生贄の花嫁

«Merry Christmas, Chichinashi». What is that on his hand? A… rose? For her? Hm, one would guess so! But… what shall be the meaning behind this gesture? Who knows. He will let her decipher that for herself. Just be thankful he is not bullying her with a mistletoe.

              A rose? That was... Truly unexpected. It wasn’t like Ayato at all, but the gesture still made her heart warm and jump, and her hands reach out to carefully take the flower. She really loved the roses around the house, and had a soft spot for these flowers after growing them herself. Hence, that had to be the reason why her face softens to this degree, holding the flower close to her heart.

TEASE HER? Of course he would. One ought to be insane to even consider the possibility of letting such an opportunity escape. She was well aware that he would not quite skip it, as was he, and yet she still gave him small pieces to hold on to. A TRUE VIXEN SHE WAS, continuing to lead him on and on, perhaps attaining the results she truly wanted: for him to give her his attention rather than to someone else. And so, they kept on playing the game of mouse and cat. A winner was always guaranteed – and they both knew who exactly that was – but the slow burn made the venture enjoyable.

As she steps closer to him, he cannot help but to be slightly surprised: what is the origin of this sudden gain of courage? It is almost as if she takes a leap of faith, possibly praying to her god for a safe landing, though the very concept of safe is rather dubious in this situation.

‘You have to find meaning in it yourself’… Well, if that is not a tragic retort… Viewing something as meaningful means wasting your time analyzing it, finding what makes it special and treasuring it. He has zero interest in doing any of those things. Of course, he shall not shatter her views or philosophy (although he has not encountered any issue in doing so prior to this), but he just does not believe them. The only thing he could say he cares about, he guesses, is her blood. That he treasures to an extent. And, sure, sometimes they hung around and it was fun. But, in a way, was blood not the only thing that connected them both? To summarize: her blood was everything meaningful that there in fact was.

However, he did not want to crush her… hope, for once. Just because he did not feel like it, for once ( Was it kindness? What was it? He was not sure. ). Not like he had any chance: if one could say her sudden embrace caught him off guard, then it was fair to admit her caress on his locks made him freeze.

«…»

“I think any time I’m talking to Ayato-kun or just touching you like this is meaningful. So… I don’t think there’s a ‘special thing’ that needs to be done. It’s more simple and at every moment? It would just… mean more, if…”

If what? He returned her affectionate gesture? Well, he probably could – but not with the yearning she mayhap wished for. It was just… impossible. He had made that promise to himself once, and he planned on keeping it. Of course, he was not going to reveal that straight away to her – although he was rather blunt on a daily basis, being honest with his own feelings and expressing them clearly was a barrier he had yet to take down. Having someone who knew him – who truly knew him -, was uncomfortable.

For that which you long for the most to be one of the things that scares you the most… How comedic.

He could feel himself already complaining to himself: he was getting too caught up in his thoughts. So, in order to brush them off, he would keep the act up, his casual smirk once again resurfacing, devoid of any deeper meaning.

«Funny that you say that there isn’t a special thing that needs to be done when you are practically on your knees begging me to do it. You oughta be more honest with your feelings». Hypocrite. «Maybe that way, you would get what you want?~»

He laughs as she backs down: indeed, the fight is too intense for her. To be that blunt? It’s just not part of her nature. But his own nature often tells him to press matters further, so he does. Her wrist is grabbed and she’s once again pulled closer, obligated to FACE HIM.

«Something I want… Wanna hear what I think? I think all this time, you’ve been projecting your needs and wants on Ore-sama. Babbling all about wishful thinking and dreamy possibilities. HOW SELFISH». He gets to a conclusion: she says she wants to please him, make things meaningful. But he believes she rather fails to comprehend what exactly it is that he wants. To a degree: understandable. He has never given her hints. And he does not comprehend it either.

Indeed…

He could read her heart and mind. But she couldn’t understand his.

Was she begging?

Something about those words tugged at the strings in her head, a weird nudge that irked her, causing her brows to furrow. Then, she feels her breath catch when she is pulled forward, feeling his breath against the tip of her nose, too close for her brain to catch up with his words right away. Too close, she’s a little worried and anxious. At least, she assumed those were the emotions that corelated with the squeeze in her chest and painful spike of heat in her hands, starting to sweat.

If she were more honest... That was rather unfair.

Her eyes slowly close, then open. She’s forced to look at his face, into his eyes, but she feels her breath calm down as she gets confused, eyes moving down as she tries to regulate her thoughts. “Then, why won’t Ayato-kun tell me what you want?” Even though she was offering herself up, and it was quite obvious, even to herself, how submissively she was acting. Her words were an undeniable truth, and once they were out of her mouth, not only was she not fond of going back on her words, the other could have easily used her words back at her and taken control, take advantage of it all.

Yet, she has yet to hear a single wish. Was it only her desire to intepret it as a sign of something? Is it just her own misunderstanding, or could she believe in herself a little more? Now, she wondered if getting hurt would be worse than the fear she first felt in this mansion. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to push my wishes on you...” Genuinely, but maybe this feeling she had for the boy made her a worse person than she wants to be.

Would Ayato be disillusioned, or was there nothing left of her that could surprise him?

“Right now, I just want to be with Ayato-kun.” Yui pulls her hand back, hoping to pull Ayato forward instead. Downcast eyes lift up and stare into green eyes, and she may be wrong to assume, but he seemed distracted, as if he was thinking about something. What it was, there was no way she could know. “I have a lot of fun when I’m with you. Even when it’s not, I don’t mind it if it’s with you because I think I would also like to become your support. I’m sorry... For being selfish. But it’s true that I want to p... ... please you.”

As she spoke, her face heated, but her head cleared enough for her to remember the past few minutes in his presence once more, and the taut figure held in her arms as she moved along with her will. Did he hate it, or...

It’s pretty fair when he is the one who makes the rules.

«Heeeh~ Well, of course you’d be». Ayato is going to use every opportunity he gets to rub it in her face. It keeps him entertained, and he is pretty sure that she likes it when he teases her too. In fact, for her to be posing such a question… It is clear she has realized that he treats her differently from others. Just how different and why — is what she is probably trying to figure out. It’s cute that she’s thinking about the amount of fun he has when he’s with her.

«Y’know… the fact you’re thinking about that… haha. Do you wanna please Ore-sama that bad?» At this point, she is asking for validation; for him to confirm he enjoys her presence. In that case…

«What if I said I didn’t have fun around you? Would you do anything to change my mind? Make it more… meaningful, as you put it?»

        See, he’ll tease her after all.

        With each passing second, she could see the grin on his face grow wider, eyes watching her as if he could read her mind and heart, even to the parts she couldn’t herself. It has always been intimidating, but maybe she didn’t think it was as horrible anymore.

        “That’s not-” It’s true, isn’t it? Long lashes flutter as she blinks twice. It starts with her- that being beside him gave her comfort, but that wasn’t enough. She wanted the other to feel the same, unnamed emotion that she held. It was selfish, she thinks. But right now, the desire to please him, making sure he was happy, was stronger. If it’s possible for him to feel that way when he was with her, there wasn’t much she wouldn’t try to do. Does that mean she was holding onto hope?

        His words pricked at her chest despite knowing it was a tease. “I don’t think someone else can force something to be meaningful to you.” Her feet carry her a few steps forward. “You have to find meaning in it yourself.” After all, she knows her feelings weren’t coerced; it was her decision after coming to know him. Pushed up onto her toes, she lifts her arms and wraps them over his shoulders, giving a tight hug before a hand lifts to weave through his hair, giving two slow pats like one would to a child. “I think any time I’m talking to Ayato-kun or just touching you like this is meaningful. So... I don’t think there’s a ‘special thing’ that needs to be done. It’s more simple and at every moment?” Does it make sense? “It would just... mean more, if...” They were both thinking the same. It would be fulfilling, she imagines.

        Lowering herself down, leaning a bit more against the other, she’s startled when her warm cheek brushes against his, the tingling chill shoving her back to the present. Oh, what did she say? Suddenly, she felt incredibly embarrassed, hands quickly slipping off to push his chest away, gaze falling down low. It all came back too vividly, and she can’t breathe when she realizes how much she was revealing. Why does she keep giving him things to tease her with? Why did she continue to play with fire despite knowing it could hurt her? True, she won’t know unless she opens up herself and hopes he does the same, but... Ah, she’s an idiot. A big idiot.

@decadentintegrity​ asked:

“Is it fun when you talk to me too?” Casually asking. Very.

«Why? Curious?» Casually replying. Very.  He is not going to go easy and soft on her. She has to earn the genuine answer. How? He will leave that for her to figure out.

          It’s unfair to answer a question with a question.

[ 📲 • sms ] —— yeah!! I mean you killed the vibe we had going!

In other words: let him tease her, damn it!! Also don’t forget that this all started because of some nudes… and that he knows she would never give in but, there it is: teasing her was fun. So if she’s gonna say she’s not going to give in on his whims then… what is the fun in all that? It’s almost like she’s saying she’s rejecting him…

[ 📲 • sms ] —— Ya can be so slow sometimes… no, actually — all the time! [ 📲 • sms ] —— You’re so oblivious…. [ 📲 • sms ] —— Learn how to read the mood!!

      Eh? Ehhh??? Why does she suddenly feel guilty when she probably hasn’t done anything wrong. She didn’t mean to reject him or anything, it wasn’t meant like that. But did it warrant getting told all that?

[ 📲 • sms ] —— … [ 📲 • sms ] ——  Tch! Boring!! [ 📲 • sms ] —— Nice job killing the freakin’ mood… [ 📲 • sms ] —— Even though you like it when I do that…

[ text ]  :  Mood??? What am I supposed to like? [ text ]  :  I don’t see where you’re coming from. [ text ]  :  ... [ text ]  :  Ayato-kun, are you upset?

«It hit!!!» Her excitement was shared by him as well, his voice boyish and proud. Maybe they were a good team after all: she knew how to listen, and he knew how to order people around teach. At that point, he closed his hand into a fist, body language making it clear he was satisfied with the result so far obtained, yet anxious for what was to come. They were not quite there yet, but his expectations were high. Progress was certainly being made, and her enthusiasm indicated that soon enough Yui would score a point. As long one had a goal and was motivated… one was unstoppable. The way she ran after the ball… it was cute. She looked like a puppy, really.

«You got this, Chichinashi! I know you do!» Encouragement does wonders — he should know best. He learned it the hard way… «Just… take it easy… and go for it.» This time… This time he was certain she would succeed. And if she did not, well, she would have to try again! Perfect the skill until she got the hang of it. 

Time seemed to slow down as he waited in anticipation, his glance on the ball, then on the net, and then back on the ball again.

Any moment now…

            A lot of things were new right this moment; Her ability to throw a ball far enough to hit the hoop, the lightness of her feet, how with some understanding, she found the fun of playing this sport. And, the unexpected encouragement from the redhead. The words caught her by surprise, hands slipping enough for her to drop the ball. Luckily, it only slipped for a split second, and she had caught it before it touched the floor, getting into position, taking a slow, shaky breath. She cleared her head, especially of the sharp beat of her heart when he was being so kind, clearing her thoughts and focusing on the position of her hands, the momentum, her aim- she didn’t want to disappoint him when he gave her so much trust.

            So, she tossed the ball.

... ...

            The ball clatters the net loudly, and it spins. Then, she disappointedly furrows her brows. Another fail, she thinks as it reaches the other end and suddenly, by the pull of gravity, falls inwards.

... ... ... Did it work?

            Eyes wide, she feels her breath stop. The silence feels long as the ball falls to the floor of the court and rolls. Somehow, the sound of it hitting a bush is what triggers a hook to the ends of her lips, pulling them upwards as a slight blush fills her cheeks. It went in. For the first time, she was feeling an emotion she had forgotten while practicing alone- FUN. It was fun, it was exciting, she had succeeded. There had been endless practices, but what happened right now, it felt the most important. She had succeeded in front of him. She did it!

             Yui turns around, a full smile and happiness coming in waves, a quick step to get herself closer to Ayato. It wasn’t a jest, it wasn’t bragging, she was simply filled with gratitude and a rush of growing confidence, along with the small hope she tried to smother that he’d be as proud of her as she felt for him.

[ 📲 • sms ] —— Sure, keep telling yourself that. [ 📲 • sms ] —— But I always get what I want? One way or another~ [ 📲 • sms ] —— Pervert? Hm, you haven’t seen anything yet. [ 📲 • sms ] —— Keep teasin’ and I might show you soon.

@decadentintegrity​

SHE LIVES!!!!!

           Sliding a finger over the white fabric, she draws circles. One. two. three... Slow and steady, trying not to awaken the owner of the body beneath her. Her shoulders rose and fell in the same momentum of the chest under her head, eyes dazed and attention on the texture of stiff fabric flicked under her short nails. Once, twice... The long digits curl up into her palm, a soft breath falling through her lips, heavy with the feelings pent up in her chest, the uneasiness bubbling up from somewhere different from the posture, position or situation she was in; Or maybe it was because of the realization of such honest reactions, her breath left her.

             “...It might be a little scary.”

              Contradictory to her words, her body relaxed when she feels rather than hears the breathed murmur against the top of her head, curious eyes skimming up without moving her head, staring at what little of the other’s chin that made it into her vision, the pale neck that was exposed as the top of their shirt was always unbuttoned a few down until her gaze stooped low into deep thought once more.

               There was a scent.

               A tangy spice that reminded her of rusted fences during a humid summer, the warm end note that she couldn’t put a finger on. Chilled yet warming her throughout from the inside- it was now considered familiar to her senses, something she couldn’t imagine being without. It was a nostalgic scent, which made no sense because it was not one she had ever had around her growing up. It was supposedly new, yet it was old enough to be a source of nostalgia. And her shoulders shake, quivering as her chest clamps up painfully, a stabbing throb clogging up to her throat.

                Her hand moves close, fingertips brushing the dents and rough texture of something dried and a still-wet scab. It’s been a long time since she hadn’t had a scar marring her neck, and multiple parts of her body. She blamed everything she could at first, but it all ended up being lies to herself. After all, she obviously didn’t care about it anymore.

IT WAS GOOD WHILE IT LASTED. Come now, it would have been an easy task to understand what the nature of his intentions, in fact, was: the diabolical stare she had met through the mirror ought to be sufficient to reveal his every thought. Well, not that he had a problem externalizing them. In that department, Ayato was as honest as one could be.

He could not help but feel a slight hint of disappointment, however. That reaction meant PLAYTIME was over, and that was never pleasant, was it? Still, he had his ways; the perfect plan to keep the engine going. He just would have to manage and find some amusement under different circumstances. Which he would.

He got up from his chair, slightly throwing it aside before making his way to the petite girl. How cute, to cover up like that… and how equally foolish. He had already seen what there was to see, and if she bent forward like that… well, she could be protecting some of her body parts, but the rest were completely exposed. It did not take long before he embraced her from behind, his arms crossing and positioning themselves right bellow her chest, pulling her closer to him. She liked when he whispered sweet words to her too, didn’t she?

«Seeing you like that… It gets my blood flowing». How much more of this could she take, he wondered. Hmph, he intended to find out.

«That face… I want to see more of it. I want to embarrass you more». And there was only one thing that drove her to madness. Oh, but she also liked challenges, didn’t she? He had a gut feeling that, even though she was powerless most of the time, she liked proving her worth. Then… he would turn this session in a game.

«First one to break eye contact loses. Show me what you’re made of, Chichinashi». And so, he lifted her chin slightly so she could see him in the eye through the mirror once more. Only then did he sunk his fangs in her flesh, making sure it would hurt. After all, she was the one to blame: she had put an end to his fun before.

Look at me. Only me. Realize how you surrender yourself to me without a fight… Succumb to your desires and let me be the one guiding you through hell and beyond. You belong to me.

                When she thought she was alone, it had not occurred to her how cold the room was. But now, with her skin exposed to the air, knowing that a pair of eyes followed her every move, every little twitch her body made in nervousness and embarrassment, she felt cold enough to shiver. Maybe the air felt cold due to the rising temperature of her body , knowing that with each second that the boy would come closer, would be planning something in his head to make her suffer- with pain or pleasure she doesn’t know.

                Then, she feels a warm body press up against her chilled skin, burning her as his arms slid under her chest, sending trembles up her spine, ticklish and a little... Weird. No one touched her anywhere close to such a spot unclothed, and the feeling of friction of his clothes on her bare back made her eyes glossy with tears. “Stop, please...” Her plea is too soft, barely even a whisper but a sigh that comes with the fingers pressed against her skin, letting out a gasp as her body was pulled closer, tight against his chest. Normally, she doesn’t think about it, but when held like this, she feels so small within his arms, so weak as she struggles and pushes against his arms, hands holding onto his forearms and trying to shove as hard as she could. She hates it, because she didn’t hate being embraced like this.

                Suddenly, she stops and closes her eyes, holding back the keen that threatened to slip through her throat, nape burning with color.

                A weakness exposed, her whole body stiffens before she starts to curl forward into herself, the hands on his arm now holding on tight, fingers digging into them rather than pushing them away. His breath brushes against her ears, down the line of her jaw to her neck, and her body trembles as his words seep deep under her skin, opening her mouth to take in a deep, shuddering breath. Even if Ayato wanted to see it, Yui had no intention of seeing it, shutting her eyes tightly and lowering her head further, letting her hair curtain over them, wanting nothing to do with this. It was terribly embarrassing and it made her feel things that she doesn’t understand. She wants out, and she wants her clothes back.

                But Ayato was not a saint, and she heard his challenge spoken into her ears, eyes shooting open at the command as fingers tilted her chin up, staring at the mess of her hair pooled over her shoulder, a strand gliding over her nose, her face colored darkly in pink and her brows furrowed over watery eyes. Her eyes were stuck to two beautiful green eyes before her whole face morphed in pain, squealing softly as his fangs dug deep into her flesh, a burning pain ripping through her skin. It hurt, it hurt so much she wanted to cry, but she obediently kept her eyes half-open, barely able to control herself as she stared back at the eyes gleaming at her, giving her a leveled look. Why was she listening to him? Out of fear that he will punish her? A logical conclusion as to why. However, she felt that was wrong. Until now, she had done so many things against his words, gotten punished more times than she can count due to her lack of commitment. Yet here she is, staring at the reflection of his eyes, her body burning up as blood pumped in her veins, dribbling down her back and most of it lapped up onto his tongue. A weak wail left her lips only for her eyes to snap wide open, feeling the embarrassment start to become an itch she couldn’t control, swelling in the pit of her stomach. Why couldn’t she go against his words this time around? Had she always been this stubborn? What was different from before?

                “No..." The focus of her eyes changed involuntarily, still staring into his eyes but also taking a wider view of the whole mirror. She looked at herself, the face she was making with her lips parted and gasping, cheeks rose-tinted and eyes hazy, her hair all over the place. She wasn’t even clothed fully, the top of her breasts and top of her underwear in clear view with the way she bent forward, pale against her flushed skin. INDECENT, that was the only word that she could think of, and she wanted to hide. It was worse than being seen naked, to be shown the faces she makes when her body adapted to the pain, starting to slowly accept it as... As what?