[He can't defeat the Fog until he starts dating Ryou? An eyebrow goes up again in doubt! Oh, he can't wait to hear how Marik sells this one.
...
A distraction?
...
...that might actually be worth considering. The snakes lower a little, thoughtful rather than combative.
Is he distracted? Is he expending more energy acting like things between him and Ryou are just friendship, even though that's clearly not true, than he would if they just--?
It's funny. The advice Marik is giving isn't bad. It's not too far off from advice Atem has given -- you shouldn't deny yourself good things, not here, because having things that make you happy makes this place easier to bear.
But is Atem going to take his own advice? When, in this case, it comes with the risk of, god forbid, messing up?
(Why is Marik so invested? What was that pause -- who didn't HE tell, until it was too late?)
...]
It's possible I'm distracted.
[He admits it. It's taking energy to be careful around Ryou. Even when that's added to the equation, and it takes some of the guilt of being-happy-while-Yugi-is-changing away...there's still the fact that...]
But I'm serious when I say I can't pursue it! It really is better if I don't -- and it's precisely because we've been each other's support the last few months. If our relationship changes, and I hurt him...or, worse, we have a falling-out...! This place is hard enough on him without something like that happening.
[A beat.]
The truth is, I won't make a very good boyfriend...
no subject
...
A distraction?
...
...that might actually be worth considering. The snakes lower a little, thoughtful rather than combative.
Is he distracted? Is he expending more energy acting like things between him and Ryou are just friendship, even though that's clearly not true, than he would if they just--?
It's funny. The advice Marik is giving isn't bad. It's not too far off from advice Atem has given -- you shouldn't deny yourself good things, not here, because having things that make you happy makes this place easier to bear.
But is Atem going to take his own advice? When, in this case, it comes with the risk of, god forbid, messing up?
(Why is Marik so invested? What was that pause -- who didn't HE tell, until it was too late?)
...]
It's possible I'm distracted.
[He admits it. It's taking energy to be careful around Ryou. Even when that's added to the equation, and it takes some of the guilt of being-happy-while-Yugi-is-changing away...there's still the fact that...]
But I'm serious when I say I can't pursue it! It really is better if I don't -- and it's precisely because we've been each other's support the last few months. If our relationship changes, and I hurt him...or, worse, we have a falling-out...! This place is hard enough on him without something like that happening.
[A beat.]
The truth is, I won't make a very good boyfriend...
[...that he has no idea what he's doing.]