The End Of It All | Akutagawa Ryunosuke x Any! Reader

{Chapter 10}

5pm - five hours until the time Dazai dictated. 

"Don't go." His facial expression was emptier than Y/N had ever seen, indicating that he was scared. To a regular onlooker, he would just look a little scary, but his partner knew him well enough to know what he was truly feeling. 

"But he threatened us, and the letter had no address meaning he knows where I am." Y/N replied, attempting to not let their anxiety show in their voice. Despite him apologising last time they saw him, Dazai still terrified them to the core. 

"I'll come with you then." He turned his face to lock eyes with Y/N as if silently telling them that he was truly serious. 

"I don't think that's a good id-"

"Tough." Akutagawa snatched the letter from the desk and went over to his to inspect it closer. Y/N sighed, knowing that this probably wasn't going to go well but it was better than the potential of being attacked in their own home. Defeatedly, they slumped back into their office chair and carried on with the paperwork they had in front of them. Anxiety built up inside of them, finding every unexplored area of Y/N's body to hide, refusing to remove itself. Every part of their brain whirred with potential scenarios of how the night would go, most of which ended in disaster. 

8pm - two hours until the time Dazai dictated

Silence fell between the two as they sat on the raven's sofa, as if both suddenly realising who they were about to meet. One which they had not talked to as a pair for the best part of two years. Chats which ended up falling to unpleasant circumstances where one or both would be scolded and Y/N had to watch in terror as their partner was pummelled by the older man. 

"It'll be fine." Y/N's partner reassured them, even though it was more likely that he was reassuring himself. 

"I don't wanna go, but I have to." Y/N sighed, feeling defeated that they were pandering to this man again. Following his orders due to fear of being in danger. 

"I'll be there if anything goes wrong. I'll make sure he doesn't try to hurt either of us. I'll prove to him that I'm powerful enough to defeat him." The dark haired man looked to his left to gain eye contact with Y/N. "That we're powerful enough." 

The two stared at each other for the best part of twenty seconds, a tension forming between the two which had never formed before. It was as if there was a magnetic force between them, attracting them to the other's eyes. Time passed achingly slow, neither of the two wishing to break the tension but not wanting to risk the consequences if they didn't. After a tussle of emotions, Akutagawa was the first to pull away, causing the other to look down, noticing that the two had joined hands unconsciously. They pulled their hands away and looked away from their partner. Unbeknownst to Y/N, Akutagawa was smiling again, a smile which he wished to hide from Y/N at all cost. 

9:30pm - Half an hour until the time Dazai dictated

February was in deep fruition, plunging Yokohama into an encompassing chill. One which could not be held back by Port Mafia uniforms. Even with his long coat, Akutagawa could feel the cold air brushing against the skin underneath. The cold also bit at his nose, causing it to turn red, a sheer comparison to his pale death like colouring. His partner, however, had other things on their mind distracting them from the bitter weather that surrounded them. Poisonous thoughts swirled in their usually empty mind. Thoughts which depicted the worst case scenarios which could possibly occur within the next few hours. An uneasy feeling formed in their stomach and creeped up their throat, pressing against their windpipe. 

"I can't do this." The two had now approached the alleyway in which the bar resided. Y/N stopped dead in their tracks, their partner took that as a hint that he should too. Supportively, he placed a hand on their upper back, moving it slightly to comfort them but also as a way to ease them along the alleyway. 

"Come on, it's like ripping off a plaster." He didn't quite believe the words himself when they left his mouth but he spoke them none the less. 

"You know I take plasters off slowly." 

"Don't deflect my point." A slight laugh emerged from Akutagawa, thankful for the slight tension release, the body which his hand rested on began to move away from him, indicating that Y/N was ready. That couldn't be further from the truth. The queasy feeling still remained stagnant in them, increasing with every step. Red lit up the faces of the two mafiosos as the sign came into sight and that was when the nausea finally took its toll. 

"I'm gonna be sick." 

"You're no-" Akutagawa's sentence was cut short by retching sounds coming from his partner. Quickly, he glanced over at them. What he was saying was definitely incorrect. 

"I did not expect this meeting to begin by seeing today's lunch." Akutagawa and Y/N turned their head, the latter wiping their mouth with a tissue which was conveniently in their coat pocket. Well, he sure knew how to make the two even more uncomfortable. A grin spread across Dazai's face as he turned to look at Akutagawa. The dark haired man held his breath. It was truly incredible how this man who had killed so many people in his lifetime still felt weak in the presence his old mentor. 

"Ah, Y/N~ you seem to have brought a friend."