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Oda finished tightening the scarf around Kousuke’s neck before letting the kid go back to play with the others again. He watched fondly as they valiantly trudged through the knee-high snow across the garden, stumbling in his over-sized boots. A chilly season had completely enveloped the town, causing the normally vibrant streets to look lifeless and gloomy. The change was keenly obvious to him in his own garden. Ever-blooming foliage had been reduced to shriveled, icy lumps and trees had begun leaning to the sides due to the thick layer of snow and frost weighing down on them.
So dull, yet laughter rang through the air like bells.
Ah, he hoped none of the children caught colds the next day. That would be rather unfortunate. Wistfully smiling, Oda continued keeping an eye on the kids as they hurled lopsided snowballs at each other, each crafted with clumsy fingers and childish joy.
Cringing at the howls that inevitably arrived when bedtime came, Oda gently herded the children back inside. Yuu sobbed in protest while Katsumi begged and offered endless pleas. An unnecessary amount of kicking and screaming later, all five ankle-biters were snugly tucked in, fast asleep as the temperature dropped outside.
Now downstairs on the sofa, Oda flipped through his book, reading each page softly highlighted by the dim bulb overhead. Wrapped in a blanket and sipping piquant herbal tea, it provided a pleasant respite from the pandemonium that was raising five children. A perfect moment, one could say, only plagued by the absence of a certain bandaged, suit-wearing kitsune.
Ever since the first snowflakes had fallen, he hadn't seen the kid around much. Perhaps they had found somewhere to hole up in until the weather cleared up. At least he hoped so. Oda sighed as he swished his glamored tails in agitation. The poor kid could be lying in a ditch for all he knew.
There was no use worrying, clearly the kid did not want help, blatantly terrified of the man, choosing to avoid him at all costs and instead lurking nearby in the shadows.
But Oda had a silly bleeding heart, one that couldn’t help but to clench at the thought of the bandaged boy out in the cold, freezing to death.
A small beep from his phone interrupted him from his train of thought. Ah, a weather alert.
Oda skimmed the message quickly. It was the usual warning about the drastic increase in snow for the next week and what safety measures to take.
With a weary huff, Oda pushed himself off the couch, he'd better prepare more blankets for the kids and himself. Rummaging through the cabinet provided a good distraction from his worries, however Oda found himself constantly glancing at the door.
Fuck.
His ears flicked anxiously. Maybe it was just his own kitsune instincts screaming at him, but he couldn’t stand the idea of the brown-haired kid shivering outside, all alone. They had looked so young, just a pup really, not even having enough potent magic to properly conceal their fox-traits. Images of those doleful eyes staring up sadly and small ears flush against brown hair flashed through his head.
Deep down Oda Sakunoske was a softy, winding up haphazardly stringing on his coat and grabbing a pack of stick-on body warmers.
Immediately as his foot hit the veranda, Oda was met with a stinging cold that chilled him to the bone and only fueled his desperation to find the kid. What if they were out there- slowly succumbing to the bitter chill, with nowhere to go. Oda shuddered at the mental picture that creeped into his mind. No, he had to think positively, the kid would be okay. He hurried through the heavy sleet and ice checking under bushes and all the kid’s normal hiding spots he had once pretended to ignore.
Nothing.
No pearl fur, no muffled yips. Nothing.
Oda dug his hands deeper into his pockets as the winds cut deeper into his skin. He’d better hurry. It was dark outside now, streetlights casting long shadows on the rows of houses, and Oda was getting more and more frantic. “Kid!” He called out, praying that the little kitsune would come out. Oh god, what if they were there but just hiding, crippled in fear. Fear so intense Oda couldn’t even fathom what could have caused it. Oda tried again, “Kid, where are you?”
Nothing.
Absolutely zilch.
Then he heard it. The tiniest of tiny whimpers. Oda whirled his head towards where the sound had come from.
An empty trash can.
He rushed over and peered inside. Oh. Something inside Oda broke as he took in the sight.
Inside the burnished bin, the small kitsune was shivering as he curled up on himself even more, wrapping their multiple tails around their trembling frame. A pitiful whine escaped, clearly against the boy’s own accord. Damp curls were limply plastered against their pale face and the ends of his fur had frost clinging to it causing the deep vermillion color to look more pink-like. Dirty bandages trailed up and down their limbs, like the kid had attempted to use them as a shield against the cold. They hadn’t even noticed Oda, too caught up in their own misery with their eyes squeezed tight. The poor thing looked half dead.
Honestly Oda had no clue what to do now. Should he grab them? No, that would probably come off badly and spook the younger kitsune. Drape his jacket over them? No, then he would be freezing his ass off. In the end, Oda opted for gently poking the kid to wake them up.
Brown eyes immediately snapped wide open in panic and they shrieked, lashing out in terror and toppling over the can with a loud crash. The kid stumbled away, wobbling like a newborn fawn, and stared at Oda in a mix of pure, unadulterated fear and longing. Longing? In spite of that, the smaller kitsune looked ready to bolt away at any given moment.
Holding his hands up like an offering, Oda slowly peeled back his glamor as an attempt to assuage the kid, revealing his own fox-like ears and tails. “Hey, it’s okay, see. I’m like you. A kitsune.”
The kid froze and tilted their head in confusion, “What-? But I would have-” Their voice trailed off uncertainly. Oda would see a fragile hope take place in their eyes. What had this kid gone through to so thoroughly crush their spirit? A bit of their trepidation seemed to have faded, and the kid shakily staggered closer, still quivering. His ears were still pressed against his head, but Oda decided to take this as progress. “Here,” He said as he remembered the body warmer patches he had. The kid cautiously reached over to grab it, keeping their eyes trained on Oda as if they expected it to all be a prank.
As he watched the boy fumble open the packaging, Oda felt himself relax. Although they were barely able to stand and the tips of their fingers were an awful blue, at least the kid was safe.
Okay, baby steps. Now to get the kid to the house.
As Oda opened his mouth to speak, the smaller kitsune beat him to it. “I’m sorry, I won’t bother you more-” They mumbled with their head low.
Oda blinked, then his heart shattered. “No, no. Kid.”
Oh god, had they thought they were unwanted this entire time? Did the surplus amount of bandages and food that were consistently left for them- oh, so this whole time-
He knelt down to meet them at their height and pulled them in a hug.
The kid squeaked in surprise, stiffening at the touch, before slowly melting into the embrace. Oh the poor thing was freezing! How long had they been out in the cold? As tiny happy chitters filled the silence, Oda carefully ran his hands up and down the kid’s arms, tracing the long sleeves of bandages and trying his best to warm them up. In response, they proceeded to burrow deeper into his arms, nine tails wagging behind. Aw, what a cutie.
Keeping his arms securely around the kid, he spoke, “Are you sure you want to be out here? It’s very cold.”
The boy whined and shook his head, still clinging to Oda’s jacket with shaky fingers.
The corner of Oda’s mouth went up in a mix of endearment and sadness. “Yeah. Let’s go home, kid.”
__
The first thing Dazai noticed when he woke up was that he was being held; cradled and swathed in blankets. So soft. A stark difference from the place he had gone to sleep in. Dazai thrashed around trying to figure out his surroundings when a hand moved to rest on his back.
“Shh. You’re safe. Go back to sleep-” Oh, Dazai knew that voice, it was the redhead man’s. The sound of fabric rustled through the air as Dazai was tucked closer to the man’s chest.
Safe? Dazai wanted to sob, he was surrounded by so much care and love, it had to be a dream. There was no way anyone would hold a disgusting creature like him. Yet gentle fingers continued to card through his hair, undoing knots and tangles. The blankets remained draped over him, and the arms never let go. Safe, so safe.