Chapter Text
Serizawa could feel his doggy companion lurking in the back of his mind, he could feel his distress after he and Reigen took a bath and the urge to cover the smaller man with his scent. There were some things that both he and the dog (he really ought to think of a name) agreed on; one being their love of Reigen and the desire to stay in his arms. Serizawa curled around Reigen as they sat on the couch and Reigen typed an excuse for Serizawa on his laptop. Reigen paused his typing to kiss his jaw.
"I figured your influence made puppy-you so snuggly," Reigen said.
"It's a combination, I think in the weeks he was gathering his strength he has claimed you as something to protect. Now that he isn't hiding from me, I can feel his feelings." Serizawa said.
"And what are those feelings?" Reigen asked. Serizawa closed his eyes and focused on the Inugami.
"Mainly, ‘safe', 'protect', and-" Serizawa paused as a deep primal feeling washed over him and hid his face in Reigen's shoulder. "'Mate'."
"Hm? What was that?"
Serizawa scolds the animal and only gets confusion and insistence.
"Um...'mate'," Serizawa muttered, the Inugami nudged him to bite and claim and Serizawa felt his teeth lengthen and slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Mate!" Reigen yelped, blushing bright red. "I-I, well, but he's not wrong! Why are you covering your mouth 'Tsuya?"
Stop. Not now, Serizawa thought at the Inugami. The spirit let out a sharp sigh and Serizawa felt his teeth and the urge to bite receding.
"He wanted me to bite you," Serizawa said, running his tongue over his now flat teeth.
"Wouldn't that possess me too?" Reigen wondered.
"I don't know but I also don't think so either. He just wanted to lay a claim on you." Serizawa said. "The other alternative was peeing on you."
"Gross! Also, No!" Reigen said, scrunching his face in disgust. Reigen settled back against Serizawa's chest and pointed at the email. "I hope you don't mind me using your mother as part of your excuse. I just said she fell and that you had to go take care of her at night and that you would keep up with any lesson plan or homework until you can return."
"Sounds good," Serizawa said, even though he didn't feel good lying about something like that. "What about work?"
"You seem fine during the day, look I told our clients that we were closed due to an emergency. I should look up more information about Coriander Town. Maybe talk with that asshole who sent us out there." Reigen said with a scowl.
"'Taka, I don't think Aoimori-san knew there was an Inugami in the woods," Serizawa said.
"Fine," Reigen sighed. "I'll be nice."
"Thank you," Serizawa said and kissed his boyfriend's forehead. He was shooed away eventually by Reigen.
"Go ‘wan I have to do some research, and I can't do that with you distracting me," Reigen said. Both the Inugami and Serizawa felt a keen sense of loneliness as they reluctantly let go of Reigen and moved to a different side of the couch. "Don't you give me those puppy dog eyes, either."
The Inugami receded to the back of Serizawa's mind to sulk, now that he could focus Serizawa decided to work on his make-up homework instead.
"There were reports of animal attacks, in Coriander Town going back to that started around the nineties. Eight construction workers were mauled by a bear, allegedly, all eight died. Strangely enough, three locals were mauled to death as well. The locals killed were said to be in favor of the construction project." Reigen said as he cooked their dinner. He had drawn the line at rare beef and settled on pork katsu. "There were four deaths this year, all of them from Onoyama Construction Company."
Serizawa helped by making the miso soup and starting the rice, he could feel Okage (he had figured out a name) growing restless as night drew near. Fifteen people, Serizawa could almost reconcile it with the same spirit in his head but then again, his dreams were quite bloody.
"Someone was commanding him," Serizawa said. "They are the murderer, Okage is just the weapon."
"Okage? You named him?" Reigen asked and Serizawa blushed.
"I couldn't leave him nameless," Serizawa replied.
"'Okage' really?" Reigen teased. "'Big Shadow'?"
"I never really named anything before. He doesn't seem to mind it."
Okage also didn't really react to it either. Serizawa guesses he wasn't used to having a name yet. Reigen served him two more pork chops despite his insistence that three were fine (Okage urged him to devour). They went to the Scars HQ again and Serizawa shivered as he took off his clothes.
"I don't know 'Taka, why do I need to take off my clothes first?" Serizawa said, refusing to take off his boxers despite Reigen's determination.
"You change and your big form seems partial to ripping your clothes," Reigen said as he carefully folded his clothes. "Unless you want to buy new shirts every day?"
No, Serizawa did not.
"At least let me keep my boxers," Serizawa muttered, slapping away Reigen's wandering hands.
"I've seen you naked, 'Tsuya, and I am the only one out here," Reigen said.
"You just want to see me naked in the woods." Serizawa said, ignoring Reigen's reply ("I've already seen you naked in the woods, Katsuya."). He narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend. "I've seen your search history."
It was Reigen's turn to blush bright crimson, his hands gesture rapidly.
"Listen it was all done in the name of research, I was trying to find out what we can do for your condition y'know! It's not often that you deal with these sorts of things, so I had to be prepared!" Reigen said rapidly. Serizawa was not fooled.
"You looked up what a 'knot' was, Arataka. "
"For research! God, just do your wolfy thing." Reigen snapped, red to his ears.
The transformation came again but it wasn't painful like the last two times. It just felt like switching places.
I guess since he doesn't have to force it now, he wants to make it less painful. Serizawa thought as he settled in the back of Okage's mind and watched through his eyes as Reigen doted on him. He must really want a dog.
Okage grumbles back at him and flashes images of Reigen petting him and nuzzling up to him.
Possessive thing.
He feels Okage's joy as Reigen takes dog toys out of his overnight bag and plays with him. There is a flash of a memory, of a young boy playing with him but it's fuzzy like an out-of-focus picture. Serizawa follows the memory and sees that the boy is an elementary schooler and that his name is printed in hiragana on his smock. Inoue-kun. Serizawa commits it to his memory, he needs to tell Reigen this when he is back to normal.
Meanwhile, he looks back through Okage's eyes and sees Reigen stroking his head and wonders why Reigen has such faith in him. He's always been like that, looking for the best in the people closest to him. Okage wants to be closer to crawl into his ribcage and never leave, and Serizawa echoes the sentiment despite how creepy it feels. Okage whines as Reigen bundles up for bed and contemplates running in the woods, to hunt and chase.
"No, we need to stay here and protect him," Serizawa said. Okage seemed to agree and lay near Reigen on a cheap fleece blanket to provide him with warmth. The moon was setting, and Serizawa could feel Okage's hold slipping, and soon, Serizawa fell asleep.
Reigen complains of a stiff back the next morning until Serizawa caves and gives him a massage before work.
----
"You guys are hiding something." Tome declared as she stared at her two bosses. Reigen looked up from his computer with a raised eyebrow and Serizawa looked up from his homework. "I know you are! What is it?"
"This isn't some conspiracy, Tome," Reigen said returning to his work. Tome just huffed and pointed at Serizawa.
"You have been able to sense customers before they even walk in and have been sniffing loudly," Tome said, Serizawa jumped and cursed his new sense of smell. "And you! Mob said that you called him to find Dimple and you hardly ever do that. Now tell me what's going on or I'll tell Mob."
It was a threat because while Mob's visits had slowed with his club, school, and boyfriend activities; he would drop by, and he could easily see through Reigen's bullshit...even if he was polite about it. Reigen sighed and shut his laptop, he looked at Serizawa for permission. When Serizawa nodded, he turned to Tome.
"Not a word of this leaves the office, you hear?" At Tome's nod, he continues. "Serizawa was bit by an Inugami, a dog spirit that now possesses him. It makes him transform into an Inugami during the full moon, so we've been keeping that in check and trying to find a way to get rid of the spirit."
"Really?" Tome asked and Reigen pulled up the picture he took of Okage. "That is one big dog. Why not call Mob?"
"I named him Okage, he's suffered pretty badly, and I don't want to hurt him so we're trying to find a safe way to remove him," Serizawa said. "He has a little control over my powers so I can't get rid of him either."
"So basically that makes you a werewolf, right?" Tome asked eagerly. "See there are these creatures in America called Loup-Garou who are like werewolves but-"
Serizawa listened as Tome told him everything she knew about werewolves like cryptids. Serizawa got a faint friendly feeling from Okage towards Tome.
Friend?
Yes, Serizawa though, then added. Good boy.
Okage seemed to freeze and then a happy feeling tickled the back of Serizawa's brain. Tome ended her lecture suddenly and stared intently at Serizawa.
"Can, can I see you see you as Doggyzawa?" she asked. Reigen snorted and cackled.
"Doggyzawa! I love that! But no," Reigen said wiping tears from his eyes. "One it'll be too late to justify you being out with your parents. Two, Okage does not respect clothes and it'd be inappropriate."
"Aw! I wanted to see a real werewolf." Tome said.
"Sorry, Tome-chan," Serizawa said. "I'll ask 'Taka to take more pictures for you."
"I've taken so many pictures," Reigen said and handed his phone to Tome who eagerly looked through them. Serizawa smiled at them both which faded when he caught a whiff of something. It smelled of blood, sweat, and incense sour with anger and desperation. Okage growled in the back of his mind, not a warning growl but a full-throated rumble of pure rage. Serizawa staggered at the force of it and felt red clouding his vision.
Okage, stop! He thought desperately as Tome and Reigen turned to him. Reigen's face furrows in concern.
"Serizawa?" he asked but Serizawa was fighting for control.
HateHateHateHateHateHateHateHateHateHate.
He jumps when he feels Reigen's hand on his arm and jerks away, his teeth feel sharp, and he must look terrifying as he sees Reigen flinch at the sight of him.
"Sorry," he huffed, lisping around his fangs. "We smelled something, something -"
Evil.
"Evil," Serizawa said, taking deep breaths. The smell was gone now but Okage was still on edge. "It upset Okage."
Reigen frowns and opens the door to the office and comes back a few minutes later.
"There wasn't anyone outside," he said. "Can you ask Okage, I know he can't talk but maybe he can tell us?"
Okage whines anxiously, urging Serizawa to go hide, to take Reigen and Tome and hide.
Who was that?
A single word is pushed to the forefront of Serizawa's mind, and it chills his blood.
Master.