knifemonopoly | IC inbox

[When Atem turns over his hand and traces across it, Ryou really, really wishes that he didn't have bandages on. He wants to feel Atem's touch more closely, especially since the burns there aren't half as sensitive anymore as they had been at first.

Is it so selfish to want to hold the hand of someone you cherish?]

As long as I like, hm? I really can't tell you how nice it is to have all of your time to myself right now. You certainly have a way of making me feel important.

[Oh no. Oh no he's starting to feel all soft and warm and affectionate. He's such a dumb romantic who definitely can't help kissing Atem's cheek. Dice. They gotta get back to dice...but...]

You are important.

[It's said like you'd say "the sky's blue," or "there's 8 floors in the 38-8." His other hand slides out from behind Ryou and joins the first one! It's going to be a little hard to play dice while holding hands, so he'll have to let go in a minute, but that's fine.

Nothing's going to last forever. Eventually, he'll either disappear from Ryslig, or Kaiba will make it back, or he and Yugi will find their way out of the game...and, before long, he'll move on. He's very serious about amassing as many good memories as he possibly can, before things change.]

Oh, stop.

[Ryou shakes his head, but he's still happy, and his protests are absolutely toothless. Atem just embarrasses him when he says that, because Ryou has spent an awful lot of time feeling unimportant. Here too, he was so used to fading into the environment, and yeah, he had some acquaintances before Atem showed up...but he feels even now that if Atem had never ended up in Ryslig, then he would have remained a ghost on the fringes of civilization.]

You're the one that's most important. Without you, I would have become someone very different here. Maybe not completely a monster. But not me either. You make everything so much better, just by existing.

[The way he looks at Atem, it's with such a determined sincerity. He means what he says. And he'll say it as much as he can, because holding all of his affection inside is practically impossible at this point. Atem had pulled that stopper out when he'd asked Ryou out in the dollhouse. There was no replacing it, no shutting him up ever again.]

Ah...but I suppose we should get back to things, yes? I've still got a game to win.

[Said with only the slightest of confidence, but he's trying!]

Ah...

[Now it's his turn to feel a little...man he can't even pinpoint what it is. Is it embarrassment? It feels a little bit in that neighborhood -- warm, not quite sitting comfortably in his heart -- and it's definitely brought on by you make everything so much better, just by existing.

He's been thinking a bit, lately, about his own existence, and his place in the world, and whether or not he has one. Being told directly that people want him around -- not just him-and-Yugi, but him as an individual -- hits him in a place where he's tender. Tender like a kiss, or tender like a bruise -- he can't tell.

But then Ryou has mercy on him and taks about the game. That's much easier! Atem picks his dice cup up, all his uncertainty from a moment ago gone. With a wink:]

I invite you to try!

[He shakes the cup up. Ready? he asks wordlessly.]

[Ryou looks at Atem curiously. He's not sure if his words came off right or not, and there's a prickle of concern at the back of his mind...but it's not something he wants to pressure Atem on. So, he too takes his cup in hand, giving it a shake.

He smiles at Atem, giving a brief nod. Very much ready.

A few seconds later, after a few good rattles, his cup clicks on the table, upturned. Please be a good roll...ugh, he doesn't even want to look...]

You first this time. Good luck.

[He closes his eyes and hopes that he has good luck too, because lord knows Atem has all the luck already.]

Same to you.

[Down the dice go; Atem checks them, arranging them in order in his head -- 2-3-4-5-5.]

Two threes.

[Starting on the low side, but not the lowest; plausible, to feel out what Ryou got. He closes his own eyes, letting Ryou take a turn.]

Edited 2021-09-16 03:25 (UTC)

[Ryou waits until his opportunity is given, then he checks his own dice and...finally. Something flexible, at last! He doesn't show his relief, but it's hard not to run a probability subroutine after this kind of roll.

2-1-1-1-4.]

One four.

[Yep, he's back at it again with his strange little up-down bid. Atem had sussed him out as honest before. And he is being honest!

For now.]

[He glances over. Hm, it's like before...he can't get overconfident, but until Ryou starts guessing larger numbers, Atem won't know much about his hand. He plays it safe.]

Two fours.

[He leans an arm on the couch's armrest, propping his chin up on it and gazing over at Ryou. Your move.]

[Ryou raises an eyebrow, that's the most that Atem's going to get out of him at the moment. Though he does consider throwing the variable of an actual expression, just to make the game more interesting.

Maybe. For now though...]

Two sixes.

[He'll see where that takes them.]

[Hmmmmmm.]

Three fives.

[The thing about Atem's poker face is, he always acts like he's winning, no matter what he's feeling. He could be grinning about the truth, or grinning about a lie; it's impossible to tell.

His roll isn't very good; he's got no trump cards to save for the end. But he's betting aggressively, trying to draw Ryou out in response. How's Ryou going to raise the numbers?]

[Interesting. Ryou does take perhaps a moment longer to consider his move, though it's not because he feels entirely cornered yet. He's pretty much pleased with the wilds under his cup. But if he really wants to put pressure on his opponent, then he'll need to get serious.]

Three sixes.

[And he smiles. Just a happy little saccharine grin, like he'd just finished telling Atem about a particularly tasty cupcake he'd bought down the street.

Is he fucking with you, sir? You decide. He still has one good move in him.]

[Hm. Is it that Ryou really has a bunch of sixes, or is he bluffing? He's been hesitant to bluff so far...Atem's not mentioned a six once, so that's probably largely what Ryou's got, sixes and fours.

Atem does not have a single honest move he can make. Four sixes is pretty hard to believe; if Ryou calls him out, he'll lose. He'd have to bluff in a way Ryou would believe...but Ryou's probably guessed Atem doesn't have any sixes under his cup, since he brought the face down with his bet the first time Ryou brought them up. Ryou might think he has a one, maybe, but not a six.

He could guess four fives, but it doesn't sound like Ryou's got any. Does he guess four sixes, and trust that Ryou's got three on his own and believe Atem has a one? Or does he call Ryou a liar, when Ryou's been betting with his best guesses for most of the game?

His mouth twitches up, as if Ryou's just handed him something interesting.]

Four fives.

[A rich bet. A very rich bet. However...Ryou is not inclined to call him out on it for two reasons. For one, Ryou has a stack of aces under his cup that he's been banking on to bait Atem. By all accounts, he did have three sixes, but Atem probably believes that to be an inflexible number.

So...Ryou has the idea that Atem is bluffing this time, not trying to draw out information.

After all, Ryou hadn't bet a single five, had he? But Atem had bid fives twice. There's fives under his cup, Ryou's sure of it. Now...as for how many...that's the difficult part. He isn't calling Atem out though. That's ended in disaster every time. Instead...]

Five fives.

[It's a gamble. If Atem was bluffing his fives both times, Ryou could have just thrown the match.

Your move.]

[Ohhhhh.

Oh, really, Ryou? Five fives on this table, in this two-player game, when he's sure you don't have a single five? It's possible Ryou has a one or two, but it's more likely he's overestimating the number of fives Atem has.

Both ways he could raise the bet would be obvious bluffs. Accusation is the only move he can make.

He tilts his head, pulls a face. (X) Doubt!]

You've overreached this time! I'll call that a lie.

[Let's see what's really under there. He'll reach to unveil his own dice at the same time.]

[Despite being somewhat sure of himself, when Atem calls him out...all of the confidence just oozes out of him. Time for pre-loss anxiety!

He lifts his cup nervously, then peers at Atem's dice

...!!!

Hey! Two fives!]

...Aces wild, right?

[He's not boasting, he's honestly surprised and sort of saying the first thing that came to mind.]

...yes, aces wild.

[He looks at Ryou's little dice pile. Atem runs the numbers. It adds up. He's surprised -- and then, he breaks into a laugh.]

You win! You got me -- with a roll like that, you'd be hard to beat!

[...he just feels good about this? How is it that he just feels good that Ryou took the round? Fun? This is literally just fun? He grins.]

I told you the dice just needed some warming up.

[Ryou can't quite put to thought or words why he feels so satisfied with Atem's reaction as opposed to the fact that he'd just won the round. Winning the round just wasn't important to him, not half as important as the fact that Atem was happy too.

He laughs a little himself, all smiles and flushed cheeks and happiness, but it's not really about the game.]

They did, you're right. I could do with a little more faith, even when I was sure I'd figured out your dice, just a little...I was nervous when you called me out.

Oh, don't be nervous.

[Ryou being good enough at strategy, at keeping emotions off his face, at getting into his opponent's head, to take a round...it really does give Atem that feeling of his heart trying to go faster, his body asking for more evenly-distributed adrenaline.

He turns in his seat, his own hand going onto Ryou's knee as he leans in. One of his own legs, the one closest to Ryou, gets tucked up on the couch under him. Getting up in the shade's space, here.]

All gamers hope the goddess of fortune will smile on them...but there are a few she'll always turn away from! She'll never favor cheaters who do anything to win...the arrogant, drowning in their own powers...or cowards who fear defeat! So, never lose your confidence -- it's not over until the very end!

[Ryou's a good gaming partner. Atem's...really happy about that. Look at him, all flushed and grinning -- how's Atem supposed to not lean in closer, and lower his voice, and remind him about the terms of the bet?]

You know, this means you can ask me for anything.

[Ryou turns towards Atem long before he turns to face him. The way he says not to be nervous definitely strikes some kind of chord. Now the shade's completely attentive, moreso when Atem begins to invade his space.

...He's not sure, actually, whether to focus on the pep talk or the fact that Atem's so close to him, so very close. So enticing, whether he realizes it or not. Ryou is erring on the side of yes, Atem realizes, or else his voice wouldn't have dropped just a bit, and he wouldn't have said that.

Well good job, Atem. You've got your very soft boyfriend leaning in too, with more than a bit of interest.]

Hmmm...I could, couldn't I? But I'm sure you'd give me what I want right now...w-whether I wished for it explicitly or not, right?

[A challenge? Most definitely. But the real challenge was pressing their foreheads together--that familiar contact, the precursor to something warmer, more complete--and stopping there.

Sorry, were they playing a game?]

You think so?

[A hand, its nails carefully cut short, slides around the back of Ryou's neck. He really does like it when their foreheads are together -- it reminds him of all the other times it's happened, it's reassuring, it's comfortable.]

Should I guess what it is, then? I could try it out, and see if I'm right...

[They were playing a game without a predetermined number of rounds, it's fine, it's fine.]

You could. I wouldn't be bothered if you did.

[He's definitely not bothered by Atem's fingers settling at the back of his neck. There are benefits to still having short hair, though it has been growing out some.

He is trying so very hard not to close the distance, to let himself sit in suspense there, but only because he trusts Atem to break the tension with something nice. Right? As a consolation, he reaches forward, sets his hand on Atem's knee, though with the size of his hand, he has to curl his fingers inwards just a bit to remain marginally appropriate.

...They can play more games later, maybe. Yep. Not now though.]

[...he could turn this aside at the last second. Pretend he's misunderstood, and was talking about something else. It would be extremely funny, and he knows Ryou can dish out pranks like that, and the look on Ryou's face would be priceless...

...maybe later. What tips the scales into sincerity is a combination of a few things: one, birthday. Two, Ryou outplayed him, which, knowing Ryou can has Atem feeling...essentially, the opposite of retaliatory. He doesn't want to get back at Ryou; he wants to get hands on him. (He has no idea this is anything but a normal response to finding out your boyfriend can keep up at dice games.) Also, the hand on his knee is warm, and that's very nice. Three, it's still early; there's plenty of time to kid around later. Four, birthday.

So, instead of pulling something silly, Atem picks sincerity. He does let out a short laugh -- Ryou might read considering-mischief as it flashes through Atem's eyes, then is replaced by affection and nah, this isn't a joke -- before going in for a kiss, a real one. One Atem wants, too, if the way his hand goes up into Ryou's hair almost right away is any indication. Good! This is a good boyfriend, who he'll put plans on hold for, to play games with! Atem likes being with him so much!]

[Ryou does see a little of the emotional shift on Atem's face, it'd be hard not to when they're this close, but he's pretty distracted by the actual proximity that the range of emotions doesn't really register.

Atem wouldn't play with him like that, right? Ohh, if he did Ryou would pout something fierce, and maybe that would be a reaction Atem wanted to see, but it doesn't matter, because after that laugh they're kissing, yes! Ryou immediately relaxes into it, his pointed ears slowly lowering. The hand on Atem's knee migrates to his waist instead and Ryou's fingers curl loosely around the small vampire's back.

Unsurprisingly...wish granted. He's pretty easy to make happy, he's come to find, and aside from simply existing in Atem's general vicinity while they go about their day, it's been nice to do these kind of things. Boyfriend things. This was something Ryou hadn't...well, he hadn't quite looked down on it, but he didn't understand it either. Now he really does see why people can't help but want to stay by their significant others. He can't imagine doing anything else for the next...month? Year? Forever?

~~Ryou please.~~]

[Atem hadn't understood it either, until the dreamworld.

And then he'd understood it all in a single moment, terribly and completely. A piece of the human experience he'd lost fell back into place, and he ended up with feelings growing in his heart like creeping vines, the root-system taking hold deep, so no matter how clear he kept the surface, it was always, always there below.

Now that he's not bothering to clear it, it's only gotten worse. New things keep happening to make them grow faster, stronger. Ryou helping him through the shed is one of them. Wanting to show his feelings more clearly is another. Losing a round of liar's dice did it, too...but also, sometimes, it's just an expression, or an idle tic Atem notices and realizes is cute. His whole house is going to end up covered in ivy, at this rate, and Atem doesn't mind at all.

All this to say, Atem trusts that when Ryou gets restless and wants to get back to games, Atem will be able to tell. He doesn't push things further, but settles in for some PG kissing and hair-stroking until then, letting the warm feeling he always gets when he and Ryou touch wash over him. He's glad he still gets it, as a vampire.

(He respects Ryou's decision to grow his hair back out but disagrees with it, and will be taking advantage of the time he has with it as much as he can, thank you.)]

[PG kissing is welcomed for quite a while, especially when aided by the fingers stroking through his hair. Ryou really likes Atem's fingers in his hair...there's a pleasant warmth that travels from his scalp to his chest...to pretty much everywhere when his hair is tugged even slightly. He ought to meter his reactions more, so that Atem doesn't get that good a read off of him since they've been starting to get closer...sometimes even a bit more daring with what they're doing.

Oh, not now though. This is relaxing, all-encompassing, and maybe later on it'll get a little more...aggressive, but they'd only just started to play a game, hadn't they?

So after what feels like...honestly an entirely too short amount of time, Ryou does pull back, and the look in his eyes is ridiculously affectionate. He looks as if he's ready to pull Atem into the world's tightest, most needy hug and then kiss every inch of his face. But he doesn't. Instead he keeps his fingers settled at the small of Atem's back.]

Couple more rounds...?

[...Of dice. He's definitely talking about liar's dice.]

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, PLAYER1. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 10.11.0.0.01 * PLAYER1 has joined 10.11.0.0.01 <PLAYER1>** If you're looking for someone you knew as Yugi before June, you've found him! It's Atem, leave a message.

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