AtsuLucy

"You've got the wrong idea. I'm not strong, and I'm not popular. In fact, my entire life has been cursed. I know full well how you feel, envying and hating everyone around you."

- Atsushi sympathizing with Lucy.

AtsuLucy is the het ship between Atsushi Nakajima and Lucy Maud Montgomery from the Bungou Stray Dogs fandom.

Canon
Atsushi and Lucy started off as enemies from opposing sides. Lucy detested Atsushi for having a ‘wonderful’ ability and a place to belong to at the agency, her goal being to imprison Atsushi in Anne’s Room, bitter at those with fortune. However, Atsushi related and sympathize with Lucy and despite her antagonism, felt bad after defeating her and attempted to run after her asking if he could help her in any way. When Atsushi is captured by the Guild, Lucy comes to taunt him with her scars from the orphanage, not expecting Atsushi to have shown his own and understand her experiences. Atsushi changes Lucy’s mindset and alignment with the Guild upon sympathizing with her experiences. Lucy agrees to help Atsushi take down Fitzgerald with Anne's Room and trusted him to win against the Port Mafia and Guild combined; with Atsushi promising to find her afterwards. When they later reunite at the Uzumaki Cafe, Lucy embarrassedly antagonizes Atsushi once again after he failed to find her after the events of the Moby Dick to which Atsushi apologizes for his mishap, while Lucy reveals she took the job at the cafe to make up for breaking her promise in waiting for Atsushi. By the Sky Casino arc the two had grown as close friends and Lucy halted her aggressive attitude towards Atsushi.

After being defeated by Atsushi, her haughty and rather deranged facade faded and she expressed herself more with Atsushi, often insulting and bickering with him. Once they came on good terms, over time Atsushi grew comfortable with Lucy and treated her as an opponent-turned-subordinate. This rapport is shared by Lucy herself, who would occasionally aid Atsushi and his comrades in the Agency however way she can, even if she is not an official member herself. Notably, Atsushi envisions Lucy in his thoughts of the agency, Lucy, and Ango in Chapter 83.5, though it's unknown if he views Lucy as an honorary member or someone who's allied with the Agency.

By the Sky Casino Arc, Lucy had attempted to comfort Atsushi and treat him with less aggression. Lucy and Atsushi's relationship had improved to where Lucy called Atsushi by his name.

Lucy goes out of her way to help Atsushi, putting herself at risk during the Cannibalism and Sky Casino Arc to help out the agency on Atsushi’s request and gets excited with Ango tells Atsushi that she’s helping out the Agency. Lucy shows no hesitance in jumping into the water and getting drenched to save Atsushi from drowning, or jumping from the balcony to catch Atsushi and states if she buries her bones here then so be it. She also has no qualms with barging into the office and claiming Atsushi’s innocence even when it meant she’d be dragged out and possibly flagged by the division. Kyouka sees through Lucy, knowing that the latter wants only Atsushi's trust during Chapter 33.

Lucy appreciates Atsushi’s empathy for her, caring greatly about Atsushi and his opinion of her. Moments of heartfelt sincerity are shared between them where Lucy brushes her hair out of her eyes with a softened expression. It's implied that Lucy has feelings for Atsushi, upset when he didn’t save her on the Moby Dick and bashful when confessing it. She blushes and gets overly embarrassed with him even at the slightest of situations. Lucy gets flustered thanking Atsushi and embarrassed when Ango talks about her fervor of how she was announcing Atsushi's innocence. She's bashful when Atsushi thanks her or merely smiles; moments like these are more notable in the manga over the anime, as well as always snapping at him when he shows kindness and making excuses for trying to spend time with him. In Tales of the Lost, Lucy uses the excuse of practicing embroidery to make Atsushi a tiger handkerchief, as pointed out by Kenji, the latter whom called it a thoughtful gift. Atsushi is naive to Lucy's embarrassment around him.

At the moment, Atsushi doesn't have any feelings towards Lucy. He views Lucy as a fond close friend, convincing her to make the right choice in stopping the Moby Dick and showing sympathy and guilt during their first meetings. Atsushi often shows sometimes excessive worry over Lucy during the events of the Guild Arc, constantly asking her if she’s sure in her decision of helping him save the city. Atsushi wastes no time in saving or protecting her, forming an unlikely friendship with her.

Lucy calls Atsushi cat-related names such as "tabby cat” and “tiger kitty” and later addresses him as Atsushi.

Atsushi often addresses Lucy as "Montgomery-chan" in the manga, in which the honorific is used to refer to someone as a close friend. He occasionally addresses Lucy as "Montgomery-san".

The Guild Arc
"To tell you the truth…I don’t want you to fail your mission! I don’t want you to lose your home!"

- Atsushi showing guilt while defeating Lucy.

Atsushi and Lucy first meet after Lucy has trapped members of the agency inside her ability where they're trapped until she lets them leave. She traps Atsushi and Tanizaki in the room and challenges them to a game of tag, where if they win, she'll let the imprisoned civilians and agency members go. They agree, and Tanizaki is immediately caught due to Anne's speed. Atsushi evades Anne multiple times, and Lucy giggles and comments how Atsushi is like an acrobat.

She goes on to say how Atsushi’s ability is so convenient and that he was probably doted on since a child. Lucy retorts that Atsushi’s an orphan as well, reminiscing on how cold her orphanage was and how her fingers ached for days after washing the dishes. Lucy amusedly says how everyone viewed her as a freak because of her ability, while the detective agency did everything they could for Atsushi; in her words, because of his ability. Lucy states that if she fails this mission she'll be kicked out the Guild with no place to go. Atsushi hesitates and shows his guilt for what Lucy said, not wanting to cause her abandonment but needing to rescue the others.

Lucy monologues on how it’s not fair that it was Atsushi and not her; Lucy claims now to make Atsushi understand how she feels, she’ll lock him in the room forever. Anne chases Atsushi is able to evade, and he eventually gets to the door where everyone is trapped. As he's about to use the key, however, it tries to attack him, and Lucy explains that not even she knows how to use the key and only Anne could open it. Atsushi realizes the whole game was a trap, tries to run, but is stopped by Mori, who reminds him that if he leaves, he will have no memory of the room, leaving everyone still trapped in the room. Atsushi goes on the offense, but is soon caught by Anne, and is pulled into the room. Lucy celebrates momentarily, but then she realizes that at the moment the door opened, Tanizaki activated his ability, creating the illusion that Atsushi had been pulled into the room when in reality he had been holding onto the door frame to keep himself from being pulled in. Lucy then realizes that Atsushi had also tied a ribbon around her waist, and he pulls her towards where he is, grabbing her.

Atsushi tells Lucy determinedly that abilities should be used for the good. Now, he explains to her that he’s going to let go, and she'll have a split-second decision to let everyone free from the room or be trapped in her own reality until she dies along with everyone else. Atsushi lets go and Lucy screams, deactivating her ability, making everyone that was previously trapped in the room reappear in the street where she had forced them into her reality. Atsushi goes to ask if he could do anything for Lucy, but she runs away, crying because she had failed her mission.

After Lucy's defeat, Atsushi sees Lucy cleaning the room while talking to Fitzgerald, and he shows sadness when Fitzgerald explains she begged to stay in the Guild. Afterwards, they meet again when Atsushi has been captured by the Guild. As he's being held in a cell, Lucy comes to taunt him and tells him about what her time in the orphanage was like. Atsushi attempts to beg Lucy for help, explaining he wants to save everyone when Lucy bitterly responds she’s not apart of his companions. Atsushi continues to ask but she screams at him to shut up, showing him scars on her arm from when she was poked with a hot metal rod, explaining how no one would ever know the pain. However, to her surprise, Atsushi responds explaining how the bones ache on the first day, and on the third day it hurts so bad even moving a muscle. Lucy shows shock as Atsushi shows her his own scars from a hot metal rod from his orphanage on his ribs. Atsushi then tells Lucy abandoning the people of Yokohoma in this situation is like abandoning her past self. This strikes a chord in Lucy. In the blink of an eye she transports them into Anne's Room, giving him a parachute and telling him that if he exits the door, he'll be right outside the Moby Dick, able to escape. Atsushi worriedly asks if Lucy helping him is okay, stating how if she lets him go she’ll be kicked out. Lucy assures him stating solitude has always been her friend. Lucy laughs about how they used to be enemies when they met, and they discuss Mori and his role as the boss of the mafia. Then, Lucy speaks honestly stating that the Guild never would’ve stood a chance against Atsushi, and the latter stares in shock. This was one of the first time in the series Atsushi has been complimented earnestly, and he remains silent for a few seconds until Lucy urges Atsushi to hurry up. Atsushi asks if she'll be okay, staring at her and asking if she’s really invincible in this room. Lucy she tells him that as long as she's in Anne's Room she'll be safe. She sighs calling him dumb before telling him, “Make sure you survive. Then come back and get me out. I’ll be waiting.” while brushing her hair out of her eyes, with a single panel dedicated to this shot. Atsushi promises he will and jumps out of Anne’s Room and off the Moby Dick.

Afterwards, Atsushi got Lucy safely to ground in the manga, while in the anime adaptation there were some delays after the fight with Akutagawa. Atsushi attempted to search for Lucy everywhere but was unable to find her, but stated he was relieved to know she was safe and escaped the Moby Dick before it crashed.

The Guild Aftermath Arc
"I’m sorry. I searched for you as much as I could."

- Atsushi apologizing for failing to find Lucy.

After defeating the Guild, Atsushi goes with Kyouka Izumi to visit the Uzumaki Cafe, where they see Lucy walking in carrying a metal box. Lucy blushes and when Atsushi asks what she's doing there and Lucy throws the metal box at him, yelling and blushing. She then runs out of the cafe. Atsushi and Kyouka later find out she works there, and Lucy aggressively serves them water and asks for their order. Atsushi nervously says, “Long time no see..? Have you been well?” to which Lucy glares and calls him the worst. She states she’s getting revenge on Atsushi by employing at the cafe, and Atsushi protests saying “But before, you saved me in the Moby Dick!” before Kyouka interrupts with her order.

Lucy threatens to wring Atsushi’s “scrawny neck” if he doesn’t remember why she’s upset, and she gives the two a dispatch from “some strange guy.” Atsushi goes to grab the paper and she grumbles, “Hey!” when Lucy snatches it and states that it isn’t for Atsushi but for the “half-pint”, referring to Kyouka. Atsushi and Kyouka go to the shipyard to find where it is, then they realize a page is missing, which Lucy took without their knowledge to get revenge on Atsushi.

Lucy stands on top one of the boats and shows Atsushi that she has the paper, angrily asking him if he knows she why’s mad. Atsushi sweats and makes up excuses such as, “You don’t like the way I cut my bangs?” to which Lucy replies angrily that he’s crazy. Lucy tells him she’s upset and how she told him she’ll be waiting for him. Atsushi explains he did help her get to the ground safely, confused why Lucy is mad when he already saved her. However, Lucy reveals she was upset that Atsushi didn’t say a word after they reunited at the cafe. She then crumples the paper and throws it into the water. Atsushi dives in after it, getting his leg caught in boat debris and he starts drowning, raising his arm out of the water for help. Lucy jumps in after him, bringing them both into Anne's Room as she complains about him being an idiot and drowning in such shallow water and how her work clothes are wet. Lucy scolds Atsushi for this only for him to smile and thank her for helping home once more. He apologizes suddenly for not going to find her after the Moby Dick events. He explained he searched everywhere for her and Lucy blushes, shocked and asking if he really did, and he smiles. Lucy states her "revenge" on Atsushi was just an excuse. Lucy gets shy and explains she started working at the cafe to see Atsushi so she could make up for breaking her promise of not waiting for Atsushi on the Moby Dick, but the latter shows confusion and she looks away blushing. Atsushi, oblivious to Lucy’s embarrassment, then comes up with an idea to have Lucy transport the moisture out of their clothes by bringing them back to reality then Anne's Room. Lucy says she isn't sure it will work but transports them back to reality, then snaps her fingers to bring them back to Anne's Room. As they enter Anne's Room, instead of just the water in their clothes being left behind, their clothes have been left in reality, leaving them naked in Anne's Room. They take a moment to process what's happened, and Lucy screams at the top of her lungs, sending Atsushi out of the reality. This scene was played for laughs and possibly to show Atsushi and Lucy’s scars from their respective orphanages.

Cannibalism Arc
Lucy assists the Armed Detective Agency by keeping Fukuzawa hidden in Anne's Room. Atsushi and Lucy don't have many interactions during this arc; however, Lucy is helping the agency because of Atsushi.

Sky Casino Arc
"Um, I know this must feel horrible but, cheer up…"

- Lucy awkwardly trying to comfort Atsushi. Atsushi and Kyouka turn to Lucy to help them rebuild the agency because of her ability. Lucy is more than willing to help, and when the two meet up with Lucy, Ango, and Mushitaro, they discuss the Decay of Angels's plan. Lucy remains silent and as Atsushi learns that the page will be used at the next full moon, he goes silent. Ango and Mushitaro plan to tell Dazai, and Lucy sees as Atsushi darkens and attempts to comfort him. Before Lucy can properly convey her words, Atsushi starts laughing maniacally and Lucy jumps. Atsushi then excitedly states he discovered what they can do for their next course of plan, and Lucy shows relief at Atsushi’s return to his optimistic attitude. While in Anne's room, Atsushi asks how Lucy even ended up here with Ango, and she immediately blushes and attempts to stop Ango before he explains; Ango explains how Lucy was dragged out of their building because she ran screaming how the ADA was innocent and how "Atsushi is not evil! There’s no way he’s a murderer! Atsushi would never do this!" Ango adds how she did it with a very threatening look. This makes Lucy turn into a frantic blush with steam coming out of her ears from embarrassment. She starts flailing around in embarrassment and this makes Atsushi smile, commenting how kind it was of her and she angrily covers her face, telling Ango how he didn't have to explain that.

Lucy huffs and jokingly demands thanks, and to her surprise, Atsushi formally apologizes for roping her into their current situation. Lucy softens her expression and tells him she's the one repaying a favor, which makes them both pause for a moment before Lucy realizes what she said. She blushes and starts flailing her arms around begging Atsushi to just forget what she had said before; before Atsushi could respond, Ango interrupts their conversation and reminds them they need to move on as Kyouka observes the scene.

She lets Atsushi and Kyouka into Anne's Room and gets in a taxi headed towards Sky Casino. Atsushi, Kyouka, and Lucy head into the room they reserved and Atsushi discusses their plan.

Later, when Atsushi jumps out of the Sky Casino to catch Sigma and keep him from falling to his death, Sigma lets go and Atsushi is left hanging by his tail He’s hit by Nathaniel Hawthorne's ability, knocking him out so he too will eventually fall. Lucy stands above the scene and sees Atsushi hanging, and not knowing what to do, announces if she dies then so be it. She then jumps off the Sky Casino's balcony, reaching her hand out to Atsushi desperately and reaching him, managing to bring them both into Anne's room to save them. In this scene we see how Atsushi and Lucy's relationship has improved from day 1: with Lucy remarking "looks like I reached one way or another" while Atsushi thanks her profusely.

Immediately after, Hawthorne transports himself into the room and stabs Lucy in the shoulder with his blood bullet, Atsushi quickly jumps at Lucy and wraps her in his arms, pulling her away before further harm could be done. Once Anne takes down Hawthorne, Lucy clutches her bloody shoulder and celebrates that the two won the brief battle. Afterwards, Ango cuts their victory short and explains they failed in saving Sigma from his supposed death.

When Lucy asks what they can do now, Atsushi jumps up and announces they can look for another lead, only to drop forward unconscious. The next scene Atsushi is on a couch and Lucy stares worriedly at his body, and before Ango can shoot Lucy and Kyouka, Atsushi wakes up and announces he's found the page's location. Once Atsushi feels a blade stick through his forehead as the aftermath of Sigma’s ability, he immediately jumps after he gets information on Kamui. Notably, out of all the people in Anne's Room, Atsushi grabs Lucy's shoulder instead when announcing they have to leave. Lucy is visibly confused and asks if Atsushi is alright.

When the Detective Agency reunites, Lucy watches contently as Atsushi hugs the other members, remarking "My, my, they're rejoicing." and comments on how Atsushi's been on his own. She asks Kyouka if she'd like to hug Atsushi too, notably calmly. This scene shows Lucy's development over time as she now calmly interacts with Kyouka when at their first meeting she antagonized her.

The last time Lucy appears in the Decay of Angels Arc and the manga overall has been in Chapter 83.5 when she appears in Atsushi's flashback of Ango and the members of the agency. Notably, he states 'Ranpo-san and everyone from the agency" in this flashback despite Lucy merely being a staff of Café Uzumaki. While panicking over the fight with Fukuchi, Atsushi recalls Lucy's help amongst the list of people he doesn’t want to let down.

Wan!
Throughout wan, Lucy is portrayed to have jealousy towards Atsushi and Kyouka's relationship. In Chapter 59, when Lucy is irritated by Kyouka’s lack of communication skills while showing her the ropes at the cafe, Lucy waits for a customer to arrive in order to demonstrate proper communication to Kyouka. Unbeknownst to Lucy, who’s posing sweetly and smiling, the customer who walks in is Atsushi who stares quizzically at Lucy’s attitude. Lucy then opens her eyes and realizes the customer is Atsushi and immediately blushes, throwing her platter at Atsushi and telling him to go home, stunning him. In Chapter 66, when Atsushi (who is the Prince) prepares to kiss Kyouka (Snow White) and Lucy angrily storms over and interrupts the scene, demanding Atsushi to not kiss Kyouka while blushing madly. Atsushi, scared of Lucy's outburst, says he could kiss Lucy instead and she angrily objects. Lucy scolds Atsushi saying he's a filthy person and he states it's to lift the curse.

Tales of the Lost
Atsushi and Lucy interact in many side stories in their respective cards. They interact between special skills and are both featured in the library scout. A notable side story focused around Atsushi and Lucy directly is when Atsushi helps Lucy get a gift idea for Anne at the library and Lucy ends up making a tiger handkerchief for Atsushi as a gift, putting it under the disguise of a practice piece when she really wanted to give a gift to Atsushi, as pointed out by Kenji.

Atsushi’s Library Side Story

Atsushi heads to the library to research for the agency. He finds Lucy, the former who embarrassedly asks why he’s here. Atsushi answers he’s here for research and asks why Lucy is here, and she storms off stating it’s none of his business. Atsushi wonders if Lucy likes books.

The very next day on Atsushi’s day off, he finds Lucy again and chuckles about the coincidence. Lucy retorts he must have a lot of free time in his hands and asks Lucy about her status, then Lucy leaves in a storm without saying anything. Atsushi wonders if did anything wrong obliviously.

The next day Atsushi goes to the library to return Ranpo’s books for him. Then, Atsushi encounters Lucy once more. He asks her what she’s reading, and she remains silent. Then Atsushi turns to leave, feeling guilty assuming he interrupted Lucy. However, she calls after him and asks, “Did I say you were interrupting me?” Atsushi responds in a “huh?” and Lucy proceeds to explain what she read. Atsushi recognizes the book and catches on, saying “You used to hide and read this in the orphanage..” Lucy responds, “It was hard to make out the letters in the moonlight…” to which Atsushi confirms her words, relating to her experiences before she tells him he can go. Atsushi then prepares to leave and tells Lucy they should talk next time, and Lucy angrily responds, “Why would I want to talk to you?!” to which Atsushi tells Lucy she should keep it down since it’s a library—with Lucy retorting on Atsushi’s nerves. The next day, Atsushi is contemplating the books he found for Kyouka and Kenji before Lucy greets him. Atsushi is surprised that Lucy was the first to speak, and Lucy asks Atsushi to help her find a book that proves useful to get a gift for Anne. Lucy states she thought it wouldn’t hurt to inquire Atsushi’s opinion, and she states he should be honored. Atsushi then agrees and starts listing out suitable gift ideas like flowers, toys, and stuffed animals to which Lucy states she already tried out. Atsushi then suggests embroidery, and Lucy huffs that it’s not a bad idea coming from Atsushi. He seems content and states he hopes she can make something Anne likes, and Lucy goes silent before she states, “I don’t mind making one for you too.” Atsushi shows visible confusion, then Lucy angrily repeats herself, saying that she just needs practice for Anne’s gift and is therefore going to make a gift for Atsushi (which is later revealed to be an excuse for Lucy wanting to gift Atsushi.) Atsushi smiles saying he’s looking forward to it.

The next day Atsushi is returning the books he borrowed when he wonders if Lucy is here. He finds her but she’s silent focused on something, so Atsushi tells himself, “maybe I won’t bother her today.”

A few days later, Atsushi finishes his tasks and stops by the library, only to run into Lucy; the two scream in surprise and Lucy angrily asks why he’s surprise,d to which Atsushi apologizes and explains he was frightened. Lucy gets mad saying she had been waiting for Atsushi for a long time, and Atsushi shows shock and says they hadn’t made any plans to meet up prior. Lucy gets flustered at this and stammers for him to be quiet, and Atsushi shushes her saying to be quiet since they’re in a library. Then, Atsushi asks if Lucy finished her gift for Anne, and she chuckles proudly saying Anne was very pleased with the gift. Atsushi smiles and says that’s great, and then Lucy hands him the gift she made for him—a handkerchief. Atsushi is startled that Lucy went through with her words a few days ago and asks if he can really keep it, and she huffs saying of course. Lucy tells him she won’t forgive him if he were to lose it. Atsushi thanks her immensely, and Lucy grows embarrassed as she asks Atsushi to help her next time she wants to get another gift for Anne.

Later, Kenji goes over to Atsushi and compliments the handkerchief Lucy made saying it’s cute, gushing over the tiger stitched to it. Atsushi explains it was a gift from Lucy as a practice piece, and Kenji pauses and dubiously states it doesn’t look like it was for practice, and instead a thoughtful gift. Atsushi realizes he should give something in return and tells Kenji he’s going to head to the library for inspiration.

Fanon
The ship is one of the more popular het ships in the Bungou Stray Dogs fandom. AtsuLucy sailed after their heartwarming scene during the Guild Arc and is mostly shipped because of Lucy's implied feelings towards Atsushi. Its main rival ship is Shin Soukoku. AtsuLucy received some backlash for Lucy's rude and unjustified behavior towards Atsushi; however, shippers argue that since the Sky Casino Arc, AtsuLucy has grown to be a healthy and respectful pairing.

AtsuLucy is normally shipped because of the tropes they fit in, like Tsundere x Dandere or Opposites Attract. AtsuLucy fanfictions often use the canon trope of Lucy blushing at Atsushi while the former remains oblivious. Fans enjoy the moments between Atsushi and lUcy where they relate to their past struggles.

AtsuLucy holds a lot of parallels and development between their first interaction to the latest, more notably shown in the manga. An example is when in the Guild Arc, Lucy scornfully snaps at Atsushi saying he doesn’t see her as one of his companions, and in Chapter 83.5 Atsushi envisions Lucy with the other members of the agency, seeing her as a companion and an ally. Lucy starts a lighthearted and genuine banter after saving Atsushi, contrary to when she angrily mocked and scolded him (out of supposed worry.)

AtsuLucy fans don't have much hope for their relationship to become official, despite signs of romantic feelings on Lucy's side. Fans believe the author of Bungou Stray Dogs may draw back from making any romantic relationships official in order to respect the original authors the characters are based on, the fact that romance isn’t a main theme through the story, and the fact there may be heavy backlash from people against the ship.

A running joke and headcannon amongst the AtsuLucy community is that Kyouka is AtsuLucy's adopted child due to how she is always the third wheel in their scenes. Some fans suspect that Lucy, Kyouka, and Atsushi are in a love triangle due to the tension between Lucy and Kyouka, especially when Kyouka was Snow White, Atsushi was the Prince, and Lucy was the Witch in WAN!; though this has yet to be confirmed, and Kyouka may simply have been on guard since Lucy was a former member of the Guild. However, Lucy’s jealousy towards Kyouka is apparent in Wan.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

Trivia

 * Lucy calls Atsushi many varieties of cat-related nicknames such as tabby cat.
 * In the Official Game Tales of The Lost they are both featured in the library Scout together.
 * Lucy's Active Skill feature's Atsushi & Atsushi's Active Skill implies to be in the POV of Lucy towards the end.
 * They both feature and interact mainly with each other in the side stories of their respective Scouts.

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