BLACK CHERRY / The Game (Chapter 16)
Title: The Game (Chapter 16)
Fandom: BLACK CHERRY
Characters: Ryo x はるき
Genre: Romance, erotica
Table: One
Prompt: 042. Sink
Word Count: 1757
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The rules of The Game were very simple.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
The Game
Chapter Sixteen
(042. Sink)
Haruki’s entire body was shaking so bad she could hardly walk straight on the way home.
With clammy hands she fumbled for her apartment keys as she began trudging up the stairs. Every step felt heavier, a second closer to almost hurling everything she ate. She was sick to the core, angry and disgusted at Ryou. At herself.
What had she been thinking, agreeing to Prof. Mikura like that? She would rather die than join the game again-as Prof. Mikura’ pet of all people-and yet the look on Ryou’s face at that moment had been worth it. Almost.
Vengeance was not her thing. She coped by forgetting, and for weeks she’d been in a better place. She’d been so close to moving on, but now Prof. Mikura had successfully planted the seed of discord in her mind. She was not stupid not to know what he would gain from it, and yet she’d recklessly agreed.
No. She had not made a promise. Nothing bound her from fulfilling her words, except…
Her education. Her reputation. She had no true hold over Prof. Mikura. She had no copies of the videos, lost all communication with that girl Sadie… she only had her own words against some of the highest-ranking, tenured professors on campus. She had nothing.
Haruki finally arrived at her floor, exhausted in more meanings than one. She was never going to escape this downward spiral. If sleeping with Prof. Mikura to get back at Ryou meant sinking lower, would it be better? After all, there was no other way but up once she hit rock bottom, right?
Haruki pushed away from the wall and continued heading down the corridor to her room. She froze at the sight of Ryou standing before her door.
Even meters away, his anger was palpable. His fists were clenched hard, his jaw tight, his slate grey eyes narrowed with silent fury. He was a ticking time bomb, and yet instead of fleeing from him, she took a stubborn, prideful step forward. She gripped her keys and went straight for her door, ignoring him, unlocking it despite trembling hands.
He roughly yanked her by the arm and faced her to him. His hand was almost like a vise on her as he shoved her to the door. Her head collided against it in a dull thud.
“Get the fuck away from me!” she cried, struggling against him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded with a throaty growl. “I know you’re mad at me, but you need to stop whatever it is you’re planning to do with Kei.”
The laugh that left her lips sounded almost hysterical to her own ears. “Mad? I’m beyond mad! I’m never going to forgive you!”
His expression cleared to something blank, almost stunned, but it was replaced all too soon with a grimace on his lips. “Fine. Hate me all you want. Just don’t do this, Haruki.”
“Why? You’re the one who put him up to the challenge,” she spitefully snarled. “Do you really think I’m just some toy you can lend to your friends to play with?”
His hold on her arm grew a little tighter. “You can get back at me any way you want, just not like this.”
She wanted to claw his face. She wanted to scream, beat him, push him down the stairs. Instead the longer he held her the weaker she felt, and each second was fast draining her of the energy to fight or say anything back. All that didn’t seem to run out were the tears.
Ryou pressed his forehead against hers. She instantly struggled, but it was useless against his strength.
“I’m sorry, Haruki,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for everything.”
His skin was so hot against hers it burned. She shut her eyes tight, wanting to see no more.
“Just let me go,” she begged. “Please.”
After what felt like forever, he finally released her. She slumped against her door, barely able to stand on her own two feet. Ryou remained standing before her, retaining an arm’s breadth. He no longer looked angry, only defeated, if he was even capable of such an emotion.
Her throat hurt, despite the softness in her voice. “Stay away from me.”
She opened the door to her apartment and slammed it shut in his face.
--
Haruki spent her free period reading under a shade of trees on campus lawns.
Try as she might, none of the words on her textbook were registering in her mind. Her gaze was fixed on the pages, if only to watch the way the shadows of the leaves brushed against the letters. She had twenty minutes left before her next class with Prof. Mikura, and she was sorely tempted to skip it.
The tree trunk was rough and hard on the back of her head when she closed her eyes. Despite the mortification and the regret over how stupidly she’d let herself be egged on by Kei, she didn’t want to lose to him. To be a no-show would be a coward. He’d take satisfaction knowing he’d shaken her, and the last thing she wanted was for him or Ryou or any man for that matter to have control over her again. No, she would take responsibility over her own actions.
Haruki let that train of thought linger on her mind like a mantra as she stood up, entered the building, and made her way to Kei’s classroom. He’d already arrived, standing by the teacher’s desk shuffling papers when he turned his head at her arrival. The faintest upward curve of his lips was visible even from her stance by the doorway. Something in her stomach lurched.
You got yourself into this mess, and now you’re going to get yourself out of it, the voice in her head commanded her. She took the first step forward, hands clenching her books more tightly. She kept her gaze straight and her pace calm, even though every part of her itched to run to her seat and look away from him as far as possible.
“Good afternoon, Miss Sullivan. I’d like to speak to you later after class.”
She’d just passed him when he said those words. It took nearly all of her strength just to eye him with a calm, collected gaze.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Professor,” she said quietly, lest her voice break in the middle of her words. “I had a lapse in judgment yesterday. I’m not participating in your game.”
She’d expected, wanted that smug smile to be wiped from his lips, but they only widened. His boy-next-door dimples appeared, mocking her, fooling everyone else behind her.
“I understand, Miss Sullivan,” he said just as coolly. “Though you must admit, it felt good, didn’t it? Seeing Ryou like that.”
Ryou angry, seething. Jealous. Yes, it more than felt good, but she would never tell him that. More importantly, it wasn’t worth it.
“You don’t have to sleep with me, Haruki,” he said, sorting the paperwork in his hands. “You can just play along with me for a little bit more. See how far we can push our good friend before he breaks.”
He’d spoken so offhandedly as if they weren’t in a classroom with thirty other students behind her. He’d spoken low enough not to be heard, and yet his audacity nearly made Haruki drop her books.
“What is wrong with you?” she whispered, horrified. “What the hell do you want, really?”
“Me?” He raised his eyebrows. “I just like to have fun. Fucking my students is one thing, but tormenting my colleagues is another, too.”
Haruki fought not to turn around, almost sure that her classmates were now watching her, beginning to overhear their conversation, even though the chatter behind her remained lively.
“Give it some thought,” he said, his eyes seemingly brighter with amusement. “An angry Ryou makes a fun Ryou, don’t you think?”
Haruki went straight for her seat without answering him.
--
Ryou was nearing the final lap of his 10 km nightly run around campus, but his body remained unfatigued and his mind restless.
Running had always been a form of de-stressing. Most nights the cool air helped clear his head, but tonight his mind was running faster than his own feet, constantly replaying images of Haruki and the anger on her face when he’d confronted her last night. She had every right to feel vengeful towards him, but for her to actually play along with Kei… Had he really broken her that bad for her to change so much?
Ryou picked up the pace of his feet. The answer to that question was obvious, but voicing it out even in his own head was more than enough to give him another sleepless night.
He listened to the sound of his own escalated breathing and the thudding of his shoes against asphalt. Like a metronome he counted on it, let the rhythm fill his mind. His phone app told him he’d just passed an extra kilometer, but he didn’t stop running. He would tire himself out tonight to make sure he passed out to a deep, dreamless sleep as soon as he got home.
The main building of the campus came into view, with several lights on even at ten in the evening. He passed by the nearly empty parking lot, the dormitories, until the main gates of the university came into view. To go straight down the road with his current pace and he’d be near Haruki’s apartment in three minutes.
Ryou screeched to a halt.
He brought his hands to his knees, breathing hard as his pulse throbbed in his temples and sweat traveled down his brow. It was foolish of him to have confronted her last night. She was a big girl and deserved to learn the stupidity of her actions by herself. He’d said his piece and apologized. Whatever she did after that was no longer something he should feel accountable for.
Ryou closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. For a moment last night the strongest urge to just have her again had come over him. To remind her that he was and always would be her first, no matter who she decided to be with from hereon. It had only been her tears that had derailed him out of his rage. He barely had enough conscience as it was.
Ryou exhaled before breaking back into a run in the opposite direction, far away from Haruki as possible.
to be continued
Fandom: BLACK CHERRY
Characters: Ryo x はるき
Genre: Romance, erotica
Table: One
Prompt: 042. Sink
Word Count: 1757
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The rules of The Game were very simple.
Author's Notes: Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15
The Game
Chapter Sixteen
(042. Sink)
Haruki’s entire body was shaking so bad she could hardly walk straight on the way home.
With clammy hands she fumbled for her apartment keys as she began trudging up the stairs. Every step felt heavier, a second closer to almost hurling everything she ate. She was sick to the core, angry and disgusted at Ryou. At herself.
What had she been thinking, agreeing to Prof. Mikura like that? She would rather die than join the game again-as Prof. Mikura’ pet of all people-and yet the look on Ryou’s face at that moment had been worth it. Almost.
Vengeance was not her thing. She coped by forgetting, and for weeks she’d been in a better place. She’d been so close to moving on, but now Prof. Mikura had successfully planted the seed of discord in her mind. She was not stupid not to know what he would gain from it, and yet she’d recklessly agreed.
No. She had not made a promise. Nothing bound her from fulfilling her words, except…
Her education. Her reputation. She had no true hold over Prof. Mikura. She had no copies of the videos, lost all communication with that girl Sadie… she only had her own words against some of the highest-ranking, tenured professors on campus. She had nothing.
Haruki finally arrived at her floor, exhausted in more meanings than one. She was never going to escape this downward spiral. If sleeping with Prof. Mikura to get back at Ryou meant sinking lower, would it be better? After all, there was no other way but up once she hit rock bottom, right?
Haruki pushed away from the wall and continued heading down the corridor to her room. She froze at the sight of Ryou standing before her door.
Even meters away, his anger was palpable. His fists were clenched hard, his jaw tight, his slate grey eyes narrowed with silent fury. He was a ticking time bomb, and yet instead of fleeing from him, she took a stubborn, prideful step forward. She gripped her keys and went straight for her door, ignoring him, unlocking it despite trembling hands.
He roughly yanked her by the arm and faced her to him. His hand was almost like a vise on her as he shoved her to the door. Her head collided against it in a dull thud.
“Get the fuck away from me!” she cried, struggling against him.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he demanded with a throaty growl. “I know you’re mad at me, but you need to stop whatever it is you’re planning to do with Kei.”
The laugh that left her lips sounded almost hysterical to her own ears. “Mad? I’m beyond mad! I’m never going to forgive you!”
His expression cleared to something blank, almost stunned, but it was replaced all too soon with a grimace on his lips. “Fine. Hate me all you want. Just don’t do this, Haruki.”
“Why? You’re the one who put him up to the challenge,” she spitefully snarled. “Do you really think I’m just some toy you can lend to your friends to play with?”
His hold on her arm grew a little tighter. “You can get back at me any way you want, just not like this.”
She wanted to claw his face. She wanted to scream, beat him, push him down the stairs. Instead the longer he held her the weaker she felt, and each second was fast draining her of the energy to fight or say anything back. All that didn’t seem to run out were the tears.
Ryou pressed his forehead against hers. She instantly struggled, but it was useless against his strength.
“I’m sorry, Haruki,” he whispered. “I’m sorry for everything.”
His skin was so hot against hers it burned. She shut her eyes tight, wanting to see no more.
“Just let me go,” she begged. “Please.”
After what felt like forever, he finally released her. She slumped against her door, barely able to stand on her own two feet. Ryou remained standing before her, retaining an arm’s breadth. He no longer looked angry, only defeated, if he was even capable of such an emotion.
Her throat hurt, despite the softness in her voice. “Stay away from me.”
She opened the door to her apartment and slammed it shut in his face.
--
Haruki spent her free period reading under a shade of trees on campus lawns.
Try as she might, none of the words on her textbook were registering in her mind. Her gaze was fixed on the pages, if only to watch the way the shadows of the leaves brushed against the letters. She had twenty minutes left before her next class with Prof. Mikura, and she was sorely tempted to skip it.
The tree trunk was rough and hard on the back of her head when she closed her eyes. Despite the mortification and the regret over how stupidly she’d let herself be egged on by Kei, she didn’t want to lose to him. To be a no-show would be a coward. He’d take satisfaction knowing he’d shaken her, and the last thing she wanted was for him or Ryou or any man for that matter to have control over her again. No, she would take responsibility over her own actions.
Haruki let that train of thought linger on her mind like a mantra as she stood up, entered the building, and made her way to Kei’s classroom. He’d already arrived, standing by the teacher’s desk shuffling papers when he turned his head at her arrival. The faintest upward curve of his lips was visible even from her stance by the doorway. Something in her stomach lurched.
You got yourself into this mess, and now you’re going to get yourself out of it, the voice in her head commanded her. She took the first step forward, hands clenching her books more tightly. She kept her gaze straight and her pace calm, even though every part of her itched to run to her seat and look away from him as far as possible.
“Good afternoon, Miss Sullivan. I’d like to speak to you later after class.”
She’d just passed him when he said those words. It took nearly all of her strength just to eye him with a calm, collected gaze.
“There’s nothing to talk about, Professor,” she said quietly, lest her voice break in the middle of her words. “I had a lapse in judgment yesterday. I’m not participating in your game.”
She’d expected, wanted that smug smile to be wiped from his lips, but they only widened. His boy-next-door dimples appeared, mocking her, fooling everyone else behind her.
“I understand, Miss Sullivan,” he said just as coolly. “Though you must admit, it felt good, didn’t it? Seeing Ryou like that.”
Ryou angry, seething. Jealous. Yes, it more than felt good, but she would never tell him that. More importantly, it wasn’t worth it.
“You don’t have to sleep with me, Haruki,” he said, sorting the paperwork in his hands. “You can just play along with me for a little bit more. See how far we can push our good friend before he breaks.”
He’d spoken so offhandedly as if they weren’t in a classroom with thirty other students behind her. He’d spoken low enough not to be heard, and yet his audacity nearly made Haruki drop her books.
“What is wrong with you?” she whispered, horrified. “What the hell do you want, really?”
“Me?” He raised his eyebrows. “I just like to have fun. Fucking my students is one thing, but tormenting my colleagues is another, too.”
Haruki fought not to turn around, almost sure that her classmates were now watching her, beginning to overhear their conversation, even though the chatter behind her remained lively.
“Give it some thought,” he said, his eyes seemingly brighter with amusement. “An angry Ryou makes a fun Ryou, don’t you think?”
Haruki went straight for her seat without answering him.
--
Ryou was nearing the final lap of his 10 km nightly run around campus, but his body remained unfatigued and his mind restless.
Running had always been a form of de-stressing. Most nights the cool air helped clear his head, but tonight his mind was running faster than his own feet, constantly replaying images of Haruki and the anger on her face when he’d confronted her last night. She had every right to feel vengeful towards him, but for her to actually play along with Kei… Had he really broken her that bad for her to change so much?
Ryou picked up the pace of his feet. The answer to that question was obvious, but voicing it out even in his own head was more than enough to give him another sleepless night.
He listened to the sound of his own escalated breathing and the thudding of his shoes against asphalt. Like a metronome he counted on it, let the rhythm fill his mind. His phone app told him he’d just passed an extra kilometer, but he didn’t stop running. He would tire himself out tonight to make sure he passed out to a deep, dreamless sleep as soon as he got home.
The main building of the campus came into view, with several lights on even at ten in the evening. He passed by the nearly empty parking lot, the dormitories, until the main gates of the university came into view. To go straight down the road with his current pace and he’d be near Haruki’s apartment in three minutes.
Ryou screeched to a halt.
He brought his hands to his knees, breathing hard as his pulse throbbed in his temples and sweat traveled down his brow. It was foolish of him to have confronted her last night. She was a big girl and deserved to learn the stupidity of her actions by herself. He’d said his piece and apologized. Whatever she did after that was no longer something he should feel accountable for.
Ryou closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. For a moment last night the strongest urge to just have her again had come over him. To remind her that he was and always would be her first, no matter who she decided to be with from hereon. It had only been her tears that had derailed him out of his rage. He barely had enough conscience as it was.
Ryou exhaled before breaking back into a run in the opposite direction, far away from Haruki as possible.
to be continued