Work Text:
“You seem exhausted, Kurusu-kun.” you point out, lightly nudging the frizzy-haired boy with your elbow. “I can tell you’re struggling to stay awake.”
The two of you were currently seated at the counter of Leblanc, the somewhat famous café that the even more infamous Akira Kurusu happened to be living at. You remember the embarrassment written all over his face when he admitted he wasn’t a part-timer at the café, as well as the irritated scowl that followed when you tried to stifle a teasing giggle. Nevertheless, it hardly changed your view of him, as you saw no problem with him living in a café; in fact, you saw it as a good way to multitask. Not only could you study with Kurusu, you could also taste test all of the items on Leblanc’s menu to see if they were as good as the regulars claimed.
When Kurusu first initiated the idea of you two becoming study partners, you were a bit skeptical of his true intentions. You hardly believed the rumors of him being a violent, short-tempered criminal, but you were still cautious of him. The two of you had only spoken about three times beforehand, not to mention you had little to no information as to who he was.
However, when he added that he’d let you freely pet and feed his cat during your time at Leblanc, you caved in almost immediately. Ushimaru’s class was a pain in the ass, and having a classmate to help you with your homework would definitely prove useful in the long run. Kurusu didn’t seem like the type to completely blow off his studies, not to mention he had answered every single question Ushimaru had thrown at him correctly. So, after about a day and a half of pondering, you agreed to it.
But who knew your plan would backfire almost immediately...?
After your first couple of evenings at Leblanc with Kurusu, you learned two horrible things. One, he looked so much prettier up close, and his hair was practically asking to be ruffled. And two, his presence alone was enough to have you subtly missing him whenever you had to return home for the night. To think you agreed with his plan so you could pet his cat, but now you wanted to pet him just as much.
So naturally, after reluctantly admitting to yourself that you had become somewhat attached to the new transfer student, your parental instincts began to kick in. Questions such as “Did you eat?”, and “Aren’t you stressed?” grew to be more frequent, and from time to time you’d find yourself insisting that Kurusu eat with you before the studying officially began.
…Hence why you kept pointing out his obvious signs of exhaustion. He kept denying it like the idiot he was, but you weren’t going to stop. At least not until he’d grow tired of your antics and urge you to shut up for a moment.
“Kurusu, you are a mere minute away from slipping away into dreamland.” you acknowledge yet again, giving him a rough poke with the tip of your finger. “If Sakura-san finds out that you’ve made no progress on your homework, he might scold you again.”
Kurusu simply huffs in response, twirling one of the blue pens he had borrowed from one of the cafe’s booths earlier. As much as he hated to admit it, you were probably right. He had been staring at the same paragraph of condensed text for the past fifteen minutes, yet his notebook page remained as empty as ever. His second cup of coffee had been drained minutes ago, yet the effects hadn’t kicked in; had he accidentally developed a caffeine tolerance of some sort? No, that couldn’t be possible.
You roll your eyes and take the pen from his grasp. He makes no effort to stop you, and once his hands are free, he brings them to his glasses to adjust it. His eyes are narrowed, likely trying—and failing—to mentally annotate the homework readings Ushimaru had assigned. His other hand lay on his chin, trying to steady his head, though you could tell he was making very little progress.
You hop off of your stool for a second, bring it closer to Kurusu, and sit down once again. With your own pen, you tap his shoulder in an attempt to grasp his attention. His reaction is somewhat delayed, but it works in the end—he turns to you with half-lidded eyes, a small, frustrated pout, and a mess of hair that he had been untangling. His exhaustion was much more noticeable now that you were closer to him. If there was one thing this poor idiot needed, it was an actual good night's rest.
He blinks at you silently, likely trying to think of something to say, but you take care of that for him. You tap his empty notebook with a concerned frown before telling him, “I think we should stop for today.”
“No, it’s fine.” he finally responds, and the tone of his voice nearly sends you toppling over the seat. Just when you thought his voice couldn’t get any deeper, this happens.
“It’s not fine.” you stubbornly retort. "You’re clearly exhausted, and I'm tired of pretending that it isn't unhealthy.” You stow your belongings in your school bag with a series of angry mutters, before digging into your pocket for your wallet. If nothing was going to get done, you might as well end the study session early so he could actually rest. “Anyways, how much is it for the coffee again? I don’t know if I have enough to tip you the usual, but–”
“Wait. Don't leave yet.”
His hand latches onto your arm, tugging you towards him. You nearly yelp, knocking your school bag to the cafe’s floor, and try your best to not stumble and fall into his chest. Not that you would’ve minded if that happened. It just would’ve been a bit embarrassing in the moment.
You turn around to face him, praying that he doesn’t take notice of the heat radiating from your cheeks. “Something wrong, Kurusu-kun?”
He opens his mouth to respond, but is unable to get his request out. He’s interrupted by an impatient meow from beside him, one that has you grinning excitedly as you recognize the familiar white-tipped tail swish around.
“Morgana!” you squeal, patting your thighs excitedly. A second later, the cat rushes over to your feet, before leaping off of the floor and into your lap. You let out a quiet “woah” at the sudden change of weight in your lap, but you quickly adjust and bring a hand to his head. Lightly, you begin rubbing the top of his head, and smile in content as you’re rewarded with a series of quiet purrs.
“Sorry I didn't bring treats this time, sweetheart.” you coo to the blue-eyed cat, before leaning down to briefly nuzzle against his head. “You seem happy to see me, nonetheless! Did you just miss me that much? I'm guessing you don't want me to leave just yet, hmm?”
Morgana meows tiredly in response, and it takes every amount of self control to not lean down and kiss it on the top of his head. You probably would’ve done that had you been alone with the cat, but Kurusu was sitting next to you, his eyes narrowed at how quickly the cat had stolen your attention. He picks up his notebook and closes it, stowing it away in his black book bag. You often wondered how he was able to hide Morgana in something like that, and why you were one of the few students who actually questioned why the transfer student was bringing a damn cat to school.
Amidst your train of thought, you glance up at said student, suddenly curious as to what he was doing. He still looked as tired as ever, with one hand balancing his chin and the other pushing your own pen between the tangled mess of his hair. Admittedly, you had wondered how it’d feel to run your fingers through his messy hair, to untangle the knots yourself, to rub the top of his head, or lightly tug at the strands that would seem to stick up no matter how hard one would try to keep them down.
Thoughts like these were just thoughts of course, nothing more; they’d come and go as they please, and wouldn’t linger around for too long. The urge to touch his hair was always something that you were able to control, so it wasn’t like Kurusu would catch wind of what you wanted to do to his hair. Unless he was a psychic of course.
Yet, when he suddenly frowns, feeling around his hair for your pen(which had somehow managed to get tangled in his hair), touching his hair was all you could think about. And soon, Morgana had one less hand stroking his fur as you reached forward to pull the pen out of his hair.
“[Surname]-san, what are–” he asks, a bit confused, but once your hand comes in contact with the top of the pen, he understands your intentions. He remains silent, allowing you to untangle the strands of hair from around the pen. You nonchalantly continue with your work, only pausing to flash him a small, comforting smile. One that brings a faint hue of reddish pink to his cheeks as his drowsiness began to waver.
Morgana’s purrs come to a stop, and you quickly glance down to find the cat fast asleep in your lap. You chuckle in admiration, giving his chin another soft scratch, before continuing with the task at hand. Yes, it was one that you had technically given yourself, but he looked beyond ridiculous with that damned pen sticking out of his hair, and you knew it would only distract you if you tried to ignore it.
Finally, with a bit more effort, you manage to remove the pen from his hair, and smile victoriously as you hold it up for him to see. With a quiet whistle, you announce, “Aaand here it is! Seriously, I know that your hair is quite messy, but for my pen to get stuck inside it? Seriously, when was the last time you’ve combed it out?”
He looks away bashfully, hoping that you didn’t notice how red his face was getting. “Shush.”
You did in fact notice, but you were too hesitant to tease about it. In addition, you were currently losing a battle against the impulse to freely play with his hair. In the few moments you had come in contact with it to remove the pen, you were immediately caught off guard by how nice and soft it felt. It was definitely fluffier than you had imagine, and all you wanted to do was strike it, tug at it affectionately, or bury your face between the blanket of—
You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to force that final thought of your mind. That was something you’d be taking to the grave. No matter how tempting it would be, you were not going to succumb to the urge to do that. Kurusu would never let you hear the end of it.
However, the longer you watched the messy strands of his hair stick out, the more you realized that you desperately wanted to mess it up even more. Or perhaps neatly comb it back into shape. Either scenario would work for you, and both of them certainly exceeded at darkening the hue of blush that tainted your cheeks.
I’m sorry, Kurusu. Let me just…
Wordlessly, you bring your hand towards his hair again, this time allowing your fingers to get lost in the tangled mess of frizzy black strands. He stiffens, his breath hitching–he can’t remember the last time someone had messed with his hair like this. You pause, waiting for him to face you or smack your hand away, but there is no response. You let out a quiet, yet shaky sigh of relief and continue entangling your fingers in his hair.
It was so soft, it almost felt fluffy. While some of your fingertips brushed against the strands, others wrapped around the tangles, or lightly prodded at his scalp. You impulsively comb your fingers through his hair, now occasionally giving his scalp a light scratch or two. It was almost amusing how dry your hands still were despite all of this; you had expected his hair to be a little more greasy underneath, as you remember him mentioning he hadn’t done much to his hair this week.
Slowly, you retrieve your hand from underneath the frizzy mess you have created, and begin rubbing the top of his head instead. The change doesn’t go unnoticed by Kurusu, and he turns to face you, a bit confused, yet slightly disappointed. You blink in response, unsure how to react to his crestfallen gaze as the pout that shouldn’t be so cute deepens. You roll your eyes, silently chiding him for his impatience, and continue to rub the top of his head. Part of you was itching to make a witty remark on how easily he’s fallen under the spell of something he referred to as “childish” a few hours ago. But at the same time, seeing him stare at you, his cheeks flushed, his pout noticeable as your hand lightly rubbed the top of his head—this was something you desperately wished you could take a picture of.
But his pout was starting to become an issue, and the pleading look in his eyes was chipping away at the rest of your composure. You had just barely comprehended the fact that Kurusu had let you pet his hair with no complaints. To think that he was silently begging you to run your fingers through his hair again…?
Wait a minute...
“Kurusu-kun…” you mumble silently. You give his head another gentle rub before allowing your fingertips to slide under the mess of his hair again. He grins at you sheepishly, silently thanking you for fulfilling his wishes, and his eyes slowly close. You try not to freeze up as the air around you begins to feel much hotter than it did mere moments ago. You swallow, focusing on your breathing for a moment, before allowing your hand to comb through the messier sections of his hair again. You can feel the blue-eyed black and white cat stir on your lap, likely dissatisfied with the lack of attention you had been giving it, but you were a tad too lost in petting its owner to properly respond.
He looked so adorable. His sleepy, yet gleeful smile that lingered on his face as you affectionately combed through and tugged at his hair. He seemed quite relaxed now, which was a nice contrast to the stiff posture, blank stare, and nervous glances you’d see him carry around while maneuvering through Shujin Academy’s hallways. Thankfully, the rumors of him had died down due to the news concerning Madarame and Kamoshida, but you could still tell that everyone was on edge.
You continue playing with and stroking his hair for another five, maybe ten minutes. If you were being honest, you didn’t know–and didn’t care–how much time had passed since you started this. But your hands were getting tired, and the way Morgana squirmed impatiently in your lap had guilt etching its way through your affectionate smile. Reluctantly, you withdraw your hand from his head and turn your attention to Morgana, who was now licking at one of his paws. You exhale, feeling your nerves begin to settle, and lift up your hand to place it atop the cat’s head. But before you can do so, you feel a firm grip wrap around your wrist, halting your actions, and causing you to stiffen up momentarily.
“I…I didn’t say stop...” a soft voice complains. It’s a bit higher pitched than before, and you can hear a slight whine as the final words slip out.
You stammer wildly, attention back on Kurusu. He grins at you apologetically, before guiding your hand back to his head. He repeats what he just said, now more firmly, before letting go of your wrist and bowing his head just a little bit. You can only stare at him in awe, wondering what you did to bring him to such a state. To think that something this simple was actually what he liked…you were definitely using this to your advantage in the future.
“What’s the magic word?” you tease, gently prodding at his hair.
He scowls, unamused. “Please?”
You giggle absentmindedly, tugging a bit harder on a particular clump of hair strands, and puff your cheeks triumphantly as his eyes close. “I know I say this frequently, but you’re an attention-seeking cat in a human’s body, Kurusu-kun. Honestly, I’m half expecting you to start purring right now.”
With his eyes still closed, he smirks and quips, “Do you want me to?”
You grimace, loosening your grip around his hair for a moment. “Absolutely not.”
“Thought so.” he chuckles. “But all jokes aside…this feels so relaxing.”
“I figured you’d think that, considering how you forced me to keep petting despite my hand cramps.” you jeer. With your other hand, you lightly stroke behind Morgana’s ears in an attempt to silence any pending meows. “But I can’t deny that I enjoy this too. You look really cute in this state.”
Kurusu opens his eyes, raising a brow. “Cute?”
“Mhm!” you affirm, nearly gushing. “Like…I could pick you up and cradle you, or take you home and wrap you in blankets until you suffocate. N-not that I actually would, though.”
He blinks in surprise, and his entire face reddens. “Firstly, that's what we call ‘abduction’, which is a crime. And secondly, I’m not actually a cat, [Surname]-san. I know you’re into people like that, but–”
“H-hang on…!” you interrupt, your hand freezing in place. “Now you’re just putting words in my mouth. When did I ever say I was into...cat boys?”
He pauses a moment, pondering your frantic question, before sighing quietly and lifting his head up. “It was a while ago, actually. You had stopped by to grab something to go, since you were going to be late to one of your part-time job interviews or something. While waiting for your order, you decided to watch one of Akechi’s interviews that happened to be playing on the television. Boss had asked you if he was your type…and you replied ‘no’, saying that he wasn’t ‘cat-like enough’ for you.”
You flush, unsure as to whether you should feel flattered, embarrassed, angry, or ashamed. Ah yes, that day. You were half expecting Akechi himself to be standing behind you as you gave your answer, but thankfully the universe had decided to spare you. You had avoided eye contact with Kurusu the whole time as you answered Sojiro’s question, praying he wouldn’t see the way your cheeks began to flare; your mind had immediately focused on him the moment the phrase ‘cat-like’ slipped from your lips. “To think you remembered something like that...”
“How could I not?” Kurusu grins. “Especially when you keep bringing up how ‘cat-like’ I am. Honestly, I’m really flattered that–”
He’s unable to finish his remark, as the sound of the bell chiming has you jumping up and scurrying out of your seat immediately. Morgana lets out a panicked yowl, nearly slamming against the floor with a hefty THUD as you try to reach for your school bag. After about a minute, you lift your head up and make eye contact with a tired and confused Sojiro, who simply rubs the back of his neck as he observes your frantic movements.
“U-uhm,” you break the awkward silence, not daring to stare at the boy behind you. “I should probably go. As much as I’m enjoying my time here, if I stay any longer, I’ll be stuck here all night."
You’re half-expecting Kurusu to cockily respond with, “Is that a bad thing?”, but instead he gets up from his stool and taps your shoulder. “Let me walk you to the station then.”
You open your mouth to protest, but Sojiro interrupts you with a rather loud ahem. You both turn your gaze towards him, a bit embarrassed, but he simply gives you a small, tired smile and gestures to the empty spot on the counter where your money was supposed to be.
“I don’t think today’s meal was on the house, kid.” he reminds you sternly.
You bow in apology and reach into your pocket for your wallet. “S-sorry, Sakura-san. Don't worry, I wasn't planning to leave without paying.”
“No need for the formalities.” he dismisses, his tone softening. “Just Boss is fine. Still need the money though.”
“Y-yes!” you bow again and pull out a small wad of cash, before shakily tossing it into the counter. A few spare coins hidden in the stack rolled towards the back, but that wasn’t your problem anymore. “H-here you are! Sorry for the trouble!”
Sojiro raises a brow, but before he could ask what was wrong, you had already slipped past him and started your way towards Yongen-Jaya station. Kurusu could only hastily chase after you, but not before giving Sojiro a somewhat apologetic nod.
You let out a rather loud exhale, adjusting your bag over your shoulders. Now that you had actually reached Yongen-Jaya Station, you were feeling a little less anxious. “Thanks for walking me to the station, Kurusu-kun.”
“It was the least I could do.” he replies off-handedly, looking up ahead. “Especially since you helped me with my homework today.”
You squint, a bit perplexed. “I help you with your homework almost every day. And you help me, too. We’re study buddies, remember?”
Study buddies that occasionally get a little too affectionate with each other, but that’s besides the point!
He turns to look at you, now seeming somewhat troubled. You stiffen, suddenly feeling embarrassed, knowing that what he’s about to say is definitely going to be about what just happened in the café. It wasn’t like it could be ignored; you gave into your thoughts, he enjoyed it, and the two of you learned something new about each other that day.
“Can I…make a somewhat selfish request?” Kurusu asks you, running a finger through his hair. The gesture felt nice, but certainly not as nice as when you did it. “If you don’t mind.”
You fold your arms, your cheeks already warming up. “Depends on what the request is.”
He chuckles a bit, and his hands travel to the inside of his uniform pockets. He had been debating on making such a request during the walk to the station, hence why his replies were somewhat distant and matter-of-factly. For a moment, you were sure that you had accidentally angered him, not knowing that he was debating on asking you a question that would more than likely reveal how he felt about you.
“Can you…” he swallows, face already turning a familiar shade of reddish-pink. “Well, just know that you can say no at any time, but I was wondering if you could pet me like that again sometime…?”
Your eyes widen, and you feel your own face redden as well. “Huh?”
“I- erm…” he looks down, suddenly too ashamed to make eye contact with you. “When you started petting me, I’ll admit I was a bit confused, but I mean it when I say that…it felt really nice. And the way you play around with my hair and rub my head…” his voice begins to fade as he struggles to get the next words out. “It…helps me relax, honestly. It’s like my stress temporarily melts away, if you catch my drift.”
“So basically…” you conclude, unfolding your arms. “You want me to relieve your stress by petting you?”
He looks up and nods bashfully. “That’s an embarrassing way to put it, but…yeah; it’s something like that.”
“Wow…” you stare at him, trying to fully grasp his “selfish request”, before grinning at him excitedly and ruffling his hair. “You really are a cat, Kurusu-kun!”
“Aha, yeah…” he agrees, and lightly shrugs. “So is that a yes…?”
“Hmm…” you tap your chin, pretending to think to yourself for a moment. “Only if you promise that you won’t let others touch your hair like that.”
He gives you one of his blank, yet calculated stares as he processes what you just said. “Excuse me?”
“If you’re going to make a selfish request, then I get to make one, too.” you clarify, gesturing towards the mess of his hair. “I’d rather not have other people play with your hair the way I do. Except Morgana. He’s the only exception, of course.”
“Does the thought of others petting me make you jealous?” Kurusu quips, a teasing grin tugging at his lips. "Are you that bothered by the thought of it all?"
You glare at him and impatiently tap your heel. “Yes, I am bothered by it.”
And just like that, the grin fades, now replaced with a shocked expression. You beam at him triumphantly, doing your best to ignore how hot your face feels. You had technically screwed yourself over with that boldness of yours. “So, can you do that for me?”
He clears his throat and gives you an affirmative nod. “Yes, I can.”
Oh…!
“Okay, cool!” you beam, hopelessly attempting to regain your composure. “T-Thanks, Kurusu-kun!”
He frets for a moment, looking around the station nervously, before timidly whispering “Akira…” under his breath. You squint at him a hand sliding to your hip as you manage to catch the last syllable of the word. Kurusu would often do this when embarrassed, so you were quite used to it, but that still didn’t make it any less irritating.
But you’re feeling rather calm today, so instead you tilt your head and ask, “What do you mean?” in a soft, yet curious tone.
He clears his throat, briefly glancing up at the station’s monochrome ceiling. “Just call me Akira from here on out, okay? There's uh...there's no need for formalities.”
“Akira…” you repeat to yourself nervously, though you can’t help but smirk at the way he reacts to hearing you say his name. “S-sure! I can do that. But only if you agree to call me [First name] and not [Surname].”
He returns your smirk, lightly tussling his hair about. “Fair enough, [First name].”
Oh my God…
It was quite fortunate(for you, at least) that the train had shown up around that time, otherwise Akira would’ve likely sent you to the grave with his brutal teasing. You waved goodbye and politely thanked him for the meal he had prepared for you, before grabbing his arm and giving him a quick, yet firm kiss on the cheek. As you boarded the train, ears unbelievably hot, Akira silently stood there, his fingers brushing over the spot where your lips had made contact with his skin.
“Cat-like…” he murmurs to himself timidly, reliving the moment as he kept stroking his cheek. “So that’s what they see me as, huh?”
…
“I know I say this frequently, but you’re an attention-seeking cat in a human’s body, Kurusu-kun. Honestly, I’m half expecting you to start purring right now.”
…
He furrows his brows, before turning around and making his way back to Leblanc. Maybe you had a point.