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: Hey guys, hope you're all doing well. Can't believe it's 2024! Madness.

As expected, University's been absolutely non-stop and super intense this semester; this is the first opportunity I've had to even think about this story since September! D:

Being a key part of the story's conclusion, this chapter has honestly undergone a lot of edits, but I've now decided to go ahead and post it up as it now stands (otherwise we'll be here for another twenty years, lol). To be honest, the whole climax / Act 3 of this story has changed so much from what I originally intended, but I guess that's what happens when you fester on a story for so long, haha.

As always, here are the replies for my lovely reviewers:

Ichi-yagami: The ending is very close now! Thank you for sticking with me and this story for so long, haha.

Angelfish369: Ahh Angelfish, so pleased to hear from you. Hope life is treating you well :)

Yeah, two decades is a crazy long time! I vividly remember when I started writing this story, way back when I was a teen.

I guess we've "known" each other for a pretty significant chunk of time now!

I'm sad about the fandom being pretty much dead too, but it's always a treat to see a new fanfic or piece of fanart emerge :D

Lol, I have to read back on this story too every time I sit down to write it. I wish I'd logged a summary of each chapter. Looking back on the earlier chapters, there's a few inconsistencies and neglected plot points that bug me, but I'll leave them in until the story is finished, then I'll likely go back and edit them.

I wanted to stretch Yamato's and Taichi's happiness together for another chapter, but I realised it would have broken up the tension forming with Takumi's breakdown. Takumi has legit been my favourite OC to write. I'm pretty sure we've all come across a narcissist like him before; charming, but very manipulative, which I guess is what makes him both alluring and dangerous.

I'll also tell you some good news, this won't be my final multi-length Tai/Yama fic. I have been secretly planning and writing a couple more stories on the side. When or where I post them is another question altogether though, haha. I can send you a teaser chapter for one of them if you're interested though, just lemme know.

Annnnd… I have a few random drabbles for Cup of Lust written up (mostly based around events that occurred before the timeline of Cup of Lust), so maybe I'll post up a separate collection of bonus chapters once the main story is finished.

Basically, I'm not finished with the fandom yet, and unlikely will be until I physically can't write anymore, lol.

And honestly, thanks for supporting me all these years. It means a lot!

D-Angel: Big thanks to everyone else who are still reading this fic. I'll let you all get on and get to the good stuff!

Read on and enjoy!

Chapter 32- Checkmate

'It was late at night, you held on tight, From an empty seat, a flash of light.'

"Taichi? Taichi?!"

An urgent voice shook me awake. My cheek was pressed against a cold vinyl floor. I blinked rapidly. I couldn't figure out where I even was. The atmosphere was thick and dark, and in the distance, there was the sound of a dripping tap, which seemed to grow louder with each and every heartbeat. Slowly, I pushed myself up onto my feet. As I did, there was the buzz of a light bulb flickering to life, before my surroundings gradually lit up.

Beneath my feet, and stretched out around me, was a grid-like platform of black and white squares, like some kind of giant chess board, suspended over a canvas of black nothingness. Curiously, I ventured across the board, my footsteps echoing against the polished surface, until I reached the edge. Peering over, I gazed down at an infinite void of darkness. Shivering, I took a step back, and bumped against something solid.

Spinning around, I was confronted by a human-size white King chess piece, carved out of smooth marble. Then I realised, he wasn't alone. The rest of the board was populated too with other black and white chess pieces, also a similar size to the King piece. As I studied them closer, I realised each one represented someone I knew; Mimi, Isamu, Hikari and even Shiro.

My eyes drifted back to the King piece I'd almost knocked over, my lips parting in surprise.

"Yamato," I murmured his name. As I reached out to touch his marbled arm, a white light enveloped his body. Then, the board beneath me started to slowly vibrate.

The other chess pieces started to move. I watched as they danced around distortedly, eliminating each other, one by one, knocking each other into the dark void below, until only two pieces remained; Yamato and Takumi. For a moment, they lingered in the centre of the board, facing each other, before they suddenly twisted towards my direction, eyes glistening red. With heavy clunks, they started to race towards me. Gasping out, I shuffled back, until I reached the edge of the board. I peered over my shoulder into the abyss, then frantically gazed back at the replicas of Yamato and Takumi standing in front of me with expressionless faces.

Their stiff arms reached out, grasping me by my wrists. As they did, the chess board started to dissolve underneath my feet, alongside the chess pieces of Yamato and Takumi. I started to sink into the gooey residue, like it was quicksand. I quickly tried to free myself, but, as I struggled to get my legs out, I only sunk deeper into the thick black and white concoction.

"Taichi!"

I peered up and saw Yamato standing in front of me, his hand outstretched, a neutral expression fixed on his statue-like face, eerily contradicting the urgency in his voice. Instinctively, I reached up, fingers stretching out to touch his hand.

The moment my fingers made contact with his icy digits, my eyes widened. Panic surged through my body as the heavy substance I was stuck in started to steadily drift up my outstretched arm, weaving and wrapping around it tightly, like poison ivy, until it reached my fingertips. My eyes widened as it started to eat away at my flesh and bone; working its way from my fingers, back up my arm. Unleashing a muted whimper, I struggled hard, kicking my legs and wiggling my torso, desperately trying to free myself as the substance abruptly devoured my arm, like acid on metal.

"Let me go!" I growled, my skin burning in frustration. Seconds later, the goo disappeared as the board around me faded. I fell into the darkness, tightly closing my eyes, urging this nightmare to finally end.

"Look at me!" Takumi's assertive voice suddenly demanded.

Almost instantaneously, my eyelids fluttered open.

I was back in my apartment, sprawled out on the sofa with something heavy weighing me down against the excessively sticky leather. As my vision adjusted to the new scenario, I quickly realised I was trapped underneath the dark chess piece resembling Takumi.

In a blind panic, I tried to push him off with my remaining arm, but the more I tried to wiggle away, the more I realised I lacked the strength.

As I grew more desperate, his green piercing eyes started to glow menacingly, before his heavy, icy hands wrapped around my neck and squeezed tightly.

Like a sudden jump cut in a horror film, I awoke abruptly, gasping for breath, my body stretched across the familiar bathroom floor. My right arm was absolutely pounding; pain radiating from my shoulder down to the tips of my fingers. My stomach heaved, although, like before, I couldn't throw anything up.

I pressed my left hand against my forehead.

What I'd just experienced, had it been a hallucination, or a dream? Not like it mattered. This, right now, was real. I was sure of it, judging by the agony I was in.

My body was still burning hot and it felt like ants were crawling all over me, tickling and stinging my skin. It was a familiar sensation, I realised.

The remnants of my dream still clung to my consciousness like a haunting echo. I had no idea how long I'd been out for. Surely not for too long. Hopefully not.

A rattling and clacking sound coming from behind the door distracted me from the uneasy feeling consuming my body. In a matter of seconds, the door hinges clattered onto the floor. Moments later the door swung open, partially bumping against my legs. Fear danced in my eyes as Takumi's body loomed over me. Collapsing onto his knees, he dropped the object, a screwdriver, he had held in his hands and enveloped me in his shaking arms.

"Everything's OK," Takumi soothed. His voice was warmer than usual. As his arms squeezed hard around me, and my broken arm, my body jerked in reflex. His grip immediately loosened, but he still kept holding me.

Don't drop your guard. A little voice reminded me.

In instinct, my left hand reached for the screwdriver he had dropped. I swung it forwards, plunging it straight into Takumi's torso. His eyes widened. I pushed his body away, then fell straight to the floor, a weak groan straining from my lips as I felt the remaining traces of energy dissipating from my body.

As time seemed to freeze, a cold air crept over me. That couldn't be it, surely? Was it truly over?
My eyes peered up through the haze of pain.

Blond hair. Blue eyes quivering in fear.

Oh shit. No. No. No.

"Y-Yama…" I croaked.

Yamato was looking down at the screwdriver embedded in his stomach and the blood that was staining his white t-shirt. My head started spinning. In my haze, I somehow managed to push myself onto my knees and reached out to grasp the blue handle, but he slapped my hand away.

"It's fine, Chi," Yamato reassured me once again as he peered into my eyes; ignoring the expanding circle of blood pooling against the fabric of his t-shirt.

Placing my hand against my forehead, I released a long and loud pained sob; a mixture of the frustration that had been buried away for the past several months, and the fresh burst of pain which burnt through every inch of my body.

Then, there was a laugh, but it came from the doorway. It was a broken laugh; one that suggested a lack of sanity. I didn't have to look to know who it belonged to. Takumi had probably been standing there all this time, simply watching the scene unfold.

The red from Yamato's wound was all I could focus on as my vision blurred and a cold numbness wrapped around me.

"I can't believe you stabbed him," Takumi's voice wormed its way into my ear, his tone turning darker with each word. "Perhaps I should return the favour?"

Seconds later, Yamato staggered back, before he landed onto the living room floor as his legs gave way. Takumi's face immediately paled.

"Shit," Takumi murmured before he spun around and raced towards the kitchen. I dragged myself into the living room, shuffling up to Yamato's side as best I could to try and comfort him. He was wincing, as he clutched onto the handle of the screwdriver, his entire body shaking. I placed my hand against his, guiding his hands away, my eyes willing him to calm down, despite the severity of the situation.

Takumi returned to the living room quickly, a pair of scissors clutched in his hand. He kicked me out of the way, then knelt down by Yamato. Panic surged through me as I watched the real life nightmare continue to unfold.

"Hold still," Takumi growled as he willed Yamato to stop shaking. I watched helplessly as Takumi cut off Yamato's t-shirt. His hand then hovered over the screwdriver handle with an indecisive flicker glowing in his eyes.

"S-stop," I feebly warned him, but Takumi ignored my plea, his fingers now curling around the hard plastic. The wail of police sirens suddenly screamed out in the near distance. Takumi snapped his hand away from the screwdriver, as if he had just touched a red hot iron, before he swore under his breath.

"I guess they've found his body."

Upon hearing Takumi's admission, a cold chill shot down my spine, despite not knowing who he was talking about at that time.

Yamato groaned from his crumpled position on the floor. Takumi ignored him; his lustful eyes were now fixated on me. The ticking of the living room clock amplified as pivoted his body. Now he was looming over me like a storm cloud. A heavy weight of terror pressed against my lungs, so tight I could barely breathe. Next to me, Yamato writhed on the floor, his breaths laboured. I quickly realised what he was doing as his fingers brushed against the scissors laying beside him, before he nudged them closer to me.

Fighting back my pain and exhaustion, I reached out, grabbing the object, my only option of defence, before holding it up, locking eyes with Takumi.

"D...don't," I warned, my voice wavering but determined. The police sirens outside grew louder, blending with the crescendo of our breaths. The stakes were higher than ever; the consequence of this moment would irreversibly reshape our lives. Our gazes still fixed, Takumi's lips curled into a twisted smile. His hand twitched, a subtle movement that expressed his readiness to pounce. The dance of danger unfolded, a silent battle of nerves and survival.

"Go on then. Stab me too," Takumi taunted, before he lunged forward, his menacing presence closing the gap. With instinctive reflexes, I thrust the blades of the scissors towards him, a desperate attempt to ward off his deadly attack. With a sinister laugh, Takumi effortlessly tore the object out from my left arm, before hitting me in the face.

"I gave you an opportunity," Takumi said with a disappointed sigh, before he tossed the scissors across the room, "and you still fucked it up."

The ticking clock in the living room became an ominous backdrop, counting down the final moments of the nightmare that was still unfolding. My heavy heart beat soon drowned out the monotonous ticking as Takumi knelt over me, his eyes locking with mine. The way he was looking at me, eyes wide, glowing with pure insanity, it was identical to the night his hands had wrapped around my neck. Only this time, if he tried to choke me, I knew he would have no intention to let go.

In a final attempt to get away, I tried to roll away from him, only, I could no longer control my body. My fingers and toes twitched, and that was it. Thanks to the drug in my system, my body felt too numb and heavy.

Frustration flooded through my immobilised body. I hated to admit, but I had no cards left to play, nor the energy to even play them. Even Takumi knew I couldn't fight back anymore.

This was it.

As Takumi's fingers danced across my neck, toying with me one final time as I braced myself for the inevitable. That was until I saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. Yamato, with gritted teeth and determination blazing in his eyes, had pulled the screwdriver out from his stomach. And then, riding the same wave of adrenaline, he'd climbed onto his knees. Somehow, Takumi didn't notice Yamato's sudden shift of position; his eyes were still focused too heavily on me, his prey. His lips curled into a cynical smirk before he finally pounced at me.

The very moment Takumi's hands wrapped around my neck, Yamato silently plunged the screwdriver into Takumi's back. A muffled gasp escaped Takumi's lips. He collapsed forward, momentarily incapacitated, his focus shifted from me to the searing pain in his back. The screwdriver remained embedded in his flesh, a testament to Yamato's final act of defiance.

As an invisible force squeezed against my stomach, Yamato's eyes met mine, a silent acknowledgment of the sacrifice he'd made to ensure our safety, before he collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud, blood seeping out from his own wound.

The piercing wail of police sirens reached a crescendo. The room, now a battleground of shattered emotions and broken bonds, seemed to freeze, like a photograph, as the police burst through the door. As they flooded in, their expressions shifted from alert readiness to astonishment as they surveyed the scene. The air became charged with the weight of impending consequences, and I found myself caught in the crossfire of their judgemental gazes.

Panic flickered in Takumi's eyes, a stark contrast to the calculated demeanour he had maintained moments before. He realised the gravity of the situation, and the consequences of his actions; although now it was all too late.

Song lyrics:
Beach House - "Space Song"

D-Angel: Daaaamn. That was an intense chapter to write. I also had a completely different opening and ending drafted out for this chapter until a few days ago, before I decided to take this approach instead. I'll explain why when I post the next chapter. We'll also find out the fates of everyone ;)

Shout out to ChatGPT for helping me edit this chapter; I am hopelessly hooked on it right now. It makes a handy writing assistance tool for sure.

Only two more chapters left, which will be posted up this year (I'm sure I can manage it, lol), and they will likely be a similar length to this chapter too.

It's crazy to think we're almost at the end. We will get there though!

Any Qs in the meanwhile, please feel free to DM me :)

Ciao for now!

D-Angel
18/01/24

Chapter amended / edited in December 2024.