"I'll do anything... Oh god please don't kill me!" Subaru sobbed. His hand was clutched to his neck. Blood ran between his fingers. He was shirtless, unprepared, vulnerable. He tried to put the bed between him and his attacker.

Fear pulsed through him, deep and primal. He wanted to run, but the creature stood between him and the door. Its eyes glowed red, illuminating the red of Subaru's blood on his lips.

"I'm not a good person but I don't deserve to die!" Subaru's voice shook. In the dark of the bedroom, he could see the man advancing. How had a one night stand ended up like this? The man seemed completely unfazed by Subaru's pleas.

"You-! You need blood to survive right?" Subaru asked, his back hitting the wall behind him. The creature paused, looking him up and down once but not moving any further forward. "If you don't kill me... I'll stay as a food source... You can have as much as you like as long as I can still stay living... I won't run, I won't try to escape. Please... I just want to live!" Subaru could feel tears in the corner of his eyes, his whole body trembling in fear.

"Like a pet?" the creature asked. Subaru nodded. Whatever this man wanted.

It seemed like the light shifted and then there was no space between them anymore. The creature's face betrayed no emotion. Subaru hoped that he had managed to convince the other to spare him. He knew it was probably like food begging not to be eaten though.

He felt a hand against his injured neck. There was a stinging sensation and then the pain stopped completely.

"You would willingly throw away your dignity to save yourself?" the man asked. He sounded almost a little bit confused. Subaru nodded quickly, not wanting him to disbelieve him.

"I don't want to die! If this will save my life, I'll do it!" he said. The man took a step back, turning away and running a hand through his hair.

"You should shower before bed. You will get my sheets dirty," he said. Subaru could feel his limbs trembling.

"You accept the deal?" he asked. The man turned to him, tilting his head to the side in a way that reminded Subaru of a dog when he can't quite understand what its owner wants from it. If it weren't for the terrifying reality of what this man was, it would almost be... cute.

"You feel familiar to me somehow. Hunting is also troublesome," he said. Subaru's pulse felt like a staccato drum beat.

"Then... I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Aoki Subaru. I'm nineteen years old. P-please give me your guidance from now on*," he said formally, bowing. The man raised an eyebrow.

"Nagase Junya," he replied. Subaru bowed again.

"Junya-sama, I will do my best at being a good pet," he said. By the time he straightened, Junya was already walking away.

Subaru traced a hand over his neck where his skin was now like new except for the sticky traces of blood.

Out of the window he could see the Tokyo sky line. Lights twinkled and shone so brightly they blocked out the stars. Offices were still open, even in the early hours, their workers unaware of how much Subaru's life had just changed. Beneath the buildings, revelers prowled Roppongi's streets, raucous and drunk.

A train ran past.

Subaru sank to his knees, hand still pressed against the glass.

Tokyo would be forever changed for him now. He'd never see it the same way again, never as an amusement to keep him distracted, but always as something dark and dangerous.

He wrapped his arms around himself and tried to pull himself together. He rose to his feet once more and walked to the bathroom. He had been told to shower, and a good pet should follow orders, right?

When he returned to the bedroom, damp but clean, there was a metal collar on the bed. He saw that there was a kanji character on it. Obedience. Jun. Probably the name of his new 'master'. He stared at it for a long time.

Sunlight began to creep in through the window, turning the white walls a dusky orange as it did so. Dawn reflected off the glass of the skyscrapers opposite. Subaru picked up the collar, securing it around his neck before walking over to the curtains.

He drew them shut, blocking out the daylight completely.