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Yugamu was vibrating with excitement as he knocked on Takumi’s door. They had agreed to meet up in Takumi’s room after they returned from hunting. This experiment of his had been on his mind for the past few days.
And he wanted to carry it out.
Ever since he watched Nozomi drink Eva’s blood, he had wanted to partake himself. The scene would play in his mind, making his desire for it grow. Seeing how Nozomi and Eva acted towards each other afterwards was intriguing. The two had shared memories and through the act, had created a mother-daughter bond between themselves. Until that moment, the two had been enemies. If the simple act of drinking blood changed them to this extent, he wondered what effect it would have if he were to drink the blood of a member of the SDU.
And that member was their leader.
Takemaru and the twins were an absolute no. Nozomi was spending all her time with Eva. Yugamu didn’t feel right about taking cryptoglobin from Nozomi when she had very little to begin with. Tsubasa would flat-out reject it, and while she wouldn’t refuse right off the bat, Kyoshika would ultimately pass on the opportunity as well. And he hasn’t seen Darumi in a while either. That just left Takumi. If he were being honest, he didn’t consider anybody else. Takumi was the first person to pop into his head. He was his partner and closest confidant, after all. When he first started hanging around Takumi, he didn’t think much of him. Just another dull boy. That was until he saw the killing potential. So he decided to cultivate that potential. Over time, however, he grew affectionate towards Takumi Sumino, and his interest in Eito’s characteristics had waned. He would agree with what Takumi said about him being his closest friend since this whole killing game nonsense started. He felt the same way about him, just on a much deeper level. It would be nice if Takumi also felt the same level of affection Yugamu felt towards him, but ultimately he was glad Takumi still wanted to stay by his side after finding out why he started talking to him. He was the only person Yugamu wanted to do this with. So he was over the moon when Takumi had given him a long, dramatic sigh and agreed when he proposed the idea. He was a little surprised he had agreed with little pushback, but he wasn’t complaining.
That was why he was now standing in front of Takumi’s door with his small medical kit, waiting to be let in. Takumi had requested it to be done in his room because he felt more comfortable doing it in his own bed. Yugamu didn’t care where they did it, so long as they were able to, and Takumi felt comfortable enough to do so.
He could hear shuffling from on the other side of the door and after a moment, the door swung open and Takumi came into view. “Sumino-kun!” Yugamu said brightly, bouncing on his toes.
“You are way too excited about this,” Takumi sighed, moving aside to let him in.
Yugamu stepped into Takumi’s room, the fluttering in his stomach increasing as he heard the door close behind him. He had been anticipating this moment ever since he said yes and he could barely contain himself any longer. “Why wouldn’t I be excited about this?” Yugamu hugged himself as a line of drool escaped the corner of his mouth. “I get to drink the blood of a cute boy! Who can say that?”
“I thought you wanted to experiment seeing memories through our blood?”
“That’s part of it, yes,” Yugamu said. “But I’ve always wanted to drink someone’s blood, yours especially!" A shiver ran up his spine as Takumi wrinkled his nose and leaned away. Please look at me in that way more. “Although,” Yugamu mused, moving closer to Takumi. He clasped his hands behind his back as he leaned forwards, invading Takumi’s personal space even more. “I am surprised you agreed to this. I wonder why,” He let out a dramatic gasp after, slapping his hands against his cheeks. “Could it be that you also want to take a peek inside me too? To see my most intimate parts? Oh, I’m feeling so shy!”
“Stop making this sound so weird!” Yugamu wanted to point out that what they were about to do was already considered weird by “normal” standards but he decided against it, choosing to let Takumi continue, lest his partner change his mind about the whole affair. “I-I’m just curious, that’s all.” Takumi scratched the side of his face.
“Curious to see me bare with all my layers off? Oh Sumino-kun, how naughty!” Yugamu couldn’t help but drool at the thought. As he started taking off his haori, he let his excitement bleed into what he said next. “I’ll let you satisfy your curiosity right now!”
“Keep your clothes on!” Takumi shouted, pulling Yugamu’s haori back over his shoulders. Yugamu watched as his cheeks turned a pretty shade of red. He just wanted to sink his teeth in and suck all the blood out. “We’re not doing this naked!”
“How disappointing,” Yugamu said, pouting. “Maybe next time.”
“Who said there’ll be a next time?”
“Who said there won’t be a next time?”
They both stared at each other, Takumi flustered and Yugamu smiling. Riling him up never failed to amuse him.
Takumi was the first to break eye contact, stepping away from Yugamu and moving towards his bed, pulling off his jacket as he did so. He threw it onto the desk as he sat down, leaning against the wall. “Let’s just get this over with it,” he sighed.
“Oh for the love of murder,” Yugamu rolled his eyes as he moved over to the bed and sat down. “Would it kill you to show a little enthusiasm?”
“Excuse me for not being enthusiastic about getting my neck sliced open.” Takumi crossed his arms over his chest.
Opening his kit, Yugamu eyed the contents. Gauze, antiseptic, and a scalpel. “It won’t be so bad,” He pulled out the scalpel, inspecting it as he continued speaking to his partner. “I’ll only make a shallow cut, just like the one I did on our little prisoner. You won’t need stitches or anything of the like.”
He heard the sound of clothes rustling and he looked up to see Takumi rubbing his hands up and down his legs. His eyes were darting all over the room, never lingering on one spot for longer than a few seconds. “Nervous?” he asked, watching Takumi jump.
“O-Of course I am!” There was a slight stutter to his voice. “You’re cutting into my neck.”
“It is quite daunting if you’re not familiar with it,” Yugamu responded, twirling the scalpel between his fingers.
Takumi's eyes went to the scalpel. “I don’t think anybody should be familiar with it.” he said.
“Luckily for you I am,” Yugamu said, chuckling as he inspected the scalpel once more. He chose one of his best blades for the occasion. Takumi deserved the best of his medical instruments. “If you have any pressing questions, I’m an open book.” He looked back at Takumi only to see him staring at him with furrowed brows and a frown. Ah…
He took a silent breath in and out through his nose. Normally, he didn’t mind being looked at especially if it was in an embarrassing situation. It gave him a little bit of excitement when people stared at him with thinly veiled disgust and shock. This kind of look Takumi was giving him…did not give him any kind of excitement. His skin prickled and not in a way he liked. He did not like this way of being stared at. With pity. He could see it in Takumi’s eyes, the way they shone in concern. “Staring like that is quite rude, Sumino-kun,” he kept his voice light to hide how much this was bothering him.
“Omokage…”
Yugamu looked down, unable to bear the staring any longer. Stop looking at me like that. As a distraction he got on his knees, shuffling closer until he was straddling Takumi. He heard a panicked “Hey!” and felt Takumi’s hands on his shoulders, trying to push him back.
“It’d be easier if I sat in your lap while I do this,” Yugamu said, a sly grin spreading across his face. Takumi’s eyes were wide and a blush was slowly spreading across his cheeks. His mouth was moving but no sound was coming out. Good, his expression changed. Yugamu laughed, burrowing the self-consciousness he felt behind a smile. He tilted his head to the side, inspecting Takumi’s reaction. Takumi had no way of hiding the slightest change in his face or body. Oh, how he imagined being in this kind of position with Takumi. Being so close they could feel each other’s heart beating in their chests. See and feel the slightest movement from the other. He wondered what he would say if he found out just how much Yugamu fantasized about being this close to him. Well, considering what they were about to do, Takumi could very well see all the fantasies he had about him. The thought made him pause. If this little blood drinking session played out just like Nozomi’s and Eva’s, they’d be exchanging memories. Takumi would be able to see his own. It was a possibility. All his childhood memories would be dredged up and potentially shared with Takumi. Old, faded scars started to itch, and he resisted the urge to scratch at them. His chest tightened as he thought of Takumi seeing the memories he kept hidden. He was used to feeling uncomfortable. He can handle it. His desire for getting to peel back Takumi’s layers trumped his apprehension. What things would he see inside Takumi’s mind? What was his day-to-day life like? What did he do for fun in the TRC? What were his deepest, darkest secrets? What kind of fantasies excited him? Would he like to be tied up, whipped, touched until he couldn’t stand it anymore? Drool ran down the side of his lips at the ideas bouncing around in his head.
“C-Can we just get on with it?” Takumi’s voice interrupted his depraved thoughts.
Yugamu hugged himself as he felt himself flush. “Oh, Sumino-kun,” he moaned. “We can’t just rush our first time. We have to go slow, savour it while it’s happening.”
“No, we don’t,” came the response. “The quicker we do this, the quicker we get this over with.”
“Booo,” Yugamu picked up the scalpel and brought it to Takumi’s throat. “Have it your way,” He felt him tense underneath his touch. The pulse in his neck quickened under his fingertips. With how close their bodies were, Yugamu could feel the slight tremor that went through Takumi’s body. “You can still back out if you want,” he said, softly.
“No, it’s fine.” It was just like Takumi to push on ahead despite the fear he obviously felt.
“You sure?” Yugamu asked, leaning in further so his lips were right by Takumi’s ear. “I could easily slit your throat. I am an assassin after all. No one in their right mind would trust me.”
“I trust you.” Yugamu’s hands froze upon hearing those three little words. “You’ve stuck by me this entire time and despite your intentions when you first started speaking to me…I still trust you.” Ah, you are way too trusting still. After everything that happened with Takemaru and the others, Takumi still had a big heart.
“You’re a strange guy Sumino-kun,” he whispered.
“I guess I’m not in my right mind,” Takumi responded.
At this Yugamu laughed again. “Certainly not. You’re a maniac.”
He heard a small chuckle from Takumi. It was like music to his ears. “Takes one to know one, doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” Yugamu let a shuddering breath leave his lips. “All this foreplay is getting me even more excited.” He reached out, taking the strings of Takumi’s hoodie into his hand. “You know,” he purred, playing with the strings of Takumi’s hoodie, using them to tickle the underside of his chin. “I really do think this would be even better if we were naked-”
A flick to his forehead had Yugamu grunting in pain and rubbing the spot of the impact. “Rude.”
Takumi laughed, pulling the strings of his hoodie out of Yugamu’s hand. “Keep dreaming, Omokage.”
Yugamu adjusted himself in Takumi’s lap, smiling. Oh, how he loved their banter. “You know I will. You’re always in my dreams.” He winked. The way Takumi’s cheeks flushed made his stomach flutter. His leader was just too cute. “As you say, let’s get on with it,” He brought the blade back to his neck, pressing the point of it to his skin, hard enough for Takumi to feel the pressure but not hard enough for it to break skin.
Both of their breaths hitched. For Takumi, it was in anticipation of pain Yugamu guessed. For himself, it was excitement and curiosity in what was about to come. He pressed the scalpel deeper, letting the blade finally break the skin and drew it downwards in a diagonal line. Takumi cried out, tensing and grabbing Yugamu’s clothes.
Blood bubbled to the surface, trickling out of the thin cut, staining the edge of the blade red. Yugamu watched, hungrily, as a trail of blood ran down the side of Takumi’s neck. Leaning forwards, he pressed his tongue against Takumi’s neck and licked the trail of blood from his collarbone up to where the cut was. The familiar iron taste of blood invaded Yugamu’s mouth, and he moaned. Takumi’s blood tasted better than he could have ever imagined. He pulled away a little and mumbled, “Sumino-kun…” before surging forwards to suck on Takumi’s cut.
Memories not belonging to him flooded his mind. In many of these childhood memories, there was a girl who looked just like Nozomi. Karua, the young Takumi had called her. No wonder he seemed so focused on Nozomi. Takumi had mentioned a childhood friend but not that she looked the same as Nozomi. Takky! He even had an embarrassing nickname. How cute.
The fragments of memories changed then, morphing from a happy childhood to one Yugamu was all too familiar with. Lifting his head off a desk only to find himself in a strange place with strange people he had never met. Even stranger, there was a robotic thing telling them they all had to fight in some kind of war they had never heard about.
He saw himself in another, in a place he recognized as the gym of the Second to Last Academy. Oh, you’re the sleeping beauty Nigou brought in. Good to see you up and about. His heart beat faster. So this was their first meeting. Obviously, this never happened for Yugamu but it did for Takumi. Interesting. Then the memory changed. They were charging into battle, slashing and hacking at all the invaders who came to storm the academy.
Another change and-
Nozomi impaled on a sword.
He tightened his hold on Takumi’s shoulders, digging his nails into his hoodie as tears poured down his face.
A strange room with pillars and a large sphere up on a flight of stairs. A baby? His chest felt tight watching the boy, Eito, gloat and insult them over how he pulled one over on them and thwart humanity’s plans.
A rocket shot off into the sky before Takumi himself disappeared.
Eito’s laugh bouncing around in his ears as Takumi sinks his blade into his chest.
Everyone staring with suspicion and disdain on their faces.
A myriad of emotions bubbled up inside him. Joy, confusion, amusement, fear, despair, fondness. All these conflicting emotions made his head spin. So many memories surfaced in Yugamu’s mind as he drank. Takumi’s blood was addictive and he just wanted to drink more and more. With all the memories, emotions, and blood flowing into him, Yugamu felt as if he were drunk.
“O-Omokage…”, Takumi’s weak voice reached his ears. He felt a hand grasping at his back, pulling at his haori. “S-Slow down…my head…”
Alas, he couldn’t keep drinking from Takumi lest he wanted to kill him. Quite a shame since his blood tasted so good. With one last mouthful of blood, he detached himself from Takumi’s neck, swallowing and licking his lips. His head swam, and he pressed a hand to his hand. He stayed like that for a moment, letting the dizziness pass before looking to see how Takumi was doing.
The other boy was panting, eyes half-closed. A small groan left his lips as he slumped over a little. Yugamu frowned, eyebrows drawing together. “Are you feeling alright, Sumino-kun?” he asked. “Is the pain bearable?”
Takumi raised his head, blinking slowly. “Hm, I’m fine,” he mumbled, pressing a hand to his head just like Yugamu did. “Just a bit lightheaded.”
A sigh of relief. “That’s to be expected but don’t you worry,” Yugamu said, smiling. “I’ll have you all patched up!” He eyed the scalpel laying discarded at Takumi’s side. Picking it up, he could see a thin layer of Takumi’s blood coating the edge of it. “You did so well, Sumino-kun!” By hanging out with Takumi, he had come to find out that the other boy loved being praised even if he tried to hide it. “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner in battle and experimentation!” He brought the scalpel to his lips, sucking the blood off of it, making a loud slurping sound as he did so. “Your blood is quite delicious as well. Compliments to the chef!” Raising the now licked clean blade to eye level, he could see a tiny bit of his reflection in it. Despite licking his lips, he could still see a decent amount of Takumi’s blood covering his mouth. His smile widened. Just as he was about to let more words of flattery fall from his lips, a small whimper interrupted him. Yugamu pulled his eyes away from his scalpel to see Takumi watching him with fearful eyes. “Sumino-kun?”
Takumi shook his head as he said in a trembling voice, “I don’t want it,” His eyes were brimming with unshed tears.
Yugamu’s scars began to itch again. Ignoring the urge to scratch them, he focused on Takumi. “Don’t want what?” he asked calmly.
“I don’t want another one,” Takumi pleaded, the tears spilling over and running down his cheeks. “I’ll do better next time so please?”
Yugamu closed his eyes, a pit forming in his stomach. Takumi was seeing his memories. They indeed exchanged memories. No matter how many times he pleaded, they never worked. “I’m not going to hurt you,” He raised his hands, tossing the scalpel onto the bed as he did so. “I’m just going to bandage you up.”
Takumi whimpered again, pressing himself flat against his bed’s headboard as Yugamu carefully touched the wound. “Please, I don’t want-,” his voice was getting weaker and his head lolled to the side. The anesthesia was settling into his veins, slowing his movements and taking him into the world of sleep.
The prickling along his skin grew worse. He shook it off.
Straightening Takumi’s head, Yugamu reached for his med kit, dragging it closer to himself. His heart squeezed hearing the pain and fear in Takumi’s voice. He knew it was a mirror of his own feelings he felt in that moment in time Takumi was seeing. Was this how he sounded like when he was pleading not to go through another body alteration?
By the time Yugamu finished dressing the wound, Takumi had completely fallen unconscious. Yugamu moved him, laying him down on his bed. Once he made sure Takumi was still breathing, he moved away, sitting and leaning against the headboard. He brought his hands to his own face, surprised to see that his own cheeks were wet. Pulling his fingers away, he saw the tips of his fingers were black from his eyeliner. When did I start crying? The pit in his stomach grew. He didn’t understand when he was younger but he did, eventually. His family wanted him to be better. It was their way of showing that they cared about him. He wasn’t angry with them. He made his peace with what happened in his childhood…so then why did he feel so uneasy watching Takumi mirroring his past?
He closed his eyes, letting Takumi’s memories take over in his mind again.
Takumi’s child self chased a ball covered in stickers with Nozomi’s lookalike, Karua, following right behind him. Takumi was sitting at a table with a cake in front of him with the words ‘Happy Birthday!’ written in blue icing. His mother pinched his cheek as his father laughed. Takumi playing video games. Takumi walking to school with Karua, complaining about a test they were about to take while Karua scolded him for not studying for it.
Yugamu watched them, feeling like he was in a movie theatre. Hm, so that’s what a peaceful, mundane life looks like. Absolutely nothing like his own childhood that was drenched in blood and death. It was all so very…normal and calm. His heart ached as he watched these moments. That was all he ever wanted. Peace. Chill days where he did nothing but play and hang out with no worries about having to take a life. It looked like so much fun. He wondered just how different he would be if he had Takumi’s life instead. Would he still be like his younger self? Would he be a mishmash of his current self and child self? Or would he be something new entirely? He opened his eyes, staring at the wall opposite him. Maybe in another life, he could have that.
A whimper disturbed the thoughts running through his head. He dragged himself out of them and looked over at his sleeping partner. Takumi’s lips were trembling as he slept, a bit of sweat gathering on his forehead. A few tears escaped, dripping down onto the pillow. Using his sleeve, Yugamu wiped the sweat and tears off. He paused a moment before wrapping a strand of Takumi’s hair around his finger before letting go. It sprang back into place. He leaned over some more, watching him sleep. What memories of his was Takumi seeing now? While there were some upsetting memories, Takumi’s had been mundane, peaceful. And Yugamu had given him death, pain, and gore. A drop of blood dripped from his chin and fell onto Takumi’s cheek. With his thumb, he brushed the blood off and brought it to his mouth, tongue darting out to lick it. It hadn’t been a fair tradeoff. He had to have known that. And yet…and yet he still agreed to do this. To let Yugamu use him again for his own benefit.
I would put my life in his hands. Was this what it felt like to wholeheartedly trust a person?
Sighing, Yugamu brushed Takumi’s bangs out of his face, watching as they fell back into their usual place. You truly are too kind Sumino-kun. He only knew this boy for a little over two months and yet he felt a fierce protectiveness over him. It felt like the same protectiveness Takumi felt towards Nozomi but also not entirely. It felt deeper. Had this feeling evolved because of Takumi’s own feelings mixing with his own or was this strictly from his own feelings of protectiveness for Takumi? It was getting difficult to discern which emotions were from himself and which were from Takumi. He couldn’t tell where Takumi’s feelings ended and his own began. He wondered if that’s what was going on in Takumi’s head as well. Was he just as confused as Yugamu?
While his emotions were creating a mess in his head, a memory surfaced in his mind. Takumi was lying on his bed with his head propped up on his elbows, listening to whatever Yugamu was saying in the memory. They were in Takumi’s room, brainstorming ways to stop the game. He had just suggested something completely ridiculous that had no chance of succeeding. Takumi had snorted, covering his mouth to stop the giggles that were escaping. The giggles got louder until it turned into full on laughter with Takumi rolling over onto his side as he laughed. It was a beautiful sound and Yugamu found himself laughing along with him.
As the memory played out before him, Yugamu knew one thing for certain. He wanted more of that laugh. He knew by the end of the game, they would all be changed to some degree. He hoped that Takumi would still be able to laugh like that. He hoped Takumi would be the same Takumi who loved his friends, who loved to sleep and hated to study, who was easy to fluster. He would do anything to protect that laugh, to preserve what he could of the boy he came to love so much before all this death and stress changed him too much.
He laid down beside Takumi, pulling him closer to his body. “Whatever happens, I’ll protect you, Takumi,” He caressed his face, barely resisting the urge to lean forwards and press a kiss to his cheek. In the end he let the urge take over, pressing a kiss to his cheek and then to his temple. He nuzzled his face into the side of his neck, breathing in his scent as he whispered “No matter what.”