Chapter Text
People were rushing all over the temple, all rushing to finish preparations for the evening hour where they would feast with music, food, and drink.
Since there were few people who actually cooked there, Akutagawa was brought in to help, even though Otoyako had told him from the beginning not to do anything strange and just help with whatever was asked.
That's exactly what he did.
“Would this seasoning make it better?” one of the women asked, showing the little pot to Akutagawa. Otoyako just left to see the preparations for other things.
– It’s very spicy. Try that one, Aida-san. – Akutagawa points to the smaller, brown pot on the counter.
- Yes.
– Akutagawa-kun, can you taste this for me? – Yumi almost shoves a spoon into his unsuspecting mouth.
Akutagawa is already sick of all these smells, but he still tries it.
– A little more salt and let it boil. The broth will thicken and it will be better. – Akutagawa says the youngest.
Yumi was two years younger, but was raised by the maids. Having a love for cooking, she loved asking Akutagawa everything she could about the kitchen. So much so that Otoyako was getting annoyed with her for following his advice.
- Try~
– Akutagawa-kun, Akutagawa-kun! If you’re done, can you help Ikeda-kun with the decorations!? – Emi asks, appearing at the door with a basket full of clothes. – Those men have no taste at all! Sougo-san isn’t helping at all.
– I am a man.
– But he’s better than them! I’d say second only to His Holiness! Please! – Emi asks hurriedly.
– I'll go as soon as I'm done!
The plates and glasses needed to be moved to the outside table as soon as possible to free up space in the kitchen, but Otoyako would come and yell at him if he did anything without her permission. And Emi ended up saying that they hadn't finished organizing the outside. That way, the kitchen would be full and they wouldn't be able to move the pots and pans from there.
So disorganized, he thinks wearily.
When did he sign up for this? He should have just run away as soon as he had the chance. Or let Douma kill him.
It was like living in the Port Mafia again, where his boss or executives used their good memory to organize everything without the need for paper. At the end of the day, he always ended up with a horrible headache.
– It smells amazing, girls~
Everyone immediately stops what they are doing to look at the newcomer. Douma. With an innocent smile at the kitchen door.
– Your Holiness! – they shouted in surprise, Douma didn’t normally visit the kitchen.
– Am I in the way?
– It doesn’t bother you at all, sir! Are you hungry? – one asks.
– Do you need anything? – asks another, also approaching.
– No, no. I just smelled it and came to see how you were doing!
Douma is thriving easily around them, as if he can actually smell the pleasant aroma coming from the pots. As if he doesn't feel sickened by human seasonings.
– Your Holiness, what are you wearing...? – Yumi looks at the leader's neck, confused. It was summer. She had also never seen her leader wear any warm clothing because he was cold before. – It looks a bit like –
– I also came to leave something! Ryuunosuke-kun~
Douma waltzes through the kitchen, heading straight for the omega near one of the cabinets.
– What is it? – Akutagawa turns to him, grimacing.
– Here, here. I came to leave this for you. – Douma smiles innocently, taking off the scarf he kept around his neck all morning. Using his free hand, he removes the wrap Akutagawa keeps around his neck to cover the scar and wraps the scarf in place. – There, there. Enjoy~
– What? – Akutagawa gasps with wide eyes. Douma went and did this in front of everyone. – Why...?!
– So that you can be well, of course! Maybe that way, you'll be more careful if you get hurt. – His smile is plastic and his eyes don't look away from Akutagawa's, but his tone alerts everyone and the Otoyako who had just returned to the room a few seconds ago. – I'd hate to see another bruise like that – he touches the injured area. The bruise has diminished over the week. And the cut wasn't deep enough to show since it was taken care of immediately. – Be more careful, okay? Oh, Hinako! How are the preparations going?
– A-Almost ready, sir! – she lowers her head, embarrassed. Her hands grip the yukata tightly. Akutagawa thinks she's afraid of Douma. Well, she should be.
– Great. Good job everyone~
Douma waves, leaving them behind.
Otoyako looks at Akutagawa the moment Douma leaves the place, her lips are pressed into a thin line, however, she says nothing and turns her attention to the other women, to know the progress.
– Boy – Otoyako calls without looking at him, tasting one of the foods. – Everything is on track here. Emi asked you to go to Ikeda.
Akutagawa blinks silently, not believing that she actually spoke “normally” to him.
– Of course... – the hesitation in his speech is more because he didn't expect such an action from Otoyako. On the other hand, Douma was there before and politely warned him to stay on the line. – I'm going.
***
Finding Ikeda wasn't hard. He was busy hanging lanterns between trees and supports. The tables were poorly positioned, and Sougo wasn't doing a good job of being proactive. They were just piling everything into the corner.
– Emi told me to help you, Ikeda. – Akutagawa says at the foot of the stairs.
– Akutagawa! How nice to see you – Ikeda smiles brightly, at the same time he loses his balance and falls on his butt on the floor.
– Are you okay? – the man holding onto the ladder asks, worried.
– Yes, yes. It didn’t hurt much. – He laughs.
– O-Okay – the man looks between Akutagawa and Ikeda, awkwardly. Akutagawa can see that he wants to get out of there, but Akutagawa doesn't intend to let him get away that easily.
– If you guys are done with that, let's put the tables back in place. If we have a couple more people, that's enough. There could be some women too. – Akutagawa looks around, seeing who is most willing to join their mission.
It didn't progress as quickly as Akutagawa thought it could if everything had been organized from the beginning, but they finished on time without further incident. They were able to bring the pots of food out of the kitchen and finish decorating with the lights in their proper places.
– Good job. – He says to everyone who responds back, satisfied.
He's walking away to go back to his room and procrastinate until everyone is done showering, however, Ikeda is on his tail faster than he can think.
“Aren’t you going to wash up?” the alpha asks helpfully. “I can stand by the door.”
Akutagawa stops in his tracks and looks at Ikeda, analyzing his words and expression. It didn't seem like he had any ulterior motives in offering.
Ikeda probably knows how hard it is for him to live there as a male omega. The bathrooms were “public” so to speak. That’s why the group was divided between men and women. Sougo’s group and Otoyako’s group.
Without belonging to either of them, Akutagawa was held hostage by unwanted situations. He certainly wouldn't be disrespectful to any of the women in this place in that sense, he had a younger sister after all, but they wouldn't feel comfortable with him around and he understood that.
As for the alphas... Well, they were all curious about him. And while half of them were either indifferent or respectful, there was still the part that wanted to know what a male omega was like. The only one who had a personal bathroom was Douma, and Akutagawa wasn't going to go up to him and ask him to let him use it. It would be quite humiliating.
Akutagawa intended to wait for everyone to forget about him and leave to take a bath in a natural lake near the temple. It was isolated and most people didn't walk there as there were no fruits or mushrooms to pick.
– No need. I can take care of myself. – Akutagawa leaves Ikeda behind, who insistently runs after him again.
“We can talk to Emiko-san! I’m sure she won’t object to keeping watch.”
– It’s not the “doorman” that’s the problem. – Akutagawa says, making air quotes with his fingers. – Don’t worry about me, okay? I’ll show up clean and presentable on time.
– Of course. – Ikeda’s shoulders slump and his face becomes sad.
In truth, Akutagawa could have accepted Ikeda’s offer even if it was Emi who helped him in the end. However, that wouldn’t exactly make him safe. Sougo was still quite inconvenient, considering that the alphas had the final say, if he wanted to join in, he would definitely oppress Emi. And if that happened, Otoyako would get angry. And it would all come back to Akutagawa in the end.
***
He makes sure everyone sees him go to his room. That way, with his stealth skill, he could easily sneak out without anyone noticing.
After a good five-minute walk to clear his mind, he reaches the lake. It is surrounded by trees and a quarry that extends a few meters into the lake. When night falls, the moon and stars reflect their brightness in a beautiful way, leaving him in awe of their complexity.
There he can relax as much as he wants. Well, as long as no one finds out.
When he bathes, he never takes off his nagajuban completely , keeping it from the waist down, leaving room to move his legs and wash himself. This way he can always use Rashoumon in an emergency situation.
“Maybe I should look for a way to get back to Yokohama... But...”
Is it okay for him to come back after failing like that?
Would they be happy with your return?
He had no idea how he ended up in that place in the first place. He didn't even have any idea where to start looking that would give him any idea of how to get back to Yokohama.
After everything... He doesn't even know if he still wants to go back and face everyone's disappointed looks when they realize he was back after failing in his mission to protect Atsushi and defeat Fukuchi.
Either way, he loses.
Whether in this world or the next.
He sighs and sneezes. The water is cold since it is night now. In this world, there are no medicines as advanced as those in his world, so he needs to be more careful if he doesn't want to get seriously ill.
– I almost thought you had run away.
Eyes widening, Akutagawa flinches and activates Rashoumon, tentacles sweeping around him protectively. He glances over his shoulder, spotting Douma near a tree, eyes shining as the fan in his hand gently sways his platinum hair.
– Why... WHY ARE YOU HERE?! – he screams, sinking up to his shoulders in the side.
– Like I said, you disappeared. – Douma doesn’t care about the situation he found Akutagawa in. He also doesn’t seem affected by the omega’s partial nudity. – You have a tattoo on your back. – He comments curiously. Akutagawa hadn’t told him before.
Air bubbles burst on the surface of the water. Well, it's Douma. Despite his annoying habit of invading your personal space, he's never been disrespectful to him or anyone else.
He gets back on his feet and crawls out of the water. Grabbing the towel, she wipes her face and wet hair first. There's no point in wearing the nagajuban again and there's no way to change in front of Douma.
– Yes, I do. So what?
Akutagawa blinks and Douma has disappeared from where he was standing near the tree. Douma sneaks up behind him quickly and silently, looking at his back with his fan against his face.
– What's your problem?! – Akutagawa uses the towel to protect himself from the demon's gaze, placing it in front of his body.
– It's a beautiful dragon. – Douma says with a shrug. Akutagawa looks at him suspiciously, which Douma ignores in favor of getting more information about the tattoo. – I understand now why you prefer to sneak around like that.
“I’m not.” Akutagawa stops. He was actually doing just that. “That’s not why.” But he won’t explain his thoughts to Douma now.
– If you need privacy, you can use my quarters.
It's a surprise that Douma would offer this, but Akutagawa wasn't born yesterday, and no matter how sincere Douma may be in his intentions, there's no way he wouldn't want something strange in return. Even if it was to sing or chat all night.
– How awful. – Akutagawa grimaces. – I don't even want to think about all the confusion that will occur if someone sees me leaving your room after taking a shower.
– You seem like you don’t care about others, but in reality you’re always worried about rumors, hm?
– That’s different! I don’t care if they think, but I can’t leave here. And your backward, old-fashioned thinking is a pain in the ass to deal with. – He puts his hands on his hips, irritated. – Back in my day, there were still people who looked down on me. Like that stupid Jinko – he grunts at the memory. – Always wanting me to behave. Yuck. You’re not the one who’s going to deal with the indirect attacks because no one’s going to say anything to your face. Unless you don’t mind if I knock your house down on those idiots’ heads?
Douma lets out a small chuckle when he finishes.
– I would prefer you not kill my food source.
- Then -
– I'm sure you can be careful. It's better than catching a cold. – Douma puts his haori on the omega's shoulders, who gives the demon an angry but harmless look.
– Are you carrying this around to give it to me by any chance? – Akutagawa scoffs. He doesn't refuse the piece of clothing in the end.
– Yes. Of course. It would be unpleasant if someone else saw you like that.
Eyes widening, the omega blushes at the idea, turning his back so that Douma wouldn't see his expression.
– It's like you care, idiot. – The omega mutters softly.
– Let's go back, you might get sick. We don't want that. – Douma walks ahead, without turning around to see if Akutagawa is following him, he is sure that he is.
***
The image never leaves your head, a black Chinese dragon with red and purple details, which covers almost its entire back. The head is close to the back of the neck and the body appears to move from side to side until the point where the tail ends at the end of the back. There was a moon in the center of a part of the curled body, it is blood red.
It's so in contrast to Akutagawa's pale skin.
Even with the tattoo, there are still some lighter scars that go over the dragon, as if they were done later. Which they probably were, since Akutagawa was an active criminal.
The scars weren't just on his back, they were on his ribs and stomach, and the purple marks on his arms and forearms were still visible. Even in a quick movement when Akutagawa came out of the water, Douma could see the scratches on the inside of his thighs.
“He seems to have had a hard life...” Douma thinks to himself, distantly.
He has no scars. His parents always took care that there was never an imperfection in him. And even when they died and a priest took care of him, any permanent damage was forbidden. Even when men and women came to him for purification.
“No wonder he doesn’t care that I’m a demon. Humans are no different to him.” He concluded at the end.
Despite the scars, the omega's body was curvy as expected of an omega, but had more hard muscles than it looked despite its thin appearance.
Nothing was what it seemed about Akutagawa. With his occasional coughs, everyone thought he was in poor health and treated him like glass, something the omega hated. Akutagawa, on the other hand, was not simply frail. Even when he got tired quickly, he endured all the work until the end. Even with coughs and shortness of breath, his movements were precise.
He took all his weakness, swallowed it, and stopped complaining. He moved on.
Akutagawa was different from the others he had met. He was moody, but so caring for the people he cared about. He was capable of giving himself up so that those people would be happy.
Douma looks up at the sky as he walks, pretending not to see the way Akutagawa hides inside his haori, pleased and grumpy at the same time.
“Why... am I thinking about this?”
***
The party went off without a hitch. All the food recipes were finished on time, the drinks were placed in their proper places, and the decorations were amazing if Akutagawa had any say in the matter. Kouyou would be proud of her attempt at theming the place.
Otoya certainly noticed that he had a lot of input in getting everything done, in the cooking, food storage, decoration, and organization. Akutagawa ran away from her all night so that she wouldn't come and talk about something that discredited her head.
The music was lively and loud, a little out of tune for the people playing, lacking technique, Akutagawa would say, however, it didn't seem to take away from the fun of the moment.
Akutagawa sat beneath a distant tree, drink in hand, taking slow, small sips so he wouldn't have to get up to the storage place.
Douma sat comfortably on a red picnic blanket with cushions and an armrest. Drinks were brought to him whenever his glass was empty. Women danced on the grass in front of him, showing off their routines that they had rehearsed for weeks.
– Everyone is having fun.
“I can see that,” Akutagawa comments back. Ikeda lets out a weak laugh, sitting down next to him with a glass and a bottle.
– Don't tell anyone. – Ikeda shows a playful smile and shrugs his shoulders shyly.
– I'll think about it. – Akutagawa holds out the empty glass for Ikeda to fill. He does so without delay, filling his own glass afterwards.
The two of them stood in comfortable silence watching Yumi dance with a wide smile on her face. She waved at Akutagawa from afar and took off in the other direction, condemning with the other girl.
“Yumi-chan is a good dancer, isn’t she? She practiced for weeks to perform for His Holiness.”
“I heard that.” Akutagawa nodded. Yumi had told him to watch her carefully when she introduced herself. “She’ll definitely brag about her perfection later.”
– I can just imagine your ego soaring when His Holiness praises you. – Ikeda’s shoulders tremble as he laughs. His cheeks are flushed, probably already altered by the alcohol. – Hey –
– Hm? – Akutagawa looks away from the dance, to Ikeda who is leaning on his right arm, leaning towards him.
Now, he had two options at that moment. He could either walk away and carry on as if nothing had happened as usual, or he could get a little closer and enjoy his stay there more.
In Yokohama he was already a bit promiscuous considering his affairs here and there. Since he arrived there, he has behaved so that no one would say anything bad about him, but he is getting tired of behaving like that. He wants back his freedom to be in control of himself, to choose who he wants to be with.
Ikeda was handsome, a nice alpha even. Akutagawa didn't intend to make any commitments to him, maybe a one or two night fling.
He has been behaving just because –
When he leans closer to Ikeda, to hear what he had to say, the alpha's scent becomes a little stronger, as if he is excited by his approach.
– Have you thought about going to the city?
– Hmhm – Akutagawa drags out his answer. Not really. He definitely wants to go to the city to change the air around him, however, there is just one problem there. – Not yet. I need to – his eyes fall on Douma who is looking back.
Akutagawa couldn't even tell what the demon was thinking at that moment, given the way he hid half of his face with his fan. A unique habit that Akutagawa found endearing.
He doesn't know if he's smiling, gritting his teeth, or just staring blankly. Swallowing hard, he looks at Ikeda, who looked in the same direction as him when he took his time to respond.
– I still need to talk to Douma. – Akutagawa finally answers, slowly moving away from Ikeda, so that he doesn't suspect anything strange.
It's not like Akutagawa cared about what Douma thought, not at all. He just didn't want him to get some weird idea and end up interfering in his fun. Who knows what Douma's petty side could come up with in the midst of his evil and mysterious plans.
– Why would you need to talk to the boss? – Ikeda frowns, a little uncomfortable.
Ikeda can't be so stupid as to not at least think about the connection the two seem to have. From the rumors, from the smell that the omega always exudes. Even the pieces of clothing he had allegedly been stealing, according to Otoya.
But Ikeda knows that Akutagawa wouldn't do something like steal someone's clothes, even if he had to. He's met Akutagawa and talked to him. Ikeda knows that deep down he's a good omega. His Holiness was just being kind by taking care of him when everyone else was hostile.
Maybe that was why Akutagawa needed to talk to Douma before agreeing. His leader was being his protector here when no one else would speak for him in a real fight.
– Well... I help him with everything sometimes... I need to let him know whether or not I'll be present. – Akutagawa lies easily.
– Don’t worry! Before you arrived, other people did this! I’m sure it won’t be a problem! – Ikeda insists and approaches again.
– Y...Yes.. – Akutagawa looks away. – I'll look into this properly. Give me some time. – He murmurs.
Ikeda gives a smile that looks like it will serve as illumination for the rest of the night.
– I will wait with anticipation! – he says.
***
Akutagawa managed to be alone after Ikeda left, called by one of his friends to talk somewhere else. It was a good thing, since the atmosphere had become a bit awkward after Ikeda insisted he go to town again.
He at least left the rest of the bottle.
It's a good thing he has a high resistance to poisons and drugs. But he'd like to get drunk there, maybe it would kill him and send him to another world less messed up than this one.
– Ryuunosuke-san! Ryuunosuke-san!!
Yume runs in front of Emi, throwing herself next to the omega and hugging him from the side. It makes Akutagawa a little uncomfortable, but he prevails.
– Hello Yume, Emi. Douma. – Akutagawa looks and speaks to everyone one by one. His gaze locks with the rainbows of the demon who smiled as if everything was normal.
Well, to everyone else it looked like a normal smile, but there was something in Douma's eyes. With so many years around manipulative and calculating people, Akutagawa had learned a thing or two about differentiating moods and expressions, no matter how small.
– Did you see me dance? Did you like it? – Yume grabs his arm, pressing it against her chest.
– You danced well, Yume. Just like you said you would. – Akutagawa answers as evasively as possible, so that Yume would be happy, but not insist too much on “yes” and “no”.
– Yume-chan prepared a lot. – Emi smiles proudly.
– Who wouldn't be impressed? Yume-chan and the others did very well. – Douma speaks softly and sits next to Akutagawa, in the same place where Ikeda was before, just not respecting the omega's personal space as much. Their thighs were touching and he didn't seem willing to lose contact and space.
– Yes, His Holiness is right – Emi agreed with a giggle at Yume's childish actions. The youngest of them kept getting more and more attached to Akutagawa. Whether she had a crush or saw him as an older brother, Emi still didn't know.
– Ryuunosuke-san helped me memorize the steps! And increasing some! The others loved it! – Yume says remembering.
– So you dance too? – Douma jokes next to the omega, finding it amusing that the omega who hated traditional things ended up learning so many things like that.
– Shut up! Anee-san told me that having knowledge has nothing to do with “following the rules”! It’s personal growth! – Akutagawa says back, blushing with embarrassment. A little irritated too. – Besides, Gin liked to dance and sing...
– And you are that brother with the complex.
– Fuck you, Douma.
– Sure, where? – the demon bats his eyelashes, giving a gallant smile that takes all of Akutagawa's self-control not to punch him there.
On the other hand, Emi gasps audibly and Yume is totally embarrassed, trying to look anywhere.
Akutagawa doesn't even know when the demon began to understand the words of his time. Maybe they have lived together a lot now and that's why Douma can answer him like that.
He hated the devil.
– Ryuunosuke-kun would get along well with Gyutaro-kun. You two are the same kind of brother. Is your sister cuter than you?
– If I ever find her, you're the last person I'll let near her!
The conversation between the two was progressing in a direction that the other two could not follow. Not only that, the way they spoke, the subject, was not something that other people were familiar with. And the two were simply so caught up in their own little world that it took them a while to notice that other people were not following the conversation.
– S-So, does Akutagawa-kun have sisters? – Emi asks awkwardly, trying to break the mood of shock and embarrassment between her and Yume.
Akutagawa's eyes widen a little as he stares at Douma, finally realizing that he actually... doesn't know if he still has it. He looks down at his hands in his lap, playing with the fabric of his gray yukata.
– I don't know... If she... If my sister is alive or not... – he mutters sadly, frustrated because it was probably his weakness that killed her and everyone else. – Anee-san was... She wasn't my real sister... She just took care of everyone.
Emi felt guilty for asking. Of course the younger one would have some sad story behind his cold exterior. She was very rude to ask without thinking properly.
- I'm sorry -
– It's okay. I'm fine with that. I just miss her. That's it. – Akutagawa smiles weakly, cutting Emi off before she can continue her apology that would last much longer than he's willing to listen to at that moment. He knows Emi didn't mean to be rude, she was just curious since he wasn't talking about himself.
Douma looked at the omega, he was taken a little by surprise. Little by little, Akutagawa talked more about himself, although he was evasive whenever he could. He didn't expect the omega to answer the question about his sister, especially to Emi, but the woman had always treated the omega well since she arrived there.
Looking at that expression, Douma thinks he doesn't like her. It was an ugly habit that Akutagawa had.
“He always smiles when someone touches on a personal subject that hurts him.”
It’s not a real smile. It’s different from the ones Akutagawa showed him when he was mocking him or being ironic. Douma has yet to see a happy smile.
– Ryuunosuke-san! – Yume holds Akutagawa’s right hand between hers. Her eyes are filled with tears. She sniffles. – Don’t worry! You can talk to me whenever you need! I’ll help you! I’m sure your sister would want you to be happy! Wherever she is! Stay strong.
Douma sees the way Akutagawa's lips tighten slightly, he even thinks that the omega will give a harsh response in retaliation for Yume's audacity in thinking she knows his sister.
– Of course, Yume. Thank you. – The smile still doesn’t reach her eyes.
– Yume-chan is right. I will always be here for you, Ryuunosuke-kun. – Douma sniffs and wipes away a tear.
It works as expected, Akutagawa's gaze returns to normal and reflects a certain contempt for him. Douma thinks it's better this way.
-Ryuunosuke-san-
Yume doesn't finish what she starts, a lively song starts playing and she is called by the other women to join the dance again. She seems hesitant for a few seconds, however, encouraged by Akutagawa, she stands up to join the others.
– Look at me well Ryuunosuke-san! It will cheer you up! – Yume runs.
– Such high confidence – Douna whispers to himself.
– Yume-chan is a good girl. It's a shame that her parents died so young. It was lucky that His Holiness found her. – Emi smiles at the memory. When Douma brought a twelve-year-old girl to the temple with him and asked them to take care of her because she had nowhere else to go.
“How did her parents die?” Akutagawa dares to ask. Yume is always excited, whether or not she remembers what happened is still unclear. Maybe she just didn’t want to worry anyone.
– They were killed. It looks like a wild animal got into the house. – Emi says sadly.
– Animal... – Akutagawa glances at Douma, who looks back at him with a smile that gives nothing away. Narrowing his eyes, Akutagawa moves away from the demon a few inches. – Bastard. – He mutters a curse.
He has no doubt whatsoever that the “animal” was Douma himself and by some strange whim on his part, he ended up bringing Yume with him.
Akutagawa doesn't care who Douma kills for food. However, he doesn't like situations like these. It's despicable that someone would be willing to do something like that for some internal amusement.
Thinking for a few more seconds, he comes to the conclusion that he is not sober enough to ignore the situation. So he brings the bottle closer to him, checking if there are any traces of alcohol left inside. He smiles when he discovers that there is still half a bottle left.
Viva.
– If I didn't know Juuinchiro was a good boy, I'd think he was trying to get you drunk. – Douma takes the claw from the omega's hands, pouring it from his free side, straight onto the grass.
– Hey! – Akutagawa even tried to take the bottle back, but Douma easily kept it in place with his free hand. – What's your problem?
– Ryuunosuke-kun shouldn't drink so much. – Douma says calmly. – You should eat too. Emi. Get some food for Ryuunosuke-kun will you? Poor thing has been hiding here since early.
– I haven't been hiding here!
– Of course, Your Holiness! I'll go right now! – Emi nods, laughing nervously.
Akutagawa grumbles as Emi walks away.
– You didn't need to kick her out.
– But then I couldn't spend time alone with you. – Is the answer given so naturally that it seems true.
– As if. – Akutagawa sighs.
– It's true. You were sooo close to Juuinchiro... – Douma leans in to whisper. – I thought I had to get rid of him.
– Don't you dare.
– Worried? I can think you care about him. – Douma jokes.
Akutagawa doesn't answer. Grimacing, he looks at the party. He has no obligation to Douma for the demon to tell him who to get involved with or not.
– I want to go to the city. – Akutagawa finally says. It's not a request, he's stating a fact. If he stays there, he'll definitely go crazy and it won't be good for anyone if his insanity reaches him.
– Hhmm no! – Douma continues to smile as he speaks, his voice even brighter.
– I'm going crazy from continuing to see the same things. – Akutagawa insists, his tone of voice forced to be low and patient.
– You already help with the fields here.
– It's not the same thing. And you know it.
– It’s still a no. There’s no reason for you to leave the temple.
– Douma –
“Is this about Juuinchiro?” Douma looks at him, the fan gently swinging back and forth, ruffling the platinum strands of his blonde hair. “Do you want to go out with him?”
– I want to get out of here.
– There's nothing for you out there.
– Not here! – Akutagawa gets irritated, Rashoumon bristles on his clothes, moving in small, light movements. Like a bothered cat's tail. – So what if I want to go out with Ikeda? It has nothing to do with you –
“It all makes sense, little lamb.” Douma closes his fan tighter, making a louder noise to drown out the omega’s voice. Leaning down, he presses the closed fan to the omega’s lips and smiles. “You’re not going anywhere out of my reach.”
Feeling his anger getting the better of him, Akutagawa takes a deep breath, pushing the fan away from his face. He can't fight Douma. The demon will be more annoying if he sees that he's taking something he wants.
Despite being a demon, Douma is rational and prone to talking things out before making any decisions. If Akutagawa is careful, Douma may still give in.
– I won't run away, but you can come too. And keep an eye on me. – Akutagawa speaks expectantly. – I'm going crazy repeating this routine day after day. I'm going to freak out. I need to get out. I'll be back. It's not like there's anything for me out there, you said it yourself! Douma – he stretches out his hand and shows his little finger. – I promise.
The action catches the demon off guard, bringing back some old memories of a woman with a beautiful voice, who held a newborn baby as if she wanted to protect him from everything. Who sang silly and affectionate songs about love and protection for her son.
Slowly, Douma raises his pinky in the same way, holding it with the omega's who seems relieved by the action. Akutagawa smiles victoriously.
– If you run away, I'll kill you. – He says, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
– I know. – Akutagawa nods nonchalantly. – Emi –
Douma looks at the omega who is receiving the other omega with a softer expression. His shoulders are no longer hunched as if he was defensive like before. Their knees are touching again and the omega is eating slowly while watching Yume dance.
Looking at Akutagawa's hand, he looks at his own. His pinky is stretched out. He made a pinky promise with Akutagawa.
That was so stupid .
But why did it seem so important that it be maintained?