Subject to Study (Naga!Brothers x Reader)

Chapter 12

"Heading to Choro next?" Oso asked when he took the bucket from my hands, lounging back onto his coils as the tip of his tail wrapped around my right ankle. I had woken him up from a nap when I entered the enclosure, letting him awaken more before holding the meat out to him.

"Yeah, he's the last one."

"Hmm," He dug into the bucket to grab one of the bigger pieces, "This'll be the first shed that you'll go through with us, so I'm just going to give you a hint: don't make any sudden moves."

"I had figured," I raised a hand up to my neck and rubbed the back of it, "The snake that we're used to can be just as temperamental during shedding, so I was going to be cautious regardless. A bite from any of you can kill me."

"Except Ichi."

I shifted my eyes to look at Oso's own, his black-and-red hues staring back at me. Lowering my gaze, I nodded. Of course Oso knew who had bitten me, and he had probably known as soon as I stepped into the enclosure two days ago. In fact, the other nagas may have already known but never voiced it.

"Well, technically all of you can kill me. Jyushi and Ichi by constriction, Todo by suffocation, and you, Kara, and Choro by your venom," I met his gaze once more, "To be honest, I'm terrified of all of you."

"Yet, you're still here with us. Checking on us every day and even stepping into these small areas to feed us," Oso hooded his eyes as he swallowed a meat chunk for emphasis, "So, what's really going on?"

I stilled, "...what do you mean?"

"The voices from beyond the black wall are faint, but I can still hear them. They sound just like you do when you speak, so I figured they were more humans," His eyes never left my face, "They can see where my brothers are, but we can't see each other. So tell me, (y/n)..."

He dropped the half-full bucket and wrapped his tail around my legs, rearing his human half above my head as his jaw opened to reveal his elongated fangs hidden behind his lips.

"If you're so terrified of us, why are you still here when you could be beyond that wall?"

"Because I convinced the men who took you to take me, too," I spat out the lie quickly, "I didn't want to leave you all alone, so I told them to take me with you so there could be someone you were familiar with."

The answer seemed to give Oso pause, his already loose coils shifting away from me before turning his full attention back to the food and finishing it in a few swallows. The silence between him and I grew thick, broken only by the soft mummerings of the people watching the interaction.

"So that's why," Oso stated when he was done thinking something through, looking back at me with a smile on his face as he held out the empty bucket, "Sorry about that, (y/n), and thanks for the meal. It was much better than the first one."

I was stunned, partially startled at the sudden turn in attitude of the naga as I took the bucket from him, "Oso...?"

"I'd go check on Choro before you get distracted by talking to me," He glanced over his shoulder as he started to slip into the soaking pond, "Just remember my hint and you should be fine."

A small frown settled on my lips before I walked out of the enclosure, tossing the empty bucket into the sink before looking at the last remaining bucket. If Choro was in shed, then giving him food right now wouldn't be a good thing. I shoved the bucket back into the fridge after making space, thinking of who I could give the extra portion to before laying my hand on the locking mechanism of Choro's enclosure.

With a heavy 'thunk', the lock disengaged and the door slowly opened to let the heavy humidity roll over me in waves, withholding the urge to gag at the unpleasant feeling.