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They were fighting one moment, and then they weren’t. A different kind of altercation, but one that made Atsushi growl and grit his teeth and bear his weight down onto Akutagawa. He should be appalled. He should be horrified. He wasn’t.
Akutagawa’s wrists felt almost frail in his grip; the stupid white ruffles at the end of his sleeves engulfed by Atsushi’s claws. If he pressed down, Akutagawa’s bones would break. He exerted enough pressure to let Akutagawa know that he could, if he really wanted to.
He can’t look away from Akutagawa’s face. Akutagawa was very angry, and so was Atsushi, but there was something different in his expression. Atsushi wanted to find out what it was. He was sitting heavily over Akutagawa’s pelvis, and it was a slow, gradual awareness at the back of Atsushi’s mind.
They’ve never fought this way; or at least they haven’t found themselves in a situation like this. Akutagawa was a long-range fighter mostly, and even when he got up close and personal with Atsushi, it was never this close. It felt like something new. Something different.
Tendrils wrapped around Atsushi’s torso suddenly and pulled tight, and Atsushi was lifted only to be slammed back onto the asphalt, breath knocked out of him. A flash of red-black and Rashōmon was pinning him down, holding his arms together above his head, holding his legs to the ground. Akutagawa loomed over him like a nightmare, and just like that, Atsushi had lost the upper hand.
Just like that, their positions were reversed.
Atsushi snarled, beginning to struggle in earnest till Akutagawa put his palms flat on Atsushi’s chest, and Atsushi stopped altogether.
Akutagawa felt like he weighed nothing. Atsushi wasn’t sure if it was his enhanced tiger form, or if Akutagawa was just that light. With his ridiculous Draculaesque coat under the streetlight, Akutagawa looked like a demon. How his eyes were blazing with hate didn’t help. Atsushi felt breathless.
“You need to get stronger, man-tiger,” Akutagawa hissed, pushing down onto his bruised ribs, making him gasp, “Prove that you’re worth my time!”
Part of Atsushi wanted to tell Akutagawa that he didn’t want to do anything for Akutagawa, ever, but part of him really, really wanted to prove himself. Akutagawa’s challenges made him furious and competitive. That part of him momentarily took over, and he bucked up, trying to get Akutagawa off of him. All he got was friction instead, and Atsushi moaned, startled.
Akutagawa’s eyes went wide, and they stared at each other. Speechless.
It would be a good time for Atsushi to get serious and escape Rashōmon, or for Akutagawa to slide off of Atsushi and either retreat or continue their fight in a more conventional way.
The both of them did no such thing.
“Akutagawa…” Atsushi didn’t know his voice was capable of being that deep, and it seemed like Akutagawa had no idea as well, from how he visibly swallowed. Something had changed in the atmosphere.
Akutagawa curled his hands into fists over Atsushi’s chest, hurting him still. Atsushi lifted his hips just a little, and then they truly weren’t fighting anymore.
Or maybe they were, because it felt like that, with adrenaline and heat and a rage-like intensity running through Atsushi’s veins. He pushed up like he was trying to topple Akutagawa off of him, and Akutagawa only rode his motions, gripping him too tightly both with his hands and with Rashōmon.
They were in public. Too late into the night that there wasn’t anyone around, but being discovered wasn’t impossible. Atsushi couldn’t find it in him to care about anything beyond Akutagawa’s weight on him, though. Not about anything aside from the way Akutagawa looked right now.
Akutagawa’s lips were parted open and his eyes were lidded, still frowning, still very angry, but with his pupils blown with the pleasure that Atsushi was feeling too. A demon in heat. The thought made Atsushi moan again.
“You need to—“ Akutagawa’s words were cut off by a hitched gasp after Atsushi ground his hips up particularly hard, and penance was Akutagawa’s hands sliding off of his chest to wrap around his neck, “You need to get stronger. You must.”
Akutagawa tightened his grip and Atsushi felt like he was spiraling into madness, tilting his head back just to bare more of his throat, to gasp helplessly into the night. He was going to come any second now. He could feel it, heat rising in his belly, a stark contrast to the heat he could feel coming off of Akutagawa. He couldn’t hold it off any longer.
He strained against Rashōmon as hard as he could, against everything that was holding him down until he heard Rashōmon snap, and Akutagawa’s shocked inhale was worth it, especially when he reached up to wrap his arms around Akutagawa and pull him downwards.
He barely felt Akutagawa’s hands going slack around his neck to hold his face in a harsh grip; mind lost as he shuddered hard against Akutagawa. It felt like absolution. Tension bled out of his limbs like water. He eventually let go of Akutagawa, arms falling to his sides. Akutagawa didn’t move away. Their breathing was loud in the silence of the empty street, and Atsushi waited for regret and disgust to rise up inside him.
Surprisingly, nothing.
Akutagawa pushed himself up after a bit, looking at Atsushi with an unfathomable expression. Atsushi kept his own face neutral, but he couldn’t keep the languid, sated tone from his voice, “Is that strong enough for you?”
He expected the annoyed grunt from Akutagawa, but didn’t quite expect the man to swoop down and kiss him on the mouth, harshly enough that their teeth clashed. It hurt, and Akutagawa was biting at his lips, but Atsushi couldn’t help but do the same. Akutagawa was infuriating.
“Don’t fuck around, man-tiger,” Akutagawa said, pulling back; there was a little cut on his bottom lip that made Atsushi feel unreasonably proud; “You’re not even close.”
Atsushi grinned but wiped it off of his face once he heard Rashōmon’s shifting, a warning.
Akutagawa was the most obsessive, unhealthily violent person Atsushi had ever met. By all means, he should avoid Akutagawa forever. But somehow…
“I’ll get there,” Atsushi pushed himself up halfway to rest on his elbows, looking Akutagawa in the eyes, “I’ll be stronger. And rest assured, I won’t be doing it for you at all.”
Akutagawa scoffed, but Atsushi could see the edges of a smile creeping up his face. He slid off of Atsushi and stood up, looking down at Atsushi like Atsushi was nothing but dirt.
“Good.”
He turned on his heel and walked away.