Title: Porcelain heart
Chapter: Prologue
Ratings: K+ (for now)
Genre: AU, angst, romance, smut
Warning: Violence, Sex, Male prostitution, Unbeta-ed
Pairings/Characters: Uruha/Aoi, ?/Aoi
Disclaimer: Typical disclaimer applies.
Note: First time writing fanfiction.
The cold night air brushed against his skin, sending shivers to his spine as he ran towards the vulgar, brightly lit street, heavily crowded at these late-night hours. The road was still long before he could catch his breath, and he panted, taking in great gulps of air into his oxygen starved lungs as he kept running as fast as he could in spite of the tight, heavy fabric of the kimono that wrapped so viciously around his waist. He wished he could tear it off, but knew better not to at the time, he would be damned if he dropped his guard and get caught in this place. He faintly heard a yell somewhere among the cacophonous laughter of drunkards and the cheery agitation of the crowd, and his heart jumped in his chest instantly, trembling with quaking fear as he recognized the coarse angry voices that went after him, getting closer and closer. His lips parted to scream, to cry for help, yet no sound came out and he grew frantic as he struggled to get past the bodies that pushed him carelessly.
It made him feel miserable, more than anything as he found himself lost in a never-ending human haze.
He jolted when he heard those voices again, impatient and angry, yelling at him to get back and his figure quickly melted in the jostling crowd in hope to hide. That, until someone pushed him roughly, and he stumbled backwards with a yelp, landing on the floor with a dull thud. His eyes went wide at the pain that pierced through his body and before he could attempt to stand up, cold hands were already all over him, hoisting him up hurriedly. "Let me go!" He heard himself scream as they tied his hands behind his back, driving the crowd's attention towards him as his voice rose in decibels but he didn't care at this point, too irate and disgusted as his captors dragged him coarsely out of the main street.
-o-
"Yuu." The voice came out in a careful whisper against his ear. It was soft, gentle almost, and the brunette felt like laughing already, knowing how deeply it contrasted to its owner's true self. He frowned however, glaring at the dark figure above him, his smoldering black orbs piercing into azure blue ones. The eyes that he got to know well over the years, so severe and unnerving, yet there was a certain delicacy to them that was nearly disturbing to the raven, and he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe this man had an ounce of humanity to him.
He quickly washed those thoughts away as a cruel hand wrapped itself around his hair, exposing his face and neck deliberately, and Yuu hated how it made him feel so helpless and weak. It tightened in a firmer grip as he struggled against its onslaught, and he could feel those eyes contemplating his vulnerable self, catching the littlest glimpse of emotion that could grace the delicate features, the fear and anguish lying behind his hostile demeanor.
The scrutinizing gaze could nearly burn his skin, and as much he wanted to get away from that grip, he couldn't. He couldn't move, not even flinch as a pair of lips brushed against his ear briefly and Yuu knew better than to believe in his little display of affection. "Yuu, you just never learn, do you?" He repeated, this time in a much harder, reproachful tone as his grip tightened even more viciously around the long, shiny strands of ebony hair and Yuu gasped at the mention, feeling his eyes watering at the sneering pain that went through his scalp. He knew he wasn't going to be let off so easily, that acts of rebellion were severely dealt with in this place. Yet the whole situation amused him somehow, just seeing this man, usually so calm and collected losing it slowly was almost worth it.
"And what is it that I should learn?" He spat back, still managing to keep eye contact with his persecutor, whose face morphed into astonishment at the sudden outburst. Silence followed, before a chuckle, and Yuu barely sighed as the grip on his hair loosened until a sudden burst of pain appeared on his cheek. His head snapped abruptly to the right and his body fell heavily against the ground by the assault for the second time that day. "You're mine!" The thunderous yell echoed around the room, and as the dark haired felt the stinging pain and the burn from his cheek, he knew for a fact that it was the truth, no matter how he hated to admit it. He was nothing but a doll, a mere possession— just nothing.
His hands clenched into fists, crimson painted nails digging into his palms as he watched the dark figure taking a few brisk steps towards him, and he stiffened back at the approach. He could feel the tight rope rub against his skin as he moved; denying his hands from freedom and he wished more than anything to tear it off and run away from here. It didn't matter to which place precisely, as long as he was away from this man. Yuu closed his eyes however as he found himself within an arm's length distance from him, expecting in dread the next shove or blow to come. After feeling nothing make contact with his body however, Yuu slowly opened his eyes and saw him making a gesture for the guards standing at the entry. The two men quickly complied as they took hold of the brunette and made him stand on his feet, and before he knew the dark haired was dragged out of the room, with only a glimpse of the disgruntled face before the doors were closed on him.
-o-
The dark haired let out a shuddery breath as they reached the main corridor, and he couldn't help but tense as everyone's gaze drifted to him. He didn't miss all the whispering and jeering either, from the other courtesans, the few servants and even some customers who happened to be there. It was obvious what the fuss was all about, and Yuu didn't need to listen to anyone's snide remarks as he walked past them. He looked down to the outline of the rope around his wrists, hidden behind the long hem of his sumptuous black kimono which was adorned by small patterns of swaying blood red petals all over it. It loosened around his shoulders however, and even the obi didn't seem to strangle him like usual, due to his previous struggling and the frequent tugging it had to endure. Still, no matter the countless times he would try to escape, they would always track him, find him, and drag him to this place against his will.
He suddenly looked up as he heard a laugh coming from his right, without really knowing the reason for such reaction, and slowed down his footsteps to get a proper view of what attracted his attention. There was a small gathering of people at the entrance, the two young customers were greeted by two other courtesans, who were launched at their arms already, eyes half-lidded and sweet smiles adorning their doll-like faces. As for the clients, both were blonds, one with a strange headband around his nose and spiky hair, and another with long hair falling to his shoulders.
Yuu found his gaze almost fixated on the latter, he didn't know why but there was something about him that just caught his eye. The way he smiled as his golden blonde hair fell gracefully to the side of his face and — Oh god, no.The brunette almost quivered as the mysterious man looked back at him, his gaze full of curiosity which soon morphed into something much deeper, more intense, enough to make his heart stutter and causing goose bumps to tremble warmly across his skin. And Yuu couldn't help it as he found himself lost in those honey-coated eyes, cheeks turning red as he felt trapped under the blonde's gaze.
It was soon over though as one of the guards pulled at his arm to guide him to his room, and the brunette found himself pulled back harshly to reality as they dragged him upstairs. Moments later, he was thrown like a rag doll to the floor, and the doors were shut behind him. Yuu's palms curled into fists as complete darkness surrounded him, and he stood silent as he listened to the fading footsteps of the guards from the corridor. As they drifted off completely, he curled his shoulders and bent his knees to his chest, hugging himself while closing his eyes softly.
And that night, as Yuu coaxed himself slowly to sleep, all he could think about was those honey-coated eyes.