"I want you."

The first thing that ran through Chihiro's mind when he heard Akashi say those words was that he really needed a few early nights. No more staying up until two or three to read more and hiding his fatigue with copious, and probably dangerous, amounts of caffeine and cigarettes. The hallucinations were not worth it, no matter the need he had to finish his novels.

"What did you just say? I think I misheard."

Akashi delicately settled next to him (wait, delicately? That kid was so weird) and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think so. You've been doing as I said and practicing your observational skills, haven't you, senpai?"

If the way he said 'senpai' in a husky voice hadn't been enough to prove that he had in fact said what Chihiro thought he had… still. He placed his book onto his leg, watched as Akashi's eyes followed his movement. "No, I really think I should be sure."

"I want you."

Whether the universe was playing some trick on him or he had read one too many light romances, he couldn't stop the shudder of horror at the thought. "What… for?" he asked, hoping that it was anything but what he thought it was.

He tried to imagine that he wasn't struck by fear when Akashi narrowed his eyes, but then again he didn't really enjoy lying to himself. "What does it usually mean when someone says 'I want you'?"

"Something that you're too young to know about." Which he regretted saying as soon as he saw the way Akashi's eyes flashed and his jaw clenched.

"I am perfectly well-versed in such things," he said, in such a pompous way that Chihiro only sighed. "I'm not a virgin, Chihiro."

Chihiro bit back a laugh whilst wondering which poor girl or boy he'd roped into doing such things before shaking his head. Nothing, even the threat on his life which Akashi was obviously communicating those creepy-ass eyes, could convince him that this was even half of a good idea. "How about you worry about your side, I'll worry about mine and we don't add any complications like some sort of half-assed relationship? You know I'm leaving for university after this year."

"Relationship? Who said anything about that?"

Some sort of trick question? His leg burned where he could feel the weight of the book resting against it and his fingers itched to pick it up again. Was he trying to test his observational skills? That seemed a bit too obvious. "You did. You just said that you wanted me."

"I do."

He waited for a continuing explanation, but none came. His eyes were unreadable. Akashi wasn't easy to decipher. "So, what…?"

Akashi sighed and looked away for a moment, a light—no way, he'd never seen that before—blush colouring his cheekbones. "It appears I am only human after all," he said grudgingly. Chihiro watched as the blush disappeared, wondering whether it was just the fact that he washuman was what he had been so embarrassed about, rather than his proposition. "And I have urges just like anyone else. I chose you precisely because you're leaving next year."

"I still don't understand."

"I need an outlet. And you will do quite nicely."

An outlet. Not for the first time, Chihiro wondered whether he was being completely used by his captain. Maybe they all were just pawns in his game and no real feeling resided within the king as he thoughtlessly sent them out to slaughter. "I don't have to agree to this," he said.

"It won't just be me benefitting. I assure you, I am perfectly capable in helping you with such problems. This will be a symbiotic arrangement."

"Hey, I can get sex if I want it. With girls, which is more my speed." He picked up the book, blanking out Akashi as best he could in an attempt to end the conversation.

"I can dress like a girl if that will help."

The book dropped from Chihiro's hand, landing cover down as the pages flipped in a sudden breeze. "Did you really just say that?"

"I think you need to practice your observational skills more." Although it was said rather seriously, there was a small quirk at the corner of his mouth and a softening in his eyes. Sarcasm? He hadn't known Akashi was capable of such a thing.

"You wouldn't find it humiliating?" Akashi smiled wider. "Not that I'm thinking about it."

"No. Why would I? The end result is the same, isn't it?"

"The end…? No, you know what, don't answer that."

"I think you're already aware."

"Akashi."

This rooftop had been a lot more calm before Akashi had joined Rakuzan, and, endeavouring to distract himself from the fact that Akashi was moving closer he pondered over the quiet lunchtimes he'd spent here before and how as he'd entered his third and final year he had mused about how he would honestly miss these lunchtimes. Alone. By himself. He hadn't expected to bid farewell to them so soon.

"You can come back to mine after practice tonight and we can try. My father is away and I sent the help away too specifically so we would have privacy."

"I haven't agreed to it, Akashi." He picked up the book again, flicked through it to find the right page and started reading, before a small hand pulled it down so it was resting on his leg again.

"You will."

Nerves coiled in his stomach—Akashi had gotten closer than he'd thought. And in the months that Chihiro had known him, he'd never been proved wrong about anything. He'd seen the test scores, his calculations during a game; never had anything been less than perfect, and never had a deduction proved to be wrong.

Is he reallyhuman? Chihiro asked himself. Or some kind of demon? And even if he was a demon, surely he didn't have to be some pseudo-heroine in a crappy, twisted, supernatural love story? He'd always wanted to be the main hero who defeated some great evil and gained something in return; some power and glory, maybe some hot girl. There was a reason he remained the aloof, silent guy in the background—they were always the ones that rose to the challenge, managed to destroy all those who had talked badly of them and had hidden powers crucial to the tests they would face. And no matter how highly Akashi talked of it, misdirection did not count.

"You're tempted, aren't you?" Akashi said.

Except for the fact that he was currently staring intently at Akashi's lips and may have been leaning forwards the slightest bit, and possibly a slight increase in heart rate and breathing rate had occurred, he could honestly say that he was not affected or tempted in any way. He told Akashi as such, ignored the burning look and shifted away.

"You're not the easiest to predict, I'll grant you that, but I am still always right and always absolute."

"You need a reality check," Chihiro said under his breath, considering lifting the book to block Akashi's gaze. No; that would be too noticeable—too obvious that he was trying to shield himself from Akashi's eyes, which would only invite more certainty. And more certainty was not useful right now.

"Obviously I won't force you, but you will come to me of your own accord."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Perfect. The perfect mixture of someone nonchalant and unmoved. He stole a glance in Akashi's direction and saw the childish way his eyes flashed and his jaw clenched and felt the urge to run his fingers along his jawline just to tease him.

All heroes had a sadistic side to them, after all. Otherwise they wouldn't defeat the evil but weakly try to bring it to their own side by showing compassion and love. For anyone else, he could have maybe shown that, but he was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that in his story, Akashi was the demon.

"You're not scared, are you, Chihiro?"

Definitely a demon's voice. Silky smooth and alluring, and he reached up to brush a few strands of his hair back whilst watching Chihiro. He settled into an easy smile when Chihiro kept his eyes on his hand as it went to rest on his lap again. "I'm not scared. Just annoyed."

Akashi sighed. "It seems I overestimated you. How much longer will you be resisting? I was hoping to vent my frustrations tonight."

"I'm not scared, and I'm not in the least bit tempted." Heat rose to his cheeks as Akashi looked him over.

"Prove it, then," he said confidently.

"I am. Now go away."

He was pretty sure he was going to be paying for that comment later, but for now Akashi ignored it. "Kiss me and prove this won't be beneficial to you too."

Though not entirely sure what the logic behind that reasoning was, his eyes were still caught by Akashi's lips. Maybe this was it; the demon he had to slay before he could continue on his own journey. Maybe he would gain something from this which would allow him to defeat a bigger demon further down the line. Then it was power, glory, and the hot girl. Simple wishes. So he leaned forwards obediently, his eyes shutting tightly so he could at least pretend that it was his future hot girl that he was kissing and not arguably the creepiest and most infuriating guy he'd met in his entire life.

(Although, to be fair, it was tantalizing to see whether he could pull Akashi apart seam by seam and have the power of knowing he could undo him and see him raw and unfiltered. To have such power over someone who was fire and water and lightening, a tightly coiled spring ready to be unleashed, to turn him to nothing more than shattered porcelain. It was a temptation that could overtake him if he let it.)

He'd meant for a quick kiss, brief and normal enough that it could disprove Akashi's theories, but before he could pull away Akashi pushed his body back against the wall, and Chihiro couldn't even muster the strength to lift his arms to push him away, let alone straighten himself. Instead he was gripping at the fabric of Akashi's jacket tightly, only able to kiss back or struggle futilely when Akashi tugged at his hair—how did he know that Chihiro liked that so much?—and scratched at his scalp, which sent goosebumps over his arms and the nape of his neck. And from the self-satisfied little sigh that he gave when, after biting his lip—gently, but still enough to make Chihiro shiver—he pulled away, he knew exactly what he'd been doing, knew exactly how to play it and what to look for.

Chihiro hated to admit it, but it seemed the kid was more experienced than he was.

"I suppose you're right. You won't do."

Chihiro, whose mind had suddenly been filled with visions of Akashi with a lust-filled gaze and repeats of kisses that could rival that one, shook his head to clear it as Akashi stood up. "What? After that?"

Akashi looked at him scathingly. "You can't honestly think that was good. I suppose we don't have enough chemistry to make it worth it. I'll find someone else, and you can vent your frustrations on one of those girls who are so willing."

The girl he envisioned had red hair, creepy heterochrome eyes and looked suspiciously like the boy who was currently straightening his clothes standing in front of Chihiro. "You're leaving?"

Akashi inclined his head politely. "I apologise for taking up so much of your time, Mayuzumi-senpai. I'll leave you to finish your novel," he said, cool and business-like. It took a moment of Chihiro sorting through things in his head—he still felt a bit woozy from the kiss, possibly having forgotten how to breathe—before he got up, letting the novel fall to the ground and catching Akashi's arm to turn him. His eyes widened—was he really shocked that Chihiro wanted to stop him? Surely his kiss hadn't been that bad?—and he let Chihiro push him back against the wall, watching him curiously.

"You can't honestly think… after what… everything…" The smirk on Akashi's face was too much, and his inability to form a coherent sentence was only humiliating him, so instead he was the one to initiate the kiss. The world started being clearer again as Akashi's pulse raced; Chihiro could feel his heart beat against his palm as he kept Akashi pushed back against the wall. When he pulled back, his cheeks were dark and his eyes bright, but he still gave Chihiro a victorious smile.

"I was right, of course. You came to me of your own accord. Quicker than I'd expected, but still…" He leant back against the wall.

He was an idiot; playing right into Akashi's hand and walking the exact route plotted. Not hero material after all, just a pawn in Akashi's absolute plan. He let Akashi push his hand out of the way to leave. "You're coming over tonight, then?"

Heart somehow sinking and in his throat at the same time, Chihiro nodded. Akashi had been morphed into a black hole, sucking all light and hope within himself and compressing it until it barely existed. He'd given the last piece of his soul to the demon to do with as he wished, to use as he wished. He'd be nothing more than a pet or a pitiful side-character for the rest of his life, nothing more than a hollow shell when Akashi was done with him, but when Akashi turned he nodded again.

"Good." One last kiss, shorter than the other two, initiated by Akashi. But it breathed a small amount of life into the hope that remained when Akashi trembled in his arms and at his touch made a small sound, almost a whimper.

Maybe he'd be able to undo him, he thought as Akashi walked away. Enough to find his core and exploit it before Akashi exploited him.