Chapter Text
Atsushi Nakajima was never one to consider himself lucky. In the eighteen years he has been alive, Atsushi constantly found himself riddled with some form of misfortune in one way or another.
And so, it wasn’t exactly odd for Atsushi to find himself in scenarios that weren’t exactly normal, even by Yokohamas standards. Atsushi knew at this point he should've been used to it. He shouldn’t have been as bitter as he was. Not when this was all his own fault in the first place.
Especially since joining the Armed Detective Agency, Atsushi was used to ending up in.. less than ideal situations. Whether it was being attacked by the Port Mafia, or some other major (possibly world-ending) threat, Atsushi had always managed to hold himself together and persevere.
So why, pray tell, did he still act so surprised when he was thrown into yet another impossible situation? And he couldn’t blame this one on Dazai this time, it was entirely Atsushi's own fault he’d ended up here.
It had been a fairly normal mission, and everything was going smoothly. The ADA had been called in to assist with a rogue ability user, a young child who had an unknown ability that was theorized to be destructive. The child had run away from her parents home in a panic and so far escaped all attempts at confrontation, and the Special Abilities Department had brought in the ADA as a last-ditch effort.
Atsushi in particular had been assigned to the case, because out of all the available members in the agency he was the best with children and was most likely to be able to help if the kid panicked or tried to run again.
All was going fine, Ranpo had easily deduced the whereabouts of the ability user after being bribed with candy and Atsushi was now crouching in front of a small wooden shack, in an old abandoned park at the edges of Yokohama.
Atsushi’s sunset colored eyes met a wide, terrified blue. The child had wedged herself inside the old playhouse, and Atsushi could see just how afraid the kid was.
Atsushi offered the child a calm, tentative smile, before speaking softly. “Hey kiddo, you sure gave the detectives quite the scare. You’re incredibly good at hiding, did you know that?” Atsushi kept his tone light, making sure to maintain eye contact with the child and silently assure her that Atsushi wasn’t going to hurt her.
The little girl sniffled, pulling her knees to her chest and eyeing the older ability user with distrust.
Atsushi’s smile never faltered, and he continued to smile reassuringly. “It must’ve been scary to be out here all alone, you must be very brave. I definitely wasn’t that brave when I was your age. My name is Atsushi by the way.”
Slowly, the child seemed to untense slightly. Atsushi continued,
“When I was little I used to sneak outside to be on my own whenever I could, it made me feel safer. I used to wish that I wasn’t so lonely, but I also hated when there were too many people around me. It would feel too crowded, and I needed a break.”
Atsushi watched as the child’s eyes widened slightly. Atsushi gave another comforting smile. “When your parents found out about your ability you were afraid, and you needed space. I can’t imagine it must’ve been easy with all these scary adults trying to track you down.”
The little girl gave a small, teary nod. Atsushi felt his heart squeeze in his chest.
“It took me a long time to realize I had an ability, and I was always afraid that other people would think I was dirty. That I was a monster.” The weretiger watched as the child’s jaw fell open.
“You— you’re like me..?” The child sputtered out, the shock evident in her voice. Atsushi couldn’t help but chuckle a bit, nodding his head warmly. “Mhm, I am. And that is why I can promise you that you’re not a monster. I know that having a power can be scary.. and sometimes you might wish that you never had it at all.” He waited a moment, watching as the child hesitantly nodded along.
Atsushi took a deep breath. “I’m going to be honest with you, that fear never goes away. And it will always be scary,” Atsushi paused. “-but you have to remember that it’s a part of you, kiddo. And it’s not good or bad. Think of it like an arm, or a leg.. it’s just a part of you. You shouldn’t feel like a monster, because you’re not.”
Atsushi heard another faint sniffle, before a small voice spoke up. “What if my mommy and daddy.. what if they think I’m a monster? And they don’t want me anymore..” The child’s voice was shaky.
Atsushi then frowned, looking at the child seriously. “Kiddo, look at me please.” Those blue eyes reached up to meet Atsushi’s gaze once more.
“Your parents are worried sick about you hun, they didn’t care one bit about your ability. They just want you home safe, I promise..”
The sniffling was back now, and out of nowhere Atsushi felt a small child-sized form plow until him. The little girl had tears running down her face, and Atsushi carefully wrapped his arms around her almost protectively.
“Your parents care about you, I promise that. You are not a monster, and if anyone says that to you, they’re a big dummy. You hear me?” A faint sound of childish giggling could be heard at that last line, and Atsushi felt himself smile fondly and he calmly brushed his fingers through the little girl’s hair.
“Mister Atsushi..?” The child spoke up tentatively.
“Hmm? What’s up kiddo?” Atsushi asked, starting to brush himself off and adjust the child so she would be more comfortable while he carried her.
“Do you.. d-do you still think of yourself as a monster? You said that I wasn’t, but you looked sad. Like you didn’t believe it ‘bout yourself.”
Atsushi nearly toppled over, and it was only luck that he didn’t. Well shit, he forgot children could be incredibly perceptive. He pasted on another smile and just ruffled the girl's hair gently.
“Don’t worry about me, little one. We should focus on getting you back to your mom and dad.” Atsushi had started to walk back to the station, a bit quicker now. He had also texted Dazai-san to meet him halfway and accompany the two, just in case there were any complications with the girl's ability.
He could practically hear the child frown. “You shouldn’t think that way, it’s hippo.. hipa..”
“Hypocritical?” Atsushi piped in, of course, not helping the situation.
The child nodded stubbornly. “Uh huh. And so you should be somewhere where people let you know you aren’t bad. Your friends over here obviously aren’t doing a very good job.” Now it was Atsushi’s turn to sputter. What the hell? When and how did a seven year old child get this smart??? Or was Atsushi really that pathetic that it was obvious to a first grader..
Atsushi was broken out of his long train of self-deprecating internal comments when he was suddenly engulfed in a bright blue light.
He didn’t even have to react as the world around him dissolved, and everything went black.