The first lesson Atsushi learned in the Port Mafia was not to make Chuuya-san angry.
The second was: Don't get Chuuya-san drunk.
He just found out there was going to be a party. He had never been to a party. Only to Hanako two's birthday party, where he ate carrots and tomatoes, and drank freshly squeezed cow's milk. He remembered that, after drinking that milk, he got indigestion.
But he knew full well, despite not having experienced them yet, that mob parties were vastly different from a cow's birthday party.
When he asked Akutagawa about it, to break the ice, the gangster said that he should be careful when Chuuya-san gets drunk. The last time someone pissed him off while drunk, that someone stayed up all night half naked in the body freezing room to deal. Then he told him, very kindly, to shut up, and that if he wanted to cry he would remind him how pathetic he was for the rest of his life.
Very kind, Akutagawa.
Kenji was in the cafeteria, talking quietly with one of the guards. Apparently, the guard's sister-in-law's sister-in-law's husband's cousin's sister's nephew lived in Kenji village. And apparently, the sister-in-law's cousin's sister's nephew of the guard's sister-in-law's husband was close friends with the owner's brother's cousin of Aiko, a cat that everyone in town loved.
The world is a handkerchief.
"Kenji!" Atsushi called "We were looking for you."
"Really?" He addressed the guard" Send my regards to the good man from Nosaka!"
"Clear! It was nice meeting you, Kenji-kun!"
As the man left, the blond looked at Akutagawa.
"Oh! I was looking for you" he mentioned happily.
"So they told me," Akutagawa muttered. We better leave.
"Where to?" Kenji asked.
"To find Chuuya-san."
They walked in silence. Atsushi noticed that the mobster was sulking more than usual, but he didn't say anything. Unlike Dazai-san, he did value his own life.
They were about to enter Kajii's laboratory when the door was flung open and Chuuya stormed out, unaware of the youths' presence. They, by their side, walked behind the adult.
"Chuya-san!" Atsushi called.
"Chuya-san, wait!" Akutagawa asked.
"Good morning, Chuuya-san!" Kenji greeted.
Nakahara stopped short and looked at them. Then he kept walking.
"Let's go home," he announced. "Akutagawa, tell your sister and Higuchi to come too. You said that they was already healthy, right?"
"Yes, that's right." In the next hallway, the black-haired turned right and said goodbye. "See you there."
Chuuya, Atsushi and Kenji walked to the exit and got into the redhead's car.
"Isn't it still too early to leave, Chuuya-san?" Atsushi asked.
"No, it's already past noon, and we have to get ready for the party," the older man replied, starting the car. "Prepare mentally, first of all."
Atsushi swallowed hard. Oh.
•[ ♡ ]•
It was already seven at night, and it was terribly cold, but they had to walk to the venue, their bones freezing.
But there was no problem, upon entering the basement (where there were no corpses, they had removed it for the party) they felt a wave of heat, which even made them sweat. Akutagawa, self-conscious in front of so many people, twisted his fingers.
"Chuuya-san, I want to go."
"Hah? But we just got here!"
"Chuuya-san, I want to go too," Atsushi requested.
«Wow, after all it was a good idea to bring them» thought Chuuya «At last they agree on something».
"We're not going to leave yet, don't be a spoilsport," he scolded them affectionately. "Come on, enjoy a while. Go dance, or whatever you want. Akutagawa, I think Tachihara brought some figs."
Akutagawa's eyes lit up and he went at full speed to look for the figs. Kenji followed after him, saying something to the effect that he liked figs too.
The redhead caressed Atsushi's back affectionately.
"Don't be scared, tiger boy. If you need something, I'll be there for you."
No, he weren't there for him. Once he had convinced him to join the party, Chuuya left, grabbed about three bottles of wine and drank them in one gulp each, to forget for a while that the love of his life had been kidnapped to experiment with his damn abilities, after finally making amends because he had proposed to him with a very nice but fake gold ring.
Atsushi pushed his way among the people until he reached a small table in the center. He took a glass that contained a drink of dubious origin and raised it to his lips.
Rashōmon stopped him before taking a single sip.
"Don't drink that," Akutagawa warned him.
"Why? Is it poison?" asked the tiger, half jokingly half seriously.
"It's alcohol, almost the same," replied the gangster. "You're underage, you can't drink."
"I'm of legal age," the albino contradicted. "The government recently said that now the age of majority is eighteen."
"But the legal drinking age is still twenty," Akutagawa replied. "So you can't drink."
"In some countries I could already drink," Nakajima muttered, pouting.
"But not in Japan, so shut the fuck up" Akutagawa raised the glass to his mouth to drink from it, but this time Chuuya stopped him.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing? You can't drink," he scolded, snatching the drink from him.
"But I'm of legal age!" The jet black protested like a little child.
"Even so, you're still a child, unlike me, I'm an adult, and I can drink." He swallowed the drink. "Besides, you know how you get with the drink."
"Look who's saying that..." the young man muttered.
"Did you say something?"
"Nothing."
"You better." Chuuya took another glass. "Don't drink I'll be watching you."
With one last warning look, he backed away from the table, taking a swallow of the alcohol. When he was far enough away, Akutagawa gave him a rude gesture.
"As if he could keep an eye on us while drunk as a cunt."
Atsushi couldn't help but giggle.
"What's so funny, Jinko?" The mobster asked grumpily.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The albino apologized, still laughing "It's just that I'm amused that Chuuya-san acts like a mother. Although I also think it's a nice gesture. I don't have a mother."
Nakajima smiled sadly, and Akutagawa's expression relaxed.
"Sometimes it annoys a bit," he admitted. "But it relieves a lot. For people like us, who didn't even have a kind gesture towards him during their childhood, Chuuya-san taking care of us means a lot. At least someone cares."
"That is cute."
The hours passed quickly and in a blur. Without realizing it, it was already past midnight and the party was slowly dying. Atsushi and Akutagawa had agreed to find Kenji and Chuuya and return home.
They found Chuuya without problems. He was sleeping on the table, muttering in his sleep about bloody Dazai and the Russian prison rat. Akutagawa picked him up and told Atsushi that he was waiting for him outside.
Kenji was harder to find, but in the end they saw him fast asleep in a corner, his mouth dirty with crumbs. They thought he must have eaten the whole cake by himself. Atsushi picked him up, put it on his back and went out.
It was twice as cold as before. They came home shivering and put the sleepers in their respective rooms. Akutagawa intended to leave, but Atsushi stopped him.
"Hey, Akutagawa," he called, "what if you stay? Chuuya-san doesn't like you wandering around so late at night."
"That's a pathetic excuse, the night is Mafia territory," the black-fanged hellhound replied. Then he bit his lip remorsefully. "Although I can stay. Also, I don't want to make Chuuya-san angry."
Atsushi smiled sheepishly. Akutagawa took pajamas from the closet and put them on, while Atsushi also changed to go to sleep. They lay next to each other on the same bed and took shelter.
However, just like last time, they couldn't fall asleep.
"Akutagawa, are you asleep?"
"How can I sleep if you don't shut your mouth?"
The albino was silent for a moment.
"I can't sleep."
Akutagawa bit back a scathing comment.
"Me neither."
"Know? I was thinking..."
"Thinking? You? How impressive! Did it hurts?"
"Shut the fuck up, I'm trying to tell you something and you're being an asshole, let me talk."
They were silent for a while. Nakajima sighed.
"I know you and I don't exactly get along, but..."
"But what?"
"Stop interrupting me."
"Sorry."
"I just thought we should get along better. Maybe we're not that different. We're both orphans, and such, so... Would you like to be my friend?"
Akutagawa was speechless and did not reply. He then got up and left Atsushi alone.
«What an idiot you are, Atsushi» thought the tiger, a little down.
The black-haired returned to the room with a warm blanket and put it on Atsushi. Then he lay down next to him.
"Good night, Atsushi. Rest."
Atsushi's chest felt warm from the cute gesture. smiled.
"Good night, Ryūnosuke. Rest you too."
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THEY'RE SO CUTE 😭😭😭
I love them
Next chapter Is "The Feeling". When I'll write it, I don't know.
Thanks for reading!