Soukoku/AkuAtsu One Shots (a.k.a. my one happiness in life)

AkuAtsu - Warmth

Akutagawa was woken up by Atsushi shifting restlessly and making noises of discomfort. It had instantly caused him concern, but as he opened his eyes, he was relieved to see that Atsushi was only having a nightmare.

That wasn't much better, but at least he wasn't harmed. Akutagawa slowly reached over and wrapped his arms around Atsushi's chest. Dazai (omg he knows about the ship :D) had made them share a bed while they spent the night at an old cabin during their journey to track down an assassin. Of course, the two argued a lot, and they turned away before sleeping. Now Akutagawa fixed that problem by pulling Atsushi back to his chest. He just couldn't bring himself to hate this innocent, innocent man. Two years ago he would have torn him up with Rashoumon right then and there, but now he would rather kill himself than to let Atsushi in harm's way.

Akutagawa gently brushed Atsushi's hair out of his face as he softly kissed his forehead. He definitely didn't want anyone knowing this, but it was fine if no one was around, right? Atsushi calmed down slightly but a sad look still remained on his face, and his body was still freezing. Nothing a bit of snuggling couldn't solve~

As for the sadness...Akutagawa sighed softly. There wasn't much he could do about that. Pain was something they had both experienced throughout their childhood, so he knew just how Atsushi felt. That was what brought them closer in their battles in the first place. But it's not like Akutagawa could immediately get rid of any pain Atsushi had. It was something dark and heavy and impossible to let go of.

Akutagawa couldn't just wake Atsushi up and stop him from having those depressing nightmares. He would probably hide it, fake smile, and say that nothing was wrong. Besides, Atsushi hadn't been getting very good sleep, so Akutagawa avoided making any movements that would make him uncomfortable.

To Akutagawa's relief the chill was already vanishing from Atsushi's body, soft warmth slowly replacing it. Atsushi nuzzled into Akutagawa's chest, and he suddenly felt a warm and light feeling inside of him. Right at that moment, all of Akutagawa's problems had vanished, and he was surrounded by happiness. He felt his face heating up, and the corners of his lips turned upwards into a smile, surprising himself. This indescribable feeling became stronger as Atsushi smiled ever so softly, ever so sweetly, breathing softly.

Akutagawa's mind wasn't changed - the pain he and Atsushi had gone throughout their life (and still do) isn't easy to get rid of. But sometimes, it could be less heavy, allowing one to breathe.

As for Atsushi and Akutagawa, they were each other's breaths.