Bungou Stray Shots and Headcanons

An Idea of Family

Shin Soukoku! I am going to have this take place in the future (Atsushi-22, Akutagawa-24) just because I have trouble imagining these two being soft and domestic unless I give them relationship development behind the scenes.

Akutagawa stopped in front of his and Atsushi's apartment flat-catching his already fleeting breath after rushing over after an urgent text message.

'Come home as early as possible today! It's important!'

"Atsushi?" Akutagawa called out as soon as he stepped through the front door.

"Kitchen!"

He ran into the kitchen, where Atsushi was leaning over the sink-quietly fussing over something inside. He turned at the sound of Akutagawa's ragged, raspy breathing.

"Did you run here?!" Atsushi exclaimed, abandoning the sink to grab Akutagawa's spare inhaler from one of the drawers.

"You're not supposed to do that, idiot!" he scolded, handing the inhaler to his partner.

Akutagawa took two puffs and waited until his breathing returned to normal. He found the inhaler to be ridiculous and a hassle, but if it would get that worried expression to leave Atsushi's face, he would use it a thousand times over.

"You said it was important" Akutagawa argued.

"Not so important for you to put yourself in danger like that!" Atsushi rubbed his temple "Geez-just c'mere"

He grabbed Akutagawa's hand and led him to the sink where a small, black and white lint ball sat in about an inch of warm water.

"What is it?" he asked.

Atsushi looked at him, dumbfounded "It's a kitten"

"Doesn't look like one" Akutagawa slowly reached his hand down into the sink and let the lint ball rub its head against his fingers.

"Oh good" Atsushi sighed "it likes you"

"You thought it wouldn't like me?" Akutagawa looked almost hurt-which Atsushi made sure to shut down immediately.

"No no no no" Atsushi quickly denied "It's just that it was really skittish, I thought it would take longer for it to warm up to other people"

He smiled at the kitten in the sink "I mean it took a few minutes for me to even coax it out of the bush in front-I'm honestly impressed"

Atsushi left to grab a small towel from the bathroom. He made sure to get a clean one from the cabinets, that way it was nice and fluffy. He came back into the kitchen to see Akutagawa leaning against the sink, delicately stroking the kitten.

Atsushi was about to show Akutagawa the towel, when he heard his partner softly talking to the kitten.

Atsushi quietly pulled his phone out of his back pocket and opened the camera app.

"Y'know, I'm not much of an animal person" Akutagawa lightly scratched behind its ears "But Atsushi seems to really like you.

"He looks at you the same way he used to look at me. I'm sure he's not entirely aware of it" he let out a small chuckle "he never knows what expression he's making. It's quite endearing, actually.

"I'm certain you might think he's looking at you with pity in his eyes" he said as Atsushi silently stepped closer behind him "But it's a little more than that.

"He sees more than what you are-more than I can see, honestly. He sees what you're going to become" the kitten let out a small mew, almost as though it were acknowledging Akutagawa "You remind him of me. And you're going to be great"