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“Um,” Lucy says eloquently. “What the hell?”
Gin blinks. The bottom half of their face is still covered by their mask, so Lucy can’t exactly tell what expression they’re making, but based on eyes alone, it seems…rather blank. Certainly not suited for the present circumstances. Not when Gin said there was an emergency and Lucy needed to come right away, only to be met with the sight of—
The lizard’s tongue shoots out of its mouth, slapping against its eyeball.
“You said this was an emergency.”
Gin nods.
“So what is that!?” Lucy demands. She’s about ready to call Anne and have her dispose of it—maybe it’s a dangerous ability user who can disguise themself as an innocuous-looking reptile.
Then again, if that were the case, Gin probably wouldn’t be cradling it in their arms.
They huff out a nearly-silent laugh. They lift the lizard up, as if trying to give Lucy a better view. She doesn’t need it. She really doesn’t need it. Why do they have a lizard!?!!
“This is the emergency,” they explain, voice soft as usual. They still don’t speak often around Lucy, but she knows it isn’t personal. They simply prefer to stay silent regardless of their company; very few people are privileged enough to hear them speak at all.
“The emergency,” Lucy repeats. She resists the urge to scream. “How. Why?!”
Gin unhooks their mask from their ears, stuffing it into their pocket. “I killed its owner,” they explain. “She asked me to rescue it.”
Lucy grinds her teeth together. She should eject Gin from Anne’s room and leave them to fend for themself. Emergency. Yeah, right. Lucy is never going to trust them again. They can call their brother or their mafia friends or even the tiger-kitty for all Lucy cares! Anyone except for her! What is she supposed to do about an orphaned lizard!!
Gin, either unaware of Lucy’s internal crisis or simply electing to ignore it, sits down at the tea party table. They make to set the lizard down as well, but Lucy jumps into action before they can.
“No, no, no!” she exclaims, marching over. “Do not put that thing on my table! Do you know how unsanitary that is?! I eat there!”
Gin stares at Lucy, clearly unconvinced.
“I am not helping you if you let it walk all over. I will kick you out and leave you to the wolves!”
Gin sighs and rolls their eyes. But they follow Lucy’s orders, setting the lizard on their lap instead and keeping it in place with a gentle hand on its back.
“Okay,” Lucy says, mostly to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Anne begin to relax. She sits across from Gin. “Okay, okay. You have a lizard. You tricked me into bringing both you and it here. Why? I don’t have any lizard supplies! You should go to a pet store or something. Ask the tiger-kitty maybe; he’s part-animal. Or maybe the Agency’s farm boy—yeah, he knows all about this sort of stuff! I’m sure he’ll be able to find a new home for it.”
Gin’s eyes widen in horror. They hold the lizard closer, shaking their head vehemently.
“You don’t want the Agency’s help?”
Gin signs something with one hand. When Lucy just stares at them blanky, they sign it again but slower:
I’m keeping it.
Lucy blinks. That can’t be right. She’s still learning Japanese sign language, but she knows all of those signs. There’s no doubt about what Gin just said. They want to keep the lizard. After killing its previous owner. Lucy can only hope it was a work-related assassination and not a spur-of-the-moment decision entirely unrelated to Gin’s position in the mafia.
She figures it’s best not to ask.
“You want to keep it?”
Gin nods.
Lucy is going to stab something. The lizard, probably. Except that would upset Gin, apparently. Well, good! Serves them right for bringing her here under false pretenses! Maybe they’ll learn their lesson.
But then Lucy watches as Gin’s gaze dips down to the lizard and instantly softens. They run their fingers across its back, careful and fond. Lucy understands, sort of—most everyone who has met Anne finds her off-putting and creepy. She used Anne’s Room as a threat while she was with the Guild because Mark and John and Nathaniel were all freaked out by it, saying it was like something out of a horror movie.
Which is sort of the point, but…
Anne has never been creepy to Lucy. She was the only friend Lucy had for most of her life.
So while she doesn’t quite understand Gin’s instant affection for the lizard, she can respect it.
“Fine,” she relents. “We need to get supplies for it, then. Food, and a tank or cage or whatever at the very least. Do you know any good pet stores in Yokohama?”
Gin tilts their head, as if they’re confused. Lucy thought her statement was pretty clear.
“You’re going to help me?” Gin whispers.
Lucy breaks into a toothy grin. “Of course I’m going to help you! This is way better than sitting around in the café waiting for the detectives to come be annoying. I took my lunch break, and I told my manager it was an emergency so I might not be back right on time, so I might as well make the most of it. Now, let’s go get some pet supplies!”
— —
They find the nearest pet store and march right in, the lizard still cradled in Gin’s hands. Lucy does the talking, giving the vaguest explanation she can manage to avoid too much suspicion—they rescued the lizard from its previous owner but were unable to take any of the supplies and so they need to buy new stuff, and an instruction manual for lizard care would be great too. Please and thank you.
The cashier looks them over tiredly, then shrugs, as if they don’t have the energy to question the oddity of this situation. Lucy understands; she feels the same way whenever she gets weird customers at the café.
Once they have a tank, bedding, food, the other necessary supplies, a few unnecessary things Gin decided to splurge on, and a basic overview of how to care for bearded dragons along with a website where they can find more information, they bid the cashier farewell and exit the store, arms laden with all of their purchases. At least Gin’s mafia paycheck can handle the strain of a new pet.
Lucy would be eating nothing but cup noodles and plain rice for weeks.
“I assume you want all this in your apartment, right?” Lucy asks, shifting the bags to her elbows so there’s less strain on her wrists.
Gin nods.
“We could put it all in Anne’s Room while we walk, so we don’t have to carry it back?”
Gin nods again, and with a snap of Lucy’s fingers, they’ve teleported into her ability space.
Gin holds out the lizard, and Lucy hesitantly accepts it. She winces as soon as it’s in her hands, afraid it’s going to lash out and bite her—or maybe spontaneously grow wings and start breathing fire. But it remains calm.
Though it does try to crawl up her arm.
Lucy lets it get about halfway to her shoulder, and then moves it back down, not wanting it to start chewing on her hair or something. While she entertains the lizard, Gin quickly sets up the tank—at least to the point where the lizard will be fine in it for the twenty minutes it’ll take to get to Gin’s apartment.
It isn’t long before Gin carefully lifts the lizard off of Lucy’s arm and places it in its new home. Right away, it crawls into the hollow log Gin set up for it, hiding out of sight.
Lucy and Gin grin at each other. Success.
Their next mission is easy; the lizard and the supplies will all be fine in Anne’s Room, so Lucy and Gin have an easy walk. They’re in mafia territory, technically, but this part of the city is so nice you wouldn’t expect it unless you were familiar with the inner workings of the Port Mafia. It’s where most of the higher-ranking mafia members live, from what Lucy can figure, though Gin’s apartment is the only one she’s actually been in.
On the walk, Gin lets their hair down, tugging out the hair tie and bobby pins and slipping them into their pocket alongside the mask. Lucy watches, transfixed, as their long, dark, locks tumble over their shoulders. Gin is beautiful no matter how they wear their hair, but Lucy does rather enjoy seeing it down—if only because few people get to. And even fewer people are allowed the privilege of running their fingers through its silky softness or weaving it into a braid.
Lucy never wants to take for granted how lucky she is that Gin has let her so close.
When they reach the apartment building, Gin nods politely to the receptionist before heading to the elevator. They ride up to one of the highest floors, then walk down the obnoxiously long hallway to the apartment Gin shares with their brother.
As Gin unlocks the door, Lucy asks, “Is Akutagawa-san home?” She isn’t sure, exactly, how he’ll react to the lizard, but she imagines it won’t be with a happy smile and an easy agreement. Selfishly, she’d rather leave that encounter for when she’s not around and instead enjoy the experience secondhand through Gin’s texts.
Gin shakes their head, and Lucy breathes out a silent sigh of relief.
The Akutagawa siblings’ apartment is large, with plenty of open space, and sparsely decorated. It’s a nice place, though, and Lucy enjoys visiting. Even if it’s a little plain for her taste. Gin’s room, at least, is more exciting with its posters and fairy lights on the walls.
“Where are you going to put it?” Lucy asks, looking around. There’s no shortage of open table and counter space, though Gin might prefer to simply keep it in their room, and that could create a problem. Last time Lucy was over, their desk was a mess of various trinkets and there was no other flat surface big enough for the tank.
Gin hums. “Kitchen?”
Lucy shrugs. “It’s your pet, not mine.”
Gin nods sharply, then marches off towards the kitchen. Lucy follows behind eagerly.
They set up the tank on the counter, out of the way but still clearly visible to anyone who enters. While Gin adds some finishing touches, Lucy searches through the fridge for something to eat. For people who don’t have to worry about money, the Akutagawas’ fridge is always oddly empty. Unfortunately, today is no exception.
Lucy huffs out a sigh, letting the door swing shut, and then moves onto the cupboards. There, she finds a bag of chips she deems a suitable snack. She hops up onto the counter near Gin and the lizard tank and watches as she eats.
Gin glances up just long enough to give her a look of mild disbelief. Lucy is still getting the hang of reading their expressions, but she’s fairly certain this one means something like, Are you serious? You’re just going to sit there and eat instead of helping me?
“Hey, I helped you get all the stuff here!” she protests. “I deserve a break after that. And you always have the expensive chips that I never want to buy for myself.” To demonstrate her point, Lucy pulls another from the bag and chomps it down.
Gin laughs lightly before returning their attention to the lizard.
Lucy flushes, grateful they aren’t looking at her anymore. She should have a better grip on her emotions by this point, but hearing Gin’s laugh always leaves her stammering. It’s a beautiful sound, and more than anything, Lucy loves being the reason for it. It sends sparks shooting through her veins and sets butterflies dancing in her stomach.
Just after Gin has finished, stepping back to admire their work, the tell-tale sound of the door opening echoes through the apartment.
“Gin?” Akutagawa calls out. “I thought you weren’t getting home until late?”
Lucy and Gin look at each other, eyes wide. Apparently Gin is wary of what Akutagawa’s reaction will be too. That makes Lucy feel significantly worse about this situation.
Briefly, she debates disappearing into Anne’s Room.
But she knows she shouldn’t leave Gin alone. She’s still sort of trying to get on Akutagawa’s good side, so she needs to prove that she’s willing to be a good girlfriend regardless of the circumstances. Which means not running away just because it’s easy and she has an ability that would allow her to escape an awkward encounter.
Another voice sounds, softer than Akutagawa’s, and Gin’s expression morphs into one of confusion.
Lucy tilts her head, straining her ears. Akutagawa and whoever is with him are having a hushed conversation, and Lucy can’t make out any of the words, but she’s fairly certain she knows who the other voice belongs to.
Atsushi? Gin mouths.
Lucy nods.
Sure enough, when Akutagawa comes storming into the kitchen Atsushi is trailing behind him.
“Why is she here?!” Akutagawa demands, pointing an accusing finger at Lucy.
Gin crosses their arms, glaring at him.
Atsushi waves to Lucy. Lucy waves back, smiling pleasantly. The best part about him being here is that Akutagawa is now outnumbered in his distaste towards her and he certainly knows it.
Gin signs something, their movements sharp and including a harsh gesture towards Atsushi, who furrows his eyebrows in something that’s almost offense. He doesn’t say anything, though. He knows better than to argue with Gin. Because while they may have accepted Atsushi as Akutagawa’s partner, they’ve made it abundantly clear that they’ll still attack the second they see any reason to. And they’ll win.
Akutagawa scoffs. “That is different.”
How?! Gin demands.
“Because!”
Gin signs something else, and Akutagawa’s cheeks flush. It might not be so noticeable if he weren’t so painfully pale, but as it stands, the blush is glaringly obvious. Lucy bites her tongue to avoid laughing.
Atsushi doesn’t hold back his snicker, until Akutagawa turns his glare on him and he transforms it into a fake cough.
And then his eyes catch on the lizard.
Lucy can see the exact moment it happens—the hidden laughter drops off into curious confusion and he lowers his hand from his mouth to ask, “When did you guys get a pet?”
Akutagawa blinks. “What.”
Atsushi points at the tank.
Gin steps in front of it, though they’re half a second too late to fully hide it. Through gritted teeth, Akutagawa asks, “Gin. What did you do.”
Gin shrugs.
“It’s a rescue!” Lucy explains quickly, before Akutagawa can decide using Rashoumon is the best way to deal with the situation. She throws herself in front of Gin, putting her hands up in defense. “Its previous owner passed, and if Gin didn’t step in, it would have been left to fend for itself. It probably would have starved to death before anyone even realized it was there!” She’s mostly just making stuff up, but it sounds like a good defense, and it’s not like Gin is going to correct her. “I think it’s really sweet that they wanted to save it.”
Akutagawa presses his lips into a thin line.
Hesitantly, Atsushi questions, “…What is it?”
Gin turns around and carefully lifts the lizard out of the tank. They step out from behind Lucy, towards Atsushi, showing it to him.
“Oh!” he relaxes. “I thought it was going to be a snake. See Ryuu, this is fine, it’s just a lizard! Can I hold it?”
Gin nods. They pass it over to Atsushi, watching him like a hawk as he lets it crawl up his arm and perch on his shoulder. Gin pats it on the head.
“I do not like this,” Akutagawa states. “I don’t want a pet.”
“Well, good thing it isn’t yours,” Lucy grumbles. She didn’t exactly mean to say it aloud and in fact doesn’t even realize that she did until Akutagawa’s piercing gaze hones in on her.
“What did you say.”
“I just mean—the lizard is Gin’s, right? It’s not like you have to care for it or anything.” She shrugs. “It’s also in a tank, so it’s not like a dog or a cat that has free reign of the apartment and would get in your way.”
Gin nods, gesturing towards Lucy like She has a point!
Akutagawa sniffs. “I still greatly dislike it.”
Atsushi opens his mouth to say something—probably in defense of Gin and the lizard—but before he can, Gin speaks.
“You do not like it because Lucy helped me, and you are determined to hate her.” She plucks the lizard from Atsushi’s shoulder, then turns to Lucy. “Come, we will find a name without his help. Atsushi-kun, you are welcome to join.”
With that, they stride out of the kitchen, presumably headed to their bedroom.
Lucy hesitates only a moment, and then follows. She doubts she’ll really be any help coming up with a name, but she certainly doesn’t want to stay with Atsushi and Akutagawa when they’re clearly at odds with each other.
No more than three minutes after they’ve settled in Gin’s room, there’s a knock on the door followed by Atsushi’s voice: “Can I come in?”
Gin shrugs, so Lucy calls out, “Yeah, sure. Shut the door behind you.”
Atsushi obeys. His eyes dart around the room as he stands awkwardly just inside the doorway until Gin pats an empty space on their bed, inviting him to join.
“Ryuu’s pissed that I’m siding with you guys,” he explains as he sits. “I figured it would be best to just give him some time to cool down before I try to talk some sense into him. Honestly, Lucy, I just think he decided a long time ago that no one would ever be worthy to date Gin. It’s nothing against you specifically.”
Gin nods. “He will get over himself eventually. Even if I have to threaten the obstinance out of him.”
“Yeah,” Atsushi agrees. “You’ll figure it out, I’m not worried about you.”
We will, Gin signs, the ‘we’ evident in the way they gesture to both themself and Lucy. She likes that—the fact that Gin has defined them as a team of sorts. Despite Akutagawa’s hostility towards their relationship, Gin is making it clear that they have no intention of letting it get in between them.
And Lucy has no doubt that Gin will do whatever it takes
— —
Akutagawa rejoins them an hour and a half later, when they’ve moved back out to the kitchen and are debating whether to order dinner or go out to eat. The lizard tank is now placed on the center of the table, and the lizard is napping beneath the warm light of its sun lamp.
Akutagawa shuffles into the room, silent, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. He drops himself into the seat next to Atsushi and across from Gin, a distasteful expression on his face as his gaze lands on the lizard.
“Have you decided on a name?”
Gin grins.
“What…is it,” Akutagawa asks, sounding as if the words physically pain him to say. Atsushi is valiantly trying to hold back his laughter and Lucy isn’t faring much better herself, picking at her nails while watching Akutagawa out of the corner of her eye.
“As a peace offering, we named it after you,” Gin answers pleasantly.
The room goes silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Then, Akutagawa growls, “You did what?”
Atsushi bursts out laughing. Once the floodgates have broken, Lucy and Gin join in too, doubling over and leaning against each other as they dissolve into fits of giggles. They laugh until there are tears in the corners of their eyes and they’re struggling for breath, and Lucy’s cheeks hurt from smiling.
Akutagawa simply stares at the three of them, blank-faced.
Atsushi puts a hand on his shoulder, still grinning. “Ryuu,” he gestures to the lizard, “meet Ryuunosuke the Second.”
For a moment, he is stone-still and silent.
Then, he shoves Atsushi’s arm off of him and stands to his feet.
“You people are menaces,” he declares before stomping away.
Gin and Lucy break out into laughter once more.
“Ryuu!” Atsushi calls after him, “We’re ordering takeout; do you want anything?”
Akutagawa pokes his head back into the kitchen. “I will consider forgiving you if you get Chinese.” Then, he disappears once more, presumably to sulk in his bedroom until the food arrives.
Atsushi sighs. “I’ll go talk to him. I can order the food, too. What do you two want?”
Lucy rattles off her order while Gin texts Atsushi theirs, and then he ducks away, leaving the two of them alone with Ryuunosuke the Second.
“You know,” Lucy says casually, “if you ever have to go on an overnight mission or something and your brother doesn’t want to pet-sit, I’d be more than happy to do it for you. I know I didn’t have…the kindest initial reaction to the whole lizard thing, but he is actually pretty cute. So…if you need me…”
Gin smiles warmly. They lean over and press a kiss to Lucy’s cheek.
In a soft voice, they tell her, “There’s no one I would trust more.”