knifemonopoly | IC inbox

[Oh, he's good now too? Ryou laughs, and it's such a genuine sound that even though they're playing off each other like this...the emotion is pure. He can be as sassy as he wants, but in the end, he loves Atem and there's always going to be an undercurrent of earnest care.

He likes it much more than worry.]

That's not quite how I expect you to purify me, but werewolves are cursed beings. Maybe that's what you're here for. To lift the curse of the damned.

[Ryslig weres dont work that way, but logic doesn't matter, shut up brain, he's busy. Very very busy with wagging his tail--which is moving faster and he can't stop because he is having fun--and idly running his thumb across the back of one of Atem's hands.

Truthfully...these are the kinds of things he wishes they could do all the time. Playing out loud is still a game. He'd game with you anytime, Atem.]

[Oh, the idea is there's a curse?

He switches to deadpan.]

If it washes away your wolf ears, I'm not doing it.

[He has opinions. He lets go of Ryou's hands, actually, to rub Ryou's ears between his fingers, getting his ring and pinky-fingertips into Ryou's hair. Soft! Cute! These must stay! He wants to pet them!]

They're too cute to get rid of!

[Ryou lowers his head, and his tail wagging slows as he relaxes, because yes, happy, but also yes, ear rubs.

The deadpan is totally lost on him, he's gone.]

Mmm...I like them too, if I'm being honest...

[He hums the words out quietly, because having his ears pet is a surefire way to relax him completely, evidently. It's only by sheer force of will that he doesn't drop his head onto Atem's shoulder and doze off right there.]

[Sweetheart. Precious sweet puppy boy, absolute treasure of a person.

Atem has to let go and lean his face in, so he's almost nose to nose with Ryou. One hand goes to his cheek.]

All right. I'm going to try to get you clean. If it starts to feel weird, or you feel anything happening below the skin, tell me right away, okay?

[A sleepy Ryou smiles softly, then closes the distance, booping Atem's nose with his own big pink one. Honestly, you can't just put your face there and not expect someone to bump noses. That would be criminal.]

I'll tell you, don't worry.

[Implicitly, he trusts that nothing will go wrong.]

[He gives Ryou a little kiss, just a quick one, one that's preceded and followed by a nuzzle of foreheads. It is disgustingly affectionate. Then, he nods, and the zig-zag line on his hand glows white again. Water flows over Ryou's face, starting at his hand, moving through Ryou's hair, over his ears, then travels down his back, his arms, and over his tail. It's wet at first, then dry, and leaves the fur and skin clean and nearly scentless. There's a light smell left, but it's just Ryou, and water, and a little bit flower-sweet.

As long as it doesn't seem to be doing harm, doesn't seem to be affecting anything below the skin, and Ryou doesn't mention discomfort...he sends it down Ryou's legs, too, all the way to the padded bottoms of his feet. First wet, then dry, fresh and clean.]

[Just as it had been the first time, the sensation of being saturated by water is very strange, and Ryou's immediate reactions are to simultaneously close his eyes against it and shiver, as well as splay a hand on the couch as if he's worried that the water might soak through. His tail fur flattens out, his hair flops in front of his face--

--and then he's dry again, his fur fluffing out and his hair bouncing back into its fluffy, usual styling with feathered ends and all. It doesn't hurt or feel weird--outside of the sensation of being wet-then-not-wet, so he lets Atem continue down his legs. This time he gets a good look at the fur on his feet being saturated like someone's poured a glass of water on him...then fluff up, clean and dry.

His nostrils flare a bit as he examines himself. He...smells nice. Almost perfumed.

And then he has to ask, because he remembers something from a couple months earlier:]

...So am I holy and presentable to the gods now? I wouldn't want to embarrass you.

[He smiles, only lightly teasing.]

[He lets out a relieved breath, when it seems to go smoothly -- that ends in a heh! Ryou remembers that, huh?]

Yes. No god or spirit of the dead would be offended by the way you smell now.

[Atem reaches out to pet the nice, clean tail, once, admiring. Look at that fur. Usually, it takes ages to get it this clean and dry -- he knows, he hears the hair-dryer going.]

[Ryou's tail matted exactly once and brushing those things out had been very painful. Once was enough to know that he needed to blow his tail out after a shower. But he wasn't going to give up showers or baths, okay? They were so easy as a werewolf!

(Except the drying)

He looks pretty pleased with the results himself, and the tip of his tail curls up a little.]

Thank you...you've saved me possibly falling asleep in the bath, haha...

[No seriously. He drags after transforming in the morning. Speaking of which...he attempts to bite back a yawn. Ugh, no. No, he wants to stay up with Atem...this is the worst scenario...]

You're exhausted.

[A quick kiss, to Ryou's temple. He really does smell nice like this. It's hard to keep his hands away from Ryou's hair; Atem winds a strand of it around one finger.]

You should go to bed. It's been a long day!

[Ryou sighs because he knows it's true. But that doesn't mean he has to be contented with that scenario. So, he takes Atem's free hand in both of his own, then brings it to his cheek, nuzzling gently into the palm before planting a kiss there.

His eyes flick towards Atem, and he speaks against his hand, which mildly muffles his words.]

...Come with me, please?

[Every night he asks this, even though it's selfish, and even though Atem lets him get away with it. But tonight, especially, he wants to be near Atem and hold him close. This time, there's a subtext hidden within those words, a layer of concern, of guilt, that's buried so deep that even Ryou doesn't realize it.]

Of course.

[If Atem suspects guilt, it's buried deep, too deep for him to want to dig up tonight. He's been put at ease; the whispers in his mind, the pointing fingers, the damning spotlights, are all quiet, for now. Sometimes, those things aren't worth disturbing...Atem will take this peace while he can get it.

He agrees immediately, not in order to assuage guilt, but because it's where he wants to be for the next hour or so.

Atem floats up off the couch a few inches, turning his hand to take Ryou's hand as his feet land lightly on the floor, and pulls him toward the bedrooms.]

[Ryou follows, getting to his feet and deciding that, for today, his shirt can stay out here. He doesn't really need it anyway, not with the fur that covers his upper body just about everywhere but his lower arms and hands.

Now that they're on the way to the room, he's realizing how heavy his steps feel, how hard it is to walk. And then, when they reach the room it's like a cascading wave of exhaustion's threatening to pull him over. He sees his own bed and he wants in.

He yawns again, his free hand rubbing at his eyes as he takes the lead, pulling Atem into his room.]

Maybe...I'm more tired than I thought.

[Maybe he'd just done a lot of stuff today that he can't erase and that took a lot of mental energy to deal with. PERHAPS.]

Go on, go on.

[He's the one following, but Ryou gets urged into bed with a big curling-forward wing gesture, a gentle shoo!

Atem really does miss sleep. It's convenient to not have to worry about pajamas and sleep positions with all these wings, but being able to turn your mind off, to come at a problem fresh? He's cut off from a part of human experience he had even when he was a vampire.

But this temporary change will be over soon. He'll float onto the bed after Ryou does, on top of the blankets, so that when he gets up, he doesn't disturb Ryou more than he has to...]

[Ryou wastes no time in doing just that, pushing his sheets back and curling up beneath them. He rolls over so that he can still cuddle up with Atem. He knows...that they won't spend the whole sleep together, and that's fine. He's used to it since he could never feel right holding a sleepless nephilim down for his whole resting period.

But...he still reaches a hand out once Atem's settled, so that he can run a hand through his hair and along the underside of one headwing. For now...he wants to be close.]

I've never been so glad to be back here with you...

[The head-wing presses against the fingers, like tilting your head into a touch to your face. Inside Atem there are two wolves: one loves very much that Ryou can come back to him for solace, and the other is a little concerned about Ryou thinking Atem feels insecure about Ryou going to other people for help. That really isn't it, and Atem doesn't want that to direct Ryou's actions at all...but now, with Ryou falling asleep, isn't the time to get into it.]

I love you.

[He kisses the bridge of Ryou's nose.]

Tomorrow, we'll go to the woods. I like the idea...when you get deep enough into the forest, it feels like being in another world...

[But he's not going to go into detail about how Ryslig's deep woods really do feel like remarkable, magical places. That doesn't make much sense, logically, since as Yugi, he'd seen pictures, knew what they looked like...but with some of his old memories, the amount of green, the towering trees everywhere, valuable and damp and just growing there, makes him feel a little excited. But that's not very cool...it's just a feeling. He's not that little boy who thought he was in Punt, and that all monsters were magical spirits.

It's just an especially fun place to go for a walk.]

Mm, I love you too.

[Ryou murmurs the words quietly, but with sincerity.]

I've usually kept to the outskirts...because I was afraid of getting lost. But if there's two of us, then it should be okay...

[Not that Ryou didn't have a nose to try and find his way out or anything. He's just not secure in his abilities at all. It doesn't matter though. They'll go together. It'll be fine...yeah.

Ryou sighs gently, drawing his arm back and then tucking his head against Atem's chest. Sleepily, he murmurs one last thing before finally dozing off, and it makes just about zero sense.]

I'll catch you a rabbit...

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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.