Soukoku One-Shots

The Silence You Left (With Me)

Post-Canon

The bar was loud, full of jostling drunkards and the sound of clinking glasses. Chuuya sat with a few of his subordinates and some of the Black Lizard, including a bickering Gin and Tachihara, with a cigarette between his teeth and a full glass of wine by his hand. The noise wasn't doing anything good for his headache, but the smoke did—that's what he told himself, anyway, as the throb in his temples persisted.

His limbs felt heavy—ironic for someone who could control gravity, but capturing rogue ability users was always a hassle and this group had been especially uncooperative. He'd spent the entire day exercising his ability, throwing punches with ten times their normal power, tossing entire buildings around. It was understandable that even he would be more than winded by the end of the escapade.

So when Tachihara suggested that everyone on the mission go out for drinks as a congratulation to themselves, he'd been hesitant to accept. It sounded more appealing to drink in his giant bathtub than surrounded by a bunch of wasted criminals, but he owed it to them (and wouldn't admit how convincing Gin was when she wanted to be.) He'd been so busy for a long while, now, so buying his friends a few drinks was the least he could do. They still had blood on their coats and dust in their hair when they stumbled into the bar, tripping and hollering over each other with wide grins, but no one minded.

"You didn't do shit! I had to haul all those nasty bodies out myself while you just watched me from the road."

"I'm not a low-level grunt."

Tachihara threw his hands up in the air and nearly smacked Higuchi straight across the face in the process. "We're in the same group, you idiot!"

"Call me an idiot again when I blend up your balls and feed them to you through your ears," Gin said.

Everyone grimaced.

"Okay, anyway," Tachihara cleared his throat, "Chuuya."

All eyes went to the resident executive, who arched a brow at the sudden attention.

Tachihara's grin was lazy, sheepish. "We're glad you came out. Been a while since we've all gone drinking together."

"It probably helps that it's on his dime," Higuchi added.

"Yep."

Chuuya chuckled, waving a hand. "No problem. We've earned the right to get shit-faced tonight anyway."

"Cheers to that!"

Shouting and cheering all around as glasses clinked and Chuuya chuckled as he took a gulp from his own glass, which was still mostly full. He'd love to down at least three, but he also had an important meeting with Kouyou tomorrow morning and she might slice him to pieces if he showed up with a hangover.

Chuuya leaned over and ruffled Akutagawa's hair with a wolfish smile, raising his glass. "Cheers, kid."

Akutagawa didn't smile—those had become nearly extinct since their final clash with the Decay of Angels, and that was saying something considering the normal amount before that—but the corners of his lips may have twitched. "Cheers, sir." It was quiet, so quiet that Chuuya didn't catch it, but he'd become good at reading Akutagawa and heard it all the same.

He offered him a secret smile, something a bit regretful and mostly resigned.

"Hey, keep your hands off my drink!" Tachihara exclaimed, waving Kaji away. "You'll poison me!"

"But it's for science!"

"Science can suck my—"

Gin whacked the back of his head.