Work Text:
Akutagawa was many things.
But Stubborn would be the best thing to describe what he is most right now.
Standing in front of a warehouse where he’s supposed to meet up with Chuuya and Dazai alone- he has his arms around a certain weretiger’s stomach.
Atsushi had struggled against him when Akutagawa grabbed him while he was on the way to the agency- But then he gave up. Seeing as when Akutagawa wanted something, he wouldn’t give up until he got it.
Atsushi was confused. But at least he had an excuse as to why he may be late to work today, he guesses as he’s pressed up against the other man’s chest. Akutagawa had wrapped his jacket around the both of them as to keep him restrained- and well, at least it was warm.
Akutagawa places his chin atop of one of Atsushi’s shoulders, lazily staring off in the distance and waiting for Chuuya and Dazai to appear. He mindlessly starts moving his hands up and down Atsushi’s stomach, causing him to melt against Akutagawa and a rumble vibrate from his throat.
A content purr from the petting.
When two voices bickering reaches Atsushi’s ears, he barely has a chance to react to try and save his own dignity from being an absolute puddle in Akutagawa’s arms- no chance to get out of the embrace or speak against being seen like this. As Akutagawa just brings up his hand and scratches right behind his ear-
He’d be so much more embarrassed right now upon the tiger ears instantly forming atop his head, replacing the ear where Akutagawa’s hand had been. But no, his brain felt only bliss when the man scratches at those tiger ears and continued to rub his stomach.
Atsushi would’ve never been in this position a year ago. He probably would’ve been dead before Akutagawa would even think of petting him.
“Chuuuuuuuuuyaaa…” Dazai’s voice sing-songs from a few feet away, Akutagawa staring the two figures down as they get closer.
“What.” Chuuya deadpans to him, certainly already on the edge of a mental breakdown from what Akutagawa would assume to be what Dazai has already annoyed him so much with.
“Loooookie over there.” Dazai chirps, pointing over towards Akutagawa and-
Akutagawa immediately pushes Atsushi down further into his coat, the weretiger being utterly oblivious to the motion.
“What could possibly be so-” ….. Chuuya stares Akutagawa down as soon as they’re close enough. “Akutagawa.” Chuuya warns with a raised hand, not even noticing Dazai steal his hat and put it on his own head with a smug grin. “That better not be Atsushi you’re sneaking into this mission.”
Akutagawa stops petting Atsushi in order to make eye contact with the man fuming in front of him. He then glances down to Atsushi who now looks utterly confused at the loss of touch, staring up at him with wide eyes as he slowly comes to his own realization of what was going on.
….
Akutagawa looks back up as Atsushi peaks from the coat, both looking at Chuuya- one with a careless deadpan and one with something equivalent to kitten eyes as his ears pin down in embarrassment on his head.
“....no. It’s a tiger.” Akutagawa states simply, arms finding their way back around Atsushi’s stomach to hold him tightly.
Like a child refusing to let go of their favorite toy.
Atsushi starts to squirm a little under the fiery gaze of Chuuya, it only makes the jacket- Rashomon tighten around the both of them to keep him still.
“...Akutagawa.” Chuuya growls out lowly, eye twitching when it just makes Akutagawa stubbornly squish his cheek against the side of Atsushi’s head. The man inhales, “Does Atsushi even want to be here, eh?” He questions out, earning a nod from Akutagawa and a shrug from Atsushi.
Chuuya stares Atsushi down instead of Akutagawa.
Atsushi fidgets.
“Atsushi.” Chuuya’s eyebrow raises.
Atsushi shrugs again.
“Jesus fucking christ.” Chuuya curses, pinching the brim of his nose. “You can say no if you want to say no, Atsushi. You don’t have to give into him just because he’s being bratty.”
Akutagawa sticks his tongue out at him and Rashomon comes out in a tendril to stand still in front of Chuuya’s face in a warning.
Chuuya’s eye twitches again.
“Now now kittens, we can settle this!” Dazai chirps out with his hands raised in the air, Chuuya instantly turns to him with the most pissed off expression upon hearing ‘kittens’ then freezes.
“When the fuck did you-” Chuuya instantly snatches the hat upon Dazai’s head in order to put it back on his own, “Whatever, shut up. Akutagawa.” Chuuya turns back to the stubborn man, pointing down to the ground firmly, “You either let Atsushi go back on his merry way or I force you to let him go on his merry way. Which one will it be? Because he’s not allowed to go on this mission today. Remember what we said?”
Akutagawa blinks at him, “...That Atsushi and I cannot work together any more because we are 'together?'” He questions almost obliviously-
“NO.” Chuuya grips at his own hair in frustration, “Jesus, did you just take what we said and twist it like that? No, my fucking god- Atsushi can’t come with us because he needs time away from physical fighting for the next week as he figures his shit out. His recent tiger quirks, remember? The quirks that you’re encouraging by petting him.”
Rashomon’s tendril retreats back to the jacket as Akutagawa pouts.
He pouts.
“Awww, be fair to him Chuuya! He pets stray cats allllll the time, you can’t blame him for this. As soon as I found out Atsushi purred like one, I couldn’t resist scratching right under his chin either!” Dazai coos out, hand waving up and down over at Atsushi who ducks his head further down into Akutagawa’s jacket in embarrassment.
Then his eyes would widen when Dazai takes out a string from god knows where and dangles it above, Atsushi’s tail in which who the hell knows when it appeared swaying slowly back and forward below and making Dazai snicker. Atsushi attempts to swipe at it, his hand coming from within the jacket and making Akutagawa have to stop them both from falling over.
Chuuya grabs Dazai’s wrist and flips him onto the ground, snatching the string away and mumbling curses under his breath while Dazai whines about ‘the cruelty of my chibi!’ He forces Akutagawa’s jacket open and drags Atsushi out, the weretiger letting out a whine as he’s pushed far enough away from Akutagawa. Chuuya instantly grabs Akutagawa before the man can reach for Atsushi again, throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and stomping into the warehouse before any protest can be yelled.
Atsushi stands a little awkwardly as he watches them go, messing with the ends of his shirt while Dazai stands up from getting flipped and dusting his pants off. The bandaged man reaches over to ruffle Atsushi’s hair with a smile, instantly making him purr and-
“DAZAI IF I LOOK OUT THERE AND SEE YOU PETTING HIM AGAIN.” Chuuya’s voice makes Dazai sigh dramatically, releasing Atsushi from the bliss of getting pet again and walking off into the warehouse with a wave of his hand.
“See you back at the agency, kitty.” Dazai chirps happily, completely unphased by Chuuya’s wrath and Akutagawa’s sudden rage inside.
Atsushi blinks.
…
“I’m not a cat!” Atsushi whines to nothing as everyone was now gone, he can only huff and turn away from the warehouse as he hears a gun go off- probably the three already dealing with whatever their mission is today.
…
Ugh.
Why did the instincts with being a tiger have to come now of all times….
It really didn’t help with Akutagawa’s clinginess Atsushi had no idea he possessed.
He better get a control on these instincts quick, it’d be even more embarrassing to get captured by an enemy just because they decided to try petting him.
On the bright side, he doubts that would happen. Seeing as his tiger at least had standards on who could pet him and who couldn’t-
Sadly that means that poor stranger the other day who saw his ears on his head and tried their hand at petting him got scratched beyond belief.
Oh the misery.
//art by me ^-^
