Work Text:
Tooru is cataloging his potion ingredients, making notes of which things he'll have to reorder or gather, when there's a heavy knock at the door of his cottage. He calls out a distracted greeting, jotting down the last few things before setting down his notepad. The door swings open with a creak, and he turns to see Ushijima stepping through the doorway. He can't help scowling at the sight of him, wondering what problem would have brought him to Tooru's door, instead of fixing it himself.
Ushijima nods when he notices he has Tooru's attention. “Hello, Oikawa.” He closes the door carefully behind himself, gentle despite his overly strong appearance.
“Why, hello. And what brings you to my humble dwelling, Ushiwaka?” He gestures to the table behind himself, the surface scattered with vials and books. “What do you need? Potion? Spell?”
“A kiss will suffice, Oikawa.”
Tooru's not sure he's heard properly, and he's not sure how to react, so he winds up doing the first thing that comes to mind, which consists of just dropping his hand to his side and gaping at Ushijima. “What.”
“It is not for me.”
That really doesn't make it any clearer, and Tooru is starting to wonder how long it's going to take to get an actual explanation for him walking into Tooru's house and demanding something like that. “Uh?”
Ushijima nods, like this is a perfectly normal conversation. “It is for him.”
Then he gestures to his side, where a fox sits patiently next to his leg, looking as innocent as a fox can, which really isn't very much, in Tooru's humble opinion. Its whiskers twitch as it looks up at him, and Tooru can’t brush away the feeling that it's laughing at him.
“WHAT.” Tooru pauses and shakes his head, like maybe that will make this whole situation make some actual sense. “You're saying you want me to kiss a fox. Am I getting that right?”
Another nod. “He cannot speak. He is cursed to be a fox unless you kiss him.”
Tooru squints at them both suspiciously. Ushijima looks as serious as ever, which isn’t really a surprise. Tooru’s not sure if Ushijima even knows what a sense of humor is, never mind him actually possessing one. The fox looks shifty, but foxes always look shifty, with their too shiny fur and beady eyes, so that’s not entirely an indication of anything. “And you can’t do that?”
Ushijima just looks back at him. “No.”
Tooru blinks and waits, but it seems that Ushijima doesn’t intend to explain any further, so he looks back down at the fox and sighs before kneeling in front of it. The fox steps forward, and braces its front paws on Tooru’s thighs in order to get his face closer. Tooru sighs again for good measure and cups the fox’s face, pressing a single kiss to the middle of his snout.
“Well?” He drops his hands to his lap and glances up at Ushijima, then back down at the still a fox, who he frowns and mutters at. “I thought you were supposed to turn back or something.”
The fox laughs, an actual, real laugh, and Tooru just stares as it speaks, in a regular human voice. “Nah, I can turn back whenever.”
And even coming from a fox Tooru recognizes that voice. “Tendou?”
Ushijima nods in agreement. “Yes.”
“Huh.” Tooru tilts his head consideringly at Tendou. “I like him better this way.”
Tendou makes a growly noise and nips at Tooru’s closest hand. It’s not hard, but it’s clear that it could be if he wanted it to. Tooru startles and stands quickly, one hand held in the other, and he frowns down at the clearly grinning animal. “I would not advise upsetting him. Foxes can carry rabies.”
“Urgh.” Tooru doesn’t think they’d actually risk that, but it’s still not a pleasant thought. “Why are you still here? Shoo.”
Ushijima turns and steps away, and then turns back to speak again. “Oikawa, I believe you may be what some call a furry.” There’s a choking noise from the floor, where Tendou, now human again, sits with one hand over his mouth, and Tooru can feel his face turn red. “There is no need to be ashamed, I understand it is a common preference.”
And then he turns and leaves, as casual as if he’d just told Tooru his name, no indication at all that he’d just said something completely and totally ridiculous. Tendou is practically howling with breathless laughter as he scampers after Ushijima, and Tooru just manages to restrain the urge to smack him. The door closes with a final soft click, and Tooru takes a moment to wonder if that had all actually happened, or if he’d accidentally inhaled a hallucinogen while working.
There’s a tap at the window, and then one hand with freakishly long fingers waves at him before disappearing again, and Tooru groans as he watches Tendou hurry away through the glass.