Post by theravenmattknox on Aug 3, 2021 2:35:57 GMT -5
He stepped out of his suite for the first time today, sparing a look back at the twenty pounds of Gold that glimmered mockingly back at him before he closed the door. The flight had landed a little over an hour ago. He had bid adieu to his companion as they departed back to Miami. He felt the small pang of guilt, but buried it with the rest.
It didn’t matter in the end, really. Matthew Knox knew somewhere deep down he wasn’t meant to be attached to people. Normal people with normal aspirations and normal lives? Sure, even deeper down he longed for it. More than anything, he longed for it. Tried it, failed at it..
He knew how it would end, inevitably. Maybe he was wrong. Hell, he never thought he'd be back in the ring and now look. A known commodity, a contender, and the trainer of two young champions in the industry. He felt a small smile play across his features as he thought of Bert and Ahmya. He’d need to drop in on them later..
But now?
Now he could shed the pretense. The face he put on for everyone, and went to see the first person since..
Bury it. Bury it deep.
The first person in a while who recognized his pain, and possibly the first person he’d ever met where he saw a similar hurt resonate from her eyes. The screams she let out as they fought. They weren’t only for him. They were for the demons, the ghosts and the monsters his presence meant to her before they each managed to find the truth in the pile of violence, hatred and..
Well.
He stopped to check his hair in the window of the room by hers, and straightened his shirt out before knocking on her door softly. Something odd so she’d know. Maybe.
On the other end it seemed as though no sound was made, no steps towards the door but still with a click it opened. Dark eyes looked up to meet his, along with a smile, right hand behind her back. “So good with timing too. Hello there Matt.” Stepping back to allow him entrance, her black lace dress swayed at the tail end of the asymmetrical back, her eyes shifting in tune, up and down. He pays her an honest to god smile, and nods “Mari.” he greets simply, before stepping into the room.
His guard was down for once. Their conversations while he was away had disarmed him more than he’d like to admit. He took a moment to look around the room, giving a small nod “Cleaning crew did great. Can barely tell we tried to murder each other in here.” he jokes, before turning to face her. He drinks in her small form, and smaller dress before letting out an audible exhale “You look stunning, but I think you knew that.”
The smirk was quick to form following his words, giving an acknowledging nod. “If I had presented myself in any other way, I would have been disappointed. This is to be a long show, is it not? We must be at our best..” She shifted her gaze away for a moment, making sure to lock the door behind them. The young woman still managed to keep her right hand behind her back, but now started taking steps closer. “They truly did a wonderful job, but do not let that stop the natural flow of the chaos from spreading.”
He felt a chill as she closed in on him. So unlike any other encounter. He eyed her carefully, eyes narrowing as the hairs on his neck twitched, threatening to rise. He takes a little initiative, using his long legs to take one step and close some distance between them. Then another, and he was upon her, a breath away even. He lifted a hand, but hesitated and dropped in, his head tilting to one side before speaking up.
“And what you’re hiding there, is part of the show?”
“It is very key to our time. Something tells me we’ll play that way later on though.. so maybe I’ll put it away for now.” Turning her body, it almost seemed as if she made sure there was a hint of contact on purpose, still holding her key close to her and away from his immediate sight. He resisted the temptation to snatch at the hidden object, mostly because he had to ground himself after the briefest of contact had sent a jolt through him. One could have sworn something akin to a growl rumbled out of him for a half second, but he buried it with everything else.
“So what way do you want to play now, then?”
Taking a half step back to lean in, she stood for a second, allowing him to see her smile. “We trade the bow for a bow. It’s okay to let it out while we try this new dance too. I have a feeling I might. If that is okay of course.” Her soft, near silent steps began to move away now, her movements clearly calculated as she put away the item. Turning herself just a bit, she looks at him with a curious expression. “So shall we play this way? Or is there something else you have in mind? No need to shy away from what’s really inside. You’ve advised many over time to embrace that. Why not us too?”
Gently, he reached out to grab her wrist. He lifts it slowly, shifting his grip to interlock their fingers. He stares at it silently for a beat, before speaking in a decidedly more somber tone.
"Because they can't hear the beautiful melody. Only the ugly words."
“Funny.. because those who trap themselves to such limitations are the ones who don’t really know how deep the dive into ugliness can go. It’s not a matter of the screams, it’s the silence that tells the truth. I know that you know this, but it’s striking to not be the only one in a crowded room who’s made their way to the exit so long ago.” Her focus moves to their interlocked hands. “Does it make you want to grab hold, command control? Or do you find yourself wanting to be rid of it all? Because.. I could always be of service when it comes to helping bring a lost comfort.”
"I could never decide." He answered, eyes closing halfway as he focused on the electricity surging up his arm from her touch. Another shuddered breath before finally his resolve steels.
"I keep it in a box. And I open that box on whoever I fight. But it always fills back up."
“A box, a bottle, in the end the contents spill. We harness it, believe we mastered it until the time comes where it will finally consume and then.. that is where the decision must be made.” The distance is closed further as she leans for fuller contact. “I must know Matt. Is that the kind of opening you wished to share with me for our time? Troubling the cleaning staff with our forces? Do be honest, my offer still stands to help.”
His free hand finds her hip. He runs his thumb over the material of her dress once, then again with more pressure as he traces the surface of her form silently. He mulled her question quietly, before letting his lips crack into a distant, sad smirk.
"I just want them to be okay. As soon as I know they are.." he trails off, the words getting stuck as they usually did. Internally, he dropped the shovel and the truth free itself "Then I can go."
“Is this where I tell you to step away from that thought, that goal? Give you the promise of another chance with life? I hope you can forgive me for being unable to do so. I do not judge your truth, as you seem to not do with mine. I do not say that I’d give everything for that purpose of seeing the true smile, knowing there’s real safety in order to gain applause. It’s the last string, it’s the right thing, and.. your gears are turning again, aren’t they.” A playful smirk appears across her face. “I hope you find the fabric okay, I can’t tell if the switching swirls are a good sign.”
He felt the gears stop as she called out his thumbs' unseemly actions. Another shuddered breath, when had his eyes closed? He leaned down, close enough to whisper his next move in the game.
"I'm only trying to see how hard I can get you to squeeze my hand." The smirk remained, it's tone shifted though. "I can't accept any other way. Not anymore. I tried, and I found out you cant go back. Then I found out, I didn't want to...do you?”
A near breathless gasp, light in nature, soft. It was soon followed by a giggle and her own smirk. “How observant of you. It’s only fair considering how much I make sure to pay attention. I’ve already worked out a few way to traverse the maze and make all your hairs stand up.” A deeper lean and a slight shift so now it was a matter of a breath before all the glass is shattered. “That life was never mine, so there is nothing to go back to. I do however, have one thing that bounds me. Different tales leading us to the same chapter.”
"Miserable pair like us?" He leaned forward, bringing his forehead to rest on hers as he gave a slight shake of the head "It's like bondage to care, isn't it Mari? Feeling like you can't leave. Letting something matter enough to be a tether, a weight.." he leans his head up, teasing the cracked glass with the ghost of a kiss.
"But they do. And so we stay. And wear our masks. Fill our boxes and bottles...and make everyone doesn't matter suffer"
The last word almost growled as he felt an all too familiar pull at a door he kept locked tight. His thumb was replaced by a whole hand, with a full grip."It is a tight grip, but one we hold without question. The cycle is ongoing, the exit bright but beyond reach. But we are honestly getting closer now. It is a lovely thing..” A softer, sadder smile surfaces, her eyes reaching for the lock. “Those outside suffer, we suffer.. such a beautiful dance. We should take the tape off.. now, and let some air give a gentle touch to the wound.”
Silence. Damning, booming silence. The room evaporated. All he could hear, see or feel was in front of him, between them. He let out a quiet breath and with it his inhibition.
"I'm yours." Maybe it didn't make sense, but he was at a loss for words around her. Sentiment heavy in his chest, the fire she started raging against the ice the world had built within him. A final pull snatches the air, the breath taken making it even thinner.
“Then. Break. The. Glass..”
Pavlo's dog wasn't as quick to respond to a bell as he was to close the distance and press his mouth into hers, the hand holding her own still, the other hand on her hip.
They had promised to dance.
Though the lead seemed taken, the grip on the hand tightened, the contact eased into more, the small but telling sound that echoed within the embrace that escaped her. Her eyes finally closed to fully make way for the rhythm.
Painfully, he broke the seal they had created but his lips lingered near. His breath shivered out of him. He swallowed once, trying to keep some oxygen within. "So…" but the words escaped him. A failed attempt at words followed but instead, he let out only the ghost of a chuckle.
"Damn.." he chuckled once more "So this is speechless." Her eyes barely opened to greet him once again. “Yes.. it is..” A slight lean, reaching but meeting with a tease brought about another smile. Shaky breath.
"How much is the game?" The question soft but pointed as now the hand on her Hip ran slowly up to her shoulder, still pressed firmly as he memorized her form behind closed eyes "if you're going to be my end, do it now so this can be my last memory?" He chuckled, shaking his head.
"That was horrid." Her chuckle followed right after his words, goosebumps having been formed as well. “It costs nothing and everything all at once, but you’re not at the point of the final fight just yet, though it is tempting for us both.” A soft shift guides him to a zipper. “Do not be saddened by this truth though. I promise the end will be all too satisfying in nature. Just what we deserve..” A fading daze looked to the corner where she had been not that long ago to place something down, before moving back to him.
He takes the zipper between thumb and forefinger. He furrows his brow, before resolving to get one hand back on the wheel "So quick to get there...your youth is showing." He slowly begins to drag the zipper down, moving so his lips brush her ear as he whispers now, time nearly hoarse "The destination is only part of it, Mari..the journey is the rest. And me? I prefer to journey at a slow"
Tug
"Slow"
Tug
"Slow pace."
A jolt courses through her with each word, each bit of her back being freed from the confines of the small dress. Thinking over his words brought about a short breath and a quick flash of a smile. “We did promise ourselves.. a longer show, didn’t we?” Unsteady. “My youth may show in many ways, but so does the twisted whirl of flames within you. Ready to burn.. ready to burnout.. time should be taken for both. But for now? Let us journey on..”
His lips trailed over her neck, not pressing but hovering as he listened. He planted a single kiss on her shoulder before speaking again "Is that it? You want me to burn you?" He let out a small, arrogant chuckle as he returned to her ear to croon into it
"レインボーデビル"
------
The warmth and weight awoke him along with the chorus of screams from his battered form. The bruises had already started forming while he was on the plane. But the weight, the memories flooded in and he felt the corner of his mouth tug upward.
“Another dance, then?” his voice rumbled in a sleepy whisper as his hands went to her hi--
Why were his hands above his head? Why couldn’t he mo--
Fuck.
He kept his eyes closed a beat, wishing he had stayed silent but now his hand was on the table. And so, defeated, he opened his eyes to stare up at her. Meeting his gaze were her eyes, looking close to lifeless but with a hint of something that her icy expression tried to shield. Minus the specially handed bow knife lightly pressed against him, one would think she was readying herself for another dance as she sat on top of him. A slight shift, intentions unknown with it was followed by a heavy exhale. “Soon.. there’s one thing to do for now before that..” Now a sigh. “You can return the favor for this another time as well..”
“I think maybe, depending on how this goes we call it even.” A shift of his own, eyes half closed as he tried to assess the situation. Usually, separately, flesh pressed to flesh was obvious. As was being tied up with a knife to your throat. You throw them together? “I’m very, very sure I had mentioned that I wasn’t a fan of these mixed signals, Mari.” he put a little extra into her name as he spoke it, trying to appeal to last night and the dance therein.
He went to shift a knee. His legs were tied too.
Clever girl.
“What do you need from me..” a pause, “Well, what else?” A gentle graze, light enough to not break skin served as her initial response before a smirk crossed her features. “心強い言葉とあなたが知っているすべて..” Leaning a bit closer, the tiniest bit of pressure placed. “Now it is your turn. Take your time if you need, I am a patient woman. Plus..” Another small shift. “I can lead too.”
He leaned up then, enough to feel the knife press a little harder and close the distance between them. He paints on a half snarl that melts into a devilish, crooked smirk, “Of course you can lead, when you’ve tied me down..but fair is fair.” he gulped once, feeling his adam’s apple nudge the blade and letting a breath out before speaking “All I know about your sister, is she was looking for a company on twitter. I invited her to Baltimore, but our interactions were pretty sparse. She helped track down a sick man and get him to safety, a couple nights before I beat him into retirement..” a bigger smirk “I’m glad i can openly enjoy that, around you.”
He leaned down, away from the blade then, making sure to shift his hips slightly. They were stiff from being tied up, of course. “I know she’s troubled. I don’t know the specifics, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer by the day that it’s something that will swallow her and Robert alive if they’re left to face it alone. And if you’ve been lying, if you’re a part of it?” he leaned back up, pressing harder into the knife this time as he held her gaze “This is your only shot. Don’t waste it.”
His answer gave way to a smirk as she pulled the blade back and leaned up. The hand holding it raised and swung down rather quickly, stopping just short of his throat, Mari letting out a pained laugh. “Consider that an intentional miss and a declaration. However, if you need more convincing..” Another graze, but this time she chose to leave a mark on his upper right pectoral, a simple slash. Before any words could be spoken, she turned it around. A hiss and pained cry barely above a whisper escaped her as she left the same mark on herself, lowering the blade to the side right after.
“We are on the same side, but this is your last warning. 情報を差し控えないでください。あなたが私たちを調べていたのは知っています..” The body shifts once again, her eyes not leaving his, knowing full well of his understanding. He stares at her, eyes narrowing as the smirk returns. He shifts his gaze to the steady trickle of blood coming from his newest scar, before shifting his gaze back up to her.
“You know that game works as well on me, as it does you…” he breathed out. His chest rose, and fell as each breath became more of a labor. He wasn’t sure what she was, but he knew that she was deeper, further into his head and under his skin than he was ever comfortable with. Hands flex into a fist as he tests her tethers once, the effort causing a particularly thick stream to trickle down his arm, to the sheets.
“The pop group. Be*Stars. It stinks like human trafficking. Everything is a dead end, every girl who leaves a ghost in some fantasy ending. But with no sign of them on any social media or in any magazine anywhere after they drift off...except one.” a pause, an eyebrow quirked “Or, maybe two now? I don’t know for sure, but I know bullshit when I see it...and a band made up of a revolving door of pseudo-innocent fetishized vocalists?” he clicks his tongue.
“Stinks to high heaven.” She couldn’t help the laughter at that moment before giving a nod. “How can nobody else see it is what I have wondered for so long.. I thought myself crazy even at one point over it all. Until I saw it for myself. Until I was.. clear headed enough to understand.” She took a moment to think her next words over.
“Our names were taken.. along with so much more. She.. helped me escape.. came up with a brilliant plan to appeal to the sickos while allowing me to be free. Well..free enough. I was still their property, just not with the band anymore. Then.. well, I’m sure you could guess what happened to a degree when she got away.” A tired sigh. “I do have to clear the air on one thing though..”
Raising her left hand she lowered it harshly over his wound before digging her claws in, making sure to do the same to herself with her other hand. The same wave. “私は無実でした.. 彼女は無実でした.. but now? Well.. you see me. Then you.. have you seen her?”
“In passing. I..” he steeled his jaw to her nails, trying his best not to give away the fire it was setting off within him. Or the type it was, “I feel like someone like me? Big, tall, angry? Bert could say I'm the pope and I feel like all i’m going to do is scare her, make shit worse..So I work from afar. Do what I can..” he lets out a ragged breath, flexing the arm around her claws as he lets out a growl.
“We were all innocent once, weren’t we? Then it was taken. Sometimes, harshly. It’s up to us to make something out of that…”: he froze, stuck on a sudden thought from her words “Kamari..is that your real name?” his eyes shot back to find her gaze through the smoke of her wildfire.
Her eyes widened at the question, her hands removing themselves from their tasks. A not so subtle shift follows, leading to a gasp on her end before her eyes drift to the knife and back to him. “Kamari is who I wanted to be.. Mira is what they made me.. and Mari is the truth. Why do you think I look the way I do when I hear it from you?” A quick adjustment before she leans down once again. “Life can be very harsh, but there are some monsters and monstrous things that need to be taken care of. Unnecessary corruption that must be ended. They will never stop. They almost succeeded once. Did you find the hospital records during your research?” Leaning down some more she took a listen to what raged within, biting down to twist at it and what was happening on the other end as well. Fair is fair.
“No, I didn’t think it would be smart.” he took in a sharp breath as he felt her teeth, eyes clasping shut as he let out a low guttural sound, “If they found out who was digging into them, I’ve got more to lose than just Robert and Ahmya. Two daughters..” a sad tinge to his voice, he buries it with a sadder smile “You’re young, i imagine you’ve never had children. But I promise you, that a father’s love? The real kind? It’s what is driving me to get into this and end it..” his eyes drift open, staring at her he takes a stab, disguised as a statement of fact with his confident tone “Not all parents are monsters, Mari.”
The small cracks spread all over, not breaking completely, but close as she lifted herself up a bit. She leaned closer to his face, making sure he sees. “彼らは私たちを売りました。彼らは私たちの魂を売りました。I.. we didn’t want this.. we were happy singing at school.. being kids.. I haven’t had my own, but.. I know I would never do what was done to me had I gotten the chance. I’ll never know what I would have done now, but.. I don’t want her to relive this.. what does she know? I have.. watched from afar as well, but the details escape me since.. I know I would scare her.” Her tone shook with that statement, a shield raising in an unsteady hand. To bury it she shifted.
“No. Not your soul.” It was plain, but sincere. For a moment gone was the whirlwind and the wildfire they had started, it’s only evidence there for the naked eye. His eyes soften and he tugs at the restraints, wanting to hold her but relaxes his arm, “If they really sold that, you wouldn’t be here. Trying to help her. You wouldn’t double check the guy who mentored her new, reckless, dumb guardian…” he closed his eyes, trying to find the words before continuing “Our skies aren’;t black, Mari. They’re gray.”
“Far as what I know? Bert never lets on with me. He never gives those details. Just that she is lucid in passing at best. That he feels guilty about their relationship..” he let out a small chuckle “He looks at her like a diamond that could shatter at any minute, you know? So please, for what my word is worth, trust him.”
Her expression softened and she leaned down, wrapping her arms around him as best as she could. “She.. she is strong.. but has always had that fragility to her.. he.. he shouldn’t feel guilty if he’s helping her to feel happiness. She deserves it. She’s been tortured for so long. Worse than I ever was. I hope she never remembers..” Her voice fell to a hush as she broke the makeshift hug and grabbed hold of the knife once again. Silently she struck, undoing the restraints on his hands, clutching the blade close after, ready for whatever comes her way next.
He leans up, face inches from hers as his nostrils flare, deadpan face not wanting to betray his next move. And then he struck…
Pulling her into an embrace and running a hand through her hair.
“She never will. And neither will you.”
For once she was truly lost, and while it was frightening, she also felt something. Breaking the contact briefly, she removed the knife from the equation once again before returning back to the embrace, clutching tightly. She didn’t even realize how tight. “ありがとうございました..” He ran a comforting hand up and down her back, nodding “いつも” he mumbles back.
It didn’t matter in the end, really. Matthew Knox knew somewhere deep down he wasn’t meant to be attached to people. Normal people with normal aspirations and normal lives? Sure, even deeper down he longed for it. More than anything, he longed for it. Tried it, failed at it..
He knew how it would end, inevitably. Maybe he was wrong. Hell, he never thought he'd be back in the ring and now look. A known commodity, a contender, and the trainer of two young champions in the industry. He felt a small smile play across his features as he thought of Bert and Ahmya. He’d need to drop in on them later..
But now?
Now he could shed the pretense. The face he put on for everyone, and went to see the first person since..
Bury it. Bury it deep.
The first person in a while who recognized his pain, and possibly the first person he’d ever met where he saw a similar hurt resonate from her eyes. The screams she let out as they fought. They weren’t only for him. They were for the demons, the ghosts and the monsters his presence meant to her before they each managed to find the truth in the pile of violence, hatred and..
Well.
He stopped to check his hair in the window of the room by hers, and straightened his shirt out before knocking on her door softly. Something odd so she’d know. Maybe.
On the other end it seemed as though no sound was made, no steps towards the door but still with a click it opened. Dark eyes looked up to meet his, along with a smile, right hand behind her back. “So good with timing too. Hello there Matt.” Stepping back to allow him entrance, her black lace dress swayed at the tail end of the asymmetrical back, her eyes shifting in tune, up and down. He pays her an honest to god smile, and nods “Mari.” he greets simply, before stepping into the room.
His guard was down for once. Their conversations while he was away had disarmed him more than he’d like to admit. He took a moment to look around the room, giving a small nod “Cleaning crew did great. Can barely tell we tried to murder each other in here.” he jokes, before turning to face her. He drinks in her small form, and smaller dress before letting out an audible exhale “You look stunning, but I think you knew that.”
The smirk was quick to form following his words, giving an acknowledging nod. “If I had presented myself in any other way, I would have been disappointed. This is to be a long show, is it not? We must be at our best..” She shifted her gaze away for a moment, making sure to lock the door behind them. The young woman still managed to keep her right hand behind her back, but now started taking steps closer. “They truly did a wonderful job, but do not let that stop the natural flow of the chaos from spreading.”
He felt a chill as she closed in on him. So unlike any other encounter. He eyed her carefully, eyes narrowing as the hairs on his neck twitched, threatening to rise. He takes a little initiative, using his long legs to take one step and close some distance between them. Then another, and he was upon her, a breath away even. He lifted a hand, but hesitated and dropped in, his head tilting to one side before speaking up.
“And what you’re hiding there, is part of the show?”
“It is very key to our time. Something tells me we’ll play that way later on though.. so maybe I’ll put it away for now.” Turning her body, it almost seemed as if she made sure there was a hint of contact on purpose, still holding her key close to her and away from his immediate sight. He resisted the temptation to snatch at the hidden object, mostly because he had to ground himself after the briefest of contact had sent a jolt through him. One could have sworn something akin to a growl rumbled out of him for a half second, but he buried it with everything else.
“So what way do you want to play now, then?”
Taking a half step back to lean in, she stood for a second, allowing him to see her smile. “We trade the bow for a bow. It’s okay to let it out while we try this new dance too. I have a feeling I might. If that is okay of course.” Her soft, near silent steps began to move away now, her movements clearly calculated as she put away the item. Turning herself just a bit, she looks at him with a curious expression. “So shall we play this way? Or is there something else you have in mind? No need to shy away from what’s really inside. You’ve advised many over time to embrace that. Why not us too?”
Gently, he reached out to grab her wrist. He lifts it slowly, shifting his grip to interlock their fingers. He stares at it silently for a beat, before speaking in a decidedly more somber tone.
"Because they can't hear the beautiful melody. Only the ugly words."
“Funny.. because those who trap themselves to such limitations are the ones who don’t really know how deep the dive into ugliness can go. It’s not a matter of the screams, it’s the silence that tells the truth. I know that you know this, but it’s striking to not be the only one in a crowded room who’s made their way to the exit so long ago.” Her focus moves to their interlocked hands. “Does it make you want to grab hold, command control? Or do you find yourself wanting to be rid of it all? Because.. I could always be of service when it comes to helping bring a lost comfort.”
"I could never decide." He answered, eyes closing halfway as he focused on the electricity surging up his arm from her touch. Another shuddered breath before finally his resolve steels.
"I keep it in a box. And I open that box on whoever I fight. But it always fills back up."
“A box, a bottle, in the end the contents spill. We harness it, believe we mastered it until the time comes where it will finally consume and then.. that is where the decision must be made.” The distance is closed further as she leans for fuller contact. “I must know Matt. Is that the kind of opening you wished to share with me for our time? Troubling the cleaning staff with our forces? Do be honest, my offer still stands to help.”
His free hand finds her hip. He runs his thumb over the material of her dress once, then again with more pressure as he traces the surface of her form silently. He mulled her question quietly, before letting his lips crack into a distant, sad smirk.
"I just want them to be okay. As soon as I know they are.." he trails off, the words getting stuck as they usually did. Internally, he dropped the shovel and the truth free itself "Then I can go."
“Is this where I tell you to step away from that thought, that goal? Give you the promise of another chance with life? I hope you can forgive me for being unable to do so. I do not judge your truth, as you seem to not do with mine. I do not say that I’d give everything for that purpose of seeing the true smile, knowing there’s real safety in order to gain applause. It’s the last string, it’s the right thing, and.. your gears are turning again, aren’t they.” A playful smirk appears across her face. “I hope you find the fabric okay, I can’t tell if the switching swirls are a good sign.”
He felt the gears stop as she called out his thumbs' unseemly actions. Another shuddered breath, when had his eyes closed? He leaned down, close enough to whisper his next move in the game.
"I'm only trying to see how hard I can get you to squeeze my hand." The smirk remained, it's tone shifted though. "I can't accept any other way. Not anymore. I tried, and I found out you cant go back. Then I found out, I didn't want to...do you?”
A near breathless gasp, light in nature, soft. It was soon followed by a giggle and her own smirk. “How observant of you. It’s only fair considering how much I make sure to pay attention. I’ve already worked out a few way to traverse the maze and make all your hairs stand up.” A deeper lean and a slight shift so now it was a matter of a breath before all the glass is shattered. “That life was never mine, so there is nothing to go back to. I do however, have one thing that bounds me. Different tales leading us to the same chapter.”
"Miserable pair like us?" He leaned forward, bringing his forehead to rest on hers as he gave a slight shake of the head "It's like bondage to care, isn't it Mari? Feeling like you can't leave. Letting something matter enough to be a tether, a weight.." he leans his head up, teasing the cracked glass with the ghost of a kiss.
"But they do. And so we stay. And wear our masks. Fill our boxes and bottles...and make everyone doesn't matter suffer"
The last word almost growled as he felt an all too familiar pull at a door he kept locked tight. His thumb was replaced by a whole hand, with a full grip."It is a tight grip, but one we hold without question. The cycle is ongoing, the exit bright but beyond reach. But we are honestly getting closer now. It is a lovely thing..” A softer, sadder smile surfaces, her eyes reaching for the lock. “Those outside suffer, we suffer.. such a beautiful dance. We should take the tape off.. now, and let some air give a gentle touch to the wound.”
Silence. Damning, booming silence. The room evaporated. All he could hear, see or feel was in front of him, between them. He let out a quiet breath and with it his inhibition.
"I'm yours." Maybe it didn't make sense, but he was at a loss for words around her. Sentiment heavy in his chest, the fire she started raging against the ice the world had built within him. A final pull snatches the air, the breath taken making it even thinner.
“Then. Break. The. Glass..”
Pavlo's dog wasn't as quick to respond to a bell as he was to close the distance and press his mouth into hers, the hand holding her own still, the other hand on her hip.
They had promised to dance.
Though the lead seemed taken, the grip on the hand tightened, the contact eased into more, the small but telling sound that echoed within the embrace that escaped her. Her eyes finally closed to fully make way for the rhythm.
Painfully, he broke the seal they had created but his lips lingered near. His breath shivered out of him. He swallowed once, trying to keep some oxygen within. "So…" but the words escaped him. A failed attempt at words followed but instead, he let out only the ghost of a chuckle.
"Damn.." he chuckled once more "So this is speechless." Her eyes barely opened to greet him once again. “Yes.. it is..” A slight lean, reaching but meeting with a tease brought about another smile. Shaky breath.
"How much is the game?" The question soft but pointed as now the hand on her Hip ran slowly up to her shoulder, still pressed firmly as he memorized her form behind closed eyes "if you're going to be my end, do it now so this can be my last memory?" He chuckled, shaking his head.
"That was horrid." Her chuckle followed right after his words, goosebumps having been formed as well. “It costs nothing and everything all at once, but you’re not at the point of the final fight just yet, though it is tempting for us both.” A soft shift guides him to a zipper. “Do not be saddened by this truth though. I promise the end will be all too satisfying in nature. Just what we deserve..” A fading daze looked to the corner where she had been not that long ago to place something down, before moving back to him.
He takes the zipper between thumb and forefinger. He furrows his brow, before resolving to get one hand back on the wheel "So quick to get there...your youth is showing." He slowly begins to drag the zipper down, moving so his lips brush her ear as he whispers now, time nearly hoarse "The destination is only part of it, Mari..the journey is the rest. And me? I prefer to journey at a slow"
Tug
"Slow"
Tug
"Slow pace."
A jolt courses through her with each word, each bit of her back being freed from the confines of the small dress. Thinking over his words brought about a short breath and a quick flash of a smile. “We did promise ourselves.. a longer show, didn’t we?” Unsteady. “My youth may show in many ways, but so does the twisted whirl of flames within you. Ready to burn.. ready to burnout.. time should be taken for both. But for now? Let us journey on..”
His lips trailed over her neck, not pressing but hovering as he listened. He planted a single kiss on her shoulder before speaking again "Is that it? You want me to burn you?" He let out a small, arrogant chuckle as he returned to her ear to croon into it
"レインボーデビル"
------
The warmth and weight awoke him along with the chorus of screams from his battered form. The bruises had already started forming while he was on the plane. But the weight, the memories flooded in and he felt the corner of his mouth tug upward.
“Another dance, then?” his voice rumbled in a sleepy whisper as his hands went to her hi--
Why were his hands above his head? Why couldn’t he mo--
Fuck.
He kept his eyes closed a beat, wishing he had stayed silent but now his hand was on the table. And so, defeated, he opened his eyes to stare up at her. Meeting his gaze were her eyes, looking close to lifeless but with a hint of something that her icy expression tried to shield. Minus the specially handed bow knife lightly pressed against him, one would think she was readying herself for another dance as she sat on top of him. A slight shift, intentions unknown with it was followed by a heavy exhale. “Soon.. there’s one thing to do for now before that..” Now a sigh. “You can return the favor for this another time as well..”
“I think maybe, depending on how this goes we call it even.” A shift of his own, eyes half closed as he tried to assess the situation. Usually, separately, flesh pressed to flesh was obvious. As was being tied up with a knife to your throat. You throw them together? “I’m very, very sure I had mentioned that I wasn’t a fan of these mixed signals, Mari.” he put a little extra into her name as he spoke it, trying to appeal to last night and the dance therein.
He went to shift a knee. His legs were tied too.
Clever girl.
“What do you need from me..” a pause, “Well, what else?” A gentle graze, light enough to not break skin served as her initial response before a smirk crossed her features. “心強い言葉とあなたが知っているすべて..” Leaning a bit closer, the tiniest bit of pressure placed. “Now it is your turn. Take your time if you need, I am a patient woman. Plus..” Another small shift. “I can lead too.”
He leaned up then, enough to feel the knife press a little harder and close the distance between them. He paints on a half snarl that melts into a devilish, crooked smirk, “Of course you can lead, when you’ve tied me down..but fair is fair.” he gulped once, feeling his adam’s apple nudge the blade and letting a breath out before speaking “All I know about your sister, is she was looking for a company on twitter. I invited her to Baltimore, but our interactions were pretty sparse. She helped track down a sick man and get him to safety, a couple nights before I beat him into retirement..” a bigger smirk “I’m glad i can openly enjoy that, around you.”
He leaned down, away from the blade then, making sure to shift his hips slightly. They were stiff from being tied up, of course. “I know she’s troubled. I don’t know the specifics, but it’s becoming clearer and clearer by the day that it’s something that will swallow her and Robert alive if they’re left to face it alone. And if you’ve been lying, if you’re a part of it?” he leaned back up, pressing harder into the knife this time as he held her gaze “This is your only shot. Don’t waste it.”
His answer gave way to a smirk as she pulled the blade back and leaned up. The hand holding it raised and swung down rather quickly, stopping just short of his throat, Mari letting out a pained laugh. “Consider that an intentional miss and a declaration. However, if you need more convincing..” Another graze, but this time she chose to leave a mark on his upper right pectoral, a simple slash. Before any words could be spoken, she turned it around. A hiss and pained cry barely above a whisper escaped her as she left the same mark on herself, lowering the blade to the side right after.
“We are on the same side, but this is your last warning. 情報を差し控えないでください。あなたが私たちを調べていたのは知っています..” The body shifts once again, her eyes not leaving his, knowing full well of his understanding. He stares at her, eyes narrowing as the smirk returns. He shifts his gaze to the steady trickle of blood coming from his newest scar, before shifting his gaze back up to her.
“You know that game works as well on me, as it does you…” he breathed out. His chest rose, and fell as each breath became more of a labor. He wasn’t sure what she was, but he knew that she was deeper, further into his head and under his skin than he was ever comfortable with. Hands flex into a fist as he tests her tethers once, the effort causing a particularly thick stream to trickle down his arm, to the sheets.
“The pop group. Be*Stars. It stinks like human trafficking. Everything is a dead end, every girl who leaves a ghost in some fantasy ending. But with no sign of them on any social media or in any magazine anywhere after they drift off...except one.” a pause, an eyebrow quirked “Or, maybe two now? I don’t know for sure, but I know bullshit when I see it...and a band made up of a revolving door of pseudo-innocent fetishized vocalists?” he clicks his tongue.
“Stinks to high heaven.” She couldn’t help the laughter at that moment before giving a nod. “How can nobody else see it is what I have wondered for so long.. I thought myself crazy even at one point over it all. Until I saw it for myself. Until I was.. clear headed enough to understand.” She took a moment to think her next words over.
“Our names were taken.. along with so much more. She.. helped me escape.. came up with a brilliant plan to appeal to the sickos while allowing me to be free. Well..free enough. I was still their property, just not with the band anymore. Then.. well, I’m sure you could guess what happened to a degree when she got away.” A tired sigh. “I do have to clear the air on one thing though..”
Raising her left hand she lowered it harshly over his wound before digging her claws in, making sure to do the same to herself with her other hand. The same wave. “私は無実でした.. 彼女は無実でした.. but now? Well.. you see me. Then you.. have you seen her?”
“In passing. I..” he steeled his jaw to her nails, trying his best not to give away the fire it was setting off within him. Or the type it was, “I feel like someone like me? Big, tall, angry? Bert could say I'm the pope and I feel like all i’m going to do is scare her, make shit worse..So I work from afar. Do what I can..” he lets out a ragged breath, flexing the arm around her claws as he lets out a growl.
“We were all innocent once, weren’t we? Then it was taken. Sometimes, harshly. It’s up to us to make something out of that…”: he froze, stuck on a sudden thought from her words “Kamari..is that your real name?” his eyes shot back to find her gaze through the smoke of her wildfire.
Her eyes widened at the question, her hands removing themselves from their tasks. A not so subtle shift follows, leading to a gasp on her end before her eyes drift to the knife and back to him. “Kamari is who I wanted to be.. Mira is what they made me.. and Mari is the truth. Why do you think I look the way I do when I hear it from you?” A quick adjustment before she leans down once again. “Life can be very harsh, but there are some monsters and monstrous things that need to be taken care of. Unnecessary corruption that must be ended. They will never stop. They almost succeeded once. Did you find the hospital records during your research?” Leaning down some more she took a listen to what raged within, biting down to twist at it and what was happening on the other end as well. Fair is fair.
“No, I didn’t think it would be smart.” he took in a sharp breath as he felt her teeth, eyes clasping shut as he let out a low guttural sound, “If they found out who was digging into them, I’ve got more to lose than just Robert and Ahmya. Two daughters..” a sad tinge to his voice, he buries it with a sadder smile “You’re young, i imagine you’ve never had children. But I promise you, that a father’s love? The real kind? It’s what is driving me to get into this and end it..” his eyes drift open, staring at her he takes a stab, disguised as a statement of fact with his confident tone “Not all parents are monsters, Mari.”
The small cracks spread all over, not breaking completely, but close as she lifted herself up a bit. She leaned closer to his face, making sure he sees. “彼らは私たちを売りました。彼らは私たちの魂を売りました。I.. we didn’t want this.. we were happy singing at school.. being kids.. I haven’t had my own, but.. I know I would never do what was done to me had I gotten the chance. I’ll never know what I would have done now, but.. I don’t want her to relive this.. what does she know? I have.. watched from afar as well, but the details escape me since.. I know I would scare her.” Her tone shook with that statement, a shield raising in an unsteady hand. To bury it she shifted.
“No. Not your soul.” It was plain, but sincere. For a moment gone was the whirlwind and the wildfire they had started, it’s only evidence there for the naked eye. His eyes soften and he tugs at the restraints, wanting to hold her but relaxes his arm, “If they really sold that, you wouldn’t be here. Trying to help her. You wouldn’t double check the guy who mentored her new, reckless, dumb guardian…” he closed his eyes, trying to find the words before continuing “Our skies aren’;t black, Mari. They’re gray.”
“Far as what I know? Bert never lets on with me. He never gives those details. Just that she is lucid in passing at best. That he feels guilty about their relationship..” he let out a small chuckle “He looks at her like a diamond that could shatter at any minute, you know? So please, for what my word is worth, trust him.”
Her expression softened and she leaned down, wrapping her arms around him as best as she could. “She.. she is strong.. but has always had that fragility to her.. he.. he shouldn’t feel guilty if he’s helping her to feel happiness. She deserves it. She’s been tortured for so long. Worse than I ever was. I hope she never remembers..” Her voice fell to a hush as she broke the makeshift hug and grabbed hold of the knife once again. Silently she struck, undoing the restraints on his hands, clutching the blade close after, ready for whatever comes her way next.
He leans up, face inches from hers as his nostrils flare, deadpan face not wanting to betray his next move. And then he struck…
Pulling her into an embrace and running a hand through her hair.
“She never will. And neither will you.”
For once she was truly lost, and while it was frightening, she also felt something. Breaking the contact briefly, she removed the knife from the equation once again before returning back to the embrace, clutching tightly. She didn’t even realize how tight. “ありがとうございました..” He ran a comforting hand up and down her back, nodding “いつも” he mumbles back.