Work Text:
The eve of each full moon, Katsuki follows his usual routine.
He brews a kettle of hot water over an open flame to boiling. The kettle is, of course, crafted out of dented bronze, because neither he nor Shouto are looking to burn themselves touching any damn silver. Katsuki is the only one preparing tea as of late, though. He had learned from the best, observing Shouto’s masterful perfection of the art every day throughout their years together, and after Katsuki tosses a handful of chamomile petals and dried nettles into the bubbling water, he leaves it to steep and proceeds through the rest of his monthly ritual.
Katsuki steps out into the main hall of the small, abandoned church he’s learned to call home. Isn’t a place of worship the last spot people would look to find a vampire? Shouto had explained after bringing Katsuki here upon their agreement to live with and work together, and the irony wasn’t worth commenting on.
Gentle moonlight filters through the cracked, stained glass windows, the piano at the front of the room looks lonely without anyone perched upon its seat, and the crumbling wooden beams that once supported the roof lay strewn about atop the broken pews. A soft melody plays from an old record player installed at the corner of the room which Katsuki turned on earlier in the evening, keeping him calm as he shoves his hands into the pockets of his oversized jacket and strides over to the centerpiece of the room – an ornate coffin wrapped in delicate tendrils of ivy with withering flower blossoms spilling from its brim. They’ve been here too long and shriveled away, but that’s what happens when Katsuki can only venture out far enough to replace them once a month on this special night that those damn humans are too scared to exit their homes, lest they face a werewolf’s full strength. Katsuki squats beside the coffin and gets to work plucking the dying foliage away, both the brittle leaves sprouting from the earth between the splintered floorboards and the wilting blooms framing Shouto’s face as he lies within.
It’s been ninety-four days since Shouto fell into his recuperative slumber, nestled in the coffin with his hands neatly folded over his fragile heart nearly pierced through by a stake. Apparently it will take longer for him to recover than usual since he’s merely half-vampire, half-human, but Katsuki will wait as long as it takes for him to wake up. Katsuki would wait here until the day he dies, himself, for a chance to catch Shouto’s eyes fluttering open – to be met with his calm smile once more. Though Katsuki doesn’t want to disturb him, he can’t help but to cup a palm to Shouto’s cheek, brushing away a stray petal as he tenderly traces his thumb across Shouto’s cold skin. The icy chill is nothing new yet strangely comforting in its own right, leaving Katsuki yearning for the days in which he could lose himself entirely in the dizzying sensation of Shouto’s body pressed flush against his, but it’s no time to get distracted.
Katsuki removes the drooping bouquet of casa blanca lilies he had slipped into Shouto’s hands beneath the light of the previous full moon and tosses it to the dirt. He fishes out any last remnants of the flowers he had adorned Shouto’s coffin with last month and sweeps aside any misplaced strands of Shouto’s soft hair from his forehead with a knuckle. His heart aches as he runs to fetch a cup of tea from the pot he had brewed and carefully sets it down beside the coffin, just in case somehow, miraculously, Shouto wakes up while he’s not here and would like to partake in some comfort before Katsuki is back to provide it, himself.
“Be right back,” Katsuki murmurs, slipping effortless into the safety of his wolf form before taking off outside. This time, he’ll find even more beautiful flowers for Shouto, and make it back before sunrise, to boot.
---
“Join you? And work together?!”
Shouto nodded at Katsuki’s outburst, his eyes glistening in the moonlight so innocently as if he did not have grotesque, crimson blood smeared across his lips after having sucked dry the elk that Katsuki killed for dinner. Katsuki had seen the animal first, of course, but he just had to run into Shouto while on the hunt, again, for the third fucking time this week. It was like a sick joke at this point, bumping into the damn vampire every time he tried to find a bite to eat in the safety of the pitch black night, but having Shouto around was admittedly helpful in taking down large animals. Though it pained Katsuki to admit it, the bastard was as fast as him, as strong as him, as smart as him. There was no real issue in letting Shouto suck the blood from his prey after they captured it, since all Katsuki was ultimately interested in was stuffing his face with the raw meat. Since they had accidentally been doing it for years by now, maybe making this whole working together thing official wouldn’t be so bad, but there was no way that Katsuki’s pride was going to let him accept immediately without any protest.
“Hell no!” Katsuki exclaimed, crouching down to rip the elk’s hide apart with his claws. “What would I even have to gain from that? I can hunt perfectly fine on my own. Having your ass around would just hold me back.”
“Oh?” Shouto hummed knowingly, doubtfully, licking the blood from his lips, and Katsuki hated how the suggestive gesture caught his eye, pissing him off and leaving him tearing into the elk with twice the vigor. He wouldn’t have minded messing up Shouto and his pretty face, instead, to shut him up – fisting his hands into Shouto’s impeccably groomed hair, nipping at Shouto’s cheeky little lips to make them bleed, tackling Shouto to the ground like his new prey of the night and clawing off his clothes, claiming every inch of his vulnerable body and drowning in his sweet moans–
“But I’m the one who landed the killing blow on that elk tonight,” Shouto interrupted without anyone even having asked for the worthless clarification, and Katsuki shot him a glare, his ear twitching as he buried his sharp nails deeper into the elk’s hide.
“Huh?! You only caught it ‘cause I tired it out first!”
“You tired it out? I’d say it tired you out, since the one who lost his breath and almost let it get away was–”
Katsuki screamed, not wanting to hear another word out of that stupid, good-looking asshole who possessed such an unjust ability to leave him feeling both so frustratingly angry and horny. “Shut up! Of course I wasn’t at the top of my game ‘cause I hadn’t fucking eaten yet. That’s the whole point of why I was trying to catch some dinner in the first place!”
“…Right,” Shouto agreed, the deadpan tone only pissing Katsuki off even more. Katsuki sank his teeth into the elk meat, shaking his head violently from side to side to strip it from the bones. He unleashed a feral growl in the midst of his monstrous fit, splattering an utter mess all over himself and his surroundings, but when he looked back up with an unsightly chunk of flesh and guts clenched between his pointed canine teeth, he was startled to see Shouto crouched down directly across from him on the other side of the carcass, motionless with his gloved hand daintily cupped to his cheek, so prim and proper and infuriatingly perfect as he watched Katsuki eat. He observed the morbid sight without a hint of contempt in his starry eyes – only a childlike fascination and wonder, unbefitting of a being who had lived over a thousand years, yet endearing in its own right. Katsuki gulped down the hunk of raw meat, which slipped effortlessly down his throat before he could choke on it at the sight of the muted yet radiant smile spreading on Shouto’s lips.
“A home,” Shouto said out of nowhere, and Katsuki frowned.
“Huh?!”
“You asked what you’d have to gain from us working together. I could give you a place to call home.”
Katsuki bristled, digging his claws deeper into the elk’s thick hide as Shouto continued staring at him with those hopeful eyes. It sounded nice in theory, having a place to return to after a long night’s hunt, where those damn werewolf hunters wouldn’t be able to find him – having somewhere safe to sleep soundly and not wake up the next morning surprised to still be alive. Katsuki didn’t know where Shouto lived, but he would be lying if he said that anywhere, anywhere at all, wasn’t better than hiding away in this wretched forest, even if said place meant keeping company with a vampire. Katsuki had learned that vampires weren’t so bad, after all. At least, Shouto wasn’t, when he kept his mouth shut.
“…I’m a real shitty roommate,” Katsuki warned, unable to hide his dumb ears perking up in interest and his tail wagging excitedly beneath the hem of his jacket.
“As long as you don’t relieve yourself on my bed to mark your territory,” Shouto sighed, wrapping himself up in his cloak as he stood back up to his feet, and Katsuki scoffed before returning to his midnight meal with a smirk.
“I got better ways to do that.”
---
“How long you planning on keeping me waiting, huh, sleeping beauty?” Katsuki murmurs, his cheek resting against his arms folded across the coffin’s side. The rounded edge of the wood digs into his elbows as he sits there and stares down at Shouto, still peacefully locked in slumber with sprigs of evening primroses framing his face. Katsuki picked them a few weeks ago along with the moonflowers that he’s planted between the broken floorboards, now in full bloom as they creep up the coffin’s wall.
When he moved into the church to join Shouto, Katsuki never thought he’d become some kind of stupid gardener, but it just feels right, tending to him in this way through his slumber. How is Shouto supposed to know how much Katsuki has been worrying about and caring for him if he hasn’t left any tracks? And how is the beautiful bastard supposed to get his beauty sleep if his bed isn’t as equally beautiful as he is?
He sure is beautiful, Katsuki marvels to himself as he stares at Shouto’s pristine, motionless face. He can’t believe how much he misses the warm regard of Shouto’s eyes trained on him, the slow quirk of his thin lips into a little smile meant just for Katsuki, the cool brush of Shouto’s skin against his as they fall into an intimate embrace. Katsuki misses Shouto’s taste lingering on his tongue, sweet yet metallic and always enough to drive him into a frenzy. He yearns for it so dearly that he doesn’t realize how hard his teeth are clamped around his own lower lip in his stupor until blood from the wound trickles into his mouth. The taste is similar but different enough to only leave him more unsatisfied, but as Katsuki traces his tongue across his lips, his eyes fall to Shouto’s, gently parted, still unblemished and pure. He hasn’t felt them searing his skin in so long, neither sucking at the vulnerable curve of his neck nor pressed to his own mouth, stealing his breath away. A hungry growl bubbles at the back of Katsuki’s throat as his tail beats against the floor in agitation, and seconds later he gives in, dipping his head down to seal their lips together with a pained, lonely whimper.
Shouto tastes like the home that Katsuki has come to cherish, but the gentle comfort of Shouto’s unresponsive lips is short lived and fills Katsuki’s gut with a distant longing. Katsuki slips his hands around the sides of Shouto’s neck, tangling his fingertips into the soft hair at its nape that he had become accustomed to burying his face into during every cold winter night they shared. He traces his thumbs along the familiar curve of Shouto’s jaw that ghosted his inner thighs each time Shouto sandwiched his face between them, sinking his fangs into the sensitive flesh before sucking Katsuki dry in more ways than one. Katsuki can’t help but to lean into his indulgent kiss with a whine, hiding a shudder as he catches the flavor of his own blood smeared on Shouto’s lips that does nothing to tempt him from his sleep. Of course it doesn’t, and neither does the kiss, because this isn’t some fairy tale and Katsuki isn’t stupid enough to expect so. He doesn’t anticipate it, yet can’t help but to cling to an irrational hope as he pulls back and waits with belated breath for Shouto’s eyelids to flutter open. They don’t, and after Katsuki tenderly laps up the blood from Shouto’s lips, he kisses them one more time before leaving to prepare them some tea.
---
Katsuki had grown used to his new life faster than he had imagined possible, but that was because Shouto was so damn accommodating and thoughtful.
“Oh,” Shouto said as Katsuki joined him for the first time in his makeshift bedroom at the back of the church, which looked more like a demonic summoning grounds than somewhere fit for slumber. “Right. Guess the coffin won’t do anymore.”
Katsuki’s concerned glare shifted from the mess of candelabras, books, and blood strewn about the floor to the foreboding coffin at the center of it all. “Huh?”
“Well, you’re a mammal, right?” Shouto began, bringing a contemplative hand to his chin, and Katsuki’s tail fell still as he narrowed his eyes.
“I’m a werewolf,” he affirmed proudly, but Shouto continued as if not hearing it.
“And mammals are warm-blooded. Don’t want you to freeze in your sleep during the winter, so we’ll need a bed. And some blankets. I don’t have any right now, so, uh…”
Shouto paused and a few moments later started to undo the ties holding his extravagant cape around his neck. Only when he threw the fluttering fabric up over Katsuki’s shoulders was it clear what was happening, and Katsuki snarled, smacking it away. “What do you think I am, some kinda baby? I don’t need a fucking blanket!”
“You’ll get cold.”
“I said I don’t need it.”
“But–”
“Get in the coffin!”
Shouto climbed in without further protest, and Katsuki immediately curled up on top of him, muffling his face against Shouto’s neck and not caring how every time Shouto breathed, a wisp of cold air tickled at his ear. Yet regardless of Katsuki’s claims, Shouto still tried to find them a real bed to no avail. He instead accumulated enough blankets throughout his months of searching for an enormous pile to form in the corner of the room, where they would spend the rest of their nights huddled together.
“Katsuki, come look,” Shouto called out when Katsuki returned from his first hunt of the week with a dead pheasant gripped between his teeth. He didn’t bother changing out of his wolf form yet while heading over, his tail perked up in curiosity, but once he arrived at Shouto’s side, Katsuki didn’t think even his current lack of human visage could hide his unimpressed reaction to Shouto’s wondrous surprise amounting to a plain, metal box.
“Look inside,” Shouto clarified, tipping the box over enough so Katsuki could take a peek, but he still didn’t understand what was so impressive about the huge chunks of ice filling it halfway. “It’s for you to store your food,” Shouto explained, setting the box back down onto the ground. “I only need some blood to survive, but I know you need much more than that. Luckily, I’m able to use some ice magic. This way you’ll be able to keep your food fresh for much longer and not need to hunt so often.”
Shouto’s grip on the box loosened, and when Katsuki glanced up at him, there was a distant glaze over his eyes. “You won’t need to put yourself in danger all the time,” he murmured, as if trying to reassure himself more than Katsuki, and after Katsuki dropped the pheasant into the box of ice, he slipped his head beneath Shouto’s limp hand and gave it a nuzzle. The abrupt affection only shocked Shouto for a moment before he breathed an airy chuckle and returned it with a ruffle to the crown of Katsuki’s fur, and Katsuki hated how he couldn’t keep his dumb tail from wagging.
On the night of their first full moon together, Katsuki’s growing unrest was nothing new to him. The full moon had always made him agitated until he fulfilled his carnal need to shift forms and subdue his prey of the night, but there was no need to hunt right now. He had enough meat to last for at least a week stored away in the freezer boxes Shouto had made for him, but as Katsuki sat hunched over on one of the church pews, his head wouldn’t stop throbbing in his hands. Surely there was some way for him to calm down, something that could relieve him of his urge to sink his teeth into whatever he could get his claws on next, but the only other living thing in the church was Shouto, whose voice startled Katsuki from his clouded thoughts moments later.
“Are you okay?” Shouto asked, the concern in his voice only serving to piss Katsuki off even more.
“Do I look okay?! My head feels like it’s gonna fucking explode.”
“That’s not good. Can I get you some tea?”
“The hell is tea gonna do?! That shit doesn’t calm me down at all.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Katsuki heard the muted click clack of Shouto’s heels rescinding across the wooden floor but was only spared a moment of silence before sound filled the room and echoed in his ears once more. It was unlike anything he had heard before, though – a gentle yet crystal clear melody that filled his chest with a strange elation and melted the muddled feeling from his head. Katsuki glanced up and saw Shouto seated at the piano at the front of the room, his fingers elegantly gliding across the black and white keys, and before Katsuki could wonder what the hell he was doing making such a racket to draw attention to their secluded hideaway, he remembered no humans would be stupid enough to wander around anyways during tonight’s full moon. That’s right, the stupid thing was the cause of his discontent in the first place, but as Katsuki listened to Shouto’s captivating song, he completely forgot. The alluring sound drew him up onto his feet, and after Katsuki lumbered over to the piano bench, he planted his hands onto its edge, leaning his chest up against Shouto’s back as his chin came to rest on Shouto’s shoulder.
“How is it?” Shouto inquired without flinching at Katsuki’s sudden touch as his fingers continued to dance and lull Katsuki deeper into peace.
“Stop talking and just play,” Katsuki mumbled, sliding his hands closer together along the piano bench until they were snuggly pressed to either side of Shouto’s hips. Shouto laughed, a sound even more beautiful than his piano melody, and the longer that he played, the more Katsuki melted both into the sound and against Shouto’s body that had always fit perfectly against his own. He became so mesmerized that he failed to catch himself before his contented growls morphed into a soft purr, and only when Shouto began to scratch at his ear upon the end of his song did Katsuki snap back into reality.
“Any requests?” Shouto asked, turning his head towards Katsuki’s as his fingertips dipped down to tangle into Katsuki’s messy hair. Even though the song somehow managed to quell Katsuki’s predatory instincts, Shouto’s touch straddling delicately between innocent and provocative triggered a hunger within him for something else.
“Yeah,” Katsuki grunted, slipping his arms around Shouto’s waist and fisting his fingers into the front of Shouto’s stuffy vest. “You,” Katsuki answered lowly, the blunt demand leaving Shouto shivering against him. He leaned in to lick at Shouto’s charming lips that he had been dying to claim since he first laid eyes on them years ago, and as Katsuki spent the rest of the night enticing soft, breathless moans from Shouto’s willing mouth, he didn’t know how he had gone so long without ever having relished this before.
---
Katsuki is much more cautious while out hunting for food now, not so much because he’s all alone again, but because he has someone to take care of, awaiting his safe return.
He only heads outside past midnight, and never past the forest limits, where flowers are free to bloom from outside the shadowy shroud of the forest canopy. Humans are usually asleep by now, but Katsuki has learned not to let his guard down regardless – the unfortunate evidence of otherwise is resting back at the church, after all. It may not be a full moon tonight, but Katsuki doesn’t need it to amplify his transformation when all he’s doing is looking to catch some dinner. Ideally, he would seek an animal large enough to last him the week, but without Shouto around to aid in the meat’s storage with his ice, Katsuki is back to hunting for fresh prey every night. He’ll look forward to the convenience again once Shouto awakens, but not with as much bated breath as he awaits the simple prospect of savoring Shouto’s gentle caress.
The forest may seem like a maze in which every turn looks the same as the last, but Katsuki has no trouble navigating the place he had wandered for years before finding somewhere to call home. He remembers everything, from a patch of thick brush to the northeast that he hid beneath for hours, providing the secretive cover to ambush an unsuspecting, stray rabbit for his first kill, to the secluded creek far south where he once spent nearly an entire, exhausting day trying to catch fish as the other animals hibernated or hid away through the dead of the harsh winter. Katsuki remembers the very spot he first met Shouto, under the branches of a maple tree withering away in the late autumn – remembers swiping his paw with a growl at the stupid bat that kept trying to suck the blood from the deer that took him an hour to lure from its herd and kill, and how surprised he was when said bat morphed into an elegant humanoid figure before his wide eyes. Shouto’s scent still lingers beneath the tree – the same tree that Katsuki pinned Shouto against on the fifth full moon in which they ran into each other and sank his hungry teeth into Shouto’s pristine neck. Their relationship never was one for sappy, romantic shit until Katsuki moved into the church, but Katsuki couldn’t see himself kissing Shouto out here anyways – sentimental junk was best left for private.
Katsuki dashes through the forest with care, avoiding whatever traps the humans have laid out for him. He has heard many reasons why they’re so keen on capturing a werewolf – to hang his pelt upon their wall as a symbol of power, to grind his teeth and claws into a fine powder and spread it outside their home to ward off evil, to drink his blood and reap its mystical benefits. The last is the only one worth even considering could have merit because there is at least evidence that Shouto adores and has benefited from his blood very much, but Shouto is also a vampire so the point is skewed. Regardless, Katsuki isn’t ever planning to repeat his past mistakes, so he quickly leaves the well-travelled paths cutting cleanly through the woods and carefully heads into the bushes, weaving between snares and lures that have been laying out for days. He catches a few, unfortunate shrews who had chosen the wrong time and location to fall into an unguarded sleep, and after Katsuki returns to the church, he scarfs one down at the coffin’s side to accompany his cup of tea before succumbing to sleep, himself, with his head nestled atop Shouto’s folded hands.
---
Though not spurred on by the full moon, it quickly became evident that Shouto had his own particular needs to tend to each day.
“Katsuki,” Shouto would murmur, having awoken looking beautifully disheveled as ever, before muffling his face against the side of Katsuki’s neck. Katsuki would grumble at being disturbed from his slumber but not protest as Shouto’s pointed fangs sank into his skin with a prick of pain that quickly melted away into a carnal heat, gathering in his gut and leaving him panting for breath. Whenever Shouto sucked his blood, Katsuki’s focus was torn between the alluring sensation of Shouto’s lips and tongue, delicately caressing his skin, and the distracting reaction from his cock, growing hard at the sound of Shouto’s blissful moans and fighting the constraints of his pants. The bastard would notice without fail, too, and willingly tend to Katsuki’s needs unprompted like a fucking angel.
Once finished lapping at the tiny punctures, Shouto would offer Katsuki a tender kiss, leaving the taste of Katsuki’s own blood on his tongue as his hands wandered down to undo Katsuki’s belt. Some days Shouto would remove his pristine, white gloves to take Katsuki’s cock in his practiced hands which had long become well-acquainted with the intricacies of how to mold Katsuki’s defensive growls into stifled groans. Other days Shouto would treat Katsuki by dipping his head down, tucking a few, stray locks of hair neatly behind his ear before he took Katsuki into his mouth, but even when Katsuki was unable to restrain himself from bucking up into the encompassing, tight warmth, Shouto never cared – in fact, Katsuki’s frenzied thrusting only ever seemed to make him hungrier to take in even more. Katsuki wasn’t sure what drove himself more insane between Shouto feeding on his neck in blind hunger or the heated desperation with which Shouto sucked on his cock, but it would always end far too quickly. Shouto’s tired eyelids would flutter as he swallowed with a satisfied, little moan and licked the mess from his pretty lips. He would thank Katsuki for indulging him in breakfast with an endearing smile before leaving to prepare them some tea, but as Shouto finished cleaning him up like usual this evening, soft strands of his tousled hair tickling at Katsuki’s thighs as his tongue swirled at the remnants smeared upon Katsuki’s tip, Katsuki swore to himself he wasn’t going to let the idiot get away this time without receiving anything in return.
“My turn,” Katsuki grunted before Shouto could finish, and he grabbed Shouto by the jaw, flinging him to the side. Shouto landed beside him with a thump, his back sinking into the pile of blankets, and Katsuki climbed on top of him before he could move, sitting on top of Shouto’s chest to keep him in place.
“Katsuki,” Shouto coughed out into Katsuki’s tail swishing against his face in his eagerness to get Shouto’s pants off, “what are you–”
“Shut up. I ain’t ‘bout to let you blow me and run again. ‘Bout time I got a taste of you, too.”
“It’s fine. My own sex drive is solely linked to wanting your blood. I only pleasure you because I can tell you need it after I feed on you, so–”
“Huh?! You think you’re better than me ‘cause you can give me a boner? You think I can’t get you off, too? I’ll blow your fucking brains out.”
“That’s not what I–”
Katsuki huffed in triumph at having finally fished Shouto’s cock from its confines. No real sex drive? What a liar – he was already hard and panting out ragged breaths from the mere feeling of Katsuki’s hands wrapped around him, still unmoving.
“I’ll make you feel real good,” Katsuki hummed with a smirk, licking his lips in anticipation as he started to pump as slowly as possible, wringing a soft moan free from Shouto’s weary mouth with each deliberate, tantalizing motion. Katsuki kneaded his thumb at the tip, twisted his fingers to find the perfect angle with which to tease all of Shouto’s newfound weak spots at once, coaxed free sounds even more beautiful than elegant piano outside was capable of. The longer that Katsuki touched Shouto, the louder and more aroused he grew, but even though Katsuki yearned to give in to the sense of control and overwhelm Shouto right there, he held off. Katsuki treated Shouto with a kind regard behind each careful stroke for the sake of being able to relish in his power trip even longer, and not because he cared for Shouto to enjoy himself as much as possible after having given Katsuki so much. That would be stupid, not to mention disgustingly sentimental of him, but after Katsuki wrenched a final, lengthy moan from Shouto’s lips, his hands shifted, gripping Shouto by his quivering thighs to pin them in place.
“For someone who claims not to get horny, you’re really fucking hard,” Katsuki pointed out, bending over to breathe a hot breath directly onto Shouto’s cock, and Shouto yelped, reaching up to grab Katsuki’s legs to steady himself. Katsuki had forgotten until feeling Shouto’s fingers digging into his skin that after having received his usual wake up routine from Shouto, he still wasn’t wearing any pants, himself, but it was fine. Even if his ass was poised above Shouto’s face, he was surely too tired to do anything about it, not that Katsuki would have minded if Shouto sank his teeth in.
“I’m fine,” Shouto continued to insist, despite clearly not being fine considering how he choked out a breathless gasp when Katsuki fondly nuzzled a cheek to his cock. Katsuki was used to Shouto’s body being cool to the touch, but it was so hot right now, and not to mention smelled so damn good. The heady scent made Katsuki’s head spin and his mouth water like he was staring at an all you could eat buffet – he really could be a fucking animal sometimes, and it wasn’t even a full moon yet.
“Mine,” Katsuki growled, his vision turning hazy in his lust, before taking Shouto into his mouth. Katsuki squeezed his eyes shut while growing used to Shouto’s warmth between his hollowed cheeks, his ears twitching in interest at the sound of Shouto losing himself in the feeling of Katsuki’s tongue pressed against him. His tail flitted back and forth as a contented purr threatened to bubble up from the back of his throat in his delight at how he was right in anticipating Shouto tasting delectable, and when he began to suck with the same delicacy with which Shouto always treated him, Shouto’s entire figure began to tremble. Katsuki’s attempts to soothe him by massaging his fingertips into Shouto’s thighs seemed to have an effect on his body but not on his voice, continuing to spill free with eager moans the deeper that Katsuki took him inside.
“More,” Shouto pleaded without sparing any reservations for appearing decent, and Katsuki obliged, giving Shouto everything as Shouto had always done for him. He feasted on Shouto’s needy cock until he sucked it completely dry, and once Shouto had nothing left to offer save for a dazed sigh of gratification laced between his final shudders, Katsuki let it fall limp and free from his mouth. Glancing back at Shouto, he looked drained enough to be able to fall back asleep right there, and Katsuki spun around, swallowing the mess in his mouth before craning his head down to Shouto’s ear.
“Felt good, huh?” he taunted with a smirk. “Ten outta ten.”
“Hmm,” Shouto murmured, his deliberation sounding real rather than feigned, but before Katsuki could be upset that he had to ponder a different rating, Shouto’s arms slipped around his back to tug him down into a stifling yet welcome embrace. “An eleven.”
“Sweet talking me won’t get you another blowjob, stupid,” Katsuki quipped though the compliment was secretly appreciated, rolling his eyes as he ran his fingers through Shouto’s hair, but, of course, the idiot would find the perfect way to shut him up like usual.
“What if I say please?” Shouto asked knowingly, and Katsuki scowled.
“Shut up and go make us some tea.”
---
The next full moon, Katsuki returns to the church with enough flowers not only to bestow upon Shouto’s slumbering body but to decorate the entire room.
Before Katsuki left for the vast pasture beyond the outskirts of the forest, he checked beneath Shouto’s hands folded gingerly upon his heart and plucked open the first few buttons of his shirt. The lacerations marring Shouto’s pale skin had finally sealed together in a mess of rough scars tangling together across his chest, but even when Katsuki lowered his ear to take a listen, he was not met with a heartbeat to lift his spirits. It had to be soon, though. Nearly half a year has already passed since Shouto fell asleep to recover from his lethal wounds, and Katsuki knew the bastard wouldn’t keep him waiting any longer than necessary. If it’s tonight, everything has to be looking its best.
When Katsuki slinks through the front door with a sack full of his flower harvest in one hand and two dead rabbits, gripped by their ears, in the other, he quickly scarfs one down for his midnight snack before getting to work. A familiar, soothing melody creaks from the record player as Katsuki scatters the fragile datura blossoms along the broken pews where Shouto would try to enjoy a book before being interrupted by a needy kiss, leaves pretty white petals across the dark piano keys where the ghost of Shouto’s lithe fingers linger, and tosses a final handful into the air above Shouto’s peaceful body. They flutter in the moonlight, raining down in a shower of faux celebration that leaves Katsuki empty inside, and as he glances around at the mess he’s made, he realizes that, save for the coffin, it looks like the saddest fucking wedding venue he’s ever had the displeasure to regard alone. Imagine that, though – a werewolf and a vampire getting married. Katsuki almost wants to gag at the stupidity, but in reality, the stupid one here is him, who would marry Shouto in a heartbeat, if only he would open his eyes.
Katsuki sighs, slinking down beside the coffin, reaching his hand in to brush a stray, forlorn petal from Shouto’s forehead. It has no place there, like how he feels he has no place here without Shouto, but he’ll endure the horrid feeling until Shouto returns. Katsuki traces his fingers down Shouto’s cheek and the contours of his neck, over the frills of his cravat to rest at the gentle dip between his collarbones. Shouto loves being kissed there, would arch up delicately with a shudder into the charming feeling of Katsuki’s lips stealing away his breath. Katsuki’s hand skates down over the back of one of Shouto’s that feels so perfect cupped against his palm, and he takes it, lifting it to his own cheek. It’s not the same as when Shouto does it himself, but it’s enough, bringing Katsuki back to their many nights spent intertwined, Shouto cupping Katsuki’s face in his gentle hands while staring fondly into his eyes. Katsuki runs Shouto’s fingers through his hair, basking in their familiar comfort that transports him back to the days in which the one he cherishes was able to cherish him back, and after the lonesome feeling of Shouto’s limp hand tangled motionlessly in his hair becomes too painful to bear, Katsuki carefully sets it back down onto Shouto’s chest. Shouto’s lovely scent burns on his skin, a melancholy reminder that lingers as he shrugs off his favorite green jacket and places it atop Shouto’s body. Shouto would chide him for it because there’s no need to worry about a vampire staying warm, but Katsuki doesn’t care. It’s the thought that counts, and besides, Shouto has been doting on him since he got here.
It’s only right that Katsuki does the same in return.
---
“Why don’t we make things interesting tonight?”
Katsuki thought his proposal would be welcome, but before even having heard the specifics about Katsuki’s idea to make tonight’s hunt more fun, Shouto met him with a frown to insinuate otherwise. “Why?” he wondered aloud as they ducked beneath the low-hanging branches of a nearby tree, and Katsuki rolled his eyes.
“Whaddya mean, why? You must’ve felt it, too. Since I moved in with you, there’s no excitement to the hunt anymore. When we work together, everything goes fucking perfectly every time.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Well, yeah, but at the same time I’m getting bored. I’m a werewolf. The thrill of the hunt is in the chase itself, and I ain’t getting any of that lately. At least, not like I used to before you and me became… us.”
Shouto paused in place, lifting a curled finger to his chin in rumination, and Katsuki turned to face him, planting his hands on his hips with a scowl. “I see. What do you suggest?”
“Healthy competition,” Katsuki declared, prodding his own fingertip at Shouto’s chest. “We split up, and whoever catches something first wins. Of course, by that I mean me, so when I win you’re trying some meat for once in your life. I don’t care if all you need is blood, you’re gonna enjoy some real food. Some fine dining. I’ll even roast it over a fire for you, that’s how fucking fancy we’re getting here.”
“What if I win?” Shouto asked, taking Katsuki’s hand to stop him mid-poke, and Katsuki huffed, yanking it back.
“You’re not, so it doesn’t matter.”
“But what if I do?”
“You won’t, stupid! But fine, what do you want in the zero percent chance that you win?”
Shouto flashed him a small yet radiant smile – the fucking audacity – and Katsuki wanted to bite it off his face. “Nothing,” Shouto replied, reaching up to brush his knuckles to Katsuki’s ear, and Katsuki frowned, his heart swelling in his chest. “I already have everything I could possibly need.”
“…Huh?!” Katsuki yelled, his ear twitching and his cheeks growing flushed, but Shouto didn’t answer, just kissed him quickly on the cheek before taking off in the other direction. Katsuki scowled – stupid bastard, flustering him with affection as a distraction to get a head start. A dirty trick, but the damage was already done. Katsuki morphed into his wolf form for the increased mobility and speed before slinking off into the darkness, and it wasn’t long for him to stumble on a small herd of deer in the distance. Not only was he going to catch some prey first, it was going to be sizeable as well – a flawless victory.
Katsuki charged at the herd, surprising them into scattering in different directions, and chased after the largest one sprinting away through the bushes. Dumb animal really thought it could get away from him? That only made Katsuki more eager to catch it as fast as possible to prove it wrong. He barreled through the dense brush, not caring that it scraped at his face and legs because his attention was focused solely on the deer. Adrenaline coursed through Katsuki’s veins, his heart pounding in excitement, but out of nowhere the deer stumbled, falling to the ground with a cry. Katsuki was puzzled at what happened until a sudden, searing pain ruptured through one of his legs on his sprint towards the deer’s body, like it was being torn free. His vision blurred as his body was dragged to the dirt, and once he finally reopened his eyes, he realized his leg was caught in a bear trap, the silver teeth scalding his skin and digging into his flesh.
“Fuck,” Katsuki hissed, having returned to his human form in his debilitated condition, grimacing at the sight of the jagged metal lodged into his bloody wrist. He was such a dumbass. How did he let his guard down this badly after getting way too into winning this competition? He had to get the trap off of him and leave before some human found him in such a humiliating state. The next time he ran into one while not having his hand ripped off, he’d fucking kill them. Katsuki grabbed half of the trap in his other hand, gritting his teeth through the silver burning at his palm as he desperately tried to wrench it open, but despite his struggles, the mechanism wouldn’t budge. Stupid, so stupid, both him and this damn thing that wouldn’t let him go. Katsuki lost track of how long he spent trying to free himself, but his ears soon jolted at the sound of footsteps approaching.
“Katsuki?” Shouto called out in worry. What the hell was he doing here already? Shouto did say he had some kind of sixth sense – his Katsuki-is-up-to-no-good-and-in-trouble sense – but Katsuki didn’t think it was real. Shit, being seen so weak like this by Shouto was just as bad as being found by a human. He grinded his teeth together so hard that his jaw began to ache as he fought to break the trap apart, but it proved to be no use as Shouto discovered him hunched over on the ground in the snare and settled at his side.
“Katsuki…?” Shouto echoed, his voice trembling into silence on the last syllable, and when Katsuki glanced up at him, the sight of Shouto’s typically serene visage contorted into a distressed shock knocked the breath from his lungs more than enduring the pain overtaking his arm. It was the first time Katsuki had ever seen Shouto look anything other than calm, and it sent a chill down his spine. “What happened?”
“I won,” Katsuki declared, faintly gesturing towards the fallen deer in front of him with his chin, and Shouto removed his gloves before lowering his hands to the trap.
“Yes. Yes, you did,” Shouto agreed without bothering to look, and after he covered the latches and springs holding the trap shut with a spurt of ice, he snapped it open. Katsuki bit back a grunt as the metal jaws were ripped free from his flesh, digging his teeth into his bottom lip so hard that it started to bleed, but his relief at finally being freed overtook the pain as he blinked himself back to the present. “Stay still,” Shouto said as Katsuki growled and tried to tug his wrist free from Shouto’s attempts to bandage the wound with white strips of fabric he had ripped from the hem of his shirt. “You’re just making it take longer.”
“I can take care of myself after we get home,” Katsuki grumbled, yet remained still now as Shouto wrapped him up, tying the final bits of cloth together with a disgusting bow. Not because he was no longer against the notion of Shouto taking care of him, but because he was starting to feel too exhausted to continue his protests. Katsuki’s eyelids fluttered as he felt Shouto’s hand clutching his own, fingers gently slipping into the cracks between Katsuki’s, providing a distant comfort beyond the lingering sensation of silver burning on his skin and his blistering headache. He let his eyes close all the way – just for a moment to catch his breath – but opening them proved to be harder than anticipated when he was being lured into a quick nap by the tender brush of Shouto’s thumb against his knuckles. Whatever, it’d be fine to relax a bit because Shouto was here now, but Katsuki’s ears caught the sound of a crackle from nearby – or did he? He couldn’t tell anymore, but judging from the way Shouto’s grip on his hand tightened, it was both real and unwelcome.
“Don’t move,” Shouto instructed before letting him go, but hell if Katsuki was going to listen. If a fight was about to break out, he was going to not only participate but also emerge as the victor, but Shouto knowingly held his weakened body down in place by pressing a firm hand to his chest. “Leave, now,” Shouto threatened to whoever was approaching them, but the warning evidently fell on deaf ears as the sound of gunfire mixed with splinters of ice jolted Katsuki’s eyes open.
“Shouto?!” Katsuki blurted in a panic when the reassuring feeling of Shouto’s hand on his chest disappeared, his throat dry and vision dim as he fought to scramble up onto his feet and crumpled back down onto his stomach. Stupid legs, so fucking useless when he needed them the most. Katsuki lifted his head, trying to make out what was happening amidst the snapping of tree branches and unfamiliar screams ripping through the air, but only when he heard the cry of Shouto’s distinct voice ringing out in pain did something trigger within him. Katsuki didn’t care how injured he was right now, no one was going to hurt Shouto on his watch.
Everything grew hazy in Katsuki’s rage as he shifted back into a wolf. He could no longer see straight, let alone think straight as he leapt at the nearest shadowy figure that did not smell like sweet home and shredded it to pieces. Katsuki didn’t know how many humans he attacked in the midst of his blind frenzy, but at the end of it all, it took him a mere moment to sniff out Shouto’s scent among the carnage, leading him straight to Shouto’s wounded body, curled beneath a tree. Katsuki hurried over, completely numb to the feeling of his own lingering pain as he regarded Shouto’s bleeding chest with worry, but despite the injury, Shouto was still conscious for now and immediately met him with a relieved smile.
“Thanks for the help,” Shouto offered barely above a whisper, lifting a hand towards Katsuki’s head, but before he could give it an affectionate pet, Shouto’s hand collapsed back down to his side. Katsuki lowered himself with a whimper, nuzzling his nose to Shouto’s neck, and Shouto choked out a broken sigh. “Those hunters were prepared, but I’ll be fine. The wooden stake didn’t go in all the way. I just… need to rest for a while.”
Shouto’s ragged breaths grew softer with each passing second, and it chilled Katsuki to the core. This whole thing was his fault. If his stupid ego hadn’t prompted his suggestion for the competition, his dumb ass never would have gotten caught in that trap, and Shouto never would have gotten hurt protecting him. He was so fucking stupid, but what mattered right now was getting back home to safety before any more damn humans came to investigate what happened. Katsuki carefully grabbed Shouto with his teeth and slung Shouto’s body up over his back, enduring the pain in his leg during their entire return to the church.
By the time Katsuki carried Shouto through the front doors he was unresponsive, but surely, he would be okay after getting some rest like he had claimed. Katsuki knew that vampires possessed incredible regenerative properties like werewolves, but Shouto was only half-vampire, not to mention that his wound to the heart was nearly fatal. It would take far longer to heal than Katsuki’s paltry injury, but Katsuki would stay by Shouto’s side as long as it took to hear his voice and feel his touch once again. After he pulled out Shouto’s favorite coffin from their bedroom, Katsuki carefully laid Shouto down to rest. He would make sure Shouto got the most wonderful, invigorating, beautiful sleep he’d ever had in his life. He would take care of Shouto like Shouto had always taken care of him.
After Katsuki slipped a few dried flowers between Shouto’s motionless fingers, he made a mental note to pick up better ones to replace them later on – from beyond the forest, or maybe even stolen straight from the gardens of some stupid humans during a full moon. He laid his head down on top of Shouto’s hands, so cold to the touch yet comforting in their own right, and closed his own eyes.
“…Sorry,” Katsuki murmured, not that Shouto would be able to hear him, but once Shouto woke up – if Shouto woke up – he would say it again without hesitation.
---
Even though it has been one hundred and seventy-two days since Shouto went to sleep, Katsuki’s lonely routine doesn’t change tonight, save for one thing. He cleans up the church a bit so it’ll look more presentable once Shouto opens his eyes and brings two servings worth of food back from his careful hunt, eating one now and saving the other for later. He leans up against Shouto’s coffin beside two cups of tea that he brewed earlier and reads some of Shouto’s favorite books that have been lying around, woefully ignored, before Shouto’s allure tempts him away from the pages. He combs his fingers through Shouto’s soft hair and smoothens out the wrinkles in his shirt. He kisses Shouto softly before resting his head down onto Shouto’s chest for a quick nap, but tonight, Katsuki adds in something different.
“I love you,” he whispers in his weary stupor, and an airy relief blossoms in his chest upon admitting the confession he’s been holding in for so long – not that Shouto is awake to hear it right now. Katsuki doesn’t know what even possessed him to vocalize it, but maybe he’s just gone crazy in his solitary wait. He stares fondly at Shouto’s face for a few more moments before closing his eyes, but the second he starts to drift off, something stirs beneath him, shaking his cheek. That’s quite the realistic dream, but a familiar, gentle caress brushing at his ear snaps him back to reality.
“I love you, too,” Shouto mumbles, and Katsuki sits up immediately, gripping the coffin’s rim so hard that his knuckles turn white as he stares down into Shouto’s open eyes. His face burns as he struggles to find a way to cover his tracks. Why did the idiot have to wake up right now, of all times– wait a second. Holy shit. Shouto is awake. The realization slams into Katsuki to override his embarrassment – who cares if Shouto knows as long as he’s back – and Katsuki collapses down onto him, throwing his arms around Shouto’s neck to send stray flowers flying in every direction. Shouto grunts at the rough affection but returns the embrace, squeezing Katsuki as tightly as his tired body will allow.
“Hey,” Shouto breathes against his ear, and Katsuki grits his teeth in his struggle to keep the stupid tears at the corners of his eyes from leaking free. “Wow, there are so many flowers,” Shouto marvels with his usual, charming childlike wonder. “It’s beautiful. Like we’re in a garden. Did you bring them all here for me?”
“Had a lotta time to find ‘em while you were passed out for half a year,” Katsuki grumbles, unable to keep his tail from wagging uncontrollably in his elation at the feeling of Shouto’s hand stroking the back of his head.
“…Sorry to keep you waiting,” Shouto offers, absently slipping one of the flowers into Katsuki’s hair next to his ear, and Katsuki shakes his head in protest.
“Shut up. I’m the one who’s sorry, stupid,” Katsuki huffs in a single breath, muffled against Shouto’s neck. “I’m stupid. I’m fucking stupid. It was ‘cause of me that you–”
“It’s fine, Katsuki. I’m fine now. So you don’t need to cr–”
“I’m not crying!” Katsuki insists before biting down and sucking on Shouto’s skin where his tears had fallen to distract him. Shouto groans quietly, fingers gripping the back of Katsuki’s hood as Katsuki shifts upwards to plant a messy kiss on his lips. It’s been so long since they’ve reacted to his touch, and Katsuki savors his first chance in ages to milk every sweet sound out of them.
“Katsuki,” Shouto moans into his mouth with an unmistakable hunger, and Katsuki pulls back with a lick of his lips.
“Breakfast time?” he taunts, tracing his fingertips down the buttons of Shouto’s clothes, and after Shouto nods, Katsuki gets up to his feet. “Good, I got one rabbit left over.”
“…Huh?” Shouto says dully, and Katsuki smirks.
“I won, remember? And I got a rabbit tonight with your name on it, so you’re gonna sit your ass down and enjoy some fine dining.”
Shouto frowns, clearly interested in something else instead, and Katsuki rolls his eyes before reassuring him.
“You can have me after.”