Stripes Pt 3
A/n: Still mentions of animal mistreatment, Blood/scratch marks (Sukuna attacks someone)
Yuuji x reader
Sukuna x reader
Tiger shifter AU
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You furrowed your eyebrows in thought, trying to figure out how to get both tigers out. You saw the other tiger in the video, and knew he'd be more difficult by how he was behaving, but you scratched the tiger next to you behind the ears and promised you'd get them both out of there.
You wracked your brain for ideas before sighing as the only idea that came to mind to fit in was to dress like you were a part of the show. You made your way back down into the steps with the tiger by your side into the storage room as you threw on a multicolored jacket, clown nose and a bit of makeup (Which looked very rushed, but it would do). The tiger sat patiently behind you, tail curled around it's paws as it watched you get ready before it went searching for something, rummaging around in a open bin before pulling a sealed package with something colorful inside out with it's teeth before walking over to you and dropping it at your feet. You snorted when you realized it was a clown wig.
"I can't believe I'm dressing up as a literal fucking clown-" You thought aloud, picking up the package and putting the clown wig on your head without a cap or anything. You didn't have the time, because you heard cheering from above. The act must be over now, and they'd be leading the other tiger back into his cage.
You grabbed the key ring, handing it out to the tiger next to you. "Which one goes to the other cage up there?" You jerked your head in the direction of the door, referring to the other cage that was at the top of the steps. The tiger examined the keys for a moment before separating the keys with it's claw so only a silver key stood out. "This one?" You asked for clarification. The tiger nodded. You could hear the clicking of heels about the room, and you knew you had to be out of the room soon. You hurriedly removed the silver key from the key ring before pocketing it and rushing to grab a cloth, covering the empty cage before jogging out the room and up the steps. You ran over to your previous hiding spot behind the table with the tablecloth, crouching low in the dark with the tiger by your side, watching as about 5 people came to the backstage area. One of the people was a woman in a colorful leotard holding a flashlight, looking down in disgust as the other 4 men wrestled with chains that were connected to a thick collar around a large tiger's neck. The tiger was pulling every which way, attempting to break free and growling, swiping at their legs with his claws out.
"Someone get the remote to the damn shock collar!" One of the men grunted out
"Stop being so difficult you damn nuisance" Another man hissed, aiming a kick to the ribs of the tiger, which wasn't the best idea. The tiger took the opening to yank as hard as he could in the direction of the man who tried to kick him, rearing up and swiping a paw across the man's chest. You winced when the man yelled, stumbling back with a hand over his chest. The other three men tried to regain their control over the chains and the tiger as it snarled, pulling once more to knock the man over before placing his paws on the man's chest, directly over the wound, claws forming new wounds on the man's chest as he snarled down in the man's face. This was short-lived, as a buzzing noise rang out and a choked noise escaped the tiger's throat as it froze up. A sixth person arrived, holding a black remote and repeatedly pressing a button, aiming it at the tiger. You frowned in disgust, knowing it was the button for the shock collar mentioned earlier. The tiger beside you whined, ears pressed flat against hid head. To bring him some comfort, you rubbed his back.
After they had shocked the tiger enough to put it in a daze, the men regained their strength on the chains, shoving the tiger forwards. The animal let out a weak growl, stumbling over it's own paws as it was shoved into it's cage, still recovering from the shocks. The people quickly shut the door, locking the lock before glaring at the tiger and helping their friend who had been attacked up and heading down the steps, disappearing into the room below.
Before you could do anything, the tiger by your side darted out to the cage, nosing at the bars to get the other tiger's attention. The tiger inside the cage looked up when he ran over. There was an exchange between the two, one growling while the other whined and looked over in your direction. You stood, cautiously approached the cage, holding out the key.
"I'm here to get you two out. They're gonna notice he isn't in his cage in a matter of seconds." You said quietly. When you reached towards the cage, the tiger inside hissed, making you pause.
The tiger beside you whined, stamping it's paw again while looking directly at the other tiger, causing the tiger in the cage to glare at him, a low growl rumbling in it's chest. Despite this, the tiger by your side didn't back down, holding his gaze and emitting a growl himself.
"I'll take the collar off-" You blurted, grabbing both their attention. The tigers looked at you and you made a gesture around your neck before pointing at the shock collar. The tiger didn't seem to respond, warily looking at you before finally dipping its head. You took the moment to shove the key in the lock and twist it, popping it open before slowly reaching in. The tiger growled at you, but made no signs of attacking, especially with the other glaring him down.
You worked on unbuckling the buckles, hearing the tiger almost sigh when you loosened it and took it off. You examined the collar for a moment, seeing a gold tag with a name on it.
"Sukuna-" You read aloud, then tossed the collar to the side. "Alright then, I'll get you and your friend out of here, Sukuna." You said, backing up so the tiger could tentatively step out. Now they were both looking at you as you moved over to the door. You heart jumped when you heard a shout from below. They must have realized Yuuji was missing.
You picked up your pace, throwing open the door so the tigers could go outside. You pointed to the corner of the building where you parked your truck.
"My truck is just around the corner, go there." You urged, hoping they understood you. They seem to have so far, and you were sure they did when they took off in the direction you pointed, though the first tiger you save lagged behind, looking at you, but you were busy pulling the door shut and throwing yourself in front of the cage Sukuna was in as the people form earlier jogged up the steps.
"What happened!?" You feigned worry. They didn't even take the time to try and recognize you.
"The fucking tiger's gone!" One of the men shouted.
"Oh no!" You placed your hands on the sides of your face, being as overdramatic as possible. "Try checking if he went onto the stage with someone else!" You pointed. As soon as they all turned their head, you bolted towards the door, throwing your whole body against it in an attempt to swing it open faster. You knew the people would open the door and see the tigers, but as long as you got to your car first, you should be able to drive off quickly.
You saw that one of the tigers had waited for you while the other one was gone, probably at your car. It's eyes stretched wide when it saw you fling open the door and skip down the stairs, covering 4 steps in one leap, almost stumbling but not fully falling. You waved your arms at the tiger, "Go!" You urged, spurring the tiger into action.
"Yuuji!" you heard the woman shout. You could hear the pounding of feet on the ground from your pursuers as you followed the tiger around the corner to your truck. You saw Sukuna had already jumped into the uncovered back of your pickup truck, and was waiting. You fumbled with your keys as you unlocked the car door, hopping in the seat.
"Jesus fucking christ" you cursed to yourself, looking in the review mirror to see if the second tiger made the jump into the back of your truck while you jammed your key into the ignition and turned it, your truck roaring to life just as your pursuers rounded the corner. You could see Sukuna pulling the second tiger by his scruff, helping him into the back of the truck.
You put the truck in drive before flooring the pedal, shooting out, causing the people to jump out of the way in order to not get hit.
"HA!" You shouted, watching the people fade away and get smaller in your rearview mirror. You turned the truck onto a main street, merging in with the other cars out on the road.
Just to be sure, you checked in your mirrors every once in awhile to see if you were getting followed, but thankfully there was no sight of anyone following you.
You took the time to finally relax, putting your seatbelt on and at the red light, pull up directions to the reserve with a triumphant grin on your face.
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