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Serizawa shivered, pushing his scarf even higher on his face, until it covered his mouth and his nose. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his gloves, which meant he had to rub his hands together in hopes of getting them somewhat warmer. The tip of his nose and his cheeks were starting to get rosy, and the brunette could already feel his teeth starting to chatter. It was only the beginning of November, but the weather was already starting to get pretty cold; thankfully, it wasn’t raining yet, so the air was rather dry. Katsuya hated when it got too humid: it made the cold penetrate his skin, going straight to his bones and freezing him from the inside.
On the other hand, the harsh weather didn’t seem to bother his dog Ekubo; Serizawa’s faithful companion, a massive dog with shiny black fur, was happy as ever to frolic in the woods. Ekubo was a rather independant dog, and Serizawa never walked him on a leash; but it had been a long while since Katsuya had last seen his furry friend, who had chased a bunny and disappeared behind a tree, and he was starting to get a bit worried. But before Serizawa could call his dog’s name, Ekubo barked loudly, startling Serizawa. The man recognized the tonality his dog used; it was the one he barked with when he wanted to draw his master’s attention on something.
However, this time, there was a sort of urgency in his voice, and a few whines definitely worried Katsuya. He was a solitary, or rather lonely, thirty-two years old, and Ekubo was his only friend. He had met him two years before, when the dog had scratched at his door on a stormy night. Serizawa had immediately let him in; he loved dogs, and besides, he wasn’t the kind of person to leave a living creature of any kind outside with such heavy rain pouring down. Katsuya had checked the dog for a collar with a nametag, or a tattoo, to no avail.
They had spent the night together, watching the thunder strike the surrounding woods down, Serizawa sitting on his favorite armchair and petting the dog sitting by his feet. After drying the dog’s damp fur with the fluffiest towel he could find, Serizawa had given the dog some meat, which had greatly pleased him. Katsuya had prepared him a makeshift bed with old pillows and bedsheets, but the dog had prefered to sleep on Serizawa’s bed, curled against him.
The next day, Serizawa had driven to the nearest town and asked the police and veterinarian if anyone had reported a missing pet. He had been told that no; Katsuya had continued searching for a potential owner all day long, but his search turned out unsuccesful. So the brunette had decided to adopt the dog, buying him a sturdy red collar and trying to get his ear tattooed- trying, because for some reason the ink kept fading in mere hours. After the seventh time, Serizawa had given up.
He hadn’t really decided on a name for the dog at first, several ideas crossing his mind, but three days after meeting him, Serizawa had had a dream in which the dog told him his name was Ekubo. Upon waking up, Serizawa had baptized his dog as such; it was a beautiful name, even more so because ever since the dog had shown up and they had befriended each other, Serizawa felt he was getting happier and, maybe, just a bit less lonely.
His heart starting to beat faster to the rhythm of his growing anxiety, Serizawa started running, following his dog’s cries, dodging branches and trying to locate Ekubo, until he arrived just behind a particularly big tree.
The massive oak’s foliage made it more difficult for the light to reach the ground than in the rest of the forest, making the temperature drop even lower. A few minutes earlier, his teeth would have chattered very loudly; but Serizawa’s heart was so broken by the sight in front of him that his body forgot about the biting cold.
A fox was lying down on the grass, one of his paws stuck in a hunter’s trap. The poor creature’s eyes were shut and his expression was of obvious pain, especially with the heartbreaking low whimpers leaving his maw from time to time. His fur was dirty, with crusts of mud and dirt stuck on it, and a small puddle of blood had begun to drip down his leg, where the trap’s metallic jaw was biting into the skin. Ekubo was nudging at the fox’s snout, giving little licks and watching Serizawa intently. The fox didn’t even seem to notice either the dog nor the human near him.
His initial shock gone, Serizawa rushed to the fox’s side, gently trying to get the trap open so he could free the creature. It took him a little while, especially since he was trying not to hurt the animal more, but Katsuya eventually managed to open the cruel maw with a sickening noise. The fox’s wound started to bleed more; immediately, Katsuya took his scarf off and tied it around the creature’s leg, managing to stop the blood from running down the thin member.
« I’ll take care of you, little buddy! » Serizawa promised in a whisper, precautiously taking the hurt fox into his arms.
The animal whined louder, before passing out, his body going slack into Katsuya’s embrace. Panicked, the brunette made sure the creature was still alive; thankfully, he could feel the fox’s ribcage moving to the erratic rhythm of his breathing. Relieved, Serizawa wasted no time and dashed towards his house, Ekubo running alongside him, then in front of him, guiding his master down the shortest path home.
Thankfully, it didn’t take very long for them to reach Serizawa’s small house, although the run did feel interminable because of the urgency of the situation and because Serizawa wasn’t used to running. Out of breath, Katsuya grabbed his keys quickly, opened the door as fast as possible, ran to his bedroom and laid the fox down on his bed. His condition didn’t seem to have gotten worse, which relieved him.
Serizawa hesitated on calling the nearest town’s vet, but finally decided not to. He didn’t really know the laws about wild animals, and didn’t want to risk getting the fox sent somewhere risky - or worse. Besides, he wasn’t even sure the vet would bother with a fox. Thankfully, Katsuya knew the basics about treating wounds, and hoped they applied to foxes as well.
Under Ekubo’s careful watch, Serizawa began to treat the poor fox, desinfecting and cleaning its wound. He made sure nothing was stuck inside, then sutured it. The gesture woke the fox up, and the creature opened a beautiful, golden eye, wearily gazing at Serizawa.
« Don’t worry. » Katsuya gently spoke, petting the fox’s head. « I won’t hurt you. I’ll do my best to heal you. »
Somehow, those words seemed to calm the fox down. Although the creature seemed less tense, he still kept watching Serizawa, looking at his every move, wincing when the brunette dug the needle into the skin.
« There we go. » Serizawa announced as he finished tying the last knot. « I’m done here. »
Serizawa was quite proud of his work: he had never had to take care of such a wound, and thought he did good. The closed wound looked clean, and he hoped the fox would make a quick recovery. In the meantime, Serizawa decided to take care of his new protégé: the fox would need a bit of time to recover, and would no doubt struggle if he were to be released in the nature immediately.
After petting the creature and soothing him a bit, Katsuya let the fox rest for a bit, still lying on his bed. He went to sit down on the couch, Ekubo by his side. Since Serizawa had stitched the fox’s wound, his dog seemed more at ease, and fell asleep with his head on his master’s lap. Serizawa himself dozed off for a bit, before getting up and decided to check on his patient.
The fox was still sleeping, snoring peacefully. The sight put a smile on Serizawa’s chapped lips: he hoped his nursing would help the creature recover quickly. Katsuya sat on the bed, waking the fox up in the process, and scratched him between the ears. The fox seemed pleased, closing his eyes back and purring a bit.
« Come on, let’s get you cleaned you up a little. »
With the same gentleness Serizawa always used with the fox, he scooped him up and carried him to the bathroom, Ekubo following the two of them. Katsuya carefully lied the fox down in the bathtub, grabbed a towel and dog shampoo, and got to work. He didn’t give the fox a proper bath, afraid of scaring the creature or hurting him. Serizawa simply used the shower head, pouring warm water on the fox and gently scrubbing him clean, chunks of dirt running down the drain with the muddy water. The fox seemed to enjoy the shower: he tried to roll in the bathtub, only to whine and stop abruptly.
« No, no, buddy, you’re hurt. » Serizawa said, petting the fox’s belly to distract him from the sharp pain. « Don’t move. I promise I’ll give you a real bath when you’re healed. »
That seemed to calm the fox down. Pleased, Katsuya dried him with the towel, before carrying back into the living room. Serizawa went to fetch Ekubo’s old basket, which he settled near the dog’s current one. Afterwards, since it was almost dinner time, Katsuya fed the two creatures, giving Ekubo his regular food with a bit of meat and the steak he had bought for himself to the fox. His wound didn’t seem to have disturbed the fox’s appetite: he devoured the piece of meat, and then went to Serizawa, seated at the table and eating pasta, clearly wanting more.
« You’ll get more tomorrow. » Katsuya laughed.
The rest of the evening was peaceful. Serizawa played some video games, while Ekubo rested in his basket and the fox was curled up next to Katsuya, sleeping peacefully. Serizawa couldn’t help but find the furry creature adorable, and a pang of guilt pierced through his heart when he remembered he would have to give the fox his liberty back once he was healed. Trying to forget about that deadline, Serizawa decided to enjoy the moment. He put his controller down, turned the console off and petted the fox’s curled up frame. The animal purred happily, trying to get himself as close as Katsuya as he could.
Around 10 pm, Serizawa felt himself getting sleepy. Stiffling a yawn, he got up and quickly brushed his teeth before going to bed. On his way to his bedroom, he made sure to grab both Ekubo and the fox’s baskets and put them at the foot of his bed. Ekubo quickly settled himself for the night, but when Serizawa put the fox in the other basket, the animal looked up at him with hopeful eyes, and then at the bed. Having understood what the fox wanted, Serizawa smiled before scooping the fox up and lying him down on the bed, before going under the covers. After a last scratch on the fox’s head, Serizawa crashed into slumber.
The birds chirping outside and the sunrays going through the room’s curtains slowly woke Serizawa up. As usual, the brunette took a few minutes before sitting up straight in his bed and stretching his arms. However, when he turned his head to check on the fox he had taken care of the day before, Serizawa made a terrified, deafening scream.
There was no fox in sight, but a man was peacefully sleeping in his place.
Katsuya quickly left his bed, almost falling as his limbs were tangled in the covers. Ekubo, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed; he simply rose from his basket and looked at his master, nonplussed.
The stranger was startled by Katsuya’s yell; he woke up with a start, his golden eyes looking wildly around him.
« What’s going on?! »
« Who… who are you?! » Serizawa panted, cold beads of sweat rolling down his neck.
The man merely blinked a few times, before sitting up, allowing Katsuya to take a better look at him.
He looked around twenty years old, with a slender frame. His golden, mischevious eyes were framed by long lashes, with red eyeliner on the lower and upper eyelids, and two small red triangles just below his eyes. His hair was short, with strawberry blonde bangs falling on his forehead. Curiously, two ginger ears, not unlike a fox’s, were standing amidst his messy hair. He also wore a white kimono with red and orange momiji leaves drawn on it, and five large, furry tails were slightly wiggling behind him.
« Hey, calm down. » The stranger asked, trying to get up but stopping midmotion, his face twisting in pain. « Ouch, forgot about my leg! »
« Calm down?! I don’t know you and you’re in my house! » Serizawa screamed, giving into the panic bubbling in his chest.
« Of course you know me! You took care of me yestersay, remember? » the stranger asked, massaging his leg.
« What?! No, I took care of a fox!! »
« Yeah, well, that was me. Have you never heard of kitsune? »
Serizawa blinked, shocked. Of course he had heard of kitsune before, but they were supposed to be beings of legend, not real foxes turning into handsome men overnight.
Wait… handsome men?! Where did that thought come from? Katsuya didn’t really have the time to dwell on the matter, because the kitsune, sensing his host’s distress, spoke again:
« If you want to be more precise, I’m a zenko, and my name is Reigen. Thank you for taking care of me yestersay, by the way. That nasty hunter’s trap got me by surprise, and for some reason I couldn’t turn back into my human form… »
« A… a zenko?! »
« Are you really not familiar with yōkai? » the kitsune asked, a perplexed frown on his face. « Even though you live with an okuri-inu ? »
« Huh?! »
Serizawa’s eyes went wide, and he immediately turned towards Ekubo. The dog was looking at the creature on the bed, baring his teeth at him.
« What… what do you mean? Ekubo’s… an okuri-inu…? »
« Ah, so you didn’t know. That explains your reaction. » Reigen nodded in understanding as he crawled closer to Serizawa, his tails swaying behind him. « Well, now you know I guess. »
« You couldn’t keep your mouth shut, could you? Even though I basically saved you? »
It was Ekubo who had spoken, with a deep voice. Katsuya fell to his knees, his body losing all strength under the weight of so many revelations and emotions in so little time.
« Are you alright?! » Reigen asked, a bit worried. He managed to sit on the edge of the bed, and used his healthy leg to lower himself to the floor, sitting next to his host with his wounded leg extended.
« Of course he’s not, dumbass. » Ekubo growled, getting closed to Serizawa. « He had no idea yōkai were real. »
« I’m sorry, I didn’t know. » the zenko apologized, putting his hand on the brunette’s shoulder and gently petting it. « I thought you knew… »
« I made sure he didn’t. » the other creature sighed. « But that’s too late now. That’ll teach me to try to help lesser beings. »
« Hey! First, I already said I’m sorry, and second, who are you calling a lesser being? »
« Please, calm down, both of you! »
Katsuya’s voice cracked a bit, but Ekubo and Reigen could still hear the annoyance in it. Casting each other a dark glance, they silently decided to stop their quarell for Serizawa’s sake.
« Sorry. » Reigen softly apologized. « For everything. Is there anything I can do to… help with the situation? »
« Not really… » Serizawa sighed. « I just need time getting used to it. »
« I understand. »
In the end, Serizawa did get used to it. Going from having a dog for only company to living with two yōkai was certainly a huge change, but it was a welcome one, who helped the brunette feeling less lonely. Reigen was a cunning kitsune, but he was good hearted and did his best to help in spite of his injured leg. He bickered frequently with Ekubo, but it added life to the quiet little house.
The three of them settled in a routine of sorts. Nothing really changed in Ekubo’s behavior; he talked, but that was the only major difference with Serizawa’s life prior his meeting with the kitsune. On the other hand, Reigen brought considerable changes in the brunette’s daily life.
Serizawa was an artist, a talented painter whose artwork sold for millions of yen. He was known for his mountain landscapes, which exuded unfathomable melancholy and nostalgia. He could have easily lived a frivolous life, living in a penthouse with a woman on each arm, wads of cash in his pockets, golden chains around his neck and champagne at every meal; instead, he lived in relative anonymity, in a small house on the countryside, twenty minutes away from the nearest village. Katsuya spent a good part of his days in his painting studio, which actually used to be one of the house’s two bedrooms.
Reigen took the habit of sitting behind Serizawa as the artist worked on his paintings. At first, Katsuya was nervous and his hand trembled under the kitsune’s gaze; but Reigen was so silent and discreet when he watched Serizawa work, so unlike the loud personality he had outside of the studio, that Serizawa quickly forgot him, painting as usual.
Reigen watched each of his host’s movements with rapt attention, admiring the way Katsuya’s wrist delicately used the various brushes he owned, applying the paint on the canvas, sometimes with care and delicacy, sometimes almost with rage and an angry sadness. There was almost an aura to Serizawa’s creations, one that drew the zenko to them and made an unexplained nostalgia grab him by the throat.
« Your paintings… I’ve never seen anything like them. » he whispered one afternoon, breaking the studio’s peaceful silence.
Serizawa turned around, puzzled.
« What do you mean? »
« There’s so much emotion embedded in what you paint. » Reigen explained, getting up with the help of the crutches Serizawa had bought him. « It’s not just about the technique. It’s as if… your painting is alive, and I can read the emotions on its face. »
Katsuya blushed, embarassed and flattered. If the number of his tails was anything to go by, Reigen was well past a hundred years old, and having such an old being compliment his craft was highly touching.
« Thank you… »
« I mean it. » the kitsune said with a smile, his fox ears twitching just a bit.
« It’s just… » Serizawa hesitated. He wasn’t used to talking about his work, and in doing so felt incredibly vulnerable, but also relieved. Ever since he had revealed himself as a kitsune, Reigen had become a huge, delectable part of Serizawa’s life. « I have… never been good at expressing myself with words. So I guess I put… all those untold emotions inside my work. »
The pair stayed quiet for a while, before Reigen pushed his weight on his left crutch and used his right hand to pet Katsuya’s brown locks.
« It’s a good outlet. »
That conversation ended there, but stayed in Serizawa’s mind for a while.
At night, Ekubo would still sleep in his basket in Katsuya’s room, and Reigen shared Serizawa’s bed. Katsuya had tried to leave him the bed and sleep on the couch, insisting that with his injured leg he needed space, but Reigen had flat out refused.
« Nonsense. Serizawa, you’ve been kind enough to take care of me and to keep me around, so I’m not leaving you on the couch. »
« B-but- »
« Your bed is big enough for two. Come on! » Reigen had winked.
And so, the human and the kitsune spent their nights together. At first, it had been difficult to find a position to accomodate both of them, between Reigen’s leg and his five big tails; but after turning around and struggling for an hour on the first night, they had found that if Serizawa laid on his side, with Reigen behind him, they could both be comfortable for the night. Katsuya hadn’t slept much the first night, his cheeks burning with the way the sleepy yōkai breathed on his neck; but in the end, he had gotten used to it, and waking up with Reigen’s head burried in the nape of his neck and his arms around him didn’t startle him anymore- in fact, if he was being entirely honest with himself, it was rather pleasant.
Reigen loved to talk about his mystical friends, and Serizawa loved to listen to his tales. They would sit on the couch, Reigen’s leg resting on a pillow on top of a stool and Ekubo by Serizawa’s side, sometimes offering side commentary or stories of his own.
In particular, the kitsune often talked about one of his best friends, a zashiki-warashi named Shigeo. The zenko’s stories fascinated Serizawa; he was pretty familiar with his country’s folklore, and hearing about them as real things that happened and not legends was a weird, yet oddly pleasing, experience.
However, Serizawa’s enthusiasm for Reigen’s stories paled in comparison with the childlike glee the kitsune expressed when seeing what Katsuya treated as everyday objects, such as his computer or his microwave. The yōkai’s tails would wiggle in excitement and his ears would perk up as Serizawa would show him how the appliance worked and explain him everything he knew about it.
Serizawa’s days, previously silent save for Ekubo’s occasional bark and the radio softly playing in his studio, were now filled with Reigen’s excited chatter and Ekubo’s snarky remarks. He had never noticed just how starved he had been for human - well, neither of his friends were humans, but still - contact, and now that he had it, Katsuya treasured those bonds dearly. Although he sometimes wondered if what he felt towards Reigen was more than mere friendship. The artist’s eyes would linger a little too long on the kitsune’s sleeping form in the morning, his heart would beat a little faster when Reigen laughed, his legs would give out when Reigen stepped out of the bathroom without his kimono, oblivious to his nakedness.
Katsuya was dreading those unknown and mysterious feelings as much as he was relishing them.
Reigen made progress on walking and moving his injured leg with each passing day, the ugly wound growing fainter and its dark red getting closer to the kitsune’s carnation. For the first time in his life, Serizawa felt an awful, selfish desire for someone’s recovery to be as long as possible clawing at his heart, its poison dripping in his veins.
But Reigen would smile, his golden eyes glinting mischeviously, and the poison would disappear in a flash.
The day came.
For the first time since Serizawa had brought a bleeding fox home, he awoke to an empty bed. A bit scared, the brunette rushed out of the bed, his limbs still heavy with sleep, and found Reigen standing up in the kitchen, his five tails wiggling happily.
« Katsuya! I’m fully healed! » the kitsune beamed, taking a pose and showcasing the naked, healthy leg poking out from under his kimono, which wasn’t as tightly closed as usual. « And it’s all thanks to you! »
Serizawa didn’t, couldn’t react. His eyes got misty, both from sheer happiness and heart shattering sorrow. Reigen, however, reacted immediately, dashing to his host and taking him in his arms.
« Hey, are you okay? » Reigen asked, concerned palpable in his voice.
« Y-yeah… » Serizawa answered, not even knowing if he was lying or not. « I’m so happy, and relieved! Now, you’ll get to… go back to… your old life… »
« Katsuya… »
The kitsune hugged Serizawa tighter. He could feel it all: Katsuya’s happiness, but also his desire for their time together never to end, and his awful guilt at having such a selfish need.
« I’m not going to leave you. » the kitsune swore, his fingers finding their way up to Serizawa’s hair and stroking it lovingly. « You’re such a beautiful person, I want to stay by your side for as long as you’ll want me around. Is that okay by you? »
Serizawa felt as if an immense weight was lifted from his shoulers, and he wrapped his arms around the kitsune, his tails’ hair brushing against his hands. His tears were now of felicity, and he felt his chest getting a bit wet as Reigen cried too. They let each other go, just a bit, so they could look each other in the eye.
They were a human and a yōkai, a painter and a kitsune, a reliable soul and a cunning creature, but in that moment, they were more alike than they could fathom, two souls bonded by immense love and care, drawn to each other for eternity, sealing their bond by a chaste kiss.