Replacement

In the middle of it all, Shohei couldn't escape his professional curiosity. It had the benefit of keeping Kyourin engaged and talking, so he asked him about the properties of the bath he was sitting in. It really was a miracle cure, as his skin was almost back to normal not even an hour after he’d gotten in. Kyourin dabbed at the areas not submerged with utmost care every few minutes, looking at Shohei like a besotted wife. It was so easy to feel like he was actually in love.

There was nowhere to hide except in smiles and agreements. They discussed the properties of the plants in the bath for a while, then Kyourin helped Shohei to rinse off. He let himself be inspected and treated, feeling more exposed than he ever had in his life. And yet, Kyourin was always careful, respectful and gentle. Shohei felt bad for doubting him. Finally he was back in bed, the bedding fresh and his skin soothed. The tension fell from him, the exhaustion of constant vigilance catching up.

“Better?” Kyourin asked as he opened a box.

“Mhm. Much.”

“I’m glad. Though to be sure, we should test another sample.”

Shohei frowned. “Another sample?”

Kyourin held up a package. “Of your blood.”

Every muscle in Shohei’s body stiffened. No. No, he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t give more blood to this mad experiment Kyourin was running. He… Shohei clutched his own hand so as to not feel his neck.

The mosquito. That was months ago. How long…

“We don’t have to.”

Shohei shook his head. He knew that Kyourin would just take a sample in his sleep, and that felt worse. So he held out his arm. Kyourin smiled serenely. The smell of the disinfectant was sharp. Shohei stared at his arm, imagining he could see his veins pumping under his skin. Kyourin grinned.

“You liked it a lot, last time.”

And Shohei’s head snapped up, their eyes meeting. He swallowed. It was true. Even now he felt the stirrings of arousal just thinking about it. What was wrong with him?

“You can touch yourself while I draw your blood. I’d like you to.”

A bitten-off moan worked itself out of Shohei. He shouldn’t. He really shouldn’t. But with his right arm in Kyourin’s grasp, his left went to his pants and drew them down. He was hard already. Fuck.

“That’s it. My beautiful man.”

Shohei briefly closed his eyes. Too much. Not enough. The first touch made him jolt, which in turn made Kyourin hold him tighter, so the needle wouldn’t slip. It was too good. And when the sudden pain of the puncture traveled up his nerves, Shohei moaned in earnest, hearing an echoing sound from Kyourin. Yet the other didn’t let the display disturb himself, working methodically to draw vial after vial. Finally, the needle was removed and Kyourin pressed against the wound to hold it close. Then he pressed harder. And Shohei ended all over his own stomach.

“Shohei…” Kyourin breathed and when Shohei looked at him, his eyes were glassy, his cheeks red.

He wasn’t clinically removed. He didn’t look like he was faking it. Was Kyourin actually interested in him? Shohei’s head was swimming in endorphins and the lightheadedness of the blood draw. Kyourin leaned down to kiss him and Shohei grabbed onto his shirt with his dirty hand. He didn’t seem to mind. Kyourin pushed himself against Shohei’s thigh, once, twice, and Shohei could feel him pulse against him through Kyourin’s trousers, as the man uttered a strangled gasp, pressing Shohei into the bed.

Shohei felt warm blood trickle down his arm.

It was utterly perfect.

——

Ran had seen enough. It was so like Eisaku to pursue something as brilliant as it was mad. And it was just that: Mad. He put the files back where he found them. It made sense Eisaku wouldn’t keep them digitally. No trace, huh? Maybe… No. He wouldn’t let his love do this. He wouldn’t let him gamble with his own life, when he was the one who should supervise everything.

He’d seen the vial before, hidden in plain sight, labeled just like the others, with only a tiny detail separating them. He knew what it contained. The active ingredients would only be working for a week at most, at the temperature it was stored. Ran had to act fast. He had to stop Eisaku before it was too late.

——

With everything cleared up, Shohei felt much better come Monday. In fact he felt so good, it was like there was excess energy coursing through him after the ordeal the previous day. Kyourin showed him the blood analysis and it confirmed none of his suspicions. Everything was normal. Better than normal, even. He hadn’t had such good bloodwork in years.

Pushing everything out of his head, he buried himself in his work, setting up a new test series of rats in his lab. Two people from Ito’s team helped him with the logistics and he was glad to be talking to them about everything and nothing.

Kyourin was in and out of the room as usual, disappearing and reappearing at random times. Outwardly, he gave no indication of anything being wrong. Still, the wrongness of it all gnawed at Shohei’s mind. It wasn’t wise, but he had to do something.

So when everything was done for the night, he settled in on the sofa in the lab with a folder that was sure to elicit a reaction. What kind of reaction? He wasn’t sure. But he also couldn’t do nothing. His heart rate shot up when Kyourin entered the room. He watched him set down some containers, then store them carefully in their correct, temperature-controlled environments. Everything had its place. Then, after washing his hands, he sat down next to Shohei, put an arm around him and kissed his cheek.

“What are you…”

Kyourin trailed off when he saw the document. It was an article about Ran Saikawa’s expeditions. Interviews, pictures. Kyourin’s face was seen in many of them.

“I kept seeing his name as author on the termite documentation, so I got curious. There was a whole folder with info about Saikawa-sensei.”

Kyourin’s grip on Shohei’s arm became a bit tighter.

“He was a remarkable man.”

“It seems like it. But why did he leave the lab if his work was so important to him?”

Kyourin leaned his head on Shohei’s and held him closer. “We had a difference of opinion.”

Big enough for him to end up in a tank? Shohei asked himself.

“That’s… so he’s the one who left you?”

“Is it that obvious? Yes. He left… I think he left because he loved me too much.”

“Do you miss him?”

“Every day.”

Shohei looked at the photo again, at this man once so vibrant and now so lifeless. He wanted to ask. He wanted to ask so badly.

He was afraid.

“I’m not looking for a replacement for him, if that’s what you’re worried about. You’re very different people.”

Replacement in love or replacement in the experiment?