Work Text:
1
Kyoka sighed in discontent and continued to brush out her hair, fighting with the knots and pulling at the ends of the longer strands that intertwined with each other and tied together as she brushed them, the same fight she had been fighting for the last 15 minutes, at this rate they were going to be late for their jobs.
She could hear Atsushi finish washing their dishes from breakfast and tried to brush faster but it was to no avail, her hair was not cooperating today. They had both fallen asleep on the couch the night before after coming back from work and setting up a nice movie. They didn't even make it to half of it before they were unconscious, now her hair ties were practically fused to her head.
“Yikes”- She heard Atsushi say as he dried his hands with a towel and approached her to inspect the damage.
“I think I’m going to have to cut my hair”- She relented, accepting the defeat.
“Don't be dramatic, let me try”- He laughed, taking the brush from her hand- “Plus, if you did that, Kouyou would have my head on a stick for not taking good care of you”
“It is unsalvagable and we are about to be late”- She complained as Atsushi used his fingers to gently spread apart the strands.
“I think Kunikida would be willing to let us arrive a few minutes late when he hears of the situation”- Very carefully, he started detangling her hair, slowly separating each individual hair from the tie.
Finally, after twenty minutes, the two hair ties had been removed. Atsushi passed the brush up and down the length of her hair to smooth it out, finally when it was all smooth and Kyoka was about to stand up to leave she felt little pulls different from the brush, using her peripheral vision she noticed Atsushi picking up pieces of her hair and giving them long licks, his eyes shone yellow and the pupils had turned to slits, yet he didn't seem to notice, too engrossed on continuing to treat her hair.
After a few extra minutes, he finally thought the mission complete- “There, it's all good now!”- He smiled, seemingly very happy with his work. Kyoka didn't dare say anything to alter that.
2
Kenji ran back to the agency after his mission was done a little faster than usual, almost skipping as he dashed through the streets, he was impatient to see a very specific person. During today’s labor, he had been thrown through a few walls and while he didn't have even a scratch on himself, his hair and clothes had been put through the ringer.
The garments were a lost cause, still, he tried his best to fix his hair. After he shook himself off, all the pieces of cement were gone, in spite of that it was not smooth, of course he could brush it himself but he knew exactly who would help.
The doors to the detectives' offices swung open with barely controlled strength- “Atsushi!”- The called boy jumped on his seat at the sudden noise- “Help me with my hair!”
The rest of the agency smiled to themselves, they knew exactly why Kenji had gone straight to him. After that first morning with Kyoka, she had told them what had happened. Atsushi was bound to do it again, and she didn't want anyone taken by surprise or have the wrong reaction, even threatening to send Yasha Shirayuki after one member that was reluctant to agree (Dazai) wouldn't stop laughing. Yosano joined in the threat, explaining that this might be Atsushi trying to show love for them in a way that feels natural to him and connecting more with his ability.
“I’m kind of in the middle of something…”- The tiger’s eyes deviated to Kunikida, who nodded with a sigh, giving a silent permission to the temporary abandonment of the work- “Okay, come here”
Taking a leaping start and sliding across the floor, Kenji came to rest perfectly seated against Atsushi’s knees- “I already rinsed my hair!”- He exclaimed excitedly. The older boy couldn't help but smile at that, he didn't quite understand why he was suddenly chosen as the one to help, nevertheless, he was happy to do it.
Using the brush he used with Kyoka he brushed his hair, the dampness of it helped it untangle easily and stay put. Kenji hummed as he went, obviously enjoying the attentions. When it was all done and the hair was starting to dry up, Atsushi continued, bending down a little bit to lick and slightly bite at the golden hair, Kenji was even more delighted at that. To the rest of the agency, the image seemed to mirror a kitten being cared for by a bigger cat.
Once he was finally done, Kenji stood up and revealed the final product to everyone, shiny blonde hair, perfectly straight and down, when it had turned into an almost bowl cut, they weren't sure. The two young members seemed satisfied anyway.
“You looked surprisingly at ease there”- Tanizaki commented.
“Oh, the cows at the farm used to lick me clean after a long day of chores too”- He explained, giddy at the memory.
3
When Dazai walked in the agency it was the middle of the day, the sun was shining as bright as it could on a summer day and the rest of the agency (save Ranpo) were trying their best to do their respective assignments, he ignored Kunikida’s screaming and made a beeline for his desk, leaving small puddles of water and scattered leaves behind every other step.
He finally reached his chair and plopped down like dead weight, waving off the blond man that continued on his lecture- “I’ll do my work after I fix myself up”- He promised, they all knew he wouldn't, despite that it did deter Kunikida for at least a moment.
“Are you okay?”- Asked Tanizaki from his desk, Dazai had been gone since yesterday and right now he didn't look exactly prim and proper, he was dirty and dishevelled, some parts of him were wet with what appeared to be seawater and he was covered in a mixture of algae, sticks and sand all over.
“Another failed attempt”- Dazai sighed sadly while he opened a packet of wet wipes and did what he could to look a little better, it barely helped with the clothes, even so the rest of him was improved, except for the hair- “Yosano, lend me a hair brush pretty please”- He asked to the doctor passing by who scoffed and continued walking to the infirmary, not even humoring the question with an answer.
“Dazai, get to those reports already”- Kunikida’s voice warned of what would happen if he didn't.
“But I’m still dirty and it’s so uncomfy”- The man whined, spinning in his chair, sensing another outburst from his coworker Atsushi finally intervened.
“I will help you Dazai”- The man smiled at that.
Atsushi stood behind him, ready to take on the challenge. He started by taking out all of the debris and leaves that protruded from the hair and then used his fingers to untangle the rest of it, he was not going to put any of their brushes in that mess. The agency waited, looking as discreetly as they could, would Atsushi do it? Would he really? Being Dazai, shouldn't his powers- and in turn the instincts caused by them- be nullified at contact? The following moments would answer several questions for them all.
They held their breath as Atsushi held a lock of hair between his finger and leaned down, Dazai, who often didn't get to enjoy the most cat-like moments of Atsushi due to his ability, waited eagerly and didn't dare move, however when his tongue met with the hair the salty taste of ocean water and sand filled his mouth, he quickly pulled away and hissed at the offending curl making Dazai laugh and the rest of the detectives have an array of different reactions that varied from laughter to plain disappointment.
“Stop that, just use the wipes, you will give yourself a stomach ache, who knows what's going on up there”- Kunikida advised. Atsushi ended up doing just that, even if it didn't feel right, like hugging through a glass wall.
4
Atsushi took a deep breath, taking in the mix of scents, the relaxing hot tea, the fresh sheets, and his boyfriend's smell. His entire body relaxed, and he cuddled even closer to the chest next to him, digging his face into the crook of the other man's neck, while said person kept watching the movie currently playing on the big TV screen of their dormitory.
For a while, neither of them spoke, there was no need to. The quiet mumbles of the movie, the soft rustle of the sheets, and the quiet rhythm of Akutagawa’s breathing were enough. Atsushi could hear the steady beat of his heart through the layers of fabric and flesh, it was reassuring, grounding.
No arm enveloped him, instead, a long thin tendril wrapped around him like a liana. To think that just a few months ago that same ability still tried its best to slice and cut him, now it felt soft and slightly warm to the touch, truly an extension of its owner.
He looked up to stare at his lover's face when he noticed a faint splotch of the red sauce Akutagawa had cooked along with the pasta they had just had for dinner. He originally intended to wipe it with his finger, except his movements were currently a little constrained. Naturally, he went to the next available option.
“My dear?”- Akutagawa froze in confusion as he felt the warm, slightly scratchy, sandpapery muscle move across his cheek.
“You are dirty”- Atsushi stopped for a second to explain, then continued with his ministrations. Akutagawa thought about taking offense to the statement about his cleanliness yet decided to let it go just this time.
He believed Kyoka had mentioned something akin to a warning about this the last time he had visited the detective agency.
After he was done with his face Atsushi continued with the strand of hair closest to him, licking in the wrong direction didn't seem to make any difference to him, Akutagawa had no intentions on being the one to stop him, he did think about releasing his arms but Atsushi was already doing his thing so why bother. He found himself adjusting slightly so Atsushi could reach better.
Once he deemed him sufficiently well-groomed, Atsushi let out a pleased sigh and rubbed his cheek with his, Akutagawa could feel him smiling against his skin, it made him happy too in turn. “Good enough?”- He teased.
“It’ll do”- Atsushi said as he laid a gentle kiss on him and closed his eyes to sleep, another tendril turned off the lights and the TV for him.
5
“Your coffee is going to have to wait today, tabby cat”- Lucy announced the moment she heard the door of the café open, she could tell it was Atsushi by the quietness and carefulness of his steps.
“That's okay”- Atsushi nodded and approached to sit down at the bar while she went on getting ready, gracefully doing her makeup. She expected Atsushi to just turn around at the door, not to sit down right in front of her. What she expected even less was the way he stared at her as she got ready, pure amazement and curiosity in his eyes.
“It’s going to be a while”- She warned, opening her blush, Atsushi just nodded again.
“What’s that?”- He asked, pointing at the black stick that almost looked like a regular pencil.
“Its eyeliner, I put it around my eyes”- She explained as she picked up after letting the blush down and proceeded to demonstrate- “Like this”- The tiger let out a sound of amazement- “Would you like to try?”- She joked, once again, not predicting the immediate yes she got in response.
The two looked at each other in similar states of surprise for a second, it seemed Atsushi had blurted his answer -“Can I really?”- The sudden smallness of his voice prevented her from saying otherwise, she just didn't have the heart to explain how it was a little unhygienic to share makeup, so she just reassured him that he could.
Physical touch was not a common thing in their friendship, neither of them was much experienced with it, not in a pleasant way at least, so holding Atsushi’s face and being so close to him felt foreign to Lucy, she noticed how tense Atsushi was, as if a move from him would make her change her mind and chase him out.
“I’ll just do small wings since I’m not sure what the rules of makeup are in the agency”- Speaking made it feel a little less awkward, Atsushi almost tried to nod before verbally agreeing.
“Do what you think is best”- He said- “I will probably like it anyway.”
The first wing came easy, one feel swoop and it was done, she had to wipe the other side a few times to get rid of failed attempts, nontheless in the end it was done, the black of the ink was a stark contrast against the white of Atsushi’s eyelashes and it made the multicolors of his eyes even more vibrant.
“Does it look good?”- Atsushi asked shyly.
“You tell me tiger”- She handed him a mirror and smiled at his reaction.
“I told you I would like it”- He smiled, for the first time in his life, unable to look away from his face.
“I know, I'm basically a makeup artist”- They both laughed at the statement as Lucy put away her makeup and picked up her hairbrush.
“I can do your hair for you, I help Kyoka all the time”- Atsushi offered, she glanced at his own hair and hesitated for a second, a part of her wanted to say no but the other would feel bad for turning down such a sweet offer, what harm could be done? As long as she didn't hand him any scissors. So, she agreed.
Atsushi’s meticulous fingers parted her hair and detangled the curls, then braided it neatly- “You are surprisingly good at this”- Lucy admired.
“I told you I help Kyoka all the time, you never see her walk around with crazy hair, do you?”- He joked, then held one of the long braids, looking intensely at the part of it where the shorter hairs stuck out of the rest and curled in every direction.
“Don't focus on it, I’m used to cutting my own hair so it's a little choppy in places”- She dismissed yet Atsushi didn't falter, eyes shining bright yellow, he held the braid even closer to his face and opened his mouth.
She had heard about this from Dazai, the evening after Kyoka told the detectives he came down and shared the story with the rest of the staff, she had initially brushed it off as one of Dazai's ridiculous lies, she didn't anticipate experiencing it firsthand.
It was nice, sort of, clearly Atsushi was showing her how much she mattered to him, in his own weird way.
Surprisingly, it worked, hairs still stuck out except now they formed one little defined curl- “Thanks”- She muttered, Atsushi simply smiled at her and persisted in waiting for his coffee.
+1
For all that Atsushi enjoyed braiding Kyoka’s hair, brushing Dazai’s, or simply playing with Lucy’s, he was never very good at dealing with his own, it was never a problem before as the orphanage didn't expect him to maintain such a habit, they barely provided the hygienic products to keep it clean.
It was always a strange feeling to take care of his own hair, to put in it the fancy sweet-smelling products that Kyoka enjoyed or simply to brush it, it all felt foreign, uncomfortable, and out of character. In days when Kyoka and he didn't leave together, it wasn't rare for him to just walk in for work with a terrible case of bedhead, trying to pretend this was how he wanted to look. Today, however, there was no Yosano to force a brush in his hand or Naomi to do it for him, hell, there was almost no one in the agency right now.
He walked in and found only Kunikida typing away on his laptop. He gave a greeting and began to move to his own desk to get started when suddenly Kunikida stopped him. “Fix your hair kid”- He warned.
Atsushi jumped a little where he stood- “I was about to do it”- His voice shook a little.
Kunikida raised a brow at him- “I don't know what that damned Dazai has been trying to teach you but you are not getting any better at lying”- Atsushi had to relent at that, the man could see right trough him, any other morning he would have gotten straight to it, however today it was harder to do. He wasn't sure why, he had already woken up feeling groggy and got ready dragging himself through the small apartment, he just knew he couldn't be bothered.
Kunikida saw his lack of movement, Atsushi waited for the scolding that was sure to come at the unnecessary defiance except it never came, instead the man just got up from his seat and asked him to approach as he sat down on the couch and manifested a small hairbrush with his ability.
Atsushi approached carefully and sat down on the floor, his back hitting the legs of the man sitting behind him. He felt a little nervous, vulnerable even, yet the minute the blond man started with his work all of those worries melted away, Kunikida started gently detangling the bigger knots and frizzies spread all over, tenderly scratching his scalp and separating every strand of hair, the man did not talk, only occasionally hummed in approval when the hair behaved.
Atsushi’s eyes squinted then slowly fell closed on their own as his entire being relaxed more and more, when the small plastic hairbrush started going up and down the sides of his head from the ends to the top in a systematic ordained manner small noises escaped his throat, sporadic chuffs that made Kunikida halter in his moves for just a second and then continue with a fond smile, occasionally reaching up to brush and play with the two small tiger ears that had popped out on top of his head, drawing imaginary patterns of the black and white fur with his tail calmly swinging behind him brushing against the floor and the ends of the couch.
It wasn't long before he fell asleep and Kunikida realised he was now trapped between the couch and the tiger, the boy limp on top of his legs, the back of his head lying comfortably on his lap.
He could push him off or shake him awake, but did he really want to? He didn't want to take Atsushi away from such a relaxed, calm moment with him, the poor boy would probably take it as rejection on his part and be apologetic for letting his guard down, no, he couldn't move, not until Atsushi woke on his own at least. He couldn't hurt the feelings of an orphan, that was one on his ideals. Even more, this orphan.
Slowly, more and more members of the agency started trickling back in from their finished business, moving slowly and quietly at Kunikida's signaling, trying their best not to wake up the boy while simultaneously making fun of Kunikida. Dazai was the last to come in, snapping a million photographs from various angles that quickly made their way to everyone's phones, including some mafia members. Kyoka and Kenji played with Atsushi's ears while he slept, chuffing in his sleep, and Naomi used a special brush also materialized by Kunikida to brush his tail.
“Did you know mother tigers groom their cubs until they are able to do it themselves?”- Ranpo loudly whispered from his desk.
Dazai laughed and patted Kunikida on the back- “What a formidable mother you are Kunikida”
“Truly an inspiration, a hard-working single mom”- Yosano complimented with mockery.
“Hey! I totally co-parent”- Dazai tried to defend against the general reluctant expressions.
“A deadbeat dad”- Kyoka deadpanned. Atsushi continued to sleep blissfully and comfortably for another hour, Kunikida needed a minute for the pins and needles to disappear from his cramped legs after he moved. Still, with a smile and a ruff of Atsushi’s hair that almost nullified his hard labor, he dismissed any of Atsushi’s apologies and concerns.