Work Text:
The night before the first full moon of the quarter, Kaito paces up a storm in their dorm room.
Rantaro is pretty good at tuning things out, so it’s not like it really bothers him. He glances up on occasion, tracking Kaito’s war path back and forth across the room, and then looks back down at his spellbook. No big deal. Kaito’s always been a pretty high energy person, so this isn’t completely out of character for him. Admittedly, he doesn’t usually go this much, but Rantaro’s trying to give him some privacy. This is, after all, his own room.
…It is just a bit concerning, though, after the first couple hours. When Rantaro finishing pencilling in his newest spell—that always takes such a long time—he glances back up at Kaito again. The other man is taut like a bowstring, his nose and elbows twitching like he’d like to spring right out the window. In lieu of that, Kaito just paces back and forth, feet moving so quickly and with so much force that Rantaro’s almost worried he’ll burn a hole in the carpet.
Though it’s not really the carpet that Rantaro is most worried about. Like he thought before, Kaito runs energetic. Especially during the morning and afternoon, Kaito’s pretty much the most hyper person Rantaro knows, always buzzing with ideas and positivity. It’s nice. Healing, especially when you run more tired like Rantaro does.
He’s never gotten quite this bad before, though, and for this long, and so late at night. A quick glance out the window at the nearly-full moon tells him that Kaito’s been going well into nightfall, and from the way his eyes dart about, it’s clear he won’t be stopping any time soon. Rantaro wonders if anything would help him at this point, but… is it really okay to just let him keep going?
“Momota-kun,” Rantaro prompts. Kaito’s feet still, his head snapping in Rantaro’s direction, brows raised and attentive. It’s only a beat before he starts walking again, though at least this time he does so with his gaze centred. “Are you alright? Did you take your dinner with coffee or something?” It’s just to lighten the mood; the caffeine jitters would usually have worn off by now if that was the case, even if Kaito drank it past six o’clock.
“Huh? Nah. Coffee makes me anxious, you know? Or sick. Or both.” Kaito rambles slightly as he paces, his hands coming up to gesture despite the lack of real substance in his words. “Just… got a lot of energy right now.”
Hmmm. If it’s not the coffee, then maybe there’s something on his mind. With anyone else, Rantaro would take Kaito by the wrist, gently ease him into sitting down next to Rantaro on the bed, but it would be a crime to make Kaito sit down right now. Besides, it’s impossible to know if talking about it would really help, or if there’s something Kaito is dreading that’s leading to the restlessness.
With a faint hum, Rantaro decides not to ask anything else for the moment, leaving Kaito to his pacing and gazing back out the window. He doesn’t exactly blame Kaito for having nerves right now. The night before the full moon is always an eerie one at a university like this. Rantaro has never been somewhere with so many monsters in the same place, especially were-monsters—but he supposes that’s to be expected given the nature of their school. Sure, Rantaro’s a human, and he’s attending to hone his magic (his tracking and locating spells specifically), but this is one of the few places werewolves and other full-moon creatures can openly attend.
That doesn’t make it any less nerve wracking on the night before the full moon, though. Howls are already piercing the night even though the curse shouldn’t be taking hold for another twenty two hours or so. From what Rantaro’s read, it’s not uncommon for werewolves to shift the night before in anticipation of the transformation; it can be more painful when it’s involuntary. Causing harm to your fellow students at this school is grounds for an immediate expulsion, if not termination by the headmaster, but once you leave campus, all bets are off. The forest where the wolves go to shift and run during the full moon is just outside the boundaries of what’s considered the college. Anything could happen there.
A howl echoes from the trees in the distance. Kaito stiffens, his shoulders squaring, and Rantaro thinks, ah. Bingo.
“Momota-kun?”
Kaito jolts, a sheepish smile immediately replacing the frozen look that had been on his face a moment earlier. “Yeah?”
“Are you scared?”
Maybe Rantaro shouldn’t have been so blunt about it. A shadow crosses Kaito’s face and he looks almost offended as he turns away, his shoulders curling up to hug his ears. Right. Kaito has a bit of a complex about that, despite being visibly unnerved every time a ghost or ghoul is in the vicinity. It probably isn’t tactful to just ask him outright if he’s scared, even if there’s no shame in it.
“I am,” Rantaro offers as an amendment, “not excessively, but I’m definitely worried about what’s going to happen tomorrow night. I’ve never spent so much time in a place like this.” He glances out the window once more. “My father’s manor had protective wards placed around the premises, so me and my sisters were all safe from anyone who could come out to play during the full moon. Not just were-creatures, you know? Hunters and opportunists too.”
Kaito seems somewhat placated, though there’s an odd look in his eye. “Yeah… I mean, I’ve never been in a school like this either.” To Rantaro’s surprise, he stops walking, coming over to sit down on the bed next to Rantaro. Kaito’s leg starts bouncing almost immediately once he’s sat. Rantaro suppresses a smile. “It’s not bad, just different, you know? And—” Another howl cuts him off, distant but high enough in pitch that it easily cuts through the closed window. Kaito straightens again.
Tentative, Rantaro rests a hand on Kaito’s back. Kaito’s lilac eyes dart in Rantaro’s direction, questioning, but he relaxes into the touch after a beat of eye contact, sighing. In return, Rantaro places his hand with more confidence, rubbing up and down Kaito’s back.
“Sorry. You’re right, I’m… not scared, just a little on edge.” Kaito sandwiches his hands between his legs so they won’t bounce, gaze boring into the floor. “Truth is, I got some business to attend to outside the dorms tomorrow night. I won’t be back until morning. It’s usually not a big deal, but given where we are…”
“Ah, I see.” Rantaro puts just a bit more energy into rubbing Kaito’s back. “And here I am, nervous about being inside the dorms where I’m safe.” His lip curls into a rueful smile. “You want some company?”
Kaito’s head is already shaking before Rantaro’s finished his question. “No. I got it handled.” He grins at Rantaro, seeming genuine, though it’s clear there’s something lurking behind his eyes. “Besides, I couldn’t ask ya to do something like that for me. You just focus on sleeping good tomorrow night, yeah? Don’t even worry about it.”
Hmmm. That’s the exact kind of wording that makes Rantaro want to worry, is the thing. Just what is this business that Kaito has to attend to?
…It’s not really any of Rantaro’s business to pry. Kaito’s already been so patient with him, accepting that Rantaro doesn’t want to talk about why he came to the university to improve his tracking spells in the first place, and it wouldn’t be fair for Rantaro to try and dig into Kaito’s secrets. Besides, it’s clear that this has Kaito wound up no matter what it’s about. Rantaro trusts him well enough to believe that it probably isn’t anything bad.
So instead of probing further, Rantaro just nods. He uses his free hand to ruffle Kaito’s hair. Kaito makes a pleased sound in the back of his throat and leans into the touch, eyelids fluttering, so Rantaro indulgently continues the motion with an endeared smile on his face.
He’ll be here if Kaito needs him, Rantaro resolves. For now, this is perfectly fine.
Kaito skips out on breakfast the following morning, which is another out-of-character move for him, but Rantaro tries not to read into it. Everyone has their off mornings, and with everything Kaito probably has going on tonight, it’s understandable that he might be feeling just a little bit too nervous to eat.
During his morning lecture, Rantaro does what he’s been trying to avoid doing for the past several weeks and sneaks in a book on werewolf behaviours from the library, hiding it behind his notebook and flipping through the sections. It’s simple curiosity paired with a need to know more about what his roommate is walking into tonight. Do werewolves feed on humans? Will they leave the woods if Kaito passes too close? What if he’s going into the woods? And what about turned creatures that aren’t spending the night in the forest—could he get attacked by those as well?
The book contains a lot of valuable information in that regard. No, werewolves don’t usually eat humans, but will if there’s nothing else around. They have strong senses of smells but will not go out of their way to hunt a person if there are other living creatures (like squirrels, deer, or foxes) in the area for them to eat instead. Most turned creatures behave like their normal counterparts albeit with heightened instincts, senses, and capabilities. If Kaito goes out picking a fight, he might be in danger, but he should be safe for a short walk.
Rantaro gets so immersed in the reading he doesn’t realise the lecture has ended until he receives a light nudge to the shoulder. Rantaro jumps, his head whirling around, but relaxes when he spots a head of red hair in the row behind him.
“Oh, Yumeno-san,” Rantaro chuckles, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you there. Did you say something to me?”
“No.” Himiko pulls down on her hat, glowering at him from underneath the brim. “Class is over.”
Blinking, Rantaro looks around the lecture hall, noting that the vast majority of rows have been cleared by now. Even the professor has left, which really says something about how long Rantaro stuck around, because she’s usually one of the last ones out so she can take any questions that didn’t get covered during her lecture.
That’s even more embarrassing than getting caught researching werewolves. Rantaro pinks and clears his throat.
“So it is,” he says weakly. “Thanks for telling me, Yumeno-san. Sorry that you had to stick around.” He marks his page, hastily shoving all his other things into his backpack. He didn’t catch even a little bit of the lecture today… geez. He’ll have to email the professor about her presentation notes and promise that it won’t happen again. “My head’s been somewhere else all morning.”
“No kidding.” Himiko eyes the cover of Rantaro’s book. “Do you know someone who got turned? Why the reading?”
Shaking his head, Rantaro swings his backpack over his shoulder and tucks the book under his arm. As he walks out of the lecture hall, Himiko follows, so Rantaro walks a bit slower to let her stay caught up. “Not exactly. But my roommate was really antsy last night because he’s going to be out tonight, and it’s the full moon, so… I wanted to read up and see if I could tell him anything about what to expect.”
Himiko blinks up at him. “Antsy…?”
“Yeah.” Rantaro nods. “Pacing around and stuff. Couldn’t sit still, really.” A chuckle fights its way out of Rantaro. It would have been endearing if he wasn’t so worried.
Himiko, though, seems unimpressed. “Gimme that book.”
Indulgently, Rantaro hands it over. Himiko stops walking and flips through it, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth. Eventually, she lands on a page, flattening it out and dragging a finger along the lines, as though to track her reading. A satisfied huff leaves her after a moment and she holds the book back out to Rantaro.
When he accepts it, Rantaro sees that Himiko has flipped to a section titled “HOW TO SPOT A WEREWOLF”. The subsection she’s pointing to lists behaviours of werewolves (and other similar creatures) in their human forms. Listed are things like an appetite for raw meat, low energy around the new moon, aggression after sustained eye contact, and…
“High energy or jitters before and after the full moon,” Rantaro reads, his brow furrowing. When he looks up at Himiko, he sees that her gaze is a bit intense.
“And he said he’ll be out tonight,” Himiko says.
“Well, sure, but—” Rantaro looks back down at the text. He’d have to be an idiot not to pick up on what she’s insinuating here, but that’s— “I mean, there’s no way he’s a—he would have told me if he was a werewolf. There’s no reason to be ashamed of it at a school like this.”
Himiko’s cheeks puff out and she looks away, again reaching up to tug down on the brim of her hat. “People are weird. Not everyone wants to tell their secrets just ‘cause it’s okay to.” She fiddles with a piece of her hair. “Besides… maybe he basically thought he was telling you… nobody has to be out on the full moon unless they’re a werewolf…”
Okay, well, that sounds like a lie. But Rantaro frowns regardless, considering what Himiko is saying. Kaito does tend to favour incredibly raw steaks, though his diet is pretty balanced for a werewolf’s. Rantaro reads the passage again. It says that werewolves are carnivores and generally only enjoy eating raw meats and other such foods, but Kaito clearly seems to enjoy cooked vegetables and other kinds of food.
The other bullets… Rantaro doesn’t remember when the new moon was. A couple weeks ago? Kaito had seemed pretty exhausted during that time, but he wrote it off as weariness from an exam… the fatigue had lasted for under a week before he was back to normal, so Rantaro didn’t question it. And Kaito doesn’t seem to enjoy eye contact much, but that could just as easily make him neurodivergent as it could make him a werewolf…
“I’m not so sure about this, Yumeno-san,” Rantaro says, brow knitting. “All of the bullets match, but…” With a big fat asterisk on all of them. He rubs the back of his neck. “Do you really think so?”
Himiko shrugs. “Dunno. But it definitely sounds like the kind of thing you’d see in a drama. He was a werewolf, but he didn’t want his roommate to know, so he hid it… then his roommate got worried about him… or something like that, nyeh.”
A fond chuckle bubbles up in Rantaro’s throat. He ruffles Himiko’s hair and grins when she glowers at him. So maybe Himiko is just pushing this conclusion because it reads like something she’d enjoy watching as a show. It was nice of her to bring all of this to Rantaro’s attention, even if it probably isn’t actually true to reality.
Despite that thought, Himiko’s suggestion follows Rantaro throughout the rest of his lectures, where he Googles symptoms of lycanthropy with his phone hidden between the pages of his notebook, cross referencing between what he reads online and what he’s observed of Kaito’s behaviour.
It’s… pretty silly. It’s early evening when Rantaro returns to his room, his head swimming with various werewolf-related trivia as he lugs his backpack inside. The room is empty, but Rantaro had been expecting that. With the warming weather of spring, it’s been getting darker later and later, but they’re still close enough to March that the sky is already tinted a deep purple, the moon peeking out from behind a couple darkened grey clouds.
Will werewolves shift even if the moon is hidden, Rantaro wonders? After a cursory Google search—which tells him that yes, they will, regardless of whether or not they can actually see the moon—Rantaro realises how ridiculous this pseudo-obsession is and tosses his phone on the floor, flopping into his bed.
It doesn’t really change anything for Rantaro if Kaito is a werewolf, so he’s not sure why he’s so hung up on it. Kaito is sweet and kind, the sort of person who you want to keep in your life for years and years because you just can’t imagine what you’d do without them. Rantaro hasn’t even known Kaito for that long and he already knows that. Even if Kaito’s a wolf, and even if he’s been hiding it… so what? What does that really change about what Rantaro knows about him?
After all, it’s not like Kaito is the only one keeping secrets. Rantaro draws his pillow into his chest and tucks his chin into it. His sisters are all stranded in various countries throughout the world and he’s such a lousy witch he can cast any charm in the world except for the ones that might help him bring them home. It’s shame rather than fear of judgement that keeps him from confiding in Kaito, but regardless, Rantaro doesn’t see why Kaito should have to tell Rantaro the truth if Rantaro won’t even match that energy.
Maybe it’s just that… Rantaro wants to know more about Kaito. He’s such a brilliant person, and a good friend, too… Rantaro wants to know everything about him, wants to be around him all the time, wants to help him if he needs it. He wants to know why Kaito had tensed every time a wolf howled, why Kaito wants to be an astronaut… all of it. Maybe that’s selfish of him. Maybe it’s greedy to want to know the entirety of a person, especially when you’re someone who breaks everything you touch.
But even so, Rantaro can’t help but feel this way.
Geez. Sighing again, Rantaro rolls onto his other side and faces Kaito’s bed. There’s no point in dwelling on this. Whether or not Kaito is a werewolf, he’s not in any danger from other werewolves. They won’t attack him if he’s human, and they definitely won’t attack him if he’s a werewolf. In his human form Kaito is tall and imposing with sharp eyes and broad, defined shoulders; his wolf form is bound to be similar. No, the werewolves were never a threat to Kaito to begin with. He’ll be okay. Rantaro doesn’t have to worry. In the first place, the biggest concern would have been…
Rantaro’s insides suddenly run cold. He sits bolt upright, the pillow falling from his lap. There are hunters enrolled at this school. For the most part, they all seem fairly friendly: Shuichi, for example, who lives a couple dorms down from them, is descended from a hunter family but seems generally disinclined to do anything other than keep his head down and study. Besides, Rantaro knows for a fact that Shuichi’s plans for tonight involve a night in with his girlfriend, so he’s not a problem.
But the university is big, and Rantaro’s already run into a couple hunters in his year and above who openly declare malice against the other nonhumans at the school. People who only behave because Kirigiri Jin would eviscerate if they didn’t; people who, if they thought they could get away with it, would strike out at the first available opportunity.
Like tonight, in a woods off campus from where howls have been piercing the night ever since the sun set.
Rantaro springs to his feet, stepping into his shoes and grabbing his jacket off the ground. As he shoves one arm through a sleeve, the other digs around in his mostly-unpacked luggage until he can find his spellbook, shoving it under his shirt. If Kaito is a werewolf, if he’s out there—he could get hunted. It’s happened before. Killings of students just off campus where all the prime suspects were students themselves… that couldn’t be proven because it happened outside of Headmaster Kirigiri’s jurisdiction. If something like that happened to Kaito…
No, Rantaro won’t allow it. He grabs a water bottle and extra sweater from his bag before deciding to just bring a backpack, hastily shoving his spellbook and spell kit inside along with them. It’ll have to be enough for now, because if Kaito is a werewolf, and he’s out there—he could be being hunted. He could be getting hurt right now and Rantaro could be too late to help.
The thought has Rantaro sprinting out the door before he can even think to lock it. Maybe it’s stupid to go so far for a roommate you’ve had for a month, a near-stranger, but Kaito is more than that. He’s good. Rantaro refuses to let anything happen to him.
It’s a short drive from the school to the woods, even shorter because Rantaro speeds the whole way. His familiar claustrophobia-induced car anxiety doesn’t even get time to settle in before he’s clambering out, swinging his backpack over his shoulders and jogging down the path.
The trail is nearly pitch black in the absence of street lamps, the only light being the silver glow cast by the moon, and that only sometimes manages to peek through the leaves. Rantaro mumbles a light charm under his breath, concentrating it in the palm of his hand, and then holds the light out in front of him while he walks. These woods are big despite their proximity to the city. That’s probably a good thing for the wolves (probably why Headmaster Kirigiri chose to build his school where he did) but it’s also extremely unfortunate for Rantaro’s prospects of finding Kaito.
If Rantaro wants to do this in any kind of timely manner, he’ll have to cast some sort of tracking spell. In woods like these and without the heightened sense of smell that most werewolves apparently have, that’ll be his only hope of ever finding the other man. Just the thought of trying it makes Rantaro’s stomach twist with nerves, though. His tracking spells have always failed him when he’s needed them. He had a mentor once who speculated that because Rantaro has so much at stake, because he doubts himself, his magic comes out weaker.
Which makes sense, but it’s not much of a reassurance now. Still, Kaito could be out there getting hunted right now, terrified and unable to defend himself against silver, and if Rantaro doesn’t find him because of these reservations, he’ll never forgive himself.
With a huff, Rantaro stops walking, swinging his backpack off his shoulder. He lets his light dangle just above his head as he digs through for his spellbook. Simple light charms he can do without thinking, but he’ll definitely need his book for something like this.
As he flips through the pages of his book, Rantaro lowers himself down to kneel in the dirt. It’s late enough that Rantaro doesn’t expect anyone to come through here on a hike. Especially not with werewolves milling around. His light floats down beside him, illuminating his own messy scrawl, and Rantaro holds the book just a bit closer to it as he flips between spells.
The search spells he’s written down here are all different in their specifics, but fundamentally serve the same purpose. Locate a lost lover. Locate a family member. Locate someone you miss. None of these really quite fit for Kaito; they’re not involved romantically, they’re not related, and Kaito hasn’t been long enough for Rantaro to miss him right now… grumbling, Rantaro flips further. The vast majority of the spells written in here are about finding lost people. There’s got to be something he can use.
He’s stopped on the locate someone you love spell when he hears a rustling in the bushes beside him. Frowning, Rantaro looks up, peering through the darkness. With the light by his face, it’s even harder to see what’s going on over there, so he sends the orb floating in that direction. It reflects in a pair of big, dark eyes, peering at him from behind a bush, and Rantaro can just barely make out the equally dark fur that frames them.
A werewolf, Rantaro thinks. Could it be Kaito? Hastily, Rantaro puts his book to the side, creeping forward on his knees. Does Kaito recognise him? Speculation about whether werewolves retain any human memories while shifted is all quite limited; there has never been an answer given one way or another. All that is known is that werewolves tend to get more instinct-driven in their animal form. Still, if there’s a chance…
“Hey,” Rantaro breathes out. He puts out a hand. “Momota-kun, is that you?”
The wolf sticks its snout out from the bushes, blinking up at Rantaro. Its fur, now illuminated, is more of a grey than a black. Its eyes are deep and glossy. It’s impossible to tell if the creature is Kaito or not, but it doesn’t make a move, staring unblinkingly at Rantaro.
“Listen, I’m not here to hurt you, alright?” Rantaro leans forward further, fingertips extended. “I’m here to help you, I realised there are so many hunters near the university—it’s okay, I’ll just stick around until the moon goes down and then—”
In a blur of motion, the wolf leaps from the bushes, cutting Rantaro off as it soars through the air and lands directly on its chest, knocking him flat on his back. Rantaro wheezes as the air is knocked out of him, hissing at the feeling of claws slicing through the fabric of his shirt and jacket, digging painfully into his skin.
The wolf leans in Rantaro’s face and growls, teeth bared, eyes gleaming dangerously under the light, which hovers overhead, as though sentient and unsure of what to do to help. Rantaro doesn’t pay it any mind, his heart racing in his chest.
This isn’t Momota-kun, Rantaro thinks, leaning away from the wolf as it growls at him again. Momota-kun wouldn’t—
What Kaito would or wouldn’t do is immediately shot from Rantaro’s mind as the wolf opens its maw. Rantaro only barely manages to move his head out of the way, one of his hands bracing itself against the wolf’s firm underbelly and pushing it up off of him just enough so that its teeth only graze the hood of his jacket. Rantaro’s heart races, blood rushing in his ears, and as the wolf’s teeth snap by his ear again, he realises—
This wolf is going to kill me. Or worse. He’s been reading about werewolves all day, about a wide variety of things; symptoms, causes. The principle cause of lycanthropy is of course receiving a werewolf bite, but it only actually turns you if the bite is administered on the full moon. Rantaro struggles under the considerable heft of the beast, his free hand coming up to punch the wolf’s flank.
“L-Listen, it’s nothing personal,” Rantaro gasps, ducking away from another attempted bite, “but I do not want to get turned tonight. You know how low your natural magic capacity is when you’re a werewolf? I’d never manage to find my sisters if I got turned, I already can barely cast find spells as it—gah!”
The wolf swipes at Rantaro’s face with its claws. A smart move; Rantaro had forgotten about those. The pain is immediately almost blinding, though somehow the slash does manage to evade Rantaro’s actual eye. It feels deep, though, and blood is already tricking down Rantaro’s cheek, a background situation compared to the sting. Distracted, one of Rantaro’s hands flies to his face, and the wolf takes advantage of his disorientation to land a bite.
—or it would, but the sound of approaching footsteps suddenly catches the creature’s attention. The wolf jolts upright and turns, eyes squinting into the trees, then is suddenly knocked off of Rantaro as a black blur soars into it.
The two creatures tumble down the path, growling and barking, tangled up in each other. Rantaro, stunned, only manages to push himself up on one elbow and watch as they tussle, all gleaming teeth and flashing claws, the dirt crunching beneath them as they roll back and forth. The fight lasts for a minute, tops; eventually, the one that had been on Rantaro disentangles itself and barrels back into the woods, moving quickly but limping. The other manages to get its feet under itself, chuffing indignantly and fluffing out its fur.
Rantaro watches, feeling dazed. He feels cold, but not really; numb is probably the better word, aside from the persistent throb in his face. A part of him is just barely present enough to wonder if the scratch on his cheek is enough to turn him, but the rest is more focused on the other wolf.
Is that one going to attack me too? Or…
The creature turns, and with a shock, Rantaro sees that it isn’t a wolf at all, but a dog. There’s no mistaking it; the face shape, the fluffy white fur on its chest and forehead, the tufts of auburn poking out amidst the black… that’s a dog. Rantaro’s seen that breed before, albeit not enough times to know what it’s called.
Chuffing again, the dog bounds over. Inexplicably, it appears uninjured, aside from some dirt in its fur. The dog sits once it reaches Rantaro, tilting its head to the side, its ears flopping down in its purple eyes, which gleam with curiosity.
…Wait. Purple. Rantaro beckons his light closer and shuffles forward, reaching up to take the dog by the face. When it doesn’t pull away, Rantaro leans in, examining the dog’s features.
That… sure is a dog. But there’s no mistaking those eyes.
“Momota-kun?” Rantaro whispers.
Kaito whines, but nods his head, leaning his chin heavily into Rantaro’s palm. Relief crashes over Rantaro—that Kaito didn’t just try to kill him, that Kaito isn’t dead somewhere himself—at the gesture, so heady that his eyes burn with tears.
“Geez… you’re a dog? Or…” Rantaro knits his brow. “A weredog?”
Again, Kaito nods. He leans in closer and licks Rantaro’s cheek, the unscratched one, then lets out a quiet yip. Rantaro has to laugh, scratching under his chin.
“Wow… I had no idea. I thought you might be a werewolf, but…”
Thinking about it, though, it makes a lot more sense. There’s something… distinctly puppy-like about Kaito, who always lights up like a Christmas tree when you show him the right amount of attention or interest in what he’s talking about. Plus, dogs are omnivores, so it stands to reason that Kaito would enjoy a balanced diet. Last night, too, Kaito was pacing the room back and forth like a dog waiting for you to take it on a walk; every time he heard the howls and stiffened, he was probably thinking about how much he wanted to go and play.
“Nevermind.” Rantaro shakes his head. “Sorry for coming here and getting into trouble. I thought… well, I was thinking about how much danger you were in out here with so many hunters so close by, and I just…”
Kaito growls, much quieter than he did when he was fighting the wolf before, and licks Rantaro again. Nuzzles his wet nose against Rantaro’s chin. Perhaps saying that it’s okay, though it’s hard to say for sure because Rantaro doesn’t speak dog. Still, another laugh bubbles out of Rantaro. He leans closer and wraps his arms around Kaito’s furry chest.
“Alright, alright.” He lets out a breath, closing his eyes. “Thanks for saving me. For a minute there…” His throat closes up. It’s probably stupid to go crying to a literal weredog about the prospect of getting turned. But Rantaro can’t suppress a small shudder. He grips Kaito tighter. “Haha, forget it. I’m just glad you showed up.”
Kaito lets out one of those doggy harrumphs, resting his paws in Rantaro’s lap. He’s absolutely bursting with warmth, and soft against Rantaro’s cheek, rumbling like an engine with every breath. It really is undeniably Kaito, even if he looks… well, like a dog now.
They’ll probably have more to talk about in the morning, when Kaito can talk again. It’s not exactly fair to try and communicate like this. But Rantaro is exhausted now, and Kaito is so warm and soothing… he’ll take a moment before he thinks about anything else. Just a couple.
Rantaro wakes up the next morning curled up on his side in a cave, resting against something very warm. His memories of the rest of last night after Kaito found him are blurry; he packed his bags, he healed his cheek, he followed Kaito to a cave. The rest of it… well, he’s not sure of.
At some point, they must have fallen asleep together, though, because when Rantaro turns around, he sees that the sturdy warm thing he was lying against was indeed Kaito’s chest. The other man has shifted back into his human form, wearing only a pair of boxers and sleeping peacefully. One of his arms is draped over Rantaro’s middle.
Mmmm. Rantaro props his cheek up on his arms. He’s never actually been this close to Kaito before. Especially not while he’s been asleep. There’s something about his expression, so utterly at ease in a way it rarely gets when he’s awake… Rantaro can’t help but stare, wanting to memorise every bit of it.
An indeterminate amount of time passes before Kaito starts to stir, yawning and pulling Rantaro in tighter against his chest. He smells of dog fur and dirt, which isn’t Rantaro’s favourite smell, but the warmth is so comforting that Rantaro leans into it anyway, sighing against Kaito’s bare shoulder. The action earns him another squeeze from Kaito, who perhaps is not entirely conscious of doing it, because he grumbles soon after, his head ducking into the crook of Rantaro’s own neck.
Rantaro can’t help but giggle. “Morning, sleepyhead.” Sleepy puppy? That one feels weird to just say, though, even in light of everything that happened last night. Still, Rantaro brings his hands around to scratch at Kaito’s scalp. “Sleep okay?”
Kaito doesn’t reply with anything other than a long, satisfied hum, leaning back into Rantaro’s hands. His leg twitches. It’s so utterly dog-like that Rantaro just has to giggle again.
“Taking that as a yes,” Rantaro mumbles.
“Slept fine,” Kaito says, voice muffled. He sighs, long and a bit grumpy-sounding at the end, withdrawing his head from Rantaro’s shoulder and peering up at him with clouded purple eyes that widen a beat after making eye contact. Kaito gasps and pulls away, his own hand reaching to touch Rantaro’s cheek. “Amami…”
“What?” Rantaro frowns. “Oh, my face? I thought it would probably scar. I’m fine with heal spells, but not so much on the cosmetic end. It’s no big deal.”
Kaito’s brow furrows, giving Rantaro the impression that what he said wasn’t as reassuring as he would’ve wanted it to be.
“Seriously,” Rantaro adds. “You got there before anything serious could happen. I’m fine.”
“Should’ve gotten there sooner,” Kaito mumbles. His thumb traces one of the scars, making Rantaro shiver. It’s foreign, being handled so gently. By anyone, but especially by someone like Kaito, who for all his wonderful qualities has never struck Rantaro as someone with a particularly light touch. Not that Rantaro disliked that about him, but… Kaito always finds new ways to surprise him.
Speaking of which… “How did you find me last night, anyway?” Rantaro asks. “I was going to cast a spell to find you, but I didn’t manage to do anything before that wolf showed up.”
“Oh.” Kaito shifts, pushing onto one elbow and releasing Rantaro’s cheek in favour of rubbing his neck. Rantaro has to stop himself from leaning after the touch. Who’s the dog here, really? “Well… I dunno. It was like… I was chasing squirrels and stuff, havin’ a good time, and then I just heard your voice saying my name. Like I needed to find you. I chased it down and then I saw you about to get bit.”
My voice…? Rantaro cups his chin. That sounds a bit like one of his charms, but he would have had to cast it for the effects to take place. Unless… he somehow cast it without realising?
Ugh. But that would make it the most inconvenient find spell he’s ever casted, if he somehow managed to land one successfully without even meaning to. Rantaro grumbles.
“Something wrong?” Kaito asks.
“Oh… no, no.” Rantaro shakes his head. “Just wondering how that happened, is all. Don’t worry about it.” He offers a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry for basically prying my way into knowing this, Momota-kun. You probably kept it from me for a reason, and then you had to reveal yourself to keep me from getting hurt chasing after you.”
“Nah.” Kaito shakes his head, too. “It’s my fault for worrying you by not being honest. I should’ve known you were smart enough to piece it together.”
“You didn’t owe me that information, though,” Rantaro points out. “I have things I’ve kept from you too. Things that if you’d pushed, or ran after me like this, I probably would’ve…” He tries to figure out the best way to word it. “Scampered away like a prey animal?”
Kaito laughs at that, loud enough to echo off the walls of the cave. “Apt description,” he remarks, grinning. Rantaro has to smile back, though probably more at Kaito’s laugh than his comment. “But I mean… I dunno. I don’t think this is you runnin’ after me or trying to get me to divulge. You said last night you got scared for me, right?” His eyes crinkle, but his lips press into a frown. “You came out here and put yourself in danger all for me. I’m not gonna be upset at you for that.”
He has a point, though Rantaro isn’t sure he likes that look on Kaito’s face.
“Granted,” Rantaro says. He leans forward again, looping his arms around Kaito’s shoulders and pulling him back in close. “But don’t be upset at yourself, either. I chose to come, and I’m okay. Because of you, I’m okay. So maybe we’re even.” He hooks his chin over Kaito’s shoulder, smiling when he feels the other man relax somewhat. “Besides, you’re cute as a dog. Seeing that made everything worth it.”
Kaito chuckles. “I know,” he says, just a touch cheekily as his arms encircle Rantaro’s waist. “I’ll turn back in a minute if you wanna see me like that again. No point not to, since you know now.”
Oh, that’s tempting. Rantaro really does want to see Kaito’s dog form in the daylight, to run his fingers through Kaito’s thick fur and scratch him behind the ears. Throw balls for him to catch. All the dog things.
For right now, though… “In a minute,” Rantaro agrees. “You don’t have anywhere to be today, right?”
Kaito hums. His arms curl just a bit tighter around Rantaro, squeezing. “Nowhere as important as here.”
What, in a cave in the middle of the woods? That’s more important than class?
…Heh. Rantaro has to agree, actually. Maybe not about the cave, but about Kaito. With company like this, it’s hard to want to be anywhere else.