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All things considered, sharing an apartment with a stranger was going surprisingly well. Her days were filled with classes and studying and her mysterious roommate always cleared out before she returned. Aside from a few silver hairs on his pillow, Sakura had no clue what he looked like.
There were no photos around the apartment or other knick knacks that would provide insight. A first name and a few brief text messages were all she had to form a picture. He didn't even seem to have a social media presence. She was basically living with a ghost.
He kept the house clean and organized, even going so far as to tidy anything she left behind. A razor and a ten-in-one shampoo sat in the shower. A mug, plate, fork, and knife dried beside the kitchen sink. Pine and musk lingered in the bedroom when she settled in for the night. On his bedside table, a small stack of books awaited his return.
Despite her initial misgivings, she rather enjoyed the arrangement. She didn't have time to socialize and the rent was dirt cheap. They shared a one bedroom apartment—and technically a bed—without ever running into each other. She often forgot she even shared a living space with someone else.
A few weeks after she'd settled in, her books slowly taking over the desk in the living room, a pug shaped post-it note appeared on the freezer door next to their shared calendar. The next few days were circled in red.
Don't forget I need the apartment for the next few days. - K
She had forgotten about that part of the arrangement. She shot a message off to Ino ensuring she had a place to crash before scrawling her reply next to his neat script. She'd pack her bags after she nuked her leftover Chinese food.
She mulled the significance of the dates while she waited for her food to heat. It was odd that he needed the apartment in the middle of the week. Maybe those were his days off? Class schedules were always weird and students usually picked up whatever part-time shifts fit around those days, which often meant nights and weekends. But he only wanted four days every four weeks.
The microwave beeped and she shoved her ruminations aside for later. Maybe Ino would have some insight to the situation. Or she'd have a million other conspiracies Sakura wouldn't even dream about coming up with. Either way, she'd have to get things together tonight. She was not a morning person and wouldn't have time before class to make sure she had everything.
~~
She barged into Ino's apartment after her study group finally disbanded. They had a quiz at the end of the week and she did not feel anywhere close to prepared. Right now, all she wanted was to find the nearest bed and sleep for a thousand years. Rip Van Winkle was clearly onto something.
"Even if I gave you the key, you could at least try not to sound like I'm about to be home invaded," Ino teased from the living room couch.
Despite her exhaustion, Sakura smiled. She dropped her overstuffed backpack to the floor before heading into the next room. Tenten's arm was draped over Ino's shoulders and a cheesy horror movie was paused on the TV.
"Popcorn?" Tenten asked around a mouthful, the bowl spilling a few kernels.
Sakura nodded gratefully and strode over to grab a handful. She plopped onto the shorter portion of the cushy sectional. "Thanks again for letting me crash here for a few days," she said as she curled her feet under her
"I still can't believe you're sharing an apartment with a man you've never even met," Ino replied, facing Sakura.
"I have to say, it's pretty nice. And aside from having to stay here once a month, it's like living by myself for a fraction of the cost."
"You could have moved in here, you know."
"No offense but one weekend a month of hearing you two making out is plenty."
"Hey! Sometimes we're only sparring," Tenten protested.
Sakura stared flatly at them. Ino laughed and threw a piece of popcorn at her. "You're just jealous you're single."
"I'm far too busy to be jealous. I just like my beauty sleep."
Ino studied her with a sweep of icy blue eyes. Sakura narrowed hers in return. "Don't even say it."
Ino laughed and settled back into Tenten's side. "Did he ever say why he needed the apartment?"
"No, just that I couldn't be there for four days. And given that he lets me have every other weekend, I could hardly say no."
"Hmm," Ino said, that tone of hers sounding awfully suspicious, "It's a full moon. What if he's a werewolf?"
Sakura blinked before bursting into laughter. "Those don't exist."
Ino raised her eyebrows, equally amused. "You never never know."
"There's no proof!" Sakura replied, outraged on his behalf.
"Why else would he need the apartment in the days surrounding the full moon?"
"I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation. You two just watch too many weird monster movies."
"What's weird is you sharing a bed with a complete stranger. What if he's got buck teeth or fish lips or a terrible haircut?"
"Don't be rude," Sakura retorted, throwing a decorative pillow at her friend, "I'm sure he looks perfectly normal to go with his perfectly human physique."
Ino grinned and turned back to the TV. "Your funeral."
Sakura looked to Tenten, who only shrugged as they resumed watching the movie.
~~
Despite denying the possibility of her roommate being a werewolf, Sakura couldn't discount the odd fact he had requested the apartment in the middle of the week. He said he worked nights and weekends but no sane person worked twenty-six days straight and only took four days off to recover. Even with her full class schedule, med school prep, and her part-time job, she still found a few hours a week to unwind. Questions swirled in her head when she returned to the apartment.
Everything was tidy as always, nary a thing out of place. A pug sticky note waited on the freezer. Thank you for honoring our agreement.
She smiled and drew a heart in reply.
The next few weeks passed in a blur of classes, study groups, work, and inane text threads with Ino that sometimes bordered on insane. She didn't have time to ponder her roommate's bizarre schedule or Ino's continued teasing. She basically passed out as soon as she crossed the threshold.
Except tonight, of course.
An upcoming exam haunted her as she tried to fall asleep. She flopped onto her side and blew her hair out of her face. She could feel her alarm clock boring into her back, the minutes ticking away how much sleep she wasn't getting.
His little notes floated into her head and she eyed the stack of books on his bedside table. Her books were mostly textbooks. She didn't have time for recreational reading these days. Maybe one of his would be more suited for distracting her.
Her usual rule about snooping flashed in the back of her mind but lack of sleep and nerves overrode her sensibilities. Just a quick peek and she'd roll over and fall asleep. A magazine with a picture of a pug on the cover sat on top. She smiled at the memory of his notes and wondered if he had one as a child.
As she pulled the magazine closer, the next book caught her eye. A giant red circle with a line through it and <18 stared back at her. Unable to resist, she grabbed the book, magazine forgotten. It appeared to be a romance novel with a man chasing a woman on the cover. Icha Icha Paradise.
She flipped it open, noting the well-read edges as she did. She really should put it back but something about it called to her. She settled into her pillows and turned the page. She'd just read a chapter, put it back, and he'd be none the wiser.
~~~
Sakura woke up to a string of text messages from Ino wondering where she was and if she'd died from studying too hard. Her groggy brain struggled to understand what time it was. Sunlight poured in through the blinds, something it didn't do when she normally woke up.
She rolled over to blink at her alarm clock. The time stared blandly back at her, her mind slowly comprehending what it said: 10:15. She sat up in a panic. She was supposed to be out of here two hours ago. She rolled out of bed and thankfully found the apartment empty.
She paused as she entered the kitchen. A post it note in the shape of a pug's face greeted her on the freezer. Did you oversleep?
Sakura grimaced. Had he come back to find her there? She scrawled a quick apology back before sending a message to Ino. In record time she'd washed her face, brushed her teeth, and pulled on her campus sweatshirt. His orange-covered book laid between the pillows. She hastily put it back before leaving. Hopefully he wouldn't notice she'd gone through his things.
~~
When she returned that evening, a new note waited on the freezer door. Did you like the book?
She flushed at the realization she'd been caught. Not only had she been in the apartment when it was his turn, she'd fallen asleep reading his book. Guilt swept through her. So much for being a model roommate. She wrote him another note before heading to bed.
Sorry, stress kept me up and I needed something to take my mind off my exam. It was cute! Not what I expected after seeing the explicit warning. I wasn't snooping, I promise.
A new note greeted her the following night. Her heart gave a little flutter. She didn't bother to set her stuff down before reading it.
Feel free to finish it if you like. It's one of my favorites. I've read it plenty of times.
She smiled and ran a finger across the note. She had been certain he'd be upset at her but he didn't appear to be mad at all. She left him a thank you note and headed to their room to put her things away.
Their notes became the highlight of her days. Sometimes she barely had time to eat a protein bar, let alone think about anything except classes. Their exchanges gave her something to look forward to when years of schooling stared back at her. She read as much as she was able. Sometimes it was a page or two and others a handful of chapters.
She never would have picked the book up on her own but found herself enjoying the story. Some of the descriptions were a little lurid but the overall themes and romance were well written. The yearning and sweetness leapt off the page. Some nights she had to read the next chapter before she could sleep. She scribbled down her thoughts for him to reply to.
She worried her messages had grown too long, some of them a sheet or more of paper. But he always replied to everything she wrote, even if his answers were much more succinct. When she feared reading the last pages, he revealed he had the other two books. The next one appeared on her bedside table soon after.
Even though they didn't mention many personal things in their messages, Sakura found herself growing rather fond of her not quite roommate. She looked forward to their little book club. By the time she started the third book, she was delighted to see he had carefully annotated it. Little notes were tucked between the pages for her to discover as she read. She became as invested in what he had to say as she did the story.
Despite her anticipation of their discussions, midterms fast approached. She reluctantly had to curb anything that wasn't studying. She promised to continue as soon as she was able.
He left her cups of tea or extra portions of meals. His thoughtfulness moved her. He didn't have to go through all this extra work for her. She wondered if it would be bold to ask to meet him face to face. To thank him, of course. Once she could concentrate on socializing again she would suggest it.
~~
With midterms finally conquered and a slight break before the sprint to finals, Sakura allowed herself the weekend to relax. Ino and Tenten had invited her to a Halloween party and she couldn't wait to relax. She added the finishing touches to her costume and make-up, giving herself a once over in the floor length mirror in Ino's spare bedroom.
The shots she'd downed as soon as she'd walked through the door lent her cheeks a rosy hue. She smiled at her reflection, pleased with her appearance. Ino and Tenten would be donning the final pieces of their outfits and together they would be the hottest girl group in town.
She swayed a little on her heels as she went in search of her friends. After much excited squealing and an impromptu photo shoot, they headed off for the party down the street. Tonight was going to be amazing.
The night passed in a blur of color, laughter, and drinks. It ended somehow far too quickly and much too late. Sleep called to her and she couldn't wait to fall into bed.
Maybe if she had two fewer drinks, could decipher left from right, or hadn't been so tired from cramming for midterms, she would have remembered that it was Kakashi's scheduled four days in the apartment. Instead, autopilot had her turning the opposite direction of Ino's place and headed for the apartment.
The newly waning moon lit her path. She hummed to herself as she walked, stopping to remove her shoes halfway there. She let herself in, her shoes dropping next to a pair of sneakers. She debated washing her face but that sounded like effort when the bed called to her like a siren. She brushed her teeth in record time and stumbled to the bedroom.
Her dress slipped to the floor and she crawled beneath the covers. She turned on her side and rolled to the center, as if some weight drew her there. She forced her eyelids—which she honestly thought had been open the whole time—apart and stifled a scream.
She was face to face with a silver furred wolf-man.
Her eyes flitted between giant triangle ears, silver eyes, and a long muzzle. Something furry brushed against her legs. Her sleepy, drunk mind grasped for an explanation.
"I can explain," he rumbled weakly.
She blinked. A man's voice. "That's an impressive Halloween costume," she said as she reached out to rub one of the ears.
The mouth dropped open, revealing realistic wolf teeth. Sakura leaned closer to examine them and ran her tongue over her own teeth. Heat radiated off of him, fur tickling her as she used a hand to steady herself against his chest. His heart hammered against her palm.
She belatedly realized she was clothed in only her pasties and thong. At least the sheets fully covered her. She burrowed further under them.
"Shit. It's your weekend in the apartment, isn't it?" she asked quietly.
He nodded, the hyper-realistic eyes watching her carefully. At least he wasn't yelling at her for being in the bed when she wasn't supposed to. She inched a little closer to him.
"Were you too tired after your Halloween party to change, too?"
He huffed a laugh. "Something like that."
His voice rolled over her and awareness prickled her skin. A wild thought sprang forth in her mind. He didn't seem angry to find her in his bed and the idea of having sex while in costume was oddly thrilling. There was no courage like liquid courage and she had nearly an entire bottle of it churning through her veins.
She chewed the corner of her lip and his gaze dipped to her mouth. He didn't seem to be discouraging how close they were. And she'd never know if she didn't try.
"Okay, this might sound crazy and if you hate it, I'll go back to Ino's apartment but—" she took a deep breath and then quickly asked, "would you be down to have sex while you're dressed like that? It's… I'm not usually into that sort of thing but well. Tis the season, right?"
She closed her eyes, unable to believe she'd just propositioned him like that. Hell, she didn't know what he actually looked like. He had to think she was out of her mind. Who asked a practical stranger to have sex while dressed up as a werewolf?
She felt him tense and she readied herself to fly out of bed and grab something—anything—from the closet as she ran out the door and never showed her face here again. Surely the invite to move in with Ino and Tenten still stood?
He huffed a breath into her hair. "Smelling your shampoo on the pillow next to mine has been driving me crazy for weeks," he murmured.
She curled a hand into his fur. Hopefully the costume wasn't on loan. She was going to do unholy things to this man and it was going to stay on for the duration of their activities.
She hooked a leg over his and rolled them so he was on his back and she perched on his hips. She stared down at him, realizing she didn't know where to begin with the mask and the fur. Kissing was out of the equation. She had no clue how to make out with the muzzle and the thought of getting fur stuck between her teeth had her flinching internally.
In the blink of an eye, he flipped them and Sakura found herself on her back. Her head swam and her stomach churned. Drinking that much had certainly been a choice but it had led her here so maybe it wasn't all bad.
He studied them from his new position. His gaze hungrily trailed over her. He leaned down and brought his mouth to her skin. Teeth grazed at the side of her neck, gentle claws tangled in her hair.
Her world reduced to his tongue sweeping fire across her skin. She arched into him, wanting to be closer, needing more. He grabbed the edge of one of her pasties with his teeth and tore it off, shaking his head to send the circle flying elsewhere. She tugged him closer.
One hand slid lower as he laved her breast with attention. She buried her hands in his fur and held him to her as he nipped and teased her. How he managed to use his mouth so effectively with the mask on she'd never know. She didn't care. She just needed him to keep this up.
Her hips bucked up as he ran a claw across her through the thin fabric of her thong. He growled in response and hooked his finger around it and pulled. In his haste, the cotton tore. He lifted his head—maybe to apologize—but Sakura pushed him back down. She could always steal another pair from Ino's endless stash.
He curled a finger inside of her and she cried out as pleasure shot through her. She wrapped her legs around his shoulders and locked him in place. He pressed a hand against her to stop her squirming.
He sat back and ran his long tongue against his sharp teeth. The practical effects were outstanding. And she needed him to get back to work. She already was panting and they'd barely started. Ino was right: it had been far too long since she'd been with a man and she really needed him to keep things moving.
Sakura pressed her heels into his back and his eyes slid closed as he swallowed. He lowered his head and she moaned. She really should ask if they could share the apartment sometimes.
Gray fur bobbed between her legs as he lapped at her. His tongue seemed impossibly long. The snout brushed against her clit and every exhale had her writhing in pleasure. His teeth pressed into her with each enthusiastic taste. She hoped the walls were soundproof or their neighbors were out. There was no way for her to keep quiet.
"Need. Please," she begged.
"I don't know if I can be gentle," he said quietly, almost to himself.
Sakura shook her head. She didn't need him to be careful. She needed him to rearrange her insides five minutes ago. She dragged him over her and let her knees fall open.
His hesitation vanished as he brushed the crown of his cock through her slick folds. Once, twice, and then he was splitting her apart as he eased his way into her. Her hands fisted the sheets as she lifted her hips. The stretch was exquisite, just shy of painful and deliciously full.
His hands gripped her waist as she arched against him. He drove into her, nothing like the unassuming man she'd anticipated. There was something wild about the way he thrust, the tips of those claws digging into her skin. Her toes pressed into the bed as she braced herself. She lost all sense of self to the rhythm of their bodies chasing completion.
Sensation crashed over her and stars danced behind her eyelids as she shattered around him. He growled, his thrusts becoming short and quick. Her breaths were staccato sharp pants as her body shook. He twitched twice before he surged forward one last time. He held her close to him as he howled his release.
As satisfaction washed over her and pulled her to sleep, she circled her arms around his neck and snuggled into him.
"Happy Halloween," she whispered dreamily.
~~
Sakura blinked at sunlight searing into her eyelids. She groaned as she awoke. Her mouth was stuffed with cotton and she felt like she'd been hit by a bus. She pushed her hair out of her face and reached for her glass of water.
The linen sheets slipped over skin. She looked down and noticed her lack of pajamas with a frown. She brought the glass to her lips as she looked around the room and nearly spilled the entire thing when she noticed the man beside her.
Blurry flashes of last night—or had it been a dream—came back to her. She set the glass down and studied him closely. His silver hair was thick and full but did not resemble fur. There were no wolfish ears on top of his head, just normal ears where they belonged. His face, half of which was covered by the sheets, looked like a normal albeit handsome man.
She reached forward slowly and slid the sheet down his nose. Long lashes fluttered open. Silver eyes looked up at her, widening briefly. He gave her an awkward smile and she noted normal teeth.
It must have been a dream.
"Hi," she breathed.
"Hi."
She belatedly drew the sheet up when she caught him staring at her naked chest. She felt a flush creep over her skin.
"I must have drank more than I thought because I had the wildest dream."
He propped himself up on an elbow and rested his cheek on his hand. A smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. She'd have to tell Ino that her roommate was actually quite handsome. And that she'd woken up in bed with him. Naked.
Oh, no.
Before she could open her mouth to apologize, he asked, "Care to tell me about it?"
She settled back into her pillows. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Isn't that the beauty of dreams?"
She really should have been more flustered to have woken up like this but somehow she was comfortable next to him. Even if this was her first time truly seeing him, she felt like she knew him from their notes. They'd shared an apartment for a couple months now. He wasn't really a stranger.
And given the fact that neither of them seemed to be wearing clothes after a very vivid sex dream, she had a suspicion about what the might have transpired last night. Even if there was no sign of the werewolf costume she'd been so enamored with.
"Okay, so, remember, it's Halloween and my friends love to watch old monster movies," she began as she recounted her dream. Minus a few key details. He didn't need to know everything.