the   invitation   to   her   wedding   trembled   between   her   index   and   thumb.   his   rejection   felt   like   an   arrow   piercing   right   into   her   stomach,   forcing   sachiko   to   take   the   smallest   of   steps   backward. 

given   his   temperament,   the   brunette   knew   his   acceptance   would   be   a   gamble.   but   she   was   still   glad   she   took   the   risk. 

she   was   not   oblivious   to   the   spark   that   had   existed   between   them   during   the   days   of   their   endless   collaborations.   she   did   like   having   him   around.   she   liked   how   comforting   and   safe   he   made   her   feel,   especially   during   the   times   when   she   thought   she   and   toshiro   were   on   uncertain   ground.   the   award-winning   actress   was   grateful   for   his   presence.   always   had,   always   will.

this   is   why   even   after   the   years   had   drifted   them   apart,   she   still   thought   of   him   as   a   dear   friend.   she   wanted   to   share   her   biggest   day   with   him   –   neither   out   of   malice   nor   out   of   obliviousness,   but   out   of   gratefulness   and   genuineness. 

❛   you   know,   if   you   ever   change   your   mind,   the   invite   is   still   open.   ❜   her   hand   reached   out   to   place   the   elegant   envelope   onto   the   table   that   peeked   from   the   door   frame.   ever   so   quickly,   sachiko   turned   around   and   ran   through   the   drizzle   that   fell   from   the   overcast   sky   and   into   the   parked   sleek   black   sedan.   with   a   frantic   bow   towards   sett,   both   bodyguards   ran   after   their   lady,   the   umbrellas   in   their   hands   almost   upturning   as   they   went   against   the   wind.

it   was   quite   the   comedic   scene   as   compared   to   the   unusual   sight   of   the   crestfallen   actress   whose   misty   gaze   now   followed   the   droplets   that   trailed   down   her   car’s   window. 

it   was   nice   seeing   you   again,   sett. 

he did not know what carved a wound deeper than any blade ever could: the sting of rejection, or the realisation that one had always been a second to a choice never truly given. and what became of his pride, when it collided with the brutal awareness that it was never enough? the envelope felt like nothing. it was made of paper, light, insignificant, something that should have bent easily betwixt his digits, something that should have meant little more than a passing inconvenience. and yet it weighed so fucking much. his gaze had not left it at first, fixed upon the delicate edges, the careful script, the finality of a permanence that it seemed to mock him in its simplicity; it trembled not because of her, but because his hand, albeit still, had begun to tighten around something he could not yet bring himself to name.

a name he did not say. a want he had never claimed.

his spheres traced it without truly seeing, wide in a way that felt wrong on him, stripped of the usual arrogance, the sharp-edged confidence, the easy, domineering certainty that defined every inch of his existence beneath stage lights. but it caught him utterly off guard. he had always known that he would not be the one she chose. that someone else ( softer, steadier, more fitting to the glamour she lived in ) would stand where he never dared to place himself. and yet, for a single and treacherous moment, he wanted it to be him. the thought struck in a way that he had not braced for, violent in its clarity, unwelcome in its truth, and it stole the breath from his lungs in a way no stage ever had. his jaw tightened, his chest rose sharp and uneven. his hands? still did not move.

her commentary made it all worse ⸻ worse than rejection and than finality because it was kind. his gaze lifted then, finally, tearing itself away from the invitation to find her. he should have spoken, should have said something even if dismissive, something that would have cut the moment clean and left no room for what threatened to surface. he did not, he could not, because anything he said would have been the truth [ ... ] and the truth would have been too late. he stood there, silent, rigid, watching whilst she placed the invitation down, as she turned, as she began to leave.

the drizzle began to fall, catching in his hair, dampening his clothes, blurring the brims of the moment as though trying to wash it away. it did not... but her departure did and something inside him snapped clean, violently and irretrievably. ❝ sachiko!! ❞ her name tore from him, the sound of it cutting through the rain and the wind and the distance she was already putting betwixt them; his structure moved before thought could catch up, before pride could drag him back, before logic could remind him of what he had always known. he ran fast, desperate. he ran in away that was clear he was already too late. by the time he reached the car it was already pulling away. his hand struck the side of it hard enough to echo through bone, but it did nothing, nothing to stop the inevitable, nothing to halt the way she disappeared from him all over again. again. and again.

his chest heaved, breath uneven, gaze locked onto the fading shape of something he had never allowed himself to hold, until it was gone. silence fell in its wake [ ... ] and then came the anger. it surged through him, sudden and violent, a guttural sound tearing from his throat as his hand clenched around the invitation still crumpled in his grip. the paper was tore until it was nothing but fragments scattered at his feet, soaked through with rain, reduced to something as broken and useless as the moment it had represented. his shoulders rose and fell uneven, his hands curling into fists as though there were still something left to fight.

　𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍 ( … ) 𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐄, 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐏 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍, 𝐀 𝐅𝐎𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐒𝐋𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐃𝐄. the world abounded with such figures, egoistic men who believed to have grabbed fate by the throat merely because they had been victorious in a fight or two ; they relished the sweet taste of violence on their tongues, but only for as long as they could continue to don an artificial, weight - less crown above their heads. did they not know, that ravenous predators greatly proliferated in these blood - stained societies ? and one day, as the ancient laws of the jungle had taught her, neither their claws nor their fangs would be enough to salvage them from the carnivorous maw of a much greater meat - eater.

such thoughts pirouetted within her mind as he approached her. he was almost cute in his demeanor, an overgrown puppy who thrived on the poignant belief that the world ought to perpetually yield to his whims ; ahri was certain that such belligerent tactics would easily work on the people around him, little squirrels with their cheeks filled to the brim with his left - overs, but the sly fox only ever bent to her own gluttonous appetites. and thus, she neither bent nor broke: golden eyes were stubborn in their desire to observe him, and her silken lashes only ever fluttered to shamelessly tease and taunt. ❝ oh my, we have only just met and you are already jealous at the mere thought of all my past dates ? i did not expect you to be the sentimental type, dear sett. ❞ a bedeviled moue blossomed 'pon rose - tinged tiers as she spoke, lilt saccharine and cadence mellifluous, a lover's song on the tongue of an eternal liar. in spite of her own ego, inflated by years and years spent beneath the golden luminescence of night city's limelight, ahri complied to his infantile demand and sent their respective orders to the glaring half - borg behind the slick counter. although the almost deafening music continued to resound all around them in thunderous notes, it was easy to speak: social distance was sacrificed in the name of weaponized vicinity, poisonous intimacy. ❝ i heard from some friends that it is not the first time that you come here, so i hope you won't mind putting our drinks on your billing account. beloved maelstroms work so hard to keep this place afloat, it would break my heart if they went lost eddies because of us. ❞

as if magically summoned into existence, the two drinks were brought over. for a moment longer, however, her own was ignored to feed the maw of her treacherous curiosity. ❝ indulge me, what kind of place is the pit ? i never had the pleasure of seeing it with my own eyes. ❞

what sort of predator would pause, even for a moment, when another bared her teeth not in pure defiance, but in play? what would stir in the chest of a beast like him, who was built himself out of violence, when he found himself faced naught with fear, but with amusement? for the briefest of moments, his lineaments altered at the sight of her complying: there was a crack in the lacquered arrogance, quickly sealed beneath a smirk far too sharp to be anything but intentional. surprise did not suit him, and so he wore amusement instead, a coat slung lazily over broad shoulders. instead of replying, he grabbed the glass and turned, moving without announcement through the sea of bodies, weaving through the chaos with the same effortless authority that had always defined him, until he found it. a table tucked just far enough into shadow, just distant enough from prying optics and curious ears. a space, in reality, worth occupying.

he sat like a king who had never known a throne he could not conquer ⸻ legs spread, arm slung over the backrest, pretending that the furniture itself had been crafted to accommodate him, chin tilted in idle appraisal of her. ❝ my dates are usually more private... and so should be yours. ❞ his tongue pressed briefly against the inside of his cheek, a habit born of restraint rather than irritation. ❝ well, if you insist so much on the subject... if i call it a date, it means you are mine for the night. simple as that. ❞ his gaze sharpened for a second, and just as quickly, it was gone. waved off with a scoff, like the thought bored him. did it really, however?

She watches him carefully. Observes as he does her. The manner in which he carries himself, the weight of his footfalls, the tension carried in his shoulders. Not in a cautious way, but a curiosity; a deep need to know more about him outside the faint air of mystery.

But the question settles her smile, unwavering as it usually is when talking about flora.

❝ Oh, of course. Oldest trick in the book, really. You gotta give them a little encouragement every now and then. ❞ She gently tugs upon the leaf of the Amaryllis as if giving a friendly handshake, and a light chuckle escapes her. She is nervous in a manner that surprises her. Unsure of the source, perhaps the wonder to her plants being the only company she keeps, or the comparison to his own, yet Amari chases the feeling rather than hide it away.

❝ Most of the time, they are, yeah. ❞ Her voice softens as it trails off. Much like the seasons, customers or visitors in general seem to come and go. The abundance, however, is at times few and far between. Though the occasional solitude doesn't get her down. At her heart, Amari is a gardener, and knows that one can't always expect a bountiful harvest regardless of the cultivation put into it.

his gaze was treacherous to himself, for it had settled on her with such steadiness that betrayed far more attention than the casualness of his posture suggested. it tracked the small movements others might have overlooked entirely: the cautiousness of her petite digits on the plant, the slight shift in her shoulders when she spoke, the uncertainty that passed through her lineaments before being smoothed away. his aureate spheres followed the motion of her hand whilst she tugged lightly at the leaf, his brow lifting just slightly, resembling intrigue. ❝ i guess that makes sense. ❞

his arms folded loosely across the terrain of his chest, unsure what to do with himself when he stood in such grace [ ... ] a place that did not require him to be anything other than present. ❝ not so different from people, then. ❞ a faint tilt of his head followed, gaze flicking briefly from the plant back to her, lingering there a second longer than necessary. ❝ push 'em a little, they either grow... or they don't. ❞ there was no judgment in it, just a mild observation coming from one whose life was about attacking and defending.

      the words he spoke felt like lead in her gut &. her body had been gasping for breath. her face grew pale , hands on the side of her head as her mind tried to sort out what he was saying. ❛    you know how i feel about being used ...    ❜  she had shared with him the ways she felt used by her family’s company , by others , the vulnerability cleaved upon her wounds. &. he had been there to soothe her nightmares. ❛    it was obvious that our relationship was used for advertisement but ...    ❜  her hand pressed against her forehead. ❛    to receive payment for spending time with me. i just -    ❜  it was insane like she was the worst person in the world to work with that anyone who was anybody needed a monetary incentive to breath the same air as her. ❛    why didn't you tell me ?    ❜  all this time , he had kept this from her. maybe … just maybe if he told her from the get go , it could have been different. ❛    i can't believe you lied to me.    ❜

      his fans already hated her. the gossip &. rumors about her fueled that hate. they would happily paste this story everywhere. she would be even more of a pariah then she already was , ❛    if this gets out ... i'll be ridiculed.    ❜ there were dangerous repercussions for this. &. she did not want to even ask how much &. for how long. it would make her sick. ❛    i can't even have someone love me unless they are paid to do so.    ❜ words spoken sliced through what fragile threads held on her mask. body shuddered , arms hugged herself. hold it in &. as she tried a single utterance slipped past ❛    oh ...    ❜ maybe it was true. they would have never had crossed paths unless there was this deal in place. yet it hurt her , her beautiful world crumbling around her. everything was finally looking up &. this revelation shattered everything around her. shaking her head she wanted this to be a nightmare , to wake up in his arms &. listen to his voice tell her that there was nothing to worry about. sinking her nail into her arm hard enough to draw blood , the pain made her realize this was reality. ⸻ why , why , why ?

what was truth, when it arrived too late? what value did his words hold when they were forced from him, not by honesty, but by the fear of losing the one thing he never intended to care for? mayhap, after all, there was no redemption in timing, only the ruin of who he had fallen for so deeply and so madly. he knew by the time he apologised that she was living the truth inside her. the way his words hollowed her out in real time, leaving her fragile and shaking. he could even see the colour drained from her lineaments, the violence of the reality he himself induced in her. his jaw tightened, helplessness crawling its way with claws that cared to tear tissue and hurt. it coiled low in his chest, suffocating in its raw form, a sensation he had no language for, no training against, no instinct to counter.

his calloused hands flexed at his sides, digits curling as though grasping for something that refused to be held: mayhap control, mayhap explanation, anything that might undo what had already been done. unfortunately, there was nothing there. fuck. fuck. fuck. how many times had he considered opening up to her to admit the start had been planned; how many times had he kissed her madly, whilst feeling the beast of regret growling inside. her words continued, and inside of him there was an absolute violence. by the time she continued to self-inflict herself with naught but lies, he was lifting his head sharply, gaze locked onto her with a force that bordered on desperation, raw and unguarded breaking through the carefully constructed restraint he had been clinging to. ❝ please... don't... ❞ the word came out harsher than he intended, rough, immediate, with an urgency that reflected the lack of control he had over his actions. ❝ don't say that... ❞ but touching her meant that he thought he had the honour to do so. so he dared not to.

the   click   of   her   heels   echoed   loudly   throughout   the   room.   as   she   paced   around,   coral   pink   hues   scrutinized   all   the   paraphernalia   that   decorated   their   set.   the   colors   have   to   complement   what   she   and   the   rapper   wore   for   their   collaboration   interview   after   all! 

after   his   words   stirred her   out   of   her   reverie,   however,   the   brunette   turned   on   her   heel   to   find   heartsteel’s   rapper   lounging   comfortably   on   the   chesterfield   sofa.   a   brief   chuckle   slipped   from   her   lips   before   sachiko   practically   glided   towards   him. 

❛   well,   that’s   because   you   tell   me   a   lot   about   yourself! ❜   with   an   audible   thud,   the   brunette   perched   beside   the   burly   singer.   ❛   and   i   …   really   appreciate   that. ❜   with   a   tilt   of   her   head,   a   genuine   smile   beamed   across   her   features.   with   so   many   collaborations   between   his   agency   and   her   company,   they   had   long   gone   from   their   earlier   stages   of   relentless   bickering   and   teasing   with   each   other,   so   much   so   that   deep   talks   and   personal   life   had   seeped   through.

it   was   because   of   these   talks   that   sachiko   learned   that   the   rapper   was   more   than   just   some   …   overhyped   rude   singing   jerk.   deep   inside,   he   had   a   big   heart   – much   bigger   than   the   world   could   ever   know. 

❛   but   you   know,   i   do   have   this   lingering   question ❜   speaking   of   hearts   … 

❛   behind   the   bravado   of   sett   the   rapper,   sett   the   heart   throb,   sett   of   heartsteel.   i   never   really   knew   what   kind   of   partner   is   the   real   sett’s   type?  ❜   mischief   glinted   across   her   face   as   she   prodded   her   companion.

❛   are   the   gossips   as   true   as   they   say?   that   you’re   into   those   who   are   tall,   blonde,   with   striking   blue   eyes?   fufu~ ❜  / @goldenfists

he lunged so casually against the chesterfield, one arm draped lazily along the backrest, posture with effortless confidence and skilled indifference, albeit his attention ( as always ) betrayed him. it lingered on her, longer than it should, and mayhap longer than he allowed himself to acknowledge. she was already committed to his memory: from the way her gaze swept across the set with meticulous intent, chasing perfection in a career that thrived on illusion, to the way she found his own gaze, prepared to unleash chaos and make his own life a bit more chaotic.

his brow lifted slightly, the corner of his mouth tugging upward into an amused smirk. ❝ you make it sound like i got a choice. ❞ a quiet huff followed, a scoff, albeit it had no real meaning. ❝ you always ask too many questions. ❞ and in reality, he always answered without deviating from the truth. there were plenty of occasions he could have drifted away, dismissing the conversation for the sake of preserving his mystery [ ... ] but words always found their way around her, a desire ( albeit not accepted ) to let her know him for who he really was.

Do not be ashamed. Do not feel guilt. Be true to your instincts. Do not hold in your rage.

#𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐒 — multi-fandom multimuse as contracted by mythe

feat. 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍 from WH.IB

Do not hold back your envy.

           unraveling , she unraveled before him not all at once but inch by inch over the months they had spent together. now on this day of celebration of him , she desired to make him feel safe in her arms to be as soft or rough as he wanted to be. every movement from his body , she had felt physically &. within her soul. the rumble of his vocals stirred her as they breathed the same breaths close to each other ... as if they would fear parting. this was her safety &. she wanted nothing more than to reassure him that ❛    i do not fear you ... i love you , settrigh.     ❜ she gave him a kiss on his brow , ❛    the only thing i truly fear is being left.    ❜ nail grazed underneath his chin never leaving their close proximity. ⸻ &. she knew he'd never leave her. their lives were now entangled tugging at each other , being a part of each other's orbit.

       how silly he was trying to preserve something like her embroidery when she had made it exactly for him. for him to show off everywhere. her brows turned downward as she heard him &. a temporary frown came forth upon her expressionism , ❛    i'll make you more ... don't worry. you can wear them anywhere.    ❜ fingertip tapped him on the nose , her smile , ❛    wouldn't you want to show off my handiwork ?    ❜ nodding her head in pride as she nestled more into his lap. laying out one shirt upon his chest to envision him in , it was just as she imagined. fabric across chiseled muscle littered in scars that she would kiss later , pads of digits tracing them to memorize every inch of him. they had long forgotten the food &. just let them bask in the image of each other's glow by the fire.

       ❛    do i ? ... always make it difficult ?    ❜ vocals purred into his ear , she laughed at his sweet attempts but she did not mind. they were breathing the same air , adoring each other's scent. the mix of spicy with her floral sweetness , ❛    it's your birthday so spend the night how you want it.    ❜ fingertips crawled across his shirt playfully. she smoothed over the fabric , her hand encasing his neck as she kissed it with gentle attention. her breath hitched at the sudden massage beneath her skirt. his touch felt like heat &. electricity upon her cool skin , ❛    just tell me what you desire. there's always tomorrow &. the next day &. the day after that ...    ❜ breathy vocals whispered in his ear. she tossed the shirt aside , pressing her figure against burrowing her head into the crook of his neck , ❛    we can write music together later ...    ❜ lashes blinked realizing what she had done. oh shit. pulling away slightly , she covered her mouth , letting out the secret of the next gift. ❛    oops , oh well i guess the secret is out ... i started to write a song about us. i want you to finish it ... i want us to finish it together.    ❜

what was it, that rendered him more undone? the violence of battle, or the gentleness of someone who refused to let him fall apart? he had known ruin in many forms: from shattered bone to the roaring crowds; in the metallic taste of blood to the stubborn breath and memory alike. with her, however, was different. she unraveled him, inch by inch, breath by breath, far more insidious, far more dangerous, for it asked nothing of him and yet demanded everything in return. her warmth swept through him, settling into parts of him he had long since hardened against the world, and for once sett did not move to resist it. instead, his arms came around her when she confessed, his breath stalled, and the terrain of his chest tightened beneath her.

the following confession made a reaction too instinctive to be tempered by thought. his calloused hand rose, roughened digits caught her chin before she could pull too far, tilting her lineaments back towards. ❝ don't. i would be a damn idiot to leave you. ❞ his thumb brushed once along her jaw and, ultimately, his grip softened, albeit it did not fully leave her, his hand lingering as though reluctant to let go of that contact once it had been claimed. if both confessions were not enough to undo him, then the last one did ⸻ his gaze once again widened with genuine and unguarded surprise. ❝ ...a song? about us? ❞ words were whispered, leaning back slightly, enough to look at her properly, trying to reconcile the weight of that offering, whether intangible, far more personal than anything else she had given him.

｡ [ text : sachiko ]

It was there in the roll of her shoulders, in the way she shifted her weight to spread it evenly between her feet, that reaction he was looking for. Not anger, no, a readiness to feed that monster that lurked inside of her, the one she'd been trying to starve out, the one she'd been trying to ignore.

"Come on, you know I'm trying to be better." She was. She really was. Even as she said it she was gathering her hair back into a ponytail, wrapping the spare tie on her wrist around it to just get it out of her face.

She never did like fighting with loose hair, always felt like a disadvantage. And against this guy? She needed every advantage she could get.

what was it, that made restraint feel more of a challenge rather than a choice? he liked it, somehow, and watched her patiently, all with the same attentiveness he reserved for those who truly deserved such a particular part of him. his head tilted slightly at her commentary, gaze dragging slowly across her posture, her stance, the tension loosening and coming back. ❝ well, you could have fooled me. ❞ a beat passed, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly whilst his spheres lingered, pleased with her admission. ❝ i make your life more exciting, ain't that good? ❞ the words rolled off his tongue whilst his hand dipped into his pocket, retrieving a worn pack of cigarettes with habit rather than thought. he tapped it once against his palm before sliding one free, placing it betwixt his tiers as though the motion itself were part of the ritual.

[   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]:   Say   all   you   want   about   my   facts   but   I’ll   have   you   know   that   I   am   a   psychology   graduate  [   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]:   Hmph.   🙄 [   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]:   Ah,   but   anyways   ...   I   think   you   might   want   to   eat   your   words   soon   since   having   company   around   has   never   been   a   problem   for   me   🤷 [   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]:   Now   that’s   a   consideration   I   like   to   hear!  [   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]:   So,   if   you   do   take   me   out.  [   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]: Let’s   just   say   you’d   be   the   first   guy   who’s   about   to   go   on   a   date   with   japan’s   youngest   two   time   academy   award   nominee!   😊 [   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]:   As   a   bonus,   aside   from   my   management,   you’re   the   first   one   to   hear   this   news   straight   from   me! [   txt   →   settie   ☺️   ]:   Aren’t   I   just   generous   with   these   prizes?   ~

｡ [ text : brat ]

" That it is. " He confirmed after swallowing the mouthful of food. Sett is trying to - what? Keep calm? That much was obvious, though why he found IMPOSSIBLE TO FATHOM. Still, he found himself relieved that a scene wasn't caused over it. Their eyes had locked ; they both knew, and they both played Chishiya's game of pretend. That was exactly the desired outcome he'd wanted as soon as the topic had begun to come up.

the table had erupted again the moment he had requested a quick toast, becoming louder and more chaotic, with more exaggerated click of glasses [ ... ] albeit, ultimately, they all expressed their gratitude for the morning they were blessed to see once more. his attention was reclaimed again, easily as it demanded, taking the slow drink whilst his gaze lingered just a moment longer than necessary. ❝ if anything, we gonna make it harder for you, kitten. ❞ his vocals lowered slightly as it returned, softer, an intention that came from the privacy of the conversation. ❝ so what's the plan tonight? ❞ the query had been posed as though it were nothing, as though it bore no weight beyond idle curiosity, yet the way his spheres had settled more fully, more steadily, betrayed the lie of it. ❝ you gonna vanish again? ❞ a beat had stretched betwixt the sentences. ❝ or you actually got somewhere to be? ❞

his calloused digits had stilled against the glass, the idle motion ceasing as though the question itself demanded a steadier hand, and after a moment, he had shrugged, loose and unbothered in appearance ⸻ albeit the offer that followed had been anything but careless. ❝ i can give you a ride. ❞ his tone had remained even, almost dismissive. ❝ save you the trouble. ❞ and then, after just enough silence to make it clear that what came next was not an afterthought but a choice, he added, more plainly, more directly. ❝ or you come back with us. ❞