An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
End of the Year Rare Pair Challenge: BokuIwaAka Western AU + Enemies to Lovers
Rating: Teen (fun and lighthearted +heavy sexual humor/innuendos) WC: 4238 for @justforbadfriends!
Excerpt:
Akaashi marched along the aisle, thumbs hooked in his belt loops as he swayed along with the train. His nerves were raw as he attempted to glance out the windows without the other passengers sensing anything was amiss. As marshals, they were accustomed to traveling alone or in pairs to the outer reaches of the West, hunting down criminals that couldn’t be handled by the local sheriff.
But the train he was riding on was carrying special cargo. The secret kind that somehow never stayed a secret when it was most important that it did. The attorney general himself gave the team their instructions in a back room at the station they left about an hour ago. Yamiji was sending him, his partner Bokuto, and the rest of the fearsome Fukurodani marshals to escort the cargo to its destination.
Yamiji had shown them what the cargo was so they knew exactly what they were dealing with and what to expect further down the tracks. It was a case of government-issued gold that was being delivered to a governor for some kind of diplomatic deal. To be honest, Akaashi didn’t like the way the whole situation smelled. And by Yamiji’s scrunched up nose, he didn’t like the stink of corruption any more than Akaashi did.
But they were marshals and it was their duty to do what the government said. The less Akaashi knew what was happening behind those fancy closed doors, the better. He knew men that had run away from their life as a marshal and suddenly found themselves an enemy of the government and criminals alike. Deserters never lasted long in these parts.
Akaashi smiled and tipped his hat at a lady as he allowed her to pass. She giggled and rushed away, fluttering her fan faster at her face. He stifled a snicker and turned back, freezing when he saw out the door to the carriage he was riding on.
Visible beyond the small window on the door was his partner, Bokuto, holding onto the railing while perched on the narrow landing between railroad carriages. To pass between carriages while the train was in motion wasn’t completely impossible, at least to anyone without a death wish. On either side of the platform were steps that matched up with every station platform with a high railing parallel to the door. On the other side of that was nothing but a rickety hitch keeping the cars attached to one another.
Regardless of not having a death wish, it was something that Akaashi had to do from time to time and he had little fear of opening up the carriage door and stepping outside. Bokuto turned and smiled at him. It was one of his rascally smiles that meant he had more play on his mind than work. Considering the seriousness of the situation, Akaashi thought it was an inappropriate moment to fool around but he couldn’t resist smiling back.
“What are you doing out here, Bokuto-san?” he called over the deafening noise.
Bokuto leaned back against the door and gripped the back of his hat to keep it from flying off in the brisk breeze. “It was suffocating in there. Had to take a break.”
“Not the most pleasant place for a break. Besides, it doesn’t give a good view in case we have company.”
“Better than in there! I kept looking around and the old woman next to me told me that I should’ve gone back at the station. I told her I didn’t have to pee and then the whole car gasped and glared at me. She was the one who brought it up.”
Akaashi snorted and shook his head. Perhaps it was better that Bokuto wasn’t around the gentler citizens. The rest of their team wasn’t much better, but they at least knew how to shrug off impertinent comments or questions.
It felt nice to speak to his partner, giving him a brief respite from his growing anxiety. Bokuto, after all, was more than just a partner with his job but his partner in life as well. Being with him was both calming and exciting, and he knew it would take the worst kind of situation to pry them apart.
“‘Kaaaaasshhii,” Bokuto teased as he straightened up from the door and leaned forward on the railing instead. “What’re you worried about?”
“I just have a bad feeling. This gol— this cargo is bad news.”
“I agree but we don’t have a choice but to deliver it. Otherwise, Yamiji-san will have our hides.”
“Or someone will have his.” Akaashi sighed and stepped forward as well, leaning over the railing to close the distance between them. “I’ll be happier when this job is over.”
“And then we can go back to just the two of us.” Bokuto’s sly words were accompanied with an even slyer grin, and he reached out to pinch Akaashi’s shirt. “All this tension is working me up. If we don’t get to fight today, you better prepare yourself.”
“I’m always prepared. Especially for you, Bokuto-san.”
“Oh ho, getting cocky, Akaashi?”
Akaashi raised an unimpressed eyebrow as Bokuto grinned proudly from his pun. “Keep it in your pants, Bokuto-san. We’re not even halfway to the station yet.”
Read the rest on AO3!
