Chapter Text
Kenji loved playing with little Astu and was glad that the small child had taken a liking to him as well, sometimes when his older counterpart was off on an assignment or when he wasn't with the President in his office the young blond would be the one watching over him and keeping him busy. Sometimes they would silently color or other times Kenji would tell him storied from either actual books or he would just tell the younger boy about his farm back home. Atsu had proved to be very easy to handle, he was quiet and very polite but there were several other strange quirks the small male showed. Kenji was far from dumb, though he did show to be pretty simple-minded at times he was not in any way stupid. So he could see the signs of trauma that bled through both silver-haired males' actions, though Atsushi tended to be able to hide them more than the younger.
The first time it happened was when Kunikida had begun shouted at Dazai which was pretty normal in of itself but the young country boy had been just a few feet from the small child where he sat next to his older self. Atsu had flinched terribly and immediately moved to shield himself which was enough to cause alarm but Kenji noticed the subtle flinch that came from Atsushi when Kunikida slammed his hands on his desk on the other side of the room just before he had begun shouting. Now it was normal for just about everyone to flinch when Kunikida began to shout but it was the sudden flash of fear that appeared in Atsushi's sunset-colored eyes, it was gone as soon as it had come but Kenji couldn't deny that it worried him.
Ever since that incident, however, Kenji had been watching and had noticed the small things Atsushi did that he hadn't noticed before. Like how he tensed when someone touched him without warning or how he sometimes was tense for no reason in particular also how he tended to not care about his well-being. Not just during battles but even if the office doing paperwork the Dazia refused to touch, several times Atsushi had been found passed out at his desk from working himself dry.
Little Atsu was easier to read than his older self, he never did anything unless told he was allowed to or was ordered to. He always seemed confused when asked for his opinion on small matters such as what he wanted for a snack or what story he wanted Kenji to tell. Atsu always kept his back facing a wall or the empty side of a room making sure to keep everyone in his sights especially after the time Kunikida startled him into a panic attack. It worried the young teen what a small child like that went through to act in such peculiar ways, and though he yearned to Kenji never bothered to ask.
"Hey, Atsu-kun?" Kenji called and the young child's hand paused in his coloring before his head rose and he stared at Kenji alerted that the older had his attention. Kenji didn't bother waiting for him to verballing respond knowing the other only talked when he felt it was necessary. "What scares you the most?" He asked causing Atsu's eyes to widen and a small confused frown to line his lips, the young child sat up fully and put the black crayon he had been holding back with the others. Atsu then began to fiddle with his now empty hands while he thought over Kenji's question.
"A l-lot of things s-scare me," He spoke softly and Kenji scooted closer to be able to hear him better.
"Oh? Like what exactly?" Kenji asked with a tilt of his head and his straw hat swung onto his shoulder at the movement. Atsu didn' raise his eyes and continued to wring his hands.
"I d-don't like being alone in the d-dark," The small boy whispered and Kenji nodded, that seemed like a pretty rational fear for a child.
"How come?" Kenji asked and reached for Atsu's drawing before sliding back to the younger so he could continue coloring while he spoke, the silver-haired child nodded his thanks and pulled out a green crayon from the pile to his left.
"B-because that's when t-the tiger comes to me," Atsu stammered and clenched the crayon tightly as he continued to shakily color. Kenji blinked once, that part wasn't so normal... The young blond quickly made the connection that the tiger Atsu was afraid of was his ability.
"The tiger?" Kenji questioned deciding it would be best not to say anything about his ability figuring that either Atsushi or one of the others would be best for doing that. Atsu bobbed his head in affirmation and traded the green crayon for an orange one.
"I-it gets me i-into trouble, and then the H-headmaster punishes me..." Atsu stopped for a moment and seemed to gaze at the paper in front of him with a faraway look in his eyes. Kenji frowned glanced up as the office door was opened and Kyoka walked through followed by Atsushi who instantly met Kenji's eyes then glanced at Atsu who had yet to notice him still. Kenji turned his attention back to the small male and gently tapped the top of his head making him jump and jerk his head upwards to meet Kenji's eyes. Atsu was met with a wide smile and kind eyes and instantly relaxed when he remembered where he was, he shakily smiled back to the blond and Kenji cheered mentally.
"I don't think the Tiger means to get you into trouble, maybe he just wants to protect you," Kenji supplied returning the conversation to its subject, Atsu frowned and looked down at his drawing again.
"I don't think it wants to help me at all," Atsu replied without a single stutter and Kenji felt his heart break a little at his words but he knew he wouldn't be the one able to change the young boy's mind.
"Atsu," The small child turned stiffly to the voice who called him but smiled when he saw his older self standing a little ways from his coloring station on the floor. Atsushi held several files in his arms and looked rather tired but still managed a soft smile to the shorter. "After I finish filing these away we'll head home with Kyoka-chan, okay?" Atsu nodded and Atsushi walked away, the little boy then turned back to Kenji and handed him the drawing he had been working on throughout their entire conversation. The young teen gently took the offered piece of paper and looked over the delicate strokes of color that didn't seem to form an actual picture right away not until Kenji looked a bit closer ar it.
"I-it's your farm," Atsu told him and Kenji's smile returned as he finally figured out the picture. The barn itself was made of black and orange which Kenji thought was strange but he chalked it up to Atus not knowing what a barn looks like except what he had told him in his stories. The grass, of course, was green and there were a few cows drawn in black and white along with some flowers where spread around the grass. Kenji looked over to Atsu who was staring with clear anticipation to know what Kenji thought and smiled widely at the small child.
"It's great, Atsu-kun!" Kenji exclaimed causing Atsu to flinch before a shy smile formed on his face and a light blush dusted his pale cheeks. "Hey, Atsu-kun?" The young boy tilted his head in question and Kenji continued. "Can I hug you?" He asked knowing that was better than doing so without warning, Atsu's eyes widened and tears looked to be forming in the corners of them but Kenji kept his smile in place to not scare Atsu. He waited patiently for the other boy to answer and was rewarded when Atsu nodded shakily, Kenji responded by slowly extending his arms and Atsu watched attentively. Kenji gently circled his slender limbs around the tiny male and was pleased when Atsu weakly grasped at his clothes.
Atsushi walked towards where he had last seen his past incarnate and was surprised to find him cuddling against Kenji's torso willingly when he pulled away a small smile was on his face as his wet heterochromia eyes looked up to the older male. It made the young teen glad that Atsu was able to slowly but surely make progress and be brought away from his dark mindset. Although he knew this couldn't last and that sooner or later the Agency would have to find a way to reverse whatever ability brought the young child to their time, Atsushi felt a frown form on his face at the thought of sending Atsu back to where he'd come from. He managed to cover up his growing despondency with a small smile when Atsu made his way towards him and reached for his hand.
"You ready to head home now?" He asked the younger and he received a nod in reply.