soukoku looked surprised by Ryuunosuke’s behavior. Did they already know?)
Gin didn’t know how long it was before Dazai was speaking up. “We should get back to the Agency,” he said softly, his eyes meeting Atsuhi’s exhausted ones. “I know the Tiger is already healing you, but Yosano-sensi should still take a look.”
“Alright.” Atsushi’s voice was still as weak as it was earlier.
Dazai must have noticed, too, because he directed an order at the people clinging to the weretiger. “You guys help Atsushi walk back to the Agency. Yes, I mean you too, Akutagawa-kun. I’ll catch up in a bit.”
Ryuu finally pulled his face away from Atsushi’s neck, and Gin’s heart broke (again) when she saw his red eyes and the tear tracks on his face. Surprisingly, the other two didn’t protest the fact that Dazai wanted Ryuu to go with them. Did they know about this… thing with Atsushi and her brother? Or was their worry for their friend more pressing for them to worry about?
Gin watched as the three of them led Atsushi away, and kept staring until they were out of sight.
“You two.” The female Akutagawa felt her spine straightened when Dazai spoke. His voice was soft but held an undercurrent of steel, like how a lavishly decorated sword sheath hid the deadly blade within. “I don’t think I need to tell you that none of this reaches Mori’s ears.”
“Of…o-of course not, Dazai-san,” Higuchi stuttered while Gin nodded.
He stared at them a moment further before a bright grin crossed his face, and he clapped his hands. “Great! I knew you two wouldn’t, but being too careful never hurts~!”
“Oi, shitty mackerel, quit playing mind games with my subordinates!”
“Chibi should really stop barking so much and get the kids home!”
“Shut up!”
As Gin watched them go back and forth, she realized that Chuuya didn’t actually disagree with Dazai about keeping quiet about Ryuu’s reaction to Atsushi’s apparent death.
When Gin finally returned to her and Ryuu’s apartment, it was past midnight. The mission had taken longer than she had thought, and with Mori insisting on a verbal summary of how it went, the night had dragged into twilight.
“The weretiger had gotten injured protecting Akutagawa-kun, so shitty Dazai had dragged him along to the Agency ‘to be a good partner’ or some shit,” Chuuya had said with an eye roll when Ryuu’s absence was questioned.
“I see,” Mori had said, his lips curled into a smile. “It seems Dazai is indeed invested in cultivating this partnership. How interesting.”
Gin shook the memory away as she toed off her shoes. She was looking forward to collapsing on her bed and sleeping for ten hours, but she paused as she stepped into the living room.
Ryuu was home. He was asleep on the couch, something he rarely did because he had once claimed that he always woke up with a crick in his neck whenever he did so. But that wasn’t why she was staring.
Atsushi was here, too. He was sleeping on top of Ryuu, his face resting in the juncture between Ryuu’s neck and shoulder, and every breath he exhaled ruffled Ryuu’s hair. His face was cleaned of the blood from earlier, and a bandage was wrapped around his head, but other than that, he looked oddly peaceful, resting atop someone who was supposed to be his enemy.
But then again, Ryuu had his arms wrapped tightly around Atsushi, almost protectively; even while asleep, it was as if Ryuu was saying, ‘You won’t be taking him from me.’
Gin tried to make her way to her room as quietly as she could, but something must have alerted her brother to her presence because a second later, his eyes were snapping open, locking onto hers.
The ferocity in them drained away once he realized who he was glaring at, and the tension she didn’t notice seeping into his posture melted away. “Gin.”
“Brother.”
Did she address the elephant in the room? She and Ryuu never really had secrets from each other, never really saw the need to hide anything, but this was undoubtedly something important Ryuu had kept from her. And it wasn’t new either. The familiar way Ryuu acted with Atsushi earlier suggested that this had been going on for a while.
“...you must have questions.”
Well, it wasn’t like he was wrong. “I suppose.”
Ryuu glanced down at the man slumbering on his chest as he tried to find the right words. Gin let him think.
Finally, her brother looked up and met her gaze again, his eyes harboring an intense emotion Gin never remembered him showing. “He makes me feel human.”
Gin knew Ryuu wasn’t good with his words; he preferred to show how he felt through his actions. And yet…
“He makes me feel human.”
Those five words told Gin all she needed to know, at least for now.
She didn’t ask questions. She didn’t force him to say anything more. She merely smiled at him and said, with the most earnest tone she could, “I’m glad.”