Warnings: cursing
Word Count: 4k
Akutagawa had trouble sleeping. He always did whenever somethings outside of work was on his mind. He was still so confused and worried about what to do when you said you were planning on kissing him the next time you saw him. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he did buy a three pack of expensive mouthwash because he wondered what you would think of his breath if you were in close contact.
That night, he stared at the text messages between you both instead of sleeping. It got him smiling and even chuckling a little at the stupid jokes you would tell him. And you also sent him voice messages – it was his favorite thing about messaging. He could replay all of those voice messages you sent, laughing over some stupid shit and he'd relax, knowing you were happy and safe. He was so glad that you weren't involved with the Port Mafia or any of the other groups.
It wasn't that much later that he drifted off to sleep. And by the time he woke up, he felt way too tired still. He was glad he didn't have any dreams because he knew if he did, they would be messed up. Whether it was about his work, his past, or his social life, that would have ruined his day before it actually started.
When he got out of bed, he was glad that it was his day off, knowing he was just planning on chilling or maybe even going out for some errands. Gin was already in the living room, drinking a cup of tea and reading something on her laptop, when he got out of his room.
"Morning," He called out groggily, wiping his face with his hands a bit. She glanced to him and waved, not wanting to respond since she was taking a sip of her tea. He didn't mind though and sat down at one of the seats across the kitchen counter, putting his phone in front of him.
He unlocked it and instantly a flood of messages popped up. He groaned at the noise of all the texts and set his head down on his arms, laying slightly on the counter. When he picked it up to see the messages, he grunted at the top one, seeing it was Chuuya. He didn't want to work today, but if he had to then he would.
Did you leave the bag in my office? Akutagawa. Did you leave this in here? It's unmarked. Is this bag yours? My receptionist doesn't recognize it. The only people that can enter this office is you, Mori, Kouyou, and Higuchi. You aren't answering. AKUTAGAWA DID YOU LEAVE A BAG HERE?? You aren't responding. Delivered 12 minutes ago
"Shit!" Akutagawa instantly stood up, calling Chuuya's number. He felt a large level of fear pass through him. This has happened before, a few times, but lately it quieted down. Everyone knew what an unmarked bag meant in the Port Mafia building, and Akutagawa feared it was too late. He didn't place a bag in Chuuya's office, which would be dumb! He thought of Mori, why would Mori do that? And then Kouyou and Higuchi, it didn't make sense!
And then finally, Chuuya answered, "Hello?" His voice showed he was clearly tired as well and Akutagawa struggled to respond for a moment.
"What's going on? Is everything ok? The bag? What's happening? Who did this? What was it?" He rambled his questions out, and then took a huge breath in, waking up completely.
"Oh, that. Hah, it was just a test. Needed to check how fast you'd respond in an emergency situation." He paused momentarily and Akutagawa heard some shuffling on the other end of the phone, "Twelve minutes? Uh, it's okay, not good, but okay." He blabbered back and then yawned.
"Fuck." Akutagawa whispered; his face scrunched up in annoyance and his heart was still beating quickly. He coughed as the heavy feeling in his chest got a bit worse, and he sat back down before properly replying to Chuuya, "Why today? It's my day off." He didn't mean to backtalk Chuuya in anyway at the moment, but it was particularly frustrating.
"I was bored." Chuuya replied, sounding nonchalant about the entire thing as if he didn't make Akutagawa think that everyone was in danger a few minutes ago.
He pulled back the phone from his face and hung up without saying anything else to his supervisor, blowing out some air into a sigh as he tried to start relaxing. It was a bad start, but he was determined to relax for his day off.
He sent a glance to Gin, who was minding her own business and spoke up, "No errands today." It was a statement, not a question at all. He was planning to avoid doing things that he knew they needed to do – and then she frowned.
"But we need some milk? And dish soap." Those were the two main items they were in dire need of. And a few other groceries, and Akutagawa was reminded of them when he looked at the list pinned with a magnet on the fridge. His lip twitched for a moment when he saw at the bottom of the list, mints. Oh shit, he needed mints and gum, for that maybe kiss – that he was trying to convince himself that it wouldn't happen.
He was dulled at this news, realizing he should get it now rather than later and then he can rest after that. He walked back into his room to get changed really quick so he could walk to the grocery store. He didn't think that Gin would want to go, since she had her day off as well.
"Who's Y/n?" Gin spoke up and Akutagawa dropped the shirt he was holding in his hands, in his bedroom. He turned and ran straight out, reaching for his phone that was in Gin's hands. He grasped it and yanked back harshly, looking down at his phone.
"Nobody. Don't look at my phone." He was certainly rude to her, and the tone of his voice made her step back from him, surprised. He made the mistake of leaving it unlocked and on the kitchen counter instead of taking it to his room with him. You messaged him and it looked like Gin had pressed on the text, and it opened up to your messages with him.
He was glad that Gin didn't scroll up, but it did kind of scare him that she knew your name. He knew that if Gin did find out more about you, and find out that you two were friends, then she'd be respectful – but it bugged him. He already let Higuchi know about you (and he was still feeling that it was a terrible mistake), if you and Gin were to know each other, it would only lead to chaos. You would find out about him and the Port Mafia, and that your inside joke was actually true – that he was an omnipotent assassin.
"K." Gin barely responded, but she nodded and excused herself, walking back to her laptop and her cup of tea.
He felt relieved as he walked back into his bedroom, with his phone in his hand this time. He then finally read your text, biting his lip as he sighed through his nose. Your message made him confused but a little excited, you were asking if he'd like to meet at a café, about twenty minutes away from where he was. You said it was urgent, and you needed to talk to him about something and it worried him so much.
Instead of texting, he sent you a voice message, "What – uh, what's going on?" He stumbled over his words a little as he started to pace back and forth before he got annoyed at himself and sat at the edge of his bed.
Your message was in fact very worth the worry. You texted back, "I've got some news! And btw, Higuchi is joining us. She says this café is the best." He shook his head at the mention of his coworker... or now friend. He still wasn't sure what to call Higuchi.
He texted you back a few seconds later, "what type of news?" He deliberately chose to ignore that Higuchi was invited, and then asked what time you wanted to meet up today. You responded to his latter text, and he sighed, worrying of what you were going to say.
He wondered a few different things that could be your news. Maybe it was good news about your job (but he knew you were in the middle of jobs at the moment). Or maybe you just wanted to see them both in person again, and maybe you finally realized who they really are.
He doubted the last one a bit, knowing you didn't live in the city. The only news about him or the Port Mafia circulated around the city, and it wasn't broadcasted anywhere else. And you only came to the city to see him now – before you two met, you'd gone to visit a friend in college for a few times in the city and Akutagawa even asked to be sure that you weren't aware of the Port Mafia once you two became friends.
In fact, when he did ask you, he worded it so awkwardly, "So... crime right? It's funny here." And you cocked your head to the side and let out a small, "Ehh. What?" He embarrassed himself so much by that, but he was glad to cross out the suspicion.
But he still was curious and worried about what your news was for the two. He quickly called Higuchi, sighing as it rang for a second time before she picked up.
"Hello?" She spoke into the phone and there was some bit of a ruffle, she sounded busy.
"Why have you been invited to the café? And what is her news?" He didn't care to say a hello, not having the patience for it. He didn't care that Higuchi would be slightly off put by his manners, but that was how he usually was outside of work. If it were inside of work, he probably wouldn't even say anything to her, still clearly fed up with mixing his social life with her.
"We've kind of become friends – uh, I think. She's such a special person, talking with her always makes me feel happy and giddy and so it makes me want to talk with her all the time! So yeah, I'm spending time together with her right now actually, waiting outside the dressing room. She's trying on some clothes, and we've been learning more about each other. Does she like cinnamon covered pretzels? Or maybe a slice of cheesecake? Also, she is so sweet and kind, and she's so pretty," Akutagawa cut her off with a loud scoff.
"You're with her?" He could feel a quick turn of his stomach, flipping upside down as he frowned heavily.
"Yes?" She replied hesitantly, reminding herself that he was her superior, and she worked as his personal assistant and co-leader of Black Lizard. She slipped up so swiftly and she even thought about the other day during the meeting with the Agency. She pushed her hand on her head, holding back a sigh as she wondered if she was pushing him too far by becoming friends with you.
"Where are you?"
In the time Higuchi had sent him the address of the mall they were at, Akutagawa changed into his normal attire out of work, and brushed his teeth three times, and then gargled a ton of mouthwash. He said goodbye to Gin, walking out of the door with everything ready.
Gin stared at the door confused but she grinned, happy her brother was getting out of the house for a day (and because he would return with milk and dish soap, and every other item needed).
The mall was farther away than the café, and he felt a bit odd driving there by himself. In a normal situation, you two would be the only ones hanging out and he'd be the one driving because he has convinced you that he is a very safe and slow driver. But he wasn't, certainly not now, as he sped through red lights to go meet you and Higuchi at a clothing store in a very public mall.
Akutagawa did an extra layer of disguise, with his sunglasses and he even put his hair back behind his ears, unlike how he usually wore his hair.
Once you got out of the dressing room, Higuchi explained that Akutagawa wanted to come "shopping" with the two of you, to which you snorted and laughed at. Higuchi agreed with you when you said there was no way in hell that he would want to go shopping, since he was always so on edge about going out in a public space.
"He's like a little porcupine. Like he always wants to act tough when you get too close." You joked, laughing with Higuchi as you put some clothes into the basket you two were sharing. Higuchi took note that the clothes you were looking for were professional clothing, all black, blue, gray, white... And so plain.
Higuchi didn't have much of a fashionable taste, but she could tell that those were definitely not trendy or cute.
"And pushes out those needles all the time, he's like that at work too." She responded, giving a small detail about him. She never really told you much more about the type of work they did, except she did agree with you on things you've noticed about her and Akutagawa.
"Aw, poor guy. He's super sweet once you really start to know him, I think, but yeah, there's something there that makes him tense up all the time." When you said that, she honestly thought you were joking. How long have you two been friends? Because there was no way he was sweet. She chuckled a little and shook her head, disagreeing but not saying anything more.
"Is there anything I can help you with, ladies?" A man expressed cheerfully, striding towards you and Higuchi. He glanced into the cart and let out a small exclamation.
"Business attire? Got a promotion?" He asked to both of you, in general. Higuchi huffed out a small laugh, shaking her head. Promotions at the Port Mafia were more rare than a double rainbow, and she doubted that recently any of her supervisors took notice into her work. But she was happy there.
"No! Not for me." She responded, glancing over to you. You stayed silent, grinning and shook your head. Higuchi narrowed her eyes at you, sensing that there was actually something.
She wasn't sure where you worked, or if you worked, but now she had a feeling that those clothes and this so called "news" you had to tell them both, had to do with working.
"Something like that," You paused, shrugging in your answer, and continued, "But we don't need any help. Thank you." You were polite again and Higuchi felt a swell of excitement, realizing that she was correct in her thinking.
"Alright, well if you two need anything, I'll be around the register and the small aisles there." He notified and Higuchi gave him a small smile as he left.
"Is this the news you were talking about? She asked, feeling shy all of a sudden as you took a step closer to her, closing a gap between the two of you. You didn't seem to look nervous at all and she gulped as you winked.
"Shh, don't tell Akutagawa! I want to tell him when he gets here, and I'll tell you both everything." You whispered into her ear, and she held back a shudder as she felt your breath hitting her skin. You were so awfully close to her, and you weren't even batting an eye at it, while she was blushing so hard. She wondered if you could feel the heat coming off from her blush, as it reached her ears.
"Alright." Higuchi stammered back, nodding as you placed a hand on her back and stepped slightly away. You guided her over to another clothes rack, still with your hand on her back as you giggled at her timidity.
"This dress would look adorable on you." You smoothly went into another topic, showing her a sleek black dress, with a low cut and thin straps. She laughed it off, even waving her hand at the dress, feeling as though you were joking.
"That's sexy – I don't do sexy, it's not easy." She explained, gazing to you quickly before she looked at the dress again. It was a beautiful dress, but it wasn't something she'd ever worn before. The only thing she had in her closest that was close to resembling this was a robe with a lacey ribbon, and that was probably the sexiest thing she's worn.
You pouted back to her, pulling your hand back to cross your arms. She shivered at the lost of the feeling on her back, missing it already but she was distracted by how distraught you looked.
"Babe... I can guarantee you're sexy. Just try it on, please. You'll see." You were acting as if it were a tragedy the way Higuchi said she didn't do sexy. It made her feel even more nervous but excited at your evident flirting, but then she glanced away, pushing a tendril of hair behind her ear.
"I don't know. I'm really not sexy, it's just how it is." Higuchi chuckled shyly, shrugging too as she looked back to you. And Higuchi did believe it too, she didn't feel sexy, and she didn't look sexy in her own eyes. She was judgmental of her appearance, only when it was for something she didn't relate back to work. For work, she knew she was good looking for a Port Mafia employee.
"Pretty please? Try it on for me? I can show you that you can definitely pull this dress off, and any other." You were so good at flirting and convincing her – it was a problem. If you were to continue, she'd probably follow you into telling you more about Akutagawa and work.
And then you leaned back close to her, eyes lowered down to her lips and oh my, she was so glad she was wearing lip gloss today. But fuck, it got her thinking about multiple things, one of which is definitely not the dress you were trying to convince her to try on.
You twirled that piece of hair she tucked behind her ear, "Higuchi? Will you?" And then you let go of that hair and sighed as you stepped away. Almost instantly her body tried to lean back close to you again, but Higuchi stopped herself.
"Yeah, okay, sure." She finally agreed, taking the dress off the rack. You grinned to her, "That's great."
Akutagawa arrived and stood outside the store with a heavy scowl on his face, disliking the entire appearance of it. It looked so busy, everyone was walking in or out in a slow pace, talking loudly and eating with their mouths open, getting food everywhere. Ugh, he hated the mall – and this store you guys were in seemed extra crowded.
He noticed it had a sale on everything, and he walked in, pushing past a few people rudely to get to the back. He knew you guys were still probably back there because he couldn't spot you in the front section. He quickly ignored a man trying to approach him to see if he needed any assistance and sighed in relief when he saw your figure.
You were standing by one of the dressing rooms, holding a basket of clothes. He stayed silent as he walked by to stand next to you, glancing over to your face.
"You really need to start noticing the people around you. It's dangerous to be naïve of wherever you are. You must know all the exits and hiding spots before you enter." He criticized you heavily, not even saying hello. You laughed softly before glancing over to him with a small smile.
"Hi to you too." You responded, before moving your eyesight back over to one of the rooms, he followed. By the looks of the shoes that were peaking out from the room, he knew it was Higuchi. Huh, he thought, this was going to be interesting.
He didn't say anything after that, just enjoying his time standing next to you instead. You two often went into groups of silence and it was comforting to him. He didn't feel pressured to say anything to you and you didn't speak up when there was nothing to say. It was perfect.
Not long later, Higuchi ultimately stepped out in that black dress, looking exactly how you told she would. It was beautiful on her, and she felt incredibly out of place, but she felt happy – she doesn't spend her time like this, it was so sweet, she felt like a normal person once again.
And then she gasped, and cursed, seeing that the man she is an assistant for, standing right there. Akutagawa's eyes widened for a brief moment and then he glanced over to you, watching your reaction like a hawk.
He did think that Higuchi looked gorgeous in the dress, she looked happier than she usually was too. But he had to put that in the back of his mind as he stared intensely at you. This mattered – the way you would look at her. If you looked at her in a way that made Akutagawa, feel little, there was going to be problems.
And then your jaw dropped, you did an open-mouthed kind of smile and there was that sparkle in your eyes that Akutagawa loved seeing.
"Higuchi you are absolutely stunning! That's it, I'm buying you this dress right now! I told you that you'd look sexy." You gasped, excitedly rushing up to her. You grabbed both of her arms and then spun her around, practically jumping in happiness.
"Oh! Akutagawa – hello," Higuchi paused, panicking. Her breathing became heavy and unstable as you rubbed her back, still grinning at her.
"Hello." He replied and a frown deepened on his face, eyes following you still. And then you realized the awkward environment forming and you laughed, a bit awkwardly.
"Uh, hey, I'm actually going to go look for another size in that shirt that I liked. I'll be back in a few minutes." You excused yourself and soon after Higuchi sighed, a strange bubbling feeling forming as Akutagawa stared back at her, unimpressed.
She smoothed out parts of the dress, waiting for him to say something. "Why did you think it was safe to take her here? And why wasn't I invited to join you earlier?" He started his lecture, keeping his voice quiet, but his tone showed how angry (and left out) he felt.
"I come here all the time – no one recognizes me. And she said she wanted to get to know me more, without making you feel like a third wheel." She whispered, as a shake of fear went through her body. She almost started shivering at how scared she felt. She would also feel pissed if she were in his position.
He looked back to you, shoulders lowering as he coughed and covered his mouth. You were going to come back in a few minutes, and it was his goal to make himself look happy and content, so you didn't worry when you got back. For some reason, his anger didn't match the same level as his fear, he really didn't want you to be upset or find out anything.
"Ok, act happy. We're going to that café now." Akutagawa responded, not looking back to Higuchi as she sighed in relief for being let off without any other threats. She couldn't believe how upset he looked, and this was so strange to her, he was usually so stoic and uptight, this wasn't the same man she knew from work.
She changed back into her clothes, adding that dress into the basket. She didn't let you buy it of course, and Akutagawa didn't want to let either of you to buy the clothes, but you refused his help, saying it would be alright. Then, all three of you were off to the café.