Archive of Our Own

Gojo Satoru lived in the city, a nice apartment in Ginza that might be a bit too expensive for the space. He was used to the hustle and bustle, the late-night bars, convenience store runs and how his favorite bakeries were all just a subway ride away whenever he got the itch for a really good milk bread or chocolate croissant. So, the small town he’s visiting takes a bit to get used to. It was the type of place where everyone knew each other, and it was always the talk of the town when someone new showed up. Apparently, Satoru was the first new person the townsfolk had seen in years. Made sense, really. This place is basically in the middle of nowhere.

Now, why would Satoru even be there in the first place? He had everything he needed in the city, why come to this small town that was hours outside of Tokyo and had a train that only stopped there twice a day for the kids to go to and from a school that was miles away. It was actually a suggestion from his editor. Satoru was a novelist. A popular one that had penned many bestsellers. He was working on his next book, already highly anticipated and expected to break a pre-order record. He was debuting into a new genre, straying from his typical fantasy storylines, and trying his hand at horror. It was something he’d always wanted to do and now he had a large enough fan base to basically write anything, and it would sell. So, his publisher gave him the go ahead to finally write his horror novel and he was so excited.

Unfortunately, he has the worst case of writer’s block he’s ever experienced. It’s never happened to him before, not like this. Maybe every so often he’d have a day where he just couldn’t type a word. He’d take the time to binge watch an anime he’d put off watching or go out with friends. The next day? Writer’s block cured. This time though, Satoru is going on a month. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. He has one chapter written and really, it was mediocre at best.

Satoru was close to ripping out his hair in frustration at his lack of creativity. Contemplated burning everything he’s ever written. Maybe making a sacrifice to the book gods would alleviate him of his situation. His friends tell him that he’s being dramatic. Of course, they wouldn’t understand. ‘It’s not that big a deal’ they say. ‘Just write something.’ Yes, great advice there. It was easy for them to say. The only person that actually told him anything helpful was his editor, a mousy man by the name of Ijichi. In his typical shaky manner of speaking, Ijichi suggested that Satoru needed a change of scenery. Get away from the city, try a place that was similar to the location in his book. Something immersive to help Satoru get into the feel of what he was trying to convey with his writing.

Satoru immediately had Ijichi find him a house to rent temporarily in some rural town that had the same amount of people as his graduating class In high school. He was desperate at this point; he’d try anything to get him out of his funk. Ijichi sets him up in the town Satoru had never even heard of but that wasn’t surprising. He’d never really been outside of Tokyo besides for book tours and it wasn’t like he was going to places that didn’t were metropolitans.

So, Satoru found himself in Kyoufu at a cozy little cottage in the forest. It didn’t have Wi-Fi, and the cell reception was terrible, but it did have the ambiance. Ijichi, apparently, was right. It helped. Ever since Satoru got to Kyoufu, he’d been writing up a storm. Everything inspired him. The cottage, the forest, the quirky people of the town. The inhabitants of Kyoufu were a bit standoffish but a few of them ended up warming up to Satoru in the end.

The kids that had to take the train to get to school always stopped to talk to him when he was walking around town, those three menaces were the first ones to take an interest in him. Wondering why he was there, where he had come from, what he did for a living. Turned out the one named Megumi was actually a fan, even had one of his books in his backpack and pulled it out to look at the photo of him on the inside cover to make sure he wasn’t lying. The three of them had scrutinized him and then the photo, their eyes widened as they realized there was really no mistaking him for someone else with his looks. From that day they pestered him every time they saw him.

“Write a new chapter today?” Nobara, the only girl of the trio, asks one morning they cross each other’s paths.

“It’s 6am.” Megumi supplies, looking as grumpy as usual. Satoru hadn’t even touched his laptop today. He was going to get some breakfast before he started his day full of writing. He did wake up in the middle of the night with the thought of how to end his book, thankfully he wrote it down on a notepad he has on the bedside table. He’d learned his lesson from all the other times he’s thought ‘I’ll remember that when I wake up.’ Yeah, he never did.

“I thought all writers were weirdos that stayed up all night to write?” Nobara raises an accusatory eyebrow as she twirls a tendril of her newly dyed hair. Satoru ignores the fact that she called him ‘weird.’ Kids are so mean nowadays.

“I’ll start the new chapter today after I get something to eat,” Satoru says, throwing his thumb back towards the diner he typically frequents for breakfast. The lady that owned the diner who told him to call her ‘granny’ always gave him extra pancakes.

“I finished one of your books last night!” Yuji pipes up, grinning brightly. Yuji and Nobara apparently weren’t readers. At least not with books. They’d read manga and the occasional magazine but the only books they’d touched were for school and, even then, they’d depend on Megumi to tell them exactly what they were about. But once Yuji found out that Satoru was an author (on top of that, the one that’s written all of Megumi’s favorite books) he decided he was going to try to read one of Satoru’s books. Satoru was going to suggest one that he considered an easier read, but Megumi had pulled a book out of his bag and shoved it into Yuji’s hands, telling him that he was going to read that one. The kid had taste too, it was probably Satoru’s best work.

“The one I borrowed from Fushiguro-” Yuji nods to the black-haired boy who somehow looked even grumpier than he did moments ago. Even though Megumi was obviously a fan, he sure didn’t act like one. After the three found out Satoru’s identity, he became more standoffish. He barely even spoke to Satoru, letting his two friends take control of the conversations. Yuji said that he was shy. Which turned out to be true when Satoru grabbed a copy of one of his books from the boy and signed it. Megumi looked like his soul had left his body and barely managed a ‘thanks.’ Nobara informed Satoru later that Megumi cried over it.

“It had some words I didn’t understand in it, but I liked how the hero fought the demon lord with all of this friends at the end and won!” Yuji pumps his fist in the air. Nobara presses her hand to her mouth and snorts.

“Wow, you’re so dumb.” Yuji’s head snaps over to her and it looks like a full out brawl was about to start when Megumi butts in.

“We’re gonna be late…” He trails off, looking at his phone. Yuji and Nobara pale at his words and take off towards the train station. If they missed the train, they missed school completely.

“Bye Gojo-san!” Yuji calls, turning around to wave as he runs backwards. He almost trips, causing Megumi and Nobara to laugh at him. Satoru waves after them, watching them go before he heads to the diner for breakfast.

The one person he would say he’s made friends with is the town’s doctor. A woman named Shoko who looked ready to keel over from exhaustion at any point. She was a chain-smoker and a borderline alcoholic but she was fun to talk to. Besides the kids and granny, she was the only person that would actually have a conversation when he arrived. Shoko had regarded him warily the first few times they met but one day, she decided to talk to him.

“Hey.” The rough greeting catches Satoru’s attention who was busy debating on which pack of ramen he wanted to get. Gone were the days of any time convenience store runs, the small grocery store here opened promptly at 7am and closed at 10pm. Satoru learned that he had to actually grocery shop and he was horrible at It. He looks up from his crouched position to see a petite woman looking at him with a bored expression.

“Just move here?” She asks bluntly.

“Uh…” Well, he didn’t necessarily move here but…. He was staying for long enough for it to feel like it. It takes a moment for him to gather all his thoughts to answer.

“Just wondering.” She shrugs before digging her hands in her pockets and pulls out a pack of cigarettes that was half empty.

“Don’t tend to get visitors. You’re probably the first new person I’ve seen in five years.” That was a pretty long time. Kind of odd but Satoru doesn’t mention it. Why would anyone come here? It was just a small, mundane town in the countryside. Taking the train to get here was some kind of puzzle, needing to change lines too many times.

“Well, I’m here while I write my book.” He says, eyeing the way the woman pulls a cigarette out then puts it between her lips.

‘She isn’t going to smoke in here, is she?’ Satoru thinks to himself.

“Book?” Her hands go back into her pocket to produce a lighter.

“Uh, yeah, I’m a writer. I just-” Satoru pauses in surprise as she lights the cigarette between her lips. He almost laughs at the sheer audacity of the situation.

“I just had bad writer’s block. So-” He gestures around. The woman gets his point.

“You ended up here?” She offers.

“Editor thought it was a good idea. Thought it couldn’t hurt.” He shrugs before he fully stands. The woman doesn’t even react to their apparent height different like most people do. Staring up at him in awe. Instead, she looks contemplative… Concerned. It’s really the only time her expression had changed this entire conversation.

“What’s wrong?” He asks. Her brown eyes shift, looking at everything but him.

“Nothing, just…” She trails off, frowning and looking unsure of what she’s about to say.

“Be careful.” Satoru’s eyebrows furrow at her words. What did she mean ‘be careful?’ The only thing he could think off is one of those silly rules that town has. He heard the first one from Yuji. Satoru had told the kid’s that he was staying in the cottage in the forest. The town didn’t have a hotel or inn, didn’t need one, so they were curious where was holed up. When they found out, their expression grew a little too grave for their age and Yuji informed him of the 1st rule.

1. Don’t go off the path in the forest. If you do, you won’t come back.

That one seemed rather mundane to Satoru. Especially coming from a child. Of course, their parents would tell them that. Make up some scary story so they don’t go wandering and get lost. Satoru didn’t really think much of it, he wasn’t the outdoorsy type. He wasn’t planning on traversing off into the forest. So, he felt perfectly fine pinkie promising Yuji that he wouldn’t break that rule.

This woman was an adult though, shouldn’t be scared of some old wives tale. But, maybe she was just told it so much as a kid it stuck with her into adulthood. No matter, Satoru agrees with a soft ‘sure’ to placate her. Seems to do the trick when she relaxes. She takes in a inhale-exhale of smoke then says:

“Well, the name’s Shoko.” She doesn’t move to shake his hand so Satoru doesn’t offer.

“Let’s get a drink sometime. The bar here is good.” Well, Satoru didn’t drink but he’d go out with his friends in the city to bars all the time. One of the best places to pick a hot guy for a one night stand. The bar here probably wasn’t the same but, he’d always try something once. Plus, Shoko seemed interesting.

“Yeah, I’ll take you up on that!” Thus started his friendship with Shoko. They didn’t get to hang out often since Satoru trying to focus on his book and Shoko’s practice but when they did hang out it was always a good time. Satoru didn’t get to contact his friends much anymore with the lack of Wi-Fi and shitty reception, so it was nice to talk to someone that wasn’t a kid or someone that was serving him food.

Everyone in town slowly became characters in Satoru’s new book, based off of their likeness and personality. He was happy with his work; the world he was building was coming alive. He even incorporated some of the ‘rules’ the people of this town have. They were silly, really. Just a bunch of folklore, tall tales to tell the children to make sure they came inside when it was dark. Something to keep tourists interested… Well, if Kyoufu had tourists that it. Sure, he kept his promises to ‘stay on the path’ and ‘be careful’ but that didn’t mean he believed any of these rules. That it, until he came face to face with one.

Satoru learns the second rule when he encounters it. He was in the diner for breakfast like usual. After he ordered, a stack of pancakes with a side of bacon, and granny had gone to the back to put it in with the cook he cracks open the book he’d been reading recently in his down time. The bell on the door to the diner tings. He doesn’t look up from his book, paying whoever entered no mind. He only looks up when someone slides into the seat opposite him. He’d already seen the kids off to their train for school and Shoko never woke up before her ‘5 minutes till work’ alarm. So, it was curious that someone would join him at the table.

It’s a woman dressed in a khaki trench coat that looked worse for wear. It was stained and frayed at the edges. Her long hair, black as pitch, obscured most of her face that reminded him too much of that girl from that movie The Ring. The rest of her face was covered by a surgical mask she wore. His eyes trailed down to her hands, they were completely bandaged aside from her long razor-sharp nails that protruded out like a talon of a bird. Her dingy clothing aside, she gave off an ominous feeling that had Satoru’s heart beating faster in his chest.

“May I ask you a question?” The woman in trench coat asks, voice high pitched in shriek that hurts Satoru’s ears. He grips the book in his hand tighter, crinkling the page with his thumb, to keep himself from running. His gut told him he needed to stay even though sirens were blaring in his head that this woman was dangerous and he needed to get away. He knew, deep down, that was a bad idea.

“U-uh…” He swallows down the dread the rises up in his throat.

“Yes.” The woman makes a happy noise, practically wailing and sounding far too delighted for such a simple answer. She digs her nails into the table, dragging them towards her with a screech and leaving behind grooves in the table like the wood was being filed away. Satoru cringes at the sound.

“Do you think I’m pretty?” She leans towards him as she asks. Her head tilts like an owl, almost in a way that looks like it’s broken. Her dark hair falls to the side revealing a gouged out eye, gnarled flesh dripping with blood down the side of her face. Satoru jerks back as he sees her smile, inhumanly wide underneath her mask.

“Satoru, dearie,” granny calls him. He’s afraid to look away from the monster in front of him. Too worried about what she might do if he takes his eyes off of her.

“You should answer the lovely girl.” There’s an edge to granny’s voice, a warning of some kind. Something she was trying to convey but she couldn’t completely say. Satoru watches, eyes wide, as the creature in front of him leans in closer and goes with his intuition.

“O-oh. Right. Yes, I do.” The answer causes the woman to let out a delighted shrill. Her bandaged hands go up to claw her face as she giggles manically.

“You think I’m pretty!” Just for good measure, Satoru murmurs out a stuttered ‘yeah.’ The woman pulls down her mask to reveal her face. Her mouth is a gaping maw, slit from ear to ear as layers of pointed teeth gnash together as she laughs.

“I’m so happy!” She squeals as she stands. The woman makes her way to the door, giggling and smiling the entire way. The bell tings again when she opens the door and slinks outside. Satoru doesn’t even peek outside the window to see where she goes. If anything, he hoped he would never see… Whatever that thing was ever again. He was starting to think that maybe that first rule Yuji told him wasn’t just something meaningless parents tell their children so they don’t wander off into the forest to get lost.

“Wh-what… What the fuck-” He breathes out, clutching his shirt with shaking hands. His book sits discarded off to the side. Granny sets a plate of steaming hot pancakes in front of him. He looks up at her with wide eyes, expression terrified. With a heavy sigh, she tells them the 2nd rule.

2. If you meet a woman with long black hair and a mask over her face, she will ask you a question. Whatever it is, always reply with ‘yes.’

Satoru asks granny what would happen if they didn’t. She merely gave him a grim smile and patted his shoulder.

“Eat your pancakes, dear.” She goes into the back to grab his bacon and some syrup, when she comes back he doesn’t ask again. Maybe it was best for him to not know more. It doesn’t help his imagination from running wild with what kind of horrors could happen for telling that woman with the mask ‘no.’

Shoko is the one that almost tells him the 3rd rule, except she’s too drunk when she asks him, “has anyone come to your house?” He shakes his head, looking amused as she almost falls off the barstool she’s on. She never tells him why she asks because she passes out right after and he drags her to her house and dumps her off to her irritated roommate. He never thinks to ask her about it either, she tended to ramble when she was drunk. Sometimes it was so funny that he would tease her about it later.

After making sure Shoko go home safe, Satoru headed to the cottage. It was already late and the only place that stayed open later than 10pm was the bar and even it closed in about a half an hour. Even if he went back, there wasn’t anything to do there besides drink. So, Satoru makes the journey to the place he’s been calling home.

To say that the forest is creepy at night is an understatement. It’s too quiet, only the rustling of leaves from the light breeze. Satoru thought that there were cicadas in the country but he’s never heard the chitter of one here. It was also pitch black, the only light coming from the flashlight on Satoru’s phone. He should have asked to crash at Shoko’s instead of trekking it back to the cottage. He had the thought of it when he helped Shoko into her bed but her roommate is kind of mean so Satoru didn’t ask.

Really, he was scared to run into that frightening woman from the diner once more. She was frightening enough in the daylight, he couldn’t even imagine coming across her in the darkness of the ominous forest. The only thing that helped mollify his apprehension was that he knew that if he answers ‘yes’ to whatever she asks, she’ll go away.

“A little late for a stroll.” The voice has Satoru jumping, he almost fumbles his phone to the ground but he catches it before it fully slips through his fingers. He spins around to where the voice came from, holding the flashlight up like it would protect him. Maybe he should invest in pepper spray or a knife. Though, he isn’t sure how useful it would be against whatever monsters could possibly lurk in the woods.

A man stands just off the path, the first thing Satoru notes is that he’s handsome. One of the most attractive people Satoru had ever seen, his dark hair is swept up into a bun and his deep brown eyes that almost looked red, glowed a little bit from reflecting the light from Satoru’s phone. This strange man’s expression was kind, features soft with a pleasant smile. Satoru felt a little bit a relief that it wasn’t that woman again.

“Sorry,” the man chuckles good-naturedly.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” Even though Satoru was a grown man, meeting someone else in the forest in the dead of night was off putting. He takes a step back from the man cautiously, ready to move at a moments notice. Whether it be he needed to run or put those martial arts skills he learned as a child to good use. It didn’t matter how hot this guy was, anyone could be a serial killer. Wasn’t that Ted Bundy guy supposed to be charismatic or something?

“What the hell are you doing out here in the dark?” Satoru asks, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“I could say the same for you,” he counters, looking amused. Well, he has Satoru there. They were both walking alone in the woods at night.

“I live nearby.” The man vaguely gestures to his side. Ijichi did say there were a few other houses around in the woods but mostly everyone lived in town. So, this guy was one of Satoru’s distant neighbors.

“I like to take a walk at night. I haven’t seen you around before.” Weighing the situation, Satoru was the one seeming more suspicious of the two. He was just some new person that was staying here temporarily. Must have seemed weird to someone that’s probably lived here all of his life. Now he was starting to feel bad for thinking this guy was some lurking mass murdered wanting to wear his skin as a suit or something equally as psychotic.

“Oh, uh, I’m staying in the cottage down the way.” He says it without thinking. Maybe he shouldn’t give away that information. But, really, it’s not like it wasn’t hard to find out. Everyone here seemed to know where Satoru was staying before he did when he first got to Kyoufu.

“I know the place,” the man says, looking over in its direction. He glances back over and gives Satoru such a beautiful smile that it makes his knees weak.

“Well, I should be on my way. Nice meeting you.” The man gives a small bow that Satoru automatically returns.

“Be careful on your way home.” He turns his heel and starts to walk off. For some reason, Satoru can’t just let him go without asking…

“Hey! What’s your name?” The guy stops, turning to look over his shoulder. His gaze looks soft and Satoru gets the urge to run his hand down the side of this stranger’s face.

“Suguru,” is the answer. Suguru. Satoru tries it on his tongue. He smiles after, a boyish and toothy grin that made him look years younger.

“I’ll see you around then, Suguru.” He means it, Satoru hopes he gets to see a lot more of Suguru. Maybe this was one of those chance meetings driven by fate. Maybe Satoru had some sort of future with Suguru. The other man chuckles.

“Yes, I hope so too, Satoru.” With a wave Suguru walks off into the woods. Satoru watches him go for a moment before heading back to the cottage. As he readies himself for bed, he hopes for the possibility of crossing paths with Suguru again, not even realizing that he never actually gave his name to the other man.

Satoru gets his wish, after that initial meeting he and Suguru are constantly running into each other. Every day that Satoru leaves the cozy confines of the cottage, he always happens upon Suguru in the woods. He doesn’t think much of it. He probably passed by him several times without noticing him but now that Satoru is looking out for Suguru, he’s popping up more often. It was always at different times of day, on Satoru’s way to get breakfast or on his walk home after, sometimes at night after hanging out with Shoko. Satoru’s tried to invite him to breakfast once but Suguru declined.

“The lady that owns it doesn’t like me much,” he had said sheepishly. Sweet old granny not liking charming Suguru? Satoru couldn’t believe it.

“Well, I hate to tell you something that will make me look bad but I was mean to her daughter and now she really doesn’t like me.” So, a personal grudge. Satoru guess it made sense, he knew that granny’s daughter had passed away years ago. She never said how but when she talked about it, she looked so angry. Well, he can’t hold it against Suguru. It’s not his fault granny’s daughter died. People also make mistakes, Satoru had been plenty mean in his life time to people.

Suguru mentions that he doesn’t go into town much, never really got along with the people there. Aside from Shoko, granny and the kids Satoru would agree. He didn’t get along with anyone else either. The people of the town were definitely still wary of him but that was quite common in such rural areas.

Satoru’s meetings with Suguru consist of walks through the path in the woods. They talk about this or that, Satoru can’t help but want to tell him everything. Suguru is a great listener, always willing to lend an ear and Satoru was a natural born yapper. Always having something to say, a comment, an opinion. Besides listening to Satoru’s constant chatter, Suguru’s even given him some great ideas for his book. Describing creatures that go bump in the night in vividly terrifying detail that went well with the storyline Satoru was creating.

One that stood out in particular was a wendigo. Suguru explained that depending on the location, the lore of the Wendigo could differ but typically they were often described as a malevolent spirit, sometimes depicted as a creature with human-like characteristics or who may possess human beings. It is said to cause its victims a feeling of insatiable hunger, the desire to eat other humans, and the propensity to commit murder. In some representations, the wendigo is described as a giant humanoid with a heart of ice, whose approach is signaled by a foul stench or sudden unseasonable chill.

The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation; its desiccated skin pulled tightly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash-gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody … Unclean and suffering from suppuration of the flesh, the Wendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption. Suguru said that they could even retain human’s powers of cognition or speech. Being able to clearly communicate with its prospective victims or even threaten or taunt them. Satoru thought they were particularly terrifying, even going so far as to ask Suguru if they were real.

“Real?” Suguru had said, chuckling a bit. Satoru looks a little embarrassed about asking but really, with that slit-faced woman wondering around he knew that anything was possible.

“No, they aren’t real, Satoru.” Suguru said softly, he reached over to run his knuckles down the side of the other man’s face. It was such a gentle touch, and it made Satoru want to lean into it. Really, Satoru knew he was touch starved. He couldn’t remember the last one night stand he had and none of his friends were particularly touchy. Suguru though… Suguru always seemed to have a hand on him. Finding some way to touch Satoru in a casual way and he couldn’t help but relish in it. They had only just met but, Satoru couldn’t help but feel connected to Suguru. Maybe it was just wishful thinking of someone with a developing crush.

One day Suguru even tells him about a rule. Suguru was walking Satoru home from his breakfast at the diner, they’ve gotten a little routine going now and Suguru meets him by this little creek a little way into the woods. They happen upon a coin. It’s gold and weathered, it had strange markings and plenty of scrapes and dents. It didn’t look like a currency that Satoru had ever seen. Ever curious, Satoru went to pick it up, but Suguru stops him as soon as he bends down to pick it up.

“Don’t touch it.” Suguru warns. Satoru gives him a questioning look but takes a step away from the coin, nonetheless.

“You won’t like where you’ll go if you do.” Like granny, Suguru doesn’t elaborate much, and Satoru doesn’t ask, the foreboding words were enough to have Satoru stepping even further away from the coin. This was rule number 4.

4. If you see a coin on the ground, do not pick it up.

Satoru’s crush seems blatantly obvious, at least to him. He’s constantly asking more about Suguru, wanting to know every little thing about him and inching closer to Suguru every chance he gets. He knocks their hands together in a desperate attempt to get Suguru to hold it. Eventually Satoru is the one that locks their fingers together, Suguru lets him but beyond that he just walks next to Satoru, toeing the path that leads through the forest but never fully crossing into it. Suguru indulges him for the most part, letting him do whatever he wants but never the one to initiate anything more intimate. Suguru will touch him, sure, but it was a caress of his cheek or a hand on his shoulder. It has Satoru yearning for it. Satoru was starting to get dejected, thinking that no matter how sweet Suguru was to him, he didn’t feel the same way.

A person would want to touch someone they liked… More than Suguru does already. Suguru should want him if he liked him. Satoru did. So much so. More than anything he’s ever been with. Satoru was beginning to think it was a lost cause and retreated back from his more romantic touching. He wasn’t going to force Suguru into something he didn’t want. Satoru could take a hint.

Except one day, Suguru was walking Satoru home and right at the intersection of the main path and the one that deviated to his cottage. Instead of saying their typical goodbye, Suguru stops him with a hand on his wrist. He pulls Satoru close to him but not fully off of the path and leans in close.

“May I kiss you Satoru?” he asks softly, breath caressing Satoru’s lips because of their proximity. Suguru’s hand trails up Satoru’s side, moving to splay his hand on the other man’s lower back. Satoru nods, feeling lightheaded and giddy at the fact Suguru wanted to kiss him. Then, Suguru leans forward, and the kiss is like magic. It feels so good and Suguru feels so warm, almost like he was on fire on the inside. Satoru’s never been high before, but kissing Suguru felt like it could be a similar feeling.

From then on, Suguru always kisses him goodbye. It’s Satoru’s favorite part of their walks. It never goes further than that though and it leaves Satoru always wanting more. More, more, more of Suguru. One day, his visceral need for Suguru has him tugging the other man towards his cottage during their kiss. Suguru stops him, holding him in a tight grip at his hips.

“Suguru, please-” He’s whining, begging the black-haired man.

“I need you.” Satoru makes sure to drop his voice low and sultry, promising Suguru imaginable pleasure in his tone. Suguru merely pecks him on the nose and gives him a small smile.

“Not today, darling.” Suguru says before pressing one last kiss to Satoru’s lips then heading off back towards where he said he lives. Satoru watches him go with a frown, upset at being rejected. He’s irritated the rest of the evening and can’t write a single word.

When the sun starts to set, Satoru hears a knock on his door. He’s never had a visitor before, but he thinks maybe it’s Shoko or one of the kids. When he opens it, Suguru is there. The other man smiles at him and Satoru can’t help but reciprocate.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you…” Suguru starts, pretty eyes that looked almost blood red in this lighting catching Satoru’s lovely blue. Satoru loved Suguru’s eyes, they were such a deep color and looked unrealistic at times. People had said the same about Satoru’s eyes. Far too blue to be real, people always thinking they were contacts when they weren’t.

“May I come in?” Satoru nods. Suguru tilts his head, smiling even more warmly at him, like he was staring at something precious. It has Satoru’s heart skipping a beat.

“Use your words, love.” Satoru doesn’t even think before he’s breathing out a ‘yes.’ He swings the door open for Suguru and the other man steps inside, eying Satoru with hunger.

“I didn’t think you wanted me…” Satoru murmurs as Suguru practically glides towards him, pressing against his body as large hands traveling up his back and sides like Suguru was trying to feel him everywhere.

“Nonsense. You are the most perfect human I have ever met,” Suguru whispers hotly in his ear, the vibration from his voice causing Satoru to shiver. It’s an odd thing to say but Satoru is distracted by Suguru’s hands trailing back down to grip his ass, using the leverage to push Satoru’s into the hardness of his cock. A pathetic whimper slips from Satoru’s lips.

“Do you feel how I want you? How I need?” Suguru ruts up after each question, making it apparent that the bulge in his pants was how Satoru was affecting him. Satoru nods, hands gripping Suguru’s shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin.

“Say it.” Suguru growls into Satoru ear, it’s a deep and guttural… Almost like an animal.

“I feel it.” Satoru gets thrown onto his bed and Suguru climbs on top of him, sliding between his parted thighs like he belonged there. In the haze of pleasure, Satoru thinks that maybe he does. Suguru makes quick work of taking off Satoru’s pants and soon they are laying in a pile on the floor, his underwear following right after. Suguru spreads Satoru’s legs even further, dipping down between them, licking his lips on the way. Satoru’s dick twitches at the motion of Suguru’s tongue running across the seam of his lips.

“I bet you’re delicious,” Suguru murmurs before moving in to lick a stripe down Satoru’s perineum to his hole. He whines at the sensation, thighs flexing under Suguru’s strong grip.

“Oh,” Suguru hums melodically.

“You are.” Suguru attaches his mouth to Satoru’s balls, sucking at it before dragging his teeth to nip at the sensitive skin. Satoru makes a soft noise, dick spurting a bit of precum at the sensation. Slowly, Suguru makes his way down to Satoru’s hole again. He laps at the puckered flesh with his tongue, lapping at it lazily and licking in circles. Satoru feels the need to clamp his thigh close but Suguru keeps them open with a strong grip.

He fucks his tongue inside, shallow and not enough to push all the way inside. It was like Suguru was teasing him. Satoru pushes down on Suguru’s tongue, trying to get it further inside him. It has the black-haired man chuckling, the vibrations of it causes Satoru to cry out in pleasure.

Satoru tries to catch his breath, panting from Suguru’s expert work in his hole, but the other man doesn’t give him a second. He finds Suguru’s thick fingers in front of his mouth with an order for him to suck. He takes them in, methodically running his tongue over the digits, coating with them with so much saliva it dribbles out of the side of his mouth.

Suguru takes the fingers out, after they are thoroughly coated. He gives Satoru rim one last lick before pulling back to spit on it, then pushes his two fingers inside of Satoru’s pliant body. They go in knuckle deep before Suguru spreads them, repeating this motion over and over again as he works Satoru open.

Soon, Suguru adds a third finger after he spits once again to keep his fingers wet. As he presses his fingers inside, it’s tighter and Satoru can finally feel the stretch. Suguru fucks him painstakingly slow, crooking his fingers in a ‘come hither’ motion when he pushes his fingers fully inside Satoru’s hole.

“Hmm, you feel softer now…” Suguru comments, it’s a mere murmur and Satoru’s brain barely recognizes that the other man even said anything. He’s only more alert with Suguru finally pulls his fingers out, leaving Satoru to clench around nothing. He whines at the emptiness and Suguru hushes him with a kiss.

“Quiet, you’ll get something even better soon.” Satoru’s breath catches in his throat at the promise. He was going to get Suguru’s cock. The black-haired man sits up to unzip his pants. Satoru watches in rapt fascination as the zipper goes down and Suguru pulls out his rock hard cock. It’s huge, monstrous in size and Satoru knows he’s never taken one quite that big.

He gulps, eyeing the thick, veins cock that sits heavy in Suguru’s hand. That was going to go inside him, split him open and carve into him. He clutches at the sheets below him, excitement pooling in the of his stomach. Suguru keeps his eyes set on Satoru as he spits into his hand then moves to coat his dick before he lines up to Satoru’s hole.

“W-wait- Lube.” Satoru stutters out, gesturing to his bedside table. It was in the drawer; he brought some along with a dildo knowing that he’d get a little too pent up out here in the middle of nowhere. Suguru looks at him straight in the eyes, the color maroon brightening with lust. There’s a sharpness to his smile.

“You can take it Satoru, I know you can.” Satoru feels the bulbous head of Suguru’s cock prod against his rim, pushing in just slightly but not fully breaching.

“We’re not using that disgusting substance between us.” Suguru pushes inside a little more, just enough to where Satoru’s hole stretches to the widest part of Suguru’s cockhead. Satoru moans at the feeling, pushing himself further onto the dick lined at his hole.

“Unless you don’t want to…” Suguru trails off, moving back so the cockhead pops out fully. His grip goes lax on Satoru’s thigh like he was going to pull away completely. Satoru scrambles, not wanting Suguru to stop. If Suguru thought he could, then he could take it with just spit. They didn’t need lube.

“No! I do- Okay… Just… Enter slowly.” He looks up at Suguru through his lashes, hoping that Suguru hadn’t changed his mind. Suguru’s hand goes back to Satoru’s thigh, spreading him open again as his other hand goes to his cock. He lines it up to Satoru’s hole but doesn’t push in.

“Of course, my darling.” Suguru says it a little taunting and Satoru thinks that maybe he won’t… Maybe he’ll push all the way in and force Satoru to take in entire length and girth all in one go. He doesn’t though, Suguru is true to his word, inching in nice and slowly, pushing in to stretch Satoru’s walls to his exact shape.

It was such a wonderful feeling, the pain from the burn of the thickness of Suguru’s cock. The spit barely helping the glide inside, there was still so much resistance as Satoru takes Suguru inside of him. When Suguru fully sheaths his cock, hips pressing against the plushness of Satoru’s ass, the man below him lets out a long, drawn-out whine.

“There, see. I told you that you could take it.” Suguru murmurs to him, staring down at where they were connected. Satoru nods, a little delirious from the pleasure. He felt so full, like Suguru’s dick was all the way inside his stomach. The black-haired man doesn’t say a word as he pulls out and slams back inside, causing Satoru to rock into the headboard of the bed. It punches the air out of him, the burn of Suguru’s cock inside of him without any lube causing too much friction.

“You feel so good, I knew you would.” Suguru whispers praise as he ruts into Satoru, driving his cock inside the tight walls, every so often moving his hips to fuck into Satoru at a different angle. Satoru’s cock bounces with each thrust, leaking precum all over his stomach and making it a complete mess.

“So tight…” Satoru eyes roll back when Suguru gives a particularly strong thrust that felt like it went even deeper inside of him.

“Clench around me Satoru.” Suguru orders. Satoru immediately obeys, constricting the muscles of his rim when Suguru’s drags his cock out and slams back inside. It directly hits Satoru’s prostate, and it has him throwing his head back with a moan. Suguru smiles down at him, a little too wide to not be unsettling. It puts Satoru a little bit on edge as Suguru drives into him harder, hips erratically undulating at a brutal pace.

“Su-suguru,” Satoru keens at a particularly hard thrust. Suguru kisses him quiet, swallowing the little noises as he continues his assault on Satoru’s prostate. When Suguru pulls back, he’s smiling again… Even wider this time and for some reason… His teeth looked sharper… Like his mouth was full of all canines.

“May I come inside Satoru?” Suguru asks, voice deep and almost like a growl. Satoru’s heart speeds up, so rapid in his chest it felt like he was going to burst out of it at any moment. That’s when he gets the feeling again… Like he did with that woman in the diner. The fear consuming hm as his body shaking. He was in danger. He tries to move away, pulling his hips back but Suguru grabs his thighs in a bruising grip and drags Satoru further onto his cock again. Suguru presses inside of him harshly, the head of his cock brushing the sweet bundle of nerves inside of Satoru once again causing the white-haired man to whimper. Suguru tuts at him, sweet and soft like he was consoling him.

“Don’t run away, darling.” Suguru leans in close, hovering over Satoru like a predator would its prey. His eyes are glowing, crimson in color, like fresh blood puddled on the floor that threatened to drown Satoru in their gaze. Satoru can feel his body tremble as Suguru dips in, licking a stripe up the collum of his neck before stopping to nibble at Satoru’s earlobe. When Suguru’s sharp teeth break skin, Satoru whines as his eyes prick with tears. Another growl rumbles into Satoru’s ear, this one sounded downright demonic. Suguru slides out and back in once more, then something hot floods in Satoru’s inside… Something akin to fire being injected deep inside of him, consuming him completely. He felt like he was burning from the inside.

Even though it’s obvious that Suguru was the one doing this to him, Satoru clings him, terrified out of his mind and in so much pain. Tears spill from his eyes as he looks up Suguru, who was smiling once again, this time it’s all teeth and eyes are unnaturally bright and red. He shushes him, wiping the tears that stream down Satoru’s cheeks.

“It’s alright, darling… Do not worry.” Suguru continues to pet him, kissing his tears and running sharp nails through his snow white hair. Satoru feels his heart seize, stopping so sudden and pain blossoms from it. Like someone had stabbed him with a knife and twisted. Satoru struggles as he tries to take a breath and his vision blurs. The last thing he sees is Suguru leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips. Satoru gasps into his mouth as he continues to choke.

“We are going to be together forever,” is whispered into his ear as everything goes dark.

--

“Yes, yes-”

“I kn-know!”

“Yes, sir. I’ll bring him back.” Ijichi is met with a dial tone and locks his phone with a sigh. He was surprised the call was even able to go through with how terrible the cell service was out here in Kyoufu but he wouldn’t even have to be here if Satoru answered his phone one of the hundreds of times he’s called.

With a flare of courage he knows will extinguish quite quickly, he vows to give Satoru a piece of his mind for dropping off the face of the earth. His manuscript was due, and the publisher was getting angsty about wanting progress. Satoru hadn’t answered his phone in a week no matter who called. So, Ijichi was sent to go fetch their runaway author.

He gets a few confused stares from the townsfolk as he passes by to make his way to the cottage. Some of them whisper behind their hands to each other but Ijichi doesn’t pay them any mind. People who lived in a small town were like that.

He arrives at the door to the cottage in a short amount of time, he’s debating on knocking or just using the spare key he has to let himself in when the door opens. A handsome man greets him with a smile. Ijichi blinks at him.

“Uh… Is Satoru here?” He asks. Maybe Satoru has a friend over? Or he’s shacked up with this guy. Seems a bit out of character, Satoru slept around but it was never anything long term. He definitely never had a boyfriend live with him.

“He’s inside. Want to come in?” The man tilts his head to the side, leaning down a little to be more at Ijichi’s height. It was a little unnerving, but Ijichi was kind of a coward so… He scared easily.

“Ah, please.” The man moves out of the way and Ijichi walks inside, eyes scanning the living room for Satoru. Maybe he’d give the white-haired man a piece of his mind after all. He had a manuscript due, and he was just… Hanging out with this guy?

“Suguru.” Ijichi turns back to the man who gives him placating smile.

“Huh?” He asks. The man’s smile ticks at the corner, seemingly irritated.

“My name. Suguru.” He reiterates. Ijichi cringes at himself but decides to get down to business. Where the hell is Satoru?

“Oh, Suguru-san, where is-” Ijichi jumps, feeling the presence before he hears him.

“Ijichi~” His name is singsonged into his ear. Ijichi pulls away quickly, backing away as he turns around. He grabs the back of his neck, feeling all the hairs stand on end. Satoru stands before him, grinning with full teeth.

“Satoru, there you are…” He trails off. Satoru seemed… Off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He seemed paler, eyes brighter, like he had some sort of ethereal glow about him. The blue of his eyes were already odd but this just seemed even more unnatural than usual.

“Um, what’s wrong?” Ijichi asks. Satoru’s head tilts to the side childishly. Now, Satoru could act like a brat at times, but this was a little strange. The innocence of his demeanor, like he was seeing everything brand new for the first time was making Ijichi feel uncomfortable.

“What do you mean?” Satoru’s smile widens, unnervingly so.

“You just… You look different.” He offers, not sure how else to put it. How do you tell someone they looked off? Not like themselves. Like the kind of ‘case of the body snatchers’ type of thing. Ijichi didn’t believe in aliens or ghosts or monsters anymore, as a kid he was obsessed with UFOs and, yeah, like any other child he was afraid of the monster under his bed.

“Do I?” Satoru looks contemplative, head tilting back and forth like he really couldn’t understand what Ijichi meant. Suguru, who seemed like he freaking teleported, is right at Satoru’s side in an instant, wrapping an arm around the white-haired man’s waist.

“I think he looks perfect.” Suguru purrs, nosing into Satoru’s hair and making the other man giggle. Ijichi averts his eyes at the blatant display of affection.

“Ri-right. So, um, about that manuscript-” Satoru cuts him off with a whine.

“Suguru.” Ijichi can’t help himself, but he looks back at the two, feeling a strange sense that he needed to run. Satoru peppers kisses to Suguru’s cheek. The black-haired man turns his face to catch one with his lips. Satoru moans loudly into the other man’s mouth.

“Yes, my love,” he says after he pulls back. Satoru nuzzles into him like a cat before turning an eerie look to Ijichi.

“When do we get to eat him?” Satoru smiles again but this time his teeth are razor sharp and his eyes glow even more. Ijichi stumbles back, heart pounding in his chest and his mind screams at him. Run. Run. RUN!

“Patience, Satoru, patience.” Suguru says, causing the other man to pout. Ijichi almost trips over himself as he turns to run as quick as his legs can take him.

“Oh. He’s running.” Satoru laughs, manically. The thought of Ijichi’s attempt to save his life, to possibly get away ridiculously humorous. Ijichi makes it to the door, his hands slip at the doorknob, sweaty from his frayed nerves. He just needed to get out… He just needed to get away… He could scream and call for help outside…

“He is. How cute.” There’s an animalistic growl after Suguru’s deadpan words and Ijichi feels claws dig into his back… He doesn’t even get the chance to scream.

A few weeks later Ijichi’s body turns up, or at least what’s left of it. Pieces of mangled and bloodied flesh and fragments of bone lay on the edge of the forest. Satoru is officially declared missing, but the local police don’t dare to search the woods for him. The people of Kyoufu make another rule.

5. Do not go inside the cottage in the woods and disturb the creatures that reside there.