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Bright lights, the aroma of a sweet mix of perfume and food, the cacophony of a bussling crowds drowned in the violence of classical music. The interior was a perfect replica of the Victorian ages with proclien tiles and high ceilings all adorned with miniscule drawings and details.
However no matter the space in the room, atsushi still felt suffocated. Maybe it was because kunikidda practically left him chocking on the tie wrapped around his neck, however he reckoned it was probably due to the fact that he was currently on a mission, centered around figures with such high standing and such dirty slitted glares that he began to suffocate with self consciousness.
Atsushi was never good with crowds, he was well aware he fell into the category of a self subjected introvert. Right now was probably the worst of his nightmares, everyone just seemed so intimidating, the bright colors and eratic music was overwhelming him. He wished Dazai could've atleast sent someone to tag along, like kyouka - or maybe someone more extroverted like kenji?
"Drink sir?" a welcoming voice startled him, he raised a dismissing hand and gave a shaky smile.
"ah no thank you" the man left without further instruction.
The task at hand sounded very simple. An informant slash assassin managed to find top secret info on the port mafia, seeing as they could use this information as an advantage Atsushi was tasked with finding said man and reporting back to the agency. He was given instructions not to attack unless he had someone with him, Dazai gave one of those chonky grins and saying 'it's all for your safety' before running away to count flower petals or something.
Atsushi recalled the almost little to nothing description of how the guy should look like. Blond hair, thin and lanky, someone you wouldn't think would be an assassin slash informant.
Atsushi tried, he really did, but he bearly could see anything without being bashed around by ball gowns the size of the room itself before hearing jarring sneers and cackles.
He was nearly about to give up and go home before he heard a soft spoken voice.
"Ah excuse me young man? Are you okay?" She had droopy eyes, soft and lazy laced with genuine concern. A soft but comforting smile grazed her lips as she gave a hand to help pick up the pathetic boy from the ground. She had a bright and welcoming aura, one that could make anyone fold in record time.
Atsushi helped himself up, all of the sudden not feeling overwhelmed anymore he thanked the kind lady. That should be it. Someone like her would definitely be the type to dip into one conversation before joining another, but instead of walking away she instead spoke up again.
"not to be rude but it seems you aren't familiar with anyone here?"
"ah, is it that obvious?" atsushi rubbed the back of his head nervously.
"well I guess we are on the same boat then, I don't really know anyone here either" she gave a closed eye smile before continuing. "do you perhaps want to stick togerther?"
Atushi was about to combust. What would be a normal reaction to this? Did she really want to spend time with him? Atushi thought of quickly declining but then realized how overwhelming it would be without having someone on his side.
Atushi mirrored her smile, beaming just as he was about to reply- Until something clamped down on his shoulder.
Almost immidiatly the sun filled conversation they had damped, the both of them dropped into confused looks to see the owner of the brooding hand resting firmly on atushi's shoulder.
"he cannot." a curt familiar tone spoke.
Ah, Atushi could never mistaken that tone, alongside the sad depressive state that he carried along.
Akutagawa, his arch nemises.
He shot a questioning look at him but was completely ignored, akutagawa had his eyes fixated on the women afront of them.
She looked like she was about to protest before akutagawa spoke.
"Him and I are attending this gathering together." He answered with no further room of explanation. Already turning around to walk away dragging a shock Atsushi with him.
"Akutagawa!" he all but shouted "stop ignoring me and tell me what's happening."
Once they where far across the room, he finally halted his steps. However still refusing to reply to the confused boy.
"AKUTAG-" but before he could continue scolding, a loud strung of a pitched violin echoed throughout the room, silence befalling the formally bashing atmosphere, everyone froze, waiting in suspense. They watched as the violinist raised his bow taking in a breath before bringing it down and dragging it across the fragile strings.
The start of a new song.
Just as the music took over the room so did the crowd. Everyone excitedly joining in with they're partner as they hurried to take the spotlight of the room in a charismatic dance.
"Lady Mandela, daughter to the prestigious president of the current highest earning casino." It took a moment for atsushi to understand what the emo boy was yapping about before he tracked his line of sight seeing as it led to the lady he was talking to only moments before. She danced gracefully with a partner she took no time making friends with.
" yet that is what she let's out on the outside." this time akutagawa looked at atsushi. "why did dazai send you."
"And why exactly should I tell you?" he replied raising a disrespectful eyebrow. It was as if the boy who was shivering in a crowd of strangers vanished into thin air, now there was just atsushi, atsushi with his perfectly smug personality he saved for the only one who deserved all disrespect.
"tsk. You are dense as usual, the port mafia sent me to exterminate the thief who stole information from us. Dazai would know that, but it seems he would never tell the likes of you." He gave a scrutinizing smirk at the end.
"fine, Dazai told me the same thing except that I shouldn't attack unless someone was there to back me up." and then the image finally formed in his mind. Dazai schemmed the entire thing, a job like this was not befitting at all to a little introvert like him, not to mention sending him out without backup refrained him from doing anything at all. That meant His backup would be the man right next to him.
Dazai just wanted to watch akutagawa and atsushi work together again.
"ugh, we should get over this quickly then" now that he had backup he can act without thinking twice.
"not now jinko, too much people around."
"then when do you suggest we act?"
"tonight."
...
The silence was deafening, akutagawa standing on one side of the room whilst atsushi on the other.
They overheard earlier that 'lady mandella' otherwise known as the assassin would be staying the night in one of the hotel rooms. So they came up with the fantastic plan of attacking her when she was off guard and no one to witness. It only seemed natural that they booked a suite together as well. Right?
However their plans seemed to ride off different tracks at the end. Atsushi was supposed to gain information to use against the port mafia, whilst akutagawa was supposed to exterminate it.
"Dazai-san wouldnt be happy to know that you wrecked my mission." he said carefully.
"if you get in my way jinko, I'll kill you." atsushi new he wouldn't, after all they do have a six month pact to keep, but that wouldn't refrain akutagawa from repeatedly ripping his limbs off.
"but that's not a choice! How am I supposed to do my part if you ruin it." atsushi's outburst was blatantly ignored.
Akutagawa walked away opening a few cupboards in the living room/kitchen bringing out what read 'fig tea' packets. Atsushi let out a groan flopping onto one of the dining seats.
Lost in thought he didn't expect a warm cup of tea landing in front of him.
Confused. Thats all he would rate this day out of ten. He tried forming thoughts and explanations watching as akutagawa brought his own cup to his lips and taking a small sip. He must have made two cups of tea for himself because he was an addict. the were tiger nodded along with his thoughts.
"have you ever had a cup of tea before?" akutagawa's sarcasm cleared his thoughts with an unimpressed look.
This was unnatural. Akutagawa the brooding hell hound of the port mafia making him a cup of tea? Atsushi's was star struck, and he wasnt sure if he managed to school his face good enough since the man if front of him faked a cough, diverting his eyes.
"thanks" atsushi all but breathed, and as if it were truly foreign to him, he cartoonishly popped in 3 cubes of sugar before picking up the tea cup examining it as he took a testing sip.
His eyes lit up, it tasted mild, slightly nutty flavor with subtle hints of vanilla and coconut undertones (yes I just copy pasted from Google) it wasn't the usual taste he'd often visit to.
"its fig tea, what, never had it before?" it was as if the man could never speak without making everything sound like a curse, luckily atsushi was used to it by now.
"no." he replied honestly, to far into wonderland to give back a snarky reply. "it's really good." he met akutagawa's eyes.
Akutagawa questioned how much more ridiculous could this fool be, with his glassy big eyes staring at him as if he created the tea himself. Not being able to take anymore of the overly bright face in front of him he tried changing topic.
"3 cubes"
Atushu got distracted easily like any feline tilting his head with a questioning 'hm?'.
"I added the same amount" he felt ridiculous trying to speak to the guy he swore to kill.
He thought changing topic would help as a distraction but sadly it just made things worse. The were tiger brightened 10x worser than the last and if he had a tail it would probably be wagging. Akutagawa brushed the image off his mind feeling his face heat up from the ridiculousnes of the entire situation.
"it's my first time seeing someone else do the same, I mightve gotten the habit back from when i was in the orphanage! Sweets where hard to come by."
"the same as the slums where I grew up" Atsushi could've sworn he saw the man let out a small smile, quickly covering it up by taking another sip. That reminded him the tea was probably getting cold. So they both took to drinking in comfortable nostolgic silence.
Atsushi was more then glad to hear someone relate to the small thing he enjoyed, although he never expected it to be his sole opposite, nonetheless he was still overjoyed.
This was probably the most comfortable he felt all day, he couldn't deny ever since akutagawa stepped in he's felt more calm. Maybe it was because he was relieved to see someone he knew show up to save him from the crowd, but right now he couldn't imagine anyone else sitting across from him.
However today wasn't the only day he felt like this, it was something he buried and always kept pushing aside. Atsushi admitingly didnt exactly really hate hate akutagawa. He just maybe could tolerate him a little bit. He wouldn't call it a friendship, heck no, not even the tail of it. There where times where their gaze lingered a bit longer then what was considered normal, times he would catch his mind drifting off thinking about it, then thinking about him. He concluded it might all just be anger and resentment, every feeling stemming from venomous rivalry, however moments like these seemed to defeat his resolve. What was this?
They might have been thinking the same thing, or it was simply by coincidence. Just as atsushi decided to glance at his partner the latter seemed to have the same idea. Accidentally, only on accident did they slip and fall into drowning oceans of water, not being able to swim to the surface, not able to look away.
Just what exactly was this?
Beep, beep, beep.
Atsushi jolted in shock grabbing his phone from his pocket and turning off the alarm they set for midnight.
It was time.
..
Cold air whipped through his hair as he sat perched on the rooftop, watching closely at the window belonging to Lady Mandela.
This was weird. Akutagawa and himself had different missions, and he without doubt was going to carry them... But right after that entire moment felt soul crushing. They would probably fight to see who could get their mission done first, leaving them on Bitter ends and just as usual walking away with resentment for the other. This was just how it had to be, two opposites of a coin never meet face to face.
It was cruel.
One AM. Lights off. Everyone slumbered away unaware of the situation to occur. Atsushi got up to his feet and like air he quietly swiffted away landing on the balconies railing, prepared to enter her room.
"jinko" he didn't bother turning around.
"let me carry out my mission, and there won't be any problems" akutagawa suggested.
"you know I won't do that." he replied steeling his resolve.
And just as he expected, he felt a force clash on to his back, rashoumon activated to rip apart anything in its way, atsushi transformed his hand cutting away the black shadow in front of him, standing his ground. Akutagawa with a grumble launched at him with full force realizing his mission wasn't going to be really discreet anymore.
The glass window behind them shattered, both of them rolling on the ground before hitting a surface inside of the room. Shit, the staff must be alerted by now.
"AGH, what's the point of waiting so long if your going to make a scene anyways" atsushi yelled. Pushing himself up with his elbows.
"I gave you my warning already jinko" akutagawa sneered getting up quicker then him and grabbing his collar.
"Stop being such a jerk and focus before she gets away!" atsushi grabbed akutagawa's hair tugging at it whilst he scanned the room.
Thinking about it, although the lights where on, the room was empty with no signs of anyone living there. It seemed akutagawa was catching up as well, his hold slightly un-tightening.
"she isn't here" atsushi breathed. Both of them slowly and awkwardly got up, hurrying to check for any clues, it didn't take long for them to notice the white and golden envelope settled on the bed.
Akutagawa snatched it, opening it without second thought before throwing it down, his face dark. Atsushi confused by this reaction picked it up to see for it himself.
"enjoy your date, lovebirds" atsushi felt his entire face flare up.
They had been set up, the lady? , assasin?, fake? Figured them out from the beginning or could it have been everything was already set up long before. Did Dazai anticipate this?
"what is the meaning of this" akutagawa pinned the blame on atsushi.
"how would I know? I'm just as confused" he replied angrily.
Before they could fight anymore, quick footsteps where approaching, people shouting and the distant sound of police sirens. They need to leave.
Within seconds they fled the scene already far off, the compounds of luxurious hotels smaller in the distance.
Although atsushi was mad that things went unexpected and he would have to return back to the agency with failed news, something within him felt content, almost relieved. In the end things didn't turn out messy between him and his nemesis. He was actually glad, and this time he refused to burry the idea of him standing face to face with akutagawa.
Once again their eyes met, a knowing look shared between them, and this time basked in the Cold air and quiet moment they didn't tear apart.
....
"so how did your date go?" Dazai grinned.
Atushi let out a groan and slumped down his office chair. His phone vibrated, notifying him of a new message.
"
Ryunossuke 7:36 AM
Sent: Meet me at xxxxxxx
"