#but definitely no later than a week after sskk week ends

[waveswordswhispers]

Playing Beneath the Moonlight

Shin Soukoku Week Day One: Moonlight/Fairytale

Ahhhhh, I hope this isn’t too ooc, I’ve never written this pairing before.

A game of tag anyone?

Atsushi liked walking at night when the moon was bright, the moonlight shining down onto him.

Usually, he strolled through a small garden late at night, by the pond where he could see the moon's reflection, hear the crickets chirping their melody.

The cool, crisp air that settled on his skin made him feel relaxed, the sweet scent of freshly cut grass addicting.

It was peaceful, a complete contrast from his day job and he loved it.

Tonight was different.

Way different.

Atsushi was sure he would regret this in the end.

"Come on," Atsushi huffed, yanking Akutugawa along, ignoring the scowl the Port Mafia executive was giving him.

"Why are we here?" Akutugawa growled, complying but digging his heels in every now and then or suddenly letting himself go slack which made Atsushi stumble forward a few steps before he caught himself.

"Well," Atsushi halted, crossing his arms and arching an eyebrow. "Would you rather be at the bar, watching Dazai-san and Chuuya-san yell at each other and potentially be putting on a show that we both don't want to see?"

Akutugawa winced and shook his head hastily, no longer giving Atsushi any trouble so Atsushi dropped his hand and sighed, shooting Akutugawa a slightly annoyed look.

"Great. Now stop acting like a spoiled brat."

Akutugawa bristled, shooting Atsushi a dark look.

"I'm older than you," he snarled, Rashamon activating. Atsushi eyed the ability and chose to momentarily disregard it.

"You sure don't act like that," Atsushi shot back before he even realized it, quickly clapping his hands over his mouth in horror and backing away from a now murderous looking Akutugawa.

Now was the time to pay attention to Rashamon.

Atsushi dodged Akutugawa's first attack and took off running, successfully evading Rashamon for a good ten minutes before Akutugawa caught up to him just as he was entering the garden.

"I yield!" Atsushi yelped as Rashamon wrapped around him and Akutugawa hoisted him into the air. "I yield!"

"I. Am. Not. A. Brat," Akutugawa growled.

"This behaviour is totally proving it! Totally!" Atsushi had no idea where all the sass was coming from but he needed to control it before he got himself killed.

"I should throw you into the pond," Akutugawa threatened.

Atsushi screeched.

The pond looked nice and everything, perhaps dipping in a foot would feel nice but in the end, it was cold.

"Please don't," Atsushi murmured meekly. "It's freezing and I despise swimming."

Akutugawa stared up at him, frowning before shaking his head and Atsushi swore he heard a chuckle.

"Right. Cats don't like water."

"I'm a tiger," Atsushi stated flatly. "A weretiger."

"So essentially," Akutugawa set him down, Rashamon dissipating. "You're just a big scaredy cat." Atsushi smiled sweetly, hand curling into a fist.

"Well," Atsushi cautiously bent down. "At least I'm not," he paused, lowering his voice and Akutugawa leaned forward. Atsushi's hand shot out and he knocked Akutugawa back, albeit not hard enough to hurt him, but with enough force to momentarily stun Akutugawa so that Atsushi could have a head start. "AT LEAST I'M NOT A BRAT!" Atsushi hollered, getting a good thirty second head start before Akutugawa recovered.

"GET BACK HERE!" Akutugawa roared, sounding furious and Atsushi halted halfway around the pond, watching Akutugawa stand up, looking positively ready to kill. As Akutugawa moved in one direction, Atsushi mimicked him, neither gaining or losing ground as Akutugawa ran a full circle around the pond, only to have Atsushi on the other side, no closer than he was before.

Akutugawa narrowed his eyes and Atsushi waved at him sheepishly.

"Get over here!" Akutugawa shouted, almost tempted to catapult himself across the pond but was convinced in the time it would take for him to get across, Atsushi would be able to get around to the other side.

"What?" Atsushi yelled back, cupping his hand around his ears.

"Never mind," Akutugawa muttered under his breath, taking off in one direction, hoping to catch Atsushi off guard but Atsushi had always had lightning fast reflexes and Akutugawa was really the slower one so it made no difference.

The chase commenced.

Really, they were just running in circles, Atsushi always making sure (or attempting to make sure) he was firmly on the other side of the pond, right across from Akutugawa.

Occasionally they would lose sight of each other due to the trees or plants that would obscure them from each other and more than once, Atsushi had nearly ran face first into Akutugawa, only to barely manage to dodge Rashamon and make a mad dash away from the other ability user.

Somewhere in the good hour they'd spent running, it had turned more playful, Akutugawa no longer having a murderous air to him and Atsushi no longer afraid of dying within the next few hours.

Akutugawa had shed his coat after a while to run more freely and had started to predict Atsushi's movements, coming closer and closer each time to catching Atsushi as Atsushi slipped out of his grasp each time, sometimes with unbelievable luck.

Atsushi screeched when Akutugawa's fingers just grazed his shirt, jumping out of range onto the dock that led into the pond.

"Crap," Atsushi breathed as he realized his mistake. Akutugawa had cornered him and really, there was nowhere else to go, the water did not count.

Akutugawa seemed to be thinking the same thing before a rare, wicked smile spread across his face and he charged forward, tackling Atsushi.

Atsushi barely had time to shriek before they plunged into the freezing water, quickly swimming to the surface and letting out another shriek as he got his head above the surface, the water dripping off his nose, hair plastered onto his head and in his eyes.

Akutugawa didn't look that much better, his hair an absolute mess, eyelashes heavy with droplets.

"It is cold," Akutugawa muttered as he treaded water beside Atsushi, teeth chattering.

Atsushi nodded, his arms becoming numb and he swam towards the dock, Akutugawa trailing behind him.

"Y-You're e-e-evil," he managed to say as he hauled himself onto the wood, his muscles suddenly screaming of exhaustion. "I-I'm go-going to c-catch a cold."

"Well," Akutugawa sneezed. "That makes two of us."

Atsushi lay there, too tired and cold to even move but Akutugawa had climbed onto his feet walked away for a moment.

Atsushi was ready to sleep despite the cold, running for an hour from an ability user did wonders to his energy and he was already accepting that he would most likely be bedridden by a cold or something worse for the next week or so.

Something heavy settled over him and Atsushi's eyes shot open.

Akutugawa was back, Atsushi hadn't heard his footsteps but he was back, wrapping his dry coat around Atsushi.

He was shivering as well, so Atsushi sat up and offering the coat to Akutugawa as well.

Akutugawa huffed with displeasure but accepted, huddling next to Atsushi, trying not to touch Atsushi at first but finally conceded, leaning against Atsushi, staring up at the moon.

"That was not my smartest choice," Akutugawa admitted, his lips curling into a small smile. "But I don't regret it."

"No time for regrets," Atsushi replied tiredly, setting his head down on Akutugawa's shoulder, eyes fluttering shut.

"It's nice here." Akutugawa paused, shifting to adjust into a position more comfortable. "Nice place for moonlight."

"You think?" Akutugawa harrumphed and said nothing else.

They sat comfortably in silence before Higuchi and Kunikida came to retrieve them, scolding them on their poor choices.

The next day,  Chuuya called Dazai, sounding annoyed.

"Akutgawa's sick, he has a cold."

"Yeah?" Dazai sounded slightly miffed, a rare occasion. "Atsushi has a fever and I'm playing babysitter."

"Isn't Yosano the doctor?"

"Yeah, but-I'll call you later-"

The line cut off and Chuuya rolled his eyes, turning to Akutugawa who was surrounded by tissues.

"What were you doing anyways?" he demanded and Akutugawa grinned.

"Playing beneath the moonlight."