A/N: HAPPY AKAKAGA DAY (10/4)!

Based on a meet ugly Tumblr list with the prompt: You broke into my apartment drunk thinking it was your friend's house and I should call the cops but my cat kind of likes you so we're good

Enjoy! ^w^

Seijuro wanted to clench his teeth at this underhanded move. His father had never taken lightly the fact his only son and heir had moved out of the Akashi estate. Two years later and Father persisted into sending potential housekeepers to look after him; control him suited the notion better, but Seijuro wasn't going to admit defeat just yet.

Keeping a straight face, Seijuro placed his teacup on the table. "I have to apologize," he said with a polite smile that didn't match his icy tone, "but your services won't be needed."

The young man in front of him stiffened. "But your father…"

"My Father is an admirable man. However, he doesn't know what is best for me. Besides," He gestured around the living room. "I can take care of myself well enough."

True to his words, the room looked spotless. The floor was pristine clean, along with every other surface including the coffee table separating them, the cabinet stretching across the wall on their left and the bookshelves behind Seijuro's armchair. The books were even color-coded.

Then there were those eyes glowing under the cabinet. Seijuro knew the man had noticed them and was trying to ignore them out of courtesy. The cat continued flicking its tail, agitated. Kage had done this to everyone who visited him, to the point Seijuro wondered if the cat liked anyone besides him. It was a good judge of character though as animals had better senses overall. In that train of thought, he also wondered how much it would enrage his Father if Kage was the condition for accepting any future candidate. The thought pleased him.

"That appears to be true," the man said, rising from the couch. "I apologize for occupying your time like this."

"It's alright," Seijuro said as he excused him to the door. "Please pass along this message to my father as well."

No matter how calm Seijuro looked on the outside, these meetings were stretching him thin. This had been the third one in a month after all. Dodging his Father's advances couldn't last forever. Somehow he was going to find an opening, despite Seijuro's strong defense and that worried him.

Back when he had first left home, Seijuro had reasoned how unnatural it would be having a caretaker at the university dorms. He wanted to blend in—feel normal—not stand out like a sore thumb. He didn't voice all this to his Father of course, but the older man had respected his will in the end.

However, the dorms couldn't overlook Kage. The rules clearly stated that pets were forbidden. Seijuro had been tempted to bend them with his influence but the thought clashed with his resolve to experience an ordinary life. Thus, he moved out and his Father found the opportunity to close the circle around him once more. Seijuro kept struggling to escape the overbearing presence of his household, but there was one thing he had learned over the years. It was only a matter of time before it strangled him again.

The knock snapped him out of these gloomy thoughts. Seijuro blinked, realizing he had spent the last five minutes reading the same sentence. Had he been that upset? The clock on his nightstand also declared it was three in the morning. Another knock followed as he closed the book. All other residents of this apartment complex were peaceful people that respected him and his privacy.

Who could be at this hour? He thought, tiptoeing to the door of his room. Burglars don't knock first.

The front door rattled on its hinges. Whoever hooligan had mistaken Seijuro's apartment for his own sounded desperate to get inside. Seijuro considered his options. He could either try to reason with the stranger or call the lobby; the latter suggesting the doorman had recognized this person and allowed them to enter the building in the first place. Otherwise, it would be quite a breach of protocol.

A thundering crash echoed outside, deciding for him. Seijuro bolted out of the bedroom. At the end of the hallway, the lock's remains dropped on the wooden planks as a tall man stepped inside the apartment. The intruder didn't seem to acknowledge Seijuro's presence. He squinted at the doorknob in his hand before casually placing it on top of the shoe case.

What's the meaning of this? Seijuro thought, speechless.

The man was attempting to take off his shoes. His movements were sluggish the whole two minutes it took him as if he couldn't coordinate his limbs. Then he entered the living room, taking note to duck in the opening since it was lower than his head.

Seijuro snapped out of his initial shock and followed him. He entered the room just in time to see the man plopping head first on the couch, which groaned under his weight. His legs were hanging over the couch's armrest, but that didn't stop the intruder from falling asleep the moment his head touched the pillows.

Blood pounded in Seijuro's temples. It escaped his understanding of how this man knew the apartment's layout when he hadn't been in there before and how on earth could he be so casual about breaking the door. Seijuro made a quick damage control. Only the outer doorknob was out of place, but the inside of the lock had shattered. His gaze traveled over the rubble until he stopped on the intruder's shoes. They were red sneakers with black decorations. The model looked overly familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on where had he seen it before. Seijuro didn't know if he had to be amused or annoyed from this paradox of manners though.

It doesn't matter now, his brain advised him. Call the police and let them handle it.

The phone rested on the cabinet across the room. Seijuro would have to pass in front of the intruder on his way there. As he considered the danger such endeavor would pose, something warm and hairy brushed against his pajama pants. He spared a look. The black cat continued rubbing its head, purring softly.

"Not now, Kage," Seijuro said, petting him. "I have something to do."

Kage sat on its hind legs and stared back. His light-blue eyes regarded him as if the cat was accusing him of something.

"Your plate is in the kitchen," Seijuro said, even though he was sure this wasn't the case. Kage never made a show about food—an excellent example of his training. He also vividly remembered filling the plate with dry food before going to bed.

Ignoring him, the cat approached the couch with his silent paws and jumped on the intruder. Seijuro held his breath but the stranger continued snoring away with no care in the world. It seemed his worries had been misplaced. Kage was even kneading his nails against the intruder's jacket. Huffing, Seijuro closed the distance and lifted the cat in his arms. It meowed in annoyance.

"What got into you?" Seijuro mumbled under his breath.

The cat continued to struggle in his hold. This was a first. Kage usually searched for a place to hide whenever someone entered the house. Sometimes he hissed at them for good measure as well. This persistent meowing felt like the cat was getting a liking of the intruder.

Maybe he got intoxicated from the alcohol's fumes, Seijuro thought.

He hadn't noticed at first but the stranger reeked from it. In the back of his mind, Seijuro hoped the man had a valid reason to get this drunk. The odds were against him though. For starters, he wore a simple T-shirt under the black jacket and ordinary jeans; too casual for an after-office meeting. Even if that had been the case, it wouldn't excuse his actions.

The couch grunted as the intruder shifted his position a little. Seijuro glanced at him and to his surprise, he was looking back. Half-lidded red eyes were peeking over his arm, definitely awake enough to recognize Seijuro's presence. They stood frozen for a few seconds until the intruder buried his face in the pillow he has hugging with a groan.

"Tatsuya, you bastard…" he mumbled. "You gave me the wrong key…"

Seijuro furrowed his brows in confusion. Who?

Meanwhile, Kage was still trying to get his attention, but the intruder reacted first. His hand slipped from under the pillow, giving Seijuro a close view of his fit forearm and scratched Kage behind the ears. Seijuro felt a purr vibrating against his chest like a broken motor engine.

"Good kitty…" The intruder's voice was husky as he slurred at the end of each word. "Didn't know you got yourself a cat, Tatsuya." He chuckled. "Alex was furious, right?"

The foreign name did ring a bell. It hadn't been even a week since he became acquainted with someone called the same. Alexandra 'Alex' Garcia was the American woman who had moved into the apartment below Seijuro's. His first meeting with Ms. Garcia had been peculiar enough to want to erase it from his memory. Thinking about it though, there was another man with her in the apartment. Seijuro only heard his voice, but he sounded like a calm and collected individual. He could be this 'Tatsuya' the intruder had mistaken him for.

What relationship could this man have with them? Seijrou thought, curious. He refers so casually to Ms. Garcia.

His prolonged silence made the intruder look at him worried. "Something wrong?"

Seijuro eyed the phone, then Kage, then the phone again. The police would probably have a hard time dealing with the intruder from his physical prowess alone. Not to mention, him being so drunk would result in a fuss that would trouble the neighbors. It was quite a late hour as well. Kage watched him with curious eyes from his lap. The cat seemed very relaxed around the intruder. Such a rare occurrence could only mean the other person wasn't dangerous. The intruder already thought this was his friend's house from blatantly crashing on the couch. Nothing valuable would get stolen. They could resolve the whole thing with clear minds in the morning.

"It is late and you must be tired," Seijuro finally said, letting Kage on the floor. "I apologize for waking you up. Please go back to sleep."

The other man blinked confused for a moment. "No need to apologize or be so formal…" He scratched the back of his head. "Am I seeing things or did you get shorter, Tatsuya?"

Either the effect of the alcohol in his blood was diminishing or he had a bigger level of awareness than he showed. This made Seijuro evaluate him once again, but the intruder simply returned a blank stare.

"You are just tired," he said with a kind smile and patted him.

The intruder dropped his head on the pillow with a sigh. "You're probably right," he murmured and soon was asleep again.

His snore was subtle this time as if he was purring. Seijuro absentmindedly ruffled the man's short two-toned hair. He reminded him of a tiger with a red and black hide.

The breeze coming from the open door snapped Seijuro back to reality. He grabbed a chair from the kitchen and lodged it under what had remained of the doorknob. When it looked secure enough, Seijuro stepped back into his bedroom. The book was still on his nightstand, but he didn't want to continue it. Tucking himself under the covers, he put the light out. Kage joined him soon, snuggling near his head. As Seijuro started drifting to sleep, he wondered how all the previous nervousness about his Father had simply disappeared.

Taiga found the ceiling too white for his eyes; maybe because his head was already in pain, like nails digging deep in his skull. He made a mental note to never leave Alex around his drinks unsupervised.

Never again.

For all eternity.

Grabbing the back of the couch with both hands, he pulled himself into a sitting position. The smooth texture of the furniture surprised him, as it had nothing to do with the itchy one he encountered yesterday. He scanned his surroundings. There weren't any cardboard boxes around, making the space between the remaining furniture look even more spacious. The others couldn't have cleaned up so fast. Tatsuya was still looking for Alex when he gave Taiga the keys and told him to go home. Judging from the stories both had heard when they were kids, Tatsuya would be lucky if he managed to return home before sunrise.

Taiga let his feet touch the floor, which seemed to tilt strongly to the left. His black socks came in contrast with the polished wood. He vaguely remembered taking his shoes off after leaving the keys on the shoe case.

Wait!

Something was wrong with that statement.

They don't have one yet, Taiga thought with a puzzled expression. Alex was complaining about it when I got here.

His head shot up and he looked around once more. There was only one armchair across the coffee table with a massive bookcase covering the wall. Only the window stood in the same place behind the couch. Cold sweat drenched his back. Taiga scurried for the front door as fast as his stiff legs could carry him.

The disaster had him pulling at his hair. "And there I thought the door opened too suddenly," he cried. "I ripped the damn doorknob off!"

Why the owner hadn't called the police immediately after seeing this was a mystery. Taiga couldn't sit around and wait to find the answer though. Going to prison during his first week in Japan would be a bad call on all fronts.

"Okay, okay. Be cool." He took a step forward. "Maybe if I made a run for it."

Something brushed under his foot. Taiga jumped back. Since his body coordination was still influenced by the alcohol, he dropped unceremoniously on the floor. Rising on his elbow with a grunt, he spotted a cat. The animal finished stretching its limbs and jumped on his stomach. Short black fur covered its slim body like tar, making its icy blue eyes pop against the darkness. The hair on Taiga's neck prickled from a sudden chill. Swatting its tail, the cat let a long and persistent meow.

"Shh!" Taiga ushered the cat on the floor, but the animal complained even louder. "Nonono. Be a good kitty now," he whispered frantically. The cat remained unfazed as it cried long and loud again. "Ok, ok!" He remembered the entrance of the kitchen was in the living room. Sparing a glance in the hallway and seeing no one, he beckoned the cat to follow him. "Come here, kitty cat."

The kitchen was a cramped rectangular room with silver tiles and lime green walls. The counter along with its appliances dominated most of it, leaving enough space only for a table and two chairs on Taiga's right. He spotted the cat's empty tray in a corner. Taking his chances with the drawers of the counter, he squatted in front of the nearest one and peeked inside. It had mostly cleaners. After repeating the process a couple more times, Taiga finally found the dry food. The cat was on his toes the whole time and started meowing again when the content of the bag made a sound.

"Fine, fine," Taiga muttered under his breath as he poured the cat food. "Here. Satisfied?"

The cat nudged against his legs with a purr, before diving headfirst into the bowl.

With that out of the way, what now? His rumbling stomach answered for him. According to his sports watch, he hadn't eaten anything in twelve hours. No wonder his insides were roaring. What should I do? Taiga thought. It'd be bad to leave like a thief when they let me stay the night. His gaze skimmed around the kitchen and his stomach groaned again. That's it! I could make them breakfast to apologize. It's a win-win!

Taiga opened the cardboards over the counter. Two of them were filled with several bags of rice and noodles, enough to feed a battalion. None of them were open and according to the production date, some packages were almost two months old. Continuing with his investigation, neither the soy sauce nor oil bottles were open. Only the tea and cereal boxes seemed to be used. The fridge held more results—thank his lucky stars—as Taiga found eggs and various vegetables, even some salmon in the freezer. He could make a presentable breakfast at least. Discarding his jacket on a chair, he set out to cook. For all its worth and his lack of ingredients, the owner had plenty of culinary utensils at least.

Soon, sizzling and boiling sounds filled the kitchen, followed by the heavenly smell of cooked food. Taiga's pride, besides being a basketball jock, lied in his cooking abilities. People say love comes from the heart but passes through the stomach. If there was any chance under the sun for the apartment's owner to forgive him, this was it.

The cat returned to his side at some point. Even after obliterating its bowl of food, the animal gazed at him as if he held the world in his hands. Taiga tried to ignore the pleading eyes but his heart was breaking piece by piece. Curse his soft spot for felines. It must have come as a cost for his name.

"Alright, alright." Taiga gave it a piece of salmon. "Your owner is quite the oddball. Are they even human?" he asked, stirring vegetables in the wok. "Seriously, who has so much food but doesn't eat it?"

The footsteps were silent in their approach so Taiga only registered the presence. It washed over his back, overwhelming to the point of nausea. Turning around sounded like an extremely bad idea; he could only hope the beast wasn't going to devour him right then and there.

Don't be ridiculous, he scolded himself. Your nerves are playing tricks to you.

When the other person pulled the fridge's door open, Taiga decided to hell with it. The young man holding the carton of milk wasn't what he expected in the slightest. Taiga was a head taller than him which made him less intimidating than his aura suggested. Still, his cat-like eyes pierced him as if the stranger was measuring the level of threat he posed. Taiga didn't know what to say.

Apparently, the man in front of him did. "Good morning."

A/N: After five years, I finally made it on time... T^T This fic had been my first serious attempt at writing for a fandom with my main OTP. I've always been on rarepair hell iwhat do you mean?/i Last year, I cried when I found people were still creating content for it after all this time. Back then writing fanfiction was such a new experience, I panicked over the characterization enough to re-write the beginning three times. In the end, I wasn't satisfied with any of my attempts and gave up.

My love for akakaga remained strong over the years though and I returned to this fic from time to time in hopes of finishing it. Well, it was supposed to be a short fic but it spiraled out of my control (as usual). There was more to this chapter too. However, I had to cut my losses if I wanted to make it on time, so till the next chapter!