
ALT thank the ones that kept you afloat frankenjoly Summary: âPerhaps I could help you? When it comes to courting the weretiger lad, that is.â One might think the following silence coming from Akutagawa was due to him not having heard that by virtue (or fault) of still being way more focused on his own inner musings, but no: He was pulled back out of his current trail of thought, yes, but he spent a considerable amount of time simply staring at Bram with wide eyes and a slight head tilt, overall forming an expression which could easily contain a million thoughts or none at all. Thus, the verdict was easy, Akutagawa had just been overcome by disbelief. And, just in case there were any doubts, his next words confirmed it. âExcuse me?â for sskk week 2025's day 7: free day bram, with his zero knowledge of modern romance, attempts to be akutagawa's wingman.

ALT i âThis is getting ridiculous.â Atsushi said, trying to change his walking course and comically failing when a RashĂ´mon tendril circled his waist. Sure, he could try to break free using his own ability, but that would be too much. He didnât want to start arguing, less of all with his boyfriend, less of all on his own birthday. Besides since there was a blindfold covering his eyes, said boyfriend was the main reason Atsushi hadnât tripped during their walk yet. (Sure, the tiger senses were useful for moving around without seeing, but he had yet to get used to doing so comfortably. Not to mention how neither smell nor hearing would help when it came to changes on the ground under his feet. And he was enjoying the closeness, obviously.) âWhat is getting ridiculous?â Akutagawa replied, and if the topic were less obvious he might have bought in the feigned innocence of his tone. âWeâve been moving in circles for at least five minutes, maybe more.â

ALT âThis was by no means part of the plan, I can at least tell you this much.â Because, of course, Akutagawa had been adamant in not spilling any single detail of whatever surprise was coming. Legit; Atsushi hadnât questioned anything until that point, for it didnât take a genius to realize he was stalling. Under normal circumstances, he wouldnât mind, though. But they had supposedly gone out for breakfast, which meant he was incredibly hungry, which consequently also meant his patience was being affected. âCanât you at least add why is this happening, please?â There was probably no need to use his best pleading kitten attitude, but he tried anyway. âI can,â Akutagawa said, and Atsushi could sense the âbutâ already. âWhen we get there, though.â He opened his mouth to protest, but was instantly appeased by what came next. âIt will be soon, since I donât need to buy time anymore.â

ALT ii Atsushi had already recognized the Agencyâs office, proving how he could walk that path even with his eyes closed (or covered, like right then), when the blindfold was removed from his face. And laughter quickly escaped from his throat after taking in the scene receiving both him and Akutagawa. That wasnât his first birthday with the Agency, so strictly speaking seeing it all decorated for his birthday wasnât exactly a surprise. Still, that didnât mean he wasnât overcome with joy by such a sight; quite the opposite, actually. Not only that, but a smile appeared on Atsushiâs face and he also managed to get teary-eyed. âSorry for taking a bit more than expected, by the way.â Sigma said, leaving a plate of pancakes over the main set of tables, joining tons of more food. âWe almost lost the cake in the process of bringing it up here.â âItâs Dazaiâs fault, by the way!â Lucy quickly added, making Kunikida sigh and Yosano snort. Meanwhile, Atsushi⌠âCake?â He would be more than happy to li

ALT i Atsushi arriving before RyĂťnosuke did wasnât exactly a common occurrence, sure, but that might be the first time he did so on purpose. At least, that Gin knew of. And speaking of knowing, they were obviously in kahoots with him, so there was no need for explanations when the doorbell rang and she found his brotherâs boyfriend upon opening. Quite the opposite, in fact; Gin took part of the bags he was carrying and moved away to let him enter. They had hours before RyĂť came back, but also no time to lose, after all. Not when there were quite a handful of things to prepare before that. âThe kitchen is yours.â It was still somewhat strange, speaking so openly in front of him, but with time it had also become less and less awkward. After all, Nakajimaâs presence there had grown to become as frequent as Tachiharaâs or Higuchiâs. Which were supposed to arrive in around an hour or so, by the way, with more stuff they needed as well as for actually celebrating. (Gin had talked about it with h

ALT ii While Atsushi baked the cake into existence, Gin busied herself with setting up the table, as well as hanging up some decorations here and there. And opening the door again when Tachihara and Higuchi arrived, bringing extra drinks, ice and paper napkins. Then, both their partners joined RyĂťnosukeâs in his cake-making endeavor. âNakahara-san says he couldnât come up with more detours.â She also informed after some time, checking his phone. âTell him itâs fine!â Higuchi quickly replied from the kitchen, and Gin may not admit it, but they exhaled a sigh of relief he hoped none of the rest had heard. âWeâre almost done here!â They did reply indeed, then dashed into the room to help with the clean-up.

ALT iii To be fair, the cake was still in need of some final decoration touches when RyĂť walked through the door, but nothing stalling him a bit while Atsushi finished those couldnât solve. âHappy birthday.â Given how their respective schedules had made it so this was the first time the siblings saw each other that day, they claimed the first hug over Nakajima (as if he wouldnât have left it to them anyway). âThank you, Gin.â RyĂťnosuke didnât doubt reciprocating, but he didnât lose time in turning his head towards Tachihara either. âNo noisy gimmicks.â âPromise.â As he said so, MichizĂ´ even raised his arms in surrender as IchiyĂ´ giggled. That was also when Atsushi made his appearance too, not hiding the fact there was going to be a cake since he hadnât bothered taking his apron off. Not an issue, though, since Gin figured their brother would expect a cake; it wasnât the first time, after all. He then left a peck on RyĂťâs first with his own âHappy birthdayâ, and no longer after that he was































