#and Atsushi's remembering everything he said to him when he was a dog | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

giggly-squiggily · 2 years ago

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The Little Things (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Don't mind me, I'm just gonna-

*drops a near 6k word count fic on y'all all about Shin Soukoku cause I can while dancing to Super Mario 2 music sped up version*

Kay bye! *leaps out window*

...Nah but seriously. Heyo everyone! Awhile back I wrote this for a friend while we were yelling about these two (You know who you are- hi bestie! :D) I originally sent it to them via google doc, but given how easy the links to those fics are to lose (The amount I've lost...gone but not forgotten *cries*) I've decided to post it here!I hope you like it!

CW: Swearing, violence, guns, self-loathing, angst, wasted food (RIP Pork Buns), mentions of the Port Mafia Boss and Elise

Summary: In between assignments and tasks, Atsushi and Akutagawa find time to enjoy the little moments within their strange relationship.

~Chocolate~

“Is that cake?” Atsushi raised a brow at the small slice of chocolate cake Akutagawa pulled from his plastic bag. It looked homemade- maybe someone in the Port Mafia made it?

The idea of anyone there baking sweets was wild.

“No, it’s a bomb.” Akutagawa deadpanned, peeling at the plastic wrap around the plate. “Watch yourself- it just might blow up.”

Atsushi started. Did Aku just make a joke?

At the silence, Akutagawa offered the first forkful in silent inquiry.

“Oh, no thanks. I hate chocolate.” He smiled, fighting down a laugh at the brief look of shock on Akutagawa’s face. “Never been a fan. You however-I didn’t know you liked sweets.”

“Is that an issue?” His expression went hard.

“Not at all. It’s just…unexpected.” Atsushi held up his hands, smiling sheepishly. “Do you like all kinds of sweets or do you have a favorite?”

Akutagawa narrowed his eyes at him, suspicion rolling off his tensed frame like waves. For a moment. Atsushi wondered if he just blew their lunch date-meetup. Then he sighed, turning back to his cake.

“I like chocolate.” There was the barest hint of a blush on his cheeks. Akutagawa shoved a forkful of cake in his mouth with a slight grimace, refusing to look his way.

As if he couldn’t get any cuter.

…..Huh? Atsushi felt himself flush.

“Hm.” Was all the weretiger responded with, taking a long drag of his teacup, ignoring the raised brow Akutagawa sent him.

~~~

“Hey, Akutagawa! Here!” Atsushi shot his arms out before the other could stop him, pressing a small handkerchief wrapped box into his chest. It was hastily wrapped- as if he was tying it while running to their usual meetup spot. “This is for you!”

“....Huh?” The wide eyed shock on his face was priceless. Atsushi resisted the urge to laugh as he watched Akutagawa handle the box like one handled a baby- careful and slightly terrified. “This is…?”

“Open it!” Atsushi encouraged, resisting the urge to bounce on his feet in his anticipation. “I didn’t knot it that bad!”

“Okay, okay, settle down.” Akutagawa’s lips twitched as he gently pulled at the knot, going especially slow, much to Atsushi’s chagrin. When the ends of the cloth fell away, it revealed a little plastic box, within it a variety of chocolates.

“Oh?” Akutagawa stared, seeming to freeze. Atsushi felt himself sweat, tugging at his shirt hem.

“I know it’s not much of…well, anything- I just remembered a while back you mentioned you liked chocolate, and I had some lying around and figured you’d like it- of course if you don’t, I can always take it back-”

“You remembered.” It wasn’t a question. Atsushi blinked. Something soft was in Akutagawa’s expression, and his hands trembled some as he held the small box of treats. Atsushi felt his heart squeeze. “I didn’t think you would…”

“Of course I did! I remember everything you tell me.” Then he flushed, eyes wide. He said too much. “For the missions! And our tasks! Ehe…”

“Yes..having a good memory for those things is important.” That faint blush was back, and Akutagawa wouldn’t look at him- not directly, anyway. “Ehem…This is…” Then he paused, brows furrowing.

“Wait- where’d you get this?” Akutagawa finally met his gaze, raising an eyebrow. “I thought you hated chocolate?”

Seems like Atsushi wasn’t the only one remembering details about each other.

“I do…but like I said- I just happened to have it on me, hehe.” He grinned, deciding not to mention where his source was. He’d bring Ranpo a fresh box of chocolates on his way back from this meeting. With all the snacks he keeps on hand, he wasn’t likely to miss it before he got back.

Akutagawa raised a brow, not entirely believing him. Then he looked back at the box of chocolates, that content expression returning. “I can’t remember the last time someone gave me a gift…so thank you. It means more than you know.”

Atsushi swelled, feeling rather proud of himself. He would make this a habit he decided in that moment; all to see that soft expression.

Though he’d probably have to start buying his own chocolates.

~Rain~

“Ugh, no way…” Atsushi groaned miserably as the sky began to cry. Raindrops dropped in a slow mist at first, but within minutes it began to pour, flooding the alleyways they snuck through. He could already feel his shoes fill with water, making his toes curl unpleasantly.

“Hm, how troublesome indeed.” Akutagawa mused, brows furrowing as he came to join Atsushi beneath the thin railings of the alley. His shoulders felt damp already, and a chill shot down his spine from the icy droplets. “Walking back in this will be rather annoying.”

As of late, it seemed like he and Atsushi couldn’t shake each other. Whether it be on impromptu missions Dazai set them up on, or just little moments like running errands and returning home- somehow in this big city, the demon and the weretiger were never far from each other.

A part of Akutagawa couldn’t deny he liked it that way. That however was a part he’d rather strangle until blue with Rashomon before ever admitting.

“Man, I should have brought an umbrella! I figured it’d rain while we were inside the warehouse and stop after, but I guess the universe has it out for me…” Atsushi shoved his hands through his bangs, groaning in his hands. “This is revenge for Ranpo’s snacks, isn’t it, world?” He mumbled.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little water, weretiger?” Akutagawa shrugged, Rashomon shooting out of his back and forming a shelf above him, shielding him from the continuous onslaught of rainwater. “Though I suppose it’s expected, given what you are.”

“Shut up! I’m not a cat- I just happen to turn into one!” Atsushi glared, rubbing his arms with a slight tremor when the rain began soaking his shirt. In an act of defiance, he took a step out into the elements.

And immediately regretted it.

“Oh my god, that’s COLD!” Atsushi flew into Akutagawa’s shelter of Rashomon, clinging to his coat and shivering. Then he glared, cheeks pink. “Not a word.”

Akutagawa didn’t think he could speak even if he wanted to. This close, beneath the immediate smell of rainwater and warehouse dust, the weretiger smelled like tiger lilies. He could see the strange ombre in Atsushi’s eyes, the way they went from a rosy pink to a warm gold- like a sunrise. The way his lashes framed those odd but pretty irises of his.

So unfairly pretty. Akutagawa forgot how to breathe.

“Hey? Is something wrong…” Atsushi began, only to flush a brilliant red and jump back into the rain. “Oh god- I’m so sorry, how invasive of me- Ah, this rain! I uh…”

Maybe it was how pitiful he looked, soaked and embarrassed. Maybe it was the way he looked at him just now, with those damn sunrise eyes.

Maybe that part of Akutagawa’s heart wasn’t so small after all.

Slowly, as if it were a machine coming back to life after many years, Rashomon extended outward, creating an umbrella-like cover beside its owner. The space was…tight, but it would give Atsushi room to walk with him. “Come on, before you catch your death.”

The weretiger blinked, eyes wide. Akutagawa could feel his face heating; he pretended it was from irritation while waiting for the other to make a decision. “Hurry up before I leave you here.”

“Oh! Right- thank you.” Atsushi ran over, standing within the cover. This close, he could smell tiger lilies again. Did he wear perfume? Would it be weird to ask?

Would it be weird to just reach out and hold his hand-

“Don’t mention it. Just- come on.” Akutagawa made his voice as curt as he could, hoping it hid the fluster he felt himself slipping into. In silence the pair walked back, Akutagawa’s hands shoved in his pockets while Atsushi continued rubbing his arms, trying to warm up.

When he peeked, the weretiger looked equally flushed.

Must be getting sick, he told himself.

Yeah. That’s it.

~Blackout~

When he got back to the agency; Atsushi decided, he was going to murder Dazai.

Just a simple task, he said. Scout out the scene for us to make sure it’s safe, he told him. There shouldn’t be any trouble, he insisted.

Of course, Dazai forgot to mention the literal Mafia meetup being held in such a place.

Atsushi knew he should leave- turn back before any of the Port caught a glimpse of him hovering near a dirty window. It was fairly high up- the main reason why Atsushi was sent on this particular request was due to his cat-climbing skills- so the chances of being caught were slim.

He should go, had he not caught sight of a familiar face. Stoic as always, black fringe fading into white that framed his pinched face, hands shoved in his pockets. Akutagawa.

He was standing by with a short redhead- Chuuya, he assumed. Dazai had mentioned a redhead in the Port who he’d encountered a few times before. He looked especially irritated, whomever they were meeting up with apparently was late.

Finally, after around half an hour, two grungy looking guys came through the large metal doors, their footsteps echoing across the filthy floor. Between them a smaller man led, his body bent forward and his hair a halo of thinning grays around his wrinkled face.

“I take it your boss sent you with what I wanted?” He asked, and Atsushi felt himself straighten. Despite appearances, the man’s voice boomed and carried, demanding respect with each word. Within the room, even Akutagawa and Chuuya straightened, the latter glowering upon realizing it.

“Yeah. You got what we want?” He demanded, waiting. There was a tense silence before the old man gestured for one of what Atsushi assumed to be his guards. The man opened his jacket, revealing a tightly wrapped parscal.

“Toss it over, we’ll do the same.” Chuuya commanded, straightening to his full height. The old man chuckled, clearly amused.

“Kids these days- never learn to respect their elders. Fine then.” He nodded, and the parscal went flying. Rashomon was out in seconds, catching it with ease. Bringing it to his eyes, Akutagawa peered within, face grimacing.

“This is it. Boss’ order.” He didn’t sound too thrilled about it though.

“Good grief. Alright, here.” Chuuya kicked the box by his feet towards the men, his gravity control making it sail easily across the floor. It landed with a loud thump by the guard’s feet. “I’ll take it this should cover it?”

The guard peered within the box, nodding after confirming the contents. Atsushi couldn’t help but wonder what was in it. Money? Jewels? And what was in the parscal?

No time. He really had to go. He watched Chuuya and Akutagawa turn to leave.

Just as the remaining guard pulled out a gun.

“TURN AROUND!” He heard himself scream. Shit! The old man’s eyes flickered to the window-

And suddenly there was a boom of red. Rashomon exploded out of Akutagawa’s back, sending the guards flying. Interesting enough, the old man remained unfazed. In fact, he hadn’t moved at all. Rashomon bounced around him like water hitting a rock.

“His ability- it’s a shield!” Chuuya yelled, already jumping into action. He crossed the room in seconds, taking the two guards on. Despite the size difference and being outnumbered, Chuuya was easily the better fighter. He dropped low, kicking the goon with the gun in his hand in the ankles. As he fell back, he grabbed his fallen gun, pointing it at the other one. He pulled the trigger-

But the bullet bounced! Seems this old man’s ability expanded beyond just himself. The guard smirked cruelly as he charged, tackling a surprised Chuuya dead on and sending him flying.

Akutagawa started, Rashomon shooting out to catch Chuuya before he could hit the wall. Too late. The old man was upon him. He moved so fast, an elbow flying to Akutagawa’s windpipe as he brought a knee to his gut. Rashomon quivered as Akutagawa wheezed, gasping for air.

Chuuya shot out of the rubble with a roar, flying at the guards. His gravity power saved his life, but just barely- Atsushi could see he was wounded- crimson against orange hair, bruises forming on the side of his face.

Akutagawa stumbled, the old man hooting softly as he watched the boy drop. “Such a shame- the Port Mafia really has let themselves grow weak if this is the best they can offer.”

Hot rage shot through Atsushi's veins. Just who did this old creatin think he was? He got up, ready to jump into the fray- and stopped.

Why was he getting involved? This wasn’t a mission assigned to him by Dazai or the boss back at the agency. He wasn’t even supposed to be here. Right now would be the ample time to leave; to use the chaos within to slip away before anyone else saw him.

Saw him.

Saw…

Atsushi’s eyes dropped down to the breaker box just outside the warehouse, an idea already forming in mind.

Within the warehouse, it was chaos. Chuuya had disposed of one of the guards, his body crumpled in the background as he fought the one still guarding. From the looks of things, the shield only protected from the front. Right now- the redhead was trying to get around and go for the back, but the guard stayed on him like glue.

Akutagawa and the old man were fighting once more- this time however, Akutagawa was prepared. Rashomon bounced again and again off a shield, keeping him at bay. He couldn’t land a hit, but neither could the old man. It seemed he needed his arms held up in a specific way to keep it on, leaving them in a stalemate.

Just one moment. A second was all Akutagawa needed. He looked up-

Their eyes met. Atsushi mouthed only one word. Blackout.

Then he tore out the breaker box with his claw.

The warehouse went pitch black, blending in with the night sky. Atsushi rolled down the wall as gunshots exploded from within, the faint sounds of two men crying out before everything went eerily silent. For a short, heartstopping moment, Atsushi was scared one of them was Aku.

Then the doors opened, Chuuya and Akutagawa stumbling out, bruised and wounded, the parscal in hand.

“Next time that creepy bastard wants us to pick up dolly dresses, he better get them through Amazon.” Chuuya growled, limping as he dragged himself down the quiet streets. Akutagawa seemed to be half listening, nodding along as he rolled his shoulder. His throat was bruised, and he was covered in small cuts, but he was alive.

Atsushi felt himself breathe again.

“Are you even listening? Ugh, forget it.” Chuuya waved him off, walking ahead as he carried on complaining about their boss. Akutagawa paused then, turning his head.

And directly looked at Atsushi.

The weretiger didn’t call out. He didn’t say a word. He merely looked back at him, watching. Akutagawa blinked once. Then twice.

Then the rarest thing happened. He smiled.

It was small, nearly unnoticeable and a bit pained, as if it hurt to move his face. Judging by the bruise blossoming on his cheek, it must have been.

Still- that smile. It erased it all. The injuries, his messy hair, the torn clothes- all of it faded away as Akutagawa smiled at him. It was like he was a god, so painfully beautiful it was near impossible to look directly at him, and yet Atsushi did. He didn’t care if his face was on fire, or if he was gaping like a fish. All he wanted to do was get lost in that beautiful smile.

And then Akutagawa looked away, and reality came back. He was gone in minutes, fading away in shadow, leaving Atsushi sitting there, still thinking about that smile.

~Piano~

Akutagawa hated instruments.

More specifically, he hated the piano.

The boss was so insistent he’d learn to play it. Think of how useful of a talent it’d be if you ever found yourself needing to blend in. Blend in where, the orchestra? Good luck with that. They all knew the real reason why Mori wanted him to learn to play.

Because Dazai used to play.

Not the piano- but the Violin. Akutagawa remembered watching him play a few times- the way he’d stand tall, the instrument like an extension of his body as he ran his bow over the strings. His songs were always so sad sounding; they never failed to make someone cry- usually Chuuya, even if he’d never admit it. When Dazai left, Mori burned the instrument, and music was snuffed out, much like those who betrayed them.

Apparently he was now back in his music phase and decided Akutagawa would be the next musician. Had it not been for Gin and her soft encouragement for him to learn- “Ma and Pa would have liked it, I think” she told him- he’d probably set the grand instrument ablaze himself. Just what would he play on it, anyway? Songs of sorrow and anger? Christmas tunes? Suppose he could play a quick death march before a bullet lodged into his brain or a knife to his jugular.

Wasteful. The worst part? He was a natural talent. The lessons flew by and before long he knew all the cords and how to work them into songs. Gin liked them- she would lay across the top like those women in the movies, face in her hands and feet kicking while he practiced. Sometimes she’d sing- her voice soft and delicate. It was those moments that he liked best.

And then Mori asked him to play for him and Elise when they’d marry. He stopped playing it after that.

Now he found himself lingering by a different piano- dusty but well loved, sitting in the corner of what he assumed to be a church. It was abandoned now- the room stale with lack of movement. His fingers glided over the top, making streaks against the smooth black surface.

Like magic, he felt himself back at the music room with Gin, playing a song and her singing-

“Nothing of interest here- hey, is that a piano?” Atsushi’s voice shook him free from his memory. The weretiger joined him, his shoulder bumping gently into Akutagawa’s as he took a seat. “I love the piano! I wonder if it’s in tune?”

Things have been…interesting, these past few encounters with the weretiger. Since the warehouse incident, they’ve been less stiff, more relaxed. Atsushi didn’t jump away if he got too close, and he smiled more easily at him. Their once harsh word exchanges melted into soft bickering, and more than once Akutagawa felt himself fighting down laughter whenever they talked. Not mean, condescending one but genuine mirth at the little things he’d say and do.

What the hell was happening to him?

“I know like- one chord. There was this woman at the orphanage; she was the only nice adult there. She tried to teach me to play, but I never quite picked it up.” Atsushi made a big show of cracking his knuckles, wiggling his fingers. “Okay, let’s tickle these ivories!”

More like make them scream, Akutagawa soon learned. He winced as Atsushi slammed his fingers down into the keys, hitting random clumps and creating what he could only describe as “mindless noise”. He sang along with it, the words lost in the sound as he swayed with his chaos.

“Oh, there once was a cat named Piccolo! He was the fattest cat anyone ever known! He rolled and he cried, and he’d spit in your eye, so the village chief ordered him to-”

“Weretiger!” Rashomon shot out, grasping Atsushi’s wrists and preventing him from hitting more keys. The church rang with the noise. “What happened to knowing only one chord?” He growled through gritted teeth.

“Oh, right! It was…um…” Atsushi looked at the keyboard. “You know- I can’t remember. But it was one of them I just played, I’m sure!”

“That wasn’t playing- that was slapping.” Akutagawa pulled Rashomon back, shaking his head. “I don’t think I heard a single chord in any of that.”

“Oo, you can hear chords, can you? Alright, Yiruma- it's your turn.” Atsushi stood, offering the piano. “Let’s see what you can do!”

Akutagawa stared, first at the piano, then at Atsushi. A mix of nostalgia and disgust filled him when he thought of playing again; Mori ruined any enjoyment he had with it.

And yet…Atsushi was giving him those eyes. The ones that presented a challenge. And Akutagawa had a hard time turning down challenges.

He also had a hard time turning down Atsushi.

What-

He sat down in the warm seat before those intrusive thoughts came back. Stretching his fingers, he let them rest on the cool ivory, wondering where he should begin. “Any requests?” He asked, be it a tad sarcastically.

“Whatever you wanna play.” Atsushi smiled, leaning against the side of the piano. Akutagawa hated how attractive he looked like that- FOCUS AKU! “I’m all ears.”

At first, he simply pressed keys- not the way Atsushi did it- this was far gentler, and actual cords. The weretiger’s smug grin melted into a look of surprise, making the other smirk. “Show off.” Atsushi grumbled. Akutagawa fought down a chuckle.

Then he was moving his fingers against the keys more intentionally, a song coming to mind. He didn’t know all the words- he only heard a chunk of it once when he was walking with Gin through the city. He did know the chords though.

Soft music played throughout the church, Akutagawa’s fingers playing out the beats in a steady rhythm, getting lost in the sound. He felt himself right back with Gin again, her smile encouraging and kind- the few beckons of light in the awful world of the Port Mafia.

Then he was singing. He probably sounded terrible; but he kept hearing Gin encouraging him to, so he gave in.

“If you had it all, would it be enough?

Can you find the way and still be lost?

I write songs about being someone else

That say fuck the world, you’re not angry enough.”

Beside him, he heard Atsushi suck in a breath. Be it from surprise or relation to the song, he didn’t know. Akutagawa kept going.

“Yeah everybody tells me it’s alright.

Everybody tells me I’ll be fine

Everything is not o-fucking-kay,

Oh but they can’t tell me why.

I put the picture on the shelf

Leave the memory behind

But the truth is I can’t say goodbye.”

Was he getting too real? Maybe. Atsushi was quiet beside him, not interrupting, just listening. He took that as a sign to keep going.

“So I made friends with all my demons

Let ‘em sink their teeth in

Got used to the feeling of letting it go

So give me something to believe in

Or throw me in the deep end

It all feels the same with your eyes close

So you can throw me in the, Deep end

Deep end

Deep end, Deep end”

And..that’s all he knew. The rest of the song was lost to him. He dared a peek up at the weretiger, waiting to see him fighting off laughter or wincing at Akutagawa’s singing.

Instead, he was leaning into the piano, eyes misty and something incredibly soft in his expression. There was no disgust, no second hand embarrassment, none of that. Only the look of a man who found something he was fond of, the smallest of smiles on his lips that took Akutagawa’s breath away.

Surely he must be thinking of someone else. There was no way he was looking at him like that.

The idea that Atsushi was thinking of another made his chest ache, a strange hollowness within tearing at his insides. In a haste, he slapped his hands onto the keys, startling the other out of his reverie. “I don’t know the rest- really, I hate the piano; we shouldn’t have done this. We have to go before the cops show up-”

“Aku.” Atsushi’s voice made him pause, halfway out of the seat. He was focused again, the expression he was wearing tucked away and replaced by his usual smile. “That was amazing. Truly.”

His chest ached again.

“It was just a thing I learned at the mafia. That’s all.” His voice sounded foreign to his ears, cold and distant. In the corner of his eye, he saw Atsushi wince. “Just forget about it.”

“Aku-”

But he was already out the door; the cool air of the city blowing on his warm face as he stumbled out. He walked at first, but then he was running. And then he was bolting. He needed to get away- to go somewhere else. He found himself flying down alleyway after alleyway, stumbling over his own two feet before crashing hard on his knees, coughing in his hand.

When he pulled it back, it was wet. However, it wasn’t blood that made it so. When did his vision get so blurry? He blinked, shaking when he realized it was tears.

He was foolish. A complete idiot! How could he let himself fall for the Weretiger? A Detective Agency member- the Mafia’s enemy. They’d never work out; and soon- he’d leave him. Just like how Dazai did all those years ago.

It would never work. Nothing ever did in the Port Mafia. They were sewer rats- destined to live and die among the filth they waddled in. And Atsushi…he didn’t deserve someone like that. He deserved someone who could stand in the sunrise with him, who could see how it matched perfectly with his eyes. Someone who could listen to his songs and jokes and antics and laugh freely alongside him. Someone who could make him happy.

And that wasn’t Akutagawa.

Curling up, he wrapped Rashomon tightly around himself. In past experiences, he found his ability rather sound proof. It was only then did he finally let himself sob.

~Kiss~

Atsushi sighed as he leaned back into a park bench, head still reeling. It had been a few days since the church incident, and there was no Akutagawa in sight. He could be busy, but Atsushi was sure he was avoiding him. It hurt- the sudden shut down from the other. Atsushi recounted the event in his mind hundreds of times, trying to figure out what exactly he did that made him flee.

He truly meant it when he said Akutagawa’s playing was amazing. Really- he was referring to his everything; the way he played, the words he sung, the way they broke something within his chest as he found each lyric incredibly relatable. That last moment, when the song ended and Akutagawa turned to look at him- there was so much…vulnerability in his gaze. Was he waiting for Atsushi to say something then?

Oh dear- perhaps he failed him afterall.

Pulling the bag of pork buns closer to his hip, he stood, deciding to head back to his apartment. It was probably dumb, waiting here for him. They hadn’t agreed on a meetup spot; Atsushi had hoped if he remained at the same location for the past three days, he’d pop up. So far, it proved fruitless. He made his way to the entrance.

And found himself staring at Akutagawa.

Silence so thick it could be cut with a knife, the two stared at one another; frozen. The rest of the world seemed to go silent, the people walking by shut off like a mute button. Akutagawa seemed stunned, and Atsushi doubted he looked any better.

For a brief, terrifying moment, he was scared Akutagawa would bolt. He remained standing. Then-

“Weretiger I-”

“I bought Pork Buns-”

They had spoken at the same time. Akutagawa blinked, startled. Atsushi felt himself return to reality.

“I uh…I bought Pork Buns. At the local convenience store? I remembered you liked them and..” He waved the bag in the direction of his apartment. “It’s probably not a good time, and if not you can just take them but…do you want to come over and eat? I bought too many…”

Akutagawa stared, the look making Atsushi squirm. Then he spoke once more. “I’m not busy…sure.” Relief flooded Atsushi’s chest.

“Great! Come along then.”

~~~

The walk back was terribly awkward. Neither spoke, but it was tense this time around, words heavier than steel stuck in their throats as they finally arrived at Atsushi’s place. Fumbling for the key, the weretiger pushed open the door, flicking on the light. “Pardon the mess, I didn’t get to clean up this morning.”

Removing his shoes, Akutagawa looked around. If he noticed the messy futon and leftover ramen cup, he didn’t say. Instead, he nodded. “Thank you for having me over.”

“Yeah, yeah- sure.” Atsushi smiled, hating how polite everything felt. He wanted so badly for Akutagawa to point out something- to make a comment on his tiger plushie that the other gave him in return for the chocolates- to tease him about knocking things over on the counter. He wanted anything else but this super quiet, super polite version of Akutagawa. “Erm, let me go put these down-”

“Weretiger. I must apologize.”

Atsushi froze, scared to turn around. Oh no, was he leaving already?

“The other day- I left without a word to you. That was incredibly rude of me, and I’m sorry.” Akutagawa sounded…choked. Like there was something else there he wasn’t mentioning. Atsushi figured he’d let it be.

But then, would anything actually change if he did?

“You ran pretty far after you left. I didn’t see where you went, you just kinda- disappeared.” Atsushi turned, facing him. “I never got to finish what I was saying.”

“I didn’t want to hear it.”

Ouch. Okay. Atsushi tried to hide the hurt with a smile. “Fair enough.”

“Wait- no. Fuck, this is hard.” Akutagawa ran a hand over his face, clearly frustrated. “That’s not what I meant. Sorry. I mean- I was…” He struggled with the words, waving his hands. “Weretiger, I don’t think I can keep doing this.”

Another dagger. Atsushi felt his heart drop into his stomach. “Doing what?”

“The whole- whatever this is. It’s killing me.”

A third. Atsushi felt his eyes sting. “Just say it, Akutagawa.” He sounded harsh in his own ears. Good.It’ll make him leave faster. “Say it and be done, already.”

Akutagawa flinched as if struck. Then he straightened, eyes intense.

“I’m in love with you, Weretiger.”

The buns hit the floor.

“I’m in love with you- I’ve been in love with you since- I don’t know how long now. Everytime I close my eyes, I see you. I hear you laughing in my dreams; I see you smiling at me when the pain’s at its worst and it’s killing me because I’m not good enough for you. I’m not the kind of person you deserve- a sewer rat who’ll only stain you with my filth-”

“Shut up.” Atsushi sounded strange. Akutagawa stared.

“Shut the hell up, you son of a-” Atsushi stormed across the room, grabbing the front of his coat.

And then he was kissing him. His lips crashed into Akutagawa's like a man craving water. At first, Akutagawa was frozen in shock. Then he was kissing him back, clutching the other tightly, pulling him in against his chest like he couldn’t get enough. He tasted like chocolate. For once, Atsushi found himself liking it.

When they pulled away, flushed and breathless, Atsushi reached up, gently pulling at the fringe framing the other’s face.

“Now you listen to me, Aku.” He tugged, earning a mild wince from the other. “First of all- you don’t get to decide who deserves me. I decide who deserves me. Second of all-” He released his hair, poking a finger into his chest. “I don’t want to ever hear you describe yourself as a sewer rat ever again. If I get stained, I get stained. Despite the white fur, I’m not some pristine tiger figurine.” He moved the hand poking his chest up to cup Akutagawa’s cheek, running a thumb against the smooth skin. “Finally- I never got to say what I wanted to say the other day. So you better listen.

“I think you’re amazing. The way you carry yourself; how you’re still so you even after everything you’ve been through in the Port Mafia. How you have these cute little quirks about yourself and how you’ve got so many hidden talents. I think you’re amazing, and I’m in love with you too. I’ve been in love with you for a long time now.” He smiled at the wide eyed stare he got, watching the hope in Akutagawa’s eyes meld into soft happiness.

Then he pinched his cheek, pulling slightly.

“But if you ever just up and run off on me again, I’ll kick your ass. I’m a weretiger- we like to eat little sewer rats who drive us nuts.”

“Sorry.” Akutagawa said through a deformed mouth. Atsushi released his cheek, leaning up to kiss it. “I thought you'd be in love with someone else.”

“Who else is there? Ranpo?” Atsushi raised an eyebrow. Then he looked thoughtful. “It would make getting you chocolate easier…”

Akutagawa couldn’t stop it. The laugh he fought down so hard bubbled over, then another. Before long, he was leaning into Atsushi, laughing for the first time in what felt like forever. The weretiger stood stunned, then he was giggling. Next thing he knew, he was laughing just as much, clinging to the other and squeezing tightly.

“Ohhohoho my god. I fuhuhucking love you, Weretiger.” Akutagawa wheezed out, wiping away a combination of happy and mirthful tears.

Atsushi looked just as teary, his cheeks warm and smiling like sunshine. “I love you too, Aku.”

Thanks for reading!

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lokabrenna-writes · 1 year ago

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More Soukoku Headcanons Because I Still Need Healing After Chapter 109 (The Anime Somehow Managed To Make It Worse???)

Fluff Edition

Dazai has a deep-seated hatred for Mickey Mouse. Is it his voice? His personality? Nobody but Dazai knows.

One time the duo were sent on an “important mission” that turned out to be babysitting Elise for a few hours. There wasn't much to do considering they were under clear instructions not to leave headquarters since they may or may not have lost Elise last time. So, they decided to put on a movie. Elise looked at Chuuya, then at Dazai, then back at Chuuya before telling Dazai to put on Brave. Chuuya lost count of how many times he had to say “yes, I’m sure I’m not Scottish” and “no, I don’t straighten my hair. It’s wavy, not curly” and “shut up, Dazai! I don’t look like Merida’s little brothers!”

Chuuya has tried multiple times to convince Dazai that a dog would be the perfect addition to Soukoku. It never worked.

One time Dazai got cold that was much more intense than it should’ve been since he didn’t rest properly in the earlier stages. He didn’t feel like doing anything including taking any medication. He just wanted to sleep and for Chuuya to stop waking him up to tell him to eat or take his medicine. Chuuya could not get Dazai to say anything to him rather than hum in agreement or huff in disagreement. Finally, Chuuya asked if Dazai wanted anything to which Dazai finally gave a verbal answer: bleach. Without saying another word Chuuya went into the kitchen, grabbed a disposable cup, and poured the proper amount of medicine into said cup. If Dazai wouldn’t take the medication on his own, Chuuya would just have to get creative. He took the cup to Dazai and when he received a raised eyebrow he responded with “you said you wanted bleach, so here.” Dazai later complained that the ‘bleach’ Chuuya gave him tasted suspiciously like bubblegum cough syrup.

They've both been banned from nearly every social media platform either by Mori, Kouyou, Fukuzawa, Kunikida, or the platform itself because of the cancellation threads they post of each other.

Chuuya refuses to watch anything with Dazai after they watched The Promised Neverland together. Dazai had watched enough clips prior to figure out the plot and some major plot twists, then told Chuuya about how he had found them something happy to watch. They binge-watched all of the first season in one night and Dazai got a kick out of watching Chuuya react. Chuuya denies to this day that he cried multiple times, but Dazai remembers. Dazai has video proof.

Dazai once convinced Chuuya that his room was haunted by a cat and that he had to leave crab dishes on the counter so he wouldn't wake up to everything having been moved to the top shelf again. When questioned on how a cat would be able to move all of his appliances to the top shelf, Dazai said it was important not to question the powers of a vengeful ghost. Chuuya discovered this was just another scheme to get more crab after he caught Dazai sneaking in on the third night to eat the crab dish.

Dazai covers Chuuya’s eyes when the ‘Help Dogs in Need’ commercials or adds come on. He has no choice. Last time Chuuya saw one of those commercials he was a wreck for days and Dazai had to hide his card to keep him from giving all of his money to the organization. Dazai also had to hide his own card incase Chuuya gave up looking for his.

If Dazai ever sees any of the old Sheep members, he glares at them. Doesn’t matter where he is, he will stop and glare. Doesn’t matter who he is with either, poor Atsushi was very confused when his mentor stopped mid-sentence to glare at someone who was just trying to cross the street (they ended up turning around). The only difference is if Chuuya is the one with him. He’ll glare like usual, but if Chuuya notices and attempts to look at what has caught his attention, Dazai will flick the back of Chuuya’s hat so it blocks his vision and say something like “Oh no, the wind is picking up! Better get to *insert wherever they’re going* quickly before Chuuya blows away because he’s so short!” And he’ll pull Chuuya along, twirling them both around because he has to show off that he still has Chuuya and the Sheep could never stand a chance. Chuuya doesn’t resist, but will always respond with something like “It’s not even windy! And what does my height have to do with anything?!” Yes, Dazai knows it’s petty, but that’s part of the fun. Besides, he’s been doing this ever since he was 15, why stop now?

I also want to add that while Dazai was in the Port Mafia, Akutagawa took note of all the people (aka sheep members) Dazai was glaring at and began to follow his example. Akutagawa has no clue why Dazai glares at them, but he does not question it. If Dazai glares, then so will Akutagawa.

#I’m not ready for tomorrow’s episode #it’s not even funny #i’m so scared #soukoku #bsd headcanons #bungou stray dogs #bsd skk #skk headcanons #soukoku headcanons #correction: todays episode #i meant to post this yesterday #oops

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bish-plz-haha · 1 year ago

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Bungo Stray Dogs: my thoughts

So I'm not caught up on the manga (I'm trying). But I caught up on the anime and

HOLY

SHIT

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually screamed at the second to last ep.

*Spoilers ahead*

I COULDNT HANDLE CHUUYA - AS A "VAMPIRE" - SHOOTING DAZAI. OH MY GOD.

But everything is okay because that's not the case. But I also watched it in Dub (bc I was trying to cruise through it because its been a hot minute since I've caught up on anime) and DAZAI SAID FUCK AND IM LIVING FOR IT! Chuuya too. I was giggling like a maniac when I heard Chuuya say "You fucked up, detective agency!" Then continue to fuck up the Hunting Dogs.

PLEASE SOMEONE TELL ME IS TACHIHARA OKAY?!?!? (I swear I'm reading the manga. This weekend I'm planning on reading it all the way.)

Also, I absolutely loved seeing how the agency was formed. What got me was Yosuno and her ties to the mafia. I literally doubletake-d and screamed "WhaT??" and my family thought I was nuts. Maybe I am. Its fine.

But s5 broke my heart and I'm like, over it. I need some Shin Soukoku fighting together again.

Also, can we talk about Ranpoe??? I absolutely love them, and I think they're now my third favourite ship in the series. Behind SSK and SSKK, of course. I dunno if I could see most of the ships. But, no hate to it if you do ship it because I believe we should ship what we want without judgement (FICTIONAL CHARACTERS MEN! FICTIONAL CHARACTERS!), I absolutely despise Fyozai. I just... no.

Though I do think Fyodor was a very cool character—a little boring—but interesting. Especially with his understanding of Dazai's intellect. Now I think the character with the most depth is Ranpo. Like, man's backstory - the little we know, is quite interesting. It makes me think about a lot.

Also, why is the story character based, not world based, when we know so much more about the world than we do the characters?? Like we know a little about a lot of the characters but know a lot about the world. It's insane. I love character based stories because I feel knowing the characters builds the world.

But the most we know is: Atsushi is an abused orphan; Dazai is an ex mafia member; Kenji is scary; Ranpo is an orphan too who is actually gifted with intellect instead of an ability - though it kind of is an ability; Fukuzawa is an ex assassin; Yosuno hates her ability because she was forced by Mori to keep soldiers alive during the gifted war when they just wanted to die; Kunikida is an ex maths teacher; Chuuya is a human that was experimented on so he's basically part yōkai/ayakashi (Thank you Noragami for introducing me to that delightful word—it's basically a word to describe supernatural beings/creatures and lord knows what Chuuya actually is); Tanizaki is... I don't remember anything specific about him and Naomi...; Tachihara is not a mafia member but rather a military officer sworn to get revenge on Yosuno (she didn't do anything except keep his brother alive - poor babies. She was forced to as well, which, in my opinion, makes it worse); Akutagawa is sick (I swear to god if the series ends without him...); Gin is Akutagawa's sister (HC Gin is enby); Mori was an underground doctor before he slit the previous bosses throat.

Like barely anything about a single character. Just bits and pieces for each. Those are just the main ones I remember.

Anyway~

Goodbye!

OH btdubs! I'm writing a skk au fic/one-shot based off s5 ending but also dead apple. Might post the link here. Idk yet. 🤷‍♂️

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play-rough · 5 months ago

Note

🚪💥WHILE🦎🐈 we’re on the subject- on a night when they’re both small, Atsushi and Dazai end up staying at Kunikida’s in the room he has set up for them (plus Ranpo). Dazai wakes up in the middle of the night and starts crying. Atsushi is woken up by the babe in a panic, forgetting where he is and thinking he’s at the orphanage again. It was mentioned that there would probably be a lot of littles at the orphanage, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think Atsushi is used to being woken up by a crying baby. But it’s probably also reasonable to believe that said babies weren’t treated very well if they were heard, so it became a normal practice to shut them up for their own safety by any necessary means.

Half blind with fear, Atsushi springs out of bed and feverishly tries to silence Mackerel, who only sees an unfamiliar figure in the dark standing over him and aggressively snarling at him to shut up- which terrifies him and sends him into hysterics.

It obviously doesn’t take long for Kunikida to get to the room and sort it all out (unbeknownst to them, the teddy bear that sits on the bookshelf is actually a hidden baby monitor- it’s so he can keep an eye on the babe, but if it picks up on the start of any of Ranpo’s mischief then Kida won’t complain 😚) but it takes a while for him to calm them both down- even after Atsushi remembers where he is, he’s still worried that Kida might punish him or Dazai, and Dazai is still shaken from the ‘attack’ and doesn’t like how close Atsushi is keeping towards him.

After that, Babyzai’s crib is kept in Kunikida’s room, which bothers him because ‘only REALLY little babies need to sleep in the same room as their caregivers’ because apparently Dazai still cares about that technicality, despite being an actual baby and it really not mattering one way or the other. Dammit Atsushi. -🍓

PSPSPSPSPPSPSPS 💁🐟 🐈

YES I’m so here for Atsushi immediately trying to console Dazai and just being so worried that they’ll get in trouble 😭 i feel that tbh I’m still afraid to make noise past 8pm lmao who’s gonna get mad at me, my dog??

Babyzai absolutely would put up a fuss about his crib being moved lmao like the location makes all the different 😭 I’m so here for this entire scenario my crops are watered any sustained everything about it is perfect

Also. Kunikida probably secretly loves hosting these sleepovers 😭 they’re all so good i love them 🩷

#🍓 anon #💌#the sleepovers are canon 😭😭😭😭#love all this sm

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zickyvici · 2 years ago

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Tetcho Suehiro: A character analysis (Part 4)

Read Part 3 here first!!

A popular fan theory to explain this behavior is that Tetcho is neurodivergent and is on the autistic spectrum. This would explain his hyperfixations, unusual food pairings (which he finds perfectly normal) and him taking things quite literally sometimes. However, I'm not knowledgeable enough on this topic to feel comfortable writing about it. I'd much appreciate it if someone with more experience could add their thoughts to this theory.

One thing about Tetcho is that he just likes keeping to himself. He prefers to let others do the talking while he observes. He's usually shown standing in the background, only stepping up when he feels the need to, unlike Jono who's usually in the foreground, taking the lead.

At this point, I'd like to talk more about his relationship with Jono. We barely see Tetcho outside of fights or work meetings, but we get a glimpse of his more laid-back side when he's alone with Jono. As I've just said, Tetcho likes keeping to himself and usually stays in the background. But when he's with Jono, he becomes chattier - obviously Jono still does most of the talking, but the only time we see Tetcho smile and talk about anything other than his mission is when he's with Jono.

He fully trusts Jono and his ability, as shown in the Café Uzumaki scene ("What Jono says is surely right"/"There's no mistake in what Jono has said"). Although he dislikes the way Jono torments people, he stands behind Jono more than he stands behind Fukuchi - which is huge, considering that leadership and justice are the most important things to him - but not quite as important as his friendship with Jono. And Jono knows this. After Fukuchi told Jono the truth and Jono betrayed him, Jono was completely certain that, given the evidence, Tetcho would believe him over Fukuchi.

(I'm not at all trying to say that Tetcho doesn't respect and trust Fukuchi because he absolutely does. Interestingly, he's often drawn facing/standing behind Fukuchi, while he's usually on the same height as Jono - I'm guessing it represents how Tetcho looks up to Fukuchi as his superior and considers Jono as his friend and colleague.)

Obviously, the clearest proof of Tetcho putting Jono over the mission was when he abandoned all his morals and beat up an (innocent) 14 year old because Jono went missing (and he was only gone for like…15 minutes too) - "For just five minutes, I will place Jono above justice."

We've seen that Tetcho usually keeps a cool head during battle, taking calculated and smart decisions. However, during his fight with Kenji, he seems so out of his mind that he doesn't give Kenji time to explain himself, he draws illogical conclusions and doesn't stop to think about what he's doing. Remember how I said that Tetcho hates torturing others? This is the only instance where we see him being okay with it (Teruko tells him that she'll torture Atsushi and Tetcho is okay with it) and even torturing Kenji himself.

Only after the fight he realizes that he got overwhelmed by his emotions and ignored all his morals - and asks for death. He doesn't feel like he should be a Hunting Dog anymore. This once again demonstrates how seriously he takes his job and how important justice is to him. He realizes his mistakes, fully accepts that the ADA is innocent and lastly, becomes Kenji's friend (before passing out on the floor).

Now that we've covered everything single appearance he's canonically made and analyzed every action he's taken, it's time to get theoretical.

First of all, I find it interesting that after Tetcho realized his mistake after fighting against Kenji, he didn't feel like he deserved to be a Hunting Dog anymore. He still puts so much importance on being a Hunting Dog, he still puts this group on a pedestal. Imagine how his heart will shatter once he realizes that their leader was the actual mastermind behind it all. I wonder how it will end: Will Tetcho quit the Hunting Dogs and find another way to bring justice? Or will he, as a Hunting Dog, decide to do the right thing and kill Fukuchi and the DOA? (Little fun fact: The real Tetcho Suehiro actually quit his job as a politician. So maybe Tetcho will quit the Hunting Dogs?? Idk. I still want to see him do cool stuff tho.)

We haven't gotten Tetcho's backstory yet (and I will cry if it stays that way), so all we can do is theorize about his past. I think it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume he comes from a samurai lineage (like the real Tetcho Suehiro) and that that's why he takes so much pride in his swordsmanship. Since pretty much everyone in Bungo Stray Dogs is an orphan, I wonder if his parents also died when he was young. It would explain why he never learned how to (properly) cook and just mixes stuff that has the same color instead. What if his parents were killed wrongfully and that's why justice is so important to him? The real Tetcho Suehiro ended up in prison two times because he fought for freedom and rights. What if Tetcho got recruited while in prison? I can definitely see little teen Tetcho trying to punish criminals and accidentally ending up in prison because of it. I'd love to hear your theories and comments!!

I've spent like 6 hours on this, accidentally deleted the first 3 parts (multiple times) and had to write it all again and now my brain is all mushy. That's enough Tetcho for one day, even for the self-proclaimed biggest Tetcho fan.

#bsd tetchou suehiro #bsd tetchou #bsd tecchou #bsd #bungo stray dogs #tecchou suehiro #tetchou suehiro #tecchou #character analysis

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aluraveil · 1 year ago

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I just finished the Bungo Stray Dogs Beast Manga and holy shit it was so fucking good. (I'm writing this post while it's still fresh in my head LOL)

In the anime = The original universe/world where Dazai leaves the Port Mafia and joins the ADA.

Overall, I have to give the Beast manga a 10/10. I loved reading it so much and it just increased my love for Bungo Stray Dogs 10x more.

The Beast manga really makes you wonder how things could have been so much different. Akutagawa being in the Armed Detective Agency was pretty unexpected for me and Atsushi being in the Port mafia too. I think it only surprised me because I'm so used to their roles being switched because that's how it is in the actual anime.

When I first heard that there's an AU where Dazai is the boss of the Port Mafia, I thought that what would have happened is that Dazai would decide to assasinate Mori and take over and Oda would still be in the Port Mafia so imagine to my surprise when Oda had actually joined the ADA.

When Fukuzawa (Beast Manga) told everyone in the ADA to stop whatever jobs they were taking on and to help Akutagawa, I thought that when Akutagawa had the fight with Atsushi that Yosano would be there to heal the former in case he died or something.

I still have a couple of questions as I'm pretty confused.

Why isn't Kouyou in the Beast manga? We saw that in the anime she cared for Kyouka (I think I don't remember if she did) and how she was basically "helping" (I can't think of another word) Kyouka when she was still in the mafia in the original world. Not to mention, Kouyou is one of the mafia executives. Does she just not exist?

Do the Hunting Dogs exist? We saw that in the anime, Tachihara was secretly the 5th Hunting Dog and how he was sent to infiltrate the mafia. Is he just there as a member without the HD existing or?

What even happened to Chuuya? We just saw him for not even 2 pages and all of a sudden he just dipped.

Since Dazai dies in Beast, does this mean that when he said something along the lines of "If 3 or more people find out about the book" does it still include him? I mean I know that he knows about the book but to the best of my knowledge, he never specified if it included the deceased?

Who is the new boss of the Port Mafia? Since Dazai dies at the end of Beast and it's suddenly revealed how Mori was alive and is the new director of the orphanage, we as the reader are left without the knowledge of who the new boss would be.

What happens to Gin now? Throughout the entire Beast manga, we see how Akutagawa wanted to find his sister (which isn't really true because he's just fueld by revenge) but at the end it's revealed that she "dissapeared". I know this question is probably not going to have an answer but I'm still curious about this myself. At the end of Beast, Akutagawa says that he wants to try to be on the side of good and how he will stop doing evil things (or something like that).

How are all of the events from the anime going to play out in the Beast manga? We saw that Higuchi came to the ADA and informed them of smugglers and stuff just like how it happened in the anime. My only question is what's going to happen next? We saw how in the anime, it's actually a trap and then Atsushi and Akutagawa fight. But we see how in the end Atsushi is in the orphanage with Mori so Atsushi is most likely not going to appear. I really want to know how everything is going to happen but sadly we probably aren't even gonna know.

I really wanted to see what would happen if Asagiri continued the Beast Manga because we would get to see how all the events played out and how the ADA and Akutagawa would deal with Francis/The Guild and Fyodor/The Decay of Angels.

The Beast manga broke my heart though, it was sad to see Atsushi's past.

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pinkipeachiikeen · 2 years ago

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And The Stars Will Guide Us Home

A Dazai x Fem!Reader Bungo Stray Dogs/Batfamily crossover

Chapter one ----> Next

Y/n swore to herself the day she got onto that plane that the only reason she’d ever return to Yokohama would be to burn the hellscape to the ground and dance in the ashes. Yet, ten years later she stands in the heart of that very city, swirling cheap booze in an even cheaper red solo cup. After all this time, the only thing she can conjure herself to think is; How, in the everloving fuck did I get here?

A decade after Y/n escaped fled from Yokohama and shed herself of her past she's sent back with a new name and new goals.

-Protect Atsushi Nakajima at all costs

-Don't let your past catch up to you

But some things are easier said than done with the port mafia on her tail and when increments of her past come in the form of a shady, bandaged detective.

All Y/n knows is that Yokohama is in danger, and she'll be damned if she sits on the sidelines, doing nothing to protect the city that failed to protect her

Even if it's at the price of losing all she's worked for, and remembering all she died to forget.

DISCLAIMER: You do not need to be a Batman fan to read (but you do have to be a BSD fan, obviously lol), everything you need to know is mentioned in the fic. If I had to make a guess the fic is 80% Bungo Stray Dogs and 20% Batfamily, only appearing in the flashbacks of the first few chapters until much, much later.

Series warnings (as of now): All warnings kind of coincide with the warnings of the series, such as; violence, mentions of abusive/neglectful guardians, swearing, past character deaths, nightmares, mentions of self-harm, nightmares, Mori being kinda a creep, panic attacks etc.

Chapter warnings: Swearing, panic attack, nightmares, Dazai makes a creepy joke (Y/n tries to remove Atsushi's tie when he's passed out so he doesn't harm himself in his sleep, Dazai implies she's trying to take advantage of him; she's not.)

WC: 5104

Y/n swore to herself the day she got onto that plane that the only reason she’d ever return to Yokohama would be to burn the hellscape to the ground and dance in the ashes.

Yet, ten years later she stands in the heart of that very city, swirling cheap booze in an even cheaper red solo cup.

After all this time, the only thing she can conjure herself to think is;

How, in the everloving fuck did I get here?

“WHO WANTS TO SEE ME CHUG THIS GALLON OF CHOCOLATE MILK?!” The detective with a funky hat announced to the cheers of the younger overall clad detective, glugging it down with the vigor of an intoxicated frat boy trying to impress his brothers. Another detective, adorned with a bob and a hair clip that shimmers so slightly in the fluorescent ceiling lights of the office, drunkenly slurs something incoherent to which the scrawny kid in suspenders. Although Y/n couldn’t make out what she said, she can only assume that she was trying to convince her new coworker drink along with her, given the outstretched bottle in her shaky hand and the suddenly very flustered face of the other new hire sputtering something along the lines of ‘uh- i’m too young to drink! S-sorry!”

Y/n sighs in both wonder and defeat before taking a sip of her drink, settling into the wall she’s leaning against. This is what I'm doing now, I guess.

“Not a party person?” a smooth voice asks as he slides next to her, red solo cup also in hand.

Her eyes tilt to face him, a seemingly uninterested glace. ‘You could say that.” She nurses her drink, eyes scanning the room once more. “Although I have never been to a party where you chug chocolate milk,...” Her eyes peer to see the scrawny kid from earlier (Atsushi, if she’s correct) who fell into peer pressure, chugging a carton of chocolate milk with cheers from office staff and the younger detectives while Glasses scolds Hair Clip on appropriate workplace behavior. “..but they sure look like they are having fun. Sure looks better than jungle juice.”

“Ah yes, chocolate milk, the drink of champions and school age kids alike.” he quips. “Although I believe strawberry milk is superior.”

She takes another glance at the man. Dressed in layers of stiff, restrictive clothing, and even going to the extent to hide sensitive, vulnerable areas (such as the neck and wrists) in copious amounts of bandages. His hair was long enough to cover what the bandages on his neck couldn’t and was also long enough to hide if need be. His trenchcoat, although worn open and freely, is there as a mere taunt or a front of sorts. Drawing people in while simultaneously keeping them out and away. Or that's what she would think, if she couldn’t see the frayed and worn edges around the cuffs and the discoloration at some more well loved spots. The trenchcoat is obviously sentimental in some way or another. His armor.

Everything about him suggests that he would be a loner, the quiet type, an avid avoider of all things small talk, yet his actions and body language was smooth and fluid. He was posed freely against the wall, eyes gazing upon hers as if he had nothing to hide.

Alright. She downs the rest of her drink. I’ll bite.

“Do they always throw parties for the new hires?” she asks, now giving him her full attention.

“Well, no. But we don’t often get two newbies at once. Especially when one of them’s the prez’s daughter.”

She gives a tight lipped smile. “So I was an orphan all my life and now I'm a nepo baby.” she retorted dryly. “Great.”

“Y’know, I never really thought of Fukuzawa as a dad, y’know? No, that's a lie.” he corrects himself. “He’s like the dad of the agency.”

“No shit.” she mutters. “‘Learned that from the welcome committee.”

He gives a quick chuckle. “Yeah, Ranpo’s sure is an eccentric one.”

She raises her eyebrow. “Says the man who asked me to commit a double suicide upon the first three seconds of meeting me.”

He throws his hand back to his forehead dramatically, as if he was a helpless maiden. “Oh but Belladonna, can’t you see! I’m just a lonely man, plagued by misfortune and misery,” he grasps her hands, fingers dancing around the solo cup in each of their hands. “the only way to cure my ailment is-”

“DAZAI, DID YOU ALREADY FORGET WHAT FUKUZAWA TOLD YOU, YOU OBNOXIOUS TWAT?” the scolding glasses fellow yells from across the office, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Kunikidaaaa,” Dazai whines. “Do you really have no faith in me?”

“None.” he quickly replies.

Yoru bite back a laugh with a cough.

Dazai gasps. “Rude. I was just telling her my dream of a double suicide with a beautiful woman, not inviting her to have one. There’s a difference” he informs, crossing his bandaged arms. “But ‘twat’, that’s a new one! Good for you on broadening your vocabulary!!” he cheers with a thumbs up.

Kunikida just rolls his eyes and goes on to lecturing Overalls on how ‘in no circumstances would bringing a cow into the agency be even remotely logical, yes even for chocolate milk, Ranpo.’

“I thought Fukuzawa was the dad.” Yoru comments.

Dazai laughs. “Fukuzawa is who Kunikida wishes he looked like. If we were talking about parental roles here, Fukuzawa would be the corporate 9-5 father while Kunikida would be the overworked mother that no one listens to.”

Yoru chuckles. “I don’t know… He seems like he’d be a hell of a PTA mom.

Dazai shudders. “Now that’s a terrifying thought.” He takes another sip of his drink. “So Fukuzawa definitely has dad energy, I just don’t think I can picture him with a child. The man is wayyyyyy too serious. A real ‘married to my work’ kind of guy, I don’t ever think he’s been on a date, let alone got some.”

And there it is. The actual reason for this conversation.

“I mean, all men have needs though, can’t ignore that. I bet he’s the strong silent type- oooh I bet he-”

“Dazai, right?” she interrupts

“That's me.”

“I’mma tell you something, and I don’t want you to take this the wrong way,” she starts putting a friendly hand on his shoulder. “I’m not a fan of all the ‘subtle, hinted at, implied,’ shit. If you wanna know something, just ask. It saves everyone time and energy.” she tosses her cup in the nearby trash can. “Maybe you can learn from him how to ask about someone’s parentage without talking about their father in bed, m’kay?” She smiles bitterly. “Thanks.”

Dazai’s eyes widen the slightest amount, his mouth opening slightly to speak-

“AY, YORU COME TRY THIS!” Hair Clip calls, waving a bottle, nearly hitting the copper top detective in the head.

Y/n breathes out a laugh, “Alright, only if someone else pours it, though, and you put it down.” she jokes, taking the bottle away from her and away from the heads of others.

You would think a guy weighing 120 pounds wet wouldn’t be so hard to carry. Y/n has had to carry many people out of burning buildings or away from hazardous areas but none of them seemed to be this heavy, and they usually work with her in some way. They weren’t a jumbled ball of intoxicated dead weight, limbs flying every which way and silver hair flying into her face.

“Come on, kid.” she grunts, throwing his arm around her neck. “Work with me here.” Fate clearly wanted to work against her since his leg nearly sent both of them into the rough sidewalk. “GOD DAMN IT.” she grunts. “How much did this kid drink?”

“He only had a sip!”

“Gah!” she nearly drops the boy.

“Oops, sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you. Here, lemme help!” he offers, taking an arm.

“No, I-” she starts before he throws the older boy over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. “Well, alright then.”

“Dang, he is kinda wobbly.” he admits to a slight groan from the boy over his shoulders. How he did not wake after being manhandled like that, Y/n has no clue. “Sheesh, I never met anyone this much of a lightweight. He only had the tiniest amount of sake.” he shakes his head in disapproval. “Anyway, you are going to the dorms, right?”

She nods.

“Okay, right this way!” he points and continues on, like he wasn’t balancing a person nearly half a foot taller on his shoulder.

Alright, I guess.

“How are you liking the agency so far?” he asks, kicking a stray pebble.

“It’s… definitely something.” she admits, resting her hands in her jacket pocket.

He nods, hair tickling Atsushi's waist. “I’ll be honest, I really was surprised when Fukuzawa came back from his business trip with someone, let alone his own daughter! That threw us all in a loop!” he confesses.

Y/n gives an awkward half laugh. “Yeah I bet.”

“I’m sorry Ranpo was kinda rude to you, he’s just…like that.”

She chuckles. “You mean blunt?”

He nods. “Yeah, blunt. That works.”

“Yeah I'd be kinda surprised too, I don’t blame him for being shocked. I was too.”

“It must be hard packing up all your stuff and moving here! I mean waking up in a whole different continent one morning must be so weird. Must be like waking up on a whole ‘nother planet!”

She smiles. “Kinda. But it’s not nearly as strange as when I moved to the states in the first place. At least I already know all the customs here, not to mention the langauge.”

He paused. “Why’d you move in the first place?” he asks, quickly following up with “Not to sound rude or anything, just curious!”

She shakes her head, “don’t worry, you’re good.” she clarifies. “hmmmm…”She thought for a moment. “Sometimes people just need a change, y’know.” she reveals. “A fresh start.”

“How does it feel to be back?”

She takes a deep breath in, brisk night air tickling down her lungs, staring into the polluted Yokohama sky.

Suddenly, she was 14 again, staring down the very same lights she sees now, saying goodbye to a land that never felt like home.

“It….” she starts. “It almost feels like I never left.��

“Home sweet home,” Yoru mutters, unlocking the door and welcoming Kenji in.

Kenji looks around. “Where should I put him?”

“Over there is fine.'' She tilts her head to the left tatami mat, covers slightly tousled while hanging her jacket over the coat rack. “Honestly, you should just shake him awa- or that. That works.”

Kenji dusts his hands of the invisible dirt after casually tossing him onto the mat as if he was merely a jacket, leaving Atsushi in a poor tangle of limbs and guaranteeing a crick in his neck and back pain when he awakens. Then he lets out a big yawn and says his goodbyes before heading to his own dorm to retire, muttering something about ‘finding a midnight snack.’

Left alone (besides the intoxicated weretiger, who she grew more concerned about by the minute), she sighed. I guess this is my life now. She hears a subtle groan and suddenly regrets not taking Yosano up for another drink.

Flipping Atsushi into a more breathable position (i.e, in a position not akin to a marionette,) and reaches to take off his tie.

“Wow, Yoru, I never really took you for the type.”

Whipping her head around she sees Dazai, lounging slyly against the doorframe. When the hell did he get here? Didn’t Kenji close the door? “The type for what, exactly?” she questions. “I don’t know what the hell you are trying to imply, but i’d rather my roommate wake up with a hangover, not dead. Thank you very-”

In an instant, the weretiger shot up and shuffled away from Y/n in a panic, hands protecting his face in a desperate attempt to protect himself.

An action Yoru knew all too well.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please don’t hurt me!”

Yoru’s harsh eyes immediately softened, her stone cold, almost apathetic exterior melting away to the surprise of Dazai whose eyebrows raise, just for a moment.

She lowers her hands to her sides and sits up straight, creating some distance.“Atsushi…”

Atsushi curls himself into a ball, head dug deep into his knees with his arms blocking out any possible sources of light. Rocking slightly back and forth, he whispers i’m sorry, again and again like a mantra. Hoping, pleading for his own safety with his breath getting only heavier and quicker after each word.

“Atusuhi,” she says calmly and clearly, “You’re having a panic attack, I need you to breathe for me. Just a few deep breaths. Can you do that for me?”

Y/n wasn’t sure if he shook his head no, or if he was just shaking, but she doubts if he even heard her as he continues his ‘i’m sorry’s, voice only getting more choked after every word.

She takes a deep breath in. “You are safe, Atsushi. It was just a nightmare. Nobody is going to hurt you here, I promise you. I need you to do something for me, okay? Nothing hard. Just need you to answer an easy question, okay? It’s a little silly, but I need you to bare with me here. Can you tell me something you hear?”

No response.

“Atsushi, I need you to tell me something you can hear.”

His rambling slows down to harsh breaths. There we go.

She starts to repeat her command before she hears the boy whimper something.

“Hm? I’m sorry, I didn’t-”

“You. I can hear you.”

She smiles. “That’s right, good job Atsushi. Now can you tell me something you see?”

The sounds of labored breathing echoed in the room before he slowly peeks his head to murmur “Mats. There’s a mat.”

Y/n nods. “Yes there is a mat. You are doing great. Just one more question. I need you to tell me something you smell.”

“C-chocolate milk.” he sniffs. “I spilled some on me earlier.”

Y/n puffs out a laugh. “Yeah, you did go a little crazy with the chocolate milk.” she jokes.

Seeing the gleam in Atsushi’s eyes over his knees, she scoots a smidge closer. “You are safe here,” she repeats. “The only people here are me and,” she turns to the door to find it closed, no sight of Dazai. “Just me. I’m the only person here.” testing the waters, she scoots closer, now by his side. “I really doubt that anyone is dumb enough to break into the Armed detective agency’s dorms. Sounds kinda like a death wish to me.” she joked.

He gave a half smile, sniffed and used his wrist to rub his eye. “Yeah, yeah you are right.”

“Besides, if someone did, I'd kick their ass. I’m a lot tougher than I look. But I think you are tough enough to win by yourself, Tiger boy.” she teases with a slight playful nudge, making the boy blush a little. “Anyone in their right mind would haul ass as soon as they see a fucking tiger. Imagine you are trying to rob a joint and you break in all sneakily just to find a huge tiger staring you down!” she shakes her head. “Yeah, I'd change career paths real quick. Find god and become a priest or something, sheesh. They’d go out to their van with all their thieving pals like..” she musters up a deep voice “Dude, where’s all the goods? And why are your pants wet? And…why does it smell like pee?”

Atsushi chuckles this time, fully emerging from his bundle of limbs he was hiding in. “I- I don’t think I'm that scary.”

Y/n gives him the ‘are you kidding’ face. “Please, I've seen someone crap their pants after seeing a doberman. Someone pissing themself is not out of the question when confronted by a giant angry white tiger.” she ruffles his hair. “Don’t sell yourself short, kiddo.”

He smiles. “Thank you.”

Her eyebrows furrow. “It’s just the truth.”

He shakes his head. “No, not for that, well I guess that too,” he corrects before shyly looking away, running his pale hand through his tousled hair. “For everything.”

She shrugs. “Don’t worry about it. It happens to the best of us.”

His eyebrows raise. “The best of us wake up to panic attacks?”

She sighs, and settles into a more comfortable position. “Well, I do.”

His heterochromatic eyes widened. “Really?”

She nods. “Yup. And I can’t quite say I'm the best, but I'm pretty damn great. In my opinion at least.”

He’s silent, for a few moments, before almost whispering, “Do they ever stop?”

She takes a deep breath in, biting her lip. “No. No, they don’t.”

He casts his eyes to his knees again, tears rimming his eyes.

“Atsushi, I'm not gonna lie to you. You deserve to know the truth. What you went through affects your brain in the way other memories don’t. This isn’t just something you can forget over time, no matter how much you want to.” Atsushi gulps and bites his lip, holding back tears. “You went through something so harmful it changed your brain and how it processes things. And no matter what you do, you can’t change that.'' She places a hand on his, drawing his attention to her words “But if I learned one thing in my 24 years of life is that nothing I can do will ever change what happened to me. But just because I suffered a great deal before, doesn’t mean i’m incapable or unworthy of living a full and happy life.” She looks at him in his glassy eyes. “Atsushi, I don’t quite know what you went through, or for just how long, but I know for a damn fact that you deserved none of it. No matter what you did, you were a child that deserved to be protected. You might not feel that way now, but you will one day. Because although we may never be free from our past, we can heal from it.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“Have you heard of the word ‘trauma' before, Atsushi?”

He nods.

“Well, just like physical trauma, there’s also mental trauma. With physical trauma you get physical scars, and with mental trauma there is…”

“Mental scars?”

She nods. “Yes, mental scars. If you ever are seriously injured in a way that leaves physical scarring, the effects of it linger for your whole life. Sometimes it's just with the physical reminder that its there, and sometimes it's pain from something that happened so long ago.”

“So, you are saying that I'm always gonna be afraid like this?” he whimpers.

She shakes her head. “That’s not what i’m saying. Atsushi, ten years ago i’d wake up almost every night crying, and that's the days that I could sleep. I could barely hold a conversation with anybody, because anyone could be a threat. I was too scared to share my name let alone talk to you about my past like this. Now? I have nightmares once every few months, most of them just leave me a lil shaken and I drink some tea before falling back to sleep. What i’m saying is that it gets better. I promise.

“A-are you sure?”

She huffs out a playful laugh. “Yes, I am 100% sure. But it takes time, Atsushi. Some days are gonna be worse than others, and sometimes things trigger bad memories. For example, someone touching around your neck while you're sleeping. I’m sorry for that, by the way. I was trying to take your tie off.” she apologizes.

“I-it’s okay!” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “You were just trying to help!”

“Speaking of help,” she starts, standing up and stretching her legs. “You know what I used to do with my friend after having really bad nightmares?”

“What?” he recipes as she walks over to the small dorm fridge.

“Eat ice cream and watch kids shows.” she said, picking up a pint. “Here, catch.” she said tossing it to the were-tiger who awkwardly juggled it before catching it properly.

“Um is this a common practice when it comes to nightmares and panic attacks? A-and where did you get the ice cream?” he asks as she sits down next to him, two spoons, her tablet and her own pint.

“Nope, but it always made me feel better. And Fukuzawa asked if some of the secretaries could go buy some food to make me feel more at home.” she shared, setting up her tablet. “Anyway, what's your favorite show you would watch as a kid?”

“I never really watched tv as a kid. Or ever, really.”

“WHAT?” she said a bit too loudly, making Atsushi jump in his seat. “Sorry, but how have you never watched any tv as a kid? When I was in group homes they just sat us in front of the TV all day.” she lied, partially at least. “Are orphanages really that different?” he shrugged.

“Well today's your lucky day kiddo! I’ve got just the show for you!” she said, fiddling with her tablet. “This was my favorite show as a kid, I probably watched every episode of the original series 10 times, at least.”

He sits up, intrigued. “What's it about?”

“It's about a boy going on mighty adventures with his companions learning skills and training to be the masters of their field.”

“Oh, sounds interesting.”

“Oh it's also about monsters they use to fight that they keep locked up in containment.” she reveals, pressing play on her tablet.

“Wait WHAT.”

“I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was..” the tablet sings. Yoru smiles at Atsushi’s dumbfounded expression. “Pokemon?” he asks. She nods.

“What else?” she smiled.

“I had no idea Pikachu was such a jerk when he first met Satoshi.” Atsushi shares, taking another scoop of his ice cream, eyes transfixed on the pixilated glory that is 90’s anime.

‘Well,” she starts, taking a scoop into her mouth. “Houw wood you feeel eef shome ranoom keed wok’d ober ta ou an startet bossin ya round?” she said nearly incoherently.

He nods, completely understanding what she said. . “True. Hey, what ice cream flavor is that?”

“Curry.” she says, coherently this time. “Wanna try?” she asks, holding out her pint.

He shrugs, scooping some onto his spoon and into his mouth, before immediately coughing. “Why,” he coughs. “Why is it so spicy?”

She shrugs. “It’s curry flavored, and curry tends to be spicy.”

“It just tastes like cold curry!” he shakes his head in disapproval. “I know there's a lot of strange flavors out there, but this has to be the strangest i’ve ever tasted.” He admits, taking a scoop of his vanilla ice cream to drown out the spice.

“You don’t like it?”

He shakes his head. “Not really. It’s definitely not a flavor I think of when I'm craving ice cream, that’s for sure.”

She nods. “Yeah, me either.”

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. ““Then why are you eating it? And why did the secretaries buy his flavor out of all of them and not a more common one like matcha?”

“Because I asked for two pints, a spicy curry one for me and any other flavor to share with you. Ice cream is better shared, y’know.”

He gives her a funny look, the adventures of Satoshi and Pikachu disregarded. “Well yeah I guess it does taste better when shared, but that doesn’t explain why you specifically asked for a flavor you don’t like?”

She sighed, taking a lick of the gooey orange substance. “It reminds me of someone i once held dear. And sometimes,” she looks into the pint, reminiscing on lives past lived, “Nostalgia is the sweetest thing of all.”

Once Yoru was sure that Atsushi was lulled to sleep by the overly animated voice of Pikachu and friends, she turned off her tablet and put away the slosh that remained in the ice cream pint. Gazing over his peaceful figure, she smiles softly, and drapes his comforter over him. Basked in the peaceful silence, she finally releases a breath she’s been holding ever since she boarded the jet to Yokohama. Grabbing her jacket and lazily sliding it on, she heads out to the terrace, the starry night sky greeting her once again

“hey Kanako, look at that one! it’s so bright” the little girl pointed out, small scrawny hand cast to the sky in amazement. Laid besides her, her sister sighs. “Kasumi, they’re all so bright, we live in the middle of nowhere.”Kasumi responds by nudging her playfully. As Kazumi watches the stars, Kanako watches her sister, a rare smile graces her face watching her sisters unbridled joy.

“Hey Kanako,” Kazumi says, eyes still attached to the stars

“Hmm?”

“Ya wanna know why i like stars so much?” she asks, her usually happy go lucky voice hinting at something more

“Sure.”

Shes silent for a second, before she answers. “They make me feel less alone.”

Kanakos was well prepared to respond with ‘How do you ever feel alone, i’ve been by your side since we were in ma’s belly’ before she saw the look on her sisters face. Her once joyus smile has slipped into something more melancholy.

“We live in a world with billions of people, even tho’ our world only consists of each other really. Not that i mind spending every day with you! I just wanna explore the world like they do in the cartoons! Or at least like the other kids our age.” She explains, her eyes still glued to the starry night sky. “Everyone’s life is so different than ours…” She nearly whispers. “but the stars!” she suddenly brightens, as if she was a star herself. “Everybody sees the same stars. No matter how big or small you are, no matter where you live, we all see the same stars.” She turns to her sister, meeting her eyes. “Even if we ever part, we could just look to the night sky and we’d know that the other one is looking at the same stars.”

Kanako furrows her eyebrows. “Why would we ever part?”

She shrugs.

“Don’t ya ever wanna run away?”

“Huh?” Kanako shuffles to sit up. “What do ya mean?”

Kazumi pushes herself up to sit next to her sister. “Y’know, run away from home. no more mom or dad, no more stupid, podunk town.”

Of course she has thought about it. She thinks about it every time she takes her sister to hide under the table when their father gets home reeking of beer and bad decisions. She thinks about it whenever their mother finds any and all reasons to insult and berate them. She does so everythime she sees the other kids in the neighborhood with their parents, hearts full of joy and parental love and affection. Something that was so foreign to her.

But she doesn’t live in a fantasy.

She was more than capable of running away, hell she doubt her parents would notice for a few days at least. Although she is young, she’s more than capable of providing for herself, as she has been providing for herself and her sister for years.

But thats just it.

Sweet, sweet, Kazumi. She’s always been the more fragile child, trailing behind her and speaking in soft whispers to anyone but her sister. Kanako learned from a young age that she’s her sisters keeper, even before she fell ill. she’s always been sickly, from the moemnt she was born, she needed extra care and support. It was assumed she would grow out of it, that babies are just very fragile and susceptible to illnesses and complications, but alas, that was not the case. Kazumi’s life has been plagued by illness since the day her life began, there was no way she could survive the trek out of the boondocks they lived in.

Kanako would love to run away. to finally feel free and have the weight lifted off of her shoulders, but she knows she never would. Kanako was only elder by mere minutes, yet the gap between them was one of decades. Kanako has a responsibility that no child should bear; protecting one’s innocence while their own has been shattered. She knows she can never leave Kazumi, the one she promised to protect till their dying breath.

So she shrugged. “Sometimes, i guess.”

“Oh come on,” She whined playfully. “Don’t cha wanna go on adventures, like they do in Pokemon?”

“I don’t think the real world is as amazing as Palet town, Kazumi.”

“You wouldn’t know! we never leave this stupid town, anyways.” She shifts to her side to face her sister. “Don’t you wanna leave? Away from….. everything?”

“I don’t know.” she said, looking at her tiny, worn out shoes.

She didn’t didn’t have to say why, Kazumi already knew.

The crickets hummed to fill the silence, before she adds a quiet “I wouldn’t blame ya, y’know.”

“No.” Kanako quickly snaps. “I don’t know what you got in your head that makes you think i want to leave ya, but you need to get rid of it. I’m not going anywhere without cha. we’ve been together all our lives, what makes ya think that i wanna leave ya now?” She asks.

Kazumi simply shrugs in response, ashamed to look her sister in the eyes.

Kanako sighs and throws her arm around her sister. “Listen. one day when we are older, we are gonna run as far as we can away from this town, got it?” she said, pullin her closer. “and no one could tell us shit!” they both giggle at the ‘dirty word’.

“It’ll be our little adventure!” Kazumi cheers.

Kanako nods. “Yeah. our little adventure.”

You really shouldn’t be able to see the stars out here in the city, pollution from the smog of factories and the lights decorating buildings, calling people in and keeping them awake. But yet, if you know where to look, and don’t mind squinting, you can always spot them and they’ll wave to you like an old friend. Sighing, y/n pulls a cigarette out from her jacket pocket, lights it and takes a slow, long drag.

“I guess this is another adventure,” she states to no one in particular, rubbing the pendant on her neck. “Right, Kazumi?”

And that's chapter one! I hope you enjoyed it because there's a LOT more to come. If you have any questions or comments (I love comments <3 the make me more motivated to write!!!) don't hesitate to let me know!

#dazai x reader #dazai osamu x reader #bungou stray dogs #bungo stray dogs x reader #ATSWGUS

34 notes · View notes

chizue-witchery · 3 months ago

Text

⚜️. *. ⋆ Fandom: Bungou Stray Dogs

⚜️. *. ⋆ Rating: Teens And Up Audiences

⚜️. *. ⋆ Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not Use Archive Warnings

⚜️. *. ⋆ Pairing/s: Dazai Osamu & Nakajima Atsushi, Dazai Osamu & Kunikida Doppo, Dazai Osamu & Yosano Akiko

⚜️. *. ⋆ Character/s: Nakajima Atsushi, Dazai Osamu, Kunikida Doppo, Yosano Akiko

⚜️. *. ⋆ Summary: A fight against an ability user goes wrong and Dazai is left on the verge of death. Now, Atsushi and Kunikida must get to Yosano in time before Dazai dies.

⚜️. *. ⋆ Word Count: 1,523

⚜️. *. ⋆ Tags/Warnings: Temporary Character Death, Near Death Experiences, Medical Inaccuracies, Angst, Hurt/Comfort

⚜️. *. ⋆ Prompts/Squares Filled: Only For Emergencies || @whumptober 2024 Day 7

Whumptober 2024 Masterlist

AO3

It was a case gone wrong.

Atsushi, Dazai, Kunikida, and Yosano were assigned to take down an ability user seen wandering the city's outskirts. The ability user is said to be disrupting and causing damage around the area, so they must take it down before more innocent lives are taken.

They had a plan; Yosano would nurse any injured civilians; Atsushi would fight against the ability user, with Kunikida as backup; and Dazai would sneak to nullify the user's ability before they cause more damage to the area and lives taken away.

It was going well. Atsushi was able to keep on par with the ability user and he'd like to thank Kunikida for teaching him how to fight and defend himself with and without his ability. He uses his tiger legs to launch himself toward the ability user to swing a punch towards them, but they dodge out of the way and grab the collar of Atsushi's neck to slam him to the ground.

Atsushi cries out in pain, and he wastes no time shielding himself from the upcoming attack. The ability user slams themselves towards him, creating a large impact upon them.

"Come on, boy," they say with a grin, pinning him in place while summoning another projectile towards Atsushi. "Just give up. You and your detective friends won't be able to defeat me."

"No!" Atsushi frees himself from the ability user's grasp and launches himself in the air, just barely dodging the large projectile. He uses his claws on the side of an already destroyed building to land safely on the ground. He ignores the side of his head, bleeding as he dodges another attack.

"Atsushi!" yelled Kunikida as he threw a flash grenade toward the ability user, giving Atsushi enough time to recover and launch another attack toward the ability user.

They shield themselves from the flash grenade and look up just in time for Atsushi to land a swing at their face. They get launched to the side of the building as they cry out in pain.

They get up on their feet while looking around the area. They remember seeing four detectives. They know the woman in the group is helping out the injured. The tiger boy and the man with glasses are currently after them. However, they can't find the man wrapped in bandages.

They frown as they look around, looking for any signs of movement in the area. They spot a brown coat at the corner of their eye and they immediately turn around.

They find no one.

"Hm." They launch another projectile toward the tiger boy's way, giving themselves more time to find the bandaged detective. "Where, oh where could he be…"

They tune out everything as they close their eyes. They hear footsteps somewhere behind them and they send a projectile in that direction.

Dazai barely dodges the attack, but some of it manages to hit his side. He grits his teeth in pain, barely dodging another projectile sent towards him.

"I found you~," they smiled before tilting their head to the side. "I wonder why you were sneaking around to get me…"

Dazai chuckles. "I wonder why…" He then finds himself wrapped around in rope, being pulled towards where Atsushi and Kunikida are.

"Are you okay, Dazai-san?" Atsushi asks while looking over to Dazai's side, frowning when he is still bleeding.

"I'm fine." Dazai waves off Atsushi's concerns as he turns to Kunikida. "Can you find the ability user?"

Kunikida looks around as he adjusts his glasses. "No, but they are still here. They haven't left yet." He faces Dazai, looking at his bleeding side, then his face. "Can you still nullify their ability?"

Dazai nods while clutching his side. "I need to get close to them."

"I'll try distracting them once again," Atsushi says before launching himself in the air.

He looks around, eyes flickering everywhere. He barely dodges a projectile sent towards him in the air. He turns to the direction of where it came from and he sees the ability user send a chilling grin towards him before he lands back to the ground.

Atsushi points towards the direction of where he saw the ability user. "They're over there!"

Dazai nods and he immediately heads towards the direction of the ability user, ignoring Kunikida and Atsushi's calls for him to come back. He hides behind the building, away from the ability user's sight.

Atsushi launches himself towards the ability user, smashing any of the incoming projectiles coming towards him. He swings his fist towards them and they dodge away, his fists hitting a car instead. He fights and dodges as he can, distracting the ability user as much as possible while trying to avoid as much damage to the rest of the buildings.

Kunikida keeps children out of the way of danger, guiding them towards Yosano, where she treats all the wounded people. She uses her ability on anyone who is on the verge of death, avoiding using it on those with minor wounds.

"Come on!" they exclaim as they launch another attack towards Atsushi. "Fight! You're not being fun anymore!"

"I won't let you hurt more people!" Atsushi shouts as he blocks an attack from them. "They did nothing wrong to you!"

"Nothing?" They laughed while sending more projectiles towards Atsushi and using that time to launch themselves closer to land a kick on his side, sending him towards a building. "You know nothing!"

Atsushi groans as he lands on the side of the building, shaking away the growing headache. "No, I don't," he admitted as he stood up. Atsushi launches himself towards the ability user, grabbing a hold of their shoulders to pin them to the ground. "But hurting more people won't do any good!"

"Let—go of me!" They kick Atsushi's stomach several times, but he won't budge.

Dazai uses this opportunity to get out of his hiding spot and run towards them. He grabs the ability user just as they push Atsushi away from them.

"It's you—" they growl and try to launch an attack towards Dazai, but their ability is not activating. "What is—?!" Their eyes widen. "I can't use my ability!"

Dazai grins, ignoring how his side is still bleeding; more so than before. His head is getting woozy. He blinks away the darkness in his vision and his grip loosens just enough for the ability user to use this opportunity to slam their foot on Dazai's stomach, sending him away.

"Dazai-san!" Atsushi shouted as he watched Dazai land harshly on the ground, his head hitting first. His worry grows when Dazai doesn't open his eyes while blood pools around him.

He turned to where the ability user was, but they disappeared while he was distracted. He looks around, but they're gone.

Atsushi doesn't worry too much about the ability user. Instead, he runs towards Dazai and assesses his injuries. He holds Dazai's head, frowning when he feels something wet. Atsushi looks at Dazai's side and the blood on his clothes continues to grow.

He checks Dazai's wrist for a pulse, but he finds none. His hand is on Dazai's chest and he doesn't feel it rising up and down; he's not breathing.

Atsushi grabs Dazai's limp body to carry him and begins to run. He runs until he finally finds Kunikida.

"Kunikida-san!" shouted Atsushi as he continued to run. "We need to bring Dazai-san to Yosano-san quickly!"

Kunikida turns to Atsushi, his eyes flickering over to Dazai's pale face, and nods. "Follow me. We don't have much time before we need to resuscitate him within the next few minutes."

Kunikida runs while Atsushi follows behind as he continues to carry Dazai. Luckily, they weren't that far from Yosano.

Atsushi sets Dazai down on the futon and Yosano immediately makes quick work of tending his wounds. "Hold his head and neck, Atsushi. It needs to be stabilized," she commands, and Atsushi immediately does what Yosano tells him. He moves over behind Dazai, placing his non-tiger hands on both sides of the head.

She grabs a clean cloth to put over Atsushi's hands to stop the bleeding. Atsushi stays as still as possible, knowing how dangerous it is if Dazai is moved too much.

Yosano then turns to the wound on the side. She lifts the vest and dress shirt and grabs another cloth to stop the bleeding. Kunikida helps as he passes along the medical equipment and bandages Yosano needs to treat the injury enough not to be fatal.

Once Yosano is done with it, Kunikida begins to resuscitate Dazai. He is quick and careful with it, providing Yosano with a 0.5-second window to use her ability to completely heal the rest of his injuries before his ability activates to go against her.

A few seconds of silence.

Then Dazai gasps as he wakes. He tries to sit up, but Yosano stops him from doing so.

"Hold on, Dazai," she tells him, with her hand still on his chest. "You need to rest first. Doctor's orders."

Dazai laughs, but he doesn't protest. He closes his eyes, allowing the darkness to consume him.

A/N: i apologize for how bad this is. it's not prewritten and i'm currently sick.

#whumptober #whumptober2024 #no.7 #only for emergencies #bungou stray dogs #bsd #nakajima atsushi #dazai osamu #kunikida doppo #yosano akiko #original character #fic #temporary character death tw #bsd fanfic

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hiddenfaith40 · 3 months ago

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This is the alternate version of the scene before Atsushi gave his speech at the Tribuute to Akutagawa at the end of “The Tiger and The Rabid Dog”. I can’t choose which one I like better….. but my beta readers thought the one that is on AO3 was the better option. What do you think?

Atsushi stared down at the photograph, the edges worn from years of being handled, cherished. His thumb brushed over Akutagawa’s face, and for a moment, the room around him seemed to blur. The soft hum of the city faded into the background, replaced by the distant echo of the forest—rustling leaves, the snap of a twig, the steady rhythm of Akutagawa’s breath beside him.

When Atsushi looked up again, he wasn’t alone.

Akutagawa stood across from him, leaning casually against the dresser. His figure was faint, almost ethereal, but unmistakable. He looked just as he had in that photo from years ago—stoic, composed, with that same almost imperceptible softness in his eyes that only Atsushi could see.

“Atsushi,” Akutagawa’s voice was quiet, but it cut through the silence of the room like a whisper from the past.

Atsushi’s breath caught in his throat. He wasn’t sure if it was a hallucination, a dream, or something else entirely. His chest tightened, emotions swirling, but he didn’t look away. He couldn’t.

“Akutagawa…” Atsushi’s voice trembled as he said the name, the name that had been his anchor for so many years, the name he hadn’t spoken aloud in what felt like forever. “I… I miss you.”

Akutagawa’s gaze softened slightly, the sharp edges of his usual demeanor smoothing out. “I know.”

Atsushi felt his knees weaken as he sank onto the edge of the bed, the photograph still clutched in his hand. “I don’t know how to do this without you,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “I feel like I’m still lost, even after all this time. You… you were always the strong one. You kept me grounded.”

Akutagawa stepped closer, his presence so real it felt like Atsushi could reach out and touch him. “You were never as weak as you thought,” he said, his tone as direct as it had always been, but there was a warmth in it now, a reassurance that soothed the raw edges of Atsushi’s heart. “I didn’t make you stronger, Atsushi. You found that strength yourself.”

Atsushi blinked, feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes. He wanted to argue, to tell Akutagawa how wrong he was, how much he had depended on him for everything, but he couldn’t find the words. Instead, he just listened, letting Akutagawa’s voice wash over him like the cold, crisp air of their winters together.

“We built something here,” Akutagawa continued, gesturing vaguely toward the photograph in Atsushi’s hands. “That cabin, our life… it wasn’t because of me. It was because of us. And you’re still here, Atsushi. You’re still living.”

Atsushi shook his head, his fingers trembling as he clutched the photo tighter. “But I don’t know how to move on,” he admitted, his voice cracking. “Everywhere I look, I see you. I feel you. What if I can’t let go?”

Akutagawa’s lips curved into a faint smile, the kind that had always caught Atsushi off guard, the kind he had seen so rarely but had come to treasure. “You don’t have to let go,” he said softly. “I’ll always be a part of you. You can carry our memories without letting them weigh you down. You’ve learned how to live without the shadows of our past. You’ll be fine.”

Atsushi felt a tear slip down his cheek, and he quickly wiped it away. “But what if I’m not?” he whispered. “What if I don’t know how to keep going?”

Akutagawa crouched down in front of him, his gaze level with Atsushi’s. “You’ve made it this far, haven’t you? You’ll keep going because you’ve always had that strength. I just helped you see it.”

For a moment, the room was still, and Atsushi let himself feel the presence of Akutagawa beside him, as if the years between them had never passed. He remembered their quiet evenings by the fire, the way they had grown together in that cabin, away from the world’s chaos. He remembered Akutagawa’s steady, silent support, and the way he had never let Atsushi forget his worth.

“I wish you were still here,” Atsushi said softly, his voice breaking. “I wish…”

“I’m always here,” Akutagawa interrupted gently. “Just in a different way.”

Atsushi looked up, his heart aching with the weight of those words, but also with a strange sense of peace. He knew Akutagawa was right, even if it didn’t make the pain of his absence any easier to bear.

Akutagawa stood again, his form beginning to fade, becoming less distinct, like mist in the early morning. “You’ll be fine, Atsushi,” he repeated, his voice echoing in the quiet room. “You’ve always been stronger than you thought.”

Before Atsushi could respond, Akutagawa’s presence faded entirely, leaving him alone in the room once more. The hum of the city returned, distant and muffled, but Atsushi felt a strange sense of calm settle over him.

He looked down at the photograph in his hand, his fingers tracing the edges once more. The ache of loss was still there, sharp and deep, but there was something else now too—an understanding, a quiet acceptance.

Atsushi stood, slipping the photo back onto the dresser. He took one last glance at himself in the mirror, adjusting his suit with a steadier hand this time.

Akutagawa was gone, but he wasn’t really gone. Atsushi would carry him in every step he took, in every memory they had shared. And no matter what the future held, Atsushi would keep going—because Akutagawa had been right. He would be fine.

#bungou stray dogs #fanfic #atsushi nakajima #shin soukoku headcanons #atsushi bsd #shin soukoku #shin soukoku ao3 #akutagawa ryuunosuke #Atsushi has a good hallucination for once #alternate ending

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scriveyner · 2 years ago

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chase forever down 2/31

It took almost a full week for the bruise to fade on its own, which in normal circumstances would have allowed Atsushi all sorts of time to sort through everything that had happened. Of course, he had to turn up to work on Monday only to find out that Dazai had fucked off to parts unknown again, attempt to track him down, get shot at by a bounty (?) hunter (??) who apparently wanted Atsushi’s pelt (???) for some goddamn unknowable reason; and then Dazai had the straight nerve to show back up to work on Friday all perky like Atsushi hadn’t been put through the wringer this week by him, specifically.

Continue on AO3 or:

“I think, perhaps, it would be best if you laid low for a few days, Atsushi,” Kunikida said as he stood by his desk, glancing over Atsushi’s report. His other hand currently had all his weight on it, pinning Dazai’s head to the desk. “Although the bounty hunter is in custody now, and we’ve cleared everything with the government, these things have a way of escalating out of nowhere.”

“Lay low?” Atsushi repeated, because he never thought he could be considered to have a high profile in the first place, pictures of him in the paper notwithstanding.

“He means don’t tear up the streets causing a scene and fighting anyone in particular,” Dazai sang, face smooshed.

Well, laying low would give him time to do a little research in peace, although as far as he could tell there wasn’t any sort of handbook for the situation he was in. To be fair, he hadn’t checked the library to see if “So Your Mortal Enemy/Occasional Partner is a Secret Vampire” had a waiting list.

Anyway, he was fairly certain that vampires weren’t real in the first place, but that made the fact that Akutagawa-goddamn-Ryuunosuke sucked a hickey into his neck even more bizarre.

Atsushi was tempted to ask Dazai about vampires, but still remembered the absolute roasting he got about Godzilla, and kept his mouth shut.

Hey, he’d been in a giant flying whale and been witness to a member of the Port Mafia clocking an entire ability dragon full-on in the face with a skyscraper; a giant radioactive lizard popping up out of the ocean seemed like a fairly ordinary Thursday.

He’d also jerked off in front of Akutagawa-The-Possible-Vampire, and why the fuck did that just pop into his brain out of nowhere. Atsushi adjusted his courier bag, focused gamely on a cold shower, and started on his way home.

It was brilliantly sunny, the sky that perfect shade of blue with the occasional thin cloud on the horizon. It was the sort of afternoon that chased away all thoughts of despair and darkness, and it lifted his mood immensely. He decided to stop by the local shop and get some fresh vegetables, make a nice big meal, and maybe catch up on some of that sleep he’d been missing after the chaos of the past week. No more thoughts about the weirdness in his life, or the fact that thinking about Akutagawa’s eyes made him hornier than shit.

God dammit, he did it again.

Atsushi sighed, added alone time in the bathroom before Kyouka got home to the mental checklist, and headed to the grocer.

=====

Atsushi was deciding between two packages of meat when he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye that drew his attention. He glanced over to see a Rashomon head pluck a similar package out of the cooler beside him and withdraw back. Atsushi followed the Rashomon tendril to its origin, staring at Akutagawa dressed in his usual civilian clothes, dark shades and all, as he walked right past Atsushi without acknowledging him once, shopping basket in hand.

His stomach did a little flip and he snarled mentally at certain body parts to fucking behave as he left his basket on the floor and hurried after Akutagawa. “Hey!”

Akutagawa paused and glanced back over his shoulder at Atsushi, eyes shadowed completely by the glasses. “You,” Atsushi jabbed his finger at Akutagawa. “You’re a vampire!”

There was a long, long pause.

Atsushi became increasingly aware that they were in the middle of a crowded supermarket, and other customers were giving them both a significant side-eye as they passed. Akutagawa turned fully around, staring down Atsushi all the while.

“You’re an idiot,” Akutagawa said and turned to leave.

Honestly, Atsushi had expected this reveal to be a little more melodramatic than it was. It was the middle of the day, they were now outside the supermarket that was several blocks away from his place of work, and he had been the exact opposite of geared up for this confrontation.

He’d been buying dinner, for god’s sake.

Akutagawa stood in the shadow of the building, leaned back against the alley wall and arms folded as he watched Atsushi pace in front of him. He’d been remarkably accommodating in allowing Atsushi to drag him out of the building, he’d fully expected a fight, but Akutagawa simply loudly expressed his opinion of Atsushi’s mental prowess to anyone in shouting distance.

So, Akutagawa in daylight. This was already a point against the Vampire Theory, as it was still broad fucking daylight—lurking in the shadows of the building notwithstanding, as Akutagawa was a lurker by nature—and he had yet to even sizzle, never mind burst into flames.

Atsushi rubbed the spot on his neck where the mostly faded bruise still sat. “You’re a vampire,” he reiterated, with less dramatic flair, and once again Akutagawa made a noise of derision, staring at Atsushi over the rims of the dark, not-quite-sunglasses he usually wore in a small attempt to mask his identity.

A point for the “Definitely a Vampire” column, those mysterious dark glasses. He only wore them during the day, too, that Atsushi had seen…protection against the sunlight? But he was out in the sun. And he’d seen Akutagawa in daylight many, many times, all without the benefit of the dark glasses. Well. Point still sitting in the Vampire column, pending approval.

“Idiot,” Akutagawa sniffed. “Remind me why I’m entertaining your nonsense again today?”

“You are a vampire,” Atsushi insisted again, stopping in his tracks, arms folded. “You attacked me out of the blue! Don’t laugh. And you bit me.”

“Do you actually believe vampires are real, weretiger? You pulled me from my errands to make me listen to you ramble like a madman about fiction.”

“I’m not rambling!”

Akutagawa arched a brow, and Atsushi turned on his heel to pace again. “You bit me and sucked my blood!”

“Are you certain you didn’t just hit your head?”

“I have a bruise!”

Akutagawa appeared unimpressed, as Atsushi turned and yanked his collar down, displaying the now-faded, yellowish splotch on his neck. “I have no interest in your sexual conquests as such, weretiger. Are we through?”

“No, we are not through. Explain to me why your eyes turned red, and why you bit me, if you’re not a vampire.”

Akutagawa tilted his head. Looking over his glasses at Atsushi, Atsushi could see his eyes glimmering slightly in the shadows, that same reddish hue. Then Akutagawa said in that same tone that had haunted his dreams for the past week, “we are through here.”

Atsushi stared at him in response, and Akutagawa pushed his glasses back up his nose, straightening as if preparing to leave. “And where do you think you’re going?” Atsushi asked, angrily, and Akutagawa paused, a clear look of confusion crossing his features. “Did you not hear me? We aren’t done.”

The weird, vocal modulation in Akutagawa’s voice sent a frisson of electricity down Atsushi’s spine, pulling something tight in his gut again, but he suppressed the shiver. Akutagawa stared at him strangely, and said, “we’re done.”

“And that,” Atsushi waved his hand at Akutagawa. “That weird voice thing. That’s a vampire thing too, isn’t it? Some kind of,” he wobbled his hand slightly, “Jedi mind trick type thing? I can tell what you’re doing now, so it doesn’t work. And you are,” holy shit, Akutagawa really was, he wasn’t making this up in his head, “a vampire!”

Akutagawa was flat-out staring at him now, like he was a puzzle that Akutagawa couldn’t solve. “Why doesn’t it work on you?”

Atsushi took two large steps back, suddenly struck by the fact that Akutagawa was a goddamn real vampire and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do now, because they were out in daylight and vampires were supposed to catch on fire.

Well, at least this meant he didn’t have to worry about pulling his punches going forward.

Akutagawa seemed to realize what his reaction meant all at once. “I am not—” he began, a snarl in his voice, but Atsushi’s voice overrode his.

“I can’t believe you’re a goddamn shit-sucking vampire.” He’d made it to the other wall of the alley, his back flush to the brick, and was eying his exit route. “How long has this been going on? Does anyone else know? Have you killed anyone? Okay, that was a stupid question, but have you killed anyone as a vampire—?”

“SHUT UP,” Akutagawa roared, his voice crackling with energy.

Atsushi winced at the volume but was otherwise undeterred. “I will not—!”

Well, he still moved faster than Rashomon.

Atsushi bounced off the side of the building, kicking the Rashomon tendril away. Akutagawa seemed to move faster than his own ability again, catching Atsushi by the shoulder in mid-air and turning him, landing on top of him hard enough that the concrete beneath them cracked. Atsushi hurled him off, twisting, and Rashomon caught up, wrapping around his leg before he could properly defend and then they were both airborne, Atsushi winged around like a fish on a line and was unable to gain any real purchase.

He dangled by his ankle, five stories up, while Akutagawa stood crouched on the concrete lip that ringed the building just below the roof. “If I were a vampire, idiot weretiger, do you really think I would be wandering around in broad daylight?”

Oh, he better not be able to read minds, too. Atsushi bent double, trying to get at the single tendril of Rashomon around his ankle with his claws. “Maybe if you didn’t try to mess with my mind!”

The tendril shook him violently enough that he lost progress and hung for a second, head spinning. “You keep coming to the most ridiculous conclusions.”

“I wouldn’t have to come to ridiculous conclusions if you didn’t fucking lie to me!”

Akutagawa hauled him up enough so that they were eye to eye, although Atsushi was well out of swiping range for the moment. “When have I lied to you?”

Atsushi stared at him, then pointed with one tiger claw. “You. Are. A. VAMPIRE.”

He doubled up and got both his hands around the Rashomon tendril, shredding the ability in his claws. Before Atsushi could even begin to consider how he was going to handle the five-story drop, several more Rashomon tendrils shot out at him and Atsushi swung around, caught on a broad one with the pad of his foot, and used it to launch himself at Akutagawa.

Akutagawa stood up to face him, eyes a brilliant, glowing red behind his glasses. “STOP,” he roared, and Atsushi felt the word vibrate in his muscles and bone but didn’t even hesitate, spring-boarding off a Rashomon tendril and catching Akutagawa by the front of his dark coat, flipping them both up over and onto the roof properly.

Akutagawa landed on his feed, sliding on the rough pitch, and Atsushi landed in a crouch with bared teeth. “I’m going to bite you, see how much you like it!”

They stared at each other, chests heaving in near unison, the unearthly red glow finally starting to fade from Akutagawa’s eyes. “No, really, why the fuck doesn’t that work on you, anymore?”

“Your weird voice thing?” Atsushi swiped the back of his hand over his cheek, smearing the blood from where Rashomon just nicked him coming up over the edge of the roof. Akutagawa’s expression froze, eyes locked on Atsushi’s face, and Atsushi pointed at him, victorious. “Ha! Vampire!”

Akutagawa tilted his head back and stared at the sky for a second, while dragging his hand down his face, and then he finally gave up. “Fine,” he said, sounding thoroughly harassed.

Atsushi rose from his crouch, giving Akutagawa a wary look. “Fine?”

“You win, weretiger. I am a vampire. Are you happy?”

Atsushi blinked at him, not expecting capitulation in any form. “Uh.”

“No one was meant to know. Especially not you.” Akutagawa stalked forward, eyes glimmering like they were going to change colors but stayed that nebulous shade of gray. Atsushi took a step back and realized suddenly he had nowhere else to go when the back of his leg hit the edge of the roof and he stopped dead, eyes wide.

“What’s the matter?” Akutagawa asked, stopping just in front of him. “Now you’re scared of me?”

“I’m not scared of you,” Atsushi said because he wasn’t, but his body seemed to think otherwise. Akutagawa’s hand darted out, catching his chin, and turned Atsushi’s head.

“Since you’re in the know, now,” he breathed and licked the blood from Atsushi’s cheek.

Atsushi froze in place. Akutagawa’s tongue felt like lightning, warm and sharp, and he gulped air, limbs trembling. Just like that, he was hard. No, no no no no no, he thought desperately, as Akutagawa swiped his thumb over the area of the cut, but by now the flesh had already sealed over the wound.

“I hate how fucking good you taste,” Akutagawa rumbled, face still too close. “It’s not normal.”

There was something about his voice now that was resonating to Atsushi’s core. It didn’t sound any different than normal, and it certainly wasn’t that weird tone he had been trying on him earlier, but Atsushi’s breath went short and his head went fuzzy.

The corner of Akutagawa’s mouth turned up into a smirk. “Ah. There it is.”

Atsushi swallowed hard and shook his head free of Akutagawa’s hand, and Akutagawa drew back. He pushed the palm of his hand over his cheek but it came away dry, and he looked back at Akutagawa, who was now, once again, at a safe distance. “Is that it?”

The question seemed to perplex Akutagawa. “What?”

“So, you’re a vampire and you’re going to, what, lick my cheek? What the fuck did you do to me?” Atsushi shifted his stance angrily, resisting the urge to shove his hands down his pants this time. “Don’t start what you can’t fucking finish.” He tilted his jaw back and bared his throat challengingly, and Akutagawa’s eyes glimmered again.

“You don’t know what you’re offering,” he said, softly, and Atsushi spread his hands.

“How many people have you killed like this?”

The question seemed to amuse him. Rashomon rippled across his shoulders, a faint red glimmer in the sunlight, and Akutagawa tilted his head, looking at Atsushi again through his dark shades. “Fear not, weretiger. I have kept true to our accords. Yours is the only blood I intend to spill…if I feel often enough, I never have to take a life.”

Akutagawa on him, teeth bared under the moonlight flitted through Atsushi’s mind unbidden. “And what happens if you don’t feed often enough?”

The look on Akutagawa’s face told him enough, and he jerked his chin again. “Fine. Don’t feed on anyone else. Don’t harm anyone else. You have me, you want to spill my blood? You can have it.”

Akutagawa looked away, hand clenched over his mouth and breathing hard. “What’s the matter?” Atsushi challenged. “I thought you said my blood tasted good—?”

He wasn’t fast enough to see Akutagawa move, but there was suddenly a hand on his shoulder and the other on his face, tilting his head away as Akutagawa’s fangs sank into his neck, atop the previous, yellowed bruise. Atsushi gasped and staggered, but Akutagawa caught him as he collapsed, lowering him far gentler, sitting him back against the concrete lip that bordered the edge of the roof.

Akutagawa’s mouth was still on his skin, and he shifted, knee pressed between Atsushi’s spread legs. There was no way he couldn’t feel how hard Atsushi was, or the wet spot that was beginning to appear on the front of his pants and Atsushi panted, everything gone in a haze of pleasure. He was so warm, and light-headed, and when Akutagawa finally, finally lifted his mouth his breath felt like fire on Atsushi’s skin.

“You’ll be mine,” he breathed, tongue brushing over the torn flesh, Atsushi’s skin knitting whole, “and only mine?”

“Oh, fuck,” Atsushi whimpered, so hard he could think of nothing but touch. Akutagawa rumbled and pressed his knee into Atsushi’s crotch, watching him choke. Then he seemed to take pity on him, shifting enough that he was kneeling between Atsushi’s spread legs, fingers pulling at the waist of his trousers. Atsushi gazed at him blearily, and Akutagawa slipped his hand down the front of Atsushi’s pants.

Oh. Oh, Akutagawa’s hand was on his cock right now.

Atsushi’s head went back, eyes unfocused as Akutagawa palmed his trapped erection, fingers curling around his girth. He rubbed his thumb over its leaking head but made no effort to free him from his pants to bother with stroking him properly. “Just a little taste,” he murmured. “Don’t want to reward you too handsomely for being a stubborn little shit, weretiger.”

Panting aloud, Atsushi clung to his coat, held tilted back, and came anyway.

Akutagawa yanked his hand out of Atsushi’s messed pants and stared at him as Atsushi slumped back against the concrete, breathing hard. He ended up wiping his hand clean on Atsushi’s untucked shirt, and then plucked Atsushi’s phone out of his pocket while Atsushi lay, blissed out, in place.

“If I text you,” Akutagawa said, typing something into Atsushi’s phone, “you will show up.”

He was doing the weird voice thing again, it sank into Atsushi’s bones and simmered there. Atsushi moaned, and Akutagawa dropped his phone in his lap. Then he stood, dusted off his knees, and inclined his head in a small bow. “Thank you for the meal.”

That said, Akutagawa stepped up over the lip of the roof, next to Atsushi’s head, and vanished over the side. Atsushi exhaled a small laugh, pushed his hand back through his hair, and looked down at his mess, all over his clothing.

Fuck, what had he just gotten himself into?

<< Chapter 1 || Chapter 3 >>

#bungou stray dogs #smarch #shin soukoku #sskk #vampire fic #lemony fresh

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