[Open] April Catch-All

[thetaintedsorrow]

Who: Chuuya Nakahara (thetaintedsorrow) & you!
What: Event aftermath and various shenanigans
When: April
Where: Olympia
Warning(s): None yet, but NSFW will be marked if it happens



I. Bird is the Word

[To all those familiar with Chuuya, the news of the mystery egg he’d magically acquired finally hatching isn’t surprising, nor is the news that it’s a bird. However, what they may not know is that Apollo (a name carefully chosen for his precious child) has grown into something quite flashy in the past month. A royal flycatcher, to be precise, with beautiful plumage to rival any peacock. It’s quite fitting that Apollo is tiny and beautiful, considering who his mother is, but don’t tell Chuuya that.

He’s quite an energetic little thing, and Chuuya can be found out and about in town with the little guy perched on top of his hat, or in the mansion with Apollo perched on his shoulder.

Should anyone get close (within five feet) of Chuuya, they’ll find themselves with a faceful of feathers and an earful of chirps as Apollo checks them out, up close and personal. Of course Chuuya is amused.]

Looks like he likes you.

II. Shots, Shots, Shots

[Chuuya can also be found, sans Apollo, in one of the multitude of bars located around town. He’s currently nursing a glass of fireball whiskey, but anyone who approaches him for either company or simply to harass him will be abruptly challenged to a drinking contest. God bless your soul if you take him up on it.

Should they decline he’ll simply shrug and continue sipping at the amber liquid in his glass.

Either way, they’ll receive this greeting: ]

You here for booze or company?

III. Among the Stars

[Lastly, Chuuya will make a trip to Thesa Station to see all the newly awakened refugees. He can be found checking out the stasis pods, hanging around in one of the lounge areas, or simply indulging in a glass of wine at the mess hall.

He’ll have Apollo on his shoulder, but don’t be afraid. He won’t peck your eyes out. Chuuya may very well try it though, if you see fit to call him tiny. Otherwise he’ll be friendly enough, no matter where he’s approached on the station.]

How’s it going?

IV. Wildcard!

[Surprise me! Or plot things with me! I’m over at arcanestardust!]

Comments

[gekkajuu]

[Well, Chuuya did say that the wine was supposedly "real good shit", so Atsushi can't exactly say it sucks! It's just common politeness. Still, it's not so gross that he can drink it. Good enough??]

That sounds like a good idea!

[It's strange to hear "buddies" and automatically want to say he doesn't have any... only to realize that he actually does. Atsushi smiles at the reminder, feeling his chest grow warm. (Could also be the wine, really...)]

I wonder what would be the best place for it?

I know you said we could just handwave it BUT

[thetaintedsorrow]

Wait, really?

[Somehow he didn’t think Atsushi would so readily agree. He can’t say he’s upset about it, though.]

Probably the living room. It’s got enough space, and opens up onto the terrace.

[There probably shouldn’t be such a pleased look in Chuuya’s eyes considering his booze problem, but there it is.]

Heh. It could be my birthday present to myself.

[gekkajuu]

[To be fair, Atsushi may come to regret it, if Chuuya destroys the house when drunk someday. But on the whole, it seems safer to drink at home? So it's fine!]

"My birthday"... Is your birthday coming up, Chuuya-san?

[Man, Chuuya is really into the idea of having a bar, isn't he? Atsushi is starting to Get Ideas.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Listen, he won’t do it on purpose, at least.]

Yeah. End of the month. April 29th.

[Not that he’s expecting anything whatsoever. This is the most he’s shared when it comes such simple facts about his life in quite a while.]

When’s yours?

[gekkajuu]

[At least don't destroy the neighbors' houses, too?! Repairing their own is doable; having to repair everyone else's would just be embarrassing.]

I see!

[Oh gosh... He wants to do this now. He really wants to install a bar as a surprise for Chuuya's birthday! It will cost a lot of money, but... it would be absolutely worth it.

Okay, maybe that's also the wine talking - but not only the wine!]

Mine is May 5th. We're pretty close together~

[thetaintedsorrow]

May, huh? How old are you gonna be?

[Not an intrusive question at all! Not that Atsushi probably minds; Chuuya knows for a fact that he’s older than the boy, and he’s never been self-conscious about his age, so.

Actually...]

Guess my age. I wanna know how old you think I am.

[gekkajuu]

19... Well, time worked a little funny when we first arrived, so I don't know if the number counts for anything anymore.

[He's still happy to celebrate birthdays, though. Of course he is. It's the little things that matter!

Guessing Chuuya's age, though...]

Hmm... [He gives Chuuya a long, hard look, trying to give a proper estimate. Of course Chuuya is older than him... The guy seems a lot more mature than him, too. And he's so good at fighting...

But it's hard to guess ages! Atsushi doesn't quite feel like he's living up to his own age yet, and then you have super mature people like Dazai and Kunikida, and people like Ranpo who act like a child even if they're older...

... HE'S THINKING ABOUT THIS TOO LONG, why does it feel like a quiz?!]

Maybe... 25?

[thetaintedsorrow]

It counts.

[If it doesn’t then he’ll have to think about it even harder, which he doesn’t want to do right now. He’s already well into a third glass of wine, after all, so the time for seriously pondering things is over. At least his guess that Atsushi was around 18 wasn’t wrong.

Chuuya is highly amused that Atsushi didn’t just toss a number out there. The guy really does overthink things constantly...]

Bzzzt! Wrong!

[Chuuya isn’t offended at the guess, at least, probably because he’s already buzzed.]

22. You were close. Good guess considering people like Reign and Diva exist.

[gekkajuu]

Well, I knew you aren't like them.

[Or so he presumes. Who really knows, especially with Chuuya?]

Then, you're a little younger than I thought. But that's good! That is: ...

[Atsushi is still nursing his first glass, very slow indeed about drinking it, but it's arguably not helping him make sense, even if he's far from drunk.

What did he want to say, though - that it's good that they're not so far apart in age? That makes no sense, especially considering people like Diva and Reign.]

I mean... I guess... it feels like it makes us closer?

[Yeaaaah, now he's just embarrassed. Watch him take a drink of his wine to hide his embarrassment - and promptly choke on it, since he wasn't prepared for that much alcohol all at once.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Vampire Chuuya would be a hell of a thing.

Chuuya finishes off his current glass before eying Atsushi’s. He thinks it’s still the same glass he’s been nursing, unless Atsushi magically snuck the bottle away from Chuuya somehow. He didn’t think Atsushi would drink all that much, but still, he better finish that glass or Chuuya is going to snatch it from him.

Chuuya, being pleasantly tipsy as he is, certainly won’t overlook Atsushi choking out of embarrassment from stumbling over his own words, though he almost feels bad for laughing because of it. Almost.]

Closer, huh?

[Chuuya, having next to no filter when sober, has absolutely none right now. RIP Atsushi.]

Well, you’ve had your dick in my ass. That was pretty close.

[gekkajuu]

T-That's not..!

[Yeah, that's not helping with the choking on his wine any, thanks!! Atsushi is just going to put his mostly-empty glass away at this point, so he doesn't end up spilling it as he coughs his way to clearer breathing.]

That's not the kind of close I meant! Not... that it wasn't nice.

[Because it definitely was. He won't even try to deny that.]

But it wouldn't be as good... if we couldn't be close the other way, too, I think.

[thetaintedsorrow]

The other way?

[Processing...give Chuuya’s alcohol muddled-brain a second to catch up.

Oh. OHHHHHH.

Chuuya is silent for a moment. He’s lived his entire life doing things his own way, fighting and drinking and fucking and hardly giving a damn about the consequences as long as it didn’t impact the Port Mafia in a negative way. That kind of life, where you have no idea what day could be your last, hardly leaves room for feelings to develop. Attachment is dangerous; and Chuuya, having been betrayed time and again, is just a tiny bit jaded in that regard.

But...this is a different life, a different world...]

You know I’ve killed people, right? Destroyed shit, ruined peoples’ lives.

[Chuuya frowns behind his glass.]

Is that really kind of person you want to get close to?

[gekkajuu]

You had your reasons, didn't you? And those reasons... don't exist anymore.

[Something about his tone and even his expression suggest that he's not entirely confident about that. Maybe he just wants to believe it. Maybe he's worried about seeing that belief betrayed. But here he is, trying all the same.]

Everyone has things in their past that they're not proud of, Chuuya-san. And nobody can make those things go away. All that matters is being determined every day to make it better than the previous one, and the one before that, and the one before that.

I don't think you're a bad person at all, Chuuya-san. Even if you're a very strong fighter, I think you have a gentle heart.

[thetaintedsorrow]

I had reasons.

[Following orders, self-defense, defending his subordinates; the lives that Chuuya has taken have all been directly tied to his life as a mafioso, which is to be expected in that line of work, but he can’t remember ever just killing anyone for shits and giggles. That’s good, right?

Chuuya actually stops drinking for a moment, a bit taken aback at Atsushi’s words. This guy really is wise sometimes, huh? Or maybe he’s just regurgitating what he’s heard elsewhere, but still, it’s the thought that counts.]

A gentle heart, huh?

[Chuuya would never consider himself gentle, but he’s not an evil piece of shit either, so Atsushi isn’t entirely wrong. He’s also not wrong that being closer would be nice.

That doesn’t mean he’s ready to gush, though, drunk or not.]

Guess I won’t argue.

[It truly is a miracle!

Watch him steer away from feelings for a minute as he resumes drinking, eyes fixed intently on Atsushi’s arm.]

Diva said your fur is nice.

[Hint hint, soosh.]

[gekkajuu]

[Not arguing is a start. Maybe it's not much, but it's a tentative positive for Atsushi. The only downside is it feels a little unfinished, the unstarted argument still hanging in the air.

But they can have a serious talk some other time. This probably isn't the time for philosophizing.

... It seems to be the time for staring at arms, though...]

Did she? [So that's why..? Chuuya doesn't seem the type to care about animals - but then, he's always cared about Daifuku a great deal, so believing that is probably unfair. Atsushi transforms one arm and holds it out, even as he asks:] Did you... want to feel it?

[It's a little weird, maybe - but Atsushi doesn't mind.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[To be fair, Chuuya will have plenty of chances to prove whether or not Atsushi’s assessment is true in the future, but for now he’ll gladly focus on anything else. Arguing philosophy has never been Chuuya’s strong suit, after all.

He never was the type to care much about animals back home; too much important shit to do to take time out of his schedule to really give a shit about them. But come on, Atsushi, you’d have to be completely heartless not to like Daifuku!!

Maybe asking Atsushi to transform is a little weird, but from all the stories he’s heard, and from what he saw while they were capturing bandits, the weretiger’s limbs are incredibly powerful, so why not take a look? That’s totally the only reason he asked...]

Why not?

[Chuuya removes one of his gloves before sliding his fingers over the striped fur. It’s not housecat soft, but it’s not super rough either, and the fur is a bit smoother than he’d anticipated. It’s nice.]

How fast do you regenerate? Akutagawa seemed pretty fucking mad about it before.

[gekkajuu]

[It's always a little special when Chuuya's gloves come off, and feeling his hand even through the fur is... kind of nice.

That, or Atsushi is a teensy bit tipsy, after all. But only a little!

He's actually a little proud (or is it just petty smugness?) that Akutagawa would complain about him like that.]

Sometimes it's very fast, but sometimes it's not much faster than anyone else... It depends on how much strength I can borrow from the tiger at the time.

[Which basically also means that super fast regeneration only happens when he's conscious, oops.]

I can't really control that part.

[Or he's still too afraid to accidentally tap into the tiger too much and lose control again. Could be that.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[If only Atsushi knew the number of times Chuuya overheard Akutagawa ranting about him and how he’s going to destroy him...]

Huh.

[That’s a curious “huh” because there’s like a bajillion questions Chuuya wants to ask Atsushi about his ability, but he’s sure that’s what everybody and their mom does when they find out the guy is a weretiger. He must be sick of hearing it by now.

Chuuya lets his hand wander down Atsushi’s arm to trace over the sharp claws at his fingertips.]

How much do you know about the Port Mafia members’ abilities?

[Besides Akutagawa. He’s sure Atsushi could write a novel on Rashomon by now.]

[gekkajuu]

[Akutagawa probably figured that since Chuuya did the same about Dazai, he could let it all out. Not that it isn't still a little ominous, with how Atsushi and Akutagawa had set an actual date for their showdown.

Of course, that date has long since passed, already. It's one of the few things that make Atsushi feel just how far removed he is from his old life.]

Just what the Armed Detective Agency knows? Most of the basics, I think.

[Still not a whole lot. Dazai had brought a very amount of intel with him, of course, but then most of his most valuable intel was several years old; later things were second-hand at best.

Meanwhile Atsushi keeps his arm very still, so Chuuya can feel up his claws without danger.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Maybe Chuuya will visit the pods on his birthday to pour one out for the boss and Akutagawa. It’s the least he can do, really, since he’s the one roaming free while they’re stuck in stasis. He should probably let go of the past, but Chuuya has kind of a terrible track record there...]

That bastard probably spilled most of the intel about us, no doubt.

[Chuuya wonders if it would ever be a good time to bring up Corruption. It’s his last resort, after all, a trump card he’d rather not be forced into using anytime soon, so it’s really not necesssary to tell Atsushi about it if he doesn’t already know.

...right?

Chuuya glances down at those powerful claws; Atsushi could (try) ripping him to shreds if he wanted, and yet Chuuua doubts they’ve ever been used to take a life without Atsushi being forced into a corner.

He really is a good guy in Chuuya’s book.

He gives that arm one last stroke before pulling back with a huff.]

Can you grow a tail too?

[He’s joking. He has no idea that Atsushi can actually do that.]

[gekkajuu]

If one of us had defected to you, you would have expected the same, right?

[It's not easy to clear a track record of being the enemy - but it's not impossible to buy your acceptance with intel. Somehow, Atsushi doesn't think that Dazai told the president and everyone everything, but the important things would have come up for sure. The ADA is so much smaller than the mefia, they need all the intel they can get just to survive.]

I can? That is: I did, once...

[Was that a serious question? It sounds a little like mocking him, but Atsushi gives a straight answer - and he proves it right away, turning around with a sudden case of tail poking out of the waistband of his pants.

... It feels a little weird, really. Maybe that's why he's never done it again, after that one time on the ship. It wasn't much of a conscious thought, then.]

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Don’t make a good point, Atsushi!! Let him call Dazai a bastard and grump!!

There’s no serious mockery going on here, but Chuuya is a bit surprised to hear that Atsushi can actually sprout one. It can’t be that useful in a fight, right?]

Really?

[Oh...OH!! Atsushi just sprouted a tail!!! Holy fucking shit!! Chuuya stares at it, blinking on surprise. Well. He just got proven the fuck wrong!!]

Nice.

[Chuuya doesn’t even think twice about reaching out his bare hand to slide along the length of Atsushi’s tail (just ignore that it’s probably weird to feel up someone’s tail! They’ve banged before, it’s fine!).]

I like it.

[He has a bit of a history already with petting ears and tails since he’s arrived on Nysa. Now that he knows Atsushi can grow a tail...]

What about ears?

[gekkajuu]

[Everything can be useful in a fight. Atsushi may not have had a lot of formal fighting training (though he's stepped that up, on and off, since coming here), but he knows how to make the most of what you've got, if nothing else.

Oh... Oh. It feels kind of weird, having his tail touched. It's not bad at all, but something about it is a little... much? Maybe that's not so strange, since it's a whole area of his body that now has sensation when he usually... doesn't even have the body part to feel anything with. It makes an itchy feeling almost like goosebumps climb up his spine.]

Ears...? Oh - you mean tiger ears? [No, rabbit ears, of course!] I've never tried those... It might be harder, since they'd replace my original ears.

[The tiger limbs don't grow in addition to his normal limbs either, after all. What a monstrosity that would make!]

Let's try it.

[There's no real reason to close his eyes beyond concentration, calling out to the tiger in silence, much more specifically than usual. But sure enough, when he opens his eyes again a moment later, there are tiger ears on top of his head, his own ears miraculously disappeared into his choppy hairline.

Not that Atsushi himself can see, of course.]

... Did it work?

[thetaintedsorrow]

[If only he knew that Akutagawa got his shit wrecked in part because of this tail.

Chuuya keeps stroking Atsushi’s tail, because you bet your ass he’s gonna pet it until it disappears. Maybe he didn’t care much about petting animals back home, but this is different!! Who knows when or if Atsushi might sprout the thing again, so he has to take advantage of this rare opportunity!! Not that Atsushi would refuse if Chuuya asked him to do it again, but shh.

Oh. OH. He did it!! Atsushi just grew tiger ears!! Chuuya blinks and they’re there, and he doesn’t notice that Atsushi’s own ears are gone just yet.

Okay, he doesn’t usually throw this word around all willy-nilly, but...

Cute.]

It worked.

[There’s a tiny bit of awe in Chuuya’s voice as he automatically reaches up to stroke Atsushi’s new tiger ears. Oh boy, they’re so round and cute...this should be illegal.]

Nice.

[gekkajuu]

[There's something strange about Chuuya's expression, still, and Atsushi can't place it. It was the same with his tail (which Atsushi keeps, of course, as long as Chuuya is busy with it), but somehow less so then - or it had been easy enough to attribute it to alcohol and little else, at the time. Now that it keeps going, it's not so easy to dismiss anymore. Chuuya's attention is flattering, but it also makes Atsushi feel... a little exposed?

Not that he has much time to figure out what Chuuya's behavior means, exactly, because Chuuya touches his ears, and Atsushi can't help the way they twitch.]

Hehe... That tickles.

[Yet he's not complaining.]