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"I'd rather spend the day with you..." Atsushi blinked at Akutagawa with an exaggerated pout. It was the fourth time he'd tried changing his boyfriend's mind, and still, Akutagawa remained unmoved.
After a moment, Akutagawa stood from his small dining table. “How about I make you another omelet?”
Atsushi groaned but pushed his empty plate toward him. "Yes, please," he said, folding his arms on the table and burying his face in them. "If I can't spend my birthday with you, the least you can do is feed me.”
Akutagawa hummed. “Very well, in that case, I shall return your gift.”
At the mention of a gift, Atsushi perked up. “I thought we said no gifts.”
“And yet, I distinctly remember you spending your last yen to buy me that scarf for my birthday.”
“Yeah but….” Atsushi dropped his gaze down to the table, not finishing his thought out loud. Akutagawa spoiled him almost daily, buying him dinner or new clothing, and the very least Atsushi could do in return was buy him a small birthday gift. The scarf wasn’t expensive, and as much as he’d protested the gift, he knew Akutagwa loved it. The scarf itself was soft, but it unzipped into a blanket; the perfect bit of extra fabric for when he wanted to go out without his overcoat and still be easily protected with Rashomon.
The sound of rustling paper broke him from his thoughts. Akutagawa was still standing at the stove with his back to Atsushi, a single tendril of Rashomon extending from the bottom of his loose robe. Atsushi's eyes followed the tendril as it crossed the room with a small, nondescript paper bag dangling from its grip. It stopped in front of him, suspended over the table.
“Ryuuuu!” Atsushi gently plucked the bag from Rashomon. He wasted no time opening it, despite his objection to receiving a gift.
Inside was a framed photo of the two of them, a slightly blurry selfie Atsushi had taken at the beginning of their relationship. He traced his fingers over the glass, a smile tugging at his lips at the memory. The two of them relaxed on the couch while they ignored the world outside, lost in themselves. Akutagawa had been furious when he'd taken it.
“I thought you'd deleted it,” Atsushi murmured, still staring at the photo.
Akutagawa didn’t look up from the stove. “I thought about it,” he said flatly. “But I didn’t. I only deleted it from your phone. My coworkers understand personal boundaries. I… couldn't bring myself to delete your text with it…”
Akutagawa placed the fresh omelet in front of Atsushi and gently pulled the photo out of his hands, a soft smile tugging at his lips.
A year ago, Atsushi would have never thought it was possible for him to be this happy. Least of all, with Akutagawa . Finding love was never something he put much effort into. Why would anyone choose someone as cursed as him? Still, he found love when he wasn't even looking for it.
“I'll put it next to-” Akutagawa began to say, but Atsushi quickly cut him off.
“No, I'm taking it home with me.” He reached for the frame, only for Rashomon to lash out and grab his wrist. The grip was firm, but not painful.
“Akutagawa,” Atsushi warned
“Your birthday gift is knowing I kept this. A dangerously stupid bout of sentimentality. I do not want people to see it.”
Atsushi closed his eyes and released his grip on the frame, shoulders sagging. “I know, I know. Can't have anyone knowing about us. Though I think Kyouka highly suspects… It's not like I can stay the night here without my roommate wondering where I'm off to.”
Getting into an argument was not on his list of things he wanted to do with the limited time he had with Akutagawa, least of all on his birthday. After months of sneaking around, he'd resigned himself to it being his new normal. Lying to his coworkers was strangely easy; most were too self-absorbed in their own lives to notice changes in Atsushi’s habits. Kyouka was the only one who questioned him, though he did have a sneaking suspicion Dazai knew . Because Dazai always knew, which was fine so long as he continued to pretend to be oblivious.
“Maybe you should look at getting your own place, then?” Akutagawa mused, Rashomon's grip lingered for a pointed moment before retracting back to his dark robe.
If only it were that simple. Why was Akutagawa bringing up so many of their pain points? On his birthday, no less. As much as he wanted to avoid an argument, he felt his frustration growing, settling heavy in his gut. “And maybe you should come to lunch with me and Kyouka. She knows I've been seeing someone, and I'm sure she suspects who…”
Atsushi trailed off, watching Akutagawa for any hint of reaction. Their secrecy had made sense in the beginning, when things were still fragile and undefined. But they weren’t anymore. Not to Atsushi, at least.
Akutagawa broke eye contact, turning away from the table. “Your food is getting cold,” Akutagawa said as he quietly walked away with the photo still in hand.
The frustration in his gut coiled sharply, a cold and heavy weight. While Akutagawa was out of sight, Atsushi quickly stood and scraped the uneaten omelet into the trash. Akutagawa returned as he placed the plate in the sink.
“I should get going.” He didn't look at Akutagawa as he walked to the genkan.
“You're mad.”
Atsushi closed his eyes and forced out a slow breath. “I'm not mad. I just… I wanted you to come.”
“I know.” Akutagawa grabbed his chin, gently turning his head towards him. He waited patiently until Atsushi opened his eyes. “I love you, Atsushi.”
Atsushi’s chest tightened at the words, the sincerity in Akutagawa’s voice unquestionable. “Love you too.” Atsushi tipped forward, closing the small space between them.
No matter what, Akutagawa's lips on his always seemed to make his troubles fade into the background, even when those troubles were caused by Akutagawa himself. Akutagawa’s hand slid down to his hip, squeezing lightly, grounding him as their kiss deepened.
Atsushi pulled back just enough to break the kiss and tipped his forehead to rest on Akutagawa's. “Your love is all I really need. Everything else is just extra.”
Akutagawa squeezed his hip. “Then, how about you stay a little longer so I can give you the rest of your birthday gift?” He dipped his head down to pepper light kisses down Atsushi's neck.
“Oh-” Atsushi's breath caught when Akutagawa's teeth grazed over his skin, not quite a bite but sending electricity down his spine all the same. “I- I thought you had work.”
“Mmm. I do, but not until later.” He slowly kissed back up Atsushi's neck until he reached his ear. “I won't be home until late tomorrow, please don't break in to steal the photograph.”
Atsushi shuddered at the hot breath on his ear. It took him a few seconds to register Akutagawa's words. “It's mine, so it wouldn't be stealing.”
“Glossing over the breaking and entering? Are you sure I can’t lure you over to the port mafia?”
Atsushi lightly shoved Akutagawa's shoulder, failing to keep the amusement from his voice. “Are you going to take me to your bedroom and make me forget that I'm mad at you, or are you going to keep talking and make it worse?”
“Oh? So you are mad at me,” Akutagawa smirked as Rashomon started to wrap around Atsushi's waist, lifting him a few inches off the floor. “As it stands, I feel I'm uniquely qualified to fix that.”
Atsushi rolled his eyes but made no move to resist. With a soft sigh, he allowed Rashomon to carry him a few steps behind Akutagawa as he walked to his bedroom. He was pleasantly surprised to find the framed photo on the nightstand on the side of the bed he’d claimed as his when he stayed over.
“So, how's your boyfriend?” Kyoka asked in greeting. She stood from the bench outside the restaurant
Atsushi winced. “Sorry, I'm so late… I lost track of time.” It was the understatement of the week. He'd intended to leave Akutagawa’s apartment with plenty of time to go home, change, and meet Kyoka without needing to rush. Instead, he'd barely had time to shower at Akutagawa's before running to the restaurant– and he was still almost 30 minutes late.
“Well, I hope it was worth it. They said they can't hold the reservation.” Kyouka looked him up and down with an unreadable expression. “That shirt is a little tight on you. And much darker than what you usually wear.”
“Yeah, well, I'd have been even later if I ran home to change.” Atsushi waved his hand, trying to play it off. “So, uh, that sucks about the restaurant.”
“Indeed, we'll need to find somewhere else for lunch. I made the reservation three weeks in advance, you know.” She sat back down on the bench, eyeing Atsushi warily. “And why don't you have spare clothes at his place? You spend the night there a lot.”
“Not on purpose… And, I do have a spare set of work clothes there. It’s not like I own enough clothes to be leaving them there anyway…” Atsushi sighed and joined her on the bench. Now that he thought about it, he really was spending more and more nights in Akutagawa's bed than his own lately. “Anyway, sorry about lunch. I know you worked hard to get us a reservation here. I was really looking forward to trying that new dessert I saw online.”
Kyouka hummed. “I thought you were going to ditch me entirely and spend your birthday with your boyfriend.”
“I would never do that!”
“You could have brought him.” Kyouka said, “It's not like you to keep secrets.” She turned and started walking.
Atsushi jumped up after her, falling in step with her slow pace. “It's not that I didn't want to bring him.”
“You could be a little less obvious if you're trying to hide it,” she said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
Atsushi groaned, not liking the direction she was heading. “So, where do you want to go for lunch instead?”
“Atsushi, it's Saturday, and any special place is busy.”
“It doesn’t need to be special. We could even grab takeout and go back to the dorm.”
Kyouka tapped her bottom lip. “How about we swing by Cafe Uzumaki? Or,” she glanced up with a sly grin, “we could go back to your boyfriend's place and raid his kitchen?”
“Cafe Uzumaki is fine,” Atsushi quickly agreed. He shook off the mental image of Kyouka being caught rummaging around Akutagawa's pantry. “I think Lucy said she was working today, maybe she'll take pity on me and give me a free slice of cake.”
They walked across the city, taking their time and chatting about random topics. Atsushi was endlessly grateful that Akutagawa made him an extra-large breakfast; under normal circumstances, he'd be starving already. Though, he did regret tossing that last omelet.
At their meandering pace, it took them nearly two hours to make it to the cafe. Sure, they could have taken the train or splurged on a taxi, but they both enjoyed the time together in the warm spring weather. A few items caught Kyouka's eye as they window shopped and Atsushi filed the information away for later.
“I can’t believe I haven't heard your stomach growl once,” Kyouka commented as they crossed the street to the cafe.
“Oh well. My boyfr-” His enhanced senses suddenly caught a familiar voice. He slowed down his pace, focusing his ears on isolating the sounds around him. It was a familiar voice. No, two. no, three- “Kyouka…” Atsushi sighed, pausing at the curb. “Why is the entire agency at the cafe?”
“Darn. So close.” She frowned slightly, although her eyes glimmered with humor when she looked up at him. “Pretend to be surprised, please?”
“Of course. But maybe next time, tell them to keep quiet.” He grinned, his stomach fluttering as they walked in.
They stood just inside the cafe for a long moment, waiting to be noticed. Kunikida was busy silently, furiously shaking Dazai by the collar. His glasses were slightly askew, face twisted in barely restrained rage.
“Ahh, Kunikida~ Maybe we could continue are argument after greeting the birthday boy?” Dazai sing-songed, his grin not wavering.
“Our reputation–” Kunikida growled, only to freeze mid-sentence when his eyes landed on Atsushi. He promptly dropped Dazai like a sack of potatoes.
Just then, Kenji’s beaming face popped up from a booth. “Surprise, Atsushi! Happy birthday!”
A chorus of “Surprise” and “Happy birthday” erupted around the cafe as the rest of the Armed Detective Agency popped out from various hiding spots– booths, behind counters, even the kitchen. Atsushi blinked, wide-eyed, momentarily frozen in place.
Atushi opened his mouth, closed it, then finally managed, “I… thank you, everyone.” He smiled, blinking back tears brought on by the shower of affection from his coworkers.
Before he could collect his thoughts, Fukuzawa stepped forward, calm and solid as always, and placed a gentle hand on Atsushi’s shoulder. “Happy birthday, Atsushi. Come, eat. You and Kyouka can sit with me.”
Still dazed, Atsushi let himself be guided through the chaos to a booth in the back of the cafe. His head was spinning, and his heart was full. As thankful as he was for the birthday party, he was happy to sit in the calmer booth, slightly removed from the chaos erupting around him. Kyouka gently pushed him to sit against the wall and slid in next to him.
“I’m impressed you didn’t let this slip, Kyouka,” Atsushi said as he looked around.
She shrugged, “It was easy enough since you’ve been so busy at work and have hardly been home .”
Atsushi flinched, his eyes darting to Fukuzawa as he took a seat across from them. Thankfully, he was busy listening to Ranpo’s story about his recent outing with Poe. Ranpo sat on a stool at the coffee bar, spinning back and forth as he talked to Fukuzawa.
After confirming no one around was paying them too much attention, he turned back to Kyouka. Everything came together too easily for it to just be a coincidence that they arrived at the cafe instead of having lunch at the fancy new restaurant. “Did Ranpo help organize this?”
“Oh look, lunch!” Kyouka nodded towards Lucy, who was walking towards them with a tray full of an assortment of delicious-smelling dishes.
Just like that, his questions about the organization of the surprise party faded. Atsushi barely registered Lucy's “Happy birthday” as she presented the large tray. His stomach growled, and it took more willpower than he cared to admit to wait for the tray to be slid onto the table before digging in. After a few bites, he remembered his manners and said, “Thank you,” with a mostly empty mouth.
After a moment, he registered trays being taken to each table and felt slightly guilty about digging in without waiting to ensure others were fed. Time seemed to go by quickly, before he knew it, his tray was nearly empty, and a large cake was being paraded towards him. Everyone sang a slightly off-key ‘happy birthday’ song, watching him with huge smiles.
It was overwhelming.
It was amazing.
It was more love than he ever dreamed of.
Atsushi quickly wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, a small but heartfelt smile spreading across his face. “Thank you, everyone,” he said, his voice soft but full of gratitude. He smiled, then faltered when everyone continued to look at him expectantly.
Kyouka poked him. “Make a wish and blow out the candles.”
Right. He nodded. What should he wish for? He had a great job, coworkers and friends who cared about him, a roof over his head, and he didn't ever need to worry about where his next meal was coming from. He got to help people nearly every day. And to top it off, he had a boyfriend who loved him.
Akutagawa’s soft smile floated into his mind. How lucky he was to not only see it almost daily, but to have it directed at him, have it be because of him.
“Come oooon.” Ranpo hung over the back of the booth, clearly eyeing the cake.
With a soft, almost solemn smile, Atsushi blew out the candles.
“So, what did you wish for?” Kyouka nudged him as Ranpo and Lucy fought over the cake.
“Oh, um… something that’s probably impossible.”
“Oh? Tell me!”
“Isn’t it like… if you tell someone your wish, then it won’t come true?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. It’s hard to say, since it is impossible to measure.”
Atsushi shook his head. “Well, I’d rather not risk it. On the off chance it may come true, you know.” He eagerly took the plate of cake Lucy passed to him. “By the way, what was your plan if I were on time to the restaurant?”
“You wouldn’t have been.”
“Huh?” Atsushi said with a mouthful of cake. He swallowed before asking, “What do you mean?”
“It was a team effort.” She shrugged, daintily spearing a bite of cake on her fork. “Blame yourself for keeping secrets.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Before she decided to answer, a hush fell over the restaurant, starting from the front and quickly reaching the back where he sat. Everyone’s heads swiveled to the front doors, their conversations pausing mid-sentence. The air shifted immediately, tension threading the silence.
He didn’t have to look to know who it was; a familiar scent cut through everything else, a scent he knew instinctively.
Footsteps echoed as Akutagawa stepped inside, pausing just inside the door. He was dressed casually in black jeans and a black button-up with white accents, his overcoat nowhere to be seen.
Atsushi moved before he even thought through his next move, jumping clean over the back of the booth, easily clearing Dazai’s head and landing lightly on his feet. He walked forward cautiously, placing himself between Akutagawa and the rest of the Agency without a word.“Hey,” he greeted, voice low, unsure. “We’re… kind of in the middle of something. Is everything ok?”
Dazai tilted his head with interest from his seat, but made no move to interfere. The others watched silently.
Atsushi glanced back, keeping himself between Akutagawa and the agency like a shield. Was he there for a fight? Was this the ‘work’ that was so important? What did he do if– No, he wouldn’t. He couldn’t–
Akutagawa blinked slowly, then took another step forward.
He vanished for a moment in Atsushi’s peripheral vision.
Then- “Happy birthday, Atsushi,” Akutagawa murmured just behind his ear, his voice soft like velvet.
Before Atsushi could turn, a quick kiss was pressed to his cheek, light and fleeting; impossible.
By the time he spun around, Akutagawa was already walking toward the back of the cafe, as if nothing had happened. As if the whole agency wasn’t staring. As if Atsushi’s heart wasn’t trying to beat its way out of his ribs.
Halfway to the back of the cafe, Akutagawa paused, turning to glance over his shoulder at Atsushi as if to ask why he was just standing there like a stunned idiot. He quickly scrambled to catch up, still dazed.
As he passed Lucy, she slapped his shoulder, “Tanizaki owes me money, by the way. So, thanks!”
He heard Tanizaki groan from somewhere nearby, and Yosano’s laughter followed, but Atsushi didn’t glance over. His eyes were locked on the back of Akutagawa’s head, almost afraid that if he blinked, he’d vanish again.
Akutagawa slid gracefully into the booth, sitting against the wall. Kyouka was already moved next to Fukuzawa, a grin on her face as Atsushi slid in next to Akutagawa.
“I– Did you two…?” He turned to his boyfriend, still trying to piece his thoughts together. “You knew you’d be here. And you lied to me this morning?”
“I will refrain from doing so in the future.” Akugawa’s face was a neutral mask, but Atsushi could read him easily. He slid a hand over his his, squeezing slightly.
“What made you change your mind about… this?”
Akutagawa didn’t respond right away, but his hand curled around Atsushi’s in return. After a long moment, just when Atsushi thought he wasn’t going to answer, he softly said, “Because you are correct, hiding this no longer makes sense.”
Across from them, Kyouka cooed softly. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it’s nice to see you two so sweet.”
The tips of Akutagawa’s ears turned red, but he did not pull his hand away from Atsushi.
Kyouka and Fukuzawa leaned forward, coordinated as if they’d practiced. Kyouka spoke, “I know you are aware of what would happen if you hurt him, yes?”
“Guys, don’t-” Atsushi began to say.
“I endeavor to never harm him again, in any way,” he said in a low but resolute voice.
“Ryu…” He squeezed his hand.
Fukuzawa nodded, his expression unreadable. “Good. Then we have no issue.”
Atsushi wasn’t so naive to think the agency would welcome Akutagawa with open arms, but all things considered, they were taking their relationship well. They didn’t like Akutagawa. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But they trusted Atsushi enough to offer Akutagawa the benefit of the doubt. For now, that was more than enough.
The conversations and laughter had quickly bounced back to their earlier vigor, but soon people began to leave. The party had already begun to wind down after the cake was brought out, and Atsushi was thankful for Akutagawa’s timing.
Soon, only a few people remained, and Dazai leaned over the back of the booth. “Why don’t you two head out? Kunikida and I will help with the cleanup.”
“Why do I doubt you’re going to help him?” Atsushi sighed. “I’ll help–”
“No way,” Lucy said from across the cafe. “We’ll clean up, go home.”
Akutagawa stood first, gently tugging Atsushi beside him once they were out of the booth.
After a moment, he reached into his pocket. “I have one more gift for you,” he said, voice low in hopes only Atsushi could hear him.
He pulled out a small, newly cut key and placed it in Atushi’s hand. “You can either let yourself in whenever you want…” His eyes flicked briefly up to meet Atsushi’s, steady and soft. “…Or move in. If you want to.”
Atsushi stared at the key, blinking rapidly.
“You don’t have to decide now,” Akutagawa added quickly, glancing away in a rare display of nervousness. “I just… wanted you to have it.”
Atsushi didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Akutagawa’s middle, and inhaled deeply. “Thank you.”
“Awwww--- Ow!” When Atushi stepped back from the embrace, Dazai was rubbing the back of his head, and Kunikida was pointing him towards a pile of dishes.
Eventually, the rest of the Agency left one by one. The last to leave was Kyouka, who gave Atsushi a long, quiet hug before heading out with a soft, “Happy birthday.”
His fingers found the key again, closing over it like it was something precious. It was. Not because of what it opened, but because of what it meant. Outside, the sun was beginning to set, but Akutagawa stood beside him, not moving to go.
Atsushi nudged his shoulder. “Wanna come home with me?”
Akutagawa looked at him. “Yours or mine?”
Atsushi smiled, lifting the key again and tucking it safely into his pocket. “Ours.”
Akutagawa blinked slowly, then nodded once. “…Let’s go home.”