‘Don’t move.’

As if Hinata could, he was absolutely almost trembling in anticipation rooted to the spot. 

They were deep in the forest near Grandma’s house, having set out at sunrise and had traipsed through the bushes and overgrowth for perhaps an hour. Hinata had noted, with growing awe for his companion, the way Oikawa seemed to weave and float through the leaves barely making a sound, never stepping on twigs but silently wading his way through the forest like a ghost. They had found the stream Grandma had told Hinata about yesterday but there was no one and nothing around. So they had hid in some bushes watching, waiting, Hinata in his red cloak, Oikawa in his grey one, and Oikawa could not fathom how comfortable the silence and presence Hinata was.

When was the last time he had spent this much time with someone? It was so long ago that Oikawa could not remember. 

They had whispered conversation, their eyes on the stream like a hawk. An hour turned into two hours and the position of the sun continued to change. Just as they stood up, about to try and find another spot - 

A pheasant strutted into view and dipped its beak into the stream before dipping its whole body into the thing to ruffle and clean its feathers. 

And now, Oikawa had spoken and both boys had frozen, staring at lunch.

Oikawa had said not to move, but Hinata knew he could kill it. In one swift motion - no, two - the bird would be dead.

The creature obliviously groomed its feathers.

Ever so slowly, Hinata reached behind him and retrieved an arrow and gently placed it perfectly against his bow. 

Lift.

Stretch.

BAM!

A weight collapsed in feathers.

Hinata smiled. ‘It looks like pheasant’s for lunch.’ He ran through the bushes and across the stream, picking up the dead bird by the legs. ‘Oikawa! Look!’

Oikawa, indeed was looking. Heart-racing, adrenaline-pumping looking. How could someone so adorable and small be so deadly? And why - Oikawa could not understand - was this so attractive?

‘I am impressed,’ Oikawa had approached, also dampening his boots in the stream, to reach the beaming boy. ‘Who taught you?’

‘My father did! But I have practiced so much I am even better than him!’

‘What is the largest thing you have killed?’

‘A bear.’

Oikawa blanched. ‘You killed… a bear?!’

‘Yes. With three arrows. Heart, neck, skull.’ Hinata peered up at his shaken companion. ‘What’s wrong? Are you feeling alright? You have suddenly gone pale.’

‘N-Nothing. Yes. I’m fine. Only cold. Tis all.’

‘Well then,’ Hinata still holding the pheasant’s feet slung the dead creature over his shoulder. ‘Let’s get you warm again.’

Oikawa could not place this new layer of feeling that simmered beneath the surface as the duo made their way back to Grandma’s. But he had no time to give it much thought: the air turned celebratory when the victors arrived back with the catch and Grandma took to supervising the pair in de-feathering, cleaning and butchering the pheasant. Again, Oikawa was surprised how his small companion did not seem to squirm at the thought of blood or carving a fleshy thing but Hinata took to his duties as seriously and passionately as anything else he did. Oikawa too had never had to prepare meat the way a human did and this too was another new experience for him.

They feasted like kings. Oikawa once again swallowed back his indignation at the amount of food Grandma gave him compared to the amount she would eat for herself. She also opened a bottle of wine she had saved for a special occasion and they drank to their hearts’ content.

‘I am surprised,’ Oikawa was slightly muffled as he spoke into the pillow, laying on his front beside the fire, ‘we actually found something to eat.’ 

‘Oh I’m not, my dear boy! There aren’t many people who live around here. Only if you travel further north you will reach Cistren. But those people need to travel further south to reach this forest. I have seen a few pass through though. They must have been impatient or desperate, poor things!’ Grandma was sat in her rocking chair facing Oikawa.

‘Did you speak to them?’

‘No, I saw them pass. They did pause not far from the cottage though, as if they were to knock but they changed their minds and continued on.’   

 

Oikawa turned his head and found Hinata’s eyes. Hinata was still sat at the table, facing the centre of the room, just like the other two. Grandma had by far drank the most wine, then Oikawa and Hinata had hardly drank any. But Oikawa was not one easily moulded by wine. His eyes found Hinata’s and the two seemed to share a thought.

‘Has anyone else… come here?’ Oikawa spoke, his eyes still glued to Hinata. ‘Or knocked on your door?’

‘Thankfully not yet! Though I have seen travelers dither and consider it -’ Grandma suddenly hiccuped. ‘Goodness! Apologies -’

‘Oikawa,’ Hinata’s voice was as sharp as the tip of an arrow. ‘Could you step outside for a moment? I would like to talk to my grandma alone.’

Oikawa stood outside. The air had upped its chill. Winter was coming. Wolf or no wolf, Oikawa felt the looming threat from the trees that towered before him in the forest they had been in earlier. If people came to Grandma’s to rob her… what would Oikawa do? Well. Instinctively, his mind knew the right answer: eat them all. He would eat the intruders, and Grandma and Hin-

Oikawa sighed. He heard the door behind him suddenly open.

‘Oikawa,’ that voice like a vibrant summer meadow, ‘thank you for waiting! Please come back in.’

As Oikawa ducked back into the cottage that chipper orange thing appeared out of nowhere -

Hinata suddenly grabbed Oikawa’s hands.

‘Your hands are so cold!’

Those two small hands placed Oikawa’s together, and then began rubbing against the outside to create friction. 

‘I’m fine,’ Oikawa murmured but did nothing to step or move away or stop Hinata.

Hinata suddenly grabbed one of Oikawa’s hands again. ‘You should stand by the fire!’ and dragged Oikawa like he was a rag doll to the heat. 

Hinata let go and Oikawa stretched out his hands towards the flames. His cheeks felt warm but Oikawa was not sure why. When the wolf finally glanced up, he caught Grandma’s stare and had forgotten she was there. He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it but was there a glint in her eyes?

‘Oikawa! What happened to your little finger!!?’

Ah. Finally the gingerbread had noticed. Oikawa felt glad to get it out of the way.

‘It was chopped off,’ Oikawa explained. ‘I was in a fight with a man over food. A long time ago.’ And he, Oikawa smirked to himself, was the food. ‘Don’t worry,’ Oikawa gave Hinata an encouraging smile, ‘I won the fight.’

‘Then we are right in our judgment of you,’ Grandma declared from her rocking chair. ‘You are useful to have around, strong and resourceful. Excellent companionship for us -’ she suddenly hiccuped, ‘And! Easy on the eyes. My, if I was sixty years younger -’ 

‘Grandma!!’ Hinata scolded her as his cheeks flushed. ‘You cannot say that!’

‘You are all under my roof and I can very well say what I like!’

It was agreed. Hinata would stay with Grandma as long as he could and Oikawa would stay with them too. Grandma rewrote the letter, under the awestruck gaze of Oikawa, and they sent Suki the homing pigeon back to Hinata’s family home with the plan. Hinata and Oikawa would hunt and try to gather as much food as they could. If they could just make it through this winter, the spring and summer was bound to reap a bountiful harvest. And so, they would hope. 

Starting from tomorrow, Grandma determined she would put these two strapping boys to good use and get them to clean and fix all the things around her home that she could not. 

That night after all parties had nestled in for bed, with the gentle background music of Grandma’s soft snores, Oikawa could not help his wild, pounding heart as he lay on his side, not too far away from Hinata, who was also on his side facing Oikawa, talking animatedly about archery. Hinata was whispering and the sound was so soothing to the wolf’s ears - this face, these eyes, this voice were all far too pretty… 

Oikawa inched a tiny bit closer and Hinata froze. They had separate pillows and blankets but their faces were still so close… 

‘Why have you stopped talking?’ Oikawa whispered. ‘I could listen to you all night.’

Hinata blushed and averted his gaze, looking down, and stared at Oikawa’s blanket. When he looked up again, those eyes were so luminous and magnetic, Oikawa had to fight the human urge not to do anything reckless. So to save them both, Oikawa closed his eyes. 

‘Please do keep talking,’ he sighed dreamily. 

‘H-how is your side?’

‘Much better,’ Oikawa responded with his eyes closed.

Silence. Oikawa peeped with one of his eyes open to find that gorgeous boy staring intensely back at him. 

‘What are you thinking, Hinata?’

Hinata blanched and turned red. ‘N-n-nothing -’ Hinata turned onto his back and stared at the wooden beams above him. ‘We should go to sleep if we are to go hunting early again tomorrow.’

Oikawa hummed in agreement. ‘That sounds like a good plan.’

Oikawa closed his eye again and told himself to sleep as that was the only way to resist temptation.