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[Ryou's ear rotates towards the sound of the tail wagging, which is by and large pretty quiet, since Atem's tail is so thin and wiry compared to Ryou's obnoxious, fluffy monster.

He busies himself with cutting thin strips off of the meat, which has already been skinned, and it's going pretty well, he's setting the slices neatly on the paper so that he can transfer them to a plate when he's done, and he's at around six pieces when he hears the whine.

...Ryou is the one who's really sorry, because he has to suppress a bit of a laugh, he's sorry he doesn't mean to laugh at Atem, just...oh god it's so cute?!]

I-it's okay, don't worry!

[Six pieces it is then! Ryou picks out a plate, places the sliced people sashimi on it...then after a thought, decides to sprinkle a small amount of salt over top. He's not a professional, he's just doing his best here.

Within a few minutes, he's headed over to the coffin table with the plate, a tiny saucer of soy sauce, and a pair of chopsticks. He sits on the ground, of course, because he's a hulking creature and Atem deserves the whole couch thanks. He's...been through enough.

But Ryou's still in a good position to feed Atem. And he will, thanks. It's his job to offer nourishment to his

(mate)

boyfriend

(mate!!!! love atem! best boy!)

who doesn't feel good

(groom him after this. feed groom nuzzle lick)

and deserves to be taken care of. So, he picks up a piece of meat gingerly between the chopsticks, dips it in the soy sauce and pauses.]

Come in close and open your mouth for me?

[Atem knows in his mind that it's the Fog's influence telling his nose that the human meat is the right food to eat. He knows he's about to commit (slightly fancy) cannibalism.

...

But honestly he ate human meat his first day here, and he ate it as a demon without even needing to. Ryou caught this for him, and he sees no reason to feel bad about it. He trusts Ryou's judgment.

Atem moves his head in closer, slowly. It's all he can do to keep the silly, begging, trilling whine he gave earlier from happening again -- but he does lick his chops, just once, before opening his mouth, slowly and delicately. There's a lot of teeth, and they're all sharp, but they're under control: he won't snap at the meat. He'll wait.]

[It's really so hard not to bump noses with Atem right now, even though his mouth is wide open, revealing all his lovely, beautiful teeth. Ryou wants so badly to curl on the couch with him.

Instead, he gently places the piece of meat on Atem's tongue, then pulls back just in case he does want to snap. These are nice chopsticks, he doesn't want to lose them.

Now...he waits and sees what Atem thinks. Ryou personally can't resist eating fresh meat sometimes, but Atem might be different.]

[He closes his mouth, and chews.

Thoughtfully.

Mostly, his mouth is closed. But there's a little mlem mlem at the end.

He swallows.]

It's good.

[Atem licks his mouth. Opens it just a little, hopefully, then closes it again. He's got himself very well trained, thank you, he's disciplined, he's not going to hold his mouth open hoping for more!

(though there's a very quiet sniffsniffsniff.)]

I'm glad! I'll have to cut some more then. It's important that you receive the proper nutrition now, while you're recuperating, and this is the fastest method to prepare the meat.

[Ryou's tail wags, the swish of it moving back and forth pretty audibly displacing the air. Yes! He's doing the right thing! His inner wolf is absolutely preening over the positive reaction.

Atem doesn't even need to ask, Ryou's already picking up another piece to feed him, repeating the same actions...but this time, he does bump noses with Atem, before saying:]

It's okay, I have a few more to feed you. You can keep opening your mouth, silly.

[Swish, swish, swish, goes the tail under the blankets.]

Okay.

[The nose bump...is nice. He can really smell a lot on Ryou. There are subtle variations in How Ryou Smells that he's learning mean things, now that his sense of smell isn't overpowered by his own injuries.

He feels a little self conscious about just how tasty this food is, and how much he wants it. He really, really wants more of the meat. But even so, Atem opens his mouth, exposing his teeth, trusting.]

[And as soon as that mouth opens, Ryou deposits another slice of meat right on Atem's tongue. He'll keep doing it until they're all gone, if he's allowed to.

Though...there is another question on his mind.]

Are you doing alright with the pain? You can tell me if you need more medication.

[He, better than most, understands the need to dull the agony of a physical injury.]

[He won't snap. But as he gets better at detecting where the meat is...he might delicately take the last piece or two off the chopsticks, between his teeth, and gulp them down into his mouth.

He's still hungry. An edge has been taken off, though...part of the Fog-given hunger has been appeased.

(Eventually, he'll need to hunt.)

The pain's a more immediate concern. Atem takes stock of his current state.]

It really is helping...it's not nearly as bad as it was. I think the schedule's okay, but...if it gets bad, I'll tell you.

Ah, good...I don't want you to have to deal with any more than you have to. You've...really done enough. The Fog was because of you, wasn't it?

[Ryou will cut up some more in a moment, but...right now he wants to reach a hand out and gently stroke his thumb along Atem's face, beneath the cloth so as not to disturb it.]

I'm grateful. Everyone should be grateful. I'm certain that She is grateful as well.

[Though the Fog's opinion probably isn't as important to Atem, huh?]

I was worried when I couldn't contact you...I even asked the Fourth.

[The Fourth. It's said more venomously than he intends it to be. But he won't hide his animosity. He can't. Elias's words had been like a salted silver whip cutting across his cheek, burning, aching, and unhealing.

So...Ryou doesn't say his name. He feels no need to.]

[His head tilts into the touch. It's really all Atem can do not to let his tongue come out to lick at the fingers -- but the way his mouth works gives away that he wants to.

He nods, just a little, to confirm that yes, the Fog's because of him.

And, Atem understands why not everyone would be grateful...the people who'd died or been hurt, yes, and whose important people had, too...but there are probably a few monsters lucky enough to have avoided damage, for whom, if the Fog didn't come in, might not have experienced changes at all. Those, he's sure, won't be happy.

But Atem doesn't regret his decision. What catches his attention instead is the way Ryou says the Fourth. Atem's mouth presses tight for a moment.]

What did he say to you?

Nothing helpful, I can assure you. He doesn't do that.

[Ryou's thumb continues to move gently across short, soft fur. It could be softer, he supposes. Atem will be healthier the more time goes on, and his fur will look even more radiant than it already does. He just has to go out and have a proper meal. Yeah.]

He said that he didn't know where he sent you, that he'd just put you out. [Like a bad dog.] And he wished me "happy hunting."

[There's more...it sounds like there is. But Ryou feels less than forthcoming. Atem can't see his face, or how his ears lower. He can't tell how much Ryou just wants to curl on the floor and not think of this anymore.

And that's Ryou's fault. For not insisting to be there.]

[No, Atem can't see it. But he can hear the stress in Ryou's tone, practically smell it on him...he knows that isn't all.]

He said something else, didn't he? Something that hurt you.

[He pries, gently, at the emotional wound. Like a physical one, it has to be cleaned and bandaged, or it'll only fester.]

[Ryou's thumb stops where it's at, and his padded fingers settle at the back of Atem's neck. Now it's his turn to suppress a whine, one so quick and quiet and high-pitched that if they weren't both weres, it wouldn't be perceived.]

...We shouldn't talk about this at length. You have been through an ordeal. So don't focus on my problems.

[Shortcomings, rather.]

Though...I owe you my honesty. Always.

[Even if he'd rather not talk about it, ever.

Ryou's tail curls around his feet, tightly, as if he's comforting himself.]

He said...if I was a better friend, then maybe I would have stopped you. And I...I know that's not right. I can't just stop you, I don't want to. I have faith in you, and everything you do, so I won't stand in your way. I'll stand by your side.

It's just...maybe...I should have been closer, to offer you more than just my emotional support. This could have gone differently if there were two of us.

[...oh. Oh, so that's what Elias has to say.]

Ryou...

No, I don't think you could have gone in. I only got in because of my tier-3 ability. And staying by the door I went in didn't do Horatio any good. You were already as close as you could have been.

[He leans in closer, looking for Ryou's face. Can he find Ryou's face with his chin? Can he get his chin on Ryou's forehead? Search-search-search, follow the smell--]

Elias...I suppose he thinks good friends make decisions for each other, without respecting what the other person wants. That it's okay to control someone else, if it's to protect them.

[That's a little bit growly.]

I don't regret trying what I did, even if it got me hurt. And you got my friends to look for me...

[He's gonna find Ryou's head and nuzzle it, if he hasn't yet. He's determined to.]

...that means a lot to me. That you asked, and...they came.

[Even if Atem couldn't find him, Ryou meets him halfway, both to help, and because he wants the closeness. Atem's right, there's very little else he could have done to prevent this...but it still hurts, being told that he was playing it wrong.

Elias always made Ryou feel terrible about his choices, even before he'd made them. It's rather uncanny. At any rate, Ryou firmly nuzzles Atem back, snuffing a little as he does so.]

You have good friends, people who care about you. I'm glad they came too...you're important, and I couldn't bear the thought of not finding you. I tried drawing the eye, to make contact, but...I don't know at all if you saw me, and even if you did, you...wouldn't...

[...

...

Wait.]

...Have you tried to see through it since you got back?

[If Ryou drew the symbol, Atem saw him. It was probably mostly lost in the confusion of new sounds and smells and pain, but it might have clued Atem in that someone knew something was wrong, and was looking for him.

He tilts his head. Atem's not sure he welcomes the change of subject, there's something else he wanted to talk with Ryou about, but Ryou's asked him a direct question, so he'll answer.]

No, I haven't. I can't draw it like this, and nobody else has drawn it since...

[Ryou goes quiet for a moment. He hadn't meant to change the subject, but at the same time, he did want to test it.]

We should...draw it and see if it still lets you see. I could, if you want.

[It's an invitation, but he's not going to do something that Atem doesn't want to. Though...selfishly, if it distracts Atem from trying to fixate on Ryou, then...well, he wouldn't mind it.]

[...he nods.]

It's worth a try!

[Besides, if it means he can see Ryou while they're having this conversation....that's better than trying to guess, blind, from Ryou's voice alone.]

[...That earns Atem a wag and a half, and even a quick lick on the cheek, before Ryou gets to his feet.]

Hold on, I need a piece of paper. It'll be easier for you to adjust if you have something to hold onto.

[And with that, he pads off to his room, where he knows he has plenty of paper, and finds himself a pencil to draw the symbol with. He has no idea what he's about to subject himself to, he just thinks he's doing a good and helpful deed, and his inner wolf likes it!

After about a minute, he's back at Atem's side, setting the piece of paper onto the coffin-table and carefully drawing the symbol out.

...Good. There. Did it work?

He peers right at the paper, his nose twitching slightly as he reflexively sniffs. Yeah, that'll do it. That'll definitely tell him if it's working...]

[The cheek lick is not objected to; Atem sits on the couch, waiting patiently for Ryou to come back, for the symbol to be drawn, for the magic to activate...

There's a white-gold flash of an eye on his forehead, and similar glows from beneath the bandages, in the empty sockets. If Ryou looks up, he'll definitely be able to tell something's happened.]

--heh heh.

I can see up your nose like that, you know.

[Apparently, it did work.]

Edited 2022-05-09 02:34 (UTC)

[Ryou's ears flick down, mostly out of embarrassment, then he turns and looks away, more to focus on Atem's face than his surrogate eye.]

I didn't know you were so interested in it, honestly.

[Just a little sassy...but Ryou's happy this worked. He picks up the paper gingerly...then hands it to Atem.]

There. Now you can look at whatever you like!

[He's happy about it, that he could help. Ryou really does just want this all to be easier for Atem. Then...maybe when he's a little better, and they can go out, they could try Ryou's tier 3 power and try to fix those eyes up. But he's not going to touch on that quite yet--not that he doesn't want to. But he wants to make sure Atem's strong enough first.]

[He takes the paper, folds it, then tucks it into a shirt pocket, the eye facing out. This is the best they can do for now...]

I like being able to look at you.

[Oops. Pain medicine.]

Smelling isn't the same.

[Ryou looks a little taken aback. Oh...oh that's...nice?

Now Atem has a perfectly good view of Ryou's way-too-big tail swishing from side to side at the compliment, and if he wasn't covered in fur, there'd probably be some blushing visible too.]

Ah...h-haha, well. Th-thank you, I...I like that you can see me too, and I'll keep drawing the eye as long as you like.

[Atem being so open about his feelings it is endearing. Very very cute!]

[He reaches out -- oh, the perspective is a little weird, very different from what he's used to, but good enough -- to touch the side of Ryou's face. Atem wants to get his clawed fingers into the fluff at Ryou's jaw, the sides of his face, draw him in closer...

...maybe even touch his ears.

It's all affectionate for now, even if there's something he wants to talk about very soon. Pets and scritches first.]

Edited 2022-05-09 10:51 (UTC)

[Ryou leans into the touch, exhaling softly. For the moment, he and Atem aren't looking exactly eye-to-eye, since he's on the floor and will remain seated there while Atem's on the couch. Recovering boyfriends get the whole couch, those are the rules.

The only reason that matters is because of how Ryou appears when he's looking up at Atem rather than down--much more like a pleased puppy than a contented, proud one. Furthermore, if his ears are touched, he hums happily and closes his eyes while relaxing them.

He's been fairly tired despite the ramped-up Fog, he's still pretty tired...but this contact feels like the best reward he's received for being awake at all.]

Your hands are so warm like this. It's nice.

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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cw cannibalism!! lmao

cannibalism all the way down tbh

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