The Unfortunate Truth {Septys & Ruth//Blitz}

Maybe I'll see you again when it's snowing in Venice,

And I will be on my way home.

His heart prances around his chest, causing a sharp pain to slam into his form, betrayal forcing its way across his face while a thought circles his mind. Thank god the capitol doesn't record this bit. Between catching Ruth and the fucking elevator itself, he's surprised he can even stand up straight.

Maybe its the pulsing, pounding adrenaline coursing through his veins that keep him upright, or maybe its the thought of the games fast approaching.

His hardened gaze slips from the closing door to the woman suddenly in the way, interrupting his personal wallowing session. The games are only two days from now, and only one person could walk out after all, why not cut the damn ties and just be on his own, especially if she already chose Taurus?

He says nothing as her fluid form moves to be beside him, his hands already bent back to grip onto the elevator bar tightly as the doors slither finally, to a close. Jaw clenched white, face white as the elevator begins its rapid descent, Septys' knees threaten to buckle below him as he nods, and a curt "Yeah." manages out.

Ruth moves, standing just before him, and Septys wants to lift his hands, to push her aside, though the terror of the quickly approaching ground keeps him still. Her words sound convincing enough, yet... The way she so comfortably stood beside Nine-

Her hands push him down, and his already weak knees collapse below him, sending the male spilling to the ground. "Maybe- Maybe we can talk about this when we're not falling at like a hundred miles an hour?" he suggests, struggling and failing, to rise back to his feet.

Maybe I'll see you again when it's snowing in Venice,

And I will be on my way home.

"But Ruth it's so HIGH." he hisses, arms rising to collapse atop his skull, though Ruth's warm fingers against his clammy chilled digits are a welcome comfort. He wants to be angry, to be furious, but fear is the only emotion rising in a swell within his chest. Finally, the ground meets the death box, and he carefully stands with the female, his arms trembling, eyes watering and afraid.

His body sways, lips dry as they tumble together through the parted double doors. "Sure- whatever you want Ruth. Just... I need a minute." His knees knock together as he approaches the bar, taking it baby steps at a time.

Pathetic.

Where the fuck did that fear come from? Now the pair of them were planted firmly on the ground, he carefully hauls himself to sit atop the marble counter, glaring down at his hands. Shirt rumpled, face suddenly flushed with embarrassment and color, he turns to watch the girl. What had she been saying?

DRINKS. Yeah, drinks. "Actually is there anything light back there? A wine or something?" He recalls the tainting feeling of vodka and moonshine and whiskey, and the light, airheadedness that comes with white wine, specifically. Beside- wine is romantic as shit, and ultimately, he feels the need to make up for that near fainting spell in the elevator.

"Uhm... Don't... Please don't tell anybody about that." he murmurs quietly, shaking hands finally, finally beginning to cease their shaking, mind flickering back to Nine and One's arms interlaced together. "It... It was just because Four was there, right? Nothing too personal?" A furious countenance flashes for a moment at the forefront of his memory- it had to just be a defensive action. That's it.

She looks like-

He takes the glass between two gentle fingers, swishing the pale liquid around as he stares down at it. It's nearly clear, reflecting a memory of unfiltered water as it rises to his lips, though the taste and scent recall something far different- much more similar to a particular perfume the female donned sometime over the last few days.

He melts nearly on the bar, his feet pointing loosely downward as he downs the glass, allowing the liquid to wash across the surface of his tongue and down his throat with a rather thankful sigh.

Shaking the final dregs of adrenaline from still-tingling digits, the male allows his muscles to relax. Slim hands gently rise to twirl the female's hair, his dark gaze lost somewhere on a wall instead of focusing lightly on Ruth like they normally would have. "... Sorry I assumed." he grumbled, teeth grating as he thought about the hilarity of the scene, and the many, many, many outcomes it could have held.

"It's only because I really, really like you y'know. I wouldn't have flipped out if I didn't give a shit about who you paired yourself with." I'd really like it if you paired yourself with me. At her touch, his heart pittered around his throat, partially blocking his airway with a tight knot. A lover's gasp escapes his tight jaws, and he bends, wine infused kisses pushing across her forehead. He lacked the courage to collide their lips together.

Not yet.

She looks like-

"I have to work for everything I have. I'm not jealous, I'm just not willing to let you go yet." he grumbles, the words disjointed in his mouth from that Cheshire grin she offers. Maybe its the wine, capitol brewed to create the perfect breeding ground for thoughts his hazy head harbors, or maybe its just her in general, the gentle slope of her cheeks, the brightness of her eyes, the softness of her hair.

His form shivers from her caress, from her very touch and his heart explodes in a shower of sparks and pain from her lips. He can't taste the wine on her, just a sweet, subtle hint of something primal, something forgotten to his senses but there in instinct. His breath escapes in a low huff, the contact not nearly as he would like.

His hands tangle at the nape of her neck, gently pulling and stroking as his gaze lingers on her eyes, deeper than the darkest abyss he can imagine, filled with more glittering, glimmering stars than the entirety of the universe.

"We can be, Ruth." he whispers against the smooth slope of her lips. "If it's for tonight only, we can be." With the arena and the games furthest from his mind, he drags her forward again, lips pushing, begging for more.