Chapter Text
Atsushi wasn’t sure why Akutagawa wanted to meet as St. James park. He swayed on the heel and ball of his polished shoes as he waited, tipping his white top hat just a little further over his eyes just in case anyone from Above was watching. He knew they had created their little Arrangement for some time now, but he couldn’t help but continue having doubts over whether or not Heaven or Hell would find out. He supposed they haven’t for nearly 200 years now, though, so why would they now?
He hears confident footsteps heading right towards him. Unconsciously, his posture loosens, and he realizes he had been quite tense for some time. Atsushi chances a glance towards the person that calmly stands beside him, taking in the look of this century’s style on him.
Of course the first thing he sees is a black coat. The demon seemed to take a liking to black coats over the centuries, he’s noticed. He also adorns a top hat similar to him, but it’s the more common color of black than the eggshell-white of his. His eyes are still hidden behind those tinted glasses—he believes they’re called sunglasses nowadays—and honestly, Atsushi still doesn’t understand the fuss behind him. Humans didn’t usually notice any irregularities in their appearance, which is why Atsushi could get away with having dichromatic eyes, so it should stand that no one would have a problem with the demon’s silvery snake-like pupils. They didn’t say anything about his hair and the way it faded to white at its tips, after all.
“You called me here,” Atsushi spoke first to start. “Did something happen?” He didn’t want to stay here any longer than he had to, just to keep things from getting too risky (never know when the Headmaster was watching). If he was more honest with himself, he’d admit that he may enjoy the company of the only other immortal being hanging out on Earth, but he wasn’t honest with himself, so he denied any thought of that sort.
Atsushi glanced over to Akutagawa, finding him unable to betray any kind of emotion in his expression as he simply stated, “I need insurance, in case things go wrong one day.” He handed him a piece of folded paper. Confused, the angel took it and, glancing both ways, opened and read it.
Almost immediately, his face went pale. His mind races with multiple questions wondering why he would need what was written on it before a wave of sudden anger bloomed deep within him, burning hot with anger and disbelief.
“Why—why would you—how could you even ask for this?!” He fumed. Akutagawa merely glared at him under those infuriating tinted shades of his.
“Keep your voice down, angel.” The way the demon’s voice held its usual tone of annoyance with no sign of any sort of reaction to how unbelievably ridiculous his request was only made Atsushi’s anger burn brighter.
“You know what holy water does to you! It’ll destroy you!” he snapped, eyes burning into those shades with hopes of melting them so he could finally see what the demon was actually feeling for once . But they didn’t melt, ever hiding Akutagawa’s expressive eyes in darkness even as his expression twisted with annoyance.
“I don’t plan to use it on me ,” the demon grimaced. “It’s for if things go south. You never know where there are ears listening in.”
“Well screw that!” Atsushi sputtered, pointing straight at the damned eye-hiding demon. “I am not letting you kill yourself with that!”
“I said keep your voice down, angel! And were you even listening to me?” Akutagawa snapped, hands clenching around the cane he was holding. “I said it’s not for me , what part of that can’t you get through your skull?” His irritated tone only threw fuel to the fire already fuming inside Atsushi.
“Just because we’ve had our Arrangement you think I’m going to just give that to you??”
“It’s not that hard for you to get,” the demon grit his teeth. “Why can’t you just get some for me?”
“What, and let Heaven know we’ve been fraternizing??”
“ Fraternizing?”
“Well what else would you call it!”
Finally, some emotions gleaned from behind those sunglasses, though Atsushi felt a little regret at the burning anger he could now see underneath those tinted shades. “I have a lot better people to fraternize with than you, angel,” Akutagawa growled. Atsushi shouldn’t have felt as hurt as he did, but he was quick to lend it to the fire within him, making it burst past its limit.
“Yeah, well, go see those people then for all I care!” The angel furiously crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it to the ducks before stomping off.
With a flicker of covered eyes, the paper suddenly caught on fire and dissolved into nothing but ash.
So much for that. Maybe he just needed a fucking break at this point.
He’d never admit it out loud, but nearly a century later, Atsushi would come to realize it was a little lonely without the silver demon. Never bumping into him while on the job for so long might also have made the Angel regret having their conversation end so...fiery.
But then he meets him again in a church. While on gunpoint.
And maybe, while standing in burning rubble and holding a bag full of rescued not-blown-to-smithereens chazuke recipe books, he might have learned that he felt more than just loneliness without the demon by his side.
Just maybe.