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Chapter One
Valentines with Shin Soukoku(A Shin Soukoku(Nakajima Atsushi x Akutagawa Ryuunosuke)Fanfiction)
“Akutagawa!”
Akutagawa turned his head to Atsushi with his typical annoyed expression which seemed to be completely reserved for the were-tiger. “What?”
“You can’t just burst in and attack! For the last time! It was SUPPOSED to be incognito! Not kill-everyone-so-I-can-go-home-and-be-a-grumpy-troll-ito!” Atsushi’s exasperation was once again at it’s limits.
“That sentence didn’t even make sense. Besides that, none of them are dead, and we got the information we needed.” Akutagawa had a fair point. One that Atsushi would willingly choose to ignore.
“I don’t care! It was supposed to be undercover!” Akutagawa clicked his tongue in annoyance. Atsushi glared and continued speaking. “Just because we got this mission from Kunikida instead of Mori or Dazai doesn’t mean you can just do whatever you want!”
Akutagawa summoned Rashoumon to take him onto the side of a building and then far away. Ha, running away from confrontation. Real mature Akutagawa! While Atsushi was shouting these things in his head, he wouldn’t necessarily shout them out loud. For two reasons. The first being, he was tired, and that may cost him his life if he spoke these out loud, and the second, it was just plain rude, and Atsushi didn’t feel like pulling an Akutagawa right now.
Atsushi turned and began walking back in the direction of the ADA, pondering how best to report this mission back to Kunikida. Dazai had been out for a while on what he called “A necessary-to-his-mental-health leave”, which everyone knew was just him skipping out on work again, and Kunikida had temporarily taken over training and assisted commanding of Shin Soukoku.
Atsushi suddenly had a realization. Tomorrow was Valentine’s day. He grinned and broke into a run in the direction of a store. This would be his very first Valentine’s day free of the orphanage. He could actually celebrate it! What better way to celebrate such a thing than giving chocolates to the people who had helped him so much? Atsushi walked into the store and began searching for chocolate related things. It wasn’t difficult, considering the next day was Valentine’s day.
The weretiger began pondering if he should just buy chocolate, or buy ingredients and such to make chocolates. Typically people would give homemade chocolate to someone they really cared about, right? Was there even anyone Atsushi thought of like that?
A sudden image of Akutagawa flashed in Atsushi’s mind and he physically jolted in shock at his mind, startling a young woman perusing with her toddler. Why had Akutagawa of all people popped into his head? NO. This had been a common issue recently. The grumpy mafioso had come into Atsushi’s mind completely uninvited many times over. Atsushi decided to calm down and tell himself the facts. He did not have a crush on Akutagawa. Over and over.
I do not have a crush on Akutagawa, I do not have a crush on Akutagawa, I do not have a crush on Akutagawa, I do not hav-
Atsushi caught a glimpse of a thin man exit one aisle and enter the next. A thin man with short black hair, and two white tipped pieces that hung on either side of his face. Atsushi began internally panicking. Oh shit. Now he was imagining Akutagawa. Oh no oh no ohh no. I do not have a crush on Akutagawa, I do not have a crush on Akutagawa, I do not have a crush on Akutagawa. Let’s just buy the chocolate, AND LEAV-
“Jinko?!” Atsushi raised his hands to his head. Oh shit. No, he couldn’t...Nooo…
NOW HE WAS IMAGINING AKUTAGAWA’S VOICE?! OH NOOOO. I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON AKUTAGAW-
“Jinko, you’re standing in my way.” Huh? What? Atsushi slowly turned his head to see that in fact, he had not been imagining Akutagawa. He was right there. And he was wearing a...casual outfit?
“Oh, thank god! It’s you, Akutagawa!” Atsushi was so glad he hadn’t been imagining Akutagawa that he didn’t even think about his words until after they had left his mouth. Akutagawa stood there, stunned.
His face looked incredibly confused, yet still very, very grumpy. “Are you defective, Jinko?”
Atsushi jolted. “H-hey! That’s- I’m just glad it wasn’t- Nevermind! Wait, how did you change into a casual outfit so quickly? And what? I thought all you had was a closet filled with those frilly shirts and copies of your jacket.”
“Of course not. I merely stopped by a bathroom to change my shirt and jacket. It’s quite difficult to shop normally when you look like a mafioso, you fool.” Akutagawa shoved past Atsushi and took a package of chocolates from the shelf to add to a collection of chocolate ingredients in his arms. What on earth could someone like him need chocolate for? Somehow, it made Atsushi’s heart drop a little.
“I didn’t know you have a girlfriend?” Akutagawa jolted at Atsushi’s prying. Why was he asking anyways?
“I don’t. It’s for my sister.” With that, Akutagawa left Atsushi behind in the aisle to go purchase the chocolate.
Atsushi was dumbfounded. Somehow, Akutagawa telling him that he didn’t have a girlfriend… gave him hope?!
Atsushi reached out and grabbed some chocolate. See?! I’m not buying ingredients! Just chocolate! Platonic chocolate! Only for the ADA! NO ONE ELSE! Definitely…
Oh great, now Atsushi was having internal arguments with no one. The weretiger sighed as he headed to the checkout, in a lane far away from Akutagawa.
~~~
Valentine’s day. What a bother. So many people just celebrating a romance that probably won’t even survive a few more days. One of them will die. Both will die. One will cheat. Both will cheat. An argument about the smallest little thing. Romance was pointless. Akutagawa had never needed such a thing in his life.
It wasn’t like he had ever loved anyone anywa- And just like that he thought of Atsushi. Again. It was his brain’s annoying, persistent reminder that even Akutagawa had weaknesses. Yes, he had feelings for Atsushi. Did he care? ...sort of. But that didn’t matter. He had to make some chocolate for Gin.
Akutagawa certainly hadn’t been expecting to see Atsushi at the store. Just what had he been doing standing there in the aisle? He looked almost as though he were panicking or having a mental breakdown. Was choosing chocolate that panic-inducing to him? What a fool.
Akutagawa contemplated for a moment. Perhaps he should give some chocolate to Jinko after all. Not that he cared. He just had some romantic feelings for the weretiger. No big deal…
Before he knew it, Akutagawa had made an extra batch of chocolate.
~~~
Ahhhhhhhh! WHY. AM. I. DOING. THIS?! Atsushi sat with his head in his hands, worried about his own sanity.
“Alright.” Kyouka sat in front of him in their shared space. “So to figure out if you're in love with someone, the internet says to ask yourself these questions. Are you ready, Atsushi?”
Atsushi hesitated before nodding. He had asked Kyouka how to tell if you were in love with someone in a moment of insanity, and Kyouka, having also been inexperienced in such a field, asked Ranpo for assistance on the matter, who told her to just search it up on the web. The two of them had found a site that said “If you can’t figure out if you like someone, just think of these questions!” And so, the two subjected themselves to relentless advertisements, cookies, pop-ups, and probably a few computer viruses just so they could determine an answer.
“Question One,” Kyouka began, as Atsushi’s dread grew. He hadn’t given Kyouka an explanation, and she hadn’t asked, so luckily if he did have feelings for Akutagawa, she wouldn’t know. “Would you enjoy casually spending time with this person?”
Atsushi thought for a moment. He then covered his blushing face with his hands and nodded.
“Two; Would you willingly be hugged by this person?”
Atsushi hesitated. “I guess it depends on what kind of hug and if my life were in danger?” Kyouka’s eyes widened. Oh hell, she probably figured it out.
“Um, probably a normal hug. Like how Kenji does with his friends.”
Atsushi froze. “Um...yeah.”
“Three; Would you willingly be kissed by this person?”
Atsushi covered his face and squeaked out a yeah.
“Four; Do you find this person to be physically attractive?”
Atsushi was about to internally laugh and say “How could anyone find a victorian child attractive?” But froze when he recalled how Akutagawa had looked in his casual attire earlier in the store. He squeaked. “Uh huh…”
“Five; Do you find yourself wanting to make this person happy?”
Atsushi felt like he wanted to shrink away and disappear. “...Yeah…”
“That’s it. Atsushi, you’re in love with Akutagawa.”
Atsushi jolted back in shock. “HOW DID YOU KNOW IT WAS HIM?!”
Kyouka giggled a bit. “It was pretty obvious by your expressions. Not to mention the whole thing about if your life wasn’t in danger with the hug.”
Atsushi lay down on his back on the floor. “What do I do, Kyouka?”
“Hm… Maybe… give him some chocolate?”
Atsushi sat up with a shocked expression. “I can’t do that! He’ll kill me!”
“Just give it to him secretly.”
Atsushi groaned, knowing this was a terrible idea.
~~~
It was only around 3:20 AM when Kyouka said good luck and sent Atsushi on his way. Even Akutagawa wouldn’t be awake at this time, right? The plan was simple; just take some chocolate to Akutagawa’s house, drop it in the mailbox, and GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE.
Ranpo had successfully acquired Akutagawa’s address, and hadn’t asked any questions, just demanded that Atsushi get him some candy on the way back as payment. For this, Atsushi was grateful.
He figured he could just calmly walk along like nothing was out of the ordinary, not like he was bringing some chocolate to put in the mailbox of his archenemy. But then he saw a dark shadow swooping along the side of a building. And it was incredibly suspicious. Atsushi immediately halted and began sprinting, following the shadow. It looked mostly like a person, but there was something off. Like it had some sort of extension to it, almost like Rashoumon. Ack! Now is not the time to be thinking about Akutagawa.
Atsushi finally caught up to the shadow when he leaped onto the rooftops so he was on the same level as it, and used the tiger in his legs so he could leap out. He leaped from one building all the way across to barrel into the side of the mysterious shadow, knocking it over and eliciting a very familiar snarl.
“WHO THE FUCK-” Grey eyes met golden and the two stared at each other for a moment. Then Akutagawa’s face of shock shifted into anger as he shoved Atsushi off. “What do you think you’re doing, Jinko?!”
“I-I could ask you the same! Why do you look so suspicious?!” Akutagawa snarled as Atsushi referred to his outfit, a dark hoodie and black pants with dark boots. So turns out it had been Akutagawa after all.
“Am I not allowed to go out at night?!” Akutagawa asked with an accusatory tone.
“N-no, you just…!” Atsushi had no clue what to do now. If he went back to his original plan, Akutagawa would see him go toward his house, and if he just up and left, he’d be suspicious, and if he fought… Wait, where was the chocolate? Atsushi froze as he realized his back pocket was empty. His gaze shifted to his right, where a small box lay on the rooftop. Akutagawa followed his gaze and narrowed his eyes at Atsushi suspiciously. Both of them sprinted for the box at the same time, but they ended up tumbling over each other in their haste.
Atsushi was pinned down by Akutagawa who had collided with him. “So,” Akutagawa started. “What’s that?”
Atsushi grimaced in fear. OH HELL NO. “IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! JUST LEAVE IT!” Akutagawa narrowed his eyes. He pounced up, and Atsushi, having been freed, followed.
Unfortunately, Akutagawa had a head start. He reached the box first, and swiped it off the roof as Atsushi came tumbling behind him.
Akutagawa held the weretiger down by his foot and raised the box so he could read what was written on it. “QUIT IT!” Atsushi cried, panicking. Now he’d either be killed by Akutagawa, or their partnership would be terminated. The small inkling of a relationship that had slowly begun to build was shattered.
It was too late. Akutagawa read the box, his eyes widening. “To: Akutagawa Ryuunosuke. Happy Valentine’s Day.”
Akutagawa glanced down at Atsushi with an unreadable expression. Atsushi could feel tears prick at his eyes. “J-just shut up…” He didn’t have to read it out loud like that. A tear rolled down Atsushi’s cheek as he grimaced. “Just...forget about it. Please.” Atsushi lowered his head in shame. “Just give me the chocolate. I’ll leave.”
“Fine.” Atsushi’s eyes widened wondering how Akutagawa could be so quick to just give Atsushi back the chocolate, but the thing he dropped in front of Atsushi wasn’t the box. He kept the box in his hand as he reached into his hoodie pocket and dropped a bag in front of Atsushi. A bag of chocolate.
“W-wha-?” Atsushi looked at the bag in confusion. Akutagawa released him from under his foot.
“This one is my chocolate. It says my name on it. So you can have that one since it's got your name.” Akutagawa looked away, hiding his face from Atsushi who cautiously reached out as he sat up and picked up the small bag that was tied with a ribbon and tag.
On the tag were the words, “Happy Valentine’s Day. For Atsushi”.
“W-w-w-wha-what?” Atsushi read the tag over and over. He glanced up at Akutagawa. He looked back at the tag.
“It’s homemade. Tell me if it’s good.”
“Wha?” Atsushi’s mind was blank. He felt like he couldn’t process anything.
Akutagawa sighed. He knelt down in front of Atsushi and opened the bag to take out one of the pieces of chocolate. Then he placed it at Atsushi’s lips. “I said, tell me if it’s good.” Atsushi allowed the small chocolate to enter his mouth. It was…sweet. Chocolaty? How do you describe chocolate?
“It’s… delicious…” Akutagawa’s eyes widened. He placed a hand on the back of Atsushi’s head and connected their lips. Atsushi jolted a bit, surprised, but willing. More than willing. After a moment Akutagawa nipped at Atsushi’s lower lip with his teeth, and Atsushi opened his mouth with a small cry. Akutagawa slid his tongue into Atsushi’s mouth, and the two of them both fell over with Atsushi’s back to the rooftop and Akutagawa still keeping a hand behind his head.
Ah. His...tongue...it’s… Atsushi began to melt into the kisses, feeling Akutagawa’s tongue touching his own. The kiss slowly became wetter, messier, sloppier, until both of them were gasping for air.
“Uh, does this mean we’re lovers? Wait would I just call us boyfriends?”
Akutagawa’s grey eyes blinked in the moonlight, staring down at Atsushi’s face. “Would you like to be lovers?”
“Um…. yeah…” Atsushi squeaked. Akutagawa smirked. He let his head rest on Atsushi’s shoulder.
“Alright then, Jinko.” Akutagawa raised his head to stare into Atsushi’s eyes once again.
Atsushi giggled a bit and wondered how long Dazai would tease them about this.