Your eyes were blank as you glanced across at him, revealing nothing, yet your feet shuffled, scraped nervously against the dirt.
He put you on edge. But also made you more vigilant.
"You're dangerous," you admitted, lowering your eyes to hem of his coat, unable to maintain eye contact. "I need to be aware of you at all times, in case you decide to kill me."
His eyes flashed; a spark of light amid those gloomy depth. A warning. "You and I both know that's not the real reason."
Chewing your lower lip, you angled your face away, shaking [h/c] bangs over your face. "I'm curious. Curious to know what suffering you had to endure for you to be so broken inside."
You raised your head gingerly, your eyes brushing his, now infused with deepset traces of rage.
Anger and violence was all he knew.
❖
You woke up facing the midnight sky. A midnight sky without a single light breaking through the dusk.
It was a starless horizon. An empty universe.
Picking your head up fully, you found it was not the sky before you, but Akutagawa with his eyes trained on you, cold and unblinking.
Your wrists were completely raw, to the extent they no longer hurt. Your head was a mess. Pounding, aching, a complete array of tangled thoughts.
Your perception of your surroundings was no longer clear. All you could focus on was the pain. Everywhere.
What had Chuuya done to you?
A single black claw extended from Aku's coat, and shards of stone and dirt burrowed into your back as you pushed yourself against the wall.
Your strength had dwindled to the tiniest embers. You no longer had influence over the shadows; they were no longer your servants, your loyal dogs, waiting on your call. They were just as they were named; shadows.
You were weak. Too weak to fight back.
Instead, you squeezed shut your eyes, muscles clenching as you braced yourself for your impending demise. A single bead of sweat rolled across the bridge of your nose.
Then it came; the sharp hiss as it broke through the air, the biting pressure against your skin as it devoured the space around you, and then-
-the shackles broke instantly upon impact.
Pried loose from the stone, they dropped to the ground and stirred the dust settled by your feet, lashing against your bare ankle.
As soon as the second cuff was shattered, your body gave way, crumpling forward. Akutagawa stepped in without hesitation and caught you, holding his hand against your waist and pinning you back against the wall.
He wrapped his other hand firmly under your chin, forcing your head against the wall.
"You have two choices," Akutagawa said firmly, his breath falling against your skin like fresh snowfall. "Die or rejoin the Mafia."
Your eyes widened, a whimper falling from your lips as Aku tightened his hold on your waist, fingers digging sharply through your dress. "B-but-"
"Just fucking choose."
Your breath trembled, vision growing hazy as you eyed the humming strip lights overhead. Two choices, huh? Both options led to death. One merely extended your life, even if just for a little while.
Port Mafia was going to be the death of you one way or the other.
But could you do it? After leaving four years ago, were you ready to go back and face the consequences?
With a long exhale of breath, you lifted your eyes to meet his and painted a grim smile.
"It's good to be back, Akutagawa-Senpai."
He merely grunted in response, that coldness in his eye easing off as he released your chin, watching your head loll forwards.
"Can you walk?"
Without waiting for a response, he let go of you, watching you crumple at his feet, hitting the ground hard. "N-No."
"Then crawl."
Sweat beaded across your forehead as you began shuffling forward, grit and dirt cutting your palms, smearing blood in your wake.
Why was he so cold toward you? Didn't he remember? You'd survived together. You were partners, once.
You collapsed forward, every fibre of your body aching, your lungs burning, your heart grieving for every strangled breath you took. You were on the edge. Barely holding on.
Extending into the furthest reaches of your mind, you used your last ounce of strength to call on your ability.
Umbral disease.
They came at once, snaking around Aku's still figure with a bitter snarl, before moving across to you, fastening around your limbs and pulling you upright, navigating your arms and legs with jerky, uncoordinated movements.
Akutagawa watched with a snarl. "You use your ability for such petty-"
"Then help me."
Sighing quietly as his heels cut a choppy rhymth across the floor, he walked over to you just as your body gave way again. He caught you with a low growl, looping his arms beneath your legs and back and hoisting you onto his chest.
There was a moment's hesitation - absolute silence - in which neither of you had any words; neither of you knew how to feel.
Your body heat mixed with his icy exterior, clashing like steel against titanium.
You were opposites.
He was strong.
You were weak.
That's how it was.
That's how you thought it was.
Unable to keep your head upright any longer, you allowed it to drop against his chest, the folds of his cravat ruffling against your cheek.
And then your heart stopped.
Just for a second.
Missing a beat, falling out of sync.
For you had felt something - right under your ear. The faintest flutter. The softest thrum.
A pulse.
A heartbeat.
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