Eeper

hot summer game night

[my piece for @boatemvillagezine]

yet another chuuatsu crack-with-feelings idea

accidental fake date AU

We know from Kajii & Kyoka train ambush that Akutagawa was not the only one Mafia send on were-tiger bounty hunt. So, AU where Chuuya came back from abroad earlier and Mori gave him a go at capturing Atsushi.

And Chuuya of course would want to do it in full blazing glory of one-man front attack. Agency building is just arould the corner - when he stumbles over Atsushi coming home from work, literally walking into him.

Chuuya is taken aback with how polite, sweet and gorgeous Atsushi is - and how he senses no danger whatsoever. Now, the twistXD Chuuya thinks Dazai spilled the beans about every Mafia member' identity he knows, and after first attack Atsushi would be clued in, too. But - Agency is a beautiful mess, and no one gave Atsushi power point presentation yet. He has no idea he just crashed into Mafia Executive.

Chuuya thinks otherwise. This is Dazai protege after all, if he acts as if he doesn't know who Chuuya is that has to be on purpose, right? So he decides fine, this is a ploy of some sort. I'll play along, let's see what you've got. And he resumes the conversation as if they were just two people meeting by chance.

Chuuya tries a little flirting, simply to throw Atsushi off the game he thinks he's playing. But Atsushi just takes it as the truth. Bashful, yet so greedy for everything good in his life, and this graceful, fascinating man flirting with him? Even if its teasing, Atsushi responds. One thing to another, and Chuuya finds himself getting Atsushi on a date.

Fancy place of Chuuya's choice, of course, and he wishes Agency were-tiger would show his hand in this, finally, but he's just so earnest. For the first time in a restaurant like this, palpable awkwardness he tries to keep hidden, and Chuuya ought to revel in this, pick at this more to get him to break the charade, but damn it, he wants to put the guy at ease. Then the conversation, the way they fit - it plays better than it should, it just gets Chuuya deeper. He forgets at times this is work, and Atsushi is his mark who's pretending he doesn't know this, no matter how genuine feel his quiet smiles, his catching mix of self-deprecating remarks and sharp flashes of sass.

They stand at the pavement near the alley outside of restaurant when Mafia car is pulling up and Chuuya gets inside befoore reaching out to Atsushi. 'What are you doing?' Atsusghi asks, voice dropped almost to a whisper while he already takes the offered hand. And Chuuya has to fight trough his stolen breath, his missed heart beat while he feels Atsushi's trusting touch, how his pulse is quickened where the fingertips brush tender wrist skin right under the glove.

'Ah - Abducting you.'

The best performance of being sure and suave he ever gave. To match the portrayal of gentle naive he's been treated to.

Atsushi is pulled into the car with more force than both expected, falls over Chuuya and takes this as an invitation, gives in to a pull this man has over him already, captivating beyond anything he ever knew, Atsushi just - surges forward. The kiss is sudden, a little askew, open, lovely, giving - too good to be a lie. It gets Chuuya to melt for a second and then gets him angry. How can someone look and feel like this, this sincere, and be this shrewd at pretending?

Click if a switchblade ovening, cold under Atsushi's collarbone.

'You can drop the act now. I got you. What's the plan? Did that bandaged bastard replace the driver? Is he behind the fucking wheel - '

'W-what plan?'

The hurt, confusion - betrayal on Atsushi's face is too real. This has no point to be happening, Chuuya tries to re-evaluate everything but there was no way he really, truly didn't...

'Your Agency' plan to stop your abduction tonight?! The reason while you act all sweet as if you don't know I'm Mafia Executive.'

Now there's no confusion reflected in his chromatic eyes. Only hurt left, but then - anger, too, flurry, wounded.

'So... you played me? All this evening...'

Atsushi makes a move to break out of the car, and Chuuya darts to stop him, and now it's not even because he has to complete the mission, it's because realization sets it - he massively fucked all this up. But this is where the claws come out, because Atsushi really, really wants to get out of this car and away from this man. The car door is torn open, the brakes are hit, Mafia driver prays for his life - while Chuuya keeps pursuit through the streets, fresh scratches sting only adds up to the mix of feelings.

He was already half-taken by Atsushi's soft side, even when he thought it's played up. And now he knows it wasn't, and during the ensuing fight Chuulya just gets deeper into the trouble because now there's this thrill of unexpirienced but so strong and swift opponent. And deep under - the guilt because he wasn't honest with Atsushi, he was so sure he was the one being led on, he ignored everything that proved him wrong.

Maybe this is what does Chuuya in, really, when he lets Atsushi escape - not dealing much of damage beyond few bruises, and not really injured himself, either. He tells himself it was because they were fighting in living city area. He tells himself it was because it wasn't honest fight, anyway.

Maybe Chuuya can seizure the chance of rematch. Or better still, a chance to explain to Atsushi that awful, dumb misunderstanding.

All along I thought you knew who I was.

How would you look at me now when you do know?

atsushi 🤝 poe

sensory overload

The thing is Fyodor could’ve had Atsushi in his grasp before the series even began.

That’s without question no one else knew who or where Atsushi was until he showed up in Yokohama at 18 years old. While Fyodor has known about Atsushi, his ability and his location at minimum since he was 12. Because that’s when Fyodor sends Shibusawa to him.

And even when Fyodor is actively having Atsushi hunted down for through things like his bounty and the Guild’s incineration plot, it feels more like a test that anything else. It’s like he’s continuing where Shibusawa left off, setting these events and observing how Atsushi will fare through them.

Ironically in a way similar to a cat playing with it’s pray.

Like I don’t think for 5 minutes that Nathaniel Hawthorne showing up on the sky casino was supposed to be a legitimate threat. Especially knowing Lucy was there and allowing himself to get caught without even fighting back.

But I don’t think he was just randomly there, he had a purpose and it was to tie a string of blood to Atsushi. In order to keep a track of him.

A moment that stands out to me is during the Hunting dogs arc when Nikolai’s fighting Atsushi and tells him ‘you’re not one of the murder targets." Because it implies to me that Atsushi’s role is different to everyone else’s. He should be with the Agency, getting framed and then going on the run but he’s not. Atsushi is down underground fighting Nikolai who just leaves him there.

And yeah Kyouka shows up to help him but the people who came to inspect that area weren’t guards or soilders but the forensics team. Meaning that Atsushi wasn’t in any real danger and for a plot like this where the Agency should have nowhere safe left to go to that is rather odd.

The only exception to this I feel is the stuff with Fukuchi because he did originally plan to kill Atsushi. The only reason he didn’t was because Akutugawa showed up but even then he tried to have him kill Atsushi. Only reason Fukuchi didn’t go after Atsushi after was because it would’ve complicated the timeline.

Feels like an outlier because all Fyodor’s plans have involved trying to capture Atsushi. Even the Guild incineration plot had them keep him safe as a prisoner. And well, Fyodor kinda needs Atsushi alive for his plans.

Hell Fyodor was in the alleyway Atsushi was walking into in the Cannablism arc. You see him turn around at hearing Atsushi’s voice and he leaves to let Atsushi discover Dazai’s body. He just leaves him alone and carries on with his plan.

All of this just reads as "I need you but not yet." There’s a plan for Atsushi alright, there’s been one going for a long time but it hasn’t come to fruition yet. Much like how the book has specific parameters of when it can be used and its conditions, Fyodor is waiting until everything is put in place to enact his grand plan.

One in which Atsushi will be the centrepiece.

Dead apple but everyone is still in their pajamas

I think it would be funny if everyone collectively just didnt care to change in to their work clothes for the plot of dead apple cause imagine Chuuya fighting that big ass dragon still in his dog themed pajama pants 🐶

CHUUATSU Post-Canon Idea (or I think it could be counted as post-canon):

With Fyodor defeated and the city finally once again settled in peace, the Port Mafia finally calls in their favor: one member of the Agency must join them. Everyone assumes it will be Dazai who will be demanded, after all, he was once their executive, and his mind is a weapon on its own. But to everyone's surprise, Atsushi is chosen.

Atsushi, the last person anyone would have expected to be forced into the darkness of the Mafia. Everyone is devastated, but they can't go back on the deal. They cannot afford to go to war with the Mafia so soon, not when the city is still recovering. And Atsushi, the ever sacrificing one, agrees.

Mori is no fool. He knows Atsushi won't be trusted within the organization, so he assigns him to Chuuya. More specifically, he orders the executive to keep him under constant watch, so much so that Atsushi has to live in Chuuya’s apartment, a decision neither of them is happy about.

At first, they avoid each other completely. They eat at different times, spend their time in separate spaces, and barely speak beyond what's absolutely necessary. Atsushi hates everything the Mafia stands for, and Chuuya doesn't have the patience to babysit someone who refuses to get his hands dirty. The tension is almost suffocating for both of them.

But then something changes. Avoidance slowly turns into small conversations, nothing deep, just a few comments here and there, maybe a little complaint. And then, small chats turn into sitting in the same room without any tension. Into sharing meals together. Into the comfort of simply asking what they should make for dinner. A comfort of having someone to come home to.

It takes a while for either of them to realize it, that the home life both of them dreaded has turned into something domestic. They start waiting for each other before eating. Sometimes, Chuuya brings home extra food because he knows Atsushi will be hungry. Atsushi starts cleaning up because Chuuya rarely does. The apartment, once a place of cold isolation, becomes... warm.

And that's exactly what makes them fall in love. Not the chaos and disagreements of their job, not the danger of the underworld, but the quiet moments at home, where they feel safe. Chuuya realizes he doesn't want Atsushi to lose the kindness that makes him who he is. He doesn’t want his blood Mafia black.

Their home life may be peaceful, but the Mafia isn’t. Atsushi’s refusal to bend to their ways is a problem. He’s still seen as an outsider, a liability, a weak link. There are whispers that he should be eliminated before he betrays them.

Chuuya is stuck in the middle. He still has to drag Atsushi along on missions, still has to cover for him when he refuses to kill, still has to argue. He tries his best to keep Atsushi afloat.

Despite their growing domestic peace at home, Atsushi's place in the Mafia remains uncertain. He refuses to kill, yet his strength makes him an undeniable asset. While most still don’t trust him, Mori keeps him around, watching, waiting, testing.

Everything shifts when a mission goes south. Civilians get caught in the crossfire, and while Chuuya moves to handle it the Mafia’s way, Atsushi steps in and stops him. He saves them without killing anyone, proving that he doesn’t need to play by the Mafia’s rules to win.

Mori takes notice. So does Chuuya.

It becomes clear: Atsushi won’t break. He won’t bend to the Mafia’s ways, no matter how much pressure is put on him. And instead of being frustrated, Chuuya finds himself relieved. He doesn’t want Atsushi to lose his kindness, to become numb to death.

So when the rest of the Mafia starts questioning where Atsushi truly stands, Chuuya makes his choice.

He stands beside Atsushi.

Post (movie) canon Beast Chuuatsu

Everyone in the Port Mafia learns to fear the new Boss.

Chuuya snaps at the slightest of things and where he once treasured his subordinates. He now looks at them now as nothing but tools.

Just another piece on the board for his revenge.

Some whisper that the old boss never left. That Dazai simply took on a new form and rotted the new Boss from the inside out. For where Dazai was ruthless Chuuya is cold and cruel.

The Port Mafia would’ve crumbled the moment he took the throne. The only reason the organisation stays afloat is because Chuuya’s not alone.

Atsushi is a permanent fixture by his side.

He takes on so many responsibilities along with being the main line of security. He overseers each and every sector of the Port Mafia and is the one people then to with issues.

Atsushi’s blood is Mafia through and through but there’s a light in him that shines amongst the darkness. A kindness that makes itself known in private and while his smile is a rare sight.

It is always genuine.

What’s most incredible about him though is that Atsushi is the only one who can calm down the Boss. His hand finds his when Chuuya’s angered, gently running a thumb over his knuckles.

When the Boss is one of his rages, when he’s at the brink of it all and no one dares get near him. There is Atsushi at the door, his smile is worn and his eyes tired.

And he crosses the room and holds the mad man in his arms. Begging for his partner to return, he holds him through the storm and then sends for food and water.

Sometimes you hear Chuuya, quiet and horrified as he begs for his forgiveness. That it won’t happen again, that he’s sorry and he loves him.

But those days become further and further apart.

No one in the Port Mafia dares to bad mouth Atsushi, not that anyone ever could. They hear him cry in the dead of night and feel their hearts break for him.

The White Reaper walks the halls like a ghost waiting for the day death finally reaches him. He will never leave for he’s chained himself to this place.

And the mad king who rules it.

Something about how Atsushi can trek through the past and the future when all he wants is to go back home to the Agency.

And it’s the one place he can’t go.