Chapter Text
The next morning, Akutagawa woke up earlier than usual.
He suddenly found himself in front of that bakery, but for some reason he wasn’t thinking about Gin.
“Ah, you’re early today!” The old woman exclaimed, ushering a different employee to the kitchen. Akutagawa made his way to the girl, that same girl ready to ask the weretiger out.
“You,” he grunted. The young girl yelped in surprise.
“Oh, it’s you from yesterday! Good morning!” She chirped.
“About that man,” he started. Akutagawa was getting ahead of himself, but that twisting feeling in his stomach was hard to ignore.
“...About…Atsushi Nakajima.”
The girl seemed mildly flustered about the topic, her hands flying to fidget with a faux gold bracelet. That gold, too shiny, too yellow, made it incredibly obvious it was fake.
“Yeah! What about him?”
“Why do you like him?”
His tone came up blunt, almost judging. Akutagawa needed to know. He didn’t know why he was being nosy, but maybe if he uncovered the weretiger’s positive traits, he would know, or even try to ridicule the girl for liking an idiot.
“Atsushi is so…dreamy,” she sighed. Akutagawa nearly cringed.
“He’s just unique. I’ve never seen a dude with white hair and uneven bangs, or those really pretty eyes. Oh! And his smile is like…really…really…pretty.”
Akutagawa nodded. Looks, that was it. He never saw the weretiger smile, though the image looked horrifying. How could she like him for his looks?
“His voice is like…really gentle sometimes. He doesn’t judge at all, and he says yes to almost everything! He just…agrees with everything I say. Atsushi’s a really nice guy.”
Akutagawa nodded once more.
“Ah. I understand. Have a good morning.”
Akutagawa didn’t even register the old lady calling for him.
He didn’t even remember to get his order.
All he could think about was that interaction, because why was her depiction so wrong?
A gentle voice? That voice cracks every time they have a yelling match.
Never judgemental? The weretiger judged his attire and demeanor every time. Atsushi nitpicks himself as well, pathetic.
Saying yes to everything? Why the hell would he do that? Why is he bending to the will of some baker girl?
Does he like her back?
Atsushi liked that nameless girl?
Knowing more about the nature of their relationship should have put Akutagawa at ease, but now he’s not even wary of where he’s walking. He doesn’t know until he bumps into a shorter boy.