Ship: Makishima/Tadokoro Fandom: YowaPeda Major Tags: implied sexual content Other Tags: none Word Count: 1308
*** The first time they met, Makishima was fifteen and had never heard of shifters except in stories.
He walked through the woods, enjoying the feeling of being alone, when he heard the sound of something large moving through the trees. He froze, and a brown bear, large yet clearly adolescent, crossed his path. It sniffed at the air and turned its great head to face him. They stared at one another a moment.
“Hello,” Makishima said awkwardly, and gave a little wave. The bear snorted and snuffled, almost like it was laughing, and continued on its way.
Makishima breathed a sigh of relief, and turned back towards home.
–
The second time they met, they were seventeen, and the town was in an uproar over the disappearance of a child. The rumor of a bear attack spread fast, and the men were gathering their weapons as they prepared for bengeance.
“Hello,” said a deep voice behind Makishima. He turned, and there stood an enormous boy in dirty, mismatched clothes. The boy gave a wave. His other arm held a dark, furred bundle tightly to his body. “What's all this fuss for?”
“Are you new?” Makishima asked, a touch exasperated. Although, that would make sense- he didn't remember having seen this boy before, though he appeared to be Makishima's own age, and had the sort of bulk you couldn't ignore. “A child was taken by a bear, so they're going to get it back.”
“A bear?” the boy frowned. “That can't be right.”
Makishima shrugged.
“It's what they're saying.”
“What did the child look like?”
Makishima wracked his brain, trying to remember. All children looked the same to him-- short and grubby and soft.
“It was a girl,” he replied finally. “Brown hair. Chatty. That guy over there,” he pointed, “is her brother.”
The boy nodded.
“Right,” he said, and marched up to the brother, currently fussing with a musket that had likely never been used. “Hello,” he waved again, and Makishima found himself smiling. “I can find your sister.”
“Who are you?” the brother asked, torn between suspicion and hope.
“I'm,” the boy faltered for a moment. “I'm Tadokoro Jin. I'm new.”
“A traveler?” Tadokoro shrugged his massive shoulders. “What makes you think you can find my sister?”
“I'm a good tracker,” Tadokoro replied. “I know these woods. And,” he faltered again, “I know bears. If one really has taken your sister, I'll be able to get her back safely.” The brother looked suspiciously at him; it was true that Tadokoro was large, but size didn't necessarily mean anything when it came to bears. Then his gaze dropped to the bundle under Tadokoro's arm.
“Is that a bearskin?” he asked. Tadokoro looked uncomfortable.
“Yeah.” The brother brightened, and called to several of the other men.
“Hey! This guy has killed a bear! He's going to get my sister back!” The other men crowded around Tadokoro, congratulating him and slapping him on the back. Makishima wondered if any of them noticed how uncomfortable Tadokoro looked.
An hour later, Tadokoro emerged from the forest, a beaming, bedraggled girl on his shoulders.
“I was stuck in a tree!” she announced, half-proud, as her brother ran up to her and began berating her for causing trouble, relief evident in his face. “Tadokoro got me down!”
The town was tightly-knit, and there came multiple offers of rewards for saving the girl. Tadokoro shook his head at the money, and instead said that he was hungry, and did they have any food they could spare?
They did, and he put it away nearly as quickly as it was set in front of him. Makishima noticed that although he was polite, and even friendly, Tadokoro clearly was not at ease. He kept the bearskin close at all times, never letting it out of sight or touch.
“Here,” Makishima said, handing him a plate of pastries. Tadokoro's eyes lit up, and he shoved one into his mouth immediately. “You should slow down; you'll get sick otherwise.”
“I won't,” Tadokoro said, his mouth full. He took a pastry and pushed it into Makishima's face. “You should eat one; you're too skinny.” Makishima leaned back and took the pastry from him. He nibbled at it politely-- sweet things weren't his favorite.
“How did you find her?” he asked. Tadokoro shrugged.
“She's not the first cub I've rescued from a tree.”
“Do you have a place to stay?” Makishima asked, and froze. He hadn't intended to, but something about Tadokoro made him hope that he'd stick around, even just a little while.
“No; thought I'd just sleep in the woods.”
“I have room, if you want.” He might as well make the offer. Tadokoro looked at him, his gaze piercing for a moment, and nodded.
“Sure.”
–
Tadokoro stayed with Makishima, and took on a job at the bakery hauling large sacks of flour and keeping the great oven fed. Within a week, he was learning to make bread, and before the end of the month the baker asked if he wanted to become his apprentice. Tadokoro declined, saying he wasn't sure when he might leave again, but continued to help out.
Makishima gave him a trunk with a lock to keep his belongings in, and each morning, Tadokoro locked his bear skin up. He was cavalier with the rest of his things, but he treated that skin like it was gold. And there were nights when he would disappear with it, and come back dirty and relaxed.
Makishima let him keep his secrets, but he stored all the facts in his mind, trying to make sense of them. He liked Tadokoro, liked his bigness and loudness and his good heart. He liked how Tadokoro seemed to be at ease with him in a way he wasn't with some of the other men, the ones who had been holding weapons that first day. He liked how, however awkward he was, Tadokoro never seemed to mind.
“That bear skin,” Makishima said one evening, several months after living together. It was the first time he had mentioned it, and he noticed how Tadokoro froze at the words. “Where did you get it?”
“It's mine,” Tadokoro muttered, and suddenly, it all became clear to Makishima. The old stories about shifters, what would happen to them if anything happened to their skins, they were true.
“I see,” was all he said, and when Tadokoro met his eyes, he saw that Tadokoro knew he knew, and that he would say nothing.
–
The next month, Makishima kissed Tadokoro before he left to see the other bear shifters, skin rolled up and strapped to his great back. Tadokoro grunted in surprise, but kissed him back, arms wrapping around him and pulling him close.
Tadokoro didn't leave the house that night, the two of them caught up in one another, finding new parts to explore. There was laughter and kisses and a feeling very much like love.
Makishima woke in Tadokoro's bed, warm and comfortable. It took him a moment to realize he was alone, and a further moment to realize he was draped in a familiar bear skin. It smelled earthy and good, like Tadokoro, and his heart beat so fast he thought it would burst at the trust that he'd been given.
He rose, clutching the skin around his neck like a cape, and went out into the front room. Tadokoro was still there, sitting in front of the fire, a soft smile on his face.
“I've come down with a terrible fever,” he said when he saw Makishima. “You'll have to tell the baker I won't be coming in today.”
FILL: Team Grandstand, T
Fandom: YowaPeda
Major Tags: implied sexual content
Other Tags: none
Word Count: 1308
***
The first time they met, Makishima was fifteen and had never heard of shifters except in stories.
He walked through the woods, enjoying the feeling of being alone, when he heard the sound of something large moving through the trees. He froze, and a brown bear, large yet clearly adolescent, crossed his path. It sniffed at the air and turned its great head to face him. They stared at one another a moment.
“Hello,” Makishima said awkwardly, and gave a little wave. The bear snorted and snuffled, almost like it was laughing, and continued on its way.
Makishima breathed a sigh of relief, and turned back towards home.
–
The second time they met, they were seventeen, and the town was in an uproar over the disappearance of a child. The rumor of a bear attack spread fast, and the men were gathering their weapons as they prepared for bengeance.
“Hello,” said a deep voice behind Makishima. He turned, and there stood an enormous boy in dirty, mismatched clothes. The boy gave a wave. His other arm held a dark, furred bundle tightly to his body. “What's all this fuss for?”
“Are you new?” Makishima asked, a touch exasperated. Although, that would make sense- he didn't remember having seen this boy before, though he appeared to be Makishima's own age, and had the sort of bulk you couldn't ignore. “A child was taken by a bear, so they're going to get it back.”
“A bear?” the boy frowned. “That can't be right.”
Makishima shrugged.
“It's what they're saying.”
“What did the child look like?”
Makishima wracked his brain, trying to remember. All children looked the same to him-- short and grubby and soft.
“It was a girl,” he replied finally. “Brown hair. Chatty. That guy over there,” he pointed, “is her brother.”
The boy nodded.
“Right,” he said, and marched up to the brother, currently fussing with a musket that had likely never been used. “Hello,” he waved again, and Makishima found himself smiling. “I can find your sister.”
“Who are you?” the brother asked, torn between suspicion and hope.
“I'm,” the boy faltered for a moment. “I'm Tadokoro Jin. I'm new.”
“A traveler?” Tadokoro shrugged his massive shoulders. “What makes you think you can find my sister?”
“I'm a good tracker,” Tadokoro replied. “I know these woods. And,” he faltered again, “I know bears. If one really has taken your sister, I'll be able to get her back safely.” The brother looked suspiciously at him; it was true that Tadokoro was large, but size didn't necessarily mean anything when it came to bears. Then his gaze dropped to the bundle under Tadokoro's arm.
“Is that a bearskin?” he asked. Tadokoro looked uncomfortable.
“Yeah.” The brother brightened, and called to several of the other men.
“Hey! This guy has killed a bear! He's going to get my sister back!” The other men crowded around Tadokoro, congratulating him and slapping him on the back. Makishima wondered if any of them noticed how uncomfortable Tadokoro looked.
An hour later, Tadokoro emerged from the forest, a beaming, bedraggled girl on his shoulders.
“I was stuck in a tree!” she announced, half-proud, as her brother ran up to her and began berating her for causing trouble, relief evident in his face. “Tadokoro got me down!”
The town was tightly-knit, and there came multiple offers of rewards for saving the girl. Tadokoro shook his head at the money, and instead said that he was hungry, and did they have any food they could spare?
They did, and he put it away nearly as quickly as it was set in front of him. Makishima noticed that although he was polite, and even friendly, Tadokoro clearly was not at ease. He kept the bearskin close at all times, never letting it out of sight or touch.
“Here,” Makishima said, handing him a plate of pastries. Tadokoro's eyes lit up, and he shoved one into his mouth immediately. “You should slow down; you'll get sick otherwise.”
“I won't,” Tadokoro said, his mouth full. He took a pastry and pushed it into Makishima's face. “You should eat one; you're too skinny.” Makishima leaned back and took the pastry from him. He nibbled at it politely-- sweet things weren't his favorite.
“How did you find her?” he asked. Tadokoro shrugged.
“She's not the first cub I've rescued from a tree.”
“Do you have a place to stay?” Makishima asked, and froze. He hadn't intended to, but something about Tadokoro made him hope that he'd stick around, even just a little while.
“No; thought I'd just sleep in the woods.”
“I have room, if you want.” He might as well make the offer. Tadokoro looked at him, his gaze piercing for a moment, and nodded.
“Sure.”
–
Tadokoro stayed with Makishima, and took on a job at the bakery hauling large sacks of flour and keeping the great oven fed. Within a week, he was learning to make bread, and before the end of the month the baker asked if he wanted to become his apprentice. Tadokoro declined, saying he wasn't sure when he might leave again, but continued to help out.
Makishima gave him a trunk with a lock to keep his belongings in, and each morning, Tadokoro locked his bear skin up. He was cavalier with the rest of his things, but he treated that skin like it was gold. And there were nights when he would disappear with it, and come back dirty and relaxed.
Makishima let him keep his secrets, but he stored all the facts in his mind, trying to make sense of them. He liked Tadokoro, liked his bigness and loudness and his good heart. He liked how Tadokoro seemed to be at ease with him in a way he wasn't with some of the other men, the ones who had been holding weapons that first day. He liked how, however awkward he was, Tadokoro never seemed to mind.
“That bear skin,” Makishima said one evening, several months after living together. It was the first time he had mentioned it, and he noticed how Tadokoro froze at the words. “Where did you get it?”
“It's mine,” Tadokoro muttered, and suddenly, it all became clear to Makishima. The old stories about shifters, what would happen to them if anything happened to their skins, they were true.
“I see,” was all he said, and when Tadokoro met his eyes, he saw that Tadokoro knew he knew, and that he would say nothing.
–
The next month, Makishima kissed Tadokoro before he left to see the other bear shifters, skin rolled up and strapped to his great back. Tadokoro grunted in surprise, but kissed him back, arms wrapping around him and pulling him close.
Tadokoro didn't leave the house that night, the two of them caught up in one another, finding new parts to explore. There was laughter and kisses and a feeling very much like love.
Makishima woke in Tadokoro's bed, warm and comfortable. It took him a moment to realize he was alone, and a further moment to realize he was draped in a familiar bear skin. It smelled earthy and good, like Tadokoro, and his heart beat so fast he thought it would burst at the trust that he'd been given.
He rose, clutching the skin around his neck like a cape, and went out into the front room. Tadokoro was still there, sitting in front of the fire, a soft smile on his face.
“I've come down with a terrible fever,” he said when he saw Makishima. “You'll have to tell the baker I won't be coming in today.”
“Oh,” Makishima said. “Yes.”