Onikuma Boyfriend: Victor Part Two (complete)

After the storm, Victor and I begin to get closer than ever. As strange as it is, we go out on our first date together as soon as all the roads have cleared. Going to the restaurant together, I know, is a bit of a spectacle. After all, in such a tiny town, everybody knows everybody. Still, it’s nice being able to go out with Victor. Once the initial shock wears off, people will go back to not noticing, although all the little old ladies who come to Victor’s bookclub are already gossiping away. 

I’ve started staying over at Victor’s more as well. I usually come to the bookshop just before closing to help him smooth the process along. Afterwards, we go downstairs to his place where we spend the evening together. Victor is a good cook. His specialty is fish, which I happen to really enjoy. I’ve tried cooking for him a few times, but I’m afraid I’m about as bad as my father is. I have a tendency to burn things, or nearly burn things down. So Victor just asks I do the dishes or whatever cleaning needs done while he cooks for me. It’s a fair trade, really. I get good food, and Victor’s house and business stay intact.

On our sixth-month anniversary, we are a little over-eager. We go downstairs and immediately get down to business. I wake up late that evening to find Victor at his desk, looking over one of the precious books he keeps on his shelf.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” I yawn.

“It’s okay,” Victor chuckles. He holds his arm out. “Come here, I want you to see this.”

I slip on his shirt as I walk to his side. He pulls me into his lap, then shows me the books laying on the desktop. “I told you once how important these were to me.” he whispers as he kisses my cheek. “These are my treasures, and I want to share them with you.”

All the books look worn, but also very much loved. Most of them are picture books about fairy tales or legends. One chapter book is an old copy of Heidi, whose cover has been ripped off and replaced with a handmade one, featuring a crayon drawing of the characters.

“A long time ago,” Victor sighs as he looks over his treasure, “my family and I traveled all over Alaska. It was our home, one we loved and cherished so much. But in a way, the world around us wasn’t safe anymore.” He takes out a book that is hand-bound with twine. The pages are made from thick construction paper. The edges of it have faded so much that the colors are bleached away. Each page has handwriting on it and many different little illustrations.

“My little sister was always very shy, but she loved books.” Victor continues, gently kissing my shoulder as I look over everything.

“Are these hers?” I ask.

Victor nods. “They were her treasures, so they became mine.” His voice cracks as he speaks, and he ducks his head down against the nape of my neck.

“What happened?” I grab his hand around my waist. “Victor,” I coax him gently.

“There was a fire,” he sniffles. “My bogeyman.” He takes in a deep breath and kisses my neck. “I was out for the day. I had gone to the closest town to get supplies. But when I came back-”

I squeeze his hand extra tight. “I’m so sorry,” I whisper to him. It makes sense to me now why he got so mad the day I had paper towels near the stove. It scared him.

“My sister’s things were still outside with the bags,” he sobs. “They were all that was left.” He squeezes his arms tight around me. 

“Victor,” I whisper softly. “It’s okay,” I murmur to him. “It’s okay.”

Those were the same words the bear who saved me from the Snare said. Victor cries, and I comfort him with kisses and hugs. We start to head towards the bed again, and as when I have where I want him, there is a knock at the door.

Victor chuckles as my expression turns sour. “I’ll go get that. You can wait right here.” He kisses my cheek.

“No, no,” I scoff. “I’ll get coffee started.” I put his shirt back on me while he gets up to answer the door.

“Good, I was wondering where you were. Package.” The postman is always early; I should have known it was him.

“Thanks.” Victor signs for the package and shuts the door. He sets the package down on the table, then comes over to hug me from behind as I make my coffee. “We have all day together,” he whispers. “Why don’t we go back and finish up?”

I elbow him. “The mood is ruined, for now.” I kiss him. “Go ahead, make your coffee. Besides, I feel like I’m taking advantage of you in your vulnerable state.”

“I was sharing with you,” he says. “I’ve been wanting to tell you all that, but I was, well...” he chuckles, “I guess I was scared, too.”

“I told you I thought a bear could talk and saved me when I was five,” I chuckle. “But I know that story must hurt you still.”

“Had I just been there, I-” he stops himself and hangs his head. “I’m sorry, Naoko.”

“Don’t be.” I pet down his arm. “I’m glad you told me. It really gives me reason to not cook anymore.”

Victor laughs, raising his head to show me the most brilliant smile. “I truly am lucky.” He puts his hands around my waist. “You found me.”

I rest my head on his chest. “I love you, Victor.”

Victor kisses the top of my head. “I love you too.”

That day as we celebrate our anniversary, Victor reads to me a few of his sister’s books. They’re all filled with fanciful tales and dreamy landscapes. Some have small scribbles in the margins, little notes that his sister made. 

That evening, Victor leaves to go pick up some food for dinner. While he is gone, I decide to help clean up a bit. We didn’t exactly clean up last night, or this morning. We’d been letting the mess linger while we indulged in our happy celebration. I start in the kitchen, mopping up the remnants of our breakfast and washing the dishes. While I’m scrubbing a particularly stubborn plate, the sponge splits.

“Oh, crap,” I grumble. I know he keeps the extra sponges on a high shelf above the sink, but I’m far too short to see them. I stand on tiptoe and start feeling around. I can feel the rough edge of the sponges, and I manage to pull them forward by the sheer determined will of my fingertips. As I yank them down, a bottle falls off the shelf and crashes to the ground. It shatters and a thick, honey-like liquid spills out. 

“Oh, shit!” I yelp. I leave the sink, avoiding the broken glass as best I can. I start to sweep up the glass, but most of it just gets stuck in the thick liquid. 

As I’m picking up the glass and chucking it into a bag, Victor comes in. “I’ve got the food. It’s starting to snow too, so, if you wanted, we could go on that-” he stops when he sees me on the floor, picking up my mess. Only the expression on his face is different than I thought it would be - he looks confused and terrified. 

“What happened?” he asks breathlessly.

“I’m sorry!” I huff. “I was trying to be nice and clean up before you got home.”

He sets the bag of food down, storms over to the mess, kneels down and buries his head in his hands. “How?”

“I’m sorry,” I say again. “I was trying to get the sponges off the shelf, but you know how short I am. I-”

He stands up suddenly. “That bottle was very important,” he says in an urgent voice. “I put it there to be safe. I-”

“I didn’t know.” I step towards him. “I’m so sorry! I couldn’t see it! I didn’t know.” 

“Naoko,” he growls low. “This isn’t good. That bottle, it had my-” He stops and holds his head in his hands again.

“It was a medicine, right?” I whimper. “I’ll go get more! I’ll even pay for it! I can-”

“No,” Victor snarls. “It can’t be bought like that.” He looks at me with panic in his blue eyes. “I have to go to someone special in order to get it. And he won’t be sending any more until the end of the month.” He wraps his arms around his chest. “This isn’t good. You need to leave.”

I feel an ice-cold knife plunge into my chest at those words. “I didn’t mean to. It was an accident. Victor, I’m-”

“No. I know it was an accident. I am not mad at you.” He looks me over then sinks down into the sofa. “I just don’t want you to see what-”

I kneel down before him. “What’s going on?” I ask him sternly. “You’re scaring the absolute shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “It’s just that-” He swallows down a shuddering breath. “That medicine is more than you think it is.”

“You’re confusing me!” I huff.

“I’m sorry! I-” He tugs at his hair. “I’m sorry, but this is so hard for me to confess. I don’t want to lose you.”

I furrow my brows and stiffen my jaw. “What is the medicine, Victor?”

He sighs and his shoulders slouch. “It keeps me… it makes me…” He stands up and waves his hands down at his body. “This.”

“Tall?”

Victor sighs. “No, I mean... it makes me look human.”

I scowl at him.

“I’m serious, Naoko!” He runs his hands through his hair again. “I’m usually… This isn’t-” He grunts and takes a few deep breaths to calm himself. “I am not human, Naoko.”

I stand up and look him over a few times. “Then what are you?”

“Remember your story?” He asks. “The one where you got lost in the woods?”

“If you say you’re the Snare, I’m going to beat you to death,” I snarl at him.

“No!” He gasps. “No, of course not. But-” He frowns. “I did kill the Snare, if that helps anything.”

I stare at him hard and narrow my eyes. “Uhm-”

Victor takes hold of my hands. “The bear that saved you,” he whispers. “That was me.” His hands squeeze mine. 

“The silver-blue bear?” I scoff at him. “That was you?” I try to yank my hands away but he won’t let go. “Victor, is this a joke?”

“I wish it was,” he murmurs. “But, Naoko, look at me.” He tugs me a little closer to him. “Look at my eyes. You told me once they looked familiar.”

I frown, but I look into his eyes. I gaze at the soft blue eyes looking back at me, and suddenly I feel like I truly see them. I had always found them familiar, but was never able to pinpoint exactly how or why. Now, it’s all become clear.

“You’re a bear?” I blurt.

Victor pulls me into a hug. “An onikuma,” he whispers. “A type of bear creature. Had you read past the Snare in that book, you would have seen it.”

I cling to his back. “This explains why you knew so much about bears.” I then look up at him. “So, now you’ll turn back into a bear?”

“Without that medicine, I will,” he growls. “I get sent a fresh bottle every month. It takes three days for the effect of the potion to wear off, then three days for it to take effect again.” He looks at me. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

I sit down beside him and take hold of his hand again. “Where does the potion come from?” I ask. “Could I go get it for you?”

He looks at me with a surprised expression that melts into a smile. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” I reply. “Where can I get it? Who do I ask?”

“I can send him an e-mail. It would be quicker for him to mail it emergency. It’s just that, until then, I won’t be able to leave my home at all. The store will have to stay closed.”

“Then let me help,” I say. “I mean, after all, you did save my life. It’s the least I can do.” I kiss his cheek. “All this time, you knew that? You knew my story wasn’t silly?”

“You still smell the same,” he says. “I recognized you as soon as you walked into my shop. I wasn’t prepared for you to be this beautiful woman I saw. I sort of hid for a bit.” He snuggles close to me, pulling me into his lap. “All those years I had been wondering what happened to you, how you grew up, who you became.” He kisses my temple. “I was so excited to see you again.”

“You’re so sweet.” I kiss him softly. “I’m sorry again I broke the bottle.”

“It’s okay,” he whispers. “I needed to be honest with you. I had thought I could hide it forever, but that was foolish of me.”

“Will you let me see?” I ask quietly.

“See what?” Victor laughs. 

“The bear.” I place my palm over his chest. “Or do you want to keep it a secret from me?” I tease him a bit.

“Of course you’ll see me. Hard to hide myself when I’ll be bigger than I am now,” he laughs.

“So your sister, your family...” I murmur. “They were Onikuma too.”

“They were hunted,” he confesses. “It wasn’t an accident that killed them.” He locks his arms tight around me. “That’s why I chose to hide myself. I was afraid.” Tears start to stream down his face. “I didn’t want to die, Naoko.”

I kiss him and wipe away his tears. After some more crying, Victor and I contact his friend, Puck, who makes the potions for him. He tells us he can get the potion out right away as soon as he finishes the new batch.

The next day, Victor starts to look a bit hairier. His beard is thicker, and his chest is much bushier. The second day, I start to see the change in his eyes, a strangeness, as well as a sharpness to his teeth that hadn’t been before. On the third day, I wake up next to the bear.

His body dwarfs the size of his human figure. He had always been a big, tall guy, but as a bear, he is a completely unavoidable presence. He seems more timid around me, as if he is walking on eggshells. He will barely touch me, and gives me only the tiniest of kisses. 

During the day, I open the bookshop and work it for him. In the evenings. I get us takeout from the restaurants. I excuse his absence by saying he has caught a nasty bug. I then go and have dinner with him, watching him spear his food on his claws to eat it.

“I got word that Puck has sent the medicine. It will be here in a few days,” he tells me excitedly. “You won’t have to deal with this for much longer.”

“I don’t mind. The bookshop is easy, and you are still very handsome.”

His eyes widen slightly. “You like this?” He points at himself.

“I love you. Of course I like it.” I touch his chest and snuggle up to him. “I remember how strongly you held me when I was little, and I just curled into your chest.” I hold onto him. “You’re still so soft.” I then peek up at him. “But you seem to think I’m breakable or something.”

“I thought you wouldn’t like the way I looked as a bear,” he whines. “I didn’t want to scare you, let alone hurt you.”

I smirk up at him. “No such thing.” I tug his head down and kiss him. “The only thing I don’t like is that the bed seems so small now.”

Victor chuckles. “Really?”

“I love you,” I whisper to him again. “No matter how you look, I will always know that for a fact.”

Victor picks me up and hugs me closer. “I love you too,” he whispers. He then carries me to the bedroom where we end up breaking the bed that night.

In the morning, I wake up to find Victor staring up at the ceiling. We moved the mattress to the floor that night after the bed frame broke. 

“Did you sleep okay?” I mumble as I rub my eyes.

“I did,” he rolls over to look at me. “I’ve just been waiting for you to wake up.” 

I snuggle into his chest. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Victor whispers. “It’s just… I have a question for you.” He kisses the top of my head. “It’s kind of important.”

I sit up so I can see him better. My heart is going a million miles an hour. “Yes. Go on!” I urge him.

Victor gulps then takes hold of my hand. “Last night, I realized I can trust you with everything. You don’t judge me, and you don’t see me as some monster.” He smiles softly, and his blue eyes sparkle. “I want to marry you so badly, but that’s all up to-”

“Yes!” I scream and tackle him, knocking this massive bear onto his back.

We have a small wedding just before spring, while everything is still white. We have it in a small church with only a few people in attendance. Afterwards, we decide to buy a house. It’s a long discussion, but since we both want kids, we think it will be the best thing. As much as we both love the apartment under the bookshop, we need somewhere bigger to start a family. Victor has land, so we start building a house there.

Once the house is done in the fall, we started trying to get pregnant. It’s a wild few months, to say the least. I’m surprised by how hard it it; it isn’t something that just happens right away. Victor figures it’s because he is an Onikuma, but we keep trying at it. As winter arrives, I start noticing changes. I’m  hungry all the time, famished every second of the day. I never get morning sickness, I’m just always hungry. 

A pregnancy test reveals it’s finally happened, but it’s the ultrasound that shows us the truth. As I lay and let the doctor smear the cold jelly over my belly, I start to hear strange, tiny sounds from the monitor. 

“Oh, wow,” the doctor says in alarm. “Oh, wow!”

“Yeah, what does that mean?” Victor growls.

“Well,” the doctor chuckles. “You two said you were hoping to have a big family, right? You’re off to a good start.” She points at the screen. “You’ve got three strong heartbeats here.”

My mouth gapes open, and Victor nearly falls out of his chair. 

“Our baby has three hearts?” I start to whine.

“No! No,” the doctor laughs. “I know this is a shock, but this means you’re having triplets.”

I stare at Victor as my heart goes wild in my chest. “Triplets?”

“Triplets.” Victor hugs me and kisses me all over. “This is amazing! Three cubs!”

“Cubs?” The doctor asks.

“He loves animals,” I quickly cover. “You know? Mama bear, papa bear,” I try to laugh it off.

To say the pregnancy is easy is like comparing a hurricane to scattered showers. The hunger is never-ending and the cravings are bizarre. I never believed the cliche of pickles and ice cream until I started eating hot sauce with cheesecake. I also get so big, I can barely walk. For around three months, I’m put on bedrest. Even before then, I get winded just going to the bathroom to sit on the toilet, which I do every ten minutes.

I’m actually pretty weak during those last three months, I won’t lie. It’s hard getting all the nutrients that I need, not to mention for the three cubs growing inside me. The doctors move up my cesarean because of how much they worry for me and the babies. 

After the delivery, I’m in and out of consciousness for days. I’m so weak and lose so much blood, I’m moved to the intensive care unit. I barely even see my babies for more than brief flashes. I know they are safe, though. I knew Victor is looking after them.

“Hi there, Mommy,” I hear a soft voice say one day.

“What time is it?” I grumble.

“Late night feeding,” Victor replies. “You were stirring.”

I look up to see Victor holding a baby with thick, black curls all over their head. “Is that-” I lose my breath for a second.

“Here,” Victor grins as he passes the small thing over to me. “This is Ella,” he whispers as he places her in my arms.

We chose names early, and Ella was named after Victor’s little sister. I clutch her close, watching her small chubby face scrunch up as she fusses.

“Where’s Dane and Hollis?” I gasp.

“They’re asleep. Ella is the fussy one.” Victor kisses the top of my head as I hold her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay now,” I giggle as I look at Ella squirming in my arms. “Did they… come out okay?” I ask cautiously.

“They didn’t look like bears,” Victor laughs. “They might grow into that.”

After a few more weeks of recovery in the hospital, we finally get to take our family home. One afternoon as I’m resting - I get tired so easily now - I wake to hear Victor reading to the babies. They’re all burbling and grunting as he shows them the construction paper book his sister made.

“One day,” he whispers, “I’ll show you the home where we came from.” he reaches down into the crib. “I’ll show you where our family started.” I see tears in the corners of his eyes. “I’ll show you where I buried your grandparents and your aunt.”

“Victor,” I murmur weakly.

He looks up at me, then smiles. “Ah, we woke Mom.” He comes over to my side. “You okay? Do you need anything?”

I take hold of his hand. “Once the babies are a little bigger, I think we should do that. Let them see where you came from.”

Victor kisses my forehead. “It’s in the middle of the woods.”

“Okay, much bigger.” I sit up, and Victor places another pillow behind my back. “Bring them to me, I want to see them.”

Victor places a boy in each arm, then lays Ella on my elevated legs. All three have the same dark, curly hair, but Ella has the most. They all have their father’s deep blue eyes as well, when they’re open.

As they start to get bigger, Dane outgrows his siblings, becoming chubby and roly-poly to the point where he doesn’t wear the same size as Hollis and Ella. Hollis is a troublemaker, becoming the first one to crawl as well as to run away. Ella is sweet and prefers to cuddle, and we almost have to make her learn to walk. 

Each year, we start adding to Ella’s book. We trace the triplet’s hands and let them smash crayons against them, adding them as pages to the book. Once they start to grow older, they draw pictures and have us write stories on them. 

By the time they’re five, we take our promised trip to Victor’s old home. By now, the kids have started taking their Onikuma shape at night. We come to the forest where Victor said he was born, and we travel deep into the woods. There, we find a spot of earth that is blackened, with darkened tree stumps sticking from the ground.

Victor stands still for the longest time, gazing around the area as tears come to his eyes. Ella snuggles in his embrace and squeezes her arms around his neck.

“This was the place with the most memories for me,” Victor sniffles as he kisses her cheek. “Before the bookshop, before our home.” He kneels down on the ground. “I watched my whole life fall apart here. But now, I want to show it how much I have built.” He takes a scoop of the earth into his hands, and uses it to fill a small jar that we brought along. 

“Is this where our book came from?” Hollis asks me.

“It is,” I look around the treetops. “Your Aunt Ella started it.”

Dane is sniffing the air and darting his eyes around to look everywhere. “This place smells funny,” he mumbles.

“How funny?” Victor asks.

“Kind of like you, but not you, but you,” Dane rambles. “Like a weird you.”

Victor scoops him up and holds him with Ella. “That’s because I came from here.” He kisses the top of his head. “So it is all a part of me.”

I hold Hollis and stand beside him. 

“But it is no longer where I belong,” Victor murmurs. “I belong at home with you three and Naoko,” he grins. “So that’s why it must smell a little funny.”

“Oh,” Dane sighs. 

“We’ll go back to the cabin,” Victor says. “And we’ll make that cocoa, as promised!”

The kids all squeal and cheer as we head back towards the path, but Victor lingers for a long moment. I take hold of his hand. “It’s okay to let go,” I tell him.

Victor kisses me. “Just saying goodbye is all.”