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Chapter Text

Atsushi quietly hummed as he stretched languidly, back arching a near full ninety degrees with a quiet but audible crack. It was a bright, sunny day, it was now reaching about eleven hundred AM. He had been hunched over his desk for the past seven hours- being an early riser ment a early man to work. He quietly set aside the rest he had to do later, but for now, he eagerly stood up. This was one of his favorite parts of the day-
His golden hour. Quickly sliding out of the office area he went to the lounge and as predicted, the perfect patch of golden light draped over the pale couch. Atsushi brightens considerably, hopping over to lay in the warmth. As soon as he feels it warm his skin, his muscles relax tremendously, eyes lidding and pupils blowing. He half lays over the arm of the couch, one leg loosely curled to his chest as the other sprawled out. Byakko croons in his head, equally relishing the sunlight kissing his cheeks. He felt it warm his hair, toasting him up into a happy, preening puddle on the couch.
He was so blissed out he was totally oblivious to someone watching him curiously. So blissed out, actually, that a long, low chuff left his throat as his head dropped down to rest on his arms, a languid smile on his face and cheeks flushed with the warmth. Now- had it been a presence, or a scent he didn't recognize- it would've been a different story to his obliviousness. But the person's scent blended in, as they had clearly been within the room- meaning it was a safe person.
Atsushi gave another, long croon, dozing off happily.
He didn't notice Naomi, covering her mouth, holding a phone. Nor did he pay any mind to her quiet squeal as she scampered away, sending the video and photos she had taken to the whole damn office.

No, he was content as he was.

Chapter Text

Dazai was having a fairly pleasant afternoon, all things considered. It was a lovely day out, he had successfully dodged doing any desk work and meraciously also dodged Kunikida all day, as well. He sipped his tea with a pleased little grin to himself, eyeballing Yosano as she slipped into the kitchen space. She nodded curtly to him, brushing her hair aside. There was a small smear of blood on her cheek. Ah, yes. Junichirou had a mission today and got a finger chopped clean off by the Mafusou. How pleasant, indeed. Yosano had a pleased little manic grin to herself as she made herself a cup of tea as well, settling contently on the countertop. “Blood on your cheek.” Dazai chirperly told her, voice quiet and bright. She eyed him suspiciously. “You're in a good mood.” she muttered, though took a wet cloth and rubbed her cheek clean. Dazai laughed, head bobbing as he sipped his tea with a smile. “Don't tell me you set up flour balloons in the office again. I will personally kill you and bring you back, bandage waister.” she hissed, eyes murderous. The man snorts into his cup, picking at the said wrappings around his arms. “No, no- just a good day.” he said wispily. She didn't seem to fully buy it, but relaxed slightly nonetheless. He hummed and leaned on the table, basking in the pleasant silence. He heard the tell tale, near silent footsteps of who could only be Atsushi. Only that bastard could manage to be that quiet without trying. Dazai wouldn't have heard him coming hadn't he been zoning out and paying attention. As expected, the anxious, silver haired teen slipped in, eyes wild and slightly frazzled. Right. He had been on the mission when Junichirou had gotten chopped like a liver. He skittishly slipped into the room, eyes landing on the two of them and he- relaxed? How curious. Dazai raised a hand in greeting, not willing to break the silence. Yosano hummed and mimicked the tall brunet, though she tilted her head with a blink too. Atsushi seemed to be aware enough not to talk as well, giving a nervous smile as he slipped past Dazai- And the strangest thing happened. Atsushi's head lolled to the side as he stepped past the other, temple hitting Dazais shoulder. Even odder; he didn't stop there. His steps lagged for a moment as he smoothly transferred the touch into a swipe of his cheek against the tallers coat, before he just.. Keeps walking. Dazai had frozen in place, tea halfway to his lips as something warm bloomed in his chest. It was so strange, because he had never seen that behavior before in a person, let alone Atsushi, who was terrified of handshakes. And yet it made a giddy, fond feeling lace his chest in a jittery rattle. Yosano seemed incredibly aware of how he reacted, if her raised brow and hidden smile was seeming. Dazai collected himself swiftly, chugging down the rest of his tea flusteredly at his slip up.

Worst part? Atsushi didn't even seem aware! He gave a quiet mumble of greeting to Yosano before grabbing a cup and filling it with coffee, eyes still bright and wild but calmer. He had to walk past the woman to head back to the office, and he did the same damn thing. His walk half stopped, but now Dazai could see exactly what the other was doing. He reared to the side specifically to headbutt her arm, eyes half closed as he ran his cheek over her before disappearing out the doorway. Hilariously, Yosano had frozen as well, eyes wide. This time Dazai giggled at her, though she didn't respond as a palm lightly brushed the spot the teen had touched. What a pleasant day, indeed.

Chapter Text

The Armed detective agency had a tentative partnership with the Port mafia. They had what was a glorified transfer student program- swapping around their people like cheap candy as a show of ‘trust.’ 

Yeah, right. They had sent fucking Aktagawa Rynuusauke to them. One of their best. Now, usually, that would've been a good move of trust, of course! Sending one of your best performers to a different company to work for them was a, subjectively, good idea. 

Not Aktagawa Rynuusauke. 

He Relished tormenting them, whether it be with rashomon or just… staring. Just looking at them. 

Menacingly. 

He did things with deadly efficiency, almost always quite to close to the rules set. He followed orders to an agonizing T, meaning he often takes things as painfully, as literally as possible. 

And he did it on purpose. 

Atsushi shivered even thinking about it. Despite being one of the few who could face off against the other and be near equal, despite the obvious lack of training in Atsushi, that man was terrifying. 

Which made it all the more baffling to both agencies and mafia alike when they got along. 

Akutagawa was quiet, and Atsushi was mildly talkative on a good day and nonverbal on a bad one. 

Worse, though? When Atsushi did talk to the other, you bet your shiny ass he talked back. 

Civilly. 

They had good conversations, actually. Once, on a mission where they had to stake out, they talked about the logistics of cold soba and whether it was ethical to the soba world. Atsushi would talk animatedly, hands expressing in the air wildly, while Akutagawa listened and chimed in with actual sentences. Another time, Atsushi was mildly mumbling about a stray cat near the apartment he lived in, and Akutagawa absently said he liked cats. Next thing Atsushi knew, the next time he saw the cat, it was considerably more plump with a collar around its throat. He couldn't approach it without it running to get it's name on the tag, but- 

Yeah. 

So, now, imagine everyone's surprise when Atsushi opened up more. He was playful, and snarky, and the damn mafsu was the same right back! Albet, softer, and more violent, but nonetheless. 

You couldn't blame Atsushi for what happens next, obviously. 

It started small. 

The tiger in him was beginning to become more apparent by the day, more a part of him and less an extension of him. It was affecting his behaviors, his mannerisms, his apatite- 

So, really, you couldn't blame him or Byakko for wanting to play . Sense he had gotten so painfully comfortable with the Mafusou, his tiger half had… somewhat taken over. It was like having control, but not really. Like feeling and understanding how and why you react in some way, but unable to stop or change it. 

Well, He was stalking Akutagawa. He followed behind him by a foot or so, and pretended to not do anything when the other would whirl around and stare at him murderously. Bakkyo took it as playful . The whole office was watching with bated breath.

“Stupid Jinko, what are you doing?” 

“Files!” 

the room giggled quietly at the blatant lie. 

So, after a pattern of Atsushi pattering after the ravenett for about a minute, pretending nothing was wrong and freezing in place when the other looked at him, he pounced. 

 He half jumped and grabbed Aktagawas shoulders, making sure only his finger pads pressed into the disguised Rashomon and not his claws that had steadily appeared as he ‘stalked’ the other. 

“ Jinko-” The other's back hammered straight and he whirled around, murder in his face, but he paused. 

Atsushi was smiling brightly, pupils blown like a cat with a toy as he leaped away half heartedly, in a languid stance ready to run. Rashomon instinctively half assedly swiped at the other, at Atsushi seemed to brighten further, darting away and waiting for the next swing. 

Akutagawa swiftly realized exactly what was going on, and why. The wear-tiger's eyes were nearly blue, his hair had substantially whitened more- there were claws tipping his fingers, yet they hadn't dug into his shoulders a bit. 

He was playing, painfully similar to the cat Akutagawa had adopted. 

Going on pure habit from the said adopted cat, Rashomon darted at the other again, and Atsushi was off running. 

Akutagawa had no choice but to chase him, after all- His cat he had quietly named Jinko had taught him well. 

The second time it happened, it was with Kunikida. The blond haired man was peacefully sorting files on his desk when something- 

Batted his hair? He tensed up and whirled around, a sharp reprimand on his tongue because goddamnit Dazai if you don't stop-

Except, there was no one there. Absolutely nothing. 

…and the office was oddly quiet. He glanced around suspiciously, but everyone refused to meet his eyes. Kunikida slowly turned back to his desk, and a few seconds passed peacefully. He let his guard down. 

And then, there was a subtle shift of air behind him, and before he could react, the same someone smacked his ponytail hard enough for it to fly to the side sharply. 

This time, Kunikida whirled around so fast he got dizzy, and there was not a single person there. 

“Whoever is doing this, I wi-” he cuts off as fucking claws gently sink into his ankle, and he shrieked, leaping in the air. 

Giggles ring through the office space, and Kunikida's eye twitches. He scanned the ground furiously, a scowl on his face, and he saw a flash of cloth in the corner of his eyes. 

Before the person could bat at his hair again, he snatched their wrist and whirled around- 

To meet a smiling, bright eyed Atsushi with fluffy large ears and a whipping tail, matching black and white. 

And in the next second, again, because Kunikida in shock had loosened his grasp, the fucking teen was gone. 

And there were claws sinking into his calf, this time. 

The third time was with Ranpoe, though this one wasn't an accident. He had used ultra deduction and realized that, now that Atsushi could turn into Byakko while still maintaining control, he had the side effects of acting like a tiger. The behavior seemed to vary from day to day. One morning, he would be acting like an adult male, territorial but quiet and fairly harmless. the next, like a brooding, protective mother tiger. Even worse, the next, he'd be acting like a cub! Playing and all. Ranpoe theorized it was because of the effects of his childhood, the mixture of instincts he never got to express and regular human behaviors spilling over. He was fairly fine with it- after all, it was entirely harmless. 

So, he got something. 

A lovely cup of catnip. 

Dazai had caught him sprinkling it over peoples seats, rubbing it in the carpet- and promised not to snitch as long as Ranpoe didn't put it on his chair. 

Too bad he already did that before the other came in, so he eagerly agreed. That should've been the red flag number one. 

The second should've been Dazai actually sitting in his office chair, doing work. 

The third should have been when Atsushi walked in, his pupils blew wide and he stopped dead in his tracks. Dazai and Ranpoe watched as the other opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out slightly, inhaling deeply. A red color shaded his cheeks, and curiously enough his hair puffed up like the hackles on a cat. Only Dazai, Yosano, Ranpoe, Kunikida, and Naomi were in the office this early. 

Mistake number four was that Ranpoe forgot to wash his hands. 

Atsushi was almost instantly a chuffing, fluffy mess- his body half shifting. Stripes color his cheeks and his hair went white fully, his tail out and fully puffed up. As expected, to Ranpoes expectations. He grinned as Paws replace his feet and- 

No. regret suddenly filled Ranpoes body in place of his smugness in an instant, because Atsushi's eyes locked onto him. or, more specifically, his hands and chest where he had wiped off the lingering flakes. 

Dazai cackled loudly as Atsushi dropped into a crouch, and to his further horror, nearly fully shifted. The only thing really different was the small size, and his eyes still holding a flicker of purple and yellow. 

“Good morning, Byakko!” Dazai cooed, clapping his hands. Ranpoe paled as Atsushi- or Byakko, didn't even respond. 

It was a stare off between the detective and the tiger, and unfortunately, there was a reason tigers were apex predators. atsushi-Byakko's haunches tense up, front paws shuffling back, tail going still-

He fucking jumped. Actually, whole heartedly, leaped into the air. 

Ranpoe shrieked. 

Five seconds later, there was a rough tongue smoothing over his cheek, ears full of drowning loud rattles and chuffs. Atsushi-Bakkyo was crushing his chest with his weight as Ranpoe moaned miserably. Naomi was giggling wildly from the side, cooing at the tiger and offering the bag of catnip to him. Ranpoe was only able to give a muffled noise of distraught as Atsushi-Byakko inhaled the damn baggie and began rolling over the detective, as he swears to god a rib broke. The loud purrs grow impossibly louder as Atsushi-Byakko's head whipped around wildly, ears and tail flicking as his legs loosely kicked in the air. At this point, he was fully transformed. Thankfully it being a new moon meant the other was about the size of just a very large tiger and not a damn truck, but Ranpoe was still miserably being a panini under the other. He gave a horrified noise as the tiger licked his hair, hat gone god knows where, and he whined as he was groomed. Groomed! 

It was… kind of pleasant, if you didn't count this was an anxious teenager turned tigers mouth licking his hair back. A heavy paw the size of his head was tossed over the back of his neck so he couldn't even think of trying to squirm away, though he did try,-

"Let me go, Atsushi!- aCK-" 

Valiantly . 

All he got was damp, massive jaws closing around the back of his neck, something he horrifyingly realized that the other was scruffing him. And it worked. He instinctively froze up, and Atsushi-Byakko rumbled happily, licking his hair back more and kneading at his shoulders without his claws, thankfully. 

The entire time, Dazai was dying over his desk, wheezes cut off with hiccups and barking laughter. Naomi was still wildly giggling, and Kunikida was just- 

Sitting there. Face dead to the world, head in his palms. 

Yosano was worse. She held a phone, smiling sadistically, recording what Ranpoe was positive was going to haunt him the rest of his life, and he gave up. 

He quietly made a noise of complaint as Atsushi-Byakko leaned on him heavier, though thankfully the tiger got the idea and rolled off. 

“Awe, Atsushi-kun! Look at you!-” Dazai cried, cheeks still colored red from his cackling. He had somehow in his time span wrapped his hands fully in bandages, which he used to hold the felines cheeks. He earned loud, rumbling purrs and growls, atsushi-Byakko finally, finally, let go of Ranpoe. 

The detective gasped like he had been waterboarded, a wave of adrenaline hitting him as he went desperately skittering, clawing himself away on the carpet like a pitiful cockroach. His face was horrified and wild, eyes open wide in primal terror. 

At a tiger that was acting like a lap cat for a very enthusiastic Dazai. 

The brunett was cooing and doting over the feline, who soaked up the attention greedily. He rolled on his side and let his stomach be pet, licked at Dazais hands that offered more of the cursed catnip- and eventually, to Ranpoes maniacal delight, subjected Dazai to the smothering. 

“This is a good way to die!” he heard the cheerful, horrifying , muffled yell of Dazai burrowed in the chest fluff of a content oversized housecat. Atsushi-Byakko chuffed and nosed his face, running his cheek repeatedly over Dazais own. He probably scraped his skin a few times with his canines, but the brunet obviously didn't care, simply making more high pitched sounds that just got Atsushi-Byakko more worked up and excited. 

This was a terrible, no good morning. 

Chapter Text

Atsushi was a very mild mannered man in the office. He was reactive to people's words and actions, proved a good laugh as he was easily startled- when put on the spot, he sputtered and spat out some truly entertaining things. 

On the field, he had gained quite a bit of respect, though they sure as hell don't show it to him in the office. His ability was deadly- strong, nearly overpowering. After all, Bakkyo proved to be able to break the fabric of space, bite through people with the same ease of Ranpoe to pocky sticks, and could change into the size of a semi truck most days. It didn't even cover the healing ability that could save him from the brink of death, something Yosano would pout about frequently. 

But, even on the streets, Bakkyo was just as much Atsushi as Atsushi was Byakko. 

Byakko was adverse to killing. 

It was something he was judged about frequently- after all, in their line of work, killing was almost always a part of the mission. Yet, the tiger barely had a few of them under his belt despite his success rates! It was baffling. 

Yet. 

Yet. 

There was a handful, a small break in his mild mannered persona, where he killed with no hesitation like most of his peers did. 

The most notable one happened in the cold wander of December. 

"Atsushi-kun! Come look at this!" Kyouka called, voice pitched excitedly. The tiger was swift to come around, blinking at her curiously. 

"Ehh? What is it, Kyouka-chan?" He chirps, leaning down to see. Her palm was flat to the glass case of a shop, pointing excitedly at something. 

It was a bunny plush, just like hers, but what seemed to be the star of the show was a frilly, lace dress it was adorned with. 

"Wow!" He vocalized, nodding sagely as she looked at it with starry eyes. Since she had joined the agency, she of course received paychecks- but since she insisted on living with Atsuhsi, she didn't have to spend it on much. 

"Do you want to buy it? It'll be a good chance to teach you how to use your new card, Kyouka-chan!" He cheered, fingertips lightly brushing the top of her head fondly. She looked at him a bit hesitantly. 

"But our mission-" 

"Of course, It can wait a few seconds! We don't have to be at the stake out until twelve, but I always like to be early." Atsushi Reassured, double checking his watch. 

Nine thirty six. It took an hour to get there from here, five minutes if he shifted to Byakko. 

"Worst case- I just turn into my tiger and we get there fast." He hummed. The girl seemed to brighten at that, swiftly grabbing his sleeve and dragging him into the store. 

Atsushi instinctively winced at the sight of the price tags, but reassured himself quietly it wasn't his pocket it would come out of. Kyouka seemed torn between the red one and the blue, frowning lightly. They were displayed on wooden mock ups of the bunny dolls, truly showing the lace and frills. Atsushi quietly cooed internally with a swell of protective fondness at the small pout on her lips, and the way she grasped at the edge of her own sleeve as she thought. 

He slightly wandered off to the small snack section of the shop, looking at them all lazily but mostly keeping a side eye on the girl. Byakko quietly hummed the feelings of snowfall, cold, cub - in the back of his mind, with the words borrowed of sister kind protect. Atsushi let himself smile, just a little. 

That's when the glass window broke in the shop. 

In a moment, Atsushi was holding Kyoukas arm firmly, tucking her against his side as glass bounced on the ground. His pupils narrowed and the corners of his mouth pulled, one palm on the side of the girl's head to keep her pushed against his body. 

Now, had it been normal robbers to have pulled into the shop, Atsushi would have just called the cops and been on his way. However, he could smell the ozone twinge of electricity in the air that spoke of an ability user, at least one, in the small gaggle of robbers. 

Danger. Bakkyo snarled, writhing in the front of his mind, clawing at the swiftly fraying seams of his control furiously. Atsushi tried to take a deep breath but all he got was the bone deep scent of terror from the other shop goers, which Byakko took as the scent from Kyouka. 

Cub. Danger. 

Kyouka tasted of startelement and apprehension.

The robbers held up a gun, and as expected one let lightning crackle through the air between his palms. Byakko gave a near silent growl again, claws flexing from his skin. Golden purple eyes narrow.
“Kyouka, hide behind the shelf.” Atsushi quietly hissed, glancing at her for a moment before gently pushing her in the direction of the hiding spot. She was about to disagree, after all, she had gained quite a bit more control over demon snow; but eventually pursed her lips and fell back. She knew Atsushi could easily take down three normal people and one ability user. 

Though, ‘taking down’ was not on the forefront of his mind. 

Atsushi twitched as the ability user let electricity arc in the air threateningly, his fur standing on end as he slowly approached behind them. His paw pads where silent on the tile floor, eyes unblinking as thick fur spiked along his back, tipped his fingers in claws- a tail was perfectly still behind him to keep balance and- 

The electric user barked out an order, lighting cracked at the cashier, and Atsushi pounced. 

The man with dark hair and yellow eyes yelped as claws dig into his shoulders, pain prickling his skin. He whirled around to try and find the perpetrator, more electricity arcing the air- 

Jaws close around his throat without a moment's notice. 

red taints Atsushi's tongue in thick copper. 

Blood bath. The dark crimson splattered over Atsushi's fur as he tore out the man's jugular, a loud roar singing in the air as guns fire. He could feel them dig into his skin, the wounds closing before they could even bleed. His mind was a desperate whirl of protect cub scared territory protect- he could only smell the echo of Kyouka and the bystanders fear, he couldn't hear past the buzz in his ears- 

The non ability users got more gentle treatment, if you called it that. The second Atsushi spat out the wad of flesh in his mouth, his arm lashed out, claws gleaming in blood-

 The robber's hand was cut off, bloody apandage hitting the ground alongside the gun it had held once. A scream, undamaged hand clawing at the stump. 

The other one dropped his gun as Atsushi tackled him, His head cracking against the concrete satisfyingly. Atsushi let himself snarl in his ear, eyes wild blue and yellow, teeth bared- 

The tiger leaped back off him to the one now missing a hand. He was unconscious.

The now one handed man was screaming loudly, only to shut up as Atsushi slammed him into the ground.  

His head cracked loudly against the floor like the other one. 

Atsushi came to himself, standing, backing up with a sharp breath. 

The air was silent. His hands were warm with blood. The room was heavy with copper. Byakko purred. 

In a second's notice Atsushi whirled around and searched for Kyouka, eyes wide and panicked. 

“Kyouka-chan! Are you alright?- where are you?” he yelped, fretting, hopping over the bodies without a thought. Dark pawprints follow his trail. 

The girl peaked around a corner, watching him with big eyes. The weretiger sighed in relief, quickly skidding over to her. He smoothed down her hair, fussing, tilting her head which way and that. His paws had shifted back to hands, the blood gone with the change so he didn't get any on her hair. 

“I'm ok, Atsushi-kun.” she stated blandly, hands grabbing his wrists. Atsushi pursed his lips, still frowning a little. 

“Are you sure? We were really close to the window, did any glass hit you?-” 

“Atsushi-kun.” Kyouka stressed, but a smile twitched her lips. Finally the silver haired man relented, patting her shoulders for a moment just to be sure. The small girl let him, sighing, but said nothing more. 

“Are they dead?” She asked instead, making the man freeze. Did he?... 

Atsushi glanced back. He was surprised by his own lack of reaction at the gore. 

And at the fact that one of them was clearly dead. 

“Only one, I think. It was the electric ability one.” he said flippantly, earning a raised brow. “We’ll call Dazai-sama and Kunikida-sama to take care of it, we need to get to the stake out post. Do you think we can still buy that dress for you, or will-” Atsushis cut off by a cough, turning around to see the slightly trembling, blood splattered, adrenaline filled cashier. He was wide eyed and pale, but gave a shaky smile. 

“Whatever you- you want, Free, just- thank you.” he croaked, wringing his hands. 

Atsushi remembered. The man had two guns pointed at him and probably got shocked, literally , by the user, if his frazzled hair ment much. 

“Oh, thank you so much!” 

Kyouka was very pleased with her red and blue dresses for her rabbit. 

“Atsushi did what?” 

“Killed a robber, cut off another one's hand along with a concussion. The last one now has developed a brain clot and Atsushi broke his skull into seven distinctive pieces. The first one needed forty one stitches, the second thirty seven. Both the living ones are in critical care.” 

“And he didn't bat an eye?” 

“No!”

“Perhaps he's getting used to this? That sounds like a normal Dazai mission.” 

“Are you kidding me, Kunikida? I watched him break down two days ago because he got someone in the emergency room! And it was a port mafia guy!” 

“Did you bother asking him?” 

“all he said was that it was because Kyouka-chan was with him- shit, there he is!-”

Naomi squeaked as the silver haired tiger walked through the door. 

Kunikida blinked. He had an idea.

“Ah, Atsushi-kun. Welcome back. Do you have a crush on kyouka-chan?” 

“...eh? Kunikida-sama, what are you talking about?” Atsushi squawked back, cheeks going a little pink but otherwise was just looking… confused. His voice was mild and even.

“That confirms. thank you, Atsushi-kun.” the blond man hums, noting something in his journal. 

“EH?-”

“Quiet, Atsushi-kun, I'm writing.” 

Chapter Text

Atsushi hums softly to himself, kneading at a blanket to fluff it up. It caught on his nails slightly but it was a manageable discomfort, simply because of what he was doing. 

Atsushi layered the blanket over a cushion, tucking the corners neatly under to keep it secure. Carefully he positioned it correctly, still singing to himself, eyes lazily dragging along the soft objects around him. 

Atsushi doesn't remember when he began to hoard blankets and pillows- only really knowing it came along the same time he actually had money to himself. After the guild, he had gotten a surprising pay raise- enough where he could move into a larger apartment on his own. 

Kyouka had surprisingly encouraged it, after all, she herself now got an apartment of her own. 

He still hoarded coupons like it was going out of style, and saved money to the side just in case, but-... occasionally, he would indulge in some weird want of soft covers and duvets. He mostly got them from thrift stores because spending money still gave him insane guilt, but sometimes he would go even further and buy a brand new blanket if it was on sale. He unfortunately did not trust secondhand pillows, they gathered and held too much bacteria and filth in their stuffing to be cleaned out- so he always got them new. Also usually on sale…

That led to this, fairly new, instinct to do… whatever this was. 

The silver haired tiger fussed over a large pillow, tucking it neatly between two others to build a safesafesafe area against the wall. He was in his room, ( his own room! In a full apartment!) tightly packed into his closet.

One of the deciding factors of buying this apartment was this closet- it was huge, about a third of the size of his room! He could lay down starfish and not touch the walls at all from any angle for about a foot! He measured it, to- about ten feet by five. 

He didn't know exactly… why that was a deciding point, but it felt secure and small and safe. Especially now, as he stuffed it full of his honestly atrocious collection of blankets and pillows of many, many colors. They all had two things in common, though- 

They were soft and they smelt like Atsushi. 

He found his sense of smell had heightened significantly, and it was a passive ability from the tiger, No Longer Human did not affect it at all.

Either way, he was more sensitive to the scents of things. Every person had a thick, unique smell to them- Atsushi himself had an odd scent of petrichor and ozone, a hint of something earthy and otherworldly. Everyone who had an ability had some odd tinge to them, Atsushi couldn't place his finger on it. Dazai had the scent of parchment paper, but like… the really fancy thick paper! Or the inside of old books. On top of that smell was the heavy haze of something that screamed ' danger soft protection safe-' it was the impression of feelings, not true words themselves, but it formed into a smell that spelt that impression. 

It was strange, but Atsushi lived with it. Weirder, though, was how much he craved the scent of his coworkers. Kunikida, Kyouka, Ranpoe, Tanizaki, Dazai, Yosano- Fukuzawa even, to! Something in his mind itched for their scent to lace his… weird homemade bed in the closet. 

Atsushi huffed with a disgruntled noise and settled in his weird closet bed, curling on himself. Thinking about them made the longing worse. His fingers twitch and itch to go out and find them, drag them here- 

Instead, he buried his face into the soft cloth and rubbed against it, whining softly. He felt uncomfortable and sad. This wasn't fun. But being outside of the closet was worse. Atsushi already called in sick today because for some reason, the thought of leaving his apartment made his whole body shake with tremors, and that's how he found himself here- locked in his room, tucked away in the reassuring darkness of his closet, buried in the weird nest. 

Nest? That word was right, but not perfect. Bed? No. Like a nest, but deeper. Tunnel? Like that, but-

Burrow. Yes- yes, that's what this was. His burrow. Safe. 

Atsushi hisses, trailing into another whine, forcing his face deeper into his burrow like it would fix the empty feeling. He unconsciously searches for the scent of the others and whines again, louder, when he finds nothing. 

But he can't leave. 

…this sucked. Is it like a weird weretiger period? The full moon was in two days. Just his luck to have weird side effects. 

=================================================================

Dazai would never say it, but he was worried. Atsushi called into work today, and of course, Dazai had snooped on the conversation. He sounded… off. His voice was strained and quiet, more than usual. Atsushi said he thought he was sick. 

What a lie. Last time Atsushi got sick, it was bad, and he still had come to work. It took Yosano shoving flu meds down his throat and several threats to get him to go home for the day. 

Which meant he was sick, and had learned his lesson from last time, or- 

Or something else had happened. 

Dazai frowned slightly. Kunikida had thought nothing of it, but When he caught Kyouka’s eye she furrowed her brows worriedly. Dazai had encouraged them to have different apartments but now he regretted it slightly- it was so convenient when Atsushi and her lived together for situations like this. 

How troublesome. 

The brunett hummed to himself absently, twirling his pen between his fingers. The feeling of worry was eating away at him slowly, and as lunch rolled around Dazai had a few theories and plans. 

One, Atsushi was held at gunpoint, or ability point, and was kidnapped. Likely. 

Two, He was skipping work today. Something Dazai would definitely do, but Atsushi would rather die. Not likely. 

Three, he was actually sick, and stayed home like he was supposed to, like a normal person. Very unlikely. 

Four, Atsushi was struggling with something and his dislike of bothering other people with his problems won over his dislike of skipping work. Likely. 

Well, he wouldn't be a good mentor if he abandoned his subordinate in such a time of need! Dazai grinned with his decision. He can skip out on the paperwork, to. Maybe get Atsushi to do it for him in exchange for being so caring and checking in on him. 

Either way, he's going. 

Dazai expertly dodged around people as they moved through the office, humming cheerfully to himself as he skipped along. He abandoned his bag at his desk as always, walking out the doors. How lucky! Kunikida didn't see him!

Kunikida watched him go. There was not a scowl on his face, or anger on his lips, as he grabbed Dazais paperwork and started to do it. 

He was worried about Atsushi, to. 

==================================================================

Atsushi's breath was labored. Everything felt too cold and lonely and empty, but his skin had a freezing coat of sweat over him. He felt feverish. Hevy. 

Lonely. 

Byakko had helped where he was confused. The tiger gave the impressions of family, burrow, protect, ours- 

And Atsushi was embarrassed. How pitiful did he have to be, to cling onto the people to show him a shred of kindness? To see them as family when they were his coworkers. They did not owe him to.. Indulge in this weird thing. They did not owe him to cramp themselves in a damn closet stuffed with blankets and let themselves be cuddled. 

So atsushi just resigned himself to feeling like this. Cold, feverish, and empty. Lonely. 

Byakko gave a long, low rumble of a whimper, pawing at his mind needily. 

He hugged a pillow tighter to his chest, teary eyed. It hurt. 

His body was shaky and sweaty and to cold and too hot, no matter how he laid down it hurt to touch his skin against anything- his ears hurt from the silence and god, please, it's so loud, he could hear the rush of pipes and the sound of the fan in his room, the rush off blood in his ears- 

And the sound of footsteps down the hallway leading to his apartment door, despite being so far away with so much between them. 

Atsushi's heart raced, claws digging into his pillow harder as he whined softly. 

He just wanted it to stop. 

Someone knocked on the door. 

A voice rang in the air. 

“Atsushi-kun!~” 

Dazai. 

Atsushi's chest lurched, head spinning, desperation clawing at his body. Yes please protector family- 

Stop it. Atsushi hissed furiously to himself, eyes watering at the anguish that raked his body in itching pain. 

“Atsushi-kun?” Dazai called again. Was he hallucinating it closer? Yes, he was. Dazai wouldn't look for him. They probably needed him for something, but he was just being pathetic in his fucking closet serching for comfort. He was pathetic. 

Maybe if he stayed silent Dazai would assume he was gone and he would leave atsushi to be pitiful, weak, alone in his burrow- 

His bedroom door creaked. Atsushi’s eyes snap open at the sound. He could hear someone walking. 

A low whine left his throat without his permission, and the footsteps stopped. Then resumed, faster, towards his burrow. 

The tiger cowered away as dim light peaked into the closet as the door was slid open. The air was thick with the smell of books. His heart ached painfully. 

The weretiger made a soft noise of pain, just trying to hide away in his burrow, away from those brown eyes, away from the judgment- he was trying so hard not to be a bother- 

“Oh.” Dazais voice was soft. Atsushi made another pitiful noise. 

“Atsushi?” his voice was still quiet, gentle- what? What? Why was he still being soft? Didn't he tell Atsushi not to pity himself? Didn't he drill that into his head, into the phantom sting of his cheek- 

Atsushi's throat betrayed him. A long, high, needy noise left him. He reached out a pitiful hand. He couldn't help it anymore. He would just let himself show just how useless he was and then Dazai would leave like he's supposed to so Atsushi could wallow in his closet- 

A hand touched the top of his head, another smoothed over his hand, his arm, where it had outstretched. He felt a tingle on top of his head and base of his spine. Oh. he was half shifted. 

“ Dazai-” Atsushi cringed at how small and stupid he sounded, crying out like a child. He could barely care. The ache pain, the cold, everything- it was gone, and he could've sobbed in relief. The touch had him melting limply, a soft chuff leaving him. Atsushi was barely in control as Byakko took over. 

He nuzzled close, nose pressed to Dazais side, inhaling the smell of books and safety. 

“Atsushi, what's going on?” His voice was still soft. Kind. 

The tiger sniffled weakly. 

“Side effect.” he croaked. Dazai hummed in confusion. Atsushi whined in frustration. It was hard to talk. 

“It- Byakko- it's.. Three days… the full moon, just- craving-” he stammered, pressing his face harder into Dazais body. 

“Is it like- a heat?” the brunett scrunched his nose. 

“No!-” atsushi barked, flushing. “It's not- it's more like- nesting? Not- se-sex. Just- want-” Atsushi waned off, flustering more. “ Family.” 

Byakko took over and said it for him. A curse and blessing. 

Dazai was silent. Atsushi whined desperately, sadly- He was going to leave. He was going to leave because it's so pitiful that Atsushi considered his fucking work partners, his coworkers, to be his family- 

Thin fingers card through his hair. 

Byakko relaxed from his tension. Atsushi's shoulders go loose. Every thought in his head fizzled out, scalp tingling and shocks going down his spine. 

His throat rumbled in a purr. 

“Should I call the office?” Dazai hummed. Atsushi couldn't answer, mewling softly and needily pressing closer. This was- 

Good. so, so good. He could sit still without the sting of texture. His ears were quiet, the only sound he registered was Dazais heart, soft breathing, the rustle of cloth- this was nice. 

==================================================================

Dazai called the office. More specifically, he called Kunikida. Atsushi was too out of it to give him a answer to do it or not- but- 

This isnt- wasnt, in his plethora of plans or ideas of what happened. He had felt a cold shock of terror when no one answered the door, so he opened it with the spare key- How stupid, how trusting, he was to tell Dazai himself where it was- 

He walked through the living room, eyeing the couch bare of its cushions. 

He walked to Atsushi's bedroom after calling his name, and there was no one there. 

But he heard a quiet, soft whine. It sounded so painful . 

So animals. 

Dazai remembers opening the door, remembers looking into the darkness- 

He remembers meeting teary, light blue eyes, a lashing white tail, and another sad animal noise. 

He knows he called Atsushi's name and those eyes tear up more, the sharp noise of pain leaving the tiger's throat absolutely heart clenching. Dazai looked him over for wounds, anything that would have caused this- but only found the closet full of pillows and blankets all artfully layered together, bare of blood. 

Not a heat, he learned. Like one, but not. Not for a lover or a ‘mate,’ it's for- 

Family. 

Dazai remembers how ashamed Atsushi looked when he said that, how he had shrunken down like a beaten dog- 

The brunett gently scratches at Atsushi's scalp and earns a purr. His heart was in his throat. Atsushi- Byakko, considered Dazai family. They were being vulnerable and open and invited him in. After everything- the manipulations, the discardment, the pain- Atsushi thought of Dazai as family. 

He forced himself to take a deep breath, earning a small chuff from the tiger. He had been half shifted when Dazai had arrived, but the touch of No Longer Human stifled down the attributes. 

“Dazai?” 

“Kunikida!” the man cheered, snapped from his thoughts as the blond picked up the phone. 

“Why are you calling me?” Kunikida said blandly, voice sharp. Dazai hummed. He contemplated dancing around to piss the other off- 

Atsushi was looking at the phone, bright eyed, purring louder in his throat. Dangerously cute. He was excited to hear Kunikidas' voice. 

“Atsushi's power has a new side effect. For the two days leading to the full moon and the day of, he's weird and tiger-ish.” 

“...do we need to dispatch something or prepare a roo-” 

“It's harmless. He made a nest-” Dazai explained, but cut off by a soft whine. 

“Burrow.” Atsushi hissed. 

“-He made a burrow , and apparently he just wants- Family, friends in it. He was in rough shape when I got here, labored breathing, fever, dilated eyes. He was half shifted when I came in, looked like he was really close to going full tiger.” Dazai explained.
“Is it possible his ability was attacking him for not fulfilling his.. tiger-ishness?” Kunikida mused. Dazai hummed in agreement, carding his fingers through Atsushi's hair again. 

“Could you Put atsushi on the line, Dazai?” his voice crackled through the phone, making the tiger perk at the sound of his name with a loud murrup. 

“Sure, but he's mainly nonverbal if he's not pushed.” Dazai warned, but brought the phone down to Atsushi's face. Hilariously, the silver haired boy rubbed his cheek against the glass, crooning loudly. 

“Atsushi?” Kunikida said, voice quieter. The tiger trilled in response. Dazai swears he hears the blond man chuckle, but he can't be sure. 

“Hey- ok, what do you need?” Kunikida asked, earning a blink and a croon from the tiger. “I'll need a verbal response, kid.” 

“Mm-” atsushi grumbled a little, pressing his face harder against the phone as if he could cuddle the blond man through the device. Dazai cooed to himself. “I- bigger burrow. Cant fit.” the tiger said shortly, curt- voice softened with purrs and rumbles. 

“We’re in his closet- I think he wants a bigger space in his nest-burrow to fit people?” Dazai translated, earning an excited noise from the teen. 

“Byakko.” Atsushi chimed.

“Fit people and Byakko, then.” Dazai corrected. Atsushi nodded in confirmation.

“Allright- do we know who exactly he considers… friends?-” kunikida is cut off. 

“Pack- family, mine.” Atsushi cawed, hissing shortly. Dazai felt like he was about to have a heart palpitation. Fuck he was cute.  

“Well, he's made it pretty obvious he considers you and I his pack, so scramble your ass over here Kunikida-” 

“Poe ‘n ‘sano, kyou!!” Atsushi demanded, shoving his head under Dazais hand again when he stopped brushing through his hair. 

“-and bring Ranpo, kyouka and Yosano.”

“‘Zawa.” Atsushi adds. Dazai racked his brain for the name. 

“He wants the president?” kunikida squawked. 

“Pack- pack… leader- He-” Atsushi seemingly tried to explain, but gave up, burying his face into Dazais stomach. He was still purring, lanky arms tossed around the brunette's waist. 

“Just do it, Kunikida.”
“But-” Kunikida trails off as atsushi chuffs with a small mewl, purring while rubbing his cheek along the cold glass of the phone. Obviously, the blond couldn't see what the silver haired boy was doing but- 

Somehow, Atsushi had them all wrapped around his finger. 

Kunikida sighed stressingly, and dazai could practically hear the years dropping off his life span. 

“I’ll- I'll do my best. But no promises!” He barked, earning a delighted noise from the tiger. 

Dazai didn't bother with a goodbye, ending the call swiftly.  

Atsushi seemed to wilt a little as the line hung up, frowning slightly. Dazai runs a hand through his hair again. 

“You Eat’n?” 

“No, not yet tiger boy.” 

…

“Hey- Hey!- wait, that wasn't an initiative to get me food Atsushi-”

…Dazai ate the warmed up leftover stir fry. 

…It was pretty good. 

==================================================================

Kunikida ran a hand through his hair, lightly tugging on the follicles as he stood in front of the president's office door. He pursed his thin lips, brain running a dozen miles a hour to try and figure out how to explain to him- 

Explain what? Kunikida was still a little in the dark himself. Dazai was his usual semi-cryptic self and Atsushi was apparently too out of it to be any help, though he was more useful than Dazai. All he understood was that, the following two days up to the full moon and the day of, Atsushi was- 

Tiger-ish? From what the blond had gathered Atsushi was very… animalistically verbal, with his purrs ( he could purr?-) and other feline sounds. They were in Atsushi's closet, ( why the closet?-) supposedly in a ‘burrow’, which kunikida could only assume was a congealment of bedding, pillows, and cloth. 

And apparently people. 

…Kunikida was trying to ignore how hard his heart beated at Atsushi considering him his family. He felt slightly bad for it- the kid was an orphan who’d been neglected and abused, starved of love- Of course he'd cling to a shred of human decency! Or more- cling to the people who took him in and showed him it. They didn't even show it to him well. 

Kunikida let it slide because it's not like Atsushi had any other option, anyways- and it could possibly boost company morale and bring them all closer together, which might mean work ethic could heighten! 

Resigned to the embarrassment and shame of being silently judged by his boss for what he's about to ask, ( how the fuck was he supposed to ask? He mentally wailed,) he sighed, moved to knock on the wood door- 

“Kunikida?”

The blond man nearly jumped out of his skin as Fukuzawa spoke behind him, whirling around in a frazzled heap of nerves. 

“Mr. president!” He yelped, straightening himself out. The silver haired man raised a brow, and Kunikida flustered a little. 

“You're in front of my door.” he said blandly, earning a soft noise from the other as he scampered out of the way. 

“W-well yes, Mr. President-” 

“I've told you to call me Fukuzawa, Kunikida. I'm only President on paper.” He hummed mildly, opening the dark wooden door and beckoning the blond in to follow him. 

Kunikida was dieing a little bit inside. 

“Apologies, Fukuzawa-Sensei.” He bowed his head a little, keeping his poker face up as best as he could. The man sighed at the honorific, but dropped it as he sat down in his chair. 

“Sit, Kunikida.” He spoke, sharp blue eyes tracking the blonds every move, judging him. Kunikida swore up and down he was!

He plopped down on the chair across from him. 

“What makes you so jumpy, Kunikida? Did dazai ‘lose’ his communication devices again? I've told you just to put the request in for them, there is no need to report it to me every time.” the president asked, tilting his head slightly. He sipped on the tea Kunikida just noticed he had. 

“Ah- no, Fukuzawa-sensei. It's about Atsushi.” the blond said, forcing himself to relax and keep a straight face. 

“How so? Did he not call in sick today?” The silver haired man muttered over his cup of tea. Kunikida mildly noted it was jasmine. 

“Yes, he did. From what I gathered, his power has a side effect that's just now showing. Atsushi explained a little, but it was affecting his ability to talk, so I don't know the full details. Apologies, Mr. president.” Kunikida apologized, furrowing his brow. He should've called back and demanded more details dammit, atsushi had distracted him-

“Fukuzawa.” He corrected automatically, before blinking. “I see. Tell me what you know, then.” 

“Apologies.” Kunikida said again. The taller waved him off. Taking a short breath, the blond raked his brain for the right words. 

“Dazai was able to understand what Atsushi ment much better than I due to being with Atsushi at the moment, he had left work to go check on him. According to them both, the two days leading to the full moon and the day of the moon Atsushi's ability affects him heavily.” Kunikida hesitates, tugging on his ponytail lightly. “Do you know what nesting is, sir? It's frequently seen in cats and birds.” 

Fukuzawa blinked, a mild expression of surprise covering his face for a moment. 

“I believe so, yes. Correct me If i am wrong, but it is usually behaviors presented when a female is pregnant or in heat.” 

“Yes, usually. however obviously… Atsushi is not either. I Believe he has always had this cycle of sorts, but Byakko didn't feel he was safe enough to exhibit the behavior. From what I can understand, he simply wishes to pull everyone he considers family into the… nest he made.” Kunikida winced, cheeks burning slightly. He tugged slightly harder on his hair. “He's exhibiting those behaviors for some reason, but if he does not fulfill them his- body, or Byakko I suppose, will begin to attack him in response. Dazai said he was feverish, sweating, dilated eyes, and had a hard time breathing- usually signs of poisoning, but it stopped when someone was near. He also said Atsushi was half shifted and looked like he was near going full tiger.” 

Fukuzawa nodded along, tea placed down on his small saucer, hands folded and resting in front of his face. His brows were slightly furrowed, contemplative as kunikida spoke. 

“I see. his ability stopped hurting him when Dazai touched him?” 

“No. Dazai didn't have to touch him for the side effects to stop harming him.” Kunikida explained, clearing his throat. “It's why I believe it was his body hurting him in response to him neglecting his instincts and not his ability directly.” 

“Like how Atsushi has an inhuman level of smell, hearing, and sight, even with Dazai touching him.” Fukuzawa offered. Kunikida nodded firmly. 

“It's passive and not fully from his ability, so No Longer Human does not affect it.” the blonde man states. He had connected the dots a few moments after the call, considering the assumed order of events he could deduce.

He should get Ranpoe on this, he realized, horrified. 

The president hummed lowly, looking down at the table in thought. 

“You said his instincts want his family with him?” He asked, looking back at Kunikida with sharp blue eyes.

“Yes. His instincts don't seem… biased on who is actually related to him or not, so I do not believe it wants its actual blood family. insted it's wanting a version of a chosen family around Atsushi, I believe.” 

“Understandable. I'm assuming you are telling me this to ask for the next few days off for yourself and the others?” Fukuzawa mused, already pulling out some papers. 

Kunikida flounders for a moment at the suddenness, hands waving in the air. Was it that easy? No wonder Dazai skipped out on work so much! Fukuzawa apparently handed out days off like cheap candy! 

“And you.” He blurts out, voice louder than it needed to really be. 

The silver haired man froze, hands half way to signing something on a file. 

“Atsushi asked for you, to. He said-” Kunikida stammered, clearing his throat and not meeting the president's eye. “‘ Family, pack leader, mine, ’ If I remember correctly.” He said weakly. This was mortifying. 

“He asked for me.” Fukuzawa asked slowly, setting down the pen in his hand. “Specifically.” 

“Ranpoe, Yosano, Kyouka, Dazai, myself-” Kunikida clarified, tightening his pony tail anxiously. “And you.” 

This was mortifying, Kunikida bemoans. Why didn't he make Dazai call the president? Damn Atsushi and his pitiful noises! 

“Me.” the president repeats, Incredulous. 

Kunikida dies a little more. 

“Obviously, you do not have to! It's definitely out of boundaries, but you had a right to know regardless-” 

“That's not it.” Fukuzawa interrupted, sighing. Kunikida shuts up, eyes wide. 

“I'm simply…” He trailed off, fingers brushing his own sharp cheekbone absently, looking away. His brows were furrowed together, lips pursed. His dark green clothing folds into a deeper shade from the shadow of the sun on his back, elbows on his desk. 

His tea had probably long gone cold. 

“Surprised?” Kunikida offered. 

“Wanting.” 

Kunikida blinked once. Twice.

“ Wanting ?” He parrots, carefully sounding out the word. Fukuzawa gave a bitter smile. Kunikida nearly balked. 

“Wanting.” He confirms softly. “Atsushi-” He gave a harsh sigh, sitting upright again and tucking his hands neatly into his sleeves. 

Kunikida was reeling at seeing so many emotions flit across his face, over his usual perfect stone expression, stoic manners no matter the situation-  

“Atsushi is not the only person who sees the agency as a family, I suppose.” 

oh.

“We are all orphans.” Kunikida jokes. 

fuck. That just slipped out. Fukuzawas eyes widen- 

And he laughed. 

It was short, rough- his eyes crinkle with crows feet, smile lines creasing his face. 

Was kunikida still alive? When did he die? Was this an ability that sent him to a different universe? 

“True, there. Perhaps we all cling to a semblance of unity with each other.” Fukuzawa mused, eyes glittering in mirth. “Make a family from the loney.” 

Kunikida hummed absently, still reeling. He saw the agency as?... 

( he’d deny it till the day he dies, but… Kunikida tends to see his coworkers in a… familial light. sometimes.)

“Come, now then. We have people to gather.” Fukuzawa stood up, pulling out his phone. 

“Wait!- but almost everyone will be gone! if anything you can't leave because of- wait- who will run the agency?-” Kunikida squawked, scrambling after the surprisingly quick man. He was furiously typing on his phone. 

“Don't worry about that, Kunikida.” 

“But sir!-” 

“ Fukuzawa, Kunikida.” 

==================================================================

How did he get here? 

Dazai frequently wondered this, but usually it happened mid attempt or mid crisis. 

Or both. 

Atsushi murruped softly, face pressed firmly against Dazais throat. The brunet could feel it vibrate through his entire diaphragm, if his purrs didn't already do that. Dazai had stopped touching him just so that Atsushi could have his… attributes out, when the tiger had scratched at his scalp in irritation one too many times. He had assumed correct that having them suppressed irritated the silver haired boy- 

Though it was still strange. 

Everything about this was strange. 

Bringing Dazai back to his previous point. 

How did he get here? 

Atsushi was dreadfully warm and fluffy, half shifted as he was. Heavy paws replaced his hands, legs cracked and bent into an animalistic form, his hair was so thick and smooth, there was near see through whiskers on his face- a long, thick tail happily swaying behind him. 

And twitching, fluffy ears atop his head. 

Dazai really wanted to touch them, but he risked turning the teen back. 

For once, Dazai cursed No Longer Human. He had a perfectly fluffy, pliant cat in his lap and he couldn't even press his face into the softness! 

Atsushi warbled, nosing his jaw affectionately. As expected, his tiger features disappear. 

Dazai would have screamed in frustration, hadn't the tigerboy still been in his lap. 

The features reappear when atsushi returned to his place between his neck and shoulder, where bandages were covering. 

“Y’or upset.” Atsushi rasped, voicebox caught between human and feline. Dazai huffed softly. 

“Frustrated that I can't hug you.” He grumbled, earning what sounded like the cat equivalent of a laugh. He was serious, damnit! 

“Dazai, Atsushi?” 

Atsushi perked up so fast at the call of their names Dazai was nearly sent falling backwards, hadn't he caught himself on his palms. The teen had moved them into the living room; forcing the brunet to help him drag everything along. Somehow, Atsushi had more blankets and pillows stashed around that he couldn't fit into the closet. 

Dazai was fairly enthralled watching the teen re-create the ‘burrow’, how he layered the more rough textured blankets and pillows on the ground on top of cushions and exactly two large mattresses. 

Dazai was a little confused when the tiger had moved the couch and bookshelf to create a wall between the burrow and the rest of the room, till Atsushi half explained it made the place less vulnerable. 

It was.. Strange, but kinda honoring that Atsushi let Dazai help him build. He had no idea what he was doing, so he just tucked pillows into corners and walls, let Atsushi put blankets over the plush objects to tie them together. 

Eventually, half of Atsushi's living room was now a mess of colors and cloth. 

“Hello?” the voice called again, more singsong. 

Ranpoe. 

Atsushi slipped off Dazais half fallen body, eyes brilliant blue and hair wild fluffy mess of fur. He sat half lounged over the nests wall, and his body cracked, bones snap and warp- 

Till a very large tiger took up half of the burrows' space. 

You see, Atsushi's ability fluctuates based on the moon phases- the closer to the full moon, the bigger, the stronger, the faster Byakko got. When the sky waxed into a new moon, he was the size of a normal tiger if just a bit bigger, but seeing as they were so close to the full moon- 

He was huge. Dazai was positive one of his paws was the length of his torso and then some. 

Byakko roared quietly, paws prancing in place. Bright blue eyes shine, ears flicking as his tail whipped from side to side excitedly. 

“Living room!” Dazai called. He could hear the shuffle of footsteps, light clatters of shoes being placed at the door, soft chatter. 

The first one into the room was Ranpoe, who looked far too excited to be there. He held a honestly atrociously large bag of snacks, clearly having lost all resentment towards the large tiger from The Catnip Incident. 

Byyako tilts his head with a pleased chuff, leaning forward to catch the brunettes shirt in his teeth and drag him into the nest. 

The second and third into the room were Yosano and Kyouka. Kunikida trailed a little bit behind them both, carrying a small stack of blankets.

Atsushi-Byakko seemed to brighten as each of them wandered in, purring louder and louder- 

But seemed to wilt as no one else followed. 

Dazai carefully pats the tigers side, frowning at the dropping ears and limp tail. 

“Where's the president?” Dazai hissed to Kunikida, elbowing him sharply in the side. He earns a squawk and a swift smack from the blond, who was setting up the blankets properly. 

Atsushi-Byakko's head dropped depressingly onto the side of the nest, eyes glued to the doorway leading into the hall, to the entrance. He gave an even more depressing sounding cry, cut between a cat's meow and a whine. 

“He-” 

“That was incredibly rude, all of you! You do not just toss your shoes by the door, Atsushi has a shoe rack for a reason! You made an absolute mess.” a tall, silver haired figure slipped into the room, a frown painting their face. 

"Speak of the devil." Yosano mused, humorously watching Byakko-Atsushi perk up. 

Fukuzawa paused mid lecture about manners and just…- 

Looked and byakko-Atsushi. 

The tiger stood up and made an inpatient, long chuffing noise, leaning forward to tug on Fukuzawas sleeve. He wasn't forcing the other into the burrow like he had the others- seemingly, he didn't want to seem too demanding. Perhaps it was because even Byyako saw the president as the leader? Dazai mulled over the thought for a few moments. 

"Oh." Fukuzawas voice was very quiet, eyes wide. 

Suddenly, Dazai remembered that the imposing, stone faced, terrifying Armed Detective Agency Leader-

had one, very small weakness. 

Cats. 

And he was presented with a very cuddly, fluffy, needy housecat that was way too big to be a housecat.

Fukuzawa slowly walked closer. 

Atsushi-Byakko lays down In a pretense of calm, but his twitching tail sings another story.  

The president stopped just short of the burrow, before stepping over the small wall separating the rest of the room to the soft piles of blankets and pillows. 

Atsushi-Byakko purred louder, head bobbing excitedly. He had gathered Kyouka in his front paws like she was a small, stuffed animal, tightly pressed to his overly fluffy chest. Yosano was pressed to his shoulder, amusedly watching. Dazai was sitting quite comfortably on the tigers front leg, Kunikuda close by, half laying on Atsushi-Byakko's spine. Ranpoe found himself quite comfortable tucked just before the tigers back legs against his stomach, munching away on a bag of chips. 

Fukuzawa fell forward. 

At first, Dazai thought he tripped. 

Then he saw how the president face planted directly into Atsushi-Byakko's fluffy stomach, hands braced against the inposeing amount of fur, legs straightened out-

and he stifled a snicker. 

Atsushi and Byakko, mixed up as they were, looked far too pleased. 

For once Dazai let himself relax. 

This was nice. 

End.