"Were-tiger," Akutagawa said, his voice rough as always, coarse and heavy as he pushed the words into Atsushi's skin. Atsushi sighed out a small laugh, Akutagawa's forehead pressed to his bare shoulder, and shifted so he could look back, at the top of Akutagawa's head.
(more)
It was a little frightening how comfortable he was here, naked in a strange bed, vulnerable with the man who'd sworn to kill him ... but Atsushi had come to grips with the strangeness of his life long ago, and aside from the occasional spurious thought, he had accepted that this was apparently just the way things were now.
Atsushi shifted his weight again, hiding the slight wince and turning enough so that Akutagawa had to lift his face from Atsushi's back. "I thought I told you to stop calling me that."
Akutagawa made a noise of discontent. "I will call you what I wish," he said imperiously, and Atsushi snorted a laugh, leaning back on his hand and staring at Akutagawa. He grinned, easy and open.
"Ryuunosuke," Atsushi said, enunciating the syllables clearly, and Akutagawa flushed red and looked away angrily. "We agreed." He shifted the hand he bore his weight on, sliding it to cover Akutagawa's own atop the mattress.
"It is strange to hear you say it," Akutagawa said finally. He took a breath. "Atsushi."
Atsushi beamed at him, and Akutagawa looked away again, though the anger was absent in his expression now. "See? That wasn't so hard."
"Were-tiger suits you," Akutagawa mumbled as Atsushi turned completely around on the mattress, one hand on his bare thigh. "My were-tiger," he added, his tone thick and heavy, like syrup.
"Yes," Atsushi said, pulling Akutagawa's hand from the mattress and bringing it to his mouth, kissing Akutagawa's knuckles. "I am that, if nothing else."(less)
