Akutagawa almost couldn't believe this was happening.
Well, he could. This was the man-tiger after all. He was ridiculous in most things and even on a stake-out, this was no exception. More the facial expressions and sounds he was making towards the tiny creature was what had him dumbfounded.
He kept having to cover his mouth from pure second-hand embarrassment. How one could make such a fool of himself at the expense of a simple kitten was beyond his understanding.
"Look at that precious little face," Atsushi cooed to the tiny silver thing. He cupped his hand around its head and rubbed gently at it's ear, "How could anyone say 'no' to that pretty face?"
He fed it tiny scraps of their dinner while Akutagawa continued to look on in either horror or enchantment. Even he was unsure which emotion it was. "What are you doing?" his voice was laced with disgust.
Atushsi looks up with, a dazed look in his eyes like he's still lost in the cuteness of the little kitten. "You're keeping an eye right? And this poor little kitty is out all by himself… There's no problem in keeping him company." A smile plays on Atsushi's lips for a moment and an emotion rather like pity flashes in his eyes. He goes back to entertaining the cat.
'Alone'… 'Keep him company'… Akutagawa understood for a moment why Atsushi was so entertained. Lonely and abandoned. Did he truly identify with a cat?
"Yeah, you like the tuna, don't you?" Atushsi says in a childish voice, eyes sparkling as he watches the kitten take the food from him.
Akutagawa has to cover his mouth again and avert his eyes as a flurry of feeling hits him square in the chest. I… want to protect that face… he thought before he could get that feeling in check.
He flushed completely and had to turn away to scan the horizon. He's embarrassed by his own line of thinking. 'Protect him'? What is he thinking. The man-tiger was his enemy, someone he needed to kill…
But still, the thought lingered as he turned to look at Atsushi once more. He wanted to protect that smile and that gleam in his eyes. He wanted to protect Atsushi and the joy in him right there in that moment.
Akutagawa had to grab at the ruffles on his chest and tug at them, trying to calm the warm feelings in his heart. But they didn't leave, in fact they only got worse as Atsushi turns to look at him.
"Is something wrong?" Atsushi asks, looking more perplexed or angered than concerned.
Akutagawa looked down so he didn't have to match his gaze. "No."