softspokenlandlord | IC Inbox

It's alright, it was an interesting thing to see, as usual.

[Ryou brings his arm up, hesitantly at first...but then he gets up his courage and gently settles his fingers at the base of Atem's neck, nudging a couple of snakes with one finger. They're cute. He loves them and their little explorative tongues, even if--perhaps especially because--they tickle softly at his face. But he couldn't love them half as much as he loves Atem, and that's definitely a scary thought, isn't it? Loving someone.]

I'm okay. Little sore, but I slept and it felt really good. Thanks...for being a security blanket, and for not leaving. You could have...I didn't mean to take up your whole day.

[He hopes it was just a day.]

No nightmares?

[He puts his arm on Ryou's chest again, resting fingertips lightly on a collarbone. The snakes adjust to the hand in their midst, pressing their sides against it.]

That's good. I was tired too...but I also didn't want to leave yet!

[He's still feeling a little off! Atem can't put his finger on what's wrong, but...he's not sure he wants to go out and get into a fight he's not prepared for. He doesn't think it's magic in nature, not at this point in the month, but it's just unusual enough to keep him from jumping out the window and getting right on the whole pursuit of vengeance thing.

And...what happened to him, at the end of the dollhouse, does not count as rest. So. Best to stay in, today. Maybe later, he'll be able to check the network, see if anyone got a lead on who put them in the dollhouse. Right now, he does not want to get up.]

I'm happy to report a good night's--erm, day's--sleep!

[He seems pretty enthusiastic about that, even though he's shaking off the cobwebs.]

It's good to rest, so I'm happy if you got some sleep as well, Atem. At this point, I'm your cautionary tale for what insomnia can lead to.

[Oof. Ryou, that's a bit heavy. Hmm...well. He's got subject changes in his back pocket, just let him process--]

A day in might not be so terrible, if you don't mind, um. S-spending it here.

[With him.

Ryou can't help but look away for a moment as a small dusting of darker gray marks his cheeks. But his bandaged fingers still manage to clumsily weave around Atem's snair, toying with them, so he's not entirely distracted now, is he?]

[He wants...

He wants revenge. He wants to inflict his own idea of justice on everyone who...

He...

It feels like warmth is flowing through him, from his head to the tip of his tail, in wave after flooding wave, from where Ryou's hand is, among the snakes. It's a personal touch, a vulnerable touch, and it makes Atem's eyes go hazy again, makes him feel like gravity's working overtime to keep him here, to pull him towards Ryou.

He sighs. The truth is, he doesn't want to go anywhere!

Atem broke away from contact like this, that he wanted like this, once, in the dream world. Part of him regrets that. He can...he can put off what he has to do one more night. It can wait until morning. With the kind of vocal hoarseness that comes with waking up from a long sleep and the kind that comes from surrendering to this kind of touch, Atem says:]

I'll stay.

[Ryou's been hurt so much, almost lost so many times...now that Atem has him in his grip, he finds he doesn't want to let go! A cautionary tale about insomnia, indeed.

He's as wound-around-Ryou as he possibly çan be without brushing bandages; a coil ended up tucked under Ryou's far knee in the night. If he's a security blanket, Ryou is a heat rock...but they both like it.

He and the snakes are wearing the same charmed expression as Atem slithers up into kissing range, his chest resting on Ryou's (he's light!) as his right hand reaches up to turn Ryou's chin back so it's facing him. Don't look away! It makes it harder to do what Atem's about to do, which is lean in for a slow, easy, lazy kiss.

It's not what he intends to do all day! There's other things, like making sure Ryou eats, and that his medicine doesn't wear off too much...but one thing at a time, and that thing is kissing.]

[He'll stay.

Good.

Ryou feels particularly selfish today, it seems. It's not how he usually carries himself, but coming on the heels of Atem's confession, the whole of yesterday...he can't help but want to stay this way and explore what it feels like to openly like someone.

He's still waking up, so he doesn't quite realize how wrapped up they both are in each other, at least not until Atem starts shifting. Oh...when did that coil get under his leg? Haha, he really did sleep through a lot, didn't he?

When Atem takes hold of his chin to turn his head, Ryou doesn't fight it. To the contrary, his fingers curl a little in the forest of snakes as Atem kisses him, and he lets out a soft murmur of satisfaction.

...They could do this all day and Ryou wouldn't care. What else could they possibly have to do but exist near each other? He can't think of anything he'd like to do more, except maybe eat. But he'll be alright, and although that hunger is starting to become pressing, it's not intolerable yet.

Kissing, Ryou's starting to realize, is very easy to lose yourself in. His eyes close almost automatically. This is so good, so much better than he could ever have dreamed. Atem is his...and he's Atem's now. What a wonderful, if amusing thought. One that affects his enthusiasm for this. A sleepy shade can still kiss back, after all.]

[Finding a way to tear open this misery engine of a world can wait. Ryou is making little happy sounds against Atem's mouth, and it makes him feel very warm all through his body, which is wrapped around Ryou's and which feels very correct. He distinctly feels like he physically isn't at 100%, which is odd, but easy to ignore in the face of how contented and full-hearted he feels.

He breaks the kiss. His snakes touch Ryou's face with their chins and slither beside him with clear affection, giving a similar effect to stroking Ryou's hair. Atem's very relaxed, and a little curious about what they'll do tonight (hang out? eat together?), and the combination, unfortunately, means that his own forked snake tongue slips out. It thpthps the outside of Ryou's mouth before he can stop it.

(This isn't the first time a particularly relaxed naga-Atem has failed to stop himself from sniffing Ryou with his tongue. It's happened during Completely Platonic Bed Sharing before. It is, however, the first time it's been right on the mouth.)

Should he apologize...? That's going to depend on what Ryou has to say. Atem doesn't particularly want to apologize. What's the problem? It's not like his mouth wasn't there a moment ago.]

[The kiss ends entirely too quickly in his opinion, but then he is being a needy little shade, isn't he? He doesn't want to freak Atem out or anything, so he represses any pout that might have shown on his face otherwise. One step at a time...just one.

At any rate, the snakes are entirely welcome to explore. Ryou understands that they are a reflection of Atem's feelings, so he's already comforted even without them effectively stroking his hair, which is very welcome.

And then...Atem's tongue flicks out and tickles against his lips. Unlike the snair, Atem's tongue is much larger. More...body. Which is weird to think but that's the only thing he can think right now don't judge him.

So like any "normal" person...Ryou laughs because he just got sninvestigated by Atem and it's supremely adorable. He is incapable of judging--why would he? He thought the hair snakes were cute when they thpthp'd him too. This is just a bigger, more attractive snake doing the same thing.]

Get a good read there?

[He loves you...bitch

He ain't ever gonna stop loving you...bitch]

[He was right, to think that Ryou would be more charmed than horrified. Atem's starting to get used to that...it's nice, really, to be close to someone who looks at all of the weird things about you and thinks they're neat. He grins, entirely too comfortable with this person, someone he invited to share a home with him four months ago without any idea it'd lead to this.]

Yes.

[He leans in again!]

You smell nice.

[He's been aware of Ryou's scent for a while. Unfortunate side effect of being a vampire! The way Ryou smells to him now...it's the same, but without the undercurrent of blood. Which is nice, actually...he's not distracted by thinking about biting down, about getting another taste of Ryou's blood. Instead, Atem can lean in for another kiss, and the only taste he's worried about is the one that's just Ryou's mouth.]

Or is it how you taste?

[It's said in the tone of someone who's not particularly interested in getting caught up in semantics, just making a quick, wry note about how weird monster stuff is before they're kissing again. It's a little bit low, too, and his snakes are back to doing that nuzzling thing, even before Atem closes the distance. If Ryou is good enough to open his mouth to this one, that tongue is going to slip inside his mouth then flick back out, that's just how it is, those are the rules, he doesn't make them (in this particular instance).]

I smell nice? I w-wouldn't know...haha...

[Snake tongue? Rad. Snake hair? Neat. Snake body? Cool! Compliments? Ryou is not equipped for them all the time, so of course that's where his awkward reaction comes in. It doesn't help that Atem amends his statement to whether his tongue had actually helped him taste Ryou, but before he can make a single complaint on that, they're kissing again...and now he's floating on air again, fingers migrating from any straggling snakes to grip Atem's shoulder.

If that's not Atem flirting, then Ryou wouldn't dare consider what actual flirting would do to him. But that...that gets him to part his lips, tempting Atem to deepen the kiss--and he sort of does! But...all snakelike, tasting.

Unfair. Unacceptable. Ryou lets out an impatient noise before letting his own tongue tentatively explore Atem's mouth. You can't tease him like that!

Thankfully Ryou's in that liminal space between awake and asleep that means he doesn't mind asking for something more.]

[Oh? Oh, that's what Ryou wants? Ryou gets rewarded almost immediately for asking, as Atem slithers up a bit further, to get a new angle in the kiss, to get more of himself on Ryou's chest, and stops kissing like a curious snake so he can start kissing like a human boyfriend. His own mouth stays open, warm, responsive; his hand holds Ryou's jaw, running a thumb along his cheek, under an eye, before sliding back into Ryou's hair. Atem tilts Ryou's head back into the pillow and kisses him with that contentment-mixed-with-restlessness he's been feeling, not pushing for anything further and secure in the knowledge that this kind of can't venture into territory he's unsure of, one of the upsides of having your whole lower half be a snake...

He thinks that as his coils shift gently against Ryou, brushing over warm fabric, taking in what it feels like to be wrapped around him. It's really, really nice. He's positive the only thing he has to worry about is making sure his upper fangs don't extend, there's venom sacs in his face but it won't get injected into his mouth as long as he's not trying to defend himself or eat. Other than that, he can just lean into winding fingers into Ryou's hair, kissing him deeper, letting the warmth of him sink below his skin and mingle with the answering warmth Atem's feeling in his heart. Even though his movements are slow, and so are his snakes', it's still dizzying. Between kisses, he murmurs against Ryou's mouth, only getting a few words out at a time:]

You do.

[A contented sigh.]

I want to remember it forever...how nice you smell...the way you taste...

[It's probably super weird to hear that kind of thing from a monster! Who eats people! But Atem sure is saying it anyway!]

[It's embarrassing how soft Ryou's reactions are, and how he keeps making little noises as they...make out? This is definitely what making out is, plain and simple. It doesn't register in his mind to overthink it, though. He lets Atem settle, shift him, touch him, whatever he wants to do.

Ryou only wishes that he had another arm to explore, because he's too busy curling his clawed fingers against Atem's shoulders to really think about exploring anything else. It's fine, though. He has enough sensory input to deal with kissing Atem back, processing the sensation of large scales slowly shifting over him, almost like he's being engulfed.

When they finally break apart, Ryou's breathing shallowly, one eye opening to look at Atem, and he smiles softly, the tip of one of his incisors poking out slightly because lord help him, he's got some pointy ones.]

You'll get as many opportunities as you like...if you want. I don't mind it if it's you...I could never mind it.

[It's not weird to hear that from a monster who eats people. He also is a monster that eats people now, and even if he wasn't, like. It's Ryou Bakura. He'd probably find that very attractive.

Besides which, if Atem thinks Ryou's bad now, just wait until the naga wears off of him and Ryou starts thinking about trashy vampire novel nonsense.

At any rate, taking advantage of the pause, Ryou finally pulls his arm back, slowly bringing his clawed thumb up to brush against Atem's cheek while the rest of his fingers reach up to bury themselves in his hair. Or...more appropriately, allow his hair to bury itself into Ryou's fingers.]

I'm so glad we're here...

[Not "here" as in a place. Just...here. Finally at the point where this was fine. Where Atem could kiss him silly and make even the tips of his ears darken a shade or two.]

[Look at that! Look at those sharp little teeth. Something about one of them poking out when he smiles is adorable. Atem really likes a lot of the Ryou-smiles he's seen. He's not so much a fan of the ones that are obviously masks, meant to distract and hide what's actually going on, but the real ones? Jeez. That was part of why Atem fell for him, wasn't it? Seeing one made him realize Ryou wasn't just a close friend he felt comfortable around and cared a lot about, but was a close friend he felt comfortable around, cared a lot about, and also wanted to kiss. Ryou's got a really cute smiling face, that's just fact!

Ryou gets gazed at during this break, shamelessly and affectionately -- until Ryou says I'm glad we're here.

It reminds Atem again of how close to danger, to death, Ryou's been skirting lately...how there was a very real chance Ryou might not have been here.

Atem doesn't tighten his coils, he can't imagine that would be comfortable, especially with injuries, but the snakes grip Ryou's hand a little closer. His eyes and his tone darken, turning more serious above the thumb on his cheek, and he presses his forehead to Ryou's.]

Me too.

[Atem's mad about a lot of things, but he's going to take a moment to appreciate what he has. He's gonna appreciate it with more intensity than before, having fallen into a different mood, but he's still appreciating it with his mouth, and with a hand buried in Ryou's hair.]

[Something about the way Atem takes that tone and the look in his eyes indicates to Ryou that perhaps his words were taken in a way he hadn't meant them to be taken. His brows knit together for a moment...then he's the one that initiates the kiss this time.

It's a desperate attempt to distract Atem from any subroutine running in the back of his mind, so as a result, it's as active as Ryou's been kissing him so far. This time his hand doesn't just explore the snakes at mid-level, his fingers delve in further, tracing the spots between their bodies connecting at Atem's scalp. He's careful, of course--his claws are sharp and he can't really trim them, nor are the bandages covering his fingertips--but he's trying to emulate a sensation that he himself enjoys, which is the sensation of something tickling in his hair. He won't pull the snakes. It's not like his hair.

It's not like how Atem's pulling up little goosebumps on Ryou's skin by burying a hand in his hair and slightly tugging the strands. That's different, that's got Ryou going a little crazy actually. But in a good way!

He shows it by letting out a very quiet, but still very pleased groan from the back of his throat. It's not something he does on purpose, or even something he does to pull them into anything overly inappropriate. But he also doesn't think about it as being inappropriate because this is someone he loves, and anything Ryou can do to keep him in the now and out of his head is important.]

[They're kissing kind of hard. Ryou's trying to distract him, and Atem's remembering how important it is that Ryou is here, and between Ryou's determination and the desperate edge to the way Atem's kissing open-mouthed, it's not particularly restrained.

The mood shifts again, though, when Ryou makes that small, pleased sound. Having a hand in his snake-hair is nice, but hearing a groan like that from Ryou makes Atem's stomach drop, like the winch at the top of the elevator-shaft just broke and he's falling. It's a nice feeling, but a new one -- butterflies? Butterflies in his stomach? Is this what people call that? -- and he sighs his feelings about it, and some of the tension from a moment ago, out. Atem lets himself feel less worried, lets himself float a little. Be in his body, for a moment.

He breaks the kiss, kisses the corner of Ryou's mouth, then presses a third kiss under Ryou's ear. The grip he has on Ryou's hair, his fingers wound in it, helps him tilt Ryou's head to the side, to make room. It is really, really nice, to be holding Ryou with his entire body while they kiss. All the snakes who can reach Ryou are wrapped around his hand or nuzzling his face and hair with their chins, and Atem's breathing is deepening. He is focusing on the present, on everything his senses are telling him, on how very warm he is, nothing's wrong, nothing is possibly going to go wrong--]

[They kiss breaks, and Ryou's chest is rising and falling rapidly, he's trying to catch his breath and it kind of hurts...being like this. Not half as much as it hurts to be alone though, so he bears the physical hurt for a little longer. That's made much easier by the fact that Atem has now decided he's going to kiss other places besides Ryou's lips.

It's...wonderful. His toes curl a little, not much because of the bandages and he's acutely aware of the fact that he's not going to be able to handle much more of this without reacting. He wants to tell Atem "hey, let's stop", just to preserve some sense of decency.

But that's not what comes out of his mouth.]

Please...

[Stop.

No. Don't stop. Ryou doesn't want to, not when he's so warm, so full to bursting with affection.

Regrets later. Pain can wait. Sleep's already been achieved. Keep kissing him and making him feel like he's somewhere else, somewhere safe. Atem...is safe.]

[He doesn't know what Ryou's asking for. He can't tell -- the tone's a mixed signal, balanced precisely between asking for more and asking for mercy. The thing is, both possibilities send a swoop through his stomach again, like a trustfall off a burning building, because a wanting Ryou and an overwhelmed Ryou are both good, and his mouth opens, about to take hold of an earlobe, when--

--something moves. Atem doesn't know what it is. He just knows that something inside him is moving in a way it has not moved before, and he freezes, breathing turning quick and panicked, a sharp change from a moment ago. His whole body's tense. His snakes hiss in a panic.]

Something's wrong. Something--!

[What? What is that? Whatever it is, whatever's about to -- come out of him, it's not against Ryou right now, thank goodness for that, but it's weird and it's wrong and he wants it to stop--]

[Ryou tenses when he hears the hitch in Atem's breathing, the hiss of his snakes betraying his alarm even further.]

H-hey, it's okay, calm down. Talk to me, Atem. What's wrong?

[He's immediately worried, of course, and tries to push himself up which works about as well as any other time he's done it, especially with a panicked naga wrapped around him. Nope.

Abandoning that, he pulls his hand from Atem's head, instead putting it on his shoulder, squeezing to get his attention.]

We can stop, just tell me how I can help.

[Because he is very confused, which definitely helps him unwind from their fooling around. Thank god for that.

It would be embarrassing if Atem had to figure out how happy Ryou is to be here. ~~Pretty ironic, given why Atem's panicking.~~]

I--!

[...what the fuck is going on down there, it's mostly stopped but he can still feel it almost happening, and a deep blush is covering his face and neck. God, he hopes something horrible's not about to crawl out of what he's thought of as his ass this whole time, he would die his next death, right here.]

I think -- I think I'm all right, I -- something just moved inside my...

[Wait.]

...tail...

[hang on.

It's not, like, coming out, so it's not, say, eggs or something even grosser. It doesn't feel like that. It feels kind of squirmy, like he wants to keep moving it, like if he pressed his body against something to up the internal pressure he could just--

oh, no.]

[Oh no.

Ryou's got his dense moments. He's not even a professional to know how snakes work. But there's something about the way that Atem trails off...and somehow he's got a theory of what's going on here, and he's not going to say a single thing. He's going to be an adult about it!]

...Haha...um. Want to, uh. Talk about something else?

[Don't think about it.]

L-like, uh. What I mean is, it's going to be okay. It's--

[Don't.]

...Natural, I think. P-part of you.

[Oh god oh fuck don't blush don't even think about it this hard. No, he refuses to speak anymore. He's got a snake wrapped around him with something moving inside his tail.

And Ryou's curious but like hell he's going to put his foot--no his whole damn LEG--in his mouth like that. He's a little weirdo, not an absolute creep.]

[Ah, shit. Shit, they both know what it is. Atem's almost certain that's what it was, since it's settling down now that he's -- well, not calm, exactly he's not relaxed, but less excited.]

I didn't think it was going to be a problem...

[Leave him here to die! He miscalculated! He miscalculated terribly.]

[Ryou can't help it, he sighs, and smiles.]

There's always a surprise hidden somewhere in the game.

[He cups Atem's cheek in his too-long fingers, but it's not an overtly emotion-driven move. Just a touch without subtext. He understands that Atem isn't comfortable with this, so he's not going to press the matter. Even if he's curious, it has never been a part of who Ryou is as a person to force someone into an awkward situation that they were very clearly not into.]

At least when you've changed back, there won't be anything unexpected, right? We can do whatever we like and whatever happens...happens.

[Or do vampires also have weird...stuff going on? The ~~sacred tomes~~ romance novels didn't say anything about that.]

[He doesn't like surprises hidden inside his own body! He's preferred very much, up until now, to sidestep the entire question of "what do I want, sexually?" and answer it, "I don't!" Atem frowns, though not at the contact, and takes a deep, slow breath.

Does this change things? Is he going to need to keep further away from Ryou for the rest of the week? Atem doesn't want to, but he also doesn't particularly want to explore an awakening that involves mystery anatomy. It's a lot, very fast!

Is he going to have to wear...like...snake pants? None of the other nagas do...it might be weirder, to start now, and draw attention to it...

Oh, Ryou's talking. Ryou is talking about doing whatever they like, and that sounds really nice; Atem is still wrapped around Ryou, and he's feeling warm and restless, he wants to, he wants to...?

No. Nope. Don't chase that. He wants his body to stop doing things without his permission, that's what he wants, that's it.]

...I need to get off you.

[He doesn't want to! His heart protests! So do other parts! His snakes have calmed down and are reaching for Ryou again, but Atem is the mothersnake and what he says goes. He is going to, very carefully, retreat from being on Ryou's chest, and slither the rest of his body over to his side of the bed, too. Shame snake. Atem's not ashamed of the things he means to do, because he's decided to do them, but he is embarrassed by accidentally almost inflicting mystery anatomy on his boyfriend-of-less-than-a-week, who is, if not severely, significantly injured.]

[Ryou nods, and although he's disappointed knowing they can't do anything else anymore, he keeps that squarely to himself. Atem had gone to great lengths to make him happy and comfortable. This is the least he can do.]

Okay.

[He lets his hand fall away, allowing Atem to slither off of him. It's...actually very uncomfortable? Not the slithering, but having Atem's weight shift off of him at all. He'd been happy there, with a snake wrapped securely around him. Now that the weight was gone, he was reminded of everything else. It was almost as if everything they were doing, even the weight of Atem's body, was shielding him from what he knew he should have been feeling.

...He knows that doesn't quite make sense, probably? But it's hard to argue when his wounds are aching more than they had before.]

Nngh! Oww...

[Man, he almost preferred mystery anatomy over this. But maybe that's just his own not-quite-diminished state of arousal speaking. At least his anatomy is behaving! Pain is a buzzkill.]

Sorry.

[The apology's for the pain, but also...he gets the sense that it's disappointing? That he's left? Aaah. The approach seems to be...the more attention Ryou gets, the better, and he prefers not to be brought back down to earth...but he has to be, sometimes. Atem can worry about the practical things, even if they aren't always happy.]

That medicine must be wearing off by now. Is it time to take it again?

[Not yet time to change the bandages. Those stay on another few days. He's keeping track.]

N-no, don't be sorry! You didn't do anything wrong, it just...hurts. You're right, the medicine's worn off, I'll feel better once I've taken some more.

[He's supposed to take it a little more often than this, but he'd slept through the cycle, and that's not entirely a terrible thing.

He's not sure why, but he feels like even though he tried to hide it, his stupid, stupid feelings had been expressed anyway, so he reaches out, because Atem's not so far away from him that he can't reach for his hand. Shade reach is honestly the best.]

You know you've been very good to me since...um. Since we got back. I just wanted to thank you for everything. U-up to and...including what we just did. It's nice.

But...there's other things we can do, you know. Maybe we can find a card game I can beat you at.

[Ha HAAAAAAA sure, Ryou. You keep thinking that.]

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.

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