softspokenlandlord: (Default)
Ryou Bakura ([personal profile] softspokenlandlord) wrote2020-11-18 01:10 am

IC Inbox | [community profile] ryslig

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, WhiteWizard.

FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 007.80.751.19

*** WhiteWizard has joined 007.80.751.19
<WhiteWizard> Hello, this is Ryou Bakura!
<WhiteWizard> Feel free to reach out to me if you need anything. :)
<WhiteWizard> I will get back to you as soon as possible.
knifemonopoly: (do you hold their lives from a string)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-11 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[...well, okay. If Ryou's going to open his mouth, then the kiss doesn't have to be over right away. Atem doesn't have to breathe, and when he's kissing it's easy to forget about it, but right now, the kind of contentment he feels makes him sigh the air that is still in his lungs out.

The fingers at Ryou's chin drift along his jaw and down to the back of his neck, like they often do -- but this time, they brush over a collar. Ah, he'd almost forgotten Ryou was wearing that -- that he's in Atem's clothes, that wearing something of his makes Ryou feel better, and that Atem likes that. Something about it being on Ryou's neck, too...

There's a slight inhale. Then, his hand goes all the way around the back of Ryou's neck, and the kiss deepens. The mood shifts; the way Atem moves is different, more intent. A drive behind it that wasn't there before definitely is now, and "warn Ryou that their friends might make this awkward" gets relegated to the back burner. Awkward conversation later, pursue this now.
]
knifemonopoly: (through the end of the world)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-11 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[Finally.

Finally, there's...there's nothing in the way this time, is there? Not snake parts he's not had the chance to get used to, not a question of whether it's really okay to go further because they've sort of just gotten together and Ryou's adorably birthday-drunk, not a fog-form, or a recent loss...Atem's trying to think of a reason it might be right to hold back, and he's drawing a blank.

So, he doesn't. He doesn't see the need to stop, not as long as Ryou's basically telling him keep going, so Atem shifts so more of him is above Ryou, kisses him a little bit hungrier, brings fingers up to wind in Ryou's hair, not hard enough to hurt but hard enough for the pressure to give him control over the angle of the kiss, and for it to be felt. He lets the hand settling bring him down so his upper body is lying on Ryou's chest, freeing up the hand that was supporting him to reach under Ryou's arm and hook a hand over his shoulder. Breaks in the kiss come with pleased, light breaths -- he doesn't make any voiced sounds, he's quiet, but the quality of the breaths is positive. He doesn't have to breathe, but he is, because of this.

There's no reason to stop. Nothing's going to go wrong if he doesn't, if they don't want to stop. They can keep doing this as long as they like this time, and just see what happens when there's not one thing or another thing causing problems...
]
knifemonopoly: (no one has to know)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-11 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[--what the hell...?

For a second, Atem wonders if Ryou is sick. He pulls back, coming back to earth through the haze of anticipation that's been cut abruptly short, looking Ryou dead in the face, trying to figure out what that was.
]

...are you okay?

[That's not a romantic are-you-okay-with-this-before-we-keep-going. That's a that noise was concerning and we live in a horror game; please tell me something that looks like it's from Alien isn't about to explode out of you.]
knifemonopoly: (say way oh way oh eh oh)

slaps a CW on this thread for disordered eating

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-11 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ryou, what the fuck.

Maybe if he hadn't lived with Ryou for five months, he wouldn't know this was absolute bullshit. Ryou Bakura doesn't get too busy to eat. If it had been a case of regular food becoming harder on his system, so after his death he switched to souls only for a while, that would have made sense. Been a little sad, but made sense. This, though? Where his body actively wants food but he's not eating?

Buddy.
]

...is that really what you want? To stop eating normal food?

[Doubt. Doubt, you gay little creampuff.]
knifemonopoly: (holding him for ransom)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-12 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
Ryou.

[They're going to have this conversation with Atem half-on top of Ryou. That's fine. He doesn't mind. It makes it easier for Atem to take the side of Ryou's face, gently, and look deep into him.]

Why aren't you letting yourself have something you like?

[Ryslig's a marathon, not a sprint. (He's been sprinting it, or rather, running a marathon at a sprint's pace, since July.) If you want to last there, and protect your heart, and keep your humanity, you have to find things that make you happy. (He's missed being around his friends, and he's unhappy about it.) If you don't, you start to hate it. (He hates what this place has done to Ryou, and what it will do to Yugi.) You get desperate. (He'd do anything to get them out.)

Giving up something this simple, this easy, something that he's seen Ryou use to comfort himself before...that's a sign that something's much more wrong than Atem suspected. (Is he failing Ryou, too?) So, he's going to reach for an answer.

His eyes flick over Ryou's face, caring, concerned. What's hurting? Is there something you feel bad about? Tell me.
]
knifemonopoly: (they sing and dance oh ey oh)

cw self harm itt also, and self sacrifice ideation

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-12 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[Something's terribly wrong.

He lets Ryou lean into the touch, stroking his face gently with his thumb and the tips of his fingers as he talks. Shh, relax that jaw.
]

Ryou, do you remember what you told me in June, about how this place smashes us up, and we have to put ourselves together again?

You've been hit hard this time. In a way you haven't been hurt before. I promised I'd help put you back together, before the next attack came. We were going to support each other, remember?

[They were. Ryou was there for him, when Atem got caught unexpectedly by a snake-shed. That had helped a lot...that had mattered. But, now, Atem's facing what Yugi's going to have to do, something he dreads so much that he'd take going home at the moment of his own death and never seeing Anzu or Jounouchi or Honda again over forcing Yugi to take someone else's soul, and Ryou's too upset by something else to hear about it. Atem can't talk about how he feels about his own permanent death and whether or not he wants to go through with it, eirher, because Ryou's been hurt so badly that he won't eat. Ryou isn't comforting himself, which means he has to be helped, so that whatever meter drove Javert and Daniel and maybe even Fabius to what they did doesn't run out for Ryou, too.

Atem can keep going a while longer.
]

Please, will you tell me what's on your mind? Whatever it is, I'll understand.
knifemonopoly: (rise up like glitter and gold)

cw self harm discussion

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-12 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Ryou's eyes close, and Atem lets some of what he's feeling show on his face. His eyes twitch closed, squeeze shut, and his mouth presses together tightly. It's just for a moment, but -- it hurts to hear it said. Don't you get tired?

He does.

But what can he say, that's going to help...?
]

...I love you, too.

[He kisses the corner of Ryou's mouth.]

And you are comforting. I never feel better than I do when I'm with you. It's the nicest feeling in the world...

...but when you don't take care of yourself, I'm going to worry about you!

[He gets a firmer grip on the side of Ryou's face, brings their foreheads together.]

You're too important to me to lose. I'll solve you if I have to, if that's what it takes -- if you're too hurt to solve yourself, then I'll be there. I saw what happened in your past. I know what happened to you was terrible. But why are those memories making you hurt yourself?

[His mouth's running, a little bit. His control over what will help? is slipping.]

Don't you know that you're a part of my heart? That when you get hurt, it hurts me, too?
knifemonopoly: (slide your feet up the street)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-12 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, no. Ryou...Ryou sure has a particularly bad reaction to death, dosn't he? Atem's been through it so many times that all it takes for him to bounce back is, apparently, one person being there and being kind to him through it.

But what Ryou says after that, it...

...it helps, a little bit? It helps that Ryou does want to do this himself, that Atem isn't his keeper.

Trying to be...has been hard.

There's a slight relaxing, in the muscles of Atem's back, under Ryou's claws. Arms wrap around Ryou's shoulders, too, holding him back.
]

It's okay...it's okay, to fight. Even people who care about each other a lot...fight, sometimes. Especially if they're hurting.

Fighting doesn't mean I don't love you, or won't forgive you. I don't want to be hurt, and I don't want to hurt you, too. But...I warned you when this started, didn't I? That I wasn't sure I'd be good at this. That we might hurt each other. That I might not be perfect.

[oooooops that control's slipping again. He's tired, he's so tired, and his mouth is moving, and he can't stop it.]

I'm not perfect, Ryou. I lose sometimes. I guess wrong! I'm afraid -- I'm afraid of letting down the people who matter most, and I keep--! [He keeps not being able to protect them. Admitting this -- admitting fears -- probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the monster last month.] I'm afraid that if I don't help you...you'll...you'll just hurt, and it won't get better, and you'll either escape into a dream, or you'll despair, like other monsters despair, and do something desperate because you can't stand it here and end up in the prison!

[The thing is...he doesn't want to not have faith in Ryou, but he's also worried. October's going to be hard. Can Ryou...can Ryou do this on his own, and be thinking straight in time for the October fog, and what comes with it?

He holds Ryou tighter.
]

I need you. I need you to solve this. I don't think starving yourself until you don't eat anymore is the answer, but I can't fix it for you. All I can do is tell you what I think, and...and hope it's right.
knifemonopoly: (they got the money on a bet)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-12 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
[Atem moves back, understanding what's being asked with that pressure. He moves off of Ryou, still staying by his side but not lying back down -- he'll hold himself up with an arm, or sit up completely, matching whatever Ryou does.]

Show me.

[What's he going to do? Is it going to make things worse? No -- I have to trust him.

Atem's extending trust, choosing to have faith -- even when it isn't easy. He does trust the people he loves, unlucky or not. He's watching.
]
knifemonopoly: (I keep him forever)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-12 11:02 am (UTC)(link)
[He does follow, his feet quiet on the floor, socks muffling his steps.

A hand slips into one of Ryou's from behind, offering support with a light squeeze.
]
knifemonopoly: (they sing and dance oh ey oh)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-12 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[He saw that it was painful -- he's worried a moment that it's more than just the flavor, what if it's already too late, and Ryou can never eat again...!

But it seems to be okay, after a minute. Around cookie two is when Atem hops up on the counter to sit, to be closer to eye-level. He'll stay in contact with Ryou, a hand on his shoulder or upper arm, just because...

...because, while Atem could be beating himself up for having missed this, instead, he feels relief that Ryou's over this grief hurdle. Just because you died is no reason to act like you're dead.
]

Is it all right?

[--he says, as he pets his boyfriend while he eats sweets.]
knifemonopoly: (bend your back shift your arm)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-10-13 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Atem's...not positive if this sudden swell of emotion is good or bad, if it's happiness or sadness, if it's love or guilt. Not yet. But either way, his response is the same: he tilts his head in, pressing his cheek to the top of Ryou's head, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and taking a deep breath. The other hand pets Ryou's hair, slowly and gently, a little like he handles Ryou's fog form.]

...want to spend the night together later? When we wake up.

[It's true he's got things to do. He's working on a trap for the person he's picked, for Yugi. Marik's working with him. But....

...that can wait 24 hours. It'd be nice to...take a little bit of a break. While, you know, he can...before he has to do to Yugi what he's going to do, before Yugi's hunger gets unbearable, before October's fog. As soon as the fog hits, they'll be in a crisis, and once it's over, who knows what kind of recovery, what kind of care, they'll both need...now might be the time, for that date he promised.
]

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