Somehow, By The Miracle Of Arceus, I Was Able To Commission @xxtc-96xx Again To Draw More Of My Favorite

Somehow, by the miracle of Arceus, I was able to commission @xxtc-96xx again to draw more of my favorite Pokémon. And I absolutely love it!!! It looks so freaking cool! Dragons meeting in the sky! Will they fight? Or a simple casual conversation? Who knows? Anyways, thank you so much again! May all who see this be blessed with shiny luck!

He is coming and none can stop him.

God himself.

@draconicsparkle

He fret

More naga!nagito and his bf hajime!! A scene from another one of @draconicsparkle 's drabbles. This one! Read it. NOW!

I think I made nagitos back too small... I did try to fix it, but uhhhrggg. Still like the result tho

Welp, I ended up enjoying writing the first Naga Nagito drabble that I wanted to do another. And so I did! Cause none can stop me. I HAVE THE POWER OF WRITING!!! Anyhoo, this is again based off artwork by @tortadecereji. Hope ya like!

Hajime looked around his living room another time, making sure things were fine. The room was neat and clean, vacuumed and dusted. His kitchen was stocked with all kinds of food and drink, a variety just in case. The room temperature was nice, not too warm and not too cold. And most importantly, the absence of a certain individual.

Hajime’s coworker, Makoto Naegi, was coming to visit his home. It would be his first visitor to his new place, his parents living much too far away. So he found himself working hard to make sure the visit was a comfortable one. And that included more factors than one would usually worry about.

See, Hajime’s “neighbor” had a tendency to pop by whenever he felt like it. The forest’s naga, Nagito. And on his most recent visit, Hajime had stressed and repeated multiple times that he was going to be busy with company and to NOT drop by. He didn’t want one of the few people willing to visit him to be scared off.

The giant creature had mulled it over for a few seconds, before giving a half answer that wasn’t very clear if he understood or not. But this was all he could do. And so far, from his multiple glances out the window, he hadn’t come by. No reptilian eyes visible at the forest’s edge. Good.

His phone buzzed, indicating that he got a text. And glancing at the message revealed that Makoto had arrived. So he went to the front door and opened it. “You made it. I hope it wasn’t too confusing of a drive.”

Makoto shook his head. “Not at all! It was a very nice drive! So many trees on either side of the road. It must be very peaceful out here!”

Hajime couldn’t help but laugh a little. His days were anything but peaceful. But his coworker didn’t need to know that. “Well, come on in. I can give you a tour of the place.”

And that’s what the next ten minutes were dedicated to. Hajime took Makoto all around the house, showing every room and how each was decorated. His coworker seemed impressed, eyes sparkling and clearly interested.

When they reached the living room, something specific had caught his coworker’s eye. On the mantle above the fireplace was a single emerald green scale, about the size of a cutting board. Makoto had walked over and admired it. “This is beautiful! It looks like a scale. Where did you find it?”

Hajime kept his cool. It wasn’t all that rare for people to have naga scales in their homes. They were rare creatures and were not often seen. But most knew they existed. And having a scale in one’s home was said to be a good luck charm. Whether or not it was good luck in Hajime’s case, he couldn’t definitively say yet. “Someone gave it to me. He said it was a housewarming gift.”

Makoto looked over, curious. “Oh wow! They must be a good friend to give you this.”

Hajime shrugged, a half smile on his face. “I suppose we are more or less friends. But enough about that, let’s get something to eat and drink.”

His coworker looked like he had wanted to ask more, but thankfully read the tone and didn’t say any more. And after one last glance at the scale, he joined his host in the kitchen.

Soon enough, they were sitting on the couch with their plates and drinks on the coffee table in front of them. They had several lines of discussion while they ate. Some about work, and others about their own lives. Eventually it came to how living in the house had been going.

“It’s a nice house, that’s for certain. It’s quiet at night and it can feel so tranquil. It’s great for focusing on work, no distractions. And for the most part, the wildlife keeps to themselves and don’t bother me.”

Makoto raised an eyebrow. “For the most part?”

Hajime sighed and leaned back. “Yeah. There’s been one creature that has been… an attention hog, shall we say. He has been coming to my home at all hours, though he loves dropping by in the mornings. That’s why I’m sometimes a little late to our online meetings.”

“Really? What kind of animal is he? I’m assuming he’s a large o-” Makoto’s words cut off as the sunlight from the patio doors was blocked, a large shadow darkening the room. And his eyes widened in surprise and slight fear, locked on something behind him.

Oh no, Hajime thought as he turned around. And he saw the naga’s large eye peeking in through the glass. He got to his feet and stormed over, throwing the door open. “What did I tell you yesterday!? To NOT come around! Now go back!” he shouted in frustration.

But Nagito didn’t appear to really take in the words, instead smiling. “You came out on your own! I didn’t even have to snatch you! And I see you have a little friend with you. He should come out to say hi too, don’t you think?”

Hajime stalked forward more, finger sharply poking the skin under the eye. “No. Listen to me for once. Go home.”

But again, the words were useless. Nagito reached a hand up and positioned it behind the human. Fingers curled and he was soon locked in the naga’s grip. Both he and the human part of the creature rose off the ground. “Someone sounds grumpy. I know! I think we should go have fun! And your little friend can join in too! Let me get him!”

Seeing the naga’s other hand begin to move to the open patio door, Hajime saw red. His rage grew too high. And he exploded. “NAGITO!!! THAT’S ENOUGH!!! STOP THIS INSTANT!!!”

The large creature paused, having never heard the human sound like this. “Hajime? Is something wrong?”

If his arms had been free, he surely would have thrown them up into the air in exasperation. “Oh!? Is something wrong!? Let me think! How about the fact that you ignored my direct request and did exactly what you knew I didn’t want you to do!? And how you disregard everything I say?! All of the time?! And to top it all off, you were planning on grabbing someone who doesn’t know you! Think of how terrifying that would have been for him!”

Nagito looked upset. “I…” he tried to speak, voice tiny in comparison to his earlier one.

Hajime stared directly into his eyes. “Put. Me. Down,” he commanded.

And the naga did so, slowly moving his hand down and releasing him on the ground. Nagito’s expression was sad as he slithered away from the house, slower than usual. He knew he had messed up. He had made the human actually mad. And so he was removing himself from the house’s perimeter.

Hajime watched him for a few seconds before returning into the house. He had an explanation to give. “I’m so sorry about this Makoto. I tried to tell him that tonight wasn’t an option. But he doesn’t like to listen to me.”

His coworker still seemed a bit frazzled, but not nearly as much as earlier. “I’m okay! Just… didn’t expect that. Does… that happen often?”

Hajime ran a hand through his hair. “Way more that you think. Practically every day.”

“I… have never heard you get that angry. It was surprising. You usually are so even-tempered,” the shorter man observed.

“Crap, you heard? I’m sorry again. I don’t like getting angry. I feel so guilty about it afterwards. Even now, when I had a legitimate reason,” he said, glancing out the patio door.

Some silence occured as he stared outside. But Makoto broke it with a question. “So… is he the one that gave you the scale?”

“Yeah. Plucked it right off his body. He wanted to give me a gift of some kind. He says that no one really comes around these parts. And that I’m the first person to live here in a while.”

“Really? Sounds like he’s lonely,” Makoto commented. “Is that maybe why he comes around so often? Because he has no one else to talk to?”

“If that’s true, then that explains some things. Namely his lack of social cues and awareness,” Hajime replied. He groaned a bit. “Guess that means I can’t really fault him for his actions. But I do need to establish some firm boundaries. Namely to not scare any of my guests.”

Makoto laughed a bit at that. “If you are worried about me not coming back, don’t fret! I would be more than happy to come over another time! As for your naga friend, if he isn’t threatening and dangerous, then I wouldn’t mind interacting with him.”

The taller man raised a brow. “Huh? You wouldn’t mind? No offense, but I didn’t think you would want to be close to something like him. You get terrified at the Halloween decorations at the office parties.”

Makoto’s cheeks flushed a bit with embarrassment. “Well, this is a different situation. And seeing as you are free of wounds, I’m assuming he’s careful when holding you, as he demonstrated earlier.”

Hajime crossed his arms and closed his eyes for a few moments, thinking. He reopened them once he came to a decision. “Alright, I’ll go talk to him.”

His coworker looked a little surprised. “Huh? Right now? Didn’t he go back into the forest?”

He pulled the patio door open again. “I have a feeling he didn’t actually leave. That he’s still close by. Feel free to come if you want, just stay a little distance away to be out of the snatching zone.”

“O-okay!” Surprisingly, Makoto actually did come with him, following behind as they walked around the house and towards the woods. And just as Hajime had thought, the naga was still here. He was laying on the ground right on the forest’s edge, moping. He was absentmindedly pushing a stone around, small for him, but an enormous boulder for the humans.

He twitched when he heard the footsteps approaching, but didn’t look over. Not until he was directly addressed.

“Nagito. We need to talk.”

The large creature flinched, as if afraid. But he still slowly turned to face the human. He instructed Makoto to stay where he was as he approached the naga. He got very close, close enough that he could be touched. But Nagito didn’t move, too worried to try.

“First of all,” Hajime began. “You do realize why I am upset with you, right?”

Nagito looked like he was trying to melt into the floor. “Because I came by when you told me not to.”

“Correct. And do you understand why I wasn’t happy with this?”

“Yes,” the naga whispered.

Hajime moved so that they made eye contact. “So what drove you to do it anyway?”

Nagito looked sheepish, a vast contrast to his usual attitude. “Well… when you told me that another human was going to be coming here, I was overjoyed. I don’t get to see many, as I live so far away from your kind’s typical civilizations. I guess… I forgot how jarring the size difference can be at a first interaction. I grew used to your reactions. So part of me thought it would go well. But I can see that I was foolish to think that. And also, thinking about you having a guest made me long for your attention as well, I suppose.”

Hajime walked up more, reaching out and placing a hand on the large creature’s cheek. “Listen to me. I don’t dislike your company. And I know you like mine. But you need to understand and accept that I can’t spend every second with you. I have things I need and want to do that require us to be apart. But that doesn’t mean I will forget about you and leave you alone for good. So can you respect my wishes for time by myself? And to follow instructions if I give any to you?”

A few tears gathered at the corner of the naga’s eyes as he gave a small, wobbly smile. “Yeah, I can do that.”

The human saw Nagito’s hands twitch, subtly indicating what he wanted. He sighed and relented. “Fine. You can do it,” he said.

Nearly squealing with happiness, the naga happily obliged. Hajime felt his feet lift off the ground again as he was hugged against the large cheek. Clearly, he was back into positive spirits. And hopefully he would be more responsive to instructions in the future.

But then Hajime recalled his guest. He turned as best he could and peered down to the other. “Alright, things are fine now. Nagito will be respectful to you.” He turned back to meet the reptilian green eye. “Right?”

Nagito laughed a bit. “I will, I promise.”

“Umm… okay!” Makoto took some steps forward, still a little cautious. But he did approach despite some lingering concerns. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Makoto Naegi. I work with Hajime.”

Nagito smiled wide, exposing his fangs. He leaned down a bit and extended a finger out, raising the human’s hand up and down to best simulate a handshake. “It is a pleasure to meet you. Please do come around some other time. If you want, I can show you around the forest! There are so many beautiful areas hidden in there. I would be happy to share them with you! Oh! We could even go now if you want!”

“Nagito,” Hajime said in a warning tone.

To which the naga deflated a bit. “Ah, my apologies. I got a bit excited.”

But Makoto didn’t seem wary or uncomfortable. “That’s a generous offer. Maybe not tonight and probably not next time. But perhaps I will accept at one point.”

Nagito nodded. “I understand. I shall respect your wishes.” He began nuzzling Hajime again. “In the meantime, I’ll devote my attention to you. Aren’t you glad?”

Hajime rolled his eyes but let the naga do what he wanted. The evening had not gone exactly as he had planned. But, he found that he didn’t mind the change. Perhaps this was a good start to something. Better communication? If so, he looked forward to the results.

Masterpost

I’m flipping the script this time in a way. Snek no longer big. Now smol. Inspired by a pic of me holding a very small green snake I had found while at work. (Psst, let me know if you want to see the pic, I’m fine with sharing it) It got me and @tortadecereji thinking. And then boom! Idea. I’ll return to big snek after this one. Just wanted to get the itty bitty out of the system. Cause I love it.

Btw, if you want to suggest things, feel free. Just send me a message or leave a comment.

Late morning had arrived. A nice time for college students on the weekend. Enough extra sleep to feel satisfying, and enough time in the day to accomplish errands and tasks.

That was Hajime’s opinion on it anyway. He felt himself awaken and he rose to a sitting position on his bed. He stretched his arms above his head and groaned in relief when he felt a few pops. As tempting as it was to simply stay in bed all day, he had plans that he had to attend to. So up he got.

Placing his feet on the floor, he stood and walked over to his dresser, pulling some drawers open and grabbing some articles of clothing for the day. But before he went to the bathroom to change into them, he had one quick thing he needed to do.

Rouse his roommate.

Stepping over to a small table, he scanned the small terrarium-like home he had made in a glass tank, one of the walls having been removed. There were a few plants here and there with flat rocks that were carefully positioned under basking lamps. And on those rocks was his roommate. A small naga.

Hajime tapped the table twice, paused, then tapped one more time. It was a signal they used to help the small creature identify who was approaching. “Hey Nagito. It’s morning. Can you start getting up?” He then braved through the tiny jungle, hand coming in contact with the green scales of the snake tail. In response, the tail curled around his finger, keeping it in place.

“Warm,” the naga sleepily mumbled, moving to hug the human’s wrist as much as he could, almost able to reach all the way around.

Hajime chuckled at the sight and feeling. “Yes, I know. But come on, you need to let go for a little. Otherwise putting a new shirt on and cooking breakfast would be difficult.” Nagito tightened his holds in almost a pouting way, so Hajime sweetened the deal. “You can ride around my neck when I go out today if you let me go.”

“Really?!” The naga let go almost immediately, which the human made sure to quickly retrieve his hand.

“Yes, really. Now go ahead and fully wake up. I’ll come get you once I’m ready for the day.” He stepped back and exited the room swiftly, going to the bathroom to perform his task. It didn’t take long, swapping his night clothes into day clothes. So it wasn’t long before he returned to his room. By the time he did, the small creature was out of his terrarium and on the table waiting for him, wearing one of the small shirts that had been custom made for him.

“All good? And do you want to join me while I make myself something quick?”

He really needn’t have asked, as Nagito always said yes. “Of course! I will go wherever you do.”

Hajime grinned as he extended his arm, allowing the serpent to wrap his tail around his wrist. The tight hold secure, the human raised his arm and held it still as he traveled to the kitchen. “Alright, where do you want to be while I make some toast?”

“Can you please lift me up to your hair? That would do very nicely,” was the response.

And not a surprising one. “Yeah, sure.” The human did so, feeling the coils loosen so that the naga could slither onto his head from his wrist. A happy sigh occurred once he was in place. “It shouldn’t take too long. And one more quick question. You still good on nutrients? Don’t need to feed today?”

“I’m still perfectly fine. I will need to eat in a few days but I won’t need anything for today. Thank you for asking though!” He felt a small hand pat his hair. “I don’t think I will ever fully come to terms with how considerate you are. So nice. I wish the rest of the human race was like you.”

Hajime smirked as he put some bread in the toaster. “First of all, I do appreciate your compliment. But I must say that you would likely find that many humans are caring and considerate. But you need to allow them the chance to show it. Rather than biting them upon first meeting.”

His hair antenna got yanked. “Well excuse me for acting on defensive instincts from being grabbed by someone I didn’t know. You at least waited for permission before trying to hold me.”

Hajime kept up the smirk, knowing that Nagito couldn’t see it. “I am meeting up with him and another friend today. So try to be on good behavior. I’m confident he won’t try again, but don’t scare him. Can you do that for me?”

Cue an over the top dramatic sigh. “I suppose I could try to be cordial.” He then let out a tiny ‘eep’ as the toast popped up, gripping tighter onto the brown hair. The human didn’t mention it, though he did think the sound was adorable.

The cooked bread was slathered in butter and eaten fast. Keys and shoes were grabbed soon after, with the two residents now by the apartment door. But Hajime stood still, recalling the promise he had made. “Time to go. Want to get into position?”

Nagito began moving, slowly sliding down off his head and onto his shoulder. Then proceeded to wind around his neck like a necklace. He was long enough to do a full loop, his human features resting on the left shoulder and the extra bit of tail hanging down on the right shoulder. It was tight enough for the naga to remain in position, but not enough so as to strangle. It was comfortable for them both. “Ready!” he called out.

“Great. Now let’s head out.”

Hajime opened the door, sunlight washing over them both. It was the beginning of spring, the weather getting to a comfortable temperature and the skies being clear. It was a nice day. And an even nicer one to walk.

His destination was a cafe on the university’s campus, where he was meeting up with some of his friends. He lived in a complex near the school grounds, so it meant a bit more legwork. But he didn’t mind. Especially because the route he took was quite scenic. And most importantly, Nagito liked it. He deeply enjoyed seeing the trees and flowers starting to bloom and grow. So the human made sure to go this route frequently.

They passed by some students and casual walkers, everyone glancing at the small creature for a few seconds in awe. Nagas were very uncommon and they were known for their elusive nature. So to see one was unusual and considered an omen of good luck. Nagito didn’t seem to care all too much about the stares, so long as none besides Hajime tried to touch him.

Their walk went undisturbed, making it to their destination in good time. Hajime saw his friends sitting at a small table and headed their way, sliding into the empty seat. “I’m here. Were you waiting long?”

Fuyuhiko shook his head. “No, you’re good. We got here not too long ago.”

Kazuichi’s attention was drawn to the green around his neck. “Wait, you brought him along, too?” He frantically pulled his hands behind his back as if the creature could bite him from a glance.

Nagito didn’t hiss or display any threatening behavior, so Hajime felt it safe to assume he had no plans on terrorizing the pink haired man. “It’s alright, Kaz. He won’t do anything. He promised me he would be on good behavior today in exchange for his attendance.”

Kazuichi slowly brought his hands back out into the open, hesitantly placing them on the table again. “Are… you absolutely sure?”

Nagito let out an almost offended huff. “I am not a barbaric animal. I only react in defense. Humans don’t always have the kindest of touch. So sometimes instinct takes over.”

Kazuichi pointed at the brunette. “But you let Hajime touch you all the time with no complaint! What’s up with that?”

Nagito leaned his human half up against the full human’s neck, voice raising back to his happy tone. “Hajime is special. The only one for me.”

“How did you come across him again?” Fuyuhiko inquired, speaking up after watching the interaction.

“He fell through one of the ceiling vents in my place. Landed right on my head. He was taking shelter from rain and got lost, somehow ending up where I was.” Hajime raised his hand and gently began scratching the naga’s hair, earning him a happy noise. “He wasn’t the biggest fan of me initially. But he grew to trust me over the course of the week-long recovery. And now, he is attached. And I don’t think he wants to leave anymore.”

“Nope!” Nagito chirped. “I want to stay with Hajime forever.” He again relaxed, comforted by the human’s touch. Hajime could feel the coils around his neck loosen from it, though not enough for the naga to slip off and fall.

Fuyuhiko smirked. “That loyalty must do wonders on your confidence levels,” he commented to Hajime.

“Man! I wish someone would fawn over me like that. It would boost MY confidence for sure,” Kazuichi complained, taking an annoyed swig of his drink.

Hajime reached over and patted his shoulder. “Maybe one day. But enough about that. Let’s talk about something more interesting.”

That made the pink haired man squawk in indignation. He began to whine about it more, to which the blond and brunette smiled in a teasing fashion.

The conversation carried on naturally, entertaining all the while. Hajime kept up the head strokes to Nagito the whole time, pampering the snake while he talked. Everything about this was fantastic. And nothing could change his mind.

Masterpost

How many drabbles of this au am I going to do? The answer is: yes.

So here, take this.

Inspired from @tortadecereji

They actually did a drawing of Naga Nagi and Haji being cute. Go check it out here!

When traveling through the woods with a naga, there were several ways to accomplish it, as Hajime had discovered. The least effective way was him walking on the ground with Nagito slithering next to him. That method resulted in little ground coverage, so it was not one that was utilized often.

Which meant that he was carried in various fashions. Sometimes on a shoulder, where he held onto the white hair for balance. Other times, in the naga’s hands, which was the creature’s favorite. And on other days, such as today, Hajime rode around in the white hair.

The naga’s hair was extremely soft and fluffy, almost unusually so. Especially given the fact that Nagito lived in the forest. But he didn’t try and fry brain cells thinking about it. All he needed to do was hold on to it and enjoy. Which was fairly easy to do, as the naga’s movements were slow and practically graceful. Hajime never worried about falling.

“We are almost there,” Nagito announced cheerily, continuing steadily through the trees. The human hummed in response, indicating that he heard. But other than that, he really didn’t move much from his position. This one was very nice, in his opinion. It was like he was on the world’s softest bed. He was sure that he could easily fall asleep up here. He was even tempted to try.

But a certain someone needed attention. “We are here! It’s really pretty today!” A large hand rose up and poked the human’s back. “You like it?”

Hajime patted the finger and rose to a sitting position. He took in the sight in front of him. An absolutely stunning waterfall. The sunlight hit the spray just right and created a rainbow midway down.

Nagito paused near the edge, looking around himself. But then he continued forward, much to Hajime’s surprise. “Hey! Wait! What are you doing?” he shouted, grabbing tighter to the white locks.

“Huh?” Nagito inquired with an innocent tone. “It’s warm today, so I wanted to cool off. Don’t worry! I won’t put my head under! You won’t get wet!”

The human relaxed, tension leaving his body at the words. So he didn’t protest as the creature went deeper and deeper into the water. The pond beneath the waterfall was deeper than he expected, enough so that Nagito was able to get in up to his shoulders. He sighed in contentment, but made sure to keep his head still. “This feels so nice. You should try it with me one day!”

Hajime leaned back on his hands, staring up at the roaring waterfall. “Perhaps. I’ll need to wear swimming trunks if we do.”

The head underneath him vibrated from the giggle. “I look forward to it.”

Together, they enjoyed the sounds of nature. The rushing water, the croak of frogs, and the wind rustling the trees. Peaceful and beautiful. And something Hajime was growing to appreciate.

After a half hour, it occured to the human that he had never properly thanked the naga for showing him these sights. He had been too caught up with being annoyed at being snatched away from his home with little input. But since their talk a week ago, things had gotten better. Nagito still had moments, but still, it was better. So he figured now was a good time to express his appreciation.

He patted the hair, hard enough to get its owner’s attention. “Hey Nagito. There’s something… I want to tell you.”

“Oh? Whatever could it be?” the naga said excitedly.

Well, here goes. Might as well come out and say it. “I just wanted to th-”

A loud sound interrupted him. And more followed after the first one. Hajime knew that sound. Gunfire. Someone was shooting in the woods.

He felt himself get angry. Whoever was shooting, they were not supposed to be here. Let alone use firearms. “I’ll tell you later. This requires our attention more.”

Nagito began creeping forward, towards the bank. “I agree,” he replied in a cold, flat voice. “It seems there are trespassers in our woods. And they have brought along objects that I strongly dislike. They need to be dealt with.”

If not for the fact that he knew they were on the same page, Hajime would have been worried and maybe even scared. He had never heard the naga talk like this. It was clear that Nagito was ready to chase these trespassers out.

“Let’s sneak up and see what we are dealing with first. If things look relatively negotiable, then I shall go and talk to them. If they get hostile, then you may come in. Does this work for you?” Hajime asked as the snake scales met dry land.

“Yes. But do know that I shall swoop in the second I feel you are in danger.” Nagito raised a hand up to the top of his head, offering a platform for his passenger. Hajime got on, feeling himself being lowered. Nagito put him on the ground when they were closer to the sound’s origins. Which turned out to be near the waterfall’s edge.

The naga had placed him towards the top, so he didn’t have to climb much. Meanwhile, the creature himself remained hidden, the cliff obstructing the sight of him. With one last silent confirmation of his location, Hajime walked forward.

He came across two men, both about mid twenties and each kneeling over their own firearm. They were both excitedly blabbering to each other, counting out the magazines of bullets next to their weapons. It appeared to be safe to approach.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, tone stern. It freaked the trespassers out, them scrambling back a few steps from the new voice.

“Wh-where did you come from!?” one asked.

“That is not important. What is is that you are on private land. You cannot be here,” Hajime stated.

The two glanced at each other before turning back to the angry man in front of them. “Well, we just got these and wanted to try them out! Surely it’s fine to shoot a few rounds and maybe bag a buck! Come on, you can let us do that right?”

“No. Please leave.” Hajime spoke firmly, wanting to give no indication that he could be bargained with. “I wish for this forest to remain untouched and untainted. Take everything you brought and go back.”

But instead of listening, the brunette could see the stubbornness and frustration begin forming in the trespassers’ eyes. Not a good sign. “You know, you are not being super smart right now,” one commented.

Hajime crossed his arms and retained his unbothered expression. “How so?”

The other gestured to the weapons on the ground. “You are interrogating two armed men. You are unarmed and alone. You better choose your next words wisely. That is, if you don’t want to get hurt.”

Hajime raised an eyebrow. “Who said I was alone?”

He could both hear and feel the movement right behind him. Nagito had heard the threat and was none too pleased. He ascended from his position, towering over the humans. All the while glaring and hissing, fangs exposed.

The blood in the trespassers' faces drained at the sight and sound. They were now terrified beyond belief. And they screamed when Nagito brought a fist down next to them, destroying the firearms. Their legs collapsed under them, the terror rendering them temporarily immobile.

Hajime took this time to step forward, phone camera unlocked. He took a few pictures of their faces while they were distracted. “Show me your identification,” he requested.

The two scrambled to do so after their inactivity made Nagito hiss louder. They handed their driving licenses to the more relaxed human, who took pictures of them as well.

He handed them back. “I have your faces and information now. I could potentially report you to the authorities for trespassing and threats. But I shall refrain on two conditions.” He held up a finger. “One, that you never return to this forest.” The second finger joined the first. “And two, that you do not tell anyone about my naga. He is to remain a secret. Do you understand?”

Frantic nods. It was clear they had no intention of breaking these conditions. So Hajime felt confident in letting them go. “Now please leave.”

They obeyed quicker than Hajime thought possible. They were gone in all of a minute. Once he was certain they were far enough away, he let out a heavy sigh. “This is not how I expected the day to go. Life is full of unexpected turns, I suppose.”

The sense of vertigo began as he was grabbed and raised. The naga was no longer threatening. Only worry was evident. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did they touch you? I heard them threatening you. I responded as soon as I heard it. Was I fast enough? Are you still scared? I can comfort you if you are! You did so well and were so brave. I’m so proud of you!” All of this was said as the creature nuzzled him delicately.

Hajime patted the large face near his. “I’m fine! I’m fine! Everything is okay now!” he assured, slightly exasperated. If he was being honest, the naga’s instant shift from terrifying to endearing was a bit mind reeling. “Honestly, I don’t think that they would have made good on their threat. I think they were just trying to scare me into compliance. But I am still grateful for your help.”

“I’m glad! Now our forest is peaceful again!” Nagito cheered.

The human took notice of something. “You said this earlier, and just now. You consider these woods… ours? Not only yours?”

Nagito nodded. “Of course! I may not fully understand the details on owning property, but I know this forest technically belongs to you. And you have allowed me to remain its guardian. So I think it is appropriate to consider it ours!” His green eyes then squinted as he smirked. “And do not think I didn’t notice what you said earlier as well. You called me your naga. Oh, it is such an honor that you consider me yours.”

Hajime blushed, having momentarily forgotten exactly what he had said. But he didn’t deny the words, which made Nagito even happier.

He hugged the human against his cheek. “You truly are the greatest human. I am so glad we met. And I hope for so many more years together.”

Hajime felt his face flush even more. “Yeah, yeah. I’m glad to have met you, too.” He smiled and leaned into the embrace. “And thank you, for everything.”

Masterpost