#typiiinggg

It is especially obvious when he tends to cut through the forest between you and the big old renovated cabin where Tsurumi and his hybrid clan settled. Up until early spring it was just a huge abandoned shack in the middle of the forest farther up north. They haven't had the time to clean the paths around the property, which means Usami has been just stomping through uneven soil and vegetation cluttered terrain. Honestly if it weren't for your weekly shoppings down at the village, you wouldn't have learned about the newcomers. You have to thank the butcher's wife Inkarmat for the piece unless you wanted a bigger scare from Usami's first intrusion.

You're sure that Tsurumi being the gentleman he is, wouldn't allow dirt trails in their living quarters. Usami might even be acting sloppy because he isn't around the older man, outside (or are you hoping he's this because he's more relaxed around you?). But as for now, with him standing in the middle of your yard cleaning off dirt with swipes of forearms, you just can't hide the slight twist of your lip watching him do so.

Hare hybrid!Usami immediately fixes his red eyes on you the moment you get closer, the curl in his usual smile showing his intrigue in your change. As much as you've gotten used to his presence, there hasn't really been any instances where you were very close to each other in proximity. You have always kept a respectable distance, and him content with just staring you down.

"Don't worry, just, picking the leaf pieces off your head..." You announce as you carefully pluck the small bits of greenery off his ears.

Hare hybrid Usami has gotten plenty of chances to look, but never was he able to smell much less touch you. Now here you are up close, feeling the tip of your fingers smooth out the last bit of his glossy fur and pat through his buzzed short hair, smelling the wild berry jam you were just making in the kitchen. Your delicate shaky breath gently fanning over him as you hover as close as possible without touching, nerves still cautious with his unpredictable behavior. Your radiating warmth and cozy light shawl around your shoulders got his teeth itching to bite.

A low rumbling sound starts off but you refuse to acknowledge, much less question it. His ears slightly lower themselves so does the tension in his physique, you even start to think that he might be leaning slightly forward.

When Hare hybrid Usami doesn't move away from you after your little cleanup, you finally take a glance at his face. And your stomach might've dropped a bit. Something new is in those intense red eyes, fixated on you from the dark depths of his slightly dilated pupils. It pins you in place, a shiver wracking down your spine as the hair on your nape bristles up.

The growing 'w' of his lips snaps you out of your rigidness and you rush back indoors to retrieve the clothes you've mended for Tsurumi's men in exchange for the tree removal they helped you with earlier during the week. Hand automatically moves up to rub the goosebumps away.

Is he really a prey hybrid?

"Sorry darlin', didn't mean to wake you up", he huffs with an audible grin when you let out an airy whine. You jolt at the feeling of his cold hands grip onto you as he moves you gently.

The man maneuvers as quick as possible to set you on his chest, your ear next to his heart and limbs and body comfortably settled to be his personal weighted blanket; your usual sleep setup. The covers are pulled up and over your back once again and one big paw of a hand cups the back of your neck to keep you close. A sigh of relief is felt at the top of your head as Shiu nuzzles into your hair and muscles visibly relaxing under you. Warmth increases under the blanket with the addition of another body on the mattress; for some reason, Shiu runs hot like a furnace but has colder extremities than Jack Frost.

You glance with blurry vision at the alarm by the bedside table, the red digits telling you that it's one of the rare nights where at least one of your boys gets home before the clubs down the street close. A yawn is pulled from you at the slowing rise and fall of Shiu' breath. Legs gently tangle together and you nuzzle closer into the crook where his chin and neck meet.

"Fancy to see you 'round here so 'rly," your voice crows and slurs with sleep still threatening to pull you under.

"Well lucky you, been missing m' pretty baby too much to accept another round of mahjong with the boys," Shiu chuckles. His hand at this point has warmed to a comfortable degree from your combined heat and he slides it down to your back to give you gentle rubs, "now go back to sleep."

Not much was needed to lull you back down, with the rumble of his voice purring out his reply and comforting arm weighting down on you, you were already halfway to dreamland.

.

The second awakening of the night is far less tender, as the last of your trio literally lets himself dogpile onto your sleeping forms. A wall of muscles comes falling down on your back, covering you up so much that anyone would've thought that there was just Shiu and Toji on the bed.

You startle out of your flowers and stars filled dream as the yelp you released gets cut silent from the sudden rush of air out of your lungs. Instincts kick in and you attempt to curl into yourself like an armadillo, only to drive your knee up into Shiu's unfortunate family jewels from your entangled position. The man's painful choke and tightening grip around your waist is enough to inform you of his misery. Contrasting those motions are the rhythmic contraction and release of Toji's abdomen from his silent laughter. His delight is also felt in the light shaking of the entire bed as he affectionately rubs and nuzzles his face against the back of your shoulder and nape.

"You're getting too lax shiu. Sleeping like the dead, wouldn't be able to protect our sweetheart from sneaky rats" Toji snickers, arms slowly tightening the hug he has you trapped in. You faintly feel him grin, imagining the slight stretch of his scar from his pleased expression.

The handler wheezes and lets out a cough at the comment.

"Fu-*cough*-fuck you, holy shit. Would've shot you if I didn't know better, you dick," true to his words, the heartbeat next to your ear is drumming away and shiu has his finger wrapped around the trigger above his head. "Besides, who else could get me passed out like this if not darlin'?"

Toji hums as if in agreement, though not stopping the affection he's been showering you, now adding kisses and nibbles wherever he can reach. They make you lightly giggle from the ticklish feeling. Your airy sounds of happiness fills the otherwise quiet room and the two men simply relish in it. Content of this little piece of heaven bestowed to them in the pits of Hell they call Earth.

"Nobody does it better than sweetheart."

Once finally satiated, Toji quickly removes his t-shirt and changes out of his day pants before slipping his way under the covers too. He pulls you from draping on Shiu to only half lying on your side and slides a hand up your sleep shirt to rest on your stomach. the press of his front to your back cements your spot between the two men and Toji takes the opportunity to litter more kisses on the back of your neck.

"Soft as a bunny and cute as a button, we're keeping you here fer sure," Shiu grunts as he rolls in a bit closer, delivering a peck of his own on your forehead. Toji expresses his agreement with a mean nip to the junction of your shoulder and neck as if marking their property.

"Fuck it, we're sleeping in," you barely hear your partner behind you mumbles, eyes already shut tight.

You with your hand still stuck in a little jar filled with nuts, feet slowly shrinking back to curl your knees up and make yourself more compact. Mouth slightly agape from shock, his nose twitches slightly as if senting the air like a dog. You frown. He's not a hound though?

Usami's clearly not what you've been anticipating, the tension in your posture displaying the confusion and blaring alarms sounding havoc in your mind. The tree shades keep him hidden quite well, you get a vague feeling of his stature, but with the breeze blowing through the branches and the glaring afternoon sun it's hard to get the full picture. Just those red eyes peeking at you. Squirrels whom you've prepared the nuts for dont have red pupils. Squirrels who regularly visit you aren't this tall. More importantly, squirrels from the forest behind your yard aren't hybrids.

Since the last crunch of his dirt crusted work boots, nobody has attempted to speak whatsoever. You aren't sure if he's predator or prey anymore, the unflinching stare he's got you locked in feels like the one of a hunter despite his hare features.

"... Haven't seen you around here before," his left ear visibly flinches at the sound of your voice.

Despite the initial reaction, he seems to take your announcement as a sign of peace offering and relaxes a bit, slowly lowering his arms to rest next to his sides. Usami also steps out from the tree lines, now standing next to the trio of gnomes that guard the edge of your yard. Pupils soften slightly. You unconsciously follow his blink with one of your own, only then acknowledging how dry your eyes have gone from keeping him in your field of vision.

The raised arms were not what made him big, you realize, Usami's built physique still peaked through his clothes even in the relaxed stance. Broad shoulders and a thick middle fill the shirt well, his cargo pants tucked into his boots but tight around his thighs. The muscles seem to be from physical labor, the kind that is less seen in hybrid physique competitions and more in the construction industry. Perhaps even in the wood industry, which is very possible considering the lush green forests expanding beyond mountains around you. It is unusual though for typically smaller hybrids to get assigned such work, but then again nothing about him aligned with the norm.

You can't determine what else is caked on the damaged dark shirt and cargo pants, but there's definitely something else on there, something that dries dark and not light shades like mud does. For the sake of your nerves right now though you choose to not think more and simply get up from your seat at a natural speed. He follows with his eyes, head tilting slightly.

"Wh- uh, why don't you come in and clean up while I go get the phone for you? Maybe contact someone you know, who uh, might be able to help you?" Usami easily spies the tremble of uncertainty in your hand as you loosely gesture at your back door.

He lets the silence linger for a little moment more, a small rumbly feeling in his chest forming with the way awkwardness creeps into your posture at his unresponsiveness.

Your other limp hand reaches for the hem of your shirt, fingers curling around the fabric as you fidget.

He's finding your reactions fun.

Maybe this is the feeling that Ogata was telling him about, predator watching the prey's cornered, nervous responses. It's hard to come by, what with him being typically surrounded by predator hybrids. And the fact that he is also technically considered prey type. Usami feels the corner of his mouth twitch up and pupils slightly dilate. He covers it by fully smiling, changing it for a friendlier smile and steps forward to follow you. It sends a dart of shiver down your back though, and something in the back of your mind is screaming.

You swallow the pinprick feeling of unease and turn to guide him. Too late to back out, you now have a guest to entertain.