||Lungs of roses|| Hanihaki Au | Shin Soukoku | Bungou Stray Dogs

A Beautiful Smile (1)

"Akutagawa?"

Chuuya called out to the younger Port Mafia member in his room. He had been looking for Akutagawa all morning. As he passed the bathroom he heard an awful retching sound from the bathroom. A few seconds of listening to the vile sound, the ginger realized who was in there. He knocked on the door before speaking up.

"Ryu- Akutagawa?" The older refrained from using the younger's first name, not knowing if there was anyone nearby who was listening, "Can you unlock the door please?" He leaned against the door frame, waiting for a response.

Chuuya heard some shuffling, the toilet flushing, then the door lock clicking. The raven-haired man opened the door. He wiped the remaining blood that dripped from his mouth. He couldn't and didn't look the ginger in the eyes, all he could do was lean his head onto the shorter's shoulder with a silent sob. The ginger ran his fingers through the younger's hair.

"It'll be okay, I will be here with you until..." He trailed off, he didn't dare finish that sentence. Without a word, Akutagawa wiped his tears and walked away silently. Chuuya, himself, wanted to cry his heart out for his "brother" figure. He was very aware of the fact that he was almost the big brother of the mafia. It hurt to know he was going to lose a sibling, and very slowly at that.

Chuuya didn't see Akutagawa for the rest of the day...

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Akutagawa still strived to impress Dazai, a repetitive and tiring task. He now started to realize that it was only wasting his time.

Ring! Ring!

His phone began to ring and vibrate in his pocket as he was roaming around town, clearing his head. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and flipped it open. The contact that flashed on the screen read "Boss". He pushed the answer button and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Yes? Hello?" He answered.

"You're needed for a joint mission with the agency - with the were-tiger." He felt his breath hitch when the were-tiger was mentioned. "Head to the Agency building for more information."

"Uh-"

Beep... Beep...

Before he could finish processing, Mori had hung up.

Akutagawa thought it best if he headed to the agency like the boss recommended.

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When the mafioso made it to the door of The Detective Agency he hesitated to knock. He finally brought his hand up to the door to knock. Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Hmm..?" Atsushi hummed questionly, " Who is that?" He slowly got up from his seat, seeing as no one even acknowledged the knock or his question. He finally opened the door to an unexpected, tired looking Akutagawa.

"A-Akutagawa?!" Atsushi jumped back as he stuttered. Akutagawa pushed past the were-tiger as he walked into the agency.

"Shut it were-tiger, we have a mission?" Akutagawa questioned the president, Fukuzawa, who had previously been talking to Kunikida. He spoke with a hand over his mouth.

"Yes, we need you two to go undercover to investigate a group that has recently been spotted carrying illegal bombs, weapons, drugs, etc. to the port" The president tapped a stack of papers on the desk, straightening them out before handing them to the mafioso. The mafioso looked through the reports and pictures.

Atsushi soon jumped in, "Why can't we just arrest and question them?" He fidgeted with his fingers as he talked.

"They know who we are and threaten to bomb the port if we interfere, that threatens the lives of innocent people."

'I guess that's right,' Atsushi thought to himself.

"And what about pairing up with Akutagawa?" Atsushi glanced over to the man in question who snarled back.

"His ability and his knowledge of the port" was all the president had said before starting to head off to his office. "You both will receive outfits to go undercover in" he added.

"So, I am assuming that..." Atsushi turned to Akutagawa, "You'll just stay here until the mission is over." Akutagawa looked disgusted at the statement. Before he could say anything Naomi Tanizaki came in, holding two bags of what could only be clothes.

"I've got your outfits!" She cheered. She handed one bag to the two males who stood next to each other. Atsushi could see the visual cringe on Akutagawa's face as he pulled out some black jeans. The tag attached to the pants read "Skinny Jeans."

"This is stupid" Akutagawa placed the pants back in the bag. Atsushi copied Aku and pulled out a cute white hoodie and smiled. "Thank you Naomi-Chan!"

His smile was beautiful...

Akutagawa couldn't help but to smile a bit at the beauty.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

'No, No, No! Not again! Not here'

"Where is your restroom?" Akutagawa managed to get out before he was thrown into a slight coughing fit. Atsushi looked concerned but answered the question, "Over there" he pointed in the direction of the restroom. Akutagawa darted. He had forgotten to locked the door behind him.

Cough! Cough! Cough!

He coughed up blood into the toilet. This had become normal, though he hadn't gotten used to the feeling. Today was different... When he observed the remains of what he threw up.

Flowers...

There were flower petals - Burgundy rose petals. The petals were mixed in with his crimson blood. It was an oddly beautiful sight. Who knew such a horrible man could make such a beautiful sight but in a horrible way.

"What the hell- Cough!" More blood and petals spilled.

"Are you okay in there?" The were-tiger asked from outside the door.

"I'm- Cough - FINE! DAMMIT" He yelled out of fear of him finding out that he is "weak".

"O-okay" Akutagawa listened as the footsteps retreated. As he flushed the blood and petals down the toilet he felt a heavy dizziness wash over him. He was aware that he was about to pass out, and that was exactly what he did. Everything faded to black and he lost consciousness.

About everyone in the office heard the thud that came from the restroom. Worried about what could've happened, Atsushi ran over to the door and tried the door on the off-chance that it was unlocked, which it was. He slowly opened the door. As he opened it, he was welcomed with a disturbing sight. Akutagawa was lying unconscious on the ground with blood dripping from his mouth. He noticed more blood staining the white cravat around his neck.

Atsushi stood for a moment, trying to register what he was looking at. He finally moved to pick the man up off the floor. He moved him into a sitting position, propped up against the wall. He placed the man's arm over his shoulder as he wrapped his own arms around the man's waist and supported his arm with his free hand. As he proceeded to walk he noticed the unnatural weights of the mafia member. He was light - too light. Had he even been eating?

Atsushi walked Akutagawa out into the office. He looked over to the doctor before speaking. "Yosano-san! Can you help him?"

Yosano looked up from the paperwork she was doing. "My..! Of course I can" She hurried to help Atsushi carry Akutagawa to the infirmary, expecting the man to be heavier. "He's really underweight!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah... I noticed that too."