Hello, all!
So, when I have a long day and I'm tired, I always like to post a chapter of a fanfiction because it just makes me feel better for some reason. Of all of my fanfictions, this is the only one that I have chapters already written, so this was the only chapter I can post without binge writing all at once.
I hope you like it! I'm really pumped to get into this story a bit more.
The first time Atsushi met Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, he felt it safe to assume that the man-the boy-looked down on him. That was nothing new though. Everyone looked down on him.
Atsushi had half cowered behind Dazai when they had first met, doubtful that anyone else in the Port Mafia would be quite so friendly.
Akutagawa hardly seemed to care that he was there. If Dazai hadn't stepped to the side and pushed him forward, he doubted that Akutagawa would have even spared him a second glance.
It was a long, silent moment. Dazai's hand pressed between his shoulder blades. "Well, introduce yourself."
It wasn't clear who he was addressing. The only reason why Atsushi knew the person in front of him was because Dazai had mentioned him on the ride to Dazai's apartment, where he'd slept on the couch the previous night.
"Akutagawa Ryuunosuke," he said apathetically like his own name hardly meant anything to him.
"I-I'm-My name is Nakajima Atsushi," Atsushi managed, bowing slightly. His muscles ached from being so tense.
Steely, gray eyes seemed to bore into him.
Fair to guess he doesn't like me...Atsushi thought without much surprise. People didn't typically like him.
Even so, the immediate rejection stung.
"Why is he here?" Akutagawa asked, raising his eyes to Dazai.
A twinge of irritation rose in Atsushi's chest when Akutagawa looked above him as though he wasn't there at all.
"We're keeping him for… observation," Dazai said. "There's been a tiger on the loose. I believe it's either hunting him or it is him."
Atsushi flinched at that last statement.
"So, he'll be a sort of sibling student to you for the time being."
It might have been Atsushi's imagination, but he could have sworn that Akutagawa's long, black coat rippled despite the complete lack of a breeze. There was something distinctly supernatural looking about the way it shimmered. Like… Like the coat had a mind of its own.
He pried his eyes from Akutagawa's coat and stole a glance at his face.
Akutagawa looked irritated, clear disgust etched across his face. Atsushi swallowed, feeling painfully familiar with such an expression. It was one he'd seen his whole life.
He could guess that Akutagawa was less than willing to accept Atsushi as his "sibling student," as Dazai had put it.
"Why even let him roam with those kind of stakes?" Akutagawa asked, sneering when he finally looked Atsushi in the eyes. "Wouldn't it be easier to lock him up?"
Fear and painful memories flooded Atsushi.
"I- Please, don't-" Atsushi began in panic before getting shushed by Dazai. He looked at the floor, face growing red from his small outburst.
He couldn't. He couldn't go back under a lock and key. That kind of life had been hell in the orphanage, and it would be hell again. He'd rather run and deal with being hunted down again than be locked up.
He heard Dazai click his tongue. Without looking up, he could sense that Dazai was fixing Akutagawa with a glare. There was a certain silence in the air, a silence that he'd known all too well in the orphanage.
"Tell me, Akutagawa-kun," Dazai said, his voice cold. "Did you somehow climb the ranks overnight? Are you my superior now?"
More silence.
Then, "No, Dazai-san…"
"Hmm, I see." He said, his bandaged hand gently coming to rest on Atsushi's head. Atsushi tensed, feeling like he'd gotten himself caught in the middle of something dangerous."So, could you explain to me what makes you think you're in a position to question my decisions?"
Dazai let his hand slip from Atsushi's head to his shoulder. Atsushi forced himself to relax.
"I can't, Dazai-san," Akutagawa rasped before bursting into a coughing fit.
"That's what I thought," Dazai said. "Try to remember your place in the future."
Atsushi looked up to see Akutagawa's face. His eyes metallic, and his features carefully blank.
"I will," he mumbled in response, his voice hoarse from coughing.
Dazai made a slight sound of approval.
And that was the end of it.
Atsushi released the breath he'd been holding and made a mental note to never question Dazai's decisions. Not that that would be a problem for him; he couldn't imagine that he'd ever have a reason to question what Dazai said.
"Show him to his apartment," he said, dropping a key into Akutagawa's hand.
"You're not coming?" Atsushi blurted.
Akutagawa glared at him as though he was personally offended by the question. He narrowed his eyes.
"What makes you think-"
Dazai cut him off with a sharp look before looking back to Atsushi. "As much as I'd like to show you around the apartments, Atsushi-kun," he began, without a trace of sarcasm. "The boss will get on my back if I don't give him a report soon." He sighed deeply. "It's so boring."
Then, he looked back at Akutagawa, his voice going cold. "Keep your phone on you. Mori-san will probably want to meet him."
Akutagawa nodded.
And just like that, Dazai turned away from them and disappeared when he turned a corner.
"Umm…" Atsushi looked down at his feet, some panic setting in now that Dazai had left. It was a strange feeling since he hardly knew Dazai and the man had half dragged him to this point.
Akutagawa glared at him. There was something in his eyes, like he was daring Atsushi to suddenly act out of line and give him a reason to attack.
Atsushi was smarter than that though. He knew better than to start a fight in general, much less one that he would lose.
It was a long moment before either of them said anything. They were studying each other, silently and carefully. Atsushi made little mental notes.
His "sibling student," as Dazai had called him, wasn't much bigger than he was, though his coat definitely made him look more intimidating. When Atsushi looked harder, he could see how sickly Akutagawa looked. His skin held an almost deathly pallor, and on top of that, he had a fading bruise beneath his right eye.
He scowled when he noticed Atsushi's eyes on his face.
"What are you looking at?" He growled, his voice sounding like the snarl of a feral dog.
"N-nothing!" Atsushi averted his eyes to the floor.
Akutagawa didn't even try to hide his disdain. He looked like he wanted to lash out a little more, and was hardly holding himself back from doing so. "This way," he said coarsely.
/-/-/
They made it to the apartments without exchanging a single word, which was… kind of difficult for Atsushi. Questions overflowed in his mind, and he wanted answers. But Akutagawa's less than concealed hatred for him made Atsushi feel like the boy would tear out his tongue if he so much as opened his mouth.
"Dazai-san said that you're staying here," Akutagawa said boredly, tossing the key Dazai had given him onto a nearby counter.
Atsushi took a minute to look around the apartment. It was more space than he'd ever had to himself. He had a full kitchen, a bedroom, and a cozy living area.
For a moment, he wondered what he would do with all of these amenities and all this space. It was new for him to have space to breathe where the air wasn't stale. He glanced back at the kitchen, and he wondered what he would really use it for aside from storing food. He had no idea how to make anything other than chazuke after all.
It was all truly more than he knew what to do with and more than he deserved.
"It's so big… Dazai-san is really generous." Atsushi said aloud, momentarily forgetting whom he was talking to.
Akutagawa looked around, glaring as though the walls and floors themselves had somehow offended him. He didn't say anything, but made a small sound to reluctant agreement.
Atsushi felt the blood leave his face. Though Akutagawa seemed to have nothing to say now, Atsushi hadn't forgotten his comment about simply locking him up. He stepped further into the apartment under the guise of exploring his new space. He mostly just wanted to put some distance between him and Akutagawa.
So, he wandered around, opening doors and poking his head inside. He found there was food in the pantry and in the fridge, nothing too fancy, which was fine by Atsushi. It wasn't as though he had high standards for what he ate. He had supplies to make a few bowls of chazuke, and that was exhilarating to him on its own.
For a moment, he found himself grinning, thrilled at the idea of a steady supply of nourishment. It was the first time in his life that he'd been given that luxury.
The feeling faded after a moment when he remembered that this was only temporary… If he was lucky… If his plans worked out and he left after a month.
He knew that the only way he'd stay there would be if he joined the Port Mafia. If he allied himself with murderers, spies, and assassins… And he knew that if Dazai's assumption about him was correct, he would almost certainly be stuck in that life.
But he saved me. Atsushi thought to himself, remembering how Dazai had pulled him out of hiding and fed him. I would have starved to death if he hadn't given me food… And I would have been gunned down if he hadn't stepped in front. He pressed his lips together, feeling the full force of his conflict crash down on him.
I'm not the tiger. He reminded himself firmly.
That was it.
As observant as Dazai was, the man was mistaken about Atsushi Nakajima. There was no way he had any sort of special ability. After all, if he'd had any sort of power, Atsushi would have used it by now.
"Are you actually an ability user?" Akutagawa asked as though reading Atsushi's mind.
Atsushi jumped at his voice, surprised that he'd spoken. At some point, he'd managed to forget that Akutagawa was even there.
"No," Atsushi said with certainty. "Dazai-san thinks I am, but…" He shook his head.
His companion hummed doubtfully.
"What?" Atsushi asked, his patience with the doubt and silence and irritated glaring wearing thin.
Akutagawa looked down at him as though he was several inches taller than him instead of just one inch. "Dazai-san is never wrong," he said before coughing into his fist.
Atsushi raised his eyebrows, not refuting Akutagawa's statement since he sensed that he was already on thin ice with this boy. Instigating an argument with him wasn't worth it, he decided.
Dazai may have been called "The demon prodigy," but that was just a nickname or a title. He wasn't an actual demon. Yes, his eyes were sharp and intimidating. Yes, his words had a way of making Atsushi tense up or relax. But those traits didn't necessarily make him a demon.
Atsushi let the topic drop.
"Are you just staying here or…?"
"I have orders to keep an eye on you."
The way he said it made Atsushi shift uncomfortably. Why? He thought. It's not like I have anywhere to go…
"Oh," he replied quietly. Before looking around. "Do you want to sit down or…" He glanced at the pantry. "Do you want anything to eat?" He asked, hoping that any form of hospitality would dispel the awkward atmosphere.
"No."
"Oh." Atsushi said again, unsure of what else to say. He looked at the floor, less because he felt discouraged by Akutagawa's clipped tone and more because he was tired of holding eye contact with him.
It was a relief when Akutagawa's phone rang.
He answered it with a soft click. There was no "hello" or "yes?" when he held the phone to his face. Akutagawa simply listened before eventually replying with, "Understood." Then, he hung up without another word.
When they didn't move for a moment, Akutagawa scowled again.
"Come on," he said impatiently, throwing the door open and not looking back to see if Atsushi followed.
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