Present: 3 months after the first meeting
Dammit, I'm late!
The teacher held over and now it's way past time. I ran up the stairs, three full flights, to the rooftop. My legs burned, and I was practically gasping for air when I reached the top. Shoving the doors open, the cool night air felt good. Like the last three months, Ayato waited for me with a victorious smirk. Even if I have a head start, I still haven't been able to beat him. "You're late, Mika," he teased.
Taking deep breaths, I leaned down, my hands on my knees. "I still came… didn't I?" Brushing my hair out of my face, I could finally stand up straight without it hurting to breathe.
Ayato was right in front of me now, but I hadn't heard him move. It's strange how he can walk so quietly. He hooked his arm around my waist, pulling me close to him, and lifted my chin so that his piercing green eyes could stare into my bright purple ones. "You think I'm going to let you talk to me like that?" There was a certain amount of danger in his words that felt real.
It only excited me when he talked like that. I leaned up onto the balls of my feet, pressing my lips to his. As usual, he recoiled from me, like he couldn't believe I'd done it again. I laughed, slipping out of his hold in his momentary daze. "Empty threats, as usual," I said. Hopping up onto the stone bench, I spun around to face him, walking on the edge like it was a tall building. It didn't give the same rush but helped with my balance skills.
"You're annoying," Ayato said, folding him arms.
With a grin, I put my hands on my hips. "You like the way I am, or you wouldn't come back night after night."
Ayato smirked but rolled his eyes. "Maybe I just like playing with you."
That made me pause. Again, he made sound dangerous, like I should be scared to be around him. This boy has a secret, and I've made it my mission to discover it. Hmm. Twisting my ankle just slightly, my body shifted like it was going to fall. I'd only taken my eyes off him for a split second, but here he was, his hands on my hips to keep me from falling. I rested my arms on his shoulders, our noses touching. "Are you going to tell me how you do that?"
"Do what?"
Always playing innocent.
"How you got over here so quickly and without a sound."
Ayato rolled his eyes with a scoff and let go of me, allowing me to actually fall and hit the ground. "Oops."
I hadn't been expecting that. The concrete roof, though a short fall, packed a punch. My hip ached from the impact. There will definitely be a bruise tomorrow. Other than that, I seemed to be… fine? Lifting up my left arm, there was a large scrape on my elbow. Blood slowly oozed out of it, dripping onto the ground. "That hurt, asshole," I snapped, but immediately went quiet, a wave of fear going through my body. "A-Ayato?"
His eyes held the expression of a predator starring down his injured prey. Something about him looked eerily different. There was a glint of red in his green eyes. Ayato dropped to one knee between my legs, pulling my bleeding arm toward him. "Let me help—" He ran his tongue over the wound, holding my arm in place even when I tried to retract it.
I winced. It hurt. Biting down on my lip, I held back the tears in my eyes. The scrape hurt before he'd done that, but his hot tongue burned the raw skin. I knew that licking an open wound would help to stop the bleeding, but watching Ayato, it seemed different, like he wanted the blood. Oddly, it was fascinating to watch him. The familiar rush came back to me, and there was something sensual about the way he was slowly licking my arm.
As if he knew my thoughts, his eyes flicked to me for a moment, and a sly smirk grew on his lips, but he continued to assault my wound with his tongue. As he released my arm, his eyes fell to my hip. "Are you bleeding anywhere else?" He asked, as if that was a normal question. Before I could shake my head no, he'd lifted my shirt and scooted the edge of my skirt down, revealing a growing bruise that was also bleeding.
"I'm fine-"
"Shut up," Ayato said, pushing me back onto the ground. "And hold still." He licked his lips and leaned down to lick away the blood on my hip. The demanding tone he'd had made me listen.
I'd thought that when he was doing it to my arm that it had felt good, but it was nothing compared to this. I had no real reason to stop him. Letting my eyes slide closed, I focused on the feeling. It was painful, like pouring hot water on the open wound, but it also held a sense of pleasure. It could be because every few moments, he'd find the stray trail of blood that had run down my thigh and that was a sensitive area for me. Whatever it was, I kind of liked it. Biting my lip, I couldn't help but laugh, opening my eyes to watch him again.
Ayato stopped, raising his head to look at me. "What's wrong with you?" The genuine confusion in his voice made it harder to stop. "Mika, stop that." His eyes grew wider and he jerked me up by my arm so that I was sitting up and face to face with him.
"I'm sorry, but it is kind of funny," I said, wiping the tears off my cheeks. My words didn't help to make him understand. Calming myself down, I took a deep breath. "A normal person would be completely freaked out by this situation, but I…" I shrugged my shoulders. "…didn't hate it."
Ayato couldn't respond, searching my eyes for any hint of a lie.
The door swung open and the sound of a girl giggling broke us apart. The girl stopped, taking in the scene in front of her. "That's Mika Akamine. She's the one from last year—"
She was with a boy who had his arm wrapped around her shoulder. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled her closer to him. "Stay away from her. If she knows what's good for everyone, she'll just disappear and go terrorize some other school."
Ayato had an icy glare but took my hand. "I'll take you to the nurse." Without giving me any choice, he dragged me behind him, keeping himself between me and the hostile boy. The door closed with a resounding thud and he immediately released my hand. "You should get that looked at, and… stay away from me." He sounded conflicted. Starting down the stairs, he didn't look back at me.
"I won't," I said, causing him to pause. "I'll come back here every night, and you will, too. Because… I like the way you make me feel." People always called me intimidating and unapproachable, but for me, that was Ayato. At times, he held such an aura of dominance and it lit a fire inside me. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time.
Ayato ignored me, disappearing through the door of the hallway below us. It should have made me angry that he'd acted like that. Normally I would have gone chasing after him to demand answers. But I stood in my spot on the stairs, completely entranced by him. I've never liked people. They are boring and dull. This boy, on the other hand, had managed to completely tear my world apart and unlocked the deepest dark parts of me that I never knew were there. I was sure that he could get me to do almost anything in this moment. My entire being craved to be with that dangerous and primal side of him that had come out tonight. I didn't understand what he was, but I wanted to see more of him.