Archive of Our Own

i.

It started off subtle at first.

Eyes trailing down his body when Takumi thought nobody was looking, ones that idled longer than necessary. 

During random moments of the day, he’d feel them track him as he went to retrieve a snack at the Food-O-Matic. Or he’d catch a sudden flash of white as he left the Rec room, the figure disappearing into a classroom akin to a ghost.

Takumi’s not stupid. He knew who was stalking him. Who else would it be that wore a completely white attire, who he also happened to be in a complicated relationship with?

Except he doesn’t want to acknowledge the elephant in the room, feigning ignorance and hiding his urge to sneak glances when those periwinkle orbs watch him from his periphery. The thought of encountering Eito now had his palms sweating, heart twisting in apprehension.

Not yet, not after what had happened, Takumi thought, strolling past with his gaze downturned.

They barely acknowledged each other for a couple of days. What he didn’t expect was for Eito to disrupt their little limbo first.

“Morning Takumi, I see you’re looking ugly as always!” Eito beamed, acting as if nothing had changed between them. He tilted his head curiously, asking to tag along to the cafeteria.

Eito’s act to appear harmless was effortless with how the innocence practically gleamed from his smile, but it only caused the ends of Takumi’s hair to stand.

“A-ah, hello, Aotsuki.” Takumi greeted him nervously. He quickly brushed off the awkwardness in his body language as he was swept by Eito rambling on some tangent he learned from the library. He tried his best to listen, until at some point Eito reverted back to his usual manner of provoking Takumi, taking a jab on his lack of intelligence and leaving Takumi to deadpan.

He should be used to Eito’s antics. It’s not unusual for them to stay apart, hang out in brief passing, and then butt heads when either of them got sick of being around the other for too long.

Though, more recently, there’s been a new development of them meeting together in secret when the tension was built high—just high enough for Takumi to pick up on Eito’s passionate gaze, lighting a shameful fire in Takumi’s guts. 

It’s the kind that leaves his tongue dry. Their exchange would carry a heavier weight, beckoning both of them to snap and release that repressed energy away from prying eyes.

Takumi doesn’t know how to label their relationship now, and he certainly doesn’t want to think about said label too much, or what it says about him. He’s perfectly content with keeping that dilemma under wraps when he has better things to worry about.

Their interaction seemed to return to normal, as much as it could be as they continued walking towards the main building of the school. Though, as the day passed, Takumi remained keeping some distance with Eito, whether in conversation or physical proximity. 

Returning to his mundane routine should’ve brought a relief to his nerves. Yet, it seemed Eito had other ideas of slowly encroaching his personal space. 

Eito snuck in more touches than usual, much to Takumi’s horror. As if he recognized the moment Takumi wanted to shuffle away, only to cling onto him tighter.

He’d slide next to Takumi inconspicuously, simply content to stand by his side while Takumi was distracted with the battle simulations in VR training. His sudden presence nearly shocked Takumi to death when he finally lifted his head to see Eito’s face being very close.

Or later in the afternoon in the library, he’d lean into Takumi’s space as Takumi’s perusing a book, resting his cheek on Takumi’s head to read with him. Takumi froze, mind racing as he tried his best to stay focused on the texts in front of him. 

Until he felt Eito creep an arm around his midriff. Takumi remained still as gloved fingers gently dug and fondled at the cinch of his waist through his clothes. 

Takumi squirmed. It took for Eito probing up to his ribs for him to abruptly end his reading session, slamming his book shut and leaving the room in a hurry with ragged breaths.

Takumi doesn’t think he can take anymore of this. 

The moment Takumi snapped was when Eito snuck behind him without a sound being made. Warm puffs of air tickled down on Takumi’s nape, causing Takumi to quickly spin around. 

He immediately yelped and jumped out of surprise, red-handedly catching Eito in the act of peeking over his hoodie. No wonder Takumi sensed something boring through his neck for a reason.

“Geez, what is your problem lately, Aotsuki!” Takumi bristled. “I know you’re doing all of this on purpose.”

Eito merely gave one of his cryptic smiles, perking up like he was anticipating this. “Nothing! Though, I should be the one asking you that question, dear Takumi. Weren’t you the one trying to avoid me the longest?” Eito feigned a sad expression with a hand over his chest. “It pains me when you blatantly go out of your way to ignore me, you know.”

Shit, he noticed that too?  Takumi flinched, hoping that his own behavior wasn’t that obvious. Judging by his own reaction, Eito’s grin returned, eyes glimmering smugly like a cat that got the cream. Seeing the satisfaction on his face made Takumi want to crawl into a hole and hide himself.

So was he doing all that just to grab my attention? Or was there something more?

Takumi coughed out in embarrassment, protesting, “I-I’m not ignoring you, and that’s besides the point! You were the one avoiding me first—and I figured you needed space for what happened…” Takumi’s sentence trailed off quieter towards the end, glancing to the side as he couldn’t meet Eito’s scrutinizing look. 

A pause lingered in the air, and then Eito scoffed. “Ugly Takumi is so kind, being considerate of how I feel. You must think so highly of yourself to imagine avoiding me would be in my best interest.” 

Then Eito's lips curled in contempt. “Or was the guilt of peaking into my personal life eating at your consciousness so bad that you needed to lie to me? Stupid Takumi.”

The objections he wanted to push out died in his throat. Eito’s accusation was a blade that cut the strings holding his heart, dropping it to his stomach.

There it is, the elephant in the room that he was hoping to not run into.

“Ah, did I get it right? You still carry the same ugliness as before, but even I can tell you're unsettled.” Eito chuckled out airily, appearing more happy about throwing Takumi off guard, rather than being bothered by what Takumi knew about his past. He tilted his head in thought. “But there must be more to it, isn’t it? I bet you didn’t know how much I learned about you in your memories.”

Takumi started to pale, sweat breaking out on his brow. He tried deciphering Eito’s expressions, grasping at what Eito could have possibly found that made him sound so pleased with himself. 

It’s not like Takumi had much to hide, but he doesn’t know what to make of Eito, of all people, diving into his subconscious. An unwanted witness to his innermost thoughts.

How much does Aotsuki know? How much has he seen—knew from that timeline?

Eito continued. “After what happened, I went to pay a visit at the infirmary to research more about cryptoglobin, and guess who I saw? I see you doing the same! What a coincidence, that we both went there for our investigations. You even pulled up the same files that I wanted to read when I checked the history. But just as you might suspect, there wasn’t anything new to learn that we already know of.”

“Regardless, seeing you there proved that we’ve both been thinking about the same thing.” Eito sighed, and for a moment, Takumi had a passing thought that Eito sounded happy about that for some reason. 

Takumi didn’t know what to say, knowing that Eito said nothing but the truth. Eito leveled him with a sharp look, as if studying him. Then, an unreadable smile crossed his cheeks, and he took a step closer.

Takumi instinctively stumbled back. Uneasiness bubbled in his chest like a cornered prey while Eito remained undeterred, calmly keeping his pace until he stopped mere inches in front of him. 

Eito’s height towered over him as Takumi tilted his head, engulfing him in his shadow. He drowned in the unending soft blues of his irises, mysterious and falsely disarming. 

Eito’s voice was tempting as he muttered. “You’re curious, aren’t you? About what I learned about you, and that you want to know more about me.”

“Unless, don’t tell me you forgot what we shared together?”

Takumi shivered, the memories surging in a flashback that had his heart jumping. Reminding him of what happened, reminding him of what Eito did to them that he couldn’t ever forget.

It all started when sparks flew between them once again, resulting in another clash of pent up heat. 

They were both in Takumi’s room with Takumi caged on Eito’s lap, naked and strung up like a tightened bow. Eito didn’t bother to remove his own clothes, eager to get his hands on Takumi first.

Takumi moaned out, throwing his head back on Eito’s shoulder. His back arched against Eito’s chest, muscles clenching tightly around cold fingers prying in and out of his hole. Each glide of those long digits had lube soaking out of his rim. He prodded and pressed against his fluttering walls, eliciting weak whimpers from Takumi’s deepest guts.

Tearful mewls left Takumi as he reacted helplessly. As much as Takumi didn't want to admit, he couldn’t deny his body had developed a new kind of hunger, utterly empty where he couldn’t reach with his own small hands, and he needed Eito’s help to fill it.

With his other hand, Eito’s grip on Takumi’s quivering cock was firm. He stroked his length at a languid pace, drawing wet, squelching noises whenever Eito squeezed around the sensitive head. The sounds flooded to Takumi's ears, his length twitching with each dirty noise drawn out. It didn't help that Eito’s hot pants right next to his head were loud and oppressive, making his mind spin.

Eito kept track of each microexpression shifting as he touched him. The moment Takumi's attention drifted, Eito swiped the precum off the sensitive tip of his cock with a thumb, then dug sharply into his slit.

A strangled cry tumbled out of Takumi. He jerked within Eito’s frame, trapped on Eito’s lap as he could do nothing but claw onto Eito’s sleeves to anchor him.

“A-Aotsuki…! Shit, I can’t—any more and I’ll cum, ahh,” Takumi gasped, jaw dropped open and panting like a dog in heat. Blood swelled into his groin, overwhelming him with the need to let loose as he rocked back on Eito’s fingers.

Eito groaned in a way that’s both appreciative and degrading. Takumi felt his body turn weak as condescension dripped heavily from Eito’s words. “Look at you, you’re drooling and dripping everywhere. Disgusting, so vile and disgusting—getting off on this. Does it feel that good to be this obscene and shameless?”

Eito crooked his fingers in a specific angle, and Takumi whimpered, trying to close his legs from the pressure, but that only made him clench tighter. Searing, molten shame coiled deep in his stomach as he ached terribly.

Takumi felt the vibrations of Eito’s chuckle traveling from his chest. He traced his lips against Takumi’s shoulder. Thinly veiled disgust hid behind his expression of sick enjoyment, lips twisting into a mocking smirk. “Takumi is so pathetic, so weak to pleasure.”

“Tch, it’s ‘cause you—!” Takumi wanted to retort, to say that Eito was the one that initiated first, if it weren’t for him being distracted by the deft fingers rendering his mouth useless.

Eito ignored him, instead taking a heavy whiff of Takumi’s scent. Takumi heard Eito’s breath becoming uneven as he dragged his tongue over Takumi’s neck, tasting droplets of sweat. Takumi gasped, squirming while Eito trailed up to lick Takumi’s cheek, then kissed into his earlobe.

“I wonder if you’ll look even more ugly if I stop right now,” Eito whispered with a hint of glee.

The idea of Eito stopping was horrible enough to nearly send Takumi into a fit of rage. Demands for Eito to continue were already making its way to the tip of his tongue, threatening to leave his mouth if Eito even paused for a second.

But he knew what Eito was getting at. He wanted to see Takumi at his most desperate, and he’s not going to let Eito have that pleasure.

Gritting his teeth, Takumi reigned in his willpower to prevent himself from begging before twisting his body around. Upon seeing Eito properly, a sense of satisfaction filled his chest once he saw Eito wasn’t any better off. 

Ends of his silver-grey bangs stuck on his forehead, matted from the sweat dripping down his forehead. A vibrant ruddy blush colored his pale cheeks, his face completely feverish. His brows furrowed into an expression that Takumi would dare say was desperate, staring at him like he couldn't take his eyes off.

Goading this entire time, and yet, Takumi could see how Eito was barely holding himself back, practically shaking with need.

Takumi let out an amused huff, a small smirk playing on his lips. An idea suddenly struck him, and with some shifting, he arched his back in an enticing curve, rubbing his ass pointedly against Eito’s crotch. If Takumi was all undressed and Eito wasn’t, he was going to take the opportunity and make Eito regret his words.

Eito sharply inhaled. His attention was redirected to the mind-numbing drag of Takumi grinding on his clothed dick. The cleft of Takumi’s butt rubbed up and down against his hard length through his pants, slow enough that it had his dick throbbing painfully. His teeth bit roughly onto the bottom of his lip as he thrusted up involuntarily, gasping out.

“Takumi…!”

Takumi relished the frustration breaking through Eito’s composure. He paused his movements, making sure to emphasize the stretch of his body. 

“I-If you, augh, don’t let me cum right now,” Takumi glanced over his shoulder with half-lidded eyes, hoping his act was enough to persuade Eito. He couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, his skin turning redder as he uttered coyly, “I won’t let you cum in me.”

Takumi saw the moment Eito’s pupils expanded as he took in all of Takumi posturing himself. His lips trembled, mouth dropping in a wordless noise. Maybe his teasing worked a little too well, because he didn’t get a warning as Eito tugged Takumi back into a tighter embrace, grinding his hips fervently against Takumi.

“Ahhh, Takumi, you pervert! Such a dirty, repulsive pervert!” Eito exhaled, ecstatic.

Takumi moaned, a rush of arousal exploding from his core at Eito’s renewed enthusiasm. He shivered, feeling Eito’s wet tongue swipe on his nape as Eito beared down his weight on him. His hands picked up on the pace with his cock and hole, grinding and stroking Takumi roughly without any sign of stopping.

“Ah, ahh, mngh! Aotsuki, hurts—” Takumi cried. Instead of telling Eito to slow down or pushing him away, he held onto him tighter. The muscles in his abdomen and legs tensed with each wave of pleasure assaulting him from both sides. 

Just the feeling of Eito forgoing on holding himself back has Takumi drinking up all the attention greedily. He wants it all, wants Eito to be just as messy and needy as he is—and even moreso, he wants to feel consumed by him. 

Precum kept leaking out of his cock in small spurts. The stifling press of Eito rutting with the only barrier being Eito’s thin clothes made Takumi delirious. As if he’s being pushed to the edge by the mere thought of Eito fucking into him. Eito’s touches grew relentless, thrusts growing more desperate by the second.

Just as Takumi was about to reach the peak of his climax, his cries turning high and needy, calling out Aotsuki, Eito, Eito—!

Eito clamped down on the crane of Takumi’s neck, hard. His teeth tore through the skin, drawing out beads of blood.

Takumi felt more than he heard himself scream out. Sparks of pain blurred his vision, frying his nerves into pleasure as Takumi came. He barely registered that Eito’s moaning loudly as he thrashed in Eito’s tightened hold, feeling the juncture of his neck and shoulder throbbing in hot, thick pulses.

Panting, he laid limp like a doll cut of its strings, completely out of breath as he melted in the afterglow.

Then it happened out of nowhere.

Takumi slipped into a dream that he doesn’t remember, blinded by a blur of shapes before he emerged into clarity.

Small, delicate hands flipped through pages of a book on his lap, dragging in wonder over pictures that depicted a life that used to exist. His movements tugged along thin, plastic tubes attached to his arm under his patient gown as he read in peace.

A knock resounded from the door. His heart rate spiked on the monitor, and he lifted his head hesitantly.

It was his parents again. They’re checking in on him, doing their best to speak to him in a placid manner, but none of it helped with their ear-splitting voices and rotting sewage odor invading his senses. 

They kept talking to him like there’s something horribly wrong; a botched existence that should be fixed.

It took all of his strength to muster a half-hearted smile instead of jumping out of his hospital bed and strangling their heads off.

His environment changed, flickering like the film of a movie playing as he watched himself grow up, but no matter how much the world changed around him, everyone remained the same. Their bulging eyes were irritating, their noises discordant, their smells putrid. He was the only one that felt normal and insane in this world at the same time. 

Disgust deformed into burning hatred. All of them were suffocating, polluting blights. Vile, nauseating, sickening, disgusting, disgusting, disgusting—!

Truly, they only served to make him feel miserable.

Until he was suddenly a part of a secret mission, and he met him.

After his plan to strike Sirei down was thwarted and he was caught, he sat pondering in the quiet of his cage. His thoughts strayed to a certain human that arrested him; a human that wasn’t like any other. 

Despite his ugliness, he was captivated by those vibrant blue eyes glaring at him with such strong convictions, peeling past layers of lies he carefully laid out. He was someone that wasn’t afraid of ripping his mask off and baring his hatred open, accepting him for who he really was.

For once, he felt seen in a way that nobody had done before.

He cracked a smile. He couldn't help himself giggling like a kid that found a new toy to play with.

How does he know him so well? Was he even human?

Heart fluttering, his mind raced with all sorts of questions, reaching a point where his chest exploded in elation. He doesn’t remember the last time he felt this happy. 

All he wanted to do right now was to get to know him better. To talk to him.

The next morning after Sirei was done interrogating him, he heard footsteps approaching, and his mood instantly uplifted when he saw who it was.

His monstrous form sauntered towards him—still as unsightly as the others—but there was a certain charm that he began to notice. How his small tendrils were tucked in the pockets of his puffy jacket, to the strands on top of his head sticking out in sprouts like a tomato.

Moving closer to the bars where he clung on them, he forced himself to bear the stench, staring down in fascination at the weary human before him.

Ah. His gaze softened, recognizing this newfound emotion blooming amidst his hatred.

“Takumi,” he sighed in delight, “You came all this way to see me? I’m so touched!”

The vision crumbled, and Takumi was brought back to his room.

Takumi gasped out, lightheaded and nauseous. His chest heaved as he slowly registered the pain radiating from his neck. Rolling his head forward as he came down, he felt like a jumble of emotions had collided together.

What the fuck was that?

It felt like he was just in someone else’s mind—no, not just anybody; that extreme hatred and disgust lingering in the back of his mind can only point towards one person.

Takumi tried to recall what he just saw, but the more he tried, the more some foreign sense of emptiness opened up in him, like the world he felt was truly horrendous in the moment. Instead, he forced himself to hang onto the last bits of joy that floated away before his vision ended. 

I should probably try to figure out why that happened, Takumi thought, but he ran out of energy to care or make sense of it. 

First, he tried to ground himself. His legs still felt weak, twitching and laying limp from the high hitting him like a truck. He recognized he was still cushioned on Eito’s lap before he heard loud huffing noises coming from behind him.

Right. He came because Eito bit him before this. 

Takumi groaned. He doesn’t want to think how much he liked that. Even worse, he hoped Eito wouldn't notice it.

Takumi bent around, tilting back to find Eito with his lips glistening in red. He appeared equally disorientated, his eyelids hanging heavy. 

Wait, isn’t that my blood?  Takumi reached to his own neck and winced at the contact, pulling his fingers back to confirm it.

“Shit, you didn’t have to bite that hard,” Takumi hissed. Just as he was about to ask if Eito experienced anything weird, he felt something wet spreading from where his bottom was pressed.

Takumi blinked. He shifted forward in his seat, putting enough space to see the wet patch forming a darkened spot on the area of Eito’s crotch. Takumi short-circuited as he figured what he just did to Eito, staring in amazement. “Did, did you just—”

Then Takumi heard a gagged noise. Dread came over him as he flickered his gaze back on Eito, noticing how pale he was, face contorting in panic. Takumi barely caught the moment Eito's eyes widened as he’s unable to stop his cheeks from puffing out.

Before Takumi could do anything in that split second, Eito lurched forward and vomited all over his back.

“Eito?! What the fuck?!” Takumi screeched.

Hot, warm bile dripped down his rigid spine. The sensation sent shivers across his body, and Takumi let out a miserable whine. Sour, acrid pungence flooded his nose, strong enough to trigger his own gag reflex. Takumi covered his mouth, grimacing as the nausea tightened his throat.

“Urk! Agh—Eito, why did you have to do that now?!” Takumi complained, mustering all his strength to suppress his own urge to vomit. He moved his body to confront Eito properly, glaring up at the other with tears in his eyes.

Eito was somehow even worse off. He continued retching as his stomach contracted, coughing out the last bits of bile. Tears streaked his cheeks as drool and snot dribbled down to his chin. He mumbled out something incomprehensible, face completely red and sweating excessively from the physical exertion.

“T-Takumi, ugh,” Eito stammered. Droplets of saliva trickled down the corners of his mouth as he dry-heaved. He struggled to form sentences, looking at Takumi in a daze of sickness, and the sight instantly struck Takumi as pitiful. 

Seeing Eito this disheveled stirred something restless inside him. In any other situation, he probably would’ve enjoyed helping Eito wipe the puke off his chin while he cleaned him up. If it weren’t for the fact that he also got caught up in the mess. 

Takumi hated it, the pathetic expression on Eito, and his heart for skipping a beat—he hated this entire situation.

Ugh, he's wet and sticky all over. Takumi shuddered, all at once acutely aware of the puke trailing his back, his blood trickling from his neck, and the cum drying on his limp cock and groin. The more he thought about how he got to this point, the more pissed off and tired he felt.

Clenching his jaw, Takumi reached over and bunched his fist on the collar of Eito’s shirt to yank him forward. Eito yelped in surprise as Takumi growled out, though with less bite from humiliation shaking his voice as he demanded. “Help me clean up. Now.”

The scenes replayed in Takumi's head, and with each detail resurfacing, he turned redder in mortification. Takumi pushed Eito back, hands shoved against Eito’s chest as he retorted. “Of course I didn’t forget! And you were the one that started it first!”

He bunched up Eito’s jacket into fists. “Look, I just don't know how to feel about it all. I felt like I saw something I wasn’t supposed to see, and knowing better now with how you viewed us—viewed me in your memories,” Takumi’s grip weakened as his anger quelled, recalling the grotesque appearance he wore in Eito’s memory and feelings of utter disgust. He spoke quieter. “I figured you’d hate me for it.”

He didn’t look up to see what kind of expression Eito had, too scared to anticipate his reaction. 

Just when Takumi thought he could get closer to Eito in this timeline, another unexpected thing happened to cause a rift between them again. He had an idea of how bad Eito's cognitive disorder was, but he never understood it well enough until he experienced it first hand. The thought that he misunderstood such a large margin of disparity left bitterness on his tongue.

A few seconds passed, and Takumi realized belatedly that he was still grabbing onto Eito. He quickly wanted to apologize for that, thinking Eito would hate his contact. Just as Takumi was about to withdraw his hold, he was surprised by Eito snatching his hands back into his gloved ones.

“So you could see it, too… that’s amazing.” Eito muttered in awe. He leaned in closer with an eager look. “Tell me, were you scared that we're able to exchange our memories?”

Takumi’s mouth gaped open. Eito seemed happy?

Takumi was stunned into silence, his mind glitching before he denied the question out of instinct. “What? No! Why would I be?”

“Pfft, you’re very bad at lying, ugly Takumi. You have no reason to be scared. Besides, I quite liked it.” Eito threaded his fingers into Takumi’s, and Takumi sharply inhaled as their hands interlocked intimately together. “It makes me feel closer to you, knowing that you can see what I experienced.”

Takumi almost couldn’t focus on what Eito just said. His heart quickened in trepidation, suddenly extremely shy as his palms burned along with his cheeks. “D-Doesn’t it bother you, though? This is the first time something like this has ever happened, and we don’t know the full extent of what cryptoglobin could do.”

Eito shrugged, nonchalant in his gesture. “It doesn’t bother me. The science of cryptoglobin may be limited, but it has only ever served us in the past. And I’d rather have something like this happen between you and me, instead of the others.” Eito hummed as he played with Takumi’s fingers. “Although, there is something that I'm curious about finding out, and that would require me to taste your blood.”

Takumi was distracted momentarily by Eito’s thumb rubbing on his hands before he raised a brow. “You want to… taste my blood again? And what would you find out through that?”

Eito responded with a mysterious grin. “I’ll tell you if you agree to let me do it.”

Takumi narrowed his eyes. Figures, Eito was being secretive for a reason. Just as Takumi opened his mouth to say he was being unfair again, Eito interrupted him while squeezing his hands together. “It’ll be worth your time. Plus, wasn't there something you wanted to see?”

That stopped Takumi in his tracks. He thought it over.

Takumi recalled the way Eito reacted to seeing him from the cage. He had expected Eito to despise him, to be filled with detestation for sabotaging his plans. And still, all this time, that’s what he assumed. It was natural to expect that, after knowing what Eito did and how he truly felt from his first timeline.

That was the most difficult part. As useless as it was, he wanted Eito to feel differently; he wanted there to be some truth from their previous relationship, even if everything started with a lie.

Even when Takumi tried to move on and fill that gaping spot with others, he found himself subconsciously searching for Eito’s familiar guiding voice. His words of encouragement, which used to bring warmth to his chest, left him desolate in an echo of what could’ve been.

Takumi found it hard to believe Eito felt anything positive for him afterwards, until he saw that memory. His grief desperately clung onto those bits of reciprocation, inevitably weak and starving for it.

After a few moments of deliberating, Takumi eventually let out a sigh, shoulders sagging. “Alright, but are you gonna puke on me again?”

Takumi had to stifle a snort as Eito’s face immediately turned blank. Eito released his hold on Takumi’s hands to cross his arms over his chest, almost petulant. He averted his gaze to the side.

“That was only because I was overwhelmed. Being that close to your odious scent with your memories bombarding me just made me a little nauseous, that’s all.” He retaliated, nose scrunching up in disgust. “It threw me into a loop because of how unexpected it was.”

“Well, when you put it like that, that makes sense.” Takumi figured. He recalled being disorientated afterwards, but after some time had passed, he was lucid enough to recover. He wondered if it was only intense because that was their first contact.

Eito cleared his throat. “We can do it in my room. It's the least I can do for what happened last time, and I have the tools that would make the cleanup easier.”

Takumi blinked, amazed to see Eito being embarrassed enough that he was willing to invite him to his place. Knowing how Eito was with his constant complaints of keeping his space clean, it was usually the other way around. Takumi was still reeling at the turn of events when Eito tugged lightly at Takumi’s sleeve, asking him, “So, how about tonight?”

Flustered, his mind drove back to the warmth in his hands again from when Eito held them. He nodded. “S-Sure.”

A slow, secretive smile played on Eito’s lips, pleased with his answer as he wore a look that Takumi couldn’t pinpoint behind. “Good.”

He really wasn’t sure what he signed up for.

ii.

“Do we really have to do it like this again?”

Takumi stood in front of Eito, who’s sitting relaxed on the side of his bed, head craning up at him. Eito had only his jacket off, while Takumi was already half-naked with a towel wrapped loosely around hips. 

His skin was slightly damp from rinsing at the behest of Eito’s request. Even though he had already prepped himself before arriving at Eito's dorm, Takumi didn’t mind the extra shower; he needed more alone time to prepare himself mentally anyway.

Takumi glimpsed at the slender knife resting by Eito's side with a towel pillowing it, the sheen on the metal under the nightlight setting him on edge.

He knew what they were about to do. He’s not unfamiliar with using an Infuser that required them to literally stab themselves to activate their powers, nor was it their first time being physical together. Yet, seeing a regular knife resting on the bed, untouched and prepared specifically for a different kind of purpose had him tense.

Eito’s reply was smug, lips curling into his signature taunting grin. “Did you think I wasn’t going to notice how you reacted when I bit into you? I wouldn’t have imagined our little team leader to have a masochistic side, but as expected of ugly Takumi, your debase desires knew no limits.”

Takumi’s eye twitched. He gathered himself before Eito could get another rise out of him, releasing an exasperated sigh. “You didn’t have to put it like that. And don’t forget, I can back out on this anytime I want.” Seriously, he really had to find out about his penchant for pain because of Eito? He was questioning himself once again on what he agreed to.

Eito ignored his threat, placing his gloved hands over Takumi’s torso as he playfully remarked, “Don’t be so embarrassed. I think I’m being rather generous, letting you savor the process with me.”

Takumi sucked in a breath, fidgeting as Eito’s hands fit snugly around his waist. Eito barely needed two full hands to hold him, and the image had his mind reeling, drawing up thoughts that Takumi would rather deny than admit outright. 

Goosebumps crawled over his body as he felt the slow glide of cold, rough leather pressing into soft flesh, drawing up towards his bare chest. Eventually, Eito brought a hand to cup Takumi’s cheek, and Takumi suddenly felt self-conscious.

Takumi swallowed. He gently wrapped his fingers around Eito’s wrist, tentatively asking, “Do… Do I still look ugly to you, like how I was in your memories?”

Eito’s passionate and clinical stare behind his glasses pinned Takumi down, studying him like a research subject that he wanted to take apart. A part of Takumi was afraid to fully know how Eito truly viewed him; yet, another part secretly yearned to be the only subject in Eito’s eyes. In all his ugliness, and hopefully—something Takumi dared to think, but could never announce—worthy.

Eito brushed his gloved fingers over the corner of Takumi’s eye, down to the bridge of his nose, then his lips that were still with abated breaths. He mapped out each feature with the attentiveness of a sculptor, committing the details beyond his senses to memory.

“You still do.” Eito replied with the same snark when he judged others for their appearance. “Unfortunately, the blood exchange wasn’t enough to override my visual cognition here. Even the faces of others in your memories were difficult to parse out from their ugliness. Though, for some reason, your reflection was the clearest to me.” 

Eito regarded him thoughtfully, his voice mellowing into something like appraisal. “I remember it. You had a beautiful, dignified face.”

Takumi’s heart lurched up in his chest, skipping a beat. He hadn’t expected that kind of compliment to come out of Eito, much less him being sincere. In an instant, his cheeks turned into a visible blush as he awkwardly stuttered out, “T-thank you. You’re… very handsome to me too.”

A sneer immediately replaced Eito’s face. “I would be flattered, if it weren’t for the fact that you still look very ugly to me right now.”

Well, there goes his attempt at flattery. Takumi felt himself deflate a bit, before he rolled his eyes. Of course, there’s only so many words he could say that would reach Eito. Though, he couldn’t help but preen inwardly over the fact that Eito would compliment his appearance if given the chance.

Emboldened by the praise, Takumi trailed his fingers up to touch the edge of Eito’s gloves, lightly teasing the hem of it. He glanced briefly at Eito for approval. Seeing how Eito didn’t move to stop him, patiently waiting with expectant eyes, Takumi pushed his fingers up into the glove. Their palms met together in a smooth motion as he slowly slid the glove off from Eito, letting it drop to the bed.

Their hands moved together in tandem, each friction kindling Takumi’s core. Wordlessly, Takumi did the same with Eito’s other hand resting on his waist, peeling the last glove. Pleasant tingles burned from the tips of his fingers, spreading to the rest of his body as Takumi maintained eye contact, sinking into the heat brewing gradually behind Eito’s darkened irises.

Takumi held his breath, fingers tracing intimately over Eito’s. Silence suspended in the room as their focus narrowed to just the two of them and the warmth connecting their hands. Eventually, Eito released his hold to wrap his arms around Takumi’s hips, pulling Takumi in to bury himself in Takumi’s chest.

Takumi’s breath hitched, shivering as he let Eito fondle him. Eito’s grip was firm as he brushed his lips over his skin, seemingly content to surround his senses with Takumi, sniffing his scent and peppering his body with ravenous licks. It had Takumi moaning breathily, hands fumbling onto Eito’s shoulders to hold onto as an anchor. 

Breaths turning ragged, Takumi remembered something he wanted to ask, and he forced himself to reel his attention back briefly, softly stroking Eito’s head. “What else did you see?” Takumi asked quietly. “When you digested my blood.”

“... Nothing much. I saw your unimpressive childhood, and someone that was similar to Nozomi, but I’m sure you know who I’m talking about.” Takumi could’ve sworn it was his imagination, but he thought he felt Eito stiffen, his grip tightening by the slightest movement. He couldn’t see Eito’s face to make out what that meant, but just the mention of Nozomi made him quickly shut down that line of questioning.

“Ah—then let's not talk about it anymore.” Takumi coughed, not wanting to tarnish any associations with Nozomi just because he was curious at the wrong time.

Eito’s chuckle was muffled against Takumi’s chest, and Takumi couldn’t help but be captivated when Eito lifted his head up. An impassioned want drew on his face. His half-lidded eyes peered at Takumi in unrestrained arousal, sending a thrill up his spine.

“For once, I agree with you.” Eito murmured, moving his hands to deftly remove the towel in one swift movement, letting it fall loose on the floor and revealing Takumi’s flushed, naked body.

Eito hungrily groped at his plump butt and supple thighs, and Takumi whimpered as each fervent press thrummed his blood with desire. Distracted by the touches, Takumi didn’t notice when Eito hooked an arm behind his knees, causing Takumi to yelp as Eito effortlessly lifted him up. His other hand balanced Takumi’s weight, and Eito easily carried him onto the bed to lay him on his back.

Takumi let out a small noise as he plopped back, before he shifted himself into a more comfortable position, watching Eito follow suit. Eito situated himself between Takumi’s legs before stripping his shirt off, revealing a toned build that Takumi couldn’t help but rake his eyes over.

Gratuitously, he allowed himself to drink in the muscles rippling through Eito’s body as Eito removed his bottoms next, throwing the articles of clothing aside. Takumi's eyes gravitated towards Eito’s dick hardening. Automatically, his mouth watered as his arousal twitched in interest, knowing that Eito was just as affected.

Eito climbed on top, and for a moment, Eito simply examined his body. He glided his hand over the inner meat of Takumi’s thigh, the other resting over his slim waist. The touches were almost observant, curious as they explored further, stroking over his ribs and the slope of Takumi's hips.

Takumi squirmed, barely holding back his noises as each touch lit fire under his skin, unable to handle the tension building up between his legs. “Can you—mmph, stop with the tease?” He ushered. “It’s not like this is the first time you’ve seen me naked.”

Eito looked back at Takumi, then peered down where his hands met Takumi’s body. “Patience is a virtue, Takumi. I was simply retracing from what I remembered from what I saw,” he said contemplatively. “Though, I suppose it's useless to do that now, since you still look the same to me.”

Eito's words made Takumi pause. The way Eito spoke about his perspective was nonchalant enough, but Takumi didn’t realize how much maybe Eito wanted to savor him more than what he could perceive. Thinking about it left a bittersweet impression on him, wondering how close they could’ve been.

His thoughts didn't get very far when Eito promptly advanced on his chest. Takumi gasped out, feeling Eito’s tongue swirling around one of his nipples, playing the sensitive nub between his teeth. Takumi’s back arched from the stimulation, and at the same time, Eito trailed featherlight touches up his sinuous spine, pushing his chest up closer into his mouth, leaving Takumi no space to back away.

Eito clamped his teeth around the areola, roughly biting into skin and leaving a mark behind. Takumi threw his head back in pleasure, thighs clamping around Eito to be closer. Eito took the opportunity to sneak his mouth on the expanse of Takumi's exposed neck, grazing sharp teeth at his jugular; a reminder for Takumi of their last tryst and what was soon about to come.

Takumi whined, pushing his hips and throbbing erection to rub against Eito’s in desperation to bring any relief. His ears were filled with the lewd sounds of Eito sucking hard over his throat, leaving behind wet, mottled bruises. Each swipe of his hot tongue and lips felt searing on his skin, riddling Takumi unsatisfied and itching for more.

It doesn’t help when Eito teased a finger over Takumi’s length, barely touching his dripping tip where Takumi most needed it to be, with Eito rubbing his own hard-on against his inner thigh and smearing his skin with his precum.

Takumi released a breathy moan, mind spinning with the need to have Eito in him. God, he was aching so hard it hurt.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait any longer as Eito pulled back, appearing just as worked up as he grabbed a bottle of lube from the bedside. Watching Eito squeeze a generous amount into his palm, Takumi subconsciously spread his legs wider, letting Eito spill the viscous liquid in large globs down Takumi’s length and over his hole. Takumi hissed out, the cold gel electrifying against his skin as Eito palmed over his taint, teasing the rim.

He plunged a finger into his hole, then another. Eito blinked, noticing his walls giving away with barely any friction as he slid his digits in and out. He pried deeper into the hot heat before he pushed a third finger in, to which Takumi whimpered.

“Tsk. Already that stretched out? I was hoping to make you feel it myself,” Eito bemused, parting Takumi wider. He sounded annoyed, but the excitement in his smirk betrayed his arousal, focusing intensely on the way Takumi sucked in his fingers easily.

Takumi frowned, looking at Eito as if he was crazy. “Agh—shut up, we haven't done it in a while. Did you want me to tear from how big you are?” Takumi trembled as Eito inserted another finger, rolling his hips back in small jerks. “Haah, just hurry up, you bastard.”

“So needy and demanding. Is that any way to talk to a partner?” Eito jeered, thrusting his fingers in rougher until he was sure that his hole was sopping wet. The assault pulled a reedy moan from Takumi's throat. He pawed at Eito's chest, urging him to fuck him already without actually begging for it.

Luckily, his wishes were answered as Eito promptly shoved his fingers back in one last time, ensuring the lube reaches the deepest before withdrawing with a wet squelch.

Takumi gulped, bracing himself as Eito moved to position his cock. His heart thumped fast in anticipation, feeling the tip kiss his hole before Eito pushed in. The first few inches were bearable; the slick lube aiding its insertion as his walls accommodated the size, until it hit a point where the stretch burned.

“Ough…!” Takumi’s thighs quivered, toes curling from the overwhelming sensation. Everytime Eito pulled back, only to push back in deeper, a shudder wrecked through Takumi's frame. He tried to control his breathing, unable to focus on anything else other than the agonizing stretch as Eito’s dick split him open, carving a place deep inside that felt borderline nauseous.

Once Eito finally bottomed out, Takumi drooled, his moans winded as he relished the stretch. He could never get used to Eito’s size; nothing else could make him lose his mind just like the way Eito can reach deep within him.

Eito groaned, his grip bruising as he tried to hold tight onto the bony prominence of Takumi’s hips, brows furrowing in concentration. “So tight…” Eito hissed, savoring the way Takumi wrapped around his dick deliciously in a warm embrace. He rocked briefly, and his eyes directed to the slight bulge peeking from Takumi’s lower abdomen.

Eito pressed a hand on that spot, mercilessly adding more pressure and evoking a choked noise. He glanced up at Takumi, immediately drawn to the teeth gnawing on his plush lips in a weak attempt to stifle his moans, face twisting with wanton lust. The sight made Eito harder and he moaned, grinding against the extra pressure inside Takumi, luring more mewls from his small frame.

Eito shot a wicked grin at Takumi.

“Let’s test this out, then.” Eito said, and he reached over to his side. Takumi took the moment to catch his breath before his chest stuttered as Eito brought the knife into his vision. 

Takumi had almost forgotten what they were here to do. Eito traced the blade over his collarbone before teasing the pointed tip over his hardened nipple. The slow drag left behind goosebumps as he became keenly aware of the cold, sharp sensation threatening the thin barrier of his skin, moments away from piercing his flesh. His body quivered in trepidation. 

He gulped. “Don’t cut me up too much,” Takumi told Eito more than he asked him, voice on edge as he pushed out a last-second plea.

The corners of Eito’s eyes creased as he grinned wider. “No promises.” He angled the knife at an angle, and before Takumi could brace himself, he swiped a clean cut over his chest. Takumi cried out, clenching tightly as the pain came at him in a whiplash.

“Ah!”

Fascination mixed with hunger filled Eito’s face as he took in the blood blooming on the wound, oozing in bright red bubbles. He leaned forward, breathless as he spoke, “You liked that, I could tell.” Eito swept his fingers right below where the cut was, pressing harder to coax out more of the ruby pearls.

Takumi whimpered as the sting intensified, causing his cock to twitch. Hearing Eito knew exactly how much it felt good to him, admiring him like a pinned butterfly that’s ready to be picked apart, had Takumi heating up.

Trembling, he could only lay there as Eito descended and tasted what he was after.

Takumi drifted again.

The two of them were talking again, Takumi and that Nozomi girl.

He was in the middle of reading when he saw them from a distance. What caught his attention was the way Takumi spoke around her. 

He was nervous, more than usual, and he wouldn’t stop fidgeting with his jacket or hands. If he didn’t know any better, Takumi would be talking with a blush dusting across his ugly face from how he was behaving.

Something about that irked him. It's not like he had anything against Nozomi; in fact, she was just another human on the same level as the others.

Yet, why did their interaction bother him so much?

Vexation crawled like bugs under his skin. He didn’t know what to name this feeling, and the more he focused on it, the more it irritated him. The urge to walk over and snatch Takumi’s attention away grew as much as his denial to acknowledge such feelings.

The grip on his book tightened. It wasn’t until Takumi waved Nozomi goodbye and left, that he saw the innocent tenderness in Takumi’s eyes, and realized.

Ah. So he could look at someone like that.

The vision unfurled, leaving behind a vague sense of frustration tangled in Takumi’s chest that he couldn’t make sense of. Instead, he focused on the warm sensation of Eito sucking on his nipple, groaning aloud.

It wasn’t until Eito pulled back that Takumi saw the lines of his features relaxing in pleasure that he wasn’t sure was coming from.

“I was right,” Eito sighed in exhilaration. “Your blood tasted delicious.” 

Takumi frowned, bewildered. “What? It tasted good?” He wondered how good it actually was from the sound of Eito enjoying it. Was this another cryptoglobin thing that he was unaware of?

Eito’s pants came out in a rush as he grinded into him, burrowing his length into the spot that shot pleasure up Takumi’s spine, and Takumi brought the back of his hand to his mouth to muffle another cry. “Yes, it’s unlike anything I ever had. Sweet, rich, and mouth-watering, how could something so ugly taste so good?” 

Eito eyed him up, assessing him like a butcher gauging the next prime piece to carve out. “You’ll let me have more, won’t you?”

Without waiting for any more permission, Eito took what he saw was in reach first and removed the hand from Takumi’s mouth. Takumi yelped, watching helplessly as Eito seized his wrist and extended his arm out, slashing in multiple strides this time.

“Ngh—ahhh, hah, hurts…!” Takumi’s jaw dropped open, moans tumbling out with each cut inflicted, his eyes fluttering both in pain and pleasure. He arched his back as blood traveled in rivulets down his arm. 

Eito’s face flushed with excitement, and in some messed up way that Takumi’s brain perceived, seeing Eito become this insatiable with his own blood sent arousal straight down his pulsing cock.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” Eito huffed to take in more of his scent, and Takumi couldn't help but agree. Eito’s tongue peaked out, licking the line of cherry-red syrup before he hungrily mouthed at the source, throwing Takumi in the depths of subconscious again.

He sat on one side of the bed with Takumi’s form curled up on the other side, the blanket covering his shoulders. 

With Takumi’s back facing towards him, he could see fresh hickeys scattered over Takumi’s nape from where he left them a couple hours ago. He’s already cleaned up and dressed himself, while Takumi didn’t even bother to move from the bed yet.

He simply observed the movements of his chest moving up and down under his covers. The more he fixated on him, the more he noticed how small and frail Takumi was. All that strength of a leader was just a facade. Not to mention his utterly foolish, trusting nature that sickened him to his core.

By now, he could’ve easily walked in and slitted his throat.

Silently, he leaned closer. His gloved hand pressed on the bed from where Takumi faced, quietly pinning him in his spot. He knew Takumi didn’t go to sleep yet, so he asked him, “Hey.”

“Do you think the ‘me’ in your timeline is still the same me of now?”

He watched the way Takumi stiffened, minute actions going unescaped from his notice. He couldn't see what expression Takumi was wearing as he buried himself closer into his pillow. What felt like an eternity passing were only a couple seconds as Takumi finally replied, “I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

“... I see.”

Somehow, that answer curdled a deep kind of frustration in his bones. His hands crumpled into fists against the sheets, barely disguising the bitterness budding in him.

He shouldn’t have expected any more out of Takumi. Stupid Takumi. 

Takumi returned to a sharp cut piercing his senses, muddling his head as his eyelids were barely open in a daze. “E-Eito… ngh!”

Takumi wasn't sure, but each time he dipped into the pool of memories, it was getting harder to make sense of things, leaving him more confused on which is real, and which is his emotions or Eito's.

At some point, Eito wasn’t drinking any more of his blood, simply content with persecuting Takumi in a torrent of pain. Eito giggled, cutting him at other places, sweeping the blade across his inner thigh, hips, waist; even criss-crossing over previous cuts, eliciting sweet cries that he strung out of Takumi like an instrument.

Eito played with the blood over his skin, spreading it like paint all over the both of them as his thrusts quickened. Another laceration split over Takumi’s ribs, and Takumi cried out weakly, body growing taut from the onslaught of sensations. 

Pain and pleasure scrambled Takumi's brain in a mess, having him clench down in unadulterated lust. The scent of metal permeated his noise, ruining his common sense. Shades of cardinal and burgundy coated over his body like ink smeared on paper, his body getting slippery from the amount of blood dripping obscenely onto the bed.

Slowing his thrusts, Eito pushed the blade right up to Takumi’s jugular. With a predatory glint, he asked, “Scared?”

Takumi’s stiffened. Cold, unsettling fear clutched at his body as he froze. It was a near split image; the way Eito regarded him like he was out to murder from back then. The look was chilling enough that he wondered briefly if Eito was reenacting that moment on purpose. 

Takumi denied the possibility and steeled himself, uttering out. “No.”

Eito’s eyes narrowed as he whispered in glee. “Liar.” Instead of pressing the knife deeper into Takumi’s throat, he dragged the blade down to the crane of his neck and shoulder, and sliced.

“Augh!” Takumi’s vision split, the pain lighting his body into pleasure at the same time, stealing his breath. Bright sanguine fluid gushed out like a glaring target to feast on. Eito dropped the knife to the side uncaringly, diving in to guzzle out of his neck.

They were fighting again.

He shoved his forearm against Takumi’s neck, right under his chin to prevent him from getting closer, pinning Takumi to the wall. His other hand gripped Takumi by the cheeks, undeterred by him scratching at his arm and yanking at his silver strands. 

“Shut up, Aotsuki! You wouldn’t know what I had to deal with.” Takumi glared fiercely, teeth bared in a snarl. Anger burned through him as Takumi continued to struggle, despite the difference in overwhelming strength. “Why can’t you just be normal instead of trying to piss me off every second?”

The pathetic display of self-centeredness brought a cold scoff out of him. He stared down with detest dripping from his words. “You think everything is about you, don’t you, Takumi? Do you ever pause to take a look at yourself?”

The hold on Takumi’s jaw tightened, keeping a strong grip so that Takumi was forced to look up at him. He reveled in the mixed helplessness and anger on his face, watching his pupils expand in alarm. He really, really wanted to torment him more.

“If you just stopped to think for a moment, you would’ve known that I’ve always been like this. You complain, and yet, you keep coming back to me.” His smile was cruel as he felt the monstrous need to rip into Takumi’s heart and remain permanently inside his vessel grow bigger.

“You’re always on my mind, Takumi. This time is no different.”

Plaintive moans left Takumi, the memory snaking out of him and leaving him emptier than before.

The feeling somehow hurt more than the physical ache to be filled, and Takumi wasn’t sure why Eito’s touches felt like a soothing balm to it. The void in his chest clawed from the crevices up to his throat, forcing him to cling onto Eito as his anchor, needing him to be closer than ever.

“Ahh, mmph! Ngh, Eito! Ahhh..!” His world was reduced to Eito’s warmth in front of him, centering on Eito thrusting into him with wild abandon. 

Eito picked up the pace, hips pistoning in and out of his well-stretched hole, striking at his prostate and impaling deep in his guts that had his legs shake uncontrollably. Each slam made Takumi feel the force in his throat, pushing out unrestrained wails as he raked his nails on Eito’s back.

His mind frayed with pleasure, thoughts breaking apart. All Takumi could think of was Eito hurting him, Eito making him feel good, Eito penetrating his walls, Eito forcing him to look at him, Eito, Eito, Eito—

Then Eito’s hands shot to Takumi’s neck, and a strangled noise slipped out of Takumi.

Unable to voice his curses at Eito, he instinctively struggled as Eito tightened his hold, choking his windpipe to the point it bruised. Eito’s thrusts didn’t falter for a second, unforgiving and brutal as he robbed the air from his lungs with each thrust. The corners of Takumi’s vision blurred, and all he could see was Eito smiling crazily down at him, his lips and chin wet with vivid red.

“That’s right, Takumi. Look at me, keep looking at me…!” Eito rasped out, delirious.

Eito continued drilling relentlessly into him while pinning his neck down, and Takumi really felt like Eito was trying to murder him. Takumi’s eyes rolled back as he clung frantically onto Eito’s arms, choking on wet spit spilling at the corner of his mouth. Molten pleasure pooled in his groin and climbed to his head. His brain melted like wax out of his ear, close to blacking out.

“Agh, ghk! E-Eiii… to!” His hands weakened as Eito pushed him to the tip. Then he fell, dropping limp to the bed as he blanked out.

Takumi came the hardest he’s ever had. In the exact moment, Eito released his neck, and euphoria swamped him in orgasmic waves. Air sucked back into his lungs, turning his head light as his cock shot in large spurts, bringing him to a high that had him floating. He couldn’t stop coming, body spasming wildly as pleasure reached to his fingertips, body emptied from the inside out. 

Aftershocks rippled through him as Takumi’s eyes fluttered. Dazed, he barely registered his body being rocked against, before Eito’s loud cry reached his ears. Eito stuttered forward, burrowing his face into Takumi’s neck as he pounded one last time, grinding his hips into him. A hot surge of heat filled his numbing core as Eito came, and Takumi whimpered, clamping down weakly and sucking him in further.

Loud pants filled the room as the heat slowly dissipated, leaving behind only the smell of sex and blood. Takumi could barely lift a finger, much less utter a word. The force of the orgasm milked all the strength in his body. Takumi eventually felt himself come down to earth, first aware of the weight of Eito collapsed on his chest, before overcoming with the clarity of what they just did. 

Everything felt too raw. Takumi was suddenly hit with how exposed and naked he felt; more than just being bare, more than the sharp pain radiating from each cut placed on his body.

He’s too sensitive right now. He wanted to—no, needed to crawl away in his bed, retreat in the privacy of somewhere safe. And being this close to Eito was not safe.

“We shouldn’t—” Takumi swallowed, his words coming out in a croak from the soreness around his throat. Tiredly, he tried sneaking his hands under to push against Eito’s chest off him with no avail, limbs completely spent. He huffed out, hoping Eito would understand as he urged, “We shouldn't keep doing this. It’s… too much.”

They’re getting too close to something Takumi’s scared of naming, like they’re crossing a line he didn’t even know existed. Learning about Eito’s feelings was one thing; it’s too much when Eito could pierce through and see past his walls covering some last, hidden part in him.

Wherever they’re going, he doesn’t know what will come out of it.

Eito didn’t reply, keeping himself buried next to Takumi’s head as he regained his breath. Eventually, Eito peeled himself off of Takumi, sitting back with bangs nearly covering his eyes. He was strangely silent, wearing an unreadable expression with a shadow casted over his countenance.

Awkwardly, Takumi stuffed down the hesitation in his voice, about to question when Eito moved to pick up the knife thrown to the side. Eito paused, the blade glistening with all the blood it drew under the light. The cogs in his mind shifted before Eito seemingly decided, and he flicked the hilt to have the tip pointed downwards in his grip.

Seeing Eito holding the blade like that set alarms in his head.

“Takumi is nice and understanding, right?” Eito asked, and Takumi snapped his gaze back, trying to predict his actions. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll forgive me for doing this.”

Forgive him for doing what? Takumi gulped as he tried to back himself away. The sensations in his legs disappeared from earlier, and he was caged under Eito’s frame with him still being inside. He barely has a way out. “Eito,” Takumi said slowly, “you’re being too weird right now, what do you mea—”

Before he could get out another word, Eito stabbed the knife directly into Takumi’s abdomen.

It happened all too quickly.

Takumi’s eyes widened, the wind knocked out of his lungs. He zeroed in on the blade digging into his solar plexus, thoughts lagging as time slowed down. He only started to comprehend being stabbed until he saw blackened blood seeping out, pooling at the point of entrance before tipping over.

Then it hit him. A cold, freezing sensation flooded his veins as if he was plunged into an ice bath, gradually fading into searing, hot pain that concentrated inside his abdomen within mere seconds. Takumi’s mouth dropped open into a silent shout, trembling.

“E-...ito! Wha…!”

Eito couldn’t look away from where the knife impaled his body, possessed by the blood spewing out. His face lit with rabid interest, voice shaking in delight. “I can’t hold myself back anymore. You just taste so good that I have to have more, and,” he held the knife tighter, “this is for your own good, Takumi… You’ll finally understand me.” 

In one powerful motion, Eito dragged the blade down, splitting his abdomen open.

Intense, blistering pain tore through Takumi like lightning. Pain so blinding, it rendered him defenseless.

Takumi wanted to scream, yell at Eito, do anything to make him stop—but there was no pressure left in his stomach to push out his protests. All that escaped was a weak noise in a futile attempt at pleading.

He doesn’t even recognize his own body right now. Staring down at his torso in shock, he grew lightheaded as Eito fingered the opening of his fatty tissues, spreading the layers of his fascia apart. Gore spilled out in an array of exploding mess, his muscles giving away and unfolding to Eito like he was an opened present for him.

Takumi felt himself disconnecting from his own body.

Split open like a pomegranate, his tender and pulsing insides laid bare to his attacker, exposing kaleidoscopes of viscera from the inner depths of its cavity. Dark carmine cascaded into rivuleting scarlets like spilled wine, overflowing down his sides and around Eito’s knees on the bed, defiling everything around them. 

Nothing was left unstained, the red blooming like roses against white sheets, corrupting what was once pure and clean. In the center of it all, Eito was there. He was the artist, and Takumi was his beautiful bloodshed to paint with.

Digging his hands in, Eito explored and fondled his organs in a way that had never been touched before. Loud, squishing noises filled the room as he felt through soft innards, like a curious toddler playing with his food.

Takumi can’t breathe. It hurts, everything hurts. He wanted to take a deep breath to calm down, expand his chest that felt too tight, but he couldn’t stop himself from hyperventilating.

Eito laughed breathlessly at the strength bleeding out of Takumi, while all Takumi could do was hope to be put out of his misery. His fingers continued squeezing around for something before Eito found what he was looking for, and he brought the coiled tissue up. A rope of pale pink flesh hung from his hand, and Takumi’s head spun at the likelihood that he was holding one of his intestines.

Eito marveled at the hanging meat like it was another delectable piece. “Your insides are just as ugly on the outside, but that’s okay,” Eito pants out feverishly, his gaze directed at Takumi and his flesh while drooling. “I’ll savor every bit of you the same.”

Takumi watched in disbelief as Eito brought the entrails closer to his mouth. Without hesitation, his teeth sunk into the glistening meat, biting into it voraciously like a forbidden fruit. Sanguine liquid drizzled out in fresh juices at the corner of his lips.

A stray droplet fell from his chin to the bed. The droplet bled into the sheets, leaving behind a blotted spot, and Takumi’s world spun.

He found himself in a chamber of darkness, standing in the middle of an ocean of blood.

Crimson waves as deep as the cavernous bowels swayed against him, submerging up to his knees. Looking down, the surface was clear like glass as it reflected back his image. He recognized himself in the familiar black uniform of his class armor, the white fire burning radiantly at his chest.

Except, something wasn’t quite right.

He squinted. Instead of soft blue irises hiding behind a frame of glasses, ultramarine blue eyes stared back, a stark contrast against the red waters. And what should’ve been silver hair framing a sharp face was replaced with scarlet locks and streaks of black in the middle of his bangs, the shade of his hair almost blending into the sea.

Lucidity hit him in a passing thought.

This wasn’t Eito’s memory. Why was he seeing things from his own perspective, and not Eito’s right now?

Loud splashes echoed behind him, disrupting his moment of peace, dispersing his mirage in chaotic ripples. Takumi quickly spun around, and his heart sank once he saw who it was that was lying lifeless, half-drowning in the sea, her white hair and combat armor sticking out conspicuously amidst all the red.

“Kirifuji!” Takumi shouted. Panic seized his body as he lost all control, running towards her without a second thought. He fell to his knees, hands trembling as he pulled her limp body into his arms. Her breathing was faint, and he could barely feel her pulse.

It felt like he was sent back in time. He couldn’t stop shaking, trying to rub the blood off her ashened complexion, but it only left behind blemishes that couldn’t get washed away.

Dread consumed him as he struggled to breathe. He tried searching for a way to close the wound from where she was impaled. Even then, he couldn’t tell the difference between her blood and the rest around them.

Takumi’s mind raced. No. No, this can’t be. She can’t die—not now! 

Why did this have to happen again?!

Nozomi coughed in his arms as more blood sputtered from her lips. Opening her eyes wearily, her face twisted in pain as she peered up at Takumi. Despite the life draining out of her, she still managed to offer him a smile. “Sumino…”

“It’s okay, it’ll be okay. Stay with me, Kirifuji.” Takumi told her, though the way he spoke sounded like it was meant to reassure himself rather than towards her. He held her closer, hoping to give her the remaining heat she lost as he yelled, “I said I would save you, I promised!” 

“Promised?” Nozomi whispered quietly, as if she remembered something. Then, she spoke in a peculiar tone. “Then, why couldn’t you have saved me?”

“... Huh?”

Takumi’s heart stopped. The words he had least expected to come out of Nozomi snuck up on him like a phantom and stabbed him in the chest. He stared down in disbelief, desperately trying to make sense if she meant it, but her eerie, serene expression merely made the pit in his stomach worsen, swallowing him up.

Bit by bit, the light in her eyes disappeared as she asked again, “Why, Takumi?”

Another splash resounded to his left. Takumi’s attention snapped in the direction it came from, but the moment he saw it, he wished he had just turned away instead. 

Someone he knew—another one of their classmates floated up to the surface, limp and lifeless. And then he started noticing more, making out the shadows in his periphery and recognizing their figures. More bodies of his classmates popped up around him, one by one; all of them drowning in blood. 

Takumi’s vision shook. He couldn’t breathe. His chest tightened in helplessness as fear ensnared him, trapping him in place.

This wasn’t what he wanted. Not like this. No, no, no no—

Don’t leave me alone!

“That’s right, Takumi.”

Eito’s smooth and clear voice reverberated in his head, cutting through his jumbled thoughts like a brief repose. Arms descended from behind, wrapping around his neck in a hug that Takumi subconsciously clung onto as his anchor in this storm.

“You’ve always been selfish.” Eito spoke as Takumi stilled, feeling familiar gloved hands trailing over his jaw with faux gentleness that he wasn’t sure was deserved or not. “Always telling yourself that everything was for others, when you just can’t be by yourself. See?”

Takumi looked down to where Eito guided him, and he froze in horror. Instead of Nozomi’s dead eyes staring back at him, he was met with Eito’s bleeding form in his arms—but it wasn’t just any Eito. 

It was the Eito in his past timeline, the one that haunted his dreams. The Eito that held too much hatred, driving him to a place Takumi couldn’t reach again, reminding him of all his regrets.

Eito’s laugh was hollow, resentment pouring out of his voice.

“You couldn’t even save me.”

Takumi’s awareness woke to the sound of himself gasping out. He blinked rapidly, staring at the ceiling of Eito’s room.

Right, he’s still here. He’s still here, not in the first timeline where everyone is—and Eito. Eito’s right there, here with him, and he’s digging his hands into his guts and hurting him and guiding him again and—

Amidst the intense pain radiating from his abdomen, desolation filled him and choked Takumi up. He didn’t know where it came from. It felt like the source had buried itself in the back of his mind, leaving behind faint wisps of knowledge that slipped through his fingers, leaving him to sink in this foreboding loneliness.

Takumi trembled, and this time, it wasn’t because he was getting cold. He was a small and trapped animal, suddenly aware of how frail he was.

Vaguely, Takumi registered Eito licking a trail of saliva from his pulsating organs up to his chest, before he caressed his tongue over Takumi’s jugular. He licked him tenderly, pressing a warm kiss right under Takumi’s chin, the action affectionate as how a mother cat would tend to her frail kitten. 

Eito ghosted his lips right where the artery in his neck is, feeling out the faint and thready pulse before he moved next to his ear. His voice was heavy with promise as he cooed, “You’re doing good, Takumi. Let me in.”

Takumi shivered, mind bending to his words. When Eito pulled back to admire him, Takumi saw the bottom half of his face completely soaked in vibrant blood. Even his glasses were stained, and the ends of his hair dried up in maroon crusts.

Even when bathed with carnage, Takumi found himself drawn to Eito, unable to look away like a moth to a flame.

With his forearm completely coated in red, Eito licked the back of his drenched hand like an animal grooming itself, collecting the rich fluid on his tongue before ingesting it.

Takumi closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he and Eito were huddled together in a bathtub, facing each other. 

Under the dim light, melancholic luminescence covered them in washed out colors of deep blue. The entire room was engulfed in azure, reflecting off the bathroom walls that closed in on them like hidden spectators. It was deathly silent, save for the water dripping from the faucet in soothing taps, some spilling over the tub and onto ceramic tiles.

Their legs slotted in between each other, barely leaving space to move in the small tub. Eito’s frame was bigger, practically caging him in their entwined limbs, but Takumi found the proximity comfortable. As if he was enclosed in a protective shelter of heat against cooling water.

Takumi languidly tracked the water sloshing against them, noting how their knees were pressed intimately together. Drifting away with the splashes, he felt the distant pain and anxiety melting away into still calmness.

Then Eito shifted. His hand emerged from the water, breaking apart the surface to stroke his fingers over Takumi’s knee, beckoning him.

Takumi’s attention directed to the touch, before he glanced up.

His breath was taken away.

Eito wasn’t wearing his glasses, face bare as wet dews subdued his features. The luster of his skin glistened. Tips of his hair hung low with droplets weighing it down, loosening his perfect appearance. With how close they were, Takumi could count each long lashes brushing against delicate cheeks, shining from being damp. Eventually, Eito looked up, capturing Takumi with eyes that reflected the moon, lonely and wistful.

Takumi felt himself drowning in those depths. His heart clenched, terrified and mesmerized at the same time.

He looked beautiful.

Harrowed by the thought, he realized it was the first time Eito appeared this vulnerable in front of him. 

Was there always this side to him that Takumi had dismissed?

Even moreso, has he ever, at least once, properly looked at Eito before?

As if Eito saw something he wanted to see from Takumi, he cracked a satisfied smile. Wading through the waters, he reached over to grab Takumi’s hands, raising them to the surface. He brought his hands to his face.

Takumi’s eyes widened as Eito nuzzled into his palms. The sight caused something suppressed deep inside Takumi to burst into a bubble, overflowing him with waves of sorrow.

His arms were limp, moving along where Eito directed him. Takumi traced the yearning in Eito’s expression with his fingertips, entranced as he etched each detail to memory. Hot breaths exhaled against his palms, before he felt Eito’s lips press longingly into his hand. Each touch that Eito guided him, the ache in Takumi’s chest swelled.

Then, Eito brought his wrists towards his neck, where Takumi’s fingers found purchase.

Eito slid his hands over Takumi's, making him wrap snugly around Eito’s throat, pressing into them. He kept on pressing harder and harder, until horror dawned on Takumi that Eito wouldn’t stop. His hands squeezed tightly around Eito’s windpipe against his will.

Pain flickered across Eito’s face, twinged in bitterness as he spoke ruefully, “How hateful and despicable of you, to kill me in cold blood.”

Takumi’s breath stopped. Ice poured down Takumi’s veins as he stared, unable to say anything.

His grip grew more brutal, practically strangling Eito. He couldn’t wrench his hands away, unable to move his body like a puppet being controlled, no matter how much he screamed in his head. Takumi’s mouth dropped open, trying to tell him to stop, to say that this isn’t what he asked for, that he didn’t want this!

He didn’t want this to happen!

Eito’s smile was pained, anguish distorting his features as blood suddenly gushed from his mouth, alongside short, guttural gasps. With each second passing by, he turned sickly blue. Takumi watched in distress as more blood started trickling out of Eito’s eyes and nose, streaming down his cheeks and into the hands choking Eito.

Each second passed by with his life draining out of him. Sadness poured down on Takumi from Eito’s eyes as he sputtered in a strained voice, “Did you… enjoy leaving me for dead?”

Takumi was devastated.

Red doused their surrounding blue in a violence that Takumi didn’t wish for. He kept on drawing more blood out of Eito. Bleeding onto his hands, in the bathtub, in the water, on the floor, on the tiled walls. His blood was everywhere.

Bleeding and bleeding and bleeding and bleeding until—

All he saw was red.

Takumi blinked again. His sight returned to his disemboweled guts, except everything was blurred. He didn’t realize he was crying until tears spilled uncontrollably down his cheeks and ugly gasps wrung out his throat. Lips trembling, he whimpered,

“I’m sorry.”

Takumi couldn’t see past his tears, but he thought he felt Eito stop moving. Despite his hands running cold, the power draining from his arms, he tried to reach out to Eito like a child seeking reassurance from his repentance. Hoarse wails heaved out of his stuttering chest, sobbing as much as his lungs allowed him to.

“I—augh, I’m—I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I had no choice…!” Takumi kept on blubbering in apologies, miserable and full of remorse. He couldn’t say all the things he wanted to as his throat constricted with grief.

His heart was ripped open, the poor beating organ laying helpless under Eito’s hand, bleeding out for forgiveness.

Takumi couldn’t stop sobbing until Eito finally grabbed him. Even when drenched in blood, the warmth in Eito’s hold contrasting his cold hand was a soothing balm to his anxiety.

Eito brought his knuckles to a gentle kiss. His look was dark with knowing, lips thinning into a sickly sweet smile.

“I know.”

Some strange sense of relief washed over Takumi as Eito placated the ache with each caress of his lips. Eito’s eyes were closed, appreciating the cold fingers brushing against his cheeks, reminiscent of a distant memory until he reached the ring finger. Takumi watched as Eito brought the digit into his mouth, digging his teeth on the fleshy part.

The pain crossed into pleasure as Eito bit down, and more blood leaked out.

Takumi was running. 

He didn’t know where. Abandoned buildings and trees as tall as the night sky towered over the forest, casting formless shadows from his periphery. Running into an unknown area frightened him, but he pushed on.

Somehow, his gut was telling him that he was going in the right direction.

The cold air bit against his face as he stumbled onto a small trail leading deeper into the forest. Takumi huffed, walking between the bushes as he steadily stepped over the roots and rocks to avoid tripping. Reaching towards the end of the path, his view opened up to a full moon glowing with a tinge of blue hue, lighting up the clear plain field that ran expansively.

In the middle of it was a boy as small as he was, standing and admiring the moon. His grey, short strands fluttered like wings as the wind blew gently.

Upon hearing a rustle, the boy whipped around, and Takumi met Eito’s face. Even when they were both young, and Takumi was around the same age as him, Takumi still found him to be cute and handsome.

Eito seemed surprised. “You found me.”

“Of course I did. You know how good I am at finding people.” Takumi pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. “And you shouldn’t disappear off by yourself like that, it makes me worried.”

Eito chuckled nervously, appearing apologetic but not sounding so. “I couldn’t help myself. The moon looked beautiful tonight, so I had to go see it outside.” He said, glancing back at the ghostly-silver orb. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they both admired the bright planet hanging in the navy sky.

Eventually, Eito turned back to him. Apprehension appeared out of the blue on his face as fear flickered in his eyes, as if he’s afraid to ask. “You’re so reliable, Takumi. You wouldn’t leave me again, right?”

Takumi paused. He didn’t know where Eito’s question came from, but he knew it was important. Takumi straightened himself, taking a deep breath before he answered in a genuine voice. “I wouldn’t.”

Eito hesitated, trying to read Takumi's expression. After some time, the worry in his lines dissipated as Eito grinned, the tension rolling off his shoulders. He extended a hand to Takumi.

“Then…”

Takumi couldn’t hear the rest. Eito’s words were carried by the gust of wind blowing between them, but it didn’t matter. He stepped forward into the moonlight towards Eito.

“Takumi.”

He walked closer, captivated by the soft, ethereal cobalt light illuminating Eito, making him glow in Takumi’s vision. The backdrop of the moon welcomed them on the bright stage, witnessing their union on the empty blue field.

He looked so happy and free, Takumi thought. He wanted to protect that smile. 

He wanted to be right by his side all along.

“Takumi.”

They were almost in reach. Only a couple steps more.

Takumi reached out to Eito, his arm outstretched.

Silhouettes collided into each other. Their souls in the shape of their palms overlapped, identical to one another. Fingertips about to touch, grazing over each others’ skin with the whisper of a promise—

“Takumi.”

Eito’s face emerged in his view.

Disoriented, Takumi’s thoughts were foggy as he met Eito with unfocused eyes. The amber dim light behind Eito's head shone in a ring of halo as Eito hovered over him. 

Fondness softened Eito’s piercing gaze while he peered down at Takumi like he was something precious. Even when his face was a mess of ichor, painting down to his neck and chest, he appeared like an angel to Takumi.

Loose droplets of blood fell down from Eito’s chin to Takumi’s cheek, some falling to his own lips.

Eito immediately glanced down at the red spots on Takumi’s lips. He looked back up, making eye contact with Takumi, before smiling. He descended, and their lips met into a kiss.

Eito’s lips were a warm embrace to Takumi. Everything was colder, his head floating as he melted into the kiss that cradled him from all his worries. He could barely feel his own face, wanting to kiss back as much as possible, but he was too weak. Luckily, Eito didn’t seem to mind, because he continued pressing his lips into him as his bloodied hand intertwined with Takumi’s cold ones.

Their hands and lips interlocked, and it felt like nothing else mattered. Takumi clung onto Eito’s warmth, never wanting to leave. Enveloped in Eito’s essence, he couldn’t tell where he ended and Eito began. 

They were as one. Just him, and him, together. Warmth turned to coldness, vibrant blue irises turned to powder blue, skin turned to flesh, hate turned to love, instinct turned to desire.

He’s never felt so whole before.

When Eito pulled back, Takumi wanted to express his reluctance, but he was getting too tired. As if Eito knew how Takumi felt without saying anything, he chuckled and circled his thumb over Takumi’s hand in reassurance. 

Eito’s mouth was moving, and he’s telling him something that Takumi couldn’t hear, his voice muffled by the cotton stuffed in his ears. Spots of black mottled the edges of his vision, and he struggled to keep his eyelids open.

Yet, it didn’t matter. Takumi used the last bits of his strength to smile weakly back at Eito.

Whatever Eito asked, Takumi was glad he could respond with the few seconds he had. Eito’s eyes sparkled with joy as his cheeks spread into a smile that was infectious, overflowing with delight like a child that got what he wished for. Just as Takumi’s consciousness faded away, plummeting into darkness, he felt Eito leaning over to give one last kiss on his forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Takumi.”

iii.

Afternoon came when Takumi awoke from his deep sleep.

Unexpectedly, he felt more refreshed than usual. Takumi sat up, recognizing that he was still in Eito’s room. The sheets were a pure white that he was used to seeing on Eito’s bed, the evidence completely erased from yesterday. He wore his usual sweater and pants that he left the night before, and there wasn’t a single trace of pain or discomfort left on his body.

It was as if nothing happened at all, but he knew that was wrong. He still remembered how Eito pressed the knife into him. How he’d crawl under his skin and nestled deep inside him.

The thought didn’t bother him as much as Takumi found solace in it.

Takumi sat there for a couple minutes more, simply relaxing in Eito’s bed as his mind was blank and quiet for once. Time passed by in a lull. It wasn't until his stomach let out an audible rumble that he decided to start his day.

He doesn’t remember much of getting up after that. After he left Eito’s place, he made sure nobody was around the vicinity before making a beeline towards the cafeteria.

On the way through the school corridors, he passed by Hiruko. They both exchanged pleasantries, and Takumi made a half-hearted attempt at his explanation for waking up late when she questioned him. Just as he was about to resume his walk, Hiruko paused him.

“You seem… different today.” She observed with sharp eyes.

“Really?” Takumi blinked, unsure of what Hiruko meant by that. He avoided her stare and glanced to the side, hoping he doesn’t have to explain what happened recently as he replied, “Probably just ‘cause I had a lot of rest.”

Hiruko opened her mouth to say something but then stopped herself, as if she switched her mind. She shook her head before turning away. “I suppose that’s a good thing. As long as you’re focused on your role as a leader, then there’s nothing left for me to say.”

Hiruko walked off, leaving Takumi to stand alone in the hallway. He rubbed his neck, knowing that it was just Hiruko marching to her own pace in the conversation, but he didn’t take much time on mulling over her comment as he turned back to the cafeteria.

Even though it was later in the day, he felt someone else was already in there. Takumi had an inkling of who it was, and his thoughts were answered as he opened the doors. 

He was greeted with the sight of Eito sitting at the furthest end of the empty table. Eito held a book between his hands, presumably for him to read and pass time while he waited, and a tray of food laid untouched in front of him. When Eito lifted his head, his face brightened as he waved over.

“Ah, Takumi! Come here, I made you something.”

Takumi blinked, not expecting Eito to give him anything, but he wasn’t going to complain. He walked over to the opposite side of where Eito sat. Upon closer look, there was a plate of sandwiches, along with a cup of cafe au lait steaming by the side.

“This is…?”

Eito regarded him expectantly. “Your breakfast, or should I say late lunch? I figured you just woke up, so you needed to replenish yourself.” He said, before trailing his attention where Takumi stared at the cup of coffee. Takumi could’ve sworn Eito looked proud of himself as he explained, “I knew what you liked to drink, so I had that prepared, too.”

Right, of course Eito would’ve known. Takumi sighed. “And you knew I would come at this time, or was that just a coincidence?”

“I had a feeling, that’s all.” Eito replied mysteriously.

Takumi didn’t know what to make of that, but he found that he didn’t care as much to know why. He settled into his seat, opting to try the drink first. The heat of the coffee slid down his throat as he took a sip, warming him up from the inside and leaving him content, feeling like all his worries disappeared in the world for once.

For a moment, Takumi didn’t pick at his food yet. He simply focused on Eito reading his book, taking in his appearance, as if some part of him was now continuously drawn towards Eito. An unconscious need to be closer than this meagre distance, closer than the barriers of their clothes and skins.

Like clockwork, Eito figured out that Takumi was staring, so he lifted his gaze and made contact. His lips stretched into a smile that set Takumi’s nerves alight.

He was sucked into Eito’s eyes again, but instead of being afraid, he found himself wanting to fall into those deep blue pools, knowing he’ll never be out of reach from him again.

Takumi felt hungry all of a sudden. Instead of taking a bite of his sandwich, Takumi leaned forward to grasp Eito’s collar, pulling him closer. 

Unfazed, Eito let him as Takumi smashed his lips over Eito’s. Their mouths immediately parted open, tongue swiping against tongue in an exchange of saliva and teeth as Takumi deepened the kiss. They savored each other’s taste, lapping hungrily as if neither could get enough.

Yes, this felt right. Why did it take him this long to realize?

Takumi tugged the bottom of Eito’s lips with his teeth, and bit hard.

Both of them groaned as skin split apart. Sweet, tangy metallic blood flooded their tastebuds, and Takumi sighed in bliss as he felt whole again.

Together, forever.