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Neither Atsushi nor Akutagawa have ever used a playground. For the life of him, Atsushi can’t remember how this particular bit of information came to light; the two of them don’t usually talk about their past’s.
Still, it stands that the two of them have never actually played on a playground at any point in their lives, which has lead them to their current situation: curled up together on a metal slide of a nearby playground in the dead of the night.
It turns out playing on a playground is exhausting. Atsushi likes to think that, despite years of mistreatment at the orphanage, his time with the Armed Detective Agency has given him some physical capability. Apparently, it’s still not enough to compete with the little kids who run around on playgrounds. Monkey bars are a lot harder to get across than he ever thought.
Akutagawa hadn’t fared much better than him, though, which does make Atsushi feel a bit better. He has a sneaking suspicion that this may be due more to the others inability to relax and act like a fool, but at least he wasn’t the only idiot trying to figure out how to escape from the jungle gym. That particular endeavor had taken them several minutes to complete, and ended with a solemn vow to not ever touch that metal hell trap again.
The see-saw had been a much more successful conquest. It clearly hadn’t been meant to accommodate two fully grown males, but they had made it work. There was something endearing about watching Akutagawa try to scrunch his knees up to fit on the cheap plastic seat. The two of them had gotten a steady rhythm going-up, down, up, down. At least, until Atsushi’s knees had cramped and he tried to shift his weight only to promptly roll sideways off the see-saw. To Akutagawa’s credit, he had jumped off immediately to make sure his partner was okay, even if he had been trying to hide a smile.
Swinging had also been a safe bet. Akutagawa had eyed the metal swings warily, clearly sceptical that it would be able to support him. Atsushi had had no such reservations, eagerly throwing himself onto the swing and kicking his legs back and forth like a child. He builds a steady pattern of kicking his legs back and forth, and soon he’s 5 feet above the ground, whooping in happiness.
Akutagawa had stared at him like he had suddenly announced that he was going to go join the circus, and Atsushi had rolled his eyes and dug his feet into the ground. With some persuading, he had gotten Akutagawa to sit down on one of the swings, looking awkward as can be. Quickly, before the other could change his mind, Atsushi had moved to stand behind him and given him a gentle push.
Akutagawa had floundered for a moment, flailing on the swing until he realized that Atsushi was not trying to shove him on the ground. He had sat there stiffly, letting Atsushi push him back and forth on the swing.
Atsushi, never one to back down from Akutagawa’s awkwardness, had run his hands just above the older man's hip, where he knows Akutagawa is sensitive. The other jolts forward with a snort of laughter, before immediately clapping a hand to his mouth, twisting to give the younger man a look of utter betrayal. Atsushi snickers and that, of course, means war.
He’s tackled to the ground, pinned down with tiny wood chips digging into his back and a very disgruntled Akutagawa on top of him. Atsushi knows he could easily throw the other off of him, but there’s no fun in that; instead, he leans up and steals a quick kiss from Akutagawa.
Flustered, his lover loosens his grip, and Atsushi takes that moment to pounce. He rolls to the side so that their positions are reversed, and sits triumphantly on top of Akutagawa with a whispered ‘pinned you’ and a smile on his face. The shock on Akutagawa’s face is entirely worth the wrestling match that leaves them both with tiny scrapes and wood chips in places they absolutely should not be.
And now, they’re collapsed on the end of the slide, which is just big enough for the two of them to lay on top of one another, feet dangling off the end. Their breathing a bit hard, and they’re mildly sweaty from their play fight, but Atsushi has never been happier. Akutagawa’s arms are wrapped around him, and he’s using the other’s chest as a pillow. The steady ‘thump-thump’ of his lover's heart is peaceful, and Atsushi knows he has a goofy grin on his face.
“You almost got stuck in that little tunnel.” Atsushi probably shouldn’t be giggling at his mafia boyfriend, but the image of Akutagawa with his long legs a tangled mess in a neon pink plastic tube had been so fantastic. He’d managed to dislodge the other (after he had stopped laughing) with some effort-Atsushi had never seen Akutagawa so red in the face.
“I did not.” The other mutters petulantly, and Atsushi has to bury his face in the others chest to hide his widening grin.
“You absolutely did.” Atsushi glances up at him impishly. “But I was there to save you.”
Akutagawa snorts, but there’s a fondness behind it, one that shows itself in his eyes. “My hero.” He says, and there’s affection in his words, in the hand that brushes faintly against Atsushi’s shoulder.
They lie there in silence for a bit, staring up at the night sky and the moon glowing brightly. The peace is shattered when Atsushi sneezes quietly. Akutagawa looks down at him.
“S’cold.” He mutters in explanation, flushing a pretty pink color.
In answer, Akutagawa’s coat sparks with energy. Rashomon’s claws spiral through the air, twisting around the two of them. Atsushi watches as the tendrils wave back and forth, back and forth, until the two of them have been cocooned in a nest of sorts.
Rashomon, when it isn’t being used to try to impale him, is actually kind of nice. As nice as a monstrous black coat can be, at least. The tendrils have woven an intricate web around them, and it’s surprisingly warm and comfortable. Atsushi has a sneaking suspicion that Akutagawa has used his coat as a blanket several times before, but wisely chooses not to comment on it
“Thank you.” He says softly, and Akutagawa makes a quiet noise of acknowledgement. Atsushi is exhausted from his exploration of the playground, and it’s warm curled up close with Akutagawa, Rashomon draped around them as a makeshift blanket.
Atsushi is half asleep when his ears pick up on a quiet noise. He half raises himself off the other, ignoring Akutagawa’s curious look. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Akutagawa frowns at him, and Atsushi shakes his head.
“Hold on, let me listen.”
Obediently, Akutagawa falls silent, as Atsushi strains his ears to find the source of the sound. The quiet rumbling sounds like it’s right above his head, but it’s not an alarming sound. In fact, it sounds familiar to Atsushi, but he can’t place exactly where he’s heard such a noise before. He wracks his brain, thinking hard-it sounds like…..like….
“Akutagawa?” He asks quietly, shifting to glance at the other. “Your….your coat is purring.” Because the sound is coming from Rashomon, he’s realized, and it sounds exactly like the stray cat Ranpo had been petting the other day.
The older man blinks. “It does that when it’s happy.” He says it simply, matter-of-factly, and since Atsushi doesn't own a living coat, he can only assume that Akutagawa is telling the truth.
A thought occurs to Atsushi. “Isn’t….isn’t Rashomon connected to your emotions?” He’s not one hundred percent certain that this is true, because Akutagawa has never given him an in depth explanation of his power, but this doesn’t seem like a huge leap in logic.
Silence greets his question.
“Akutagawa?” Atsushi tries again, propping himself up on his elbows. The other is refusing to look at him, face turned to the side. It clicks in Atsushi’s head. “Is there something you want to tell me?” He sounds downright giddy, but he can’t help himself. This new-found knowledge is too much for him to take right now.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You can admit you’re happy, you know. It’s not a crime.” Atsushi maneuvers himself so that he’s lying directly on top of his lover. Akutagawa is still refusing to look at him.
The older man mumbles something, only he can’t hear it over Rashomon’s purring. “Didn’t catch that.” He says, nuzzling his face against Akutagawa’s chest.
“You make me happy.”
Rashomon’s purring gets louder and Akutagawa has finally turned to look at him. He’s never seen the other look so embarrassed before-he’s blushing and he can’t meet Atsushi’s eyes, but oh god, he’s serious about what he’s just said. Atsushi can feel his face burn, can feel his heart skip a beat.
“You make me happy too.” He whispers back, before leaning down to kiss Akutagawa.
And Atsushi is happy, so happy he feel like he might burst. He’s so in love, that it’s disgusting, but he just doesn’t care right now. Right now, it doesn’t matter that he can shapeshift into a vicious tiger, doesn’t matter that he grew up being told he was useless, doesn’t matter that there’s still a bounty on his head that’s worth more money than he’ll ever have in his life.
Akutagawa is happy because of him, and he’s happy and in love, and right now that’s enough. He settles back in and let’s Rashomon’s purring and Akutagawa’s warmth lull him to sleep.