BSD x OC

Chapter 31

Ali awkwardly sipped her cup of juice as she stood in the corner of the agency.

Damn... I literally almost killed myself the last chapter...

(The Suicide Help Guideline for the United States is: 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If you are not from the United States but still struggle with suicidal thoughts or  depression, please, please seek out help. Nobody's gonna judge you.)

... Alright, back to the story. But seriously, if you really do struggle with that kind of stuff, seek out help, get off this fanfiction, talk to your parents or trusted friends, and take your time.

I... Literally almost died in the last chapter and now I'm at the agency's celebration party... The tonal whiplash is insane...

Atsushi tried to get out of a drunk Yosano's grasp, looking for Ali for help. She drank the rest of her juice as she jogged over to him.

"Okay now Yosano... Get to Ranpo or something." She told her, picking her up and taking away the bottle from her hands.

Yosano pouted as she hiccupped, "Aw come on... We just fought of the big bad guys! We should at least celebrate a little..." She said, taking a nearby cup and pouring Ali some alcohol.

She nervously pushed away the cup, "I um... Probably shouldn't... Don't really wanna scare Kyouka when I come home drunk." She said, backing away from Yosano.

"It'll only be a bit! I mean... Unless you're one of those people who get really drunk really easily..." Yosano said, taking a step back from Ali as she looked at the bottle and then at Ali.

"I mean... You're pretty small so..." Yosano trailed off, placing the bottle on the table.

Atsushi's eyes widened as he looked at Ali, "W-wait Ali you're not that small!" He said quickly, watching how Ali balled up her fist slightly.

Not helping, Ranpo walked over to the three of them, "Well Atsushi... It's not good to lie y'know?" He said, "Now Yosano, don't give her alcohol, she'd probably pass out after a sip."He told Yosano, reaching out to take the bottle out of her hands.

Ali quickly intercepted Ranpo's hand, taking the bottle out of Yosano's hand and putting it to her mouth, quickly downing down the entire bottle.

Atsushi tried to grab the bottle out of her hands. but Ali easily dodged, all while drinking more alcohol that would've been "safe" for her size.

Finally, she slammed the bottle onto the table, wiping away some of it from the side of her mouth as she smirked. "Y'see! I'm not small!" She yelled, slightly slurring her words.

"All that shows is that you have good alcohol tolerance, plus, you're slurring your words." Ranpo told her, crossing his arms as he smirked at her.

Ali grabbed another bottle, quickly drinking it as she maintained eye contact with Ranpo. After a couple of moments, she gasped for air as she put the bottle on the table.

Ranpo's eyes slightly opened in surprise, before he reached out the grab the bottle, "H-hey that's not really safe." He said, looking at Atsushi for help.

Atsushi quickly nodded, grabbing Ali and holding her back, while Yosano and Ranpo both tried to pry the bottle out of Ali's hands.

"Hey... You could just ask y'know. I'm not that drunk..." Ali said, gently pushing away Atsushi and hugging the bottle closer to her.

Ranpo blinked a couple of times, "What's Atsushi's favorite food?" He asked warily.

"Rice with tea leaves." Ali responded quickly, causing Atsushi to slightly blush.

Ranpo nodded, "Alright then... What's Yosano's favorite food?" He asked, glancing at Yosano.

Yosano leaned down to Ranpo to whisper in his ear. "I don't think I told her that-"

"She doesn't have a favorite, but she likes trying out the food she sees on social media." Ali quickly told him, huffing proudly as she crossed her arms.

For a few seconds, Ranpo stayed silent, "Correct. Well to be exact, she also likes alcohol but that's not really a food." He corrected her, before trying to take away the bottle.

Ali jerked the bottle away from him with a smirk, "What do you tell me?" She asked somewhat smugly.

"Alright... You're not as drunk as I thought." He told her, still reaching out for the bottle.

"Wrong thing. You're pretty smart... Use your brain." She told him, hugging the bottle tightly as she looked at Ranpo expectantly.

He rolled his eyes, "Fine. You're pretty tall. Well, taller then Mr. Hat Guy at least..." He told her, causing Ali's mind to go to Scaramouche, before thinking of Chuuya.

"I guess he is sort of short..." She muttered, before taking another swig from her bottle. Allowing Atsushi to take it away from her once she was done.

Atsushi let out a relived sigh, looking at the remaining alcohol, contemplating whether or not he should drink it.

Well... It can't be that bad, can it? Plus it's like... A sip.

(Don't drink alcohol if you're underage, Atsushi may be 18, but the legal age to drink in Japan is 20... Then there's Dazai "you're never too young to drink" Osamu.)

"Wait Atsushi what are you doing-"

Atsushi immediately felt slightly dizzy, leaning against Ali for some support as he bent down.

Ali looked up at him in concern, helping him up as she took the bottle out of his hands. "Did you drink the alcohol?" She asked, looking at the empty bottle and then at Atsushi.

Atsushi nodded, quickly straightening himself, slightly wobbling as he tried to balance himself, "I'm sorry..." He told her, looking to the ground and fiddling with his fingers.

"Just be more careful next time okay?" She said, before realizing that he was crying. "H-Hey are you okay?" She asked, reaching her hand out cautiously to lift his head up.

"I... Did something bad... You probably hate me now..." He hiccupped, looking into Ali's eyes with his teary eyes.

Ah... Back in his orphanage, he'd probably get punished for even the smallest things...

She sighed as she took his head, lowering it so that his face would be snuggled into her neck, she stroked his back. "It's alright Atsushi... Everybody makes mistakes, and it's perfectly normal." She told him, before pushing him away.

"Now... Let's get you home, you're clearly drunk..." Then she paused for a moment, "And I'm a little tipsy too..."

...

Atsushi leaned against Ali and she helped him get home, he couldn't help but notice how nice she smelled.

She didn't smell like anything specific, just pleasant. If he had to describe it, he would've said that it smelled like butter or milk.

Ali noticed how close he was, slightly blushing but brushing it aside, allowing him to get closer to her.

Atsushi's head leaned up, his nose touching her ear as he inhaled heavily, sending shivers up Ali's spine.

Maybe it was the alcohol talking, or maybe Atsushi just couldn't help himself, or maybe it was something that had been building up ever since the two of them met.

Regardless, Ali was far from prepared.

When Atsushi kissed her.