Chapter Text
Phichit counts himself lucky to be able to work at his dream job, even if said job currently involves cleaning out Drake enclosures. Not that it bothers him to do so; any time around the animals and their habitat (even man-made) is worth it.
The existence of these humanoid creatures had only truly been known for the last fifteen years or so, as their populations rose enough that the sightings became more fact than fiction. Many speculated that Drakes were the reason behind the mermaid myth, even though they shared more characteristics with reptiles.
As humans started encroaching onto Drake territory and, by turn, Drakes started becoming more nuisance than novelty (mainly by farmers whose animals were being hunted by the more predatory creatures), many were taken in by biologists and scientists to study. Then, as the Drake population started dwindling, it became a mission for biologists and conservationists to try and save the unique species. Phichit’s own parents were some of the firsts, which is how he came to be where he was today. As a child, he loved listening to his parents speak about this curious beings that shared similar features to himself, but also had scales, tales, claws, and acted more like an animal than a human. The fascination never stopped, and that’s how Phitchit came to be where he was today, a Drake enthusiast and one of the tops in his field.
Enclosure cleaned, Phichit watches from behind the glass as the Drake is let back in from the holding area. It’s an adult male, roughly five feet and a quarter inch in length; average for the species. Some speculated that they could get taller, but all the ones he had seen weren’t much taller than the one he was watching now. Of course, most of those he’d seen were in captivity. They are deceptively hard to find outside of their natural habitats, surprisingly; it shows that these animals were aware of their population decrease, an intelligence some doubted these creatures have.
Satisfied that the Drake before him was content in his now clean enclosure, Phichit checked it off his to do list. He was trying to decide what he was going to have for lunch when his cell started going off. Humming, he fished it out of his pocket and, seeing Celestino‘s picture and name, promptly answered.
“Ciao Ciao! No, just finishing up. Uh huh.. yeah.” He blinked a little bit, pulling his phone off of his ear briefly to stare at the screen before putting it back.
“We’re going to Japan?!”
Approximately twenty-eight hours later Phichit finds himself standing in front of the Yu-Topia Akatsuki onsen in Hasetsu, Japan with Celestino Cialdini, the head biologist of his team. He thinks back to when Ciao Ciao originally briefed him on the plane as to their impromptu trip.
“I got a call from a family in Hasetsu. The daughter, Mari Katsuki, found an injured Drake wrapped in netting, seemingly lifeless among the rocks at the beach.” The elder then brought up his email to show to him the pictures attached. Phichit went through the pictures, blurry and seemingly from a cell phone, as Ciao Ciao had continued. “She managed to bring it to their home and into an empty room before getting a hold of us.”
Phichit had frowned and looked up at the man, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Why call us, though? There are centers that are probably closer to them than us? Not that I don’t appreciate it.”
Ciao Ciao smiled then and explained, “Mrs. Katsuki apparently watched an interview featuring you and the Drakes under our care. Mari explained that your passion for caring for these creatures are the reason she insisted we were called.”
Phichit had blushed at that, much to Celestino’s amusement. In that moment, Phichit swore that he would do everything that he could to help this Drake.
Now, finally standing in front of their destination, Phichit’s resolve only burns brighter.
He follows Ciao Ciao inside, recognizing Toshiya Katsuki at the front desk from the pictures he’d been shown on the plane. He obviously knows who we are , Phichit thought wryly, noticing the way the older man’s eyes lit up when he saw them. Mr. Katsuki gives them a broken greeting in English before motioning for them to follow.
He leads them to a dining room, motioning for them to take a seat. When Celestino and Phichit were seated, the older man ran off. He returned a few minutes later with a woman whose hair was bleached at the ends. It takes Phichit a moment to recognize the girl as the one who found the injured Drake, the daughter Mari. The photo that was sent in the email was an old one, it seemed; this Mari was sporting bleached ends and piercings. She and Toshiya sit down across from them before Mari speaks in accented but surprisingly clear english, “My family and I would like to thank you for returning our calls and coming all the way here. It means a lot to my mother and us. We hope we haven’t put you into a hard place.”
Celestino gives a small nod and a smile as he replies, “You’re very welcome. Our purpose is to help these creatures, and we have funds just for cases like these, so it’s no trouble at all.” Mari’s shoulders slump, looking relieved at hearing the lack of financial burden before turning to her father and translating. He also lets out a relieved breath.
Phichit pipes up, “I couldn’t have said it better! Where is Mrs. Katsuki, if I might ask?” He’d noticed that she hadn’t joined them; he assumes that she must be covering taking care of customers, even though on that day the onsen was empty, no one in sight.
“Okaa-san is getting rooms ready for the two of you. She will meet us at Yuuri’s room.”
Phichit cocks his head to the side some, slightly confused as he asks, “Yuuri?”
Mari chuckles a little, her face taking on an expression that looks sad, as though she was remembering a memory from some time ago. Her father mimics the expression some at the sound of the name. “That is the name she gave the, ah,” she rolls her hand in the air, “the Drake, as you call them.” She looks down at the table a little, “When I was young, my younger brother, only a few months old, passed from sickness. Okaa-san says the Drake looks like him, so she named the Drake after him.” Her lips twitch in a small semblance of a smile. "She thinks he was watching over the Drake, and that is why we were the ones to find him."
Phichit’s face falls before saying, “I’m sorry for your loss." He gives her a sad smile, " Yuuri is a wonderful name.”
Mari smiles at him, “Thank you. It was a long time ago.” She lets out a breath and claps her hands together, as though the sound would dispel the saddened mood of the room. “Now, you have traveled far and I would give you the option. Do you want to see Yuuri now? Or would you rather rest and wait for the morning?”
Celestino and he look at each other, the elder giving him a nod to signal that it was Phichit’s decision. He bites his lip a little before saying, “I would like to go ahead and see him, to make sure that there’s nothing seriously wrong that can’t wait. Then, since it’s already so late, we’ll do a more in-depth look in the morning.”
Ciao Ciao nods in agreement before looking to their hosts, who nod in return and stand. Phichit makes sure his shoulder bag has a few things he thinks they’ll need before standing with his teammate and following after the Katsukis. They’re led from the public areas into what seems to be the personal part of the inn, where the Katsukis call home. An older woman exits one of the rooms as they approach and Mari greets the woman in quick japanese. The elder’s eyes light up as she comes to them, dropping into a bow before speaking to them in rapid-fire japanese, a smile on her face.
Mari chuckles and turns to them, “My mother says that she is very happy that you came so quickly and thanks you. She is happy knowing that Yuuri will be taken care by someone who has a love of these beings.”
Phichit smiles and tries to return her bow, his smile so wide it almost hurts. “You’re very welcome Mrs. Katsuki! We will do our best to make sure he gets the care that he needs. He is in safe hands!” He means it too.
Mrs. Katsuki’s expression softens as Mari translates, and she takes Phichit’s hands in hers and gently pats them and giving him a heartfelt, “ Arigatou .”
They follow Mrs. Katsuki a little ways down the hallway where she stops in front of a door. Phichit can hear some slight shuffling from the other side, thanks to the thin walls, and follows the older woman in after opening the door. There’s a click of a lamp before the small room is flooded with a soft light, and Mrs. Katsuki steps aside as Phichit moves forward to get a better look.
Sure enough, in the corner laying on top of a small pile of blankets lies a Drake. He’d started growling slightly when they’d first entered the room, and now it reverberates around the small room; a deep, scratchy sounding thing. Phichit doesn’t go much farther than the doorway, not wanting to upset the distressed creature any more than necessary is (and for safety’s sake; he might be eccentric, but he’s not stupid). The light is enough to get a good look at him though, and Phichit tries not to squeal as he crouches and takes out a notebook to begin making his initial observations, speaking quietly to the others as he does.
“His physical features say male, but we’ll know more once we do a more thorough look. I’m not seeing any blood, and he’s not moving so I’m unable to tell if he’s favoring one limb over the other. Does he have any opens wounds that you were able to see?” He directs the question at Mari, glancing back at her. The woman shakes her head in reply, translating for her parents as she goes.
Phichit nods a little and turns back to the Drake, whose growls were starting to quiet down. “Judging by his size, I’d say he’s still a juvenile but on the cusp of adulthood. He looks like he’ll get to be a good 165 centimeters. Probably around 130 centimeters now..” He makes a few notes in his notebook. “His scales are beautiful, but judging by their opaque look, from what I can see from the ones around his eyes, he’s probably going to be shedding soon.”
Mrs. Katsuki says something then, pointing to the Drake. Mari translates, “Okaa-san wants to know about his weight. He was already thin when we brought him back, but he hardly touches anything we try and give him.”
Phichit taps his pencil against his lips and stands, making the Drake tense and hiss; dark eyes, narrowed since they entered, look at him from beneath black fringe. His blue-black (grey-ish right now, but Phichit bets they’re black) glint in the lamp-light as his tail flicks back and forth, almost like an agitated cat. Phichit takes a cautious step forward, still keeping enough distance between them should the Drake try and lash out, and cranes his neck to get a look at his abdomen.
“He does look thin. Drakes can go for a while without a meal, especially those who live in colder climates. Some are used to hibernating.” He hums a little and crouches down, watching the Drake follow him. Something about his jerky movement bothers him; it seems as though it’s not quite from Yuuri being defensive. “My guess is that Yuuri isn’t eating due to emotional or physical trauma. He’s had a rough time, with whatever happened before you found him to now being in an unfamiliar place. Have you gotten him to eat anything at all?”
Mrs. Katsuki preens a little as Mari smiles, “He seems to like katsudon, at least a little. It’s Okaa-san’s signature dish.”
Phichit chuckles a little at that before turning back to Yuuri, “I think he’ll be alright for now. There is one thing I’m worried about, but I won’t be able to confirm it until we get back to the States.” He motions for Celestino to come forward, and the other man crouches next to him as Yuuri lets out another hiss. “Watch his eyes, Ciao Ciao.” The elder nods as Phichit shimmies forward a little and extends his arm. Yuuri tenses and hisses again as Phichit starts swaying his arm slightly from side to side. The Drake follows the movement jerkily, but accurately, until Phichit starts moving back some.
Celestino nods in understanding. “Seems his eyes aren’t too good. If he’s not eating due to trauma as you think..”
“...then the sight problem is a recent development, and probably happened during the incident that led to him being all tied up,” Phichit finishes, making another note down.
“You said he was going to shed. Wouldn’t that affect his eyesight?” Phichit looks up at Mari, who had asked the question, but it’s Ciao Ciao who answers.
“That is very true, and while a Drake’s whole body does go through something of a shed or a molt, their eyes do not. Generally the only reptiles that do so are ones that don’t have eyelids, such as snakes.” Mari nods in understanding as the two kneeling men stand.
Phichit brushes his pants off lightly, “I think that will be all for tonight. Being as agitated as he is, I don’t want to try and put him under just yet. We’ll save that for in the morning.”
Mrs. Katsuki makes them all go out first and Phichit smiles as he (thinks) he hears her tell Yuuri goodnight and shut off the lamp, shutting the door behind her. They go their separate ways then, with Mari showing Phichit and Celestino where their rooms are before heading off to take care of customers (“We’re much busier in the evening time than we are during the day, Mari had told them when he’d asked). The two biologists use this time to freshen up, getting a shower before soaking in the hot spring. They see the Katsukis again when they meet in the dining hall, sitting down at one of the tables, the family a well organized machine as they help their customers. (Mrs. Katsuki brings them bowls of Katsudon for dinner, and Phichit can absolutely see why their resident Drake chooses to eat it!)
It’s as they’re finishing up, having discussed what they were going to do the next day, that Mari approaches their table with a bag in hand. She sets it down, “This is the net we found Yuuri in.”
Phichit shares a look with Ciao Ciao before taking the bag and opening it, pulling out the tangled mass of netting. His face darkens as he studies the netting for a moment. “I think the reason behind Yuuri’s current situation was a poaching attempt.”
Mari lets out a sigh and shakes her head, “Disgusting. How can you tell though?”
He holds out the netting, motioning for her to touch it before explaining, “This is thicker than the normal netting used for fish and was made to withstand being cut at by something repeatedly. Whether from a knife or, in this case, a Drake’s claws. I don’t know how he got away, but Yuuri is very lucky.”
“Despicable.”
“Agreed.” He offers her a smile, “He’s had you and your family to look after him though, and now we’ll do what we can to give him a good life.”
Mari nods, “Thank you. Will you release him back into the wild? Once he recovers?”
Phichit hesitates, looking to Celestino briefly before shaking his head sadly. “It depends, but most likely not. If his eyesight has been compromised like I think it has, he’d face a lot of hardship being released and there’d be a higher risk he could die.” He smiles, “I’ll do my best to take care of him and make sure he gets the care he needs! You can count on it!”
Mari smiles back. “Thank you. We’re counting on you.”
Phichit is at breakfast early the next morning, eager to get started. He asks Mrs. Katsuki (with Mari there to translate) to get something for Yuuri to eat and explains, “I’m going to add a sedative into the mix. This way, if he eats, it’ll put him to sleep so we don’t have to hold him down and deliver it with a needle.”
He can tell Mrs. Katsuki doesn’t really like the idea of drugging him, but if the way she nods and starts cooking shows anything, it’s that she likes the second plan less. Phichit figured she would.
Phichit, Mari and Celestino watch from the doorway as Mrs. Katsuki lays out a plate raw fish somewhat close to Yuuri while still keeping enough distance between she and Drake; they’d agreed to allow the woman to do it because he’d accepted food from her before. They retreat and shut the door before preparing a space for their examination. Phichit and Celestino help the Katsuki’s bring a large table into an old banquet room on the same hall as Yuuri’s room.
About a half hour later they go back to check on Yuuri, and Phichit lets out a sigh of relief to see that the Drake had eaten most of the fish they’d set out. They shut the door again and he smiles as he says, “So far so good! Now we wait for the sedative to take effect. In the meantime, I’m going to suit up!”
Mari raises an eyebrow. “Suit up?’
He blushes a little bit and chuckles, “I’m going to put on a sterilized coat, like a lab coat. Before that, I’ll make sure that I have sterilized gloves, thick animal-handling gloves, and some other necessary equipment ready.”
Mari nods as her lips tip up into a smile. They give the sedative forty-five minutes to take effect; Phichit figures with Yuuri’s current state it wouldn’t take long. Sure enough, they return to find the Drake out cold. Wearing thick gloves, Celestino picks Yuuri up and carries him to their makeshift examination room, laying him down on the (sanitized) table.
Phichit gasps excitedly when he finally gets a good look at the Drake. Long, lithe, and lightly muscled, he takes in the way the pale skin contrasts with the somewhat opaque blue-black scales that reflect in the flourescent light of the room. “Beautiful! Just look at his coloring..” Celestino nods along with his statement as Mari and Mrs. Katsuki stand against one of the walls, giving them space.
The two biologists snap on a pair of gloves and get to work. They start by laying Yuuri out and getting his height; Phichit takes care of most of the handling and relays the results to Ciao Ciao, who records them onto a tablet that they’d brought from their center in Detroit. He can hear Mari translate to Mrs. Katsuki in the background.
“Let’s see… 142.4 centimeters tall, including tail. Weighs approximately 27 kilos, although we’ll get a more accurate weight at home.” He puts on a stethoscope and places it against Yuuri’s back and chest. “Lungs sound good.” He opens Yuuri’s mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth, some more blunt than the rest. “Mouth looks good. Dilation of the eyes look good too, although I am seeing some scars on and around the skin outside.”
He puts the flashlight up that he’d used to check his eyes and runs his fingers gently but firmly over the scales framing the Drake’s unconscious face. He runs his thumb up the scales that start at the bridge of his nose and trail up before flaring out mid-forehead, disappearing into his hairline. He runs his hands gently through the dense locks, gently laying his head down and feeling the back of his head. “Head’s good, I don’t think we’re looking at any head injuries.” He checks the Drake’s ears, pointed and slightly frilled before straightening.
“So far so good! Definitely underweight, but not as bad as we thought. Some damage around his eyes, as previously noted, and it looks like he has a few bruises here and there but I don’t think we’re looking at anything broken.” He picks up one of Yuuri’s arms, showing off hands sporting wicked looking black talons. He gently parts the fingers, showing off opaque webbing. “Definitely suited to an aquatic environment. He’s got a set of small gills behind each ear and I bet he has webbing between his toes.” A quick check of the Drake’s feet, which also sport webbing and slightly elongated toes, confirms his theory. “I’ll bet he can stay underwater for quite some time. We’ll have to make sure they know to set up an enclosure with a pool.”
Phichit removes his gloves before putting on a new pair. “Now, to see what gender Drake we’re looking at.”
Mari frowns and speaks up, “I thought we agreed he was male?” Phichit nods a little as he moves toward Drake’s hips.
“You’re correct that he definitely looks male, and for the most part Drakes present the exact gender that they look externally. Drakes are generally a hermaphroditic species though, and it’s not uncommon to find fertile males that sport a uterus. It can be hard to tell because, like reptiles, a Drake’s reproductive organs are situated inside the body. If what I felt during my examination earlier…”
He trails off as he gently pulls the tail up; one difference that Drake’s have with reptiles is that they do have an anus, although it is situated directly beneath the base of the tale. Phichit does take a moment to glance over it, to make sure there’s no damage to the area around it before gently probing lower, where human genitalia normally sit. The slit opens with a bit of pressure and he gently presses inside.
“Well, we have a penis, so he is still definitely male. Inordinately small testicles from what I can feel, and…” he makes a small noise of triumph, “we have a uterus as well!” He pulls his fingers out and removes his gloves. “Nothing feels damaged. Looks like we have an omega male on our hand, or a male capable of producing offspring,” he explains for Mari and Mrs. Katsuki. Phichti sees the way they nod, but never take their eyes off of Yuuri. He chuckles a little, “You guys can touch him if you want, but make sure you wash your hands well afterward.”
He holds out a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer as the two women come forward. Sanitized, they take turns gently touching over the Drake’s scales and the skin of his back. Mari makes a noise, “His skin looks smooth from father away, but it is rough.”
“I know, pretty deceptive, huh? Their skin is thick and has a rough texture, to better protect from predators and other Drakes. They can be social, but if you’re not a part of an established group, fights can happen.”
Mari nods, “Makes sense.” She translates for her mother, who is gently cradling the young Drake’s head in a somewhat loving manner, a soft look on her face and softly cooing to Yuuri in Japanese. It makes Phichit smile, but also want to look away, like he’s intruding on a private moment between a mother and child. It makes Phichit want to protect Yuuri more, if only to keep the older woman happy. Not that it will be a problem; his life’s work is the study and protection of these creatures.
The two women thank him and go to clean their hands as Ciao Ciao puts the protective gear back on and carries the sedated Drake back to the room while Phichit cleans up and goes over the notes they took. He makes sure everything is in order before sending the notes back to the center via email, along with instruction on how Yuuri’s enclosure should be set up.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. They’d gone out after the examination to sight-see a little, since they probably weren’t going to be coming back to the area and they’d already gotten their things ready. They went to bed early that night, as their flight was scheduled to depart early the next morning. A crate they brought with them from home sat outside the door to Yuuri’s room and Phichit had a sedative ready for their trip. He’d received an email back that afternoon stating they’d gotten his instruction and were already starting on the enclosure.
They were ready to take Yuuri to his new home.