A Cup of Lust, Beauty and Affairs
Summary: Taichi, a photographer and artist fascinated by the beauty of the world, becomes captivated by the beauty of a customer at his parent's coffee shop. Innocent desires soon blaze into an unforgettable, insatiable, and very deadly, affair. Taito/Yamachi
D-Angel: Another 2023 update for you lovely lot! I'm really doing my best to get this finished by the end of the year. I've honestly re-written the climax of this story several times already over the past 2-3 years, but I'm sticking to my guns this time. This chapter does get pretty dark, especially towards the end, just so you're all prepared xD
Read on and… enjoy? Lol.
Warnings: Sexual content, physical abuse and torture, drug and alcohol usage.
Chapter 31 - Deception in the Darkroom
'You and I, Nursing on a poison that never stung, Our teeth and lungs are lined with the scum of it.'
I awoke to Yamato's feathery soft kisses caressing against my cheekbone. His blue eyes were clouded in lust; it was apparent where this was heading.
"Morning, handsome," I whispered sleepily as he straddled my naked body with his own.
"Sleep well?" He asked, his hand trailing down the side of my torso whilst his lips attacked the side of my neck. I hummed in approval as his fingers danced across my erection. As he began stroking me, my phone started to buzz and rattle against the bedside table. Sighing, I reached out and grabbed the object as my other hand cupped and kneaded the firm flesh of Yamato's beautiful rear. My eyes widened when I saw who was calling.
"It's Takumi."
Yamato arched an eyebrow, before he grabbed the phone from my hand and threw it onto the empty half of the mattress. His lips then merged with mine and we got lost in our own little hazy sex bubble for the best part of the next hour.
I only peered over at my phone again when Yamato finally rested his head against my chest, regaining his breath. Takumi had called another three times whilst we'd been fooling around in bed.
"He's calling again," I sighed as the display started to flash up with his name once again. Yamato frowned before he reached across and answered the call.
"Leave us alone," Yamato growled down the phone. There was a pause of silence before he spoke again. "No, he isn't coming tonight."
Then, Yamato ended the call and handed me my phone.
"I want him to feed on his paranoia," he simply stated. "Takumi loses all rationality when he's anxious." His fingers traced against my cheek as confident shimmer appeared in his eyes. "He'll slip up soon. It's only a matter of time."
Sure enough, later that day, the threads started to unravel. Yamato was busy in the bedroom unpacking some of his belongings when I received a video call from the Nanami twins.
"Yagami-san, The Steel Arrows' photographer, Nobu, will be filling in for you at tonight's gig," Ren explained.
"You'll still be paid," Kotaro added, answering my question before I'd even asked it. "We understand that Takumi's been difficult to work with lately. We'll arrange a meeting for next week to discuss your contract going forwards." Kotaro pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as they slipped down. "We'd request you keep quiet about matters in the meanwhile."
"That's fine, just let me know once you have a date in mind," I replied. The sooner I had fully severed all ties from Takumi, the better. I was more than happy to keep my mouth shut in the meanwhile.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Later that evening, after fooling around, Yamato and I cuddled up on the sofa. The television was on, but we were both busy on our phones to care about what was actually on the screen.
Peering at the time in the top right hand corner of my phone, I was aware that the band's gig would have been coming to an end now. Shiro had been sending me messages all afternoon, telling me how strange Takumi was behaving; he'd been acting super paranoid, and had even made several simple mistakes during their performance.
The Nanami twins are considering amending next week's schedule. They may even cancel a few gigs O.O
I always thought their world tour schedule was too ambitious; there were far too many dates and locations. It was a lot of pressure to put on the band as things already stood.
It's going crazy here! Kano and Yuki are refusing to perform with Takumi until he gets himself together. He's been drinking, and it's a mess.
Shortly after, Shiro pinged across another message.
Omg. Takumi's just stormed out!
Just as I was tapping out my response to Shiro's message, Takumi's name suddenly flashed up on the display of my phone. I swore as I accidentally pressed my finger against the call accept button.
"Taichi. I'm in the mood for that farewell fuck." Takumi's voice was slurred. He was definitely drunk. "What do you say?"
He spoke again before I could even get a word in edgeways.
"Big Bear can come pick you up and bring you to the hotel."
Yamato frowned. He snatched the phone from my hand.
"Give it up, Takumi," Yamato growled before he hung up the call. He placed both our phones onto the coffee table and slumped back against my body.
"It's not the first time he's been this way," Yamato explained as he wrapped his arms tightly around me. "We just need to stay away from him."
I wondered what other times Yamato had experienced Takumi being this way? He'd known Takumi since he was sixteen, so it was more than likely he had experienced this side of Takumi before. It also explained why he seemed more relaxed about the situation than I was.
"By the way, I'm working tomorrow," Yamato revealed, resting his head against my chest. Last week, he had started a new job at a music store in Shibuya that sold vintage and second hand music equipment.
"If Takumi tries to encourage you to meet up with him for any reason, don't do it."
I didn't think Takumi would try to do that, at least whilst he was sober.
"Good," Yamato whispered, a sleepy edge to his voice. "I wouldn't know what I'd do if anything happened to you."
I ran my hand up and down his back. Closing his eyes, he sighed out in contentment as he slowly dozed off. Peering over at my phone, I exhaled softly through my nostrils and shut my eyes.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Glancing up at the clock, Yamato grabbed his keys and phone from the dining table and stuffed them into his pockets.
"Do you have to go right now?" I asked, giving him my best seductive look.
"Tai, we've already done it four times this morning," Yamato reminded me, rubbing his hand across his lower back.
"I can't help feeling horny around you," I sighed as I followed him over to the front door, sensing him rolling his eyes.
As he was about to slide on his Converse, I grabbed him by the sleeve of his blue and black checked shirt and spun him around. Cupping his chin with my hand, I gazed into those stunning blue eyes and my heart immediately melted. I pecked him softly on the lips.
"Are you sure you don't wanna be late for work?" I persisted with my quest.
"You can ride me later," Yamato bargained, perching his hand on my rear.
"Deal." I traced my thumb across his jawline. Yamato gave me one final kiss before he turned away and opened the front door.
"Don't miss me too much," I cooed. Yamato released a soft chuckle.
"I'll try and survive." He paused, then glanced back over his shoulder, a serious glint in his eye. "Remember, ignore Takumi if he tries to contact you."
I nodded my head. He smiled again, then headed off towards the stairwell. I watched him until he disappeared out of sight before closing the door.
I didn't hear anything from Yamato until lunch time. Back when he had worked at The Broken String, I'd been used to him frequently sending flirty messages throughout his shifts. I assumed he was still trying to make a good impression to his new work colleagues.
We can use the music store's delivery van to collect your belongings :) x
I tapped back my response:
That's great! Lemme know a date and time and we'll sort it out! x
Yamato swiftly sent his response.
Any time when Takumi isn't there, lol. X
That was a given. Hopefully we could time it so Takumi wouldn't be there. On the off chance, I messaged Shiro to ask if he knew where Takumi had ended up last night. He replied almost immediately.
Takumi returned to the hotel. We saw him drinking at the bar with Nobu.
A sickening sensation lashed against my stomach. After I'd turned him down, he must have taken out his frustrations on Nobu.
Just as I was about to reply to Shiro's text, Yamato's name flashed up on the screen. I immediately answered the call.
"I thought it'd be easier to phone you," his sexy voice floated into my ear. "Yes, we can borrow the van once I've finished my shift."
"Ahh, that's perfect," I said, supporting my phone between my shoulder and ear as I opened up the fridge, in search of the leftovers from last night's dinner. "Hopefully it won't take too long to load it all up."
"Do you have a lot of stuff left there?" Yamato questioned. I shook my head as I closed the fridge, cradling a tupperware box of Yamato's leftover chicken katsu in my hand.
"Not a great deal. I still have a majority of my stuff at my parents."
"That's good. Hey, has there been any news about the photographs?" Yamato asked as I placed my lunch into the microwave.
"Not yet. Isamu is still waiting to hear back from Koushiro."
"It's been two days," Yamato groaned in frustration.
"I know," I sighed back. "Hopefully we'll hear something soon."
"Let me know as soon as you do." Yamato then released a small sigh. "I've gotta get back to work."
"I miss you," I confessed. I really wished he'd stayed with me, but I knew his new job was important to him.
"I miss you too," Yamato replied. "But I'll see you soon."
After ending our phone call, and eating my lunch, I sent my reply to Shiro and asked him if he could find out where Takumi currently was. Given Takumi's drunken state, he'd probably still be passed out in his hotel suite, or so I hoped.
Shiro's response came in a matter of minutes.
Big Bear says Takumi is still in his suite.
That was all I needed to know.
Grabbing my keys, I pulled on my coat and zipped it up. As I tugged open the front door, I stifled a gasp. Isamu was standing on the opposite side of the door, preparing to unlock it with the spare key Mimi had given him several weeks ago. He'd obviously ran all the way up the stairwell. Droplets of sweat were beaded on his forehead and he was panting heavily.
"Don't tell me you were on your way to see Takumi!"
"No, why would I…"
Without saying another word, Isamu tried to push me back inside the apartment, but I resisted.
"Wait, wait. I need to go to my old apartment. Takumi isn't there. I need to go pack up my stuff."
I was clinging tightly onto his arms, a determined shimmer in my eyes. Isamu bit down on his lower lip. Whatever he came here to tell me, it was important.
"OK, ok. I've got my car. I can drive us there." Isamu bargained. I relaxed my grip, before releasing his arms. "But first, let me come in and show you something."
After stepping back inside the flat, Isamu sat down at the dining room table and immediately set up his laptop. I pulled up a chair and slumped down next to him, watching as he clicked on the link in an email Koushiro had sent him. Seconds later, a webpage with a black background and red and white text popped up on the screen.
I spoke the website banner out loud.
"Lustful Hearts."
Below the header was a collation of sordid pictures of young men tied up in compromising positions with all kinds of fixtures, including ropes and handcuffs.
"It's a subscription based website," Isamu clarified. "There's thousands of images on here, including the ones Nobu's taken."
My eyes instantly widened. Shit. This secret was a whole lot darker than either of us had even imagined. And, the fact that I had been unknowingly dragged into the disgusting scheme made it so much worse. Not to mention, Yamato had been deceived in the exact same way as well.
Isamu clicked on another link which brought up the same website, only, this page was a gallery of thumbnails. There were hundreds of them. From what I gathered, this was Nobu's profile.
"Whoever runs this website, they buy these images from photographers, such as Nobu." Isamu gazed over at me as he continued his explanation. "Each time a customer pays to download or view an image, the photographer gets a commission."
My stomach started churning as I imagined the types of people who enjoyed looking at these kinds of photos. My mind also couldn't comprehend how or why people would try and profit off such a thing.
"Your photographs aren't on here though," Isamu explained. "Neither are Yamato's."
That was interesting, especially when we knew Nobu still had those photos of us stored away on 'the cloud'.
Either way, we'd both been exploited by Takumi and Nobu, and so had hundreds of other people. Based on that knowledge alone, I couldn't understand why Yamato still felt the need to try and protect Takumi.
"I had a look through the fine print on the website," Isamu explained. "It states that consent was gained from all subjects."
I frowned as I fixed my eyes on the website's flashy header.
"Is there any evidence of that?"
I queried. Any website could make that claim, but unless it was backed up by physical evidence then surely it was null and voided?
"I'd imagine there is somewhere. Maybe some kind of release form?" Isamu leant back against his chair. "We both know Takumi is thorough."
The possibility was very likely. Takumi was the type to always cover his tracks. Maybe that was even why he had pushed Nobu down those steps?
"Either way, there's still very little we can do," Isamu concluded, perching his hand against his forehead. "According to the uploads on Nobu's profile, this has been happening for the past four or five years."
I quickly did the maths in my head before I swallowed deeply. It had all started when Takumi and Yamato were still bandmates. My stomach suddenly started to feel heavy.
As much as I didn't want to believe it, the likelihood of Yamato knowing something about this was high.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
As Isamu drove us to my old apartment, I was quiet for the first portion of the journey. My brain was still processing the information Isamu had shared with me. I sensed he had more to say, and, soon enough, he broke the ice.
"Tai. I think we're dealing with sex trafficking." Isamu's eyes were still fully fixated on the road ahead as he revealed his theory. "The victims. They're all young, probably naive and vulnerable."
It was something I had feared as well, but had buried into the back of my mind. Takumi had the ability to charm almost anyone. Paired with alcohol and drugs, he was lethal.
"Takumi's family has a lot of power and influence in the media," Isamu stated. We stopped at a red light. He gazed over at me. "It's very easy for him to cover up any accusations or scandals."
I dug my nails into my arm. Him and Mimi knew more about how the media operated than I did, but I was still aware that money was a powerful tool, especially within the entertainment industry.
"Isamu?" His name was the first thing I had said since we had climbed into the car. He briefly turned his head to peer at me, before quickly moving his attention back to the road.
"Yeah?"
My nails pressed harder against my skin. There was something I knew I had to share with him.
"The other day, when we were collecting my stuff from Takumi's suite-" I took a quick deep breath in, bracing myself before I said the rest. "-Yamato found some drugs in Takumi's guitar case."
Isamu's pupils instantly widened. He slapped his hand against the steering wheel as a frustrated expression formed on his face.
"Why are you only just telling me this?"
His voice was an octave higher than usual.
"Yamato said it'd be best to wait until we knew more about the photographs."
Isamu arched an eyebrow. I saw the concern flickering in the cool grey of his irises.
"What kind of drugs?" Isamu asked. "What did they look like?"
I wrapped my fingers tightly around my phone.
"Small round white pills, and some white powder. They were in little plastic bags. We figured they could be rohypnol and GHB."
"Fuck."
"After we left the suite, I wanted to go back there and confront Takumi." I placed my hand against my chest as a tightening sensation squeezed against it. "But Yamato refused. He said Takumi would hurt me."
"It's ok," Isamu reached out and placed his hand on my leg. "Calm down. Breathe."
"Shit," I cursed under my breath as I tried to regulate my breathing. "He may have more drugs stashed away in my old apartment."
"That's definitely a possibility," Isamu responded as we drove onto the Rainbow Bridge.
"Should I tell Yamato about the website?" I asked.
Isamu tapped his fingers against the steering wheel.
"I think he knows more about this than we do," he speculated.
Cupping my hand over my forehead, I swallowed back the bile creeping up my throat. It did explain why Yamato didn't want to tell Isamu about the drugs we'd found in the guitar case. I shouldn't have relented so easily, but I'd been in such a daze. I'd wanted, just for once, to pretend that things were normal between me and Yamato.
"Don't you trust him?" I asked, no longer unable to ignore the strange sense of paranoia stabbing at my own chest.
"I do. But, he's vulnerable, Tai. Trauma runs deep." Isamu started drumming his fingers against the steering wheel once again, unwittingly tapping along to the rhythm of an old and familiar Vertical Illusion tune. "Takumi's exploited him for so long. Yamato may want to get his revenge, but I think there's still a part of him that…"
"No, there isn't," I growled firmly.
Isamu chewed on his lower lip. He didn't say anything else, even after we pulled up into the car park. Once he'd parked up and switched off the engine, I unfastened my seat belt, then reached for the door handle.
"Aren't you coming up?" I asked, aware that Isamu was still very much buckled into his seat and seemingly staring ahead into space.
"Isamu?"
He snapped out of his trance and turned his head to face me.
"You're planning on doing something reckless, aren't you?"
I dipped my hand into my coat pocket, my fingers brushing against my phone.
"I'm just planning to pack up my stuff."
"Tai…" Isamu knew all too well that once my mind was set on something, I was unable to give it up.
"Yamato will be coming here in a few hours. I'll be fine."
Isamu clenched his teeth together and placed a hand on his forehead. "Mimi has a pregnancy scan, so I can't hang around," Isamu explained, rubbing his fingers against his temples. His steel grey eyes then locked with mine. "Text me if anything happens, or if you find anything, ok?"
I nodded then tapped my hand against his upper arm.
"You'll be first to know," I vowed.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Stepping into the flat, I was greeted by a warm silence. With the faint whooshing of the waves crashing against the shoreline outside, it felt just like old times; returning to my apartment after a long day of work, eagerly counting down the minutes until Yamato would come over and join me for dinner, wine and sex. A sudden tinge of guilt washed over me. Our affair still wasn't exactly something I was proud of, but I still had no regrets to where it had led us. It seemed like years had passed since then; when, in reality, it had been less than a year.
I started my search in the living room, before moving on to the bedroom. Finally, after rummaging through the obvious places I could think of, I realised Takumi probably wouldn't be this careless to leave any evidence laying around. Maybe the only stash he had was in his guitar case after all? Resting my hand against my forehead, I realised a hearty sigh. Sex trafficking. Fuck, was the whole situation really that serious?
I jumped out of my skin as I suddenly heard the front door open. Hurrying out of the bedroom, I wiped my hand along my brow and took a sharp breath. My eyes immediately locked onto Takumi who was still lingering by the front door, obviously realising my shoes and jacket were there.
"Were you waiting here for me?" He asked as soon as his gaze met mine. There appeared to be a hopeful note clinging to his voice.
I immediately shook my head.
"No, I…"
"Don't worry," the black haired singer sighed as he removed his baseball cap and puffer coat, hanging them up on the stand by the door. "The farewell fuck offer has expired."
Takumi's hair was dishevelled and eyes somewhat bloodshot. He'd definitely had a rough and heavy night.
"I'm just here to grab my stuff," I affirmed, folding my arms across my chest, eyes glaring straight at him. "Yamato will be here later with a van," I added. "To help me move it all out."
"I'll help you pack up," Takumi offered, tapping his hand against my shoulder. I flinched at the contact, and he smirked. "Come on, don't be so edgy."
Before I could say a word, he disappeared into the bedroom. He emerged a couple of minutes later wearing a plain green short sleeved t-shirt instead of the creased long sleeved blue shirt he'd been dressed in.
Takumi smirked when I noticed that there were fresh scratch and bite marks littered across his neck and arms. He'd obviously had a wild night with Nobu.
"It could have been you," Takumi stated matter-of -factly, his fingers tracing along the bright red streaks lined against his skin.
Over the next hour, Takumi helped box and tape up my photography and painting equipment in the bedroom, whilst I flung my clothes into the two suitcases I still fortunately had stashed away in my old cupboard. Compared to how he'd been in the Hotel suite, Takumi was unusually relaxed and calm. It was unsettling, especially now that I knew about the website.
"So, is that everything?" Takumi asked, placing down the final box by the front door.
"I want to take the sofa too," I announced. Takumi raised an eyebrow as he gazed at the very first piece of furniture I had bought for this flat.
"That's a shame. We had some pretty wild sex on it, didn't we?" Takumi reminded me, his tongue sliding across his lips. A sickening sensation lashed against my stomach when I recalled his hands squeezing against my neck. Suddenly, I no longer felt as compelled to take it with me.
"But of course, it's yours to keep." Takumi patted his hand against my lower back before he strolled off into the kitchen. "We can dismantle it once Yamato gets here."
The fridge freezer distinctively clacked as he opened it up. I took the time to send a text to Yamato to try and find out his arrival time. As I tapped out my message, I debated whether to tell him about Takumi being here or not. I knew he would only panic and race on over if I did mention it.
"Thirsty?"
I looked up. Takumi was standing in the archway between the kitchen and living room. He waved a bottle of Pocari Sweat up in the air. I hit send on my message before I walked over to him, wiping my hand along my brow. I thanked him as I took the bottle from him.
My survival instincts were still on high alert; but I was confident that if I played along nicely with Takumi until Yamato showed up, I knew I would be fine.
As I headed back over to the living room table, I found myself gazing at the bottle in suspicion. The lid was still sealed and secure; there was no way he could have tampered with it. He'd obviously realised that he had nothing left to gain from tormenting me. That, or he had vented out everything he needed to on Nobu last night.
Unscrewing the lid, I eagerly gulped down the contents of the bottle, almost in one go.
"You must have been really thirsty," Takumi chuckled after taking a sip from his own bottle.
"Packing is hard work," I replied. I toyed with the neck of the plastic bottle as I sat down on the sofa. "Why were you so eager to help me?"
Takumi sat down next to me and made himself comfortable.
"Just because we're no longer a couple, it doesn't mean I still can't help you out, right?" Takumi raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm not the heartless monster you seem to keep painting me as."
His words still failed to reassure me. The whole situation was so bizarre. Still, I figured that if I kept him sweet, I wouldn't have to worry about him doing anything rash. It would also help me buy enough time before Yamato got here.
"Shall we have a farewell drink?" I asked. Takumi immediately raised an eyebrow, but then, several moments later, he placed his hands behind his head and smirked.
"It's like you think this will be the last time we'll see each other."
I didn't think too much about his choice of words at that time.
"You stay there; I'll sort them out," I said as I rose to my feet and walked as calmly as I could into the kitchen.
My hands were shaking as I placed two glass tumblers down on the kitchen counter. The ice cubes clinked loudly against the glass as I added them in, before I poured a generous measure of Takumi's fancy Yamazaki whisky into each glass. As I carried both the drinks back into the living room, I could feel my heart palpitating wildly against my chest, and my skin was heating up.
Takumi peered up from his phone, as I handed him his glass. I sat down and we raised a toast to our break-up.
I immediately took a generous sip of my glass, trying not to flinch as the liquid burnt the back of my throat. Takumi gazed down at the contents of his own drink. As he swirled the ice around, I bit down on my lower lip. Then, he took a slow sip, before placing his glass down onto the coffee table.
"I've always liked that about you, Taichi," Takumi said. His eyes were yo-yoing between me and the empty bottle of Pocari still sitting on the coffee table. I arched my brow. It was as if he was sharing part of a private conversation he'd been having in his head. "You've always been so willing, and trusting."
As I fixed my eyes on the empty bottle, a wave of horror hit me. I realised my mistake almost too late. I tried my hardest to not to look panicked, but, as Takumi's mouth stretched into a full on grin, I knew I had already given my fear away. These weren't nerves I was experiencing. At least, not completely.
I quickly stood up, realising that my head was feeling foggy and heavy.
I had to get to the toilet.
I had to throw up.
As I made my way to the bathroom, my legs swayed unsteadily, like I was onboard a ship, navigating its way through a storm. Panic gripped at my chest as I stepped through the door. Before I could close it behind me, my phone started ringing. In a hurried attempt to answer it, I clumsily dropped it onto the floor.
Wincing, I placed my hand against my stomach. Fucking bastard. How had he done it? The plastic bottle had been sealed. There was no evidence of him tampering with it.
In the next instance, an arm wrapped around my waist and I was guided back into the living room, and back onto the sofa. Groaning, I immediately tried to stand back up, but my legs and arms were like a deadweight.
"Don't tell me you're drunk already?" His voice drifted against my ear. His body was pushed up next to mine, his hand stroking my cheek. I tried to bat his hand away, but ended up slumping against his body thanks to my sudden lack of strength.
Takumi ran his tongue along my earlobe as he pressed his hand against the front of my jeans, groping me roughly. Every hair on my body stood on end as he gazed at me, and then at the glass of whisky he had barely touched.
"You're up to something," Takumi stated, before reaching for his glass. A harsh shiver shot down my spine as he pressed the cold object up against my lips.
"Open your mouth and drink it," he commanded. I tilted my head away. Takumi frowned. "Why are you refusing?" He pushed the glass harder against my mouth. "You were happy for me to drink it."
"N-no, I…," I protested.
Takumi suddenly pinched the bridge of my nose. In reflex, I parted my lips and he tipped the contents of the glass into my mouth as he tilted my head back with his other hand. Some of the harsh liquid slid down my throat, whilst the rest dripped down my chin.
"So messy," Takumi chuckled. He pressed his hand against my cheek and stared me deep in the eyes. "You have some balls, Taichi, I'll give you that."
I glared at him, frustrated that I was unable to fight back against him.
"Yamato's on his way," Takumi revealed, his fingers stroking against the stubble on my jaw. "Can you stay awake until he arrives?"
His lips drifted towards mine. As they were about to make contact, I jerked my head forward, my forehead cracking hard against his nose. He recoiled back, cupping his hand over his face.
Fuelled by adrenaline I pushed myself up onto my feet. My body completely felt like jelly, as I wobbled my way over to the bathroom.
Seconds after I opened the door, Takumi grabbed me by the hem of my t-shirt. He yanked me backwards, then swung his left fist into my ribs. The blow, combined with the effects of whatever I'd been drugged with, sent me straight down onto my knees.
"Bastard," he hissed, cupping his swollen nose, blood dripping down his face and onto the floor like a broken tap.
Groaning, I attempted to stand back up. Takumi immediately drove the sole of his foot into my back. I landed heavily onto my stomach and winced as Takumi placed his knee against my upper back, pinning me down.
"All I ever wanted was him." He grasped hold of my neck, pressing his fingers down just enough to make me inhale sharply. "I deserve him."
Scowling, I hated how he was referring to Yamato as if he was merely an accessory, something he could flaunt. He had no true love for him. Just some strange obsession.
Standing up, he placed his foot onto my back. My mind was so confused and clouded, until Takumi grabbed hold of my right arm. I grunted in discomfort as he stretched and bent it across the back of my body. Then, in one quick movement, he jolted it back.
I muffled a scream as I felt my bones snap under the abrupt force. Moments later, there was white hot pain. I hissed between clenched teeth as he held it in the same position, applying even more force. Adrenaline immediately kicked in. Out of instinct, I tried to wiggle out from his hold, but my muscles were too weak to fight him off.
He kept pushing until I felt another popping sensation within my shoulder joint, as he dislocated it. I howled in agony.
Seemingly satisfied with his handy work, he spun me onto my back. A sheet of ice washed over me as he positioned my right hand away from my body, terror rushed through me.
He still wasn't done.
He stood up. I desperately tried to drag my arm back to my side, but I no longer had any control over it. As Takumi pressed one foot into my shoulder.
"Takumi, please, n-no," I pleaded, my eyes watering as I trembled violently. The worst part was knowing what he intended to do, but having no ability to stop him.
"This is the only way," he stated, a neutral expression fixed on his face.
I wasn't prepared as the heel of his foot came crashing down onto my forearm and wrist, striking his heel hard against my already broken bones.
He continued, once more, then again. Then a third and final time. Each time just as hard, if not harder than the last. Inhuman sobs escaped from my trembling lips as an agonising burning throbbed through my arm. Amongst the pain, Yamato's voice started to echo through my aching skull.
He will break you.
Time stretched on for an eternity, and gradually, the pain started to fade. Whether it was from nerve damage or the adrenaline, I wasn't sure.
My body sank in relief as he finally released my numb arm. Soon, a radiating throb of agony, combined with pins and needles, cruised from my hand, shooting down the entirety of my right arm. My stomach churned. I thought I was going to be sick.
Takumi knelt down by my shaking body.
"Bet you wish you were ambidextrous now," he whispered in my ear, most likely recalling the time I had told him I was absolutely useless at drawing with my left hand.
Encouraging myself to take long and deep breaths, I managed to look down at the damage he had inflicted.
My wrist was completely skewed and bent out of place. The skin on my arm was dark purple, like I was wearing some kind of sleeve. Whether it was blood or bruising, I couldn't tell. As I fought to keep my eyelids open, Takumi lightly tapped his hand against my cheek, encouraging me to stay awake.
Tap tap.
The distant sound of someone tapping against the front door prevented me from losing consciousness.
"Don't you dare pass out," Takumi whispered into my ear, before he stood up and made his way towards the front door.
'Move! Get up!' A little voice in my head encouraged me to seize the opportunity to save myself.
With my left hand, I pawed at the porcelain from the bathroom sink. My entire body felt like it was heating up, like every cell was on fire.
Gritting my teeth, I managed to hook my fingers over the edge of the sink, and hoisted myself up with my left arm. Then, I threw myself against the door, slamming it shut in the process, before quickly flicking the lock shut.
"Shit!" I heard Takumi curse. A few seconds later, he desperately twisted on the door handle, to no avail, before he thumped his fist against the door.
I hyperventilated as my back slumped down against the wood, until I was resting on my rear. I was shivering, my skin was soaked with sweat, and all I wanted to do was throw up; although, when I forced a cough, nothing threatened to come up.
The adrenaline was fading. The pain of my broken arm was amplifying. I knew I couldn't hide away in the bathroom forever. Biting down hard on my lip, I peered down by my foot. My heart jumped.
Phone. It was my phone.
I chuckled in triumph. I could warn Yamato, and call the police; end this nightmare once and for all.
Shuffling forwards, before reaching out, I grasped hold of it, praying I wasn't hallucinating. My heart was pounding hard against my chest, until I flipped it over.
"No, no…" I murmured. The screen was completely smashed. I frantically tapped my fingers against it, but it was completely unresponsive.
"F-fuck!"
Dropping the useless object to the floor, I released a frustrated cry. My right arm was in absolute agony. Takumi had stamped on it so much that I couldn't even move it.
The doorbell rang again.
I bit down on my lip and closed my eyes.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Song lyrics:
Hozier - "Sedated"
D-Angel: Ahhh, cliffhanger. Takumi has finally cracked. We're almost there. Two more chapters. Maybe even three? Stay with me :) I'll try my best to get the next one out by September. And then, hopefully, the last one or two before the end of the year (purely depending how stressful my 2nd year of University is).
Thanks for reading and sticking with me on this story for the past two decades!
See you next chapter :)
D-Angel
08/08/23
(Chapter amended in August 2024)