Page 13 of Love of the Egoist
“Who said it’s my first time?” The detective stopped contending and twisted his body again, propping himself on the shoulder to face Yugo. The smile he gave radiated playfulness and showed sleek, shiny teeth.
Yugo’s face, pink from the struggle, appeared inches away from his own. Blowing some air on the ear and cheek of his attacker, Kuon whispered, “I doubt that such trash as you could ever satisfy me. I’d rather die than let someone like you touch me.”
“This could easily be arran—” but Yugo wasn’t able to finish the sentence. Kuon forced his way onto his back, his upper body rushing forward.
The room dimmed when Kuon’s forehead collided with Yugo’s chin, busting open the corner of the man’s mouth and throwing him back.
Kuon jerked his hands, and the knot of the bathrobe loosened and came undone. Pushing the floor with his palms, he clambered to his feet.
His vision glitched, enforcing the dizziness as he stumbled to the middle of the room. Thousands of tiny droplets oozed out on his forehead as he reached the opposite side of the table and leaned on it with all his weight, casting the bathrobe aside. His body ached; his chest contracting, spitting out a labored breath, and his head tingling with a blood rush.
Yugo rubbed his cheekbone. Displeasure rained from every pore as he rose to his feet. The smile vanished from his eyes but remained on his thin lips, bringing the terrifying mask of a heartless murderer to his face. Every step forward cut the distance between himself and his prey.
Kuon, seeing Yugo getting serious, had no desire to let the man any closer. Whenever Yugo took a step, he moved in the opposite direction in an attempt to keep the space between them. The room doubled in front of his eyes, and he couldn’t stop his traveling gaze. It moved from one object to another, and he had to force it back to Yugo every two seconds. Something was wrong. Rapidly blinking, he slapped the silky fabric of the tablecloth with his palms as he stumbled around the table. He needed to gain control over his splitting vision, and for that he needed time.
After the third circle around the table, Yugo grew tired of this senseless chase. Tilting his head, he stepped toward the table, but Kuon, predicting this development, lashed out first. He hooked his hands under the table and threw it at his pursuer. Food, silverware, and unlit candles flew across the wolf fur rug, which spread its hollow paws over the floor.
“Game over,” Yugo growled, casting the table aside. The skin of a civilized human being fell, revealing a wild animal nature hiding beneath. In a blink of an eye, he materialized beside Kuon, throwing a series of fast jabs to his head.
Hunching forward, Kuon raised his hands. His forearms throbbed with pain as he deflected punches, flying right and left. Seeing the right cross coming, he twisted his torso to slap away, when a powerful blow kissed the edge of his left jaw. Shattering the room, it worsened the spinning. Kuon struggled to focus on anything. The situation reminded him of a wild dance of long-forgotten Aboriginals that he’d seen on TV. The blood beating in his head imitated the ritual drum, promising the terrifying act of cannibalism.
The hopeless dread sunk deep into his marrows, chilling his body and filling his mouth with a sour taste. His throbbing vision jumped from the fireplace to the silver fork lying on the messy rug. He swallowed, wobbling toward it.
“I hope you choke to death, you bastard…” To distract Yugo from his aim and awake some courage in his chest, he spat on the floor. His hand probed the air around as he tried to control the chaotic dance of the room.
Never losing his fake, sinister smile, Yugo launched forward brushing Kuon’s shoulder with his chest. His fingers curled around Kuon’s biceps as he kicked the back of Kuon’s knees and shoved him to the floor.
Stinging pain ran from Kuon’s elbow up his shoulder and down to his fingers as he hit the floor, then spread throughout his body. His nerve endings shrieked in anguish. His hand numbed, his head flared.
Dropping to his knees, Yugo shoved Kuon on his back and crushed his throat with his right forearm. His left hand struggled to tear down the waist of the white trunks.
Blood rushed to Kuon’s head, making his vision murky. The air scraped his larynx, struggling through his air passage. Invading his lungs, it curled; not finding the way out it condensed, weighting his chest. He clutched Yugo’s forearm, trying to push it off as his knee hit Yugo’s side, then again and again, but dealt no damage because the man didn’t waver. His eyes prickled with tears caused by asphyxia. His pulse went crazy, his veins popped and the pressure in his head became unbearable.
This is how I die..? Fuck, this is so unfair…His eyes fixed on Yugo’s red face and bloody lips.How come the last thing I see before I die is the face of this motherfucker?I don’t want to die like this…
Thrusting both hands up and forward, Kuon grabbed the back of Yugo’s head and pulled the man toward himself. Breaking the choke hold, Yugo hit the floor with both palms at either side of his head, and pushed back. Kuon pulled harder, and their sweaty foreheads thumped together.
Oxygen rushed into Kuon’s lungs, firing them up. His hands itched to grasp his bruised throat as a coughing spasm hit him, but he kept tugging Yugo to himself. Hazy for a moment, he looked up in to the cold gray eyes that stared right back at him. Though amused, they bore no kindness, just clear evidence of adrenaline euphoria.
He sucked in the air that was warm with their merged panting and wrapped his right arm around Yugo’s, securing the man’s elbow in a lock. Kuon’s senses sharpened. Pressing harder to Yugo’s elbow, he thrust his hips up, helping himself with his bend knees and threw his attacker off. Rolling over he landed on Yugo’s stomach.
Anger, adrenaline, fear and despair, mixing together, bombarded down in a shower of fast jabs to the head and throat of his assaulter. He vaguely remembered having some aim, trying to reach something a minute ago, but now he couldn’t recall what it was. He only knew he had to destroy Yugo, or the man would destroy him. The adrenaline haze falling over his eyes whipped everything around.
Yugo’s defense was effortless when he blocked the attack. He pushed his hip up and trapped Kuon’s foot with his own before he grabbed Kuon’s arm and shoved it away. Shifting the detective off balance, Yugo threw him off and booted him in the stomach, pushing a heavy huff out of Kuon’s mouth.
Kuon whacked against the floor with his palms as a black hole opened in his stomach, and his lungs got sucked in. Kuon gasped when a sharp pain bloomed between his shoulder blades as Yugo crushed his elbow down his spine. Yugo’s other hand pulled his trunks down to his knees.
Horror washed over Kuon, and he attempted to get on all fours.Never let your opponent see your backwas the main rule in all and every martial art. He had to get up. He had to roll over. He had to defend himself. Pure adrenaline boiled in his veins, and the drumming in his head grew louder. Cold and sticky perspiration coated his body as the confidence in his own power collapsed.
“So, you say someone touched you before me?” a raucous, blood-curdling voice cut the air.
Throwing his leg over Kuon’s body Yugo flopped down. His hips were a solid warmth against the back of Kuon’s legs; his knees at either side of Kuon’s thighs. He smirked, his impelling fingers squeezed two round globes, kneading them ruthlessly before exposing Kuon’s hidden places. “Then maybe I shouldn’t be overly cautious with you. Your ass must already know how to accept a man, mustn’t it?”
Unable to move, with vertigo washing over him, Kuon gulped for air and squeezed his eyes tight. He heard the man spitting, and a cold finger touched his anus, smearing saliva all over his entrance.
“No…”
Humiliation hit harder than any fist. His eyes flew open and roamed around the room. A silver fork that lay a few feet away glinted under the yellowish lights, calling to him. If only he could reach it, grab it, and stab Yugo’s hand with it. Kuon twisted his upper body and tried to hit the man in the face. Yugo laughed and slapped his weakening hand away.
