Chapter Text
Atsushi has been stuck in the rain for hours, which under normal circumstances would just be annoying and at worst probably result in a cold, but today it’s life threatening and he can feel his energy draining fast.
Such a small, frail body isn’t made for being stuck in an alley during a massive storm.
He came to said alley to investigate the most recent missing person in the slew of mysterious disappearances lately. This was the last place they were seen yesterday, and since everyone is busy following leads and all of the missing people vanished from different places, they assumed it would be safe for Atsushi to check it out on his own.
At this point, they really should know that Atsushi is nothing if not a beacon for danger.
Before he even had time to register what was happening, a hand was on his shoulder from behind and the words “Beware the Cat” had him transforming into a tiny kitten. The intense pain from the sudden transformation, and the general weakness of his new body, made him slow to move at first and by the time he gained any semblance of bearings and turned around, the assailant had already gone.
So here he is, tiny and freezing and
drenched
.
Despite being a weretiger, Atsushi doesn’t actually know much about cats or tigers (which are
different,
no matter what Dazai says). Thanks to his lack of knowledge he has no way to gauge what age he might currently be, or what he needs to survive, all he knows is he’s tiny, his legs are kind of wobbly, and he cannot regulate his temperature yet.
Which definitely doesn’t bode well for him.
His frail new form won’t stop trembling, and thinking is becoming more difficult with each passing second as his stomach screams out for food and his body begs for warmth.
Death by being a kitten would definitely be humiliating.
He can’t help but wonder what the ADA would feel if he never returned. There’s no doubt the culprit will be found eventually, and Dazai will nullify the ability, so it’s not like they’d never find his body.
A body too far gone for Yosano to save.
Would they be sad? Probably to a certain extent.
Kyoka definitely would take it the hardest. They’ve basically become like siblings at this point, which makes the thought of leaving her without him
especially
painful.
Sadly there isn’t much he can do.
Clearly it’s his time to-
“ Fucking Kaiji ! What kind of asshole fucks with someone else’s food? I swear to god next time I’m gonna-” A familiar voice carries on the wind and Atsushi looks up to see a very annoyed Chuuya Nakahara.
Granted, Atsushi doesn’t personally know him, but Akutagawa is very clearly fond of him and Dazai (although he would never say it) trusts him more than literally
anyone
so he
must
be good.
Having made up his mind, Atsushi musters up every last bit of energy he has to cry as loudly as he can and get the gravity manipulator’s attention. To his horror it’s a very broken yowl and practically disappears under the sounds of the storm.
By some miracle, though, it catches Chuuya’s attention.
“What was that?” He lifts his foot, apparently thinking he stepped on something, before the small ball of spotted white fluff catches his eye, “Was that sound you? ” Curious blue eyes lock with frightened and exhausted ones, Atsushi desperately trying to meow louder for help, the sound coming out scratchy and painful .
The cry is thankfully cut short by two gloved hands suddenly cupping him, enveloping his cold body in warmth and shielding him from the rain.
“Shit, you’re freezing .” Chuuya frowns, cradling the kitten closer to him with one hand so he can unbutton his shirt some with the other. “Get in there and warm up while I try to find some help.”
The part of him that's still Atsushi is mortified, but the part of him that's a kitten who's freezing to death is beyond relieved and he feels himself snuggling up to the warmth against his better judgment. A hand comes up to cradle him from over the shirt, and Chuuya begins tracing circles against his back through the fabric. It starts with an awkward stutter, his body too unwell and unfamiliar with the act, but Atsushi begins to purr.
A tiny, wet kitten relaxes into the warmth of bare skin and the grounding pressure of a gentle hand as the renowned Port Mafia executive quietly talks to him, reassuring him that it’ll be ok.
Before he falls asleep, the last thing he hears is barely a whisper, “It was always supposed to be a dog..but I guess I can make an exception for you.”
He’s not sure how much later, but Atsushi is woken up by something soft and fluffy being carefully wrapped around his small body until only his head is visible. He doesn’t move, doesn’t even bother to open his eyes, still too tired and weak to do much more than enjoy the steady and strong warmth beneath him that’s soothing the cold deep in his bones.
“There’s no vet open tonight,” Chuuya says softly, his footsteps barely audible as he walks around the room, “The emergency vet is even closed because the doctor got sick, what a joke. Thankfully the lady at the pet store I found was able to help out.” There’s a dip beside Atsushi, presumably Chuuya sitting beside him, but he doesn’t react, still unable to do much more than listen.
He hears rustling now, followed by light taps onto a solid surface as Chuuya sets things down. Something is popped open, and before Atsushi’s brain can even register what it could be, his body begins purring harder and louder than he thought possible.
Chuuya huffs out a fond laugh and lightly strokes the fur between Atsushi’s ears with his thumb, “Still lethargic, huh? Don’t worry, the woman gave some suggestions.” He can hear the sound of water and a light clink as he stirs something. “She said you look like a 4 week old white bengal cat, I don’t know shit about breeds but she did tell me what you need at such a young age. Apparently you’ll be weaning and potty training at this age. Most importantly, though, she said you should pull through even without immediate vet intervention, so long as you get fed and warmed up.” Soon there’s a strong scent of formula and a mystery substance whose overpowering smell he would normally find disgusting but his kitten brain is telling him it's everything he needs. “Alright, little guy, I need you to come out to eat.”
A hand gently shifts through the fabric he’s wrapped in and Atsushi finally opens his eyes as he’s placed in Chuuya’s lap, the warm blanket quickly returning and being loosely placed over him. There’s a bottle in the man’s hands filled with formula and, ugh , moist cat food. A now familiar thumb comes back up to stroke his head, gently coaxing him to lift it up before the bottle is in front of his face. Luckily his taste buds are those of a kitten, so when he finally latches on and begins to drink it is easily the most delicious thing he’s ever had.
His purring amps up and he can’t control the kneading his tiny claws are doing to Chuuya’s thigh. His hunger pains are finally lessening and it’s getting easier to hold himself up. For the first time in hours he’s truly warm, full, and comfortable . Standing here on Chuuya’s thigh, drinking a strange kitten food concoction, covered in a fluffy blanket, Atsushi feels safe .
He’s glad Chuuya found him.
The food runs out shockingly fast and Atsushi can’t help the loud, desperate whine he lets out.
It’s mortifying, but Chuuya simply laughs, wiping some formula from his fluffy cheek. “Don’t worry, I can make you more.” He stands up and wraps Atsushi back in the blanket, setting him on the heating pad he was apparently on before, “I’ll go warm up some more water, don’t move.”
Atsushi does as he says, opting to look around the room instead. The couch he’s on is a nice shade of red, big and plush and clearly expensive. There’s honestly a good chance this piece of furniture alone is worth more than Atsushi’s entire apartment, but on the whole Chuuya’s place doesn’t feel ostentatious. His furniture is well made and expensive, but the things around it are more simple.
Chuuya’s apartment is large, with an open floor plan. They layout itself feels cold, but he’s filled it with knick knacks and books and even though Atsushi doesn’t know this man and has never been here before it feels so much like a home he finds it more relaxing than intimidating.
There’s a bookcase on the wall diagonal to the couch, and while Atsushi doesn’t know the themes to each shelf, he feels like they are very important. Random amounts of objects fill each shelf, all well cared for and delicately arranged in a way clearly dear to Chuuya. While looking at it, his attention keeps coming back to the highest center shelf, where lies a group of things that have clearly been around the longest, meticulously maintained and cherished over the years.
The objects and layout makes no sense to him, though.
Why does he have an old magazine with a famous deceased actor on it? And why is it next to a pair of old worn out sunglasses?
Then there’s an old record that sits in the middle of the shelf and shows signs of frequent use in the past, although it very clearly isn’t played anymore, and next to that are immaculate looking white gloves and a scalpel. The items feel so random and disjointed, yet put together with the white billiards ball in the center of the shelf, it all feels precious.
Like an old memory desperately being clung to.
The microwave suddenly goes off, surprising Atsushi out of his thoughts, and soon enough Chuuya is back by his side with a measuring cup full of water and another measuring cup that still has remnants of formula powder from the last mixture.
“Alright, time to make your disgusting food again.” Chuuya teases, a fondness in his tone, “You’re lucky you’re cute because this is easily some of the foulest looking and smelling stuff I’ve dealt with, which is actually saying something.” He rolls his sleeves up to his elbows and reaches for the water when suddenly his phone rings.
The ringtone is Dazai’s voice, as high pitched as possible, “Pick up the phone, Chuu~ya! I’m waiting~! Ignoring me won’t make me go away~! If I have to call back I’m pouring one of your wine bottles down the drain! Don’t make me come to-!”
Chuuya groans, “When the fuck did he change his ringtone, again ?” He hits the button to answer, and then another for speaker phone, “What the fuck do you want, mackerel? And stop changing your ringtone . How do you manage to make each new one more insufferable than the last?”
Dazai ignores the rambles, “Did you put me on speaker phone?”
“ Yes , idiot, I’m in the middle of something,” Chuuya rolls his eyes, starting to mix the water and a specifically measured out amount of powder, “What do you want?”
“Hmm…you never get a break, huh, Chuuya?” Dazai mutters before sighing dramatically. “Well, turns out I’ve caught some of your bad luck, too. Or, I guess technically Atsushi has.”
“Atsushi?” Chuuya asks, not taking his eyes off the concoction he’s creating, “The kid you’ve got Akutagawa obsessing over?”
“The very one~!” Dazai happily answers, before his voice takes on a marginally more serious, but mostly exasperated, tone. “Looks like he’s become one of the missing people.”
Chuuya’s hands stop and he finally looks away from the mixture to frown at his phone, “Really? Shit, I know whoever is doing this got some of our member, but I figured you idiots would be safe.”
“We don’t know where he is, but the director says he’s alive, so there’s no need for you to worry about him too much.”
“I’m not worried about some kid I don’t even know!”
There’s an embarrassed flush to the man’s face now and Atsushi himself is feeling flustered at the idea of the gravity manipulator actually worried about him. The real him, and not the random kitten he found on the street.
“Mmmhmm, anyways because I have to look for him with the others, I get the privilege of not having to see your face for a while~!”
“Oh?” Chuuya’s left eyebrow twitches, and a pout comes and goes from his face in the blink of an eye, “ Good , feel free to make that a permanent thing.”
“Now, now, don’t miss me too much. I’ll be back soon.” Dazai teases, but the disappointment in his own voice is so evident it stuns the teen.
There’s been an openness in general to Dazai’s voice on this phone call that he’s never heard before, and it makes him feel guilty he’s hearing it now. It’s not Atsushi he’s willingly being so unguarded with, after all, it’s Chuuya. As they continue talking, teasing now replaced with idle chit chat, Atsushi makes a point of not listening to what they are saying. Yet even without paying attention to the words he can hear the fondness in Dazai’s voice, a level of fondness he didn’t know the man was capable of.
He’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him happy.