Collared

Acknowledged - Akutagawa Ryuunosuke x Reader

Okay, I wasn't exactly sure if I got Akutagawa's personality on point, but I tried my best. And a few warnings - Reader's relationship with Akutagawa can be perceived as pretty unhealthy, maybe even abusive in some occurrences. But I didn't write it this way without reason - Akutagawa WILL be wary and even violent towards unfamiliar people, especially if provoked. It's in his nature. But, this sets up for his character development, albeit subtle, right? Delve in with an open mind and I hope you'll then enjoy it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A heartless dog...

"Akutagawa, hey!" You hollered, waving a hand frantically at the dark, retreating figure, their back coldly presented towards you. "Hey-" He wasn't listening, of course, unwilling to acknowledge your persistent calls. "Wait up!"

Finally reaching him, you placed a hand on his shoulder only for him to smack it away. Swerving around with a deathly, seething glare, he projected his voice as coarse and unwelcoming to the ear. "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you've eaten yet. I'm on my lunch break, so I was hoping that we could-" You squawked indignantly when Akutagawa, not even bothering to hear the whole thing through, brusquely pushed past you. "Oh, come on. You know I'm a pretty damn persistent person when I want to be. I'm determined to get through to you one day-"

"(Name)-san, please don't provoke him." Higuchi hesitantly advised, but you only shook your head unyieldingly.

"No, I swear I'm gonna befriend the hell out of him whether it's the last thing I- ack!"

Oh.

A blossom of dark red fanned out across the material of your shirt, bloody petals permeating further from the center of your chest. Such fanciful descriptions may euphemize the perception of this unsightly gore but did nothing to mitigate the acrimonious, physical pain stemming from the tearing of muscular tissue and snapping of bone.

"I don't need friends." The volatile creature that had you skewered like some shish kabab retreated back into Akutagawa's overcoat but not without causing some additional internal damage with its careless exit.

"(N-name)-san!" The young woman gasped, running to your side and pressing a hand against your wound in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding. She really was quite nice... always reacting in this overly concerned way despite the many times this common occurrence had happened.

The injury was already closing itself anyway.

"D-don't worry, he's just playing hard to get-" You coughed, shakily raising your pointer finger in gesticulation.

"Higuchi. Let's go." Akutagawa ordered curtly, continuing on without a single glance back. The girl looked down at you pityingly, biting her lip in guilt, but followed after him as she was but his lowly subordinate.

You chuckled heedlessly, laying down on your back for a few extra moments before lifting yourself to a seated position. You didn't even bother to check the prior site of injury, knowing that the skin would be pristine and unscarred, as if it had been always untouched.

Scar tissue may exist intangibly on a indiscernible mental plane, but you would never let it show. With a sensational ability like yours, who were you to recount such a boring, predictable story?

One of heartache and angst - a stubborn will to fight on, self-prolonged suffering, inevitably giving in to giving up.

Absolutely not.

You were determined to have a happy ending... to give him a happy ending.

...will bite indiscriminately at the hand that feeds it.