𝟘𝟘𝟚 | Sweet
(adj) pleasing in general; delightful
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It was night as the sun had set, and the moon was slowly coming out already. The streets weren't that busy and the sound of people alike weren't heard. At a certain restaurant, there were three certain people. One blond, one brunette, and a shabby looking boy, all of which who are very different from each other. How do they know each other? Well, only the ones above could tell you.
"You're unreliable and you're a fool, Dazai," The blond with glasses and a notebook claimed with frustration, "Who says, 'Well that's a nice river,' and jump into it in the middle of a job?!"
The brunette, now known as Dazai only sighed as he was turned away from the blond. The shabby boy in front of the two was scarfing down 'rice and tea', per his request. Poor thing looked like he hadn't eaten in days.
"You're lucky that 'he' isn't here yet or else I would've scolded you for being so late!" The blond stated, he than grumbled, "I still have to revise our whole schedule because of you!!"
"You're obsessed with your schedules... Kunikida..." Dazai muttered.
The blond, now known as Kunikida, slammed his 'ideals' notebook down on the table with a sour expression, "This book isn't some day planner! This is an ideal!! This is my sole guide in life! And nowhere in this book is it written that my coworker should be a suicidal maniac!"
"Mfh Nf Mnrrginian Frnimn?" The shabby boy questioned.
"Be quiet!" Kunikida snapped, "And nowhere in my projected expenses is there a line item for a million bowls of tea on rice for a snot-nosed kid!!"
The shabby boy, the snot-nosed kid, who is known as Atsushi continued his meals, "Hngh Rmmh??"
Kunikida grumbled, "And not he got questions...!"
"How are you speaking to each other...?" Dazai genuinely asked.
Atsushi gulped his food in his mouth as he stared at Kunikida and Dazai, "Oh, and what about this third person that's supposed to come here?" He asked before taking another bite of his food.
Kunikida sighed and rubbed his forehead as Dazai chuckled to himself, "This 'third' person just got off his latest assignment. Although he will be a little late, it is excused since he had a reason. Unfortunately, I hate to admit it, he may be even later than expected."
"Mmmf Hrmfh?" Atsushi questioned once more with a full mouth.
Kunikida irked, "You really don't know when to stop asking questions, huh?"
"No seriously, how are you understanding him?"
Atsushi watched as Kunikida and Dazai bickered to one another. He couldn't help but wonder what type of person this 'third' guy was. Were they like Kunikida and Dazai? Or was he someone completely different? It was... hard to tell with how Dazai and Kunikida acted when Atsushi asked about the 'third' person.
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Atsushi sighed in relief, happy that he finally got food in his stomach, "I have enough rice to last me a good ten years!" He cheered to himself, pleased that his belly was full.
Kunikida seemed to irk at this, "I strongly suggest you show a little gratitude after you ate this on my dime!!" He claimed.
"You're a real lifesaver," Atsushi said softly with a smile making Kunikida hum in questioning, "I came to Yokohama straight from the far fields. I've had nothing to eat nor to sleep since. I thought I'd starve to death..."
Dazai and Kunikida glanced at each other for a moment before looking back at Atsushi, "The fields? Are you from... an orphanage?" Dazai asked.
Atsushi looked down slightly, "I was, yes. But they kicked me out... a few years back. Ever since then I wasn't able to find myself a job or anything. I've just been a street rat, I guess..."
Dazai stared for a moment, "Sounds like a real philanthropic organization."
"Look Dazai," Kunikida reminded making Dazai look at him, "We're not a couple of do-gooders going around helping hard luck cases. We've got a job to do."
"That reminds me," Atsushi chimes in, "You said that your current job involves the military. What kind of work do you do?
"We're private investigators," Dazai answered.
"Investigators...?"
Kunikida pushed his glasses up his nose, "But we handle more than lost pets and cheating spouses, " He stated, "Our office has... uniquely gifted investigators. We're the Armed Detective Agency."
Atsushi couldn't help but be shocked at what Kunikida had said. The ADA was very well known, even Atsushi, a rat in the streets, knew of them. It was a surprise that both Kunikida and Dazai were part of this agency, in Atsushi's eyes. Especially since... Kunikida was trying to kill Dazai again, probably because he said something stupid.
"So..." Atsushi hesitantly started, "about the job you're both working on..."
"WHAT?!" Kunikida snapped.
Atsushi jumped, "Sorry, sorry!! I really shouldn't have asked! Right, that was my mistake! Of course, your jobs are classified. Please forgive me and don't hurt me..."
"Actually, since you mentioned it, today's job doesn't require any secrecy," Kunikida claimed as he had calmed and both detectives were seated neatly in their chairs again, "It's for the government. We're looking for a tiger."
"A... ti...ger...?" Atsushi asked slowly and carefully.
"Yes, a ferocious maneater who's recently appeared in the city," Dazai explained, "Well, we don't know for sure it devoured anyone, but it ransacked warehouses, eaten farm animals, and caused general chaos.
"The authorities have received all kinds of scary reports about it-" A crash was heard.
Dazai and Kunikida looked at Atsushi in questioning. The look on Atsushi face showed pure fear as he had fallen off of his chair, taking some dishes with him which was the reason for the crash sound.
"What's wrong, Atsushi?" Dazai asked, slight confusion in his voice.
Atsushi's voice began to stutter and shake as he tried to crawl away from the situation, "I-I-I'll be-best be le-leaving now- OOF!" He had bumped into someone else's legs.
"Oh? And who might you be?" A smoothing, yet tired voice spoke up.
Atsushi was about to apologize to the person he bumped into, but when he looked up, he was stunned in shock. His eyes widened at the sight of the person that clearly towered over him. He was wearing a messy dress shirt and a vest as his hair was messy and covered most of his eyes, but Atsushi could see the (e/c) voids staring down at him.
The unknown person hummed lightly as he shifted the lollipop in his mouth, "Why is there a boy on the floor?"
Atsushi could practically feel the vibrations from the hum from where he was.
"Ah, Y/n," Kunikida greeted as his hard expression softened a bit, "This boy is Atsushi, the guest that I texted you about. Atsushi, this is L/n Y/n, the third person we were waiting for."
"Hi, N/n!!" Dazai cheered.
Ignoring Dazai's clingy sounding voice, the unknown person, now known as Y/n lifted Atsushi up and put him back on his seat, "Well, if you're a guest for us, you should be treated properly," He said as he took a seat next to Atsushi and put an elbow on the table, "Am I wrong?"
Kunikida sighed, "He jumped out of the chair himself. We told him about the tiger situation, and he suddenly leaped out of his chair and tried to leave. We were lucky that you came just in time or else I would've made a scene."
"Indeed," Dazai chuckled, "Kunikida was ready to leap onto that child and give him a full interrogation right then and there."
Kunikida irked, "It's because he might have some useful information for us!"
Y/n let out a small hum which turned the attention to him. He looked directly as Atsushi and stared at him. Atsushi couldn't help but blush at the closeness of Y/n. He could also see that Y/n's top buttons were undone, exposing his chest and... tits. Atsushi tried his best to look away with a red face.
Y/n blinked at Atsushi's reaction as he shifted his lollipop to the right side of his mouth. He gave Atsushi a small smile as his eyes behind his hair softened lightly. He leaned back, sitting in his seat correctly this time as he leaned his head in his hand.
"Atsushi seems like a sweet person, you two," Y/n claimed as the younger of the three looked at Y/n in slight shock, "There's no need to be so harsh on him, alright? Now, at your own pace, tell us about the tiger, okay sweetie?"
Although Atsushi's face was red with a blush, his shoulder calmed at the soft tone that Y/n used for him. His thoughts have calmed down as he was glad that someone who was actually soft spoken was here now. He gave Y/n a nod as he looked down his lap.
Y/n smiled with a small nod, "Alright, tell us everything you know."
Atsushi took in a small breath as he had to relive his life, "That tiger... wrecked my orphanage," He started as the three listened carefully, "It ruined our vegetable garden, it decimated our chicken coop and emptied out our food warehouse. I mean, no one died, but the orphanage was already on a tight budget I got kicked out so that they would have one less mouth to feed at the time. Even though I was only 16, they had to do what they had to do."
Y/n let out a small hum as he slid over a tea in a cup that he ordered earlier, "That must be a few years back, yeah? You seem like you're... 20? 21?"
"Yeah... it was four years ago," Atsushi chuckled as he stared at the tea, "I don't have a home because of that tiger. Ever since then, I've been walking around trying to live, and barely succeeding with that tiger always out trying to kill me. I can still hear the caretaker's voices... I hate them... They are much worse than being called a 'street rat' by strangers..."
Y/n looked at Atsushi sympathetically. He rubbed Atsushi's back comfortingly as the younger seemed to have leaned into Y/n's touch, feeling the warmth and comfort.
"Well... that's a tragic tale..." Dazai said.
"But back to the tiger," Kunikida pointed out, "you said it almost killed you?"
"Calm down, Kunikida," Y/n said softly, "Atsushi might not want to talk about that..."
Atsushi gripped his cup as he glared heavily at it, "That man-eater wasn't satisfied with the radishes in our fields... It followed me all the way here...! It's been following me wherever I go for four years...
"Weeks before, I was wondering along the Tsurumi River when... when..." Atsushi trailed off, "It was just... there... waiting... I started seeing it two weeks before the orphanage expelled me but, over the years, I've caught too many glimpses of it since then. All of them... were too close for comfort... My instincts tell me that the tiger is in the city, hunting me..."
Dazai let out a small and silent hum, "When was the last time you saw the tiger stalking you?" He asked, taking a small glance at Y/n's hand that was on Atsushi's back.
"Uh... I think it by the river. Four days ago. Yeah... that sounds about right."
"That makes sense," Kunikida mumbled making the other three look at him, "Reports of a wild tiger started coming in two weeks ago."
"That's right," Y/n stated as he popped his lollipop out of his mouth and pointed it at Kunikida, "I remember sorting the papers for those reports. If I remember correctly... the tiger for your mission was last seen at Tsurumi... four days ago."
Dazai let out another hum as he turned to Atsushi, "Hey, Atsushi are you free tonight?"
Atsushi flinched as Y/n had to reel back his hand from Atsushi's back.
"You, being the man-eater's target, presents an excellent opportunity," Dazai claimed as he was writing something down, "Would you please help us find the tiger?"
"FORGET IT!! NO WAY!!"
Y/n had to catch the chair that fell since Atsushi had stood up so quickly it almost fell over. He lightly groaned to himself at the loudness but didn't say anything. He was working overtime after all.
"We offer payment," Dazai claimed making Atsushi pause for a second.
Seeing how this caught Atsushi's attention, Y/n raised a brow.
"Kunikida," Dazai said calmly as he handed Kunikida a folded piece of paper, "Please give this to the agency's president."
"The three of you are going to catch this animal?" Kunikida asked.
"Three?" Y/n spoke up, "Sorry, but it's only the two of them. I'm not being paid overtime, so I'm not going to do overtime." He yawned, "I'll be going back to the agency with you, Kunikida. I wanna see if I can clock out already."
Kunikida rolled his eyes, "Still though. We should confirm his information first."
"It'll be fine," Dazai said, "I would've sent you alone, but Y/n already decided to go with you. A shame really..."
"WHA- DAZAI!!"
"Oh, um," Atsushi butted in catching Dazai's attention, "How much payment may I expect?"
Dazai hummed once again as he showed Atsushi another piece of paper, "About this much."
"I-!"
"I can throw in some meals if you would like, sweetie," Y/n butted in with a smile and holding another piece of paper, his hair covering his tired eyes this time.
"HOLY SHI-!!"
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