nealuchi | tiger tiger burning bright

Title: tiger tiger burning bright
Fandom: Bungou to Alchemist
Character(s): Atsushi
Pairing(s): Atsushi/Atsushi
Genre: Drama/Smut
Word Count: 1,597
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Tiger sex
Summary: Atsushi is the sacrifice to the tiger that lives outside his village.
Notes:

If there is a worse fate than being chosen as the sacrifice to the tiger that menaces your village, Atsushi doesn't want to hear about it right now.

It's not that he's surprised it's him this year. It's always easier to choose people whose family aren't particularly fussed about losing them, and his stepmother has never been too fond of having him around. All the same, he feels like he has the right to be bitter about it.

He could try to run, of course, but the jungle around their village belongs to the tiger. He wouldn't get far and would more than likely only anger the beast. At least if he's compliant, it might eat him quickly.

And, more importantly, if he behaves it won't retaliate against his village. As little love as he has for the people who chose to give him up, if the tiger eats their livestock, the children he teaches - taught - will go hungry. He doesn't want that on his conscience before he dies.

At least it doesn't keep him waiting long.

The tiger is immense, dwarfing any natural animal. If it were tame, Atsushi might call its sleek white coat beautiful. As things are, all it inspires in him is fear.

It looks him over with bright golden eyes, then jerks its head towards the jungle. Takes a few steps toward it, then turns back to him.

It wants him to follow it…? Well, it's considerate not to eat him within sight of his own village, he supposes. Atsushi falls into step a respectful distance behind the tiger as it leads him away.

The tiger takes him to a small clearing, deep within the sea of trees. Scattered items dot the ground - mostly books.

It's not that it's a surprise that the tiger is intelligent, but thinking of it reading would make Atsushi laugh if he were in any other situation. He hovers anxiously at the edge of the clearing as the tiger lies down on its stomach.

"…Um, are you going to eat me now?" It doesn't look like it, but…

The tiger huffs at him before nudging a book in his direction with its front paw. Against his better judgment, Atsushi picks it up.

It's an ordinary novel, save for a few claw marks on the cover. It would be impossible for an animal of the tiger's size to delicately turn the pages, he realizes.

"Do you want me to read to you?"

A nod.

This is bizarre, but objectively better than being eaten right away. Atsushi opens the book and clears his throat. "She was a quiet, reserved woman…"

There are no lanterns in the jungle clearing, so when the light fades from the day Atsushi is forced to stop. "I'm sorry, I can't read in the dark. I can continue tomorrow, if you want?"

The tiger huffs its approval. With a giant paw it pats a patch of the furs of its prey on the ground - not carefully cleaned as a human would, but torn off with crude claws. Still, it is the nearest thing to a bed here, and it's clearly being offered.

Still nervous, Atsushi lays down on the pile of furs, and can't help but startle when the tiger lies next to him, close enough for him to feel its body heat. Of course, it's probably just making sure he doesn't run off in the night, but how is he supposed to sleep with it so close?

Evidently that's not the tiger's problem. Atsushi shuts his eyes and wonders how long he has left until the tiger grows bored of him.

Gradually, it becomes something of a routine for them.

The tiger spends the morning hunting for food, and comes back with a slaughtered animal for itself and some fruits for Atsushi. He's grateful not to be expected to eat raw meat, at least. A stream nearby provides all the water he needs.

Then Atsushi reads aloud until the sun goes down or his voice goes hoarse. When he finishes one book, the tiger presents him with another, and the pile of unread books never seems to shrink any. He can only imagine the tiger is stealing them from the village, but his neighbors have always been much more concerned with their livestock than the occasional missing item.

At night, the tiger lays down by his side. The furs don't quite keep Atsushi warm enough on their own, and eventually he gets used to having the tiger there. At least no other animal will eat him in his sleep.

The tiger starts sitting closer to him in the day, too. It kept more of a distance at first, but now it's close enough that Atsushi could reach out and pet it, if he wanted to. And if it was welcome. He's still not sure about that part.

"…Is this what you've had everyone we sent you do for you?" Atsushi asks one day, after finishing another book.

The tiger lifts its head and nods.

"I haven't seen any other humans around. Did they run away?" Another nod. "There have to be easier ways to read a book. …Were you lonely by yourself?" The tiger looks away and grumbles in a way that very much reminds Atsushi of some of his students, and he can't help but smile.

Carefully, he reaches over and pets the top of the tiger's head. The tiger leans into the touch a little, blinking contentedly.

"I promise I won't run away. You don't have to be alone."

When he wakes the next morning, it's to the tiger licking his face.

Its scratchy tongue is slightly ticklish, and Atsushi squeaks. "Okay, okay, I'm up!"

There's a new pile of books on the ground as well as a stack of clothes with only minor tears at the edges. He's suddenly aware that his own clothes are filthy - he only brought the one set, and he's not exactly eager to sit around naked while he washes them in the river.

"Are those for me?" The tiger nods. "Thank you very much." He gives the tiger another pet on the head for its trouble, and it chuffs.

While the tiger is off hunting, Atsushi changes clothes. It hadn't brought him any underwear, but… well, it'd be silly to expect a tiger to know what underwear is, right? He can go without, it's not like anyone is here to judge him.

The tiger drops off its haul of fruits and drags his pile of dirty clothes to where it sleeps, promptly flopping down on the pile. He guesses it must smell like him? …It looks like he's not going to be able to wash those anytime soon.

Summer turns into fall, and fall turns cool and crisp. The tiger grows restless, pacing the clearing during the day, and only calms down while Atsushi reads to it.

"Are you worried about food?" he asks. The tiger shakes its head. "Is there another predator around?" A more firm shake of the head. "I'm sorry, I'd like to help, but I don't know what has you so upset…"

He pets it, as is habitual for him by now, and it makes a sound that he's never heard out of it before.

"Are you hurting?" he asks. The tiger seems to consider this for a second before nodding. "Oh, you poor thing. Can you show me where?"

It happens very quickly. One second he's sitting up, the next he's on his back with the tiger's paws on either side of him and-

Oh. Oh, that's not a leg.

Atsushi remembers reading once, a long time ago, that tigers mate in the cooler months rather than in spring like many other species do. He definitely wasn't reading the kind of books that would prepare him to have a tiger's cock between his thighs.

It's big. Very big, with spines that have already caught onto Atsushi's pants. Through the fabric, he can still feel the heat pressed up against sensitive skin, and against all odds his own cock starts to harden in interest.

This is bad. This is really, really bad, but…

Atsushi turns his head to the side, red up to his ears. "D-do what you need to do, I guess?"

The tiger rubs itself against him, massive cock separated by thin fabric from Atsushi's hole and the bottom of his own cock. He moans, his thighs instinctively clenching around the tiger's cock, and the tiger groans in response.

This beautiful creature is aroused because of him. It wants him, and maybe that's just because there aren't any other tigers around and it's settling for second best, but-

"Please, please, please-"

The tiger licks his face, his cries muffled by its attentions. It ruts against him, motions faster and more frantic the louder he gets. Its weight pins him so he couldn't escape if he wanted to, and he doesn't want to.

He'd die if he tried to take the tiger inside him. He knows that, but for a moment he imagines it, being claimed by this magnificent beast more than it already has, and he's close too close-

The tiger bucks against him a few more times before it comes, white spend soaking the torn remains of Atsushi's pants. He reaches down and gives himself the few last strokes he needs to follow it right after.

It rolls off of him, letting him catch his breath for a few moments before it starts licking him clean. For some reason this of all things is what's too embarrassing to watch.