※𝐃𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐔 (𝐀𝐭𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢 𝐱 𝐀𝐤𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐰𝐚)※

Chapter 9

Real smut coming right ahead! I warned you ;)

Atsushi had missed the past three debates. Dazai always had an excuse ready for the director, it was either, "He's super sick" or "He had a dentist appointment" or "He's actually looking to transfer Universities, he's in a meeting with our faculty right now" that one really made Akutagawa writhe. They were all lies; it was so blatant that Dazai was covering for Atsushi because he didn't want to see Akutagawa.

Dazai made that known in all fairness.

The first time Atsushi was missing from the team, Akutagawa wasn't surprised. He was absolutely horrid to him, he knew that. He'd never forgive himself for what he'd said to Atsushi, for making him cry like that. So, Akutagawa anticipated that he'd taken a miss on the trip to cool his head and recover.

The second time he was missing Akutagawa guessed he could've been avoiding him. Actually no, he knew he was avoiding him from the way he'd ignored all three of his miscalls, and all of his text messages. Which, by the way, Akutagawa was absolutely convinced that he'd turned his read receipts on because there was no way in hell Atsushi would read all of his messages and still not call him back. After that debate, he'd cornered Dazai and asked how his friend was doing, but the man didn't even spare him a glance let alone acknowledge him.

So, by the third time, Akutagawa was pissed. He was well aware that he had no right to be angry with Atsushi, and in truth, he wasn't angry with him as a person. It was the concept of him not even letting Akutagawa apologize. He wouldn't even listen to what he had to say. At this point, Akutagawa was fully ready to share every little detail with him, he'd tell him anything he wanted to know to make Atsushi feel better. He'd do anything to make him feel better.

But Atsushi wasn't letting him.

However, whenever Dazai came home after a debate Atsushi didn't ask if they won, or what the questions were. He always asked if Akutagawa was there, or how Akutagawa looked. He'd even text Chuuya a couple of times to ask how their debates went just so he could ask about Akutagawa.

Chuuya actually text Atsushi once Akutagawa had gotten home from their date because it was painfully obvious that his usually stone-cold flatmate had been crying. Knowing that made Atsushi cry more, it made Atsushi feel like it was his fault. After all, he'd pushed Aktugawa to hold his hand, he was the reason they were in that shop in the first place; but whenever he mentioned those theories to Dazai he was vehemently told that it wasn't his fault, that Akutagawa chose to do what he did and that Akutagawa was the only one to blame.

They were both messes. Sad, Angry messes.

So, it was no surprise when Atsushi finally decided to turn up to a debate that all hell broke loose.

The debate itself went fine, it was about tuition fees and young adult debt. For once, Atsushi's team won cut and dry. Although that definitely had something to do with the fact that Chuuya was holding back, he was clearly being a lot more considerate of the other team now that he'd comfortably befriended Atsushi.

After an awkward hour of Atsushi avoiding Akutagawa's burning stare, they were signaled by the director to leave as he did. Atsushi had absolutely no intention of talking to Akutagawa, he was going to follow his teammates out of the room, pile onto the bus go home and watch Marley and Me; yet he followed slowly behind his team, taking all the time in the world to pack up his things until it was just Atsushi and Akutagawa in the room, with Ranpo halfway out the door. When Ranpo was almost out of sight, and Atsushi was reaching for the steadily closing door, Akutagawa made his move.

Atsushi was was sharply tugged back into the now-empty debate room and practically dragged away from the doors until he firmly dug his heels in and refused to get any further from the exit. Aktugawa was in front of him, forehead creased in distress with clear purple hues under his eyes.