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“I can’t sleep.” Atsushi mumbled to himself.
He shook the blanket off of him and turned on his side.
Atsushi still felt uncomfortable.
Grumbling, this farce continued on for a few more minutes until the silver-haired male decided to finally give up.
He shifted his gaze to stare up at the ceiling, lost in his train of thoughts.
The room was quiet and the only thing Atsushi could hear was the soft noise of the fan whirring in the living room.
It had been a month ever since Atsushi moved in with his rival, Akutagawa. Ever since then, he hasn’t been getting a wink of sleep.
Atsushi’s bedroom was dark, with the only source of light coming from the moonlit glow through the curtains of his windows. His room felt too unfamiliar to the point where it was unsettling. Back at the Agency, he roomed with Kyoka in an exceedingly small apartment. The only piece of furniture he once owned was a futon.
Now, he actually had his own room, with his own bed. Not to mention, he had several more pieces of furniture too. His sleeping space boasted two side tables, a dresser, and a bookshelf.
Atsushi sighed and stole a glance at the alarm clock on one of the side tables. 2:09 a.m.
Akutagawa isn’t home yet. Heck, even if he is, he probably left the minute he came back.
The male sighed again.
Life between him and Akutagawa was somewhat of a stalemate. Atsushi rarely ever saw the mafioso at home, and on the special occasions he did, the older male was in his room, doors locked and curtains closed. In fact, both of them had indirectly agreed to ignore each other’s existence in the vast apartment.
The silence between them wasn’t necessarily bad, but there were times when Atsushi felt lonely in the empty apartment. Although he was glad he didn’t have to sleep in a closet, he missed the nights he spent with Kyoka, making jokes about the crepes they would eat the next day. To a certain extent, Atsushi missed the nights where Dazai would show up at their door unannounced to wreak havoc in the Agency’s dorms at 12 a.m. in the morning.
Atsushi hugged his pillow to his chest and tried counting sheep to attempt to fall asleep. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep….
It doesn’t work.
Exhausted, the silver-haired male decided to turn his attention to the ceiling again.
He thinks, How did this happen again?
He turned on his side. How did I manage to be roommates with a supposed enemy?
Atsushi pondered over the question in the steady quiet for a minute. Outside, he could hear the faint noise of cicadas chirping.
Ah. Right. It was on that fateful summer day.
☆☆☆
The day Atsushi moved in with Akutagawa was a blazing and heated, sunny afternoon. Japan was experiencing a massive drought and farmers were scurrying around, desperately trying to save their crops. In the city, most pedestrians stayed at home to escape the summer heat.
Despite the steaming hot weather, the Armed Detective Agency was still put to work by Fukuzawa.
Atsushi slumped over his desk. “It’s so hot, Kunikida-san!” he complained.
“It sure is. Today is remarkably scorching,” Kunikida replied, not bothering to look up from his computer screen.
“Want me to turn up the AC?” Tanizaki offered, getting up from his desk.
“That would be amazing, thank you, Tanizaki-san!”
Tanizaki walked over to the air conditioning control panel and cranked up the AC.
Atsushi breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the cool air blowing past his bangs.
“That’s so much better…”
“Atsushi, are you done writing that report I gave you?”
“Kunikida-san, don’t remind me!”
Kunikida dismissed the remark and glanced over at the empty seat next to the silver-haired male.
His eyes narrowed.
“Where did that sorry waste of good bandages run off to?”
“He said he’d be back by noon!” Ranpo called from his desk. The great detective appeared to be chugging a bottle of Ramune.
“It certainly is well past noon.” Kunikida replied, annoyed.
As soon as Kunikida said that, the door to the Agency swung open dramatically, revealing a tall brunette with chocolate brown eyes.
“I’m back!” Dazai exclaimed. He was holding a paper bag in his right arm.
“Welcome back, Dazai-san.” Atsushi said, greeting his superior.
“Thank you, Atsushi-kun!”
The minute the Agency’s suicidal maniac returned, Kunikida diverted his attention from his work to immediately scold his partner.
“Dazai! Where the hell have you been?”
“I’m so glad you asked, Kunikida-kun!” Dazai answered, parading around the blonde giddily.
He set down the bag he was holding onto his desk and grinned.
“I was purchasing more lethal mushrooms to reattempt that one failed suicide technique!”
Kunikida furrowed his brow. “Shouldn’t you be spending that time finishing your mountain of untouched reports?”
The blonde male gestured toward the stack of papers on Dazai’s desk, which were now overflowing.
“But, Kunikida-kun! There are so many!” Dazai whined.
“And whose fault was that for slacking off for the past few weeks?!”
Atsushi let out a nervous laugh as he watched his two superiors squabble like schoolchildren. The quarrel between the two males resulted in Dazai getting a square punch in the stomach from Kunikida.
“So mean! Atsushi-kun! He hit me! Did you see? He hit me!” cried Dazai, scrambling over to his subordinate.
“That was kinda deserved though, Dazai-san…”
“Atsushi-kun!”
“Quit bothering the lad and get back to work, Dazai.” Kunikida retorted, returning to his own seat.
“Fine, fine, I know.” Dazai grumbled, heading over to his desk to sort out the overflowing stack of reports he had to finish.
Atsushi smiled and continued typing on his computer until he heard his name getting called.
Naomi, Tanizaki’s younger sister, was standing by the corridor of the doorway.
“Is Atsushi-san here?” she asked, scanning the room.
“Here. Is there something you need, Naomi-san?” Atsushi said, walking over.
“Yes, the President would like to see you.”
“The Boss?”
“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,” Naomi reassured him.
She led the male down the hallway over to a closed door. “Alright, you can go in.”
“Thank you, Naomi-san.” Atsushi remarked. He opened the door and headed inside.
“Don’t mention it!”
☆☆☆
“Pardon the intrusion.” Atsushi announced, shutting the door behind him.
The President’s room contained a series of bookshelves lined up against the wall adjacent to his desk. The curtains were open, allowing some of the afternoon light to be let in. On Fukuzawa’s desk sat a piece of parchment paper, a cup of half-drunken tea, and a used quill.
Atsushi took in his surroundings carefully until he spotted the President and several Port Mafia members standing nearby him.
“P-President? What are the Port Mafia doing here?” the boy stuttered, clearly appalled at the situation he was currently in.
“Atsushi, calm down. The Port Mafia were sent here to discuss some… arrangements.” Fukuzawa started.
“That being said, we will not hesitate to strike if the weretiger poses any threat.” Tachihara retorted.
“What are you talking about, Tachihara? The jinko poses no threat.” a voice said. The sound of a cough was heard immediately after.
“Akutagawa!” Atsushi exclaimed as he transformed into his half-tiger form upon instinct.
“Enough! The Mafia were sent here to extend their end of the peace treaty. Likewise, the Agency will do the same. Keep in mind, you are on enemy territory and the treaty has not yet been fulfilled.” Fukuzawa stated, sending a stone-cold glare at the three mafiosos.
The tension between the two factions grew in the air.
Gin held up a piece of paper that read, So? Have you told him the details?
The Armed Detective Agency’s President shook his head. Turning to Atsushi, he said, “Starting today, I’d like you to live with Akutagawa.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I apologize for this being so sudden, but this happened to be the proposal the Mafia and the Agency agreed upon.”
“I’m sorry, what? ” Atsushi was shocked. “You want me to live with…” he looked over at the two siblings.
“He means me, jinko.” Akutagawa answered his question, rolling his eyes with impatience.
“That being said, you are free to reject this proposal. Kunikida has already volunteered to fill your place if you think you’re not up for it.” Fukuzawa continued.
Kunikida-san…. Atsushi thought.
“If Kunikida-san has already agreed to this, why did you still have to ask me?” Atsushi questioned, facing the President.
“You and Akutagawa have been partnered up on multiple occasions, so it seemed fitting. The Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency would like to continue this partnership between our fellow subordinates. Furthermore, having two different members from the factions room together would help solidify the trust between the Agency and the Mafia.” the stoic man explained.
“Then, what about Dazai-san?”
Fukuzawa sighed. “Dazai specifically refused to room with Chuuya or anyone else in the Port Mafia,”
“As I said, you are completely open to reject this offer. So, what do you say?”
Atsushi closed his eyes and thought about his decision for a minute.
I definitely don’t want to live with Akutagawa, but that means Kunikida-san would have to. Akutagawa would clash with Kunikida-san’s ideals, and on top of all that… Kunikida-san has to deal with Dazai-san already…. So, wouldn’t it be better if I live with Akutagawa? But, it’s Akutagawa we’re talking about-
The silver-haired male opened his eyes and glanced at the people in the room. Everyone was waiting expectantly for his answer.
“I agree with your proposal.”
☆☆☆
And so, with the agreement set in stone, the Port Mafia and the Armed Detective Agency’s treaty had officially started.
Once the Port Mafia members left the Agency’s headquarters, Fukuzawa began to thoroughly explain the ordeals of their newly found partnership.
“Given your and Akutagawa’s relationship, violence is allowed to happen, but if it gets out of hand, we will step in.”
Atsushi nodded and scratched the back of his neck. That honestly doesn’t sound reassuring as Akutagawa did promise to kill me in six months…
“I don’t want to force you into anything you might not like. If at any point in time you feel uncomfortable with the living arrangement, we can move you back to the Agency’s apartments and I will sort things out with the Mafia.” Fukuzawa said slowly.
The president looked at Atsushi with uncertainty. “Do you understand?”
“I understand.”
“Good. Now, the apartment is located about 20 minutes away from the Agency. Is that fine?”
The silver-haired male nodded in compliance.
“Alright. You’re free to start packing up your things, however, the apartment has already been decorated and filled with furniture. Like I said before, if you feel uncomfortable, do not hesitate to say something to me.” Fukuzawa asserted, handing his subordinate a slip of paper and a key.
Atsushi took both items and thanked his boss before walking out the door.
“Did something happen? You look really pale,” Kyoka remarked, startling the male.
“K-Kyoka-chan! You scared me!” Atsushi breathed.
“Sorry. Did something happen though?”
The former assassin looked down at the sheet of paper Atsushi was holding. “What’s that?”
Atsushi sighed. “There was an agreement between Boss and the Port Mafia. I guess I’m going to live with Akutagawa now.”
“I see. If he hurts you, I’ll kill him.”
“How can you say that so casually?!”
“It’s the truth.” the girl simply stated. “Does this mean we won’t be roommates anymore?”
Atsushi gave the girl a sad smile. “Yeah, but we still get to see each other every day, so it’s fine!”
“Oh, that’s good. I was worried I’d lose my human wallet.”
“Hey! Do you really see me as a disposable ATM machine for crepes?”
“A bit, yeah.”
“Kyoka-chan!”
The former mafioso laughed and gave her superior a shove. “Now go pack your things. You have a mission to fulfill.”
“Alright, thanks so much for the reminder.”
☆☆☆
In the end, Atsushi decided to just pack his clothes and other essentials. Having been excused from finishing his job at the Agency, he walked over to where the apartment was located.
The sun was now beginning to set as Atsushi fumbled with the key. The door opened and the male entered.
“Took you long enough, jinko.” Akutagawa remarked. He was sitting in the living room, as if waiting for Atsushi to arrive.
“Why are you here, Akutagawa?”
The mafioso’s eyes narrowed at the other’s impudence. “Did you hit your head? I live here now.”
“I didn’t take the Mafia to be so laid back to the point where they’d actually agree to settle two enemies in the same living space.”
A tendril of Rashomon sprouted from Akutagawa’s black coat. “Treaty or not, I can kill you at any moment, jinko.” he spat.
Silver-eyes met purple-gold ones as Atsushi treaded toward the older male.
“You made a promise.”
“And I intend to fulfill that promise.” Akutagawa answered, retracting his ability in disgust.
The tension grew thick in the air.
Finally, Akutagawa said, “Your room is on the right. Head into mine and I’ll kill you.”
Atsushi gave him a slight nod before walking off into the corridor.
☆☆☆
Multiple arguments could be heard throughout the next few days until the two finally agreed to ignore each other’s existence whenever the other was home.
As for household matters, Atsushi mostly cooked for himself and cleaned on some days. Since Akutagawa was rarely ever at the apartment, the raven-haired male preferred to eat out. On his rare off-days, he did participate in some household chores to lighten Atsushi’s burden.
Atsushi had complained to several members of the Agency about his roommate, but he was always met with remarks such as, “It’s okay. Just give it more time!” or “Just be patient!”
He did give it more time. An entire month to be exact. As the days progressed, his insomnia and loneliness grew and his supposed relationship with Akutagawa was nowhere near better.
Fukuzawa had noticed the boy’s declining demeanor and asked him if he’d preferred to move back to the Agency’s apartments. Atsushi had declined, not wanting to cause trouble for the president.
And now he was here, staring up at the ceiling on an early morning, unable to sleep.
Atsushi tore his eyes away from the ceiling to gaze at the alarm clock on his bedside table.
It’s 4:18 a.m.
It was 2 a.m. the last time he checked and he realized he just spent 2 whole hours reconciling about the day he moved in with the Port Mafia’s rabid dog.
Sighing, Atsushi decided to get up from his bed to head to the kitchen.
He stumbled into the kitchen and stole a glance at the window. Tonight was a full moon.
How pretty. He thought, reaching up for the container of tea leaves in the top left cabinet.
The silver-haired male picked up a nearby tea kettle and began scooping some chamomile tea leaves into it when he heard the sound of keys.
The door creaked open and Akutagawa came inside the apartment, tired and battered after a long mission.
The two shared a look in the morning silence.
“Good morning,” Atsushi murmured, deciding to greet his fellow roommate.
Surprisingly, instead of a rash remark, Akutagawa groggily muttered back, “Good morning.”
The male was heading toward the bathroom until his eyes caught the tea kettle Atsushi was holding.
“Are you making tea?”
“Yeah.” Atsushi nodded softly.
“Make tea for two.”
And with that, Akutagawa walked toward the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Atsushi poured some water into the kettle and watched it slowly boil.
A few minutes later, Atsushi heard the sound of rushing water.
The chamomile tea, now finished brewing, was ready to be served. He poured himself a cup of tea, then another for Akutagawa.
Atsushi brought the cup to his lips.
He smiled.
Perhaps life with Akutagawa was beginning to look up after all.