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: ([event] talk it out babble on)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-23 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
....

I don't remember the others, but...you tried to talk me out of playing a Diabolist, didn't you?

No -- you succeeded. With a dice roll. And then--

[Color's rising in Atem's face, too.]
knifemonopoly: ([event] so i'll take my time)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-23 03:25 am (UTC)(link)
You didn't have to be in one of the trees to end up in the dream world! I thought you did, so I wasn't careful...I got a faceful of the drug they were using while I was fighting one. Luckily, Steve was around, to finish off the tree and get me to safety...I slept it off in the back of his van. But while I was out, I was able to visit a lot of people's dreams...I saw Celeste, and Yugi...Noa...Riley...the Ring-Spirit...and you.

But you were also in the Ring-Spirit's dream...I thought that had to be the one where you actually were. I thought the other one was...

[...he doesn't finish.]
knifemonopoly: ([event] are you ready for it)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-23 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Hey those snakes sure are holding onto Ryou's hand. Atem can't tell how hard he's blushing because he's cold-blooded, so his face isn't hot. Maybe it's not that bad?

(It's that bad.)

He's looking away.
]

It showed me something I wanted, that I hadn't known I'd wanted before. Of course I thought it was mine! It was hard to imagine I could feel that way in a dream that was meant for someone else.

[If it hadn't been for the trees...how long would it have been before Atem was able to identify that this was what he wanted? Would he have gone on, supporting Ryou as he got over the crush and started seeing someone else? Would he have ended up sleeping in Ryou's room anyway, but without knowing his own feelings?

He hates the trees for how hard they were for Ryou to recover from, but...he might owe Larry one, here.
]
knifemonopoly: ([naga] this is gospel for the vagabonds)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-23 01:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[Atem's eyes drift back over to Ryou as he talks. It's so calming feeling the snakes be touched. If anyone else stuck their hand in there, Atem would probably recoil; if they were all grabbed, it would hurt badly, and there's something oddly personal about it, about how much sensory input it sends him...but since it's Ryou, Atem doesn't mind.

The one that gets its chin scritched gives Ryou a truly dopey, hopeless look. All the others look doe-eyed, too. They're not jealous, they are all one, but they really, really like him.

Atem's own eyes lose a little focus again. He's listening, though -- and, when Ryou stops flirting with the hairsnakes, he comes back to himself more. Right. All day...that doesn't add up, though. The snakes huddle thoughtfully.
]

The whole day...that doesn't quite match with what I remember. I...I told you I had to leave. I wanted to see my other friends, and make sure they were all right. But if I didn't go then, I wouldn't have been able to tear myself away at all!

...

[A beat. The snakes turn back to Ryou, and even though Atem's voice is dry, their little faces are full of snincerity.]

I really thought I'd stop thinking about it.

[But he hasn't! For two months! He remembers it clearly enough to recognize how Ryou kisses! His snakes un-huddle; they're giving pining looks again. Hey, remember what the end of June was like? Where they were trapped in an apartment together for three-quarters of the day, but the easy rapport they had at the beginning of June wasn't there anymore, and Atem was going stir-crazy and had to get out of the house sometimes? And the beginning of July, when Atem thought Ryou was trying to disappear into a dream world and leave him behind, and right after they cleared that up, Atem found something to do he thought Ryou would have fun with? The crush just got worse!

🐍 Ryouuuuu 🐍 don't be sad 🐍 don't leave! 🐍
]
Edited 2021-08-23 13:18 (UTC)
knifemonopoly: ([event] b-b-babylon battle for your life)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-23 05:41 pm (UTC)(link)
[Any half-embarrassed, half-jealous flush over "on the floor with"--? wait, how far did they go? evaporates as soon as Ryou goes on.]

....

[This is distressing to see and even more distressing to hear. Oh, no. No, no no...all of that was going on in the room next to his, and he didn't even know? How could he have missed that? He was so wrapped up in everything else that was happening, both in Ryslig and inside his own heart, to spot something he really shouldn't have overlooked...!

Hands. Hands are going on shoulders, right now. Glowing eyes, they're getting looked into, hard.
]

Ryou, even if I didn't feel the same, I would never make you leave this apartment. I'd want to keep living with you, as long as it wasn't too hard for you, and I'd do everything I could not to be unkind. I don't stop being friends with someone just because they like me!

[Anzu. He didn't want to date her, for a lot of reasons...but she'd never stop being a treasured friend.

But...Atem thinks that caring about someone isn't a bad thing. It'd be a different matter if Ryou used the proximity to take advantage where it wasn't welcome, but, like, have you met Ryou Bakura? Come on.
]

Your nightmares were wrong! Wrong about everything.

[...and Ryou's getting pulled into a hug. It might pull uncomfortably at some of Ryou's injuries, even though Atem's doing his best not to disturb them, but this hug needs to happen.]

I really am no good at this...but I'll do better now. I promise!

[Because romance with him really has been awful for Ryou up to today. At this point, it's starting to sound like it can only get better from here. Atem was an idiot to think talking about it would make it worse.]
knifemonopoly: (matter and shadow)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-24 02:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Feeling safe...here...that's an illusion, isn't it? You never know where the next hit's going to come from...even when Atem's present, the forces here can hurt the people he cares about...he hadn't been able to stop the dollmaker from replacing Riley's voice box. And, even with three months of time to find a way, Yugi's not out of the game...

But maybe that's not the point here. Even if you can't really be safe, feeling safe is important for things like sleeping, like going to a beach with friends, like having a home to come back to. You can't be on, watching for danger from any corner, every second of every day. Even if it's a lie, being able to feel safe sometimes is important. He's...he's got to let Ryou have that. Protect that, for him, even if Ryou gets hurt sometimes.

(And, in the meantime, strengthen his own position. He'll find a way to do it, without compromising his principles...he'll kill in public, in a way that sends a message, but that protects his friends...If you can cheat, I can, too!)

Atem's arms tighten, like Ryou's did.

The horrible truth is that this could have been worse. He's furious, red-hot mad every time he's reminded that it happened at all, but at least Ryou is here. At least he's alive, he didn't take a death, he is handling the added injuries so well it's actually a bit concerning (it's got to be because Ryou's spent so much of his time injured that he's much, much too used to it, and doesn't see the point of waiting to kiss until he's feeling better, which, fucked up, Atem just wants to talk).

Ryou's breathing, he hasn't lost his mind, he's not lost his memories. He's not gone.
]

I'm glad I can. I'm glad I didn't lose my chance...

[He pulls back, far enough to look at Ryou, get one hand back on Ryou's cheek, letting the other rest across Ryou's waist at his hip.

Atem's so glad Ryou wasn't killed, so glad it makes his heart hurt.

(this hurt will be repaid, he swears it, paid for in agony and blood.)

He moves in again, and he's going to kiss those feelings out, until thinking about it hurts less. The snakes aren't exploring comfortably, not like before -- they press themselves to Ryou's face and hair, wherever they can reach. Nothing like Ryslig to make you grateful for the little things, like "at least the torture wasn't fatal this time." Atem's own fingers trace Ryou's cheek, under his eye. Some of the snakes are hissing again, but not the ones in close.
]
knifemonopoly: ([event] baby let the games begin)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-24 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
[The kiss isn't exploratory so much as intent. Atem's heart aches. Ryou's looking at him like that, like he'd forgive him anything, and he's -- if Ryou had died, if he'd been left with scars from that death, if Atem had woken up here and been alone, if he'd had to wait until the next fog just to see Ryou again, much less start work on mitigating the damage he took...he can barely stand to think about it.

Atem's kissing Ryou like Ryou is the most precious thing in the world, with the drive of someone who'll fight to keep it from being taken away. It's careful, and it's gentle, but Ryou is held like you'd hold an animal you thought you'd lost, but found again -- you love them too much to squeeze them too tight, but keeping hands off them is hard too, and you never want to let them go, ever, because you're angry and frightened and glad.

And then Ryou makes that lower sound, and something inside Atem's chest, then down closer to his stomach, turns molten. He's not sure what he's going to do about that, besides take a breath in through his nose, and feel the mania carrying him get redirected, like a diverted river. His snakes quiet again, but they don't go still; Atem deepens the kiss (a clawed hand slides up to the back of Ryou's head, a thin forked tongue slips past his lips) as nearly a dozen little heads caress Ryou's face with theirs. Small snake-chins bump against Ryou's cheeks and forehead and ears (though not into them), even pushing their way into his hair, where it's warmest.

Yeah, that's, ah, that's not a sound that anyone Atem's dated has made for him. Looks like dating won't immediately make everything weird? Well, weirder than a bunch of snakes deciding to hide in Ryou's hair, at least.
]
knifemonopoly: ([naga] this is gospel for the vagabonds)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-24 05:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Knock knock knock.

It's not loud from in here, but it's sharp and businesslike and cuts through the air, carrying even into the bedrooms. There's a moment of hesitation, as Atem decides if he wants to move, but a second knock knock knock! presses the issue.

Atem's tongue retreats, his grip loosens, the kiss breaks with a quiet little sound, and he straightens up, listening. His snakes turn toward the door. Ryou is beloved but also Ryou needs help, and this is a necessary step that needs to be taken before any more kissing, Ryou being unnaturally used to wounds or not.
]

That might be the doctor...

[There's a little bit of color high in his cheeks, but it's a flush from the kiss, not any particular embarrassment. He doesn't feel at all like he's been caught doing something he isn't supposed to do. Atem stands by all of his choices today. The hand around the back of Ryou's head has gone down to his shoulder, but the one on his hip is definitely still resting there, even as Atem's shoulders turn to follow his snakes. He'd better get that.]
Edited 2021-08-24 05:26 (UTC)
knifemonopoly: ([event] they haven't seen the best of us)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-24 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
[Disappointed little whine: cute. Frustrated blush: cute. The reason he had to disappoint Ryou: unforgivable. Verdict: cute, too cute to stand, shadow game deserved. The clashing hot and cold fronts of Atem being furious and Atem being charmed are stirring up storms, but all that's deep below the surface for now. If Atem's good at anything (besides games), it's skimming above the surface of deeper fears, bigger problems, so that he can deal with the current situation with (what he considers to be) a clear head.

He pushes his body off the bed, bringing his whole self up, but...before he goes, he leans back in, in a big snakelike arc, and takes Ryou's chin to turn his face to Atem's, and plants a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Atem can't make it better with justice, not yet, but he can offer reassurance and care.

Three or four tiny tongues flick over Ryou, too. One of them snifflicks the bridge of Ryou's nose. Sssssh.
]

I'll be back.

[And he lets go and slithers out.]
Edited 2021-08-24 15:13 (UTC)
knifemonopoly: ([naga] ne'er-do-wells and)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-24 04:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[The person who answered the phone at the clinic was a human; the clinic works with a skeleton crew, literally in Dr. Pierce's case, it's a joke he loves to make, but some humans are on the payroll. She's a veteran, a survivor of years of catastrophes, and she knows Atem well enough from his blood drive volunteer shifts to be willing to make a house call, and not assume it's a disguised trap or trick.

She also knows the other Hawkeye frowns on feeding inside the apartments. So, though there's a salt-and-silver handgun tucked into a holster under her coat and over her scrubs, she doesn't anticipate that she'll have to use it. At least, not after she arrives.

Ryou will hear a quiet conversation in the living room -- thank you for coming, a woman's voice expressing surprise, something about temporary, and he's in here.

A woman with a doctor's bag and graying brown hair pulled into a tight bun steps inside this nerdy, nerdy room, followed by Atem, who has the presence of mind to stay back. Eyes like ice chips take in the shade, his current state, and the exposed injuries.
]

"It's good you called me right away! Let's have a look at you. Where else are you hurt?"

[The doctor's bag is set on the bed, and a pair of gleaming scissors gets pulled out. RIP to your pants, Ryou, she'll be cutting the fabric out of the way unless something's said real quick.]
knifemonopoly: (all the school kids so sick of books)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-24 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[She doesn't say anything about it, about whether her patient should or shouldn't have been injured. This nurse has seen far, far more stupid injuries come through the clinic. It's not her business to question it, just to treat it. She purses her lips, and gets to work cleaning the area, gently as she can, with antibiotic ointment and a clean cloth, pulling any scraps of fabric out of the injury. Her patient's a shade, so she's got to avoid water.]

"Are they all thermal burns? Are any of them chemical?"

[Maybe Atem shouldn't be in the room for this. Maybe it's a bad idea for him to look directly at burn injuries to feet, where he can smell burned skin when he inhales. Maybe that would occur to him, if he were someone else, someone good at caring for himself at all, but it doesn't, and he stays, leaned against the wall, arms folded.

It's not so bad this time, actually. The smell of antibiotics and ointment and sterile gauze overpowers the burnt-flesh smell before long, and there's also the fact that...Ryou's burns are being treated. He's not dying and coming back with them already scarred over. He's not by himself. That's already different from what Atem experienced...

His snakes don't go still and distant. He's present, not lost in his own memories. Atem's about as okay as he can be.
]
knifemonopoly: ([event] baby let the games begin)

[personal profile] knifemonopoly 2021-08-26 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
"Mm."

[She'll get some anesthetic in there, clean 'em up, hit them with ointment, and cover them in gauze bandages, carefully bound down outside the edges of the burned area -- the ankle, the foot, the leg, and the hand and arm. Her manner the whole time is brisk, but not unkind; she's all business, but she's seen worse than this, and even if her tone isn't gentle, her touch is careful.

She'll also check on his medication regimen -- she checked his chart before he left and knew he was on painkillers, and is also keeping an eye out for them being over-used...but it seems okay, so she'll leave more, and note where it went at the clinic. A tub of burn cream is placed by Ryou's bedside, too.
]

"Those will need to be changed every three days. Don't leave it later than five. Don't break your blisters, and don't let it get infected. You call the clinic if it does, you understand?"

[She places her hands on her hips, surveying her work, then picks up her doctor's bag. Ryou may or may not spot the gun! He may be too medicated to remember.

Atem's still doing a solid "okay." He'd hold Ryou's hand through this if he could, but since it needs to be treated...he'll settle for being present. When Ryou flinches, it isn't easy for him...but the snakes are only hissing a little. He doesn't want them to interrupt, and being present for Ryou means not getting lost in revenge fantasies. He's here.
]

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