The Reckless & The Brave Book 3: Casual Affair [SakuAtsu]

Chapter 2

"You're sick," Kita says as soon as he opens the door. Atsumu hasn't seen him in nearly six months but he doesn't look any different despite the fact that he's been undercover the whole time. Somehow he manages to fit into any role without altering his personality or appearance at all. Atsumu wishes he could be that good.

"I'm not sick," Atsumu lets himself into the small apartment.

"You're clearly sick," Kita heads for the small kitchenette and places a kettle on the stove. "You should have delayed your trip until your health was better." Atsumu drops himself into a chair and rests his head against the cool wood.

"I had to come in early," the wood feels good against his skin but Atsumu still refuses to admit he's sick. He's just tired from the trip.

"Where's your other half then?" Kita pours two mugs of tea and sets one in front of Atsumu as he sits across from him. He pulls it close and sniffs at the steam but doesn't drink it yet despite how much he wants to. He knows that Kita will just give him that disappointed look if he burns his tongue.

"He didn't tell you?" Atsumu has always shared everything with Kita, probably more than he should have, and he'd always assumed that Osamu had done the same. Maybe he hadn't thought it was safe to talk about it here, but Kita asked so it's probably clear. "He's married. Right after his last visit." He blows on the tea a few times before taking a sip.

"That's good. Retired then?"

"Did he tell you ahead of time he was gonna? Cause I didn't get the memo til the fricken wedding," Atsumu is still salty about that. He'd always known that Osamu wouldn't stay with Fukurodani forever but he thought he'd have more time to prepare for it.

"We did discuss his plans for the future," Kita drinks some of his own tea.

"Well if he knew what he was gonna do then he shoulda told me! He already told me back in high school that he was gonna quit one day. Why couldn't he tell me when it got closer?" Atsumu snatches up his mug again and takes too large of a drink. He tries not to cough as it burns his throat.

"Why haven't you told him how you really feel?" Kita's face is just as impassive as always. It's comforting in a weird way.

"How could I? He's all happy and smiley talking about their future and shit. He only stayed cause of me."

"You were happy to keep working alongside him. From what I've heard you two have gotten along uncommonly well the last few months. You know why he didn't tell you."

"I know, I know," Atsumu lets his forehead drop onto the table again with a thud. Osamu did it for him, to keep him happy. Atsumu is a shit brother, he doesn't need Kita to remind him. The two of them continue to sit in silence, sipping at their tea for a bit. Atsumu catches himself sniffling a bit and tries to hide it.

"I suspect it's just the common cold," Kita says. He stands and takes both their empty mugs to the kitchen.

"I'm not sick," Atsumu lies.

"Go take a warm shower, you have twenty hours before you have to leave again. It will be easier on you if you can try and get over the worst of the cold before then."

"It'll probably be useful actually," Atsumu shrugs. "If I screw something up this time around I can use the cold as an excuse for acting weird."
"You shouldn't doubt yourself so much. You're a good agent," Kita comes back from the kitchen and meets Atsumu's gaze for a moment. "I'll prepare the bedroom. Go shower, the steam will help you breathe. There's some Vick's in the medicine cabinet."

Atsumu has to admit that a hot shower sounds good but he doubts there will be much of it in a place like this. He hopes that Kita's had a chance to shower for the night already so he doesn't have to take a cold one. Letting Kita take care of him is an old habit that Atsumu had hoped to grow out of but whenever the older man is around he finds himself turning into a whiny brat again. Going from one bad foster home to another as kids had left both twins distrustful of adults. By the time they'd been brought to Fukurodani, they didn't want to deal with anyone but each other.