I wasn't sure when it started.

At first, the visits were welfare checks, assurances of safety and a true recovery. These quickly devolved into lustful ventures, explorations of the body, the softest sounds. Before I knew it, this pattern changed too, morphing into something I'd never experienced with anyone, not even Shuichi.

He came through the door this time, hair crusted with blood. Red stained his fur, his skin, painted intricate patterns on his robes. None of it was his – it never was – yet he promised the blood wasn't human. Humans were not his enemies, after all; not yet.

I learned not to ask too many questions.

The clack of wood and he stole my pawn, piece disappearing in a great hand. Retreating, he reclined once more on the other side of the coffee table, pawn joining the other white pieces gathered there.

"Check."

Glancing back at the board, I bit back a choice word, earning a chuckle. Yoko watched with a slow smile, mouth half-hidden by his hand, tail making lazy trails at his back. I only had a few pieces left; if I'd paid attention, I could have taken out his bishop last turn, saved myself a lot of trouble. Instead, I watched damp hair slip over an erect ear, the drop of water trailing down his chest, the towel knot threatening to unravel at his hip–

Two moves, two paths which would lead my king out of danger. Destroy the bishop or move to the right, to safety? Musky incense wafted, his choice, coating the air with myrrh, chamomile and a spice I couldn't place, one not of this world. The smoke floated between us, melding with his scent, lighting lidded eyes.

He raised both brows though the smile remained, tail whisking slowly back and forth. "Are you sure that's wise?"

Only then did I see the mistake: the glaring, obvious, rookie mistake. One piece shielded me from his queen, studded crown glinting in the candlelight. He watched me study the pieces, knowing there was nothing I could do:

My hand was off the king.

"You said you've never played chess!"

"I have not." Yoko pretended to consider his options, claw tracing the matriarch's curves. He halted at the carved neck, prodding the space, that delicate head. "However, humans should know never to make bets with foxes, especially over a game."

A distant sound – his clothes drying in the bathroom, cleaned along with his body – and I bit my lip, an action he allowed. This was supposed to be a relaxing night in, my reward for the week. Shuichi left immediately after the lesson earlier in the evening, refusing to stay for dinner as usual even though food was already baking. No, he gave some legitimate excuse and declined, leaving only after I promised to rest tonight.

So much for that plan.

"You're not paying attention."

His fingers swam over the queen but did not pick the piece up, gaze fixed on me. One move; he could finish this in one move.

We'd started this on a whim, after he spotted the chess set on a shelf. Water dripping from his calves and hair, Yoko asked about the game, the pieces, all of the rules. While I explained as well as I could, we both knew that some things only come by doing so when I asked if he wanted to play, I already knew he'd say yes:

I didn't expect him to make a wager on the game.

"The winner can may ask a single thing of the loser, to be fulfilled without complaint. Those were the terms, correct?"

Silence as he traced the studded crown, each pass hailed by the soft clacking of claws.

"We never did establish our prizes though, did we?" Another smile, the hint of a fang cresting one lip. "What say you? What do you desire, should you win?"

I held back a smart remark; I wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "I can ask for anything?"

A nod, a soft hum. "Within reason, yes."

Glancing back at the board, I studied the pieces, weighing my options. There was still a chance I could win, a slim chance. His toying with the queen could be a suggestion, a threat he had no intention of following through.

Or maybe he just liked the piece, I could never tell with him. "If I win, you have to clean the place dressed like that."

He laughed outright, an inhuman sound filled with tinkling bells. "You would force me into the role of a servant?"

I tasted the steel in his tongue, willow wood and roses scenting the air. Shuichi would say this was a dangerous game, that the fox could tear me apart as easily as lay with me–

Only Shuichi wasn't here.

And Yoko had proved time and time again he meant no harm. "You bet I would."

"What a naughty child." He mused, palm cushioning his jaw. "How should I punish you?"

I didn't answer; he didn't expect me to. Instead, I followed his bent knee, towel rising until he nearly exposed himself. Everything remained in place but my cheeks flushed anyway, body remembering what my mind would not. Corded muscle, preternatural grace; growls which somehow hummed from his chest to mine and back again.

"Does the thought of being humiliated excite you?"

That got my attention though I knew better than to argue, not with the way he looked at me. Of course he would notice the heat, smell what I would deny. Let him think I was an exhibitionist, a closet freak–

Anything but wanting the towel to rise an inch more.

The violent clash of wood against wood, a dull bouncing. "Checkmate."

I lurched over the board, nearly swallowing my tongue. Sure enough, my rook lay defeated, black queen dominating over my king. No matter how long I stared, a path out did not materialize. There was no way to kill his piece, nowhere mine could flee from her.

I'd lost.

"Now, what shall I do with you, mistress?" He purred, taking me in, removing the king from the desiccated board. The word stung even though it dripped with honey, a smirk curling his lips. "You wished to humble me so it seems appropriate such should be your punishment."

He sat up, hair spilling over his shoulders and chest, pooling in his lap. Suddenly, his hand was on my face, cupping my cheek long fingers massaging my neck.

"You shall stand outside in your undergarments for one minute."

I recoiled but he wouldn't let me run, hand unyielding. "I-I can't do that!"

"Of course you can – sixty seconds of cold will not harm you."

"But it's snowing!"

"Why do you think I am allowing you to wear undergarments? It would be a shame if such . . . delicate spaces were exposed."

I knew it was pointless to argue and if I backed out now, I would be going against my word – I would not lose face before him.

Yoko let me stand and tilted his head back, watching me unbutton my pants, sweater slipping over my head. In no time the only things left on were my bra and underwear, a matching lace set.

"I'm timing this; you get a minute, no more." I murmured while padding to the door, knowing he would hear. Shifting cloth and I knew he'd risen but didn't look back, glaring at the door, the foyer clock. Almost there, a few ticks more–

The second hand hit twelve and I slipped outside, closing the door behind me.

September 2020 OTP Drabbles

Prompt 18 – Doing Something Together