Bungou Stray Dogs ~ One-shots

[Atsushi xR] Take it or Leave it (1/?)

A/N: Here is a second request from AO3 (requested by PurpleOwlWritings), this time about our little Sushi! The requested scenario was a bit more precise than for the previous OS, so I hope I've transcribed it correctly! I hope you enjoy reading it :)

(The next part will come as soon as possible! I had not planned to do several parts, but as it was taking me a long time to write the entire thing, I preferred to do it that way... So that the person who asked me for this OS would not have to wait forever!)

"If you don't find the courage to ask him sooner or later, you know what's going to happen, don't you?" asked the grizzled man as he wiped a glass, now sparkling clean.

The girl, her cheeks turning redder than a perfectly blooming peony in the space of a few seconds, began to glance around frantically, making sure that no one else was around, except for her uncle and his wife. No one was currently seated at a single table, or even at the café counter, given that opening hours had not yet arrived.

Why was the young girl called Michiko so embarrassed? It was quite simple. Her uncle, who also owned the café beneath the famous Armed Detective Agency, had once again alluded to his niece's 'little' crush on a certain member of the same Detectives.

His first name? She did not have the courage to think about it, shy as she was. How could she confess her love for the boy she was in love with, when she could not even look him in the eye?

It was certainly a hopeless mission, and facing up to reality was one proof of courage... Confessing our feelings was another, a thousand times more delicate. But was not the current situation preferable enough as it was, to be content with having a crush from afar on this young man answering to the name of Atsushi?

...

If she paid enough attention to the sensations residing deep inside her, she was nevertheless obliged to admit that this situation was wearing.

Why, then, was the one and only person concerned by her (romantic) feelings as an eighteen-year-old also the only one who did not know about them?

Admittedly, it was a little too early to talk about ending up an old maid... But she knew from experience that time could go by extremely quickly, especially when you were anything but ready for it to pass. Which, unfortunately, was exactly what she was.

"If you wait too long, someone else will end up confessing their love for him long before you do, my dear niece..." the barman continued in a calm voice, knowing full well he was right. "People as gentle and kind as him rarely stay single for very long."

This last tirade, a thousand times more so than the previous ones, brought Michiko to a halt, suspending the cleaning of her table. Imagining Atsushi with another girl? It was simply unbearable for her. But did she have the courage, the guts, to confess the depth of her thoughts to this young man she loved more than any other?

She was well aware that most of Atsushi's colleagues knew about her not-so-secret crush, and that they were particularly amused by it. But, until now, none of them had had the presence of mind to reveal anything to the principal concerned. Whether Michiko was relieved or not, she did not really know.

But hearing her uncle tell her that Atsushi, after a while, would eventually find someone, had made her stop dead in her tracks. She could not imagine her crush with anyone else without shuddering in horror; what option was left to her, then...?

"Why don't you go and tell him how you feel about him, darling?" interjected her aunt, a gentle smile on her lips. "I don't think he's mean enough to reject you bluntly; on the contrary, he's the nicest boy I know."

"... do you really think he's not going to laugh in my face...?" asked the girl in an low voice, unsure of herself, nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

Her aunt and uncle assured her that he would not, which breathed confidence into Michiko's body. They were right; Atsushi was adorable: he was absolutely not the type to make fun of other people's feelings. And, even if he did not share the same feelings, he would make her understand with all the kindness he was endowed with.

Her mind was made up.

All that remained was to find a little courage, lost at the edge of the path leading straight to what was shaping up to be the most wonderful confession ever...

She had always been good at playing with that thing called 'irony'.

---------------------------

"... I just wanted to ask you if you'd like to go for a walk with me... But you don't have to if you don't want to, Atsushi...!" Michiko added, even though she did not mean a word of it.

The silence that followed was deafening. So unbearable for her already strained nerves that she finally raised an eye to meet Atsushi's two-tone gaze...

What a surprise when she realized that the young man's eyes were wide open, and he was looking at her as if a second head was about to sprout?

"... you..." finally began the silver-haired boy, clearly at a loss for words. "You want us both to go on a date, if I understand correctly...?"

Michiko felt her cheeks turn scarlet in an instant, just listening to these few words. Having no confidence in her poor voice, she simply nodded quickly, looking away as she twiddled her fingers even more.

"... Now...?" Atsushi finally asked, with what sounded like a hint of hope in his voice.

Once again, the young girl jumped up, meeting the young man's two-tone gaze for a second time, not at all expecting to have to leave on a date without tergiversate any further... But if Atsushi was ready to leave immediately, that was a pretty good sign, was it not? It certainly meant he was looking forward to spending some time with her... No?

And so, without having had time to prepare, our two young friends happily set off on their first date...

But did they really realize what was involved?

Apparently not, if we take into account the small group of Detectives who were slowly but surely following them...

                   

To be continued...