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“You’ll never know what’s in the woods at night, especially near the full moon. I’d rather you wake me up at midnight for a ride than walk around and get caught up by some sort of monster.” It was something Suga drilled into him from the moment they met. Tadashi had rolled his eyes and muttered an “Okay, mom,” to his roommate when he said that but right now, pinned to the ground, he thinks maybe he should’ve heeded Suga’s advice.
But he’s getting ahead of himself; there’s a build-up to this situation, after all.
See, being a sleep deprived college student with no sense of time management is always a bad thing- no exceptions. Tadashi doesn’t know why he thought there was. Which leads him here- here being the back office of Shimada Mart despite it being well past the store’s closing time of midnight, nodding off despite his attempts to fight sleep. A hand grabs his shoulder and shakes, and it takes him a moment to even process it, lifting his head and cracking his eyes open.
“Hey, go home. I can finish locking up everything on my own, I didn’t mean to keep you so late tonight.”
“No, no, I’m awake. I’ll just go get that lady’s fruit, and--” A yawn cuts off his reply, and Shimada clucks his tongue.
“That was hours ago, Yamaguchi. We gave it to her and she only yelled at us for twenty minutes more instead of an hour. Seriously, you’ve got class in the morning don’t you? It’s fine.”
“But--”
“No buts!” Shimada interrupts. “If it doesn’t get done, it doesn’t get done, but you need the sleep. I’m sure that roommate of yours is worrying up a storm, too.”
“Ugh, fine. But only because I’m more scared of Suga than I am failing.” Tadashi rolls his eyes; as much as he’d love to argue and insist, because he’s genuinely a hard worker and enjoys spending time with Shimada, he’s not going to say no he. He kows better. Standing, Tadashi’s bones protest as he stretches to grab his sweatshirt and keys from the hook behind him without turning around. His shoulder blades creak as he slides the hoodie on over his head. “Can I steal a Monster and a candy bar on my way out?”
“Go ahead, you’ll need it. You want a ride? Your apartment’s pretty far away.”
“Nah, I’ll be fine. There’s this shortcut I found last week, cut’s like ten minutes from my walk.”
Shimada raises an eyebrow but doesn’t protest. “Alright. Stay safe,”
“Good night,”
Shimada calls out a “good night!” as well as Tadashi makes his way through the darkened Shimada Mart with ease, grabbing his snacks for the walk home on his way. He struggles with the back door a moment, his sleep-addled brain needing a beat to catch up with his body, and then he’s in the back alley behind the store. The warm light of the dimming street lamps buzzes above him as he walks away from the main street and instead to the slower street on the other end of the alley. A large park greets him on the other side, and he walks on the sidewalk outlining it for a few minutes before he comes to the edge of a small wooded patch of the park.
Tadashi’s generally avoided this trail- not because of Suga’s many warnings not to go out alone, but simply because he never knew where it led. He was never too invested in going on it, so he never looked at a map to see, but it was by chance last week that he’d been walking his friend Hinata’s dog when it ran off down the trail and he’d had to go on it to fetch her; that’s how he found out that it led to the other side of the park, which he otherwise would have had to walk around to get home, which was a pleasant surprise.
Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, Tadashi pauses a moment to look up at the sky. The moon is out, full and bright, covered only by a handful of clouds; the stars shine as always, though somewhat dimmed by the city lights, but even seeing them brings a smile to Tadashi’s face despite how tired he is. He’s always felt more at home where he could see the stars. Miyagi was a nice place for him to settle down.
A gust of wind pulls him from his thoughts and he shivers, shoving his hands in his pockets as he starts his walk. However, shortly after departing he realizes one small flaw in his plan: there aren't any street lights on the trail. And it's very, very dark with the trees blocking the natural lighting from the moon. Fumbling, Tadashi pulls his phone from his back pocket and curses when he sees the power bar at 16 percent. With all of his trust on the battery not dying while he’s in the middle of the woods, he continues on. He’s tired and just wants to shower and sleep, and walking this trail gets him home sooner. Maybe if he weren’t so tired, he’d take the regular route home, but not tonight.
Leaves crunch underneath Tadashi’s shoes as he walks, trying to keep his pace brisk despite the exhaustion settling in his bones. He thinks to himself that, while he loves Shimada like a brother, he’s definitely not staying so late ever again; but he recognizes that this is a rare occurrence as is, and that Makoto would never force him to stay past when his shift ended, even if that meant closing the store on his own. The light of his phone’s flashlight dances on the pavement, moving with his steps, and it kind of makes him dizzy but he can’t seem to still his hands.
A crunching of leaves that doesn’t belong to Tadashi’s own feet sounds from somewhere in the trees and Tadashi pauses, his lips twitching into a frown. He wonders absently what kind of wild animals live in a tiny wooded area in the middle of town before chalking it up to a rabbit or something and continuing on. He hums to himself, his voice carrying down the path and through the woods gently. Shortly after the first odd noise, he hears a twig snap less than two meters behind him and he whirls around. The flashlight sways a moment as a wave of dizziness catches Tadashi off guard before zeroing in on...
Nothing.
Nothing’s there.
With a sigh, chastising himself mentally for how silly he’s being, getting so scared over a little bit of noise, he turns back around. He’s around halfway home, now, and he picks up the pace ever so slightly at that realization. Almost there. Almost there.
Absently, Tadashi turns his head to look into the trees and freezes in place when he sees something shifting in the shadows. His heart hammers in his chest, providing only stupid excuses for what it could’ve been, like a kitsune or a werewolf or something, and not what it more realistically was- a deer, or a rabbit or something.
It would have to be a big rabbit to have made a shadow that big, but still.
Tadashi shakes his head to clear his thoughts, continuing on, trying to forget about the pair of eyes he could’ve sworn that he saw reflecting back at him from the light of his flashlight. He can see the other side of the path, now, in the distance. A welcoming street light stands at the end of the path, flickering in his vision around a small corner. Another twig snapping behind him catches his attention, and he whirls around once more to find nothing there. Again.
When Tadashi turns back, angry he let himself get spooked again, he gasps and drops his phone when he sees a person standing in front of him only two meters away. Or, at least he- he thinks it’s a person. The stranger is dressed in a tidy-looking set of dress pants and a button-up, top three buttons undone to show a bare chest. He’s startlingly attractive, even with the weird accessories. The only thing making him think he may not be human is the pair of pointed, brown ears peeking out from curly blonde hair and the brown tail swishing boredly behind this person. Which-- maybe it’s a Halloween costume, but Tadashi highly doubts it, considering they’re two weeks past Halloween by now.
Tadashi vaguely worries about the screen on his phone being cracked as he and the stranger stare at each other for a long, pregnant pause.
“Well well, isn’t this fun,” The stranger says, his voice not at all conveying the interest in his words. “It looks like I’ve run into a little midnight snack. How delightful~”
“I- What the hell, man?! You scared me.” Tadashi gasps, his heart hammering. “Wh- Where did you come from? I didn’t even see you...”
“Oh, that’s of no importance, really.” The stranger dismisses Tadashi’s concern with a disinterested wave of his hand. “You’re out quite late, aren’t you? You shouldn’t be walking all alone in the dark like this, you know.”
If Tadashi were in a sound state of mind he’d probably retort something like “couldn’t I say the same to you?” but his mind is fogged with fatigue and panic.
“I- I’m on my way home from work...”
“Do you take this road often?”
“...No, not really...”
“So, no one knows you’re here?” The stranger’s ears perk up at the realization and any inkling that they might be part of a costume immediately disappears as his heart sinks in his stomach.
“I- I should go.” Tadashi says, ducking down to pick his phone off of the ground. The flashlight flickers, a reminder of how low his battery is, and panic floods his veins at the idea of being stuck in the dark with a stranger. He’ll just have to run the rest of the way, towards the street light he sees in the distance. It isn’t far. “It was nice to meet you, b- but I really do need to go home.”
The stranger clucks his tongue, frowning. “What a shame. Sadly, though, you won’t actually be leaving.”
“What?”
“I haven’t had my dinner yet.”
The stranger grins, flashing a set of sharp canines, and Tadashi stumbles back, dropping his phone once more just as the battery finally dies and the world around him goes black. He lets out a cry --of fear, surprise, something in between-- as something heavy knocks him over. His head gives a dull thud as he crashes to the ground, but the pain doesn’t register over the adrenaline. He struggles against the stranger’s hands as he’s pushed down, but even after working out and lifting boxes at Shimada’s all day he’s too weak. His hood falls off of his head, exposing some of his neck, and the stranger growls.
“Y’know, you look good in red,” The stranger murmurs, one hand reaching to cup Tadashi’s jaw- surprisingly gentle considering the situation. Tadashi flinches away, but the stranger tightens his hold on Tadashi’s face, staring down at him with a mix of curiosity and what Tadashi can only describe as hunger. “I wonder if your blood is the same color?”
Tadashi can’t help it. He needs to know. Mustering all the courage he can, he asks, “Wh- What are you?”
“Hm? Well, a wolf, of course.”
The stranger’s response startles Tadashi, because he doesn’t look anything like the monsters that Suga’s warned him about. Werewolves are supposed to be giant, evil creatures, with gnashing teeth and claws that rip your throat out in an instant. This wolf, his blonde hair glistening in the moon light, the finely pressed clothing hanging from his stalky frame, doesn’t look like that. If Tadashi weren’t currently being pinned to the ground by him, he might even be attractive. “Y- You don’t look like one,” Tadashi says, and immediately he curses himself. Why the hell would you say that? You’ll piss him off!
The wolf just chuckles, showing off his sharp canines again. “I get that a lot. Now, where should I start..?”
The hand holding Tadashi’s jaw loosens and travels downward, teasing as Tadashi lets out a pitiful sob.
“P- Please don’t eat me! I’m young and don’t eat well, all I ever drink is coffee or energy drinks, never water, so I’m probably not good to eat!”
“Oh, but you look perfectly delectable to me, sweet.” The wolf says in reply, leaning in and pressing his face against Tadashi’s neck, taking a deep breath of Tadashi’s scent. “And smell it, too. I could eat you whole, if I wanted, but I think tonight I’ll play with my food some tonight.”
“Wha-- No, pl- please let me go home, I’ll- I’ll d- do anythi-” Tadashi’s pleas are cut off by a sharp gasp and pained yelp as teeth dig into the skin at the nape of his neck. He writhes under the stranger’s weight, trying once again to push him off to no avail. The stranger laps at Tadashi’s neck, teeth still puncturing his skin, and a hum rumbles through Tadashi’s body. He whimpers, his vision swimming as another wave of dizziness washes over him. He feels his body chill to the bone as the wolf licks at the blood coming from the wound. “Please, do...n’t...”
He has half a mind to tell the guy he’s acting more like a vampire, sucking blood from his neck, but he’s too overwhelmed with terror to crack a joke. The wolf pulls away from his neck, and Tadashi almost faints when he sees the blood dripping from his sharp teeth and down his jaw. He has a smirk on his lips as he leans down once more to whisper in Tadashi’s ear,
“I was right~ You’re just delectable, little red. And the color’s a perfect match.” He tugs on the hood of Tadashi’s sweatshirt to show that he’s right, it’s hard to tell there’s any blood on it at all. Nausea pulls at Tadashi’s gut at the thought and he retches, but nothing comes up. “But there’s more for me to taste test, isn’t there? Hmm, what should I try next?”
A firm hand slips under the hem of Tadashi’s sweatshirt, burning hot against his skin, and Tadashi gasps, flinching. “W- Wait- no-”
The wolf rucks up the hem of Tadashi’s sweatshirt, pushing it up over his chest, and begins nibbling up his chest, before placing a bite right above one of his nipples. There’s more small nips, but interspersed with those are pepperings of ticklish kisses, which only serve to further confuse Tadashi. He lifts his head and his vision blurs, but he can clearly see the stranger assaulting him kissing the bite marks he’s leaving scattered all over his torso. He lets out a confused whine, struggling against the other man, but the wolf still has a grip on both of his wrists, keeping them firmly pressed to the ground. The more and more the wolf teases him, the more he begins to wonder if he really should struggle. It actually feels...nice...
No. No, this is bad, he’s going to eat you, don’t-
“Hm, you taste so good, red. Do you think I’ve teased you enough?..Should I get to the main part of my meal, now?”
“H- Huh? Main...huh?”
The wolf lets go of Tadashi’s wrists and uses both hands to travel down Tadashi’s lithe frame slowly. Tadashi’s mind screams at him to take the opportunity to punch the guy, to fight, try to escape, but all of Tadashi’s limbs stay stock-still as the wolf’s hands finally find themselves at his belt. Tadashi sobs as the wolf undoes his belt, then the button of his trousers, and then slowly slides the pants down his thighs. He has the courtesy to leave Tadashi’s underwear on as he switches from kissing Tadashi’s torso to kissing up and down his thighs instead. Tadashi’s vision begins to blur with what he assumes to be tears, but it becomes increasingly obvious that he’s close to falling unconscious and another wave of terror washes over him. This is horrifying enough to watch, but the idea of passing out and not knowing what the wolf will do next is even more terrifying.
“I- Wai- Plea..se..” Tadashi’s body finally kicks into action and he lifts heavy hands to try and push the wolf away, but he’s too weak and it doesn’t do anything to deter him. His vision swims, darkening at the edges, and he whimpers. “Please, no, I- I don’t-”
Upon hearing Tadashi’s slurred voice, the wolf’s ears perk and he lifts his hear. Something in his eyes soften, but Tadashi is already too far gone to notice. As Tadashi’s head drops back onto the concrete and his eyes slip shut, the wolf sighs- as if this is more of an inconvenience than anything. He shifts, running a hand through Tadashi’s hair. He presses a kiss to the boy’s hair, shaking his head when Tadashi whimpers.
“Shh, it’s alright, little red. I’ll take care of you.”
When Tadashi wakes next, it isn’t dark anymore. In fact, it’s way too fucking bright. Tadashi would recognize the garish fluorescent lighting of a hospital anywhere. Slowly cracking his eyes open, he finds Sugawara and his boyfriend sitting in two chairs next to his hospital bed and he has half the mind to curse the wolf out for not finishing what he’d started. He does not need a scolding right now. Before Tadashi can close his eyes and pretend to be asleep again, however, Daichi notices he’s awake and gasps, pointing. Suga turns towards the bed, his eyes widening when he sees Tadashi’s eyes open, and lunges at Tadashi.
“You idiot! What the hell were you thinking?”
Tadashi hisses in pain as his injured body is pulled into one of Suga’s death-grip hugs, and he pushes weakly at his friend’s shoulder. “I was thinking it would be a great day to get assaulted on my way home from work, obviously. I have a final coming up for my chemical engineering class and thought the professor might pass me out of pity if I look like shit.”
Suga laughs, punching Tadashi on the shoulder roughly. “God, shut the hell up. I hate you! Do you know how scary it is having your phone ring at three a.m. and the caller ID is the hospital? I thought I was going to have to tell your parents you died!”
Tadashi smiles weakly at Suga’s warning. “I think the person you would really have to be be worried about telling is Shimada-san. I’m his only good employee, I think he’d have to close shop if I died.”
“You really need to stop joking. Daichi, tell him to quit joking!”
Daichi chuckles warmly at Suga’s indignant whining, putting a hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder to placate him. “Koushi’s right, you know, Yamaguchi. He called me as soon as he got off the phone with the hospital crying. You could have died tonight.”
Tadashi swallows, looking at the two. Now that he’s gotten a good look at Suga, he can see how red his eyes are, and he realizes belatedly that he’s been crying. Daichi looks like a wreck as well, if only somewhat better than Suga. Both are in pajamas, though Tadashi can wager that what Suga is wearing is whatever he could find in his rush to get dressed because they definitely aren’t his pajamas. Tadashi reaches a hand out to grab one of Suga’s.
“I’m sorry. That must have been scary, I shouldn’t be joking.”
“You’re damn right you shouldn’t be,” Suga says, sniffling. He tries to glare at Tadashi but he just starts to cry again. “Even if they are kind of funny.”
Daichi rolls his eyes, but smiles nonetheless. “You lost a lot of blood, so they’re keeping you until tomorrow morning for observation. Suga and I will come get you when they discharge you, alright?”
“Alright.”
“You’re really lucky that someone found you when they did, or you might not be here right now.”
Suga nods as they stand, wiping at his tears. “Yeah. He was such a sweet boy, he even stayed to see if you were alright but he wandered off...I wonder where he- oh! There he is! Tsukishima-san, he’s awake!”
Tadashi’s eyes follow Sugawara’s gaze, and he nearly passes out again when he sees who enters the room.
“Yamaguchi, this is Tsukishima-san. He was on his way home from the library when he ran into you. He said it looked like some sort of animal was mauling you, but it ran away when he ran up to you.”
“He’s a real hero!”
“Ah, I’m not sure about that, Sugawara-san. I’m just glad I could help,” The wolf -Tsukishima- says, coy smile on his face. Tadashi just watches, speechless, as his friends bow to the man who attacked him. He can barely form a coherent thought, let alone a farewell, as Suga and Daichi leave with the promise to pick him up the next day. His eyes follow their retreating forms; pleas to stay, to get security, never leave dry lips. Once they’re totally alone, Tadashi turns his gaze back to the wolf.
His ears and tail are nowhere to be found, and he’s still in his nice clothes, though they’re somewhat stained with blood now. Tadashi almost doesn’t recognize him, but his eyes are undeniably recognizable as they watch Tadashi playfully; a flash of canines as he smiles confirms that it wasn’t a fever dream at all, and the heart monitor he’s hooked up to begins to beep the slightest bit faster, which only manages to make the wolf smile wider.
“I’m glad to see you’re doing alright. I must say, you worried me back there, red.”
Tadashi swallows. “Why are you here?”
“...Though I suppose, I’d ought not draw so much blood next time. I just couldn’t help myself this time- you were so scared, and fear always makes my meals taste better.”
“I- I’m serious, why are you here? To finish me off?”
“Oh, I’m not here to ‘finish you off,’ little red. I’m just here because I want to know you’re alright. Is that so bad?” Tsukishima chuckles. He reaches over and ruffles Tadashi’s hair, winking at him when he pulls away. “I’ll leave you to rest. You’ve had an eventful night.”
Tsukishima wanders over to a countertop on the opposite wall where Tadashi’s personal belongings must have been piled up when he was brought in. He lifts Tadashi’s hoodie up, holding it up to his nose, and Tadashi watches, distressed.
“I think I’ll keep this as a little souvenir. You can get it back from me next time, does that sound alright?”
“N- Next time?”
The light catches on Tsukishima’s glasses as he grins, tilting his head back slightly. “Well of course. I didn’t get to finish my meal.”
Tadashi’s brain reels, but before he can come up with a response Tsukishima is gone and Tadashi is alone in the hospital room.