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‘What on earth am I supposed to do now?’ At the back of his mind, a little voice whispered to Akutagawa as he eyed the bouncing bundle of miniature human life that was squirming around in his hold. Little legs bending and flexing as chubby arms held up miniscule fists - one of which was being gnashed on by a pair of pink, toothless gums, as big, black eyes stared back at Akutagawa. The owner of which seemed completely unfazed by the glob of drool that was dripping slowly down the back of her hand.
Elbows locked, Akutagawa observed from as far of a distance as his arms could manage the wiggling creature as it gurgled and dribbled all over itself - a messy state of affairs overall. This tiny, little thing was, for all intents and purposes - and against his better judgement if he were being honest - his niece of all things. And, for the time being at the very least, completely under his care. Apparently.
Child-rearing hadn’t been included on his list of things to do that day, but somehow he had found himself entirely alone in the middle of the supermarket - cereal aisle at that - with the squirming mass of newborn baby in his arms nonetheless.
Seeing it’s round head tilt slightly to the side - as if it’s weight was too heavy to be upheld by the little neck and shoulders tasked with the job - Akutagawa readjusted his grip on the baby’s middle, making it more secure. God forbid that damn thing roll off. He wouldn’t be able to face his sibling if something like that happened.
Gin, the person he’d meant to be with today - and not this bundle of fragile mass - was nowhere to be found. Neither was Tachihara for that matter. One minute he’d been sitting at the new cafe that’d just opened up near his apartment with Gin and the next their husband (a decision Akutagawa would never be able to understand) had burst in, baby in tow. Then they were all being huddled up and shuffled into the family’s minivan before Tachihara promptly got behind the wheel, drove them over to the grocery store and parked the vehicle.
Akutagawa wasn’t entirely sure as to why he was even there - absolutely certain that helping the couple out with weekly chores hadn’t been what he’d signed up for when he’d agreed to go out and catch up with his sibling over a cup of coffee. Yet, there he was nonetheless.
And then Gin had mentioned something about running to grab the diapers from an aisle they’d already passed by, sliding the shopping cart over to Akutagawa. And then Tachihara had remarked that he really did need to grab a new box of cigarettes from the gas station across the street before pushing the baby into Akutagawa’s arms. And Akutagawa had been too bewildered by the whirlwind that was the new parents rushing around him to do anything besides wrap his hands around the tiny, little thing and find himself in the exact position he was currently in. That of holding a baby he had absolutely no idea how to take care of in the middle of the cereal aisle in a grocery store that he’d never even frequented before.
Oh, how he longed for his apartment and the well worn paperback he’d left on his coffee table not but a few hours ago. He let out a deep breath that’d been building in his chest.
His niece just continued to eye him, wide pupils taking his dumbfounded expression in as she continued to gnaw on her knuckles with little success.
“What am I going to do with you?” He asked himself under his breath as the wad of spit that had been slipping down her miniature fist finally dropped down from her reddened flesh to splatter on the tiled floor beneath them.
God, he wished she’d stop squirming so much. He didn’t want to drop her. She looked so breakable.
And just when he was contemplating how long he should wait there for her parents to come back - where were they? They’d been gone for a lot longer than it should have taken to grab a package of diapers and a pack of cigarettes - or continue on with the shopping - and how was he supposed to push the shopping cart and hold the baby at the same time? - when he was interrupted in the absolute worst way possible.
“Akutagawa?” Came an astonished voice from behind him. Akutagawa turned, baby in tow, arms still outstretched, to find the surprised face of Atsushi blinking back at him disbelievingly, mouth hanging open. Unspeaking, Akutagawa watched as his coworker rubbed at his eyes before looking back at him, heterochromatic irises switching rapidfire between him and the child in his arms, as if unable to trust what his eyes were showing him.
“Akutagawa-san, that’s a baby in your arms, right?” Atsushi finally managed to ask, eyes still wide. “I’m not hallucinating, am I?”
Akutagawa looked from his niece back to Atsushi, a thin eyebrow raised. He didn't deem the other man’s nonsensical babbling worth a response. Instead, he asked, “and what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” Atsushi repeated before finally snapping out of whatever trance had come over him, quite literally shaking it off. “Oh, I just live a few blocks away. And I’m out of milk.”
“Ah,” nodded Akutagawa, finally - begrudgingly - drawing the baby closer to his chest. He let the creature lean it’s little chin against his shoulder as he silently despaired the soggy mess his coat would soon become. He tried slipping one arm under her bum and using the other to hold her head in place. It felt a little odd, and he couldn’t really look at her from this position without craning his neck and giving himself a double chin, but it was a step up from holding her out straight in front of him at arms length. So that was something.
Atsushi, eyes never leaving the baby in Akutagawa’s hold, continued, “and you? What’re you doing here?”
“I’m asking myself the same question.” Sighed Akutagawa looking back over at the half-full shopping cart of groceries.
A beat of silence. “Right,” said Atsushi, dropping his gaze to his loafers as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. “It’s not… yours is it?”
“Hmm?” Asked Akutagawa, looking up from his niece to eye the man before him who looked as out of place as Akutagawa felt.
Honestly, running into coworkers outside of work was the kind of torture Akutagawa didn’t even wish on his greatest enemies - one of whom had only recently been Atsushi himself, before the company merger that was. Now they were coworkers and Akutagawa saw the silver haired man five days of the week, and godforbid, ran into him on the weekends too it seemed.
It had been so easy back then. When all he’d felt when locking eyes with the other man was a wave of dislike and competitive rivalry. When the sight of him would cause a glower to settle over his features and a determination to come out on top begin to roil in his gut.
Now when he saw the other man his body reacted in a way that was somewhere between a heart-attack and indigestion. And honestly, what was Akutagawa supposed to do with that? As if he didn’t have enough on his plate already than deal with these sensations that crashed over him like tsunamis whenever he caught the smallest glimpse of Atsushi and that lingered long after the other man had left.
“The baby,” elaborated Atsushi, snapping Akutagawa back to the present. “It’s not yours, is it?”
“What? No!” Cried Akutagawa, completely baffled that anyone could believe for one second that he was mature enough to have offspring, let alone be on top of things enough to go grocery shopping with said offspring. As if all the vegetables in his fridge weren’t going bad as they stood there speaking. He couldn’t remember the last time his dinner consisted of more than instant ramen or take-out from the deli down the street. Him, a father? As if! “She’s my niece.”
“Oh? Oh!” Gasped Atsushi, realization smoothing across his features. “It’s Gin’s, of course! They’re on maternity leave, aren’t they? Now, that makes a lot more sense.”
“Yes,” Akutagawa concurs solemnly. “Tachihara and they are somewhere around here… supposedly.”
“Right,” nodded Atsushi in understanding. “God, it’s weird to think of them as parents.”
Akutagawa agreed, and unlike Atsushi he was actually older than those two.
“Do you need some help then?” Asked Atsushi, gesturing towards the shopping cart. “It looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
“Uh,” stalled Akutagawa, voice catching in his chest. “Yeah, that would- that’d be great, actually.”
“Not a problem.” Answered Atsushi, a smile brightening his features. The sight of it making Akutagawa’s heart do funny things.
With Atsushi navigating the shopping cart and Akutagawa carrying the baby they managed to make some actual progress. Gin and Tachihara had left the wrinkled shopping list in the cart, so by using it as a guide, the two of them were able to find everything on the list (minus diapers and cigarettes, of course). When Akutagawa’s sibling, and sibling-in-law, were nowhere to be found by the time they finally made it to the check-out, Akutagawa decided to just pay for everything himself so he could finally get out of this godforsaken grocery store.
While Atsushi dutifully loaded all the food onto the conveyor-belt and packed the bags back into the cart after paying for them, Akutagawa rocked the baby against his chest and shushed her. Silently praying that she wouldn’t burst into tears, because he really wouldn’t know what to do if that happened. Luckily, she stayed silent, and Akutagawa was so, so grateful for that one small mercy.
But the sight that greeted him when he walked through the sliding glass doors erased that satisfied feeling that had descended upon him like a warm blanket to leave him shaking with cold rage. Unthinking, he pushed his niece into Atsushi’s arms and marched his way determinedly over to where Gin and Tachihara were leaning against the brick wall outside of the grocery store, looking calm and carefree, a cigarette hanging from each of their lips.
Opening his mouth, Akutagawa prepared to launch into a scathing series of retorts, centering around asking as to why he had been stuck doing their grocery shopping, taking care of their baby while they had been outside taking a smoke break. But before he could, however, Tachihara spoke, cutting him off before he’d even begun.
“Oh, good. You got the groceries. I was a little worried it woulda' been too much for you. Is that Atsushi?” He added at the end, dropping the butt of his cigarette from his mouth to stomp it flat on the concrete. He waved over to Atsushi, who was standing by the shopping cart, holding the baby and looking completely bewildered.
Though, Akutagawa had to note, he looked much more comfortable holding the newborn than Akutagawa had himself. It seemed almost natural, the way he was rocking her.
“Who’d have thought you’d run into him?” Wondered Tachihara, completely unfazed by the simmering body of pure, unadulterated rage standing in front of him as he looked over at Atsushi and his child.
“Excuse me,” growed Akutagawa, moving to stand directly in Tachihara’s eyesight. “Was this… Did you… Did you plan this?!”
“Well, not the Atsushi part.” Conceded Tachihara with a shrug. “But that’s a good one. We’ll have to remember that for next time. He looks like he’s great with kids. You know, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure he told me once that he volunteers at an orphanage on the weekends. Bet he’s got loads of experience with fussy babies. And I definitely bet that he’d agree to babysit if you asked, Akutagawa-aniki.”
“I cannot believe you!” Seethed Akutagawa, stomping his foot in a huff. Tachihara remained unfazed.
“I mean, I can’t take all the credit.” He continued, gesturing to Gin. “It was their genius idea after all.”
Akutagawa’s mouth dropped open as he turned to look at his sibling. Gin, finished with their cigarette offered Akutagawa a smirk before pulling their mask up to cover their lower face. And didn't that make for an odd sight, pulling one's surgical mask up over a mouth that had just finished smoking a cigarette.
“You two are unbelievable.” Akutagawa muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. “How you two could have birthed a whole human life is beyond me.”
“Yeah,” said Tachihara, a smile creeping up his cheeks. “But she’s only a tiny human life right now. And here she is!” He called in a singsong voice, reaching his hands out. Akutagawa turned to see Atsushi approaching them hesitantly, baby in one arm while the other wheeled the cart. Once he reached their little group he handed the baby over to Tachihara before sidling up to Akutagawa.
“Atsushi-kun, thanks a bunch!” Greeted Tachihara, baby now securely under his arm. “We really owe ya! Helping watch over our little girl here, and dealing with a fussy Akutagawa - couldn’t have been easy!”
“Oh,” stuttered Atsushi, suddenly becoming bashful. A dull pink darkened his cheeks as he rubbed at the back of his head. “It wasn’t a problem, really. I didn’t mind.”
“Glad to hear it!” Replied Tachihara, a smug grin on his lips. “It’s good to know Akutagawa’s learning how to play well with others.”
Akutagawa felt his left eye twitch.
“Oh! Speaking of thank you’s.” Tachihara continued, the man apparently holding a death wish. It was a shame - he was so young too. “You two helped us out tonight, and we really owe you for those groceries. I’ve got a-” here he stopped to pat down his pockets before Gin offered him a shiny black card they’d taken out from their jacket with a nod. In return Tachihara passed them their daughter. “Thanks, babe. Yeah, I’ve got a gift card here for the brewery downtown. We were going to give it to Akutagawa for helping out, but Atsushi, you were a big help too - so why don’t you two share it? Hit the town like the single, childless, young professionals you two are!”
The heart palpitations were back and Akutagawa couldn’t breath. God, he was going to hack a lung. He glared at Tachihara, the obvious cause of all of this.
“Ah, I- I couldn’t…” Atsushi responded, putting his hands up, eyes bouncing from Akutagawa’s face to everywhere else and back as he spoke. “You meant it for Akutagawa-san. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“Nonsense!” Cried Tachihara, making a show of waving away Atsushi’s concerns. “He doesn’t mind. Do you, Akutagawa-aniki?”
Akutagawa glared at Tachihara, his heart beating furiously in his ears. “No, I don’t mind, Atsushi-kun.”
“Oh,” said Atsushi, and his whole body lit up like a firework. “Great! That’d be great, then.”
“Fantastic,” Tachihara added, smacking his hands together and rubbing them. “Do you guys need a drive? We’ve got our van.” He points behind him to the bright green thing he chose to drive around in, much to Akutagawa’s chagrin.
It felt like they were children being dropped off by their parents. The skin of his cheeks was set aflame by the insinuation. But Atsushi had nodded his thanks, so they’d all wound up in the vehicle anyways.
When Tachihara pulled up in front of the brewery, Akutagawa, none too gently, shoved Atsushi out of the minivan and onto the pavement before leaning between the front seats to glare at Gin and Tachihara. “You’ve been spending too much time with Dazai-san.”
“What?” Questioned Tachihara, feigning ignorance as he made to adjust his rear-view mirror. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“And you!” Akutagawa growled, turning on Gin. “Don’t you act all innocent. I know this was largely your doing.”
Gin just offered him a shrug back with a wink of their eye. Akutagawa made a point of rolling his eyes and huffing loudly before exiting the vehicle himself. "I worry for your child!" He called back before slamming the door closed behind him.
When he turned around he found himself facing a nervous Atsushi, the colorful lights of the surrounding buildings and ferris wheel washing him in their brightness. He had a small smile on his lips, and the sight of it made Akutagawa’s stomach clench up in anticipation for something he wasn’t entirely sure of. But, he managed to offer a tight smile of his own back anyways. He liked the way Atsushi’s eyes crinkled in response.
‘Oh, God. What on earth am I supposed to do now?’ The voice groaned in his head, once again full of fear. But, Akutagawa reasoned, if he could figure the whole baby thing out, then maybe - just maybe - he could figure this out too.
And he wouldn’t know unless he tried. Now, would he?