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Sumino is an odd one. He's erratic, impulsive and tends to close himself off when he's struggling.
Maybe it's what makes him an ideal host. He doesn't reach out, not even after noticing the first symptoms that something is wrong with him. No, he's the kind who would rather die than ask for help.
Because it's probably nothing.
But there's another side to him. He pretends to be kind, but there's carnage locked up deep inside his heart, shackled into place by chains behind locked doors and barricades to keep it there. It's a stark contrast to the casual nonchalance Sumino carries himself with, as if the violence sleeping within him was an entirely different entity.
It's hard to access. Whether Sumino is conscious of it or not, he simply can't release it. What would it take to set Sumino's killing potential free? How could Sumino be turned into a merciless killing machine just at his disposal?
These days, he seems to be wasting away. He's listless and hardly sleeps, hardly eats, and it's harder to take over to set the plan into motion without being detected. Sudden activity would raise suspicion.
It takes a few days of rummaging through the host's memories to get a clue. He figures some mammals are social creatures. Some of them die if they're all alone. Is Sumino mourning? The one he killed so many days ago? Was he special?
They buried him after Sumino spent far too much time in the Morgue, sometimes falling asleep there. It's almost tragic. They just wanted to help him.
Tonight, he'll find out all about it.
Light rain falls tonight as he wanders outside the academy. Pale blue light tries and fails to illuminate the pitch black night, but that's quite alright. He doesn't need to see. He can smell just fine.
There's no grave marker in the schoolyard, so he has to search for it. On all fours, face pressed up against the ground, trying to pick up the scent of decay until he finds the remnants of disturbed earth.
"Hey there, Aotsuki," he says and caresses the raw earth, drenched by rain, "Isn't it a little cold down there?"
His heart starts beating faster. It's the most reactive this body has been ever since they merged. His nails dig into the ground and carve grooves into the soft wet ground.
The rain is getting heavier. He'd put on a raincoat for the occasion in anticipation of making a mess. The rain wasn't planned, but he doesn't mind it. It'll be easier to hide later.
Once his fingers have started to shovel, Sumino's body burns up with adrenaline. He digs and scratches and carves away, until he's covered in sweat and panting. Desperate grunts escape his mouth, with more motivation than he had shown in days.
His fingertips touch something solid and he stops to wipe his forehead with the back of his hand. The sickly sweet scent of decay hits his nose as he gently starts to clean the body off.
Skin ashen and closed eyes sunken, Eito shows advanced stages of rot already. But he's not too broken yet to use. No, he'll do just fine.
"So you're the one that makes Sumino so sad," he drawls and brushes a thumb over Eito's cold cheek. The rain drenches his silver hair and washes away the dirt. Like this, he almost looks like he's sleeping, if it wasn't for all the blood on his chest.
It's time to kiss the princess awake.
He sits up, and whistles sharply. The rain has gotten rougher, and he figures he has to get him out of the grave to proceed.
Eito's body is unrelenting. He's stiff and heavy and he has to use quite a bit of force to drag him out. Dead weight dragged across wet grass, Eito's head lands in a forming puddle.
He can feel the presence before he can see it. He turns and his eyes land on the bushes nearby. The Queen seems suspicious of him. In this state, they usually go their different ways. It's rare for a female spawner to request specific puppets. Maybe she's confused.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" he asks and takes a couple steps back.
The Queen slithers across the ground and slowly crawls on top of Eito's body.
He turns away and walks a little distance, circling back around the schoolyard. He waits, and eventually the rain ceases. The air is heavy and fresh after the downpour and the light finally reaches the ground. Maybe an hour passes, maybe two, maybe even more. Time is entirely meaningless to him as long as the night stays dark.
He eventually returns to the empty grave and finds Eito's body twitching next to it. Eyelids flutter open, blink slowly in confusion. A hoarse groan escapes his throat and he weakly struggles to get to his feet.
"Heh... Hmm, I can see why Sumino likes you," he says as he approaches.
Eito pauses, clouded over eyes gazing up at him. He thinks they twitch a little, or maybe he tries to squint. His glasses are broken, but it's not like he'll need them anymore. It's not like he can see a whole lot in the first place.
"Grhhch… G'ieeee… " Eito murmurs. It's sounds like a purr.
Sumino's heart is racing. Something warm drips from his nose, and he reaches up his hand to find his nose bleeding. Even in this dormant state, the host is so receptive to his beloved.
He can't help but let himself be a little swept up in the sensation. It's thrilling, like the hunt, but gentler. Nothing like he's ever experienced before. His instincts only know killing and breeding, and it's somewhere between that. He feels affection for the creature before him. He can feel the desire for Eito on a more primal level. A deep craving, an anxious gnawing to touch, to be close.
"Heh... He's happy to see you," he says and bows to take Eito's hands.
They're still all stiff and barely moving. It's going to take a while to get the body into proper shape to move around freely, given for how long he's been buried. Pieces of hair fall from where his scalp is slightly peeling off. He reaches out his hand and gently brushes the dead skin back behind his ear.
"Aren't you beautiful?" he asks.
Eito's lips part with a decay-riddled stench, a ragged exhale out of lungs that do not breathe anymore.
"Hehe... I'm sure you'll do just fine. You'll be good for me, won't you?"
Eito takes a step forward and stumbles. His unresponsive hands push against Sumino's chest, claw into the raincoat. He's slightly hunched over, a wheezy sound escaping his rotting lips. A dried out tongue emerges from within and laps up the blood from Sumino's nose.
"Heh... Haha... Hahaha... Hmm... You still recognize me, don't you?" he hums.
He must've been a tall figure in life. Sumino's memories supply bright attentive blue eyes and sharp grins on his now blank face.
He grabs Eito's hands, holds them tight until he finds his balance. Eito's knuckles crack audibly when he parts them to interlace their fingers.
Eito growls. He seems a little dazed. The sluggishness of someone long gone who was never supposed to move again. He was asleep for a very long time. The bodies the male spawner picks out are usually fresher.
But that's quite alright.
He'll be a good addition. He was buried for a while, it's only natural his joints need some exercise to be able to carry him securely. If it helps to control the host, he would drag him along even if his legs wouldn't carry him anymore. Even if he was just a severed head.
Eito snarls quietly, but doesn't try to pull away. Even in this state it seems he recognizes his partner. The courting rituals of this species works in strange ways. He wonders why Sumino never copulated with him.
"Ah, I can feel it... He misses you so dearly... So pretty, aren't you? Won't you be useful to me?" he mumbles fondly.
Eito staggers. He desperately tries to push his head against Sumino's body.
He finds himself laughing. Light and carefree, his mind pleasantly quiet. The host isn't fighting back at all. Maybe he's finally at ease now that he has Eito back. He doesn't even have to be awake to feel his presence.
Delighted over the progress, he starts to sway Eito's arms in a slow dance. Of course, Eito can't keep up. He keeps tripping, hisses and grunts with each time his knees are bumped into place, but he's not bothered. He wraps an arm around Eito's ice cold body, tightly presses him against his chest and lets his head roll back.
His laughter echoes into the night. Yes, the doors are open. The shackles are unlocked. Eito is letting out the beast. He can feel a new surge of violence radiating deep within Sumino's core. Maybe Eito enables it, maybe Eito amplifies it. It doesn't matter either way.
Tonight, he'll test out just how far he can push it. What beautiful carnage will Sumino lay bare for him to discover? How would he look with blood on his hands?
His gut churns in anxious excitement. Maybe this is love, he thinks. Maybe hate and violence is love, and that's why he craves Eito.
He stops, his hand still holding onto Eito's cold dead skin. His fingers claw into him. He's eager to begin.
"You're itching for it too, aren't you?" he asks.
Eito shakes his head like a wet dog, sending his useless glasses flying. He's panting and groaning, drool drips from his chin.
"Heh... Let's go for a little walk then," he says.
Eito doesn't wander from his side. Limping and swaying, he stays right beside him like he's never done anything else.
Arms crossed behind his back and raindrops still dripping from his clothes, wet footprints lead into the academy. Quiet footsteps, the sound of something dragging behind.
A growl in the dark.
A scream.
Tonight, he'd find out just what love truly means to Sumino.