Fanfic idea- Yokai Mating season
Prompt: Atsushi gets kidnapped and subjected to weird courtship rituals
Note: Another iteration of my yokai x Atsushi, hope y’all enjoy my ChuuAtsu and DazAtsu ideas~
So weird train of thought I’ve had for a while, I originally thought about it as an ABO thing (probably will write that version later), but I just had the idea of “what if Yokai had weird mating customs?
Like as a goal for Yokai they want the prettiest mate possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s human, youkai, male, or female. The point is that your mate is supposed to be a bit of a status symbol, the more physically appealing your mate is the greater your standing is in the community and all that jazz.
But there are specific rules for this sorta thing which varies depending on yokai species though the end goal is still the same.
Convince your kidnapping victim that they should choose you as a partner.
I’d like to think mating season happens once a year in timespan of 4 weeks, the courtship itself goes into phases.
Phase 1 (week 1) : Kidnap your future Wife/Husband from their home, this shows individual your strength to your future mate which will hopefully impress them while also putting said mate off the market.
Phase 2(week 2): Provide a good nest/home for your mate and bring them food/drinks/pretty objects. Try to impress your future wife/husband so they will want to stay with you in their potential new home instead of escaping.
Phase 3 (week 3): Show that you’re able to fight off any other threats if other yokai come around and seem interested in the perspective mate. This could range from a quick scuff or go right to the death depending on the yokai species. Doing this will prove to your mate that you care about their safety while also showing off that you can protect them, your home, and any future children.
Phase 4 (week 4): The MOST important step at this point is the choosing. The yokai has to let their potential mate choose if they want you as a mate or not for this season or just permanently. If rejected then the Yokai is obligated to help bring their potential mate back to their home and try again next year to woo them if they are still interested. But if the mate chooses to stay then the actual mating ceremony takes place were they “make it official” with a lot of love making =w=
Mhmm! And I kinda like the idea that different Yokai have different versions of it. Like for example Kitsune kidnappings require them to trick their mate, like it shows off their "strength" through their intelligence.
Meanwhile an Oni kidnapping has to be kinda dramatic, like they grab their future mate while daring anyone in their village to try and take em away.
Dragons? Dragons just literally scoop their furute mate up with their claws and have to get their mates home without them escaping their claws.
Ya know just all these variations but the same common goal. You have to get your future mate home and show off to increase your chances of the mate accepting the courtship.
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Okay so for this Au Atsushi is tiger human hybrid. He has some physical traits that show his yokai heritage like his hair color, eyes, claws, and fangs. He is also slightly stronger, faster, and healths quicker compared to humans and some yokai but otherwise is completely human.
In this au Atsushi’s parents died when he was just a baby and a human village begrudgingly took him in. Not because it was the right thing to do but because they believed it would help to ward off other Yokai if they had Atsushi as a kind of yokai repellent.
Suffice to say Atsushi’s childhood was not good, he was constantly abused by the villagers because of his yokai heritage and usually chained/isolated in the chieftains basement to “protect them from his savage yokai blood”.
This continues on until Atsushi is eventually able to escape to a quiet village.
He tries to live a peaceful life and hide his more yokai nature. He covers his hair, files down his claws, purposely has long kimono sleeves so he covers his mouth when he talks to hide his fangs, and most importantly hides his strength at all costs.
And he finds peace in the village, granted he’s lonely and people give him the stink eye because of his eye color but otherwise he does honest work as a farmer and makes enough to keep his belly full.
Everything is perfect, that is until some random yokai decides to kidnap him because of “mating season”, which he has no idea what that is about!
But he didn’t escape one cage just to be dragged into another because some entitled savage Yokai thinks he’s pretty! One thing is for sure he’s not going down without a fight!
(AKA: Atsushi has no idea about mating season and was raised by a bunch of asshole humans who gave him a lot wrong ideas about other yokai)
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Okay so first off for the DazAstu idea:
First of all I like to imagine that Dazai (being the womanizer he is) plays along through multiple mating seasons but only with vixens going after him as a mate. Like they don’t outsmart him or anything but he enjoys the attention, pampering, and it’s a huge ego boost that yokai all want him. He of course never actually settles dow with a permanent mate or actually pursues to find a mate himself. But pleasure is pleasure and he loves the chance to be lazy/doted on.
(Plus bragging to Chuuya how everyone wants him and no one wants a midget of an oni for a mate~)
But as he is traveling he find’s a very pretty human with the most unique eyes he’s ever seen.
Granted he’s not entirely sure if the human is male or female but at this point he doesn’t really care.
His curiosity only grows as he continue’s to watch this beautiful human and realizes that Atsushi (what an adorable name) seems to be a rare species of yokai hiding amongst the humans.
How amusing! As a kitsune he can appreciate the trickery and respects that he has been able to deceive the humans without the use of any magic.
So when mating season comes around he plots and prepares until he’s completely ready.
Tricking Atsushi was almost dissapointingly easy though, the tender hearted yokai basically dropped everything to “help” a poor human child (one of Dazai’s better disguises) who’s friend got hurt in a cave!
Knocking him afterwords was also easy, at this point Dazai expects the courting process to go smoothly because so far everything else has been going well.
Though that is until Atsushi wakes up and Dazai brags about his trickery.
He expects the little tiger to be impressed or at the very least flattered that such a smart, strong, and pretty kitsune decided to choose him for a mate this season.
What he did not expect was the other man to be so shy to the point that he kept himself mute and stays at the far corner of the cave
Which alright, ouch that does hurt his ego a bit but that was fine.
He had time and perhaps his little tiger was intimidated at such a grand gesture so he decides to gently coax his little tiger out of his shell by employing the same tactics the vixens from prior mating seasons tried to use on him.
Namely a lot of physical contact, grooming, and attempts at games of wit.
A few days pass and Dazai admittedly lets his guard down.
And that is when Atsushi shows his claws.
Dazai was pleasantly surprised to learn that his shy little tiger was actually a wildcat!
The half breed tries to escape multiple times in the course of the first week.
Turns out the tiger hybrid was holding back a lot of his abilities. Like the fact that he can be incredibly fast while running and has the strength to throw some pretty good sized tree’s at him.
(Dazai was also deeply impressed how the tiger used his weakness of grooming to his advantage and tied his kimono cloth to his foot and tail in order to escape!)
Of course when he caught Atsushi the tiger was incredibly desperate to escape………actually it was a bit too desperate.
Because mating season should not have invoked such terror in the tiger, perhaps he had some abusive mates in the past?
So Dazai outright asked Atsushi about it and learned some incredibly disturbing things about his little tiger.
(And he makes a mental promise to himself to learn where exactly Atsushi’s home village is so he can personally burn it to the ground.)
It takes some time and apparently several lessons on yokai culture since his dear half tiger grew up with humans, he had no idea about mating season or that he has the choice to accept or reject Dazai after the courtship period.
Eventually Atsushi relaxes after these lessons and begins to actually participate in the courtship. Granted he’s still cautious but with time Dazai learns that his little tiger is actually rather kind but has a tongue as sharp as his claws.
He’s amused, intrigued, and very much determined to put in actual effort now into convincing Atsushi to be his mate for not just this season but every season~
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Okay so as per usual in my head Chuuya is a short but incredibly powerful oni who is always training and striving for greater strength.
His life consists of traveling, training, and challenging strong opponents whenever he can.
So for a good portion of his life he just did not care to participate in mating season, mostly cause he didn’t see any use for it.
If he wanted to have sex he could just go to village and charm a woman. Besides he has no interest in settling down or having kids.
But then that bastard of a fox started talking shit about him and spreading rumors to the other yokai.
About how no one would want him for a mate, how no one has ever showed interest in him, how he probably wouldn’t convince anyone to take a midget of an oni for a husband.
So of course he takes this as a challenge and goes forth to shut that fox bastard up by finding the best mate!
He goes to town to town and subtly looks for the prettiest human or yokai he can find when he stumbles upon one espeiscally remote village when he see’s them.
A human with gold and violet eyes with an angelic smile. From what he hears the human is named Atsushi and no one is sure weather the human is female or male.
Because on one hand they do the labor of a regular farmer but on the other hand they seem to prefer female clothing and the reserved manners of a court lady (cough long kimono’s, hair up/covered, and hiding teeth).
Though honestly Chuuya doesn’t care. All he knows is that this specific human is gorgeous and has all the mannerisms that would make any sane yokai insanely jealous to have in a mate.
Granted he does worry about accidentally hurting this seemingly delicate human so he takes his time to find a nice isolated cave and make sure to furnish it so it resembles a more human home then one for an oni.
(Fucking fox is gonna eat his tail, Chuuya is gonna kick ass this mating season! He’s gonna be such an impressive mating partner that his human is gonna beg him to be his mate every season!)
Then finally mating season begins and he’s ready.
(Now Chuuya as stated is an oni, so he was taught how to go about mating season in a very specific way.
Oni’s are creatures of pride and strength, so they put a lot of emphasis on the first stage of the courting ritual to show off their strength.
They do this by barging into their perspective mates’ home and actually fighting them and then scream a challenge for anyone to stop them from taking their “mate”. Granted this seems barbaric to most species of yokai but it’s still accepted, the point is to show off that they have power and control. That they are strong enough to handle their mate and have enough control to kidnap them without actually causing injuries to their person.)
So Chuuya essentially barges into Atsushi’s home and does what oni do.
He wrestles Atushi to the ground and attempts to tie him up.
Now Chuuya expects for the little human to be scared and tries to hold back as much as he can so he doesn’t hurt them.
He expects to be bored with the fight and that he would have to comfort the human during the kidnapping.
And as expected the human is terrified when he comes barging in with a traditional Oni mating season declaration.
What he does not expect however is for his beautiful and gentle human to be a fucking hellcat!
Short gray hair with a singular black stripe, long fangs and sharp black claws that were hidden by kimono sleeves, and gorgeous twighlight eyes that sharpen into slits at the intrusion.
Turns out his “human” is actually a male tiger yokai disguising himself in the human village.
This of course makes everything more interesting cause Atsushi does not hold back!
The little tiger uses every bit of his strength, dulled claws, fangs, and speed to try and escape Chuuya’s grasp.
(Sadly Atsushi is unaware that he’s accidentally reciprocating the courtship in a very oni way by being so violent.)
What was supposed to be a simple wrestling match turns into an actual life or death fight where Chuuya needs to be careful cause his little tiger is aiming at all his vital points.
Which is fucking fantastic! His little mate is as strong as he is beautiful!
And in that moment Chuuya decides that maybe mating season isn’t as dumb as he originally thought it to be, he’s having the time of his life because this is a real challenge!
It takes a while and a lot of blood and sweat on his part but he is finally able to tie up the tiger up without hurting him in the process!
(Chuuya actually puffs up with pride at that cause he’s fucking nailing this courtship!)
He looks like he got in a fight with a cat given his numerous cuts and bite marks but Chuuya wears it all in pride, meanwhile his little mate is tired and still is wiggling and cursing at him through the ropes and gagged teeth.
Honestly Chuuya just watches fondly and expresses how happy he is to find such a pretty/strong mate and just starts praising him for putting up such a wonderful fight, how Chuuya will prove to him that he’ll be a wonderful mate for him this season before gently knocking him out.
(Which of course terrifies Atsushi in the process)
Then Chuuya carries Atsushi’s unconscious body out of his hut before yelling at the top of his lungs a challenge to the village.
Cause this is his mate now! Try to stop me from taking him ya fuckin cowards!
Chuuya is both annoyed and kinda offended that no one takes up his challenge but shrugs it off as humans having terrible taste before heading to their new “home”.
Of course during the first few days Atsushi (as Chuuya finally learns) is very hostile to Chuuya’s advances, which is fair and Chuuya again relishes the challenge!
He does everything to try and make sure Atsushi is comfortable and prove himself as a great provider.
Though it does start to get frustrating when all Atsushi does is keep quiet, ignore him, or try to run away.
But that doesn’t deter him at all! If anything it motivates him!
Cause he’s still go to prove Dazai wrong and Atsushi so far is the perfect mate for him! He’s not gonna just give up on him.
So Chuuya keeps trying to get Atsushi to feel safe but it’s a struggle when every time he lets his guard down the tiger tries to flee with the desperation of scared animal.
But then it starts to get half way through the 2nd week and Chuuya beings to feel kinda insulted about how all his efforts are getting rebuffed.
Because he knows that Atsushi can smile, he knows that Atsushi can laugh, and he is tired of being treated as a villain.
So one day when Atsushi tries to escape he…..well he snaps and yells at him and maaaaaaybe breaks a boulder in the process.
Of course Chuuya expects Atsushi to get mad, maybe yell, or just outright reject him at this point.
What he does not expect is for golden violet eyes to fill with tears as the Atsushi shrinks into himself almost like he is expecting to be hit.
For a moment Chuuya freezes and thinks back to all of those more “fun” times of Atsushi “reciprocating” the courtship and curses himself for his obliviousness.
How the hell could he have ignored all the signs!
Meanwhile poor Atsushi is just shaking in the corner crying and seemingly trying to hide away from him.
So Chuuya in all his remorse lowers himself so he’s on Atsushi’s level and gently apologizes. He didn’t mean to scare Atsushi, that this is the first time he’s participated during mating season and promises that he’s not like any of Atsushi’s other previous mates.
That he won’t hurt Atsushi.
It’s then that Atsushi finally snaps and yells at him. That he’s scared, and that he doesn’t understand what a “mating season” even is!
All he knows is that Chuuya kidnapped him and has been forcing some sort of marital fantasy on him, that he does not want to be in another fucking cage after escaping his last one! And now just when he finally started to feel safe for the first time in his life Chuuya ruined everything!
Of course this makes Chuuya even more confused because Atsushi…. should know this. Like this is basic information for anyone with yokai heritage, his parent or neighbor, literally any yokai should have at least helped him!
He says as much to Atsushi who glares at him and explains that he was raised by humans who hate yokai and kept him in a cage until he escaped a couple years ago.
So yea Chuuya is shocked and enraged because this explains everything.
But most of all he’s angry at himself.
He’s a dumbass who just wanted to prove a point to an asshole fox and didn’t even bother learning anything about Atsushi. He just kept making assumptions about Atsushi and as a result the tiger suffered for it.
So of course he kowtows to the point he hits his head and breaks the ground (which startles Atsushi) and apologizes because……well he fucked up.
He then explains how a mating season is supposed to work, how it is supposed to be a fun thing in their culture, why he’s personally doing the mating season thing and how genuinely happy he is for meeting Atsushi. But he’s not gonna force Atsushi to do anything he doesn’t want to do. How he has a choice.
Chuuya does ask however if they can start over, cause he knows he fucked up and would completely understand if Atsushi never wanted to see him again.
But fuck he’s a greedy bastard and wants to prove to Atsushi that he can be a good mate, that he shouldn’t be scared of his own culture, that he doesn’t have to be ashamed and hide himself because Chuuya thinks he’s a beautiful and strong person both inside and out.
So Chuuya sucks up his pride and begs for one more chance.
And Atsushi pauses and stares at the oni that he believed has been purposely torturing him for the past two weeks and thinks.
Because through all of his time with Chuuya has been a prideful and borderline arrogant asshole that just seemed to like fighting him.
But now, seeing the arrogant man express genuine remorse for scaring him and hearing Chuuya’s side of all this………..it makes him reconsider his opinion.
So Atsushi, against his better judgement, decides to stay and give the oni a second chance.
Which Chuuya leaves shocked.
Because if the roles were reversed he would have told the guy to fuck off and then destroyed the cave that kept him captive before leaving the fucker buried alive.
Yet here is Atsushi, scars beared with fear and reluctance in his eyes, being kind and giving him a chance.
And Chuuya is gonna fucking take it and prove himself!
He’s gonna be the best mate possible for Atsushi, he won’t let the tiger regret it!
Which he does! Atsushi is finally, if cautiously, responding to the courtship.
He eats the food Chuuya brings him, they go on walks where Atsushi can actually explore, and he always checks in to make sure that his little tiger is okay with what there doing and asks if he’s alright.
As the season continues he promises that even if he rejects him that won’t be mad at Atsushi, that he’ll leave or just stick close by to prevent another yokai from messing up Atsushi’s life.
(Well messing up his life again, Chuuya is still hitting his head against a tree remembering how he ruined Atsushi’s village life.)
And slowly their relationship grows more, and Atsushi seems to stop being afraid. He even enjoys the Oni’s company and….. starts falling in love with him.
He thinks that maybe…..just maybe mating season isn’t so bad.
(Cue to the end of mating season and Chuuya comes out more mature and now with the prettiest mate who he just wants to protect, not just for this season but every season after.)