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knifemonopoly) wrote2021-02-05 06:28 pm
knifemonopoly) wrote2021-02-05 06:28 pm
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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. | ||||
no subject
Honestly he's...tired from all this. It was what he had feared would happen if he sank into the bad feelings yesterday. He thought it would be better today, once he'd calmed down but it wasn't. Still...
Atem's words don't fall on deaf ears. His matter-of-fact way of putting things, and the sympathy...it's still tugging at Ryou's heart. The shadows recede, almost completely, except for the ones that comprise his semi-solid form. He still looks small though, curled up on the couch as he is.
It's not what's about him that he responds to, because his mind is in such turmoil about it. Instead, he latches onto that last little bit, the part that isn't about him because he's not ready to talk about whether Atem's right or not yet.]
Mm...I know a little about the bullying thing, but since I wasn't there...I can't really say I understand the extent.
[It wasn't his place to ask what had changed between Yugi and Jonouchi's dynamic so drastically anyway. He knew what he was told and didn't pry into a friendship that was not his business.]
cw description of bullying/toxic masculinity/etc
Jounouchi would take the games Yugi'd brought to school and keep them away from him, and tell him he was acting like a girl if he got upset. He even secretly stole part of the Millennium Puzzle! Honda was in on it, too...he'd make Yugi carry his things, buy dirty magazines for him...
In the beginning, they weren't friends at all!
A hall monitor named Ushio found out what was going on, and saw an opportunity. He told Yugi, "From now on, I'll be your bodyguard..." and after school, he beat Jounouchi and Honda so badly that they couldn't stand.
When he showed Yugi, Yugi was horrified...he'd never have wanted anything like that to happen to anyone. He told Ushio a lie, that Honda and Jounouchi weren't his bullies, but his friends....he said that they were just trying to toughen him up, and that he wanted Ushio to stop. But Ushio said that if Yugi wasn't satisfied, he could always hit them some more -- so Yugi put himself between them, and told Ushio to hit him instead.
[Annnnnd then Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle and the other Yugi robbed the game shop's till to play knife monopoly with Ushio and blasted Ushio's brain with dark magic so that Ushio still hallucinates money in his cell in the hospital. But that's not important right now.]
Did Jounouchi and Honda deserve that kind of faith? Maybe not. But it was because of what Yugi did that Jounouchi gave back the piece of the Millennium Puzzle...it was the first thing he'd done in a long time that he could respect himself for. It was because of that that they became friends...and became the kind of people they were when you met them.
No one's born knowing how to like themselves. You learn it through the people you care for. So, it doesn't matter to me what you used to be like, when you were lonely. What matters is that you're not alone now. Even the spirit that used to force you away from your friends can't do that anymore! You and I are friends, and I do have faith in you.
[He's been serious up until now, but a smile flits across his face as he goes on.]
And I don't trust just anyone! Do you think I'd bet on a card that I thought would lose?
[He winks.]
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Why would he keep the living, breathing avatar of the darkness in his friend group, when it had almost led to the death of Yugi himself, as well as the rest of his friends? Why did he keep letting Ryou stay around, when he wouldn't give up the Ring, and when the Ring kept taking control of him to make terrible things happen? The blood of many a person soaked Ryou's hands, and yet...]
Nnh, but...
[That smile, that wink. Atem knows exactly what he's doing, doesn't he? Or maybe he doesn't know how much his words have an effect on Ryou. He can't possibly know the rush of gratitude and a bit of adoration that causes the shade's gaze to blur, his aura to extinguish.
There's very little in the way of a warning before Ryou uncurls himself and slowly but firmly pulls Atem to him in a fierce hug. He knows that Atem isn't usually so fond of sudden touching but for once, Ryou can't help himself.
His face presses into the small vampire's shoulder briefly, before he speaks.]
Thank you, I...I don't know...what to say. I am so grateful for your friendship and your faith. You'd even have faith in someone like me...
[Oh...oh no, the words are catching in his throat and he's crying, he's so sorry but he can't even stop.]
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He wasn't expecting that. He sees it coming, he doesn't move to stall it, but his eyes still go kind of wide when he's pulled in! Ryou's so careful about people not touching him when he's incorporeal, and Atem's not the touchy sort at all, but...
But, this is happening. He's just got time to put his mug down before he's pulled into a tight hug, he gives a small inhale of surprise, and--wait. Wait, Ryou has blood when he's solid?
--oh, he doesn't like that he noticed that. Atem's going to move his brain away from that fact real fast. It's just a flicker in his attention, before he refocuses on what matters, because Ryou is talking, and -- oh, no, he's crying, why does he keep making his friends cry this week? He's the worst. King of shames. Atem wraps his hands around Ryou's back, hugs him back, because hugging it out is now a tool in his toolbox, right next to double-hitting 10-sided dice and terrible personalized psychic illusions.]
"Someone like you"...? Why, of course I would!
[And, on top of giving Ryou the comfort he needs...Atem is glad Ryou is okay. That his feelings-gears are grinding away again. That what he did for a dying friend, who'd been hurting terribly, didn't...didn't put a crack in his game-piece that couldn't be repaired. Atem's okay now, he's worked through his own worries, but that'd been a very real fear, one of the worst scares he's had since coming here. The point of the game is to keep your sense of who you are, keep your sanity, keep your heart, keep your friends...until you get to the end.
He believes, completely, that there will be an end. But, man...he's gotta get Ryou out of here. Maybe it's time to strike up a conversation with the NPCs, see what they're allowed to tell him.]
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Then he speaks again, although he doesn't release Atem quite yet.]
In the nine months I've been here, I don't think I've ever felt this...secure. Or cared about. I think I owe you more than cake, Atem.
[He finally pulls away, if only to pull his sleeve across his face and wipe away the tears. There's a different flush of gray to his cheeks, but that could just be from crying. Which...he is still doing. But it's not sadness that has him doing so.]
I don't know if I can ever repay you, actually. H-heh. But I can promise that...I'll always try to support you like you support me.
1/2 how it started and how it's going were too different
He stirs, turning his head in to listen, alert again in a moment -- no, Ryou doesn't owe him, that's not how this works...
Ryou pulls back, and Atem figures that's what a shade's face looks like when it's blotchy from crying. He reaches a hand out, to grip Ryou's in a manful, encouraging, teammate kind of way.]
That's all I ask.
2/2
[Like Javert. Like Daniel. Darkly:]
That path ends in La Fortresse.
[That prison is a trap.]
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He has got to get his reactions under control though, so he sniffs a bit, swallows back his tears, and comes back to himself a little. Yeah, okay. He's calmer. And don't think he didn't notice you were starting to maybe doze, bud. He'd address it immediately, but...Atem keeps speaking, and it's not a happy thought he ends on.
Ryou frowns, and his eyes shift from side to side for a moment, anxiously. Atem's right about that; he doesn't want to end up like Javert. But just the thought of Javert somewhat sours his mood because...it always reminds him of their terrible conversation on the network. Which then cuts a sharp pathway to the source of Ryou's reclusion before Atem convinced him into their current living arrangement.]
I would never want to end up there...but even if I killed a hundred humans, I wouldn't. The warden is biased in his justice. The warden's choices made me a true beast.
[His words are cold and dark, but not at Atem. Never at Atem, and in fact, he adds another thought.]
If not for you, I'd still find myself living on the streets and in abandoned homes because a real monster doesn't belong among the population. I imagine that the prison would have been worse, but in the end, if you think about it, Javert would never imprison me for my actions because he thinks they represent who I am. Who we all are.
[La Forteresse is a trap. But it's rife with opinionated wardens. That's why Ryou had never thought to turn himself in once he came back to his senses.]
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He could put together that when he takes Ryou's hand, the gray blotches on Ryou's face get darker.
But instead, Atem puts together that the circus everyone was so furious with Javert about is why Ryou was living in abandoned houses, alone, refusing help.]
I'm glad you feel that way, about the prison.
It's an evil place. Even if you feel the worst you've ever felt, and you think you should be locked away -- never use La Forteresse to do it.
[He's dead serious about that. He clasps Ryou's hand, hard.]
Stay in a hundred abandoned houses first!
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I don't need an empty house. My place is here. R-right?
[He doesn't have to go away, though he fears what would happen if Atem ever did. Their bond had really centered Ryou through a lot of his troubles, and he is thankful that the other had no memories of him at all, so they could begin with a new foundation.
Like Atem said, his memories of Ryou from before--or after, in his case--were irrelevant in the face of their friendship now.]
This is more of a home...than my apartment back home. I'm glad.
[And then he looks up quickly because his eyes are watering again nope. Not gonna cry.]
Sorry, sorry. I'm. I'm not that upset anymore, I promise, it's...because I'm relieved.
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One last squeeze of Ryou's hand, and then Atem lets go. He looks at Ryou with fondness -- he's glad he was able to help here, glad he was able to put a stop to the way Ryou had been punishing himself.
That kind of thing...it's no good to anyone. He sobers, thinking about it, and after a moment of consideration, says:]
You know, now that you have your feelings back -- if you don't want to tell me what happened back then after all, I understand.
[Everyone has secrets locked in their heart, secrets they should only share if they really want to. He'll respect Ryou's privacy, if he chooses to keep it to himself.]
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[Ryou's making a joke, because that joke is better than the reality of what he actually is going to share with Atem. They had been dancing on the edges of this precipice for long enough. Ryou wasn't going to shy from it any longer.
When Atem's hand leaves his, he's...a little sad about it, but the fondness in his friend's eyes is enough to alleviate that rising loneliness. So he leans back onto the couch and tries to gather his thoughts.]
There are only a handful of reasons I never told you before now. One...I know you have some kind of respect for Javert, and it was not my place to convince you otherwise. On this subject, I am opinionated heavily against him.
And also...I was afraid...that if I told you, we wouldn't be friends anymore. Because what I did was unforgivable.
[He still fears the ramifications of describing the situation to Atem.]
I don't think you'd stop being my friend though. [He can only hope.] So we can talk about it.
[If Atem wants.]
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[He crosses his legs, shuts his eyes, and his expression isn't quite a smile, even though it resembles one -- it's too wry and resigned, too sharp.]
I know that what Javert did hurt a lot of people terribly. Just because it didn't happen to me doesn't mean I don't understand those feelings!
[He looks at Ryou, evenly, neutrally.]
If you want to know why I want to help him, I'll tell you -- but you don't have to. I also won't try to change your mind about him, or anyone else's! You have every right to be angry.
And I promise, no matter what happened because of his circus, I won't stop being friends with you.
[He means it. He highly doubts it's worse than some of the things he's heard.]
So, you can tell me.
[Getting it off his chest, stopping it from eating at him, keeping it from being a big terrible secret...Atem thinks it's a good idea.]
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[Ryou takes a deep, long breath, steeling himself. He's much calmer now that he'd been before, and a quick swipe at his eyes dries what's left of his tears. He's going to attempt not to cry again, because it's kind of embarrassing honestly.
Once he's wiped his face, both hands go to his knees, clasping at his pant legs tightly, enough that there's pretty visible wrinkles.
It's not easy.
But he's going to do it.]
Um, so. This all happened in November. I remember looking into a mirror and then there was pain. I don't know how long it went on, only that...after that, I was so hungry.
It was my first Hunger, so I expected it, and I intended to sort out--
[He stops suddenly, and shakes his head.]
No. No lies.
I didn't want to eat a soul. I was going to try and avoid it, and maybe I'd have done a little better, but something about that mirror unlocked an ugly, disgusting part of me. It brought it out of all of us, in different ways. Like...sins. Vices.
I have never, ever felt such a ravenous hunger like that. Nothing would satisfy!
[His clawed fingers dig harder into his knees, he can feel them ready to prick right through his clothing.]
Atem, I...I don't know how many people I killed. It was...beyond me. I was completely gone out of my mind. I just ate and ate and ate and no amount of souls filled that emptiness and I could hear her in my head telling me it was alright, this was what I was supposed to do. I heard her.
Her.
[He doesn't want to elaborate, but he probably doesn't need to. Hell, he didn't need Javert or anyone else to ever elaborate to come to the conclusion that the Fog God was encouraging his behaviors, as if she needed to. Haha. As if he could even stop himself.
He doesn't remember how many people he killed, but he does recall the absolute pleasure he felt, for one hot second, as he snuffed them out. Then it was extinguished and that clawing, bone-deep emptiness that sharpened his monster senses while pressing in like a migraine at the same time. It made him angry that he couldn't sate that void, so he kept doing it.
The thought now sickens him to a brief silence...which gives Atem just enough of a pause in the story to respond, if he wants.]
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What he sees instead is pity, and the kind of horror that comes from sadness for a friend.
What would have happened if Atem had been unlucky enough to be present for this Vice Circus event? What would have been unlocked in him? What principles of his own would he have betrayed? What would he have had to forgive himself for?
It's a mercy he wasn't.
No, there's no blame. Ryou was put into a situation he couldn't control, that he didn't want; the fact that it happened the way it did was not his fault.]
Of course. The Fog.
...
I assume the hunger compulsion ran its course? Or did something break you out of it?
[It's almost a shame Ryou doesn't go on. Atem would understand that. He understands what it's like to feel at your most fulfilled, your most alive, when you give in to your monstrous requirements and feed on whatever it is you need to take to live.]
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It did, but...there's something that happened in between the hunger and the end of it all.
[And now they've arrived to the circus part of it. Because "circus" wasn't a metaphor. It was a real thing that many monsters in Ryslig had to suffer through, because of Javert. All because of him.]
Funny thing about being out of your mind. It makes you sloppy, because you're not cognizant of much around you.
[He flicks a gaze towards Atem that looks...angry? Definitely upset.]
I had to find this out later, but perhaps you already know how La Forteresse imprisons monsters successfully? After all, some of us come with powers that would make it otherwise impossible. Phasing through bars, in my case? Or perhaps you would just rip the bars straight out.
No. We couldn't be allowed to do that, or else we couldn't be punished. Right?
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[He nods.]
And Javert shared some of the objects that could do that with the humans in the circus.
[Which, from the way Ryou's talking, adds up to--
--the calm, and what little color remains, drains out of Atem's face. He sees where this is going.
They took Ryou.]
...go on.
cw; self-harm, though unintentional
I don't remember how I got in a cage. I was arguing with my--with the Ring-Spirit, we were practically at each other's throats for a while, but then I think I got away from that situation, because for how awful he is, he would never have stood for me being caught.
[A sigh. Ryou doesn't like this part of the story anymore than what preceded it.]
They smothered our powers with those things. Mine was a collar. All I could think of was how angry it made me that I couldn't eat anything. Of course they had to put me in a cage by myself, or I would have eaten whatever unlucky soul was stuck in with me.
[He closes his eyes, remembering. He was absolutely devoid of any of his humanity. He just wanted to feed and being unable to sate that emptiness for even a second had him climbing the walls. Literally.]
The punitive measures taken upon us for not performing were pretty terrible. I remember being enraged, climbing the walls, trying to reach the humans, biting at the bars...it wasn't me. It wasn't! I just...could not stop myself.
When the restraints inevitably failed, all of us had been driven to the brink of madness by whatever had been affecting us and we exacted unyielding revenge on the humans. The captors. The audience. Even each other.
[Ryou looks down. He can't look Atem in the eye so he focuses on his clawed feet, one placed over the other and gripping hard, pricking at his solid form enough to hurt and almost draw blood.
He wasn't trying to hurt himself, but by god if he did, he deserved it.]
When all that ravenous hunger and anger faded away, all I was left with was the realization that I really was a monster now. This place does it to you. And it rewards monsters for being monsters. After all, look at Javert. He's a priest of the Fog God. He told me on the network that whatever I did was just a part of who I really was in the end, and that I was an idiot for thinking otherwise. He's never even met me and that's all he thinks of me. Of all of us.
[He winces. There's blood under his talons now, and under his claws where they'd pricked into his knees.]
But he's wrong.
[Right? That's what all this was about, right? Atem believed in him, that he wasn't that beast. Or maybe, now that he'd heard the entire tale, he might change his mind after all.
Ryou's heartbeat quickens at the thought that it was more than Atem could bear of him. Maybe he'd decide Ryou needed to atone properly for it. Hell, he might make up a game for it and Ryou would deserve it all, how many lives had he left strewn in his wake?
He was...trying so hard to remain positive after their last interaction, but the darkness is creeping slowly back in at the edges.]
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[The scent of blood gets forcefully pushed aside, and a hand gets put firmly on Ryou's shoulder, gripping shadow-substance and clothes hard.]
Javert is an idealist with impossible standards, who couldn't accept what he's done while he's here. He didn't understand how anyone could, without being a hypocrite -- so, he tried to make everyone believe they're the same kind of monster that he finds himself to be. He hurt you. He hurt everyone.
And this place does reward you for being monstrous. Of course it does! That's what it's most important to fight against! That's why, if you die, what you lose is memories -- the parts of yourself that keep you the old you! The human you!
You're not a monster. No matter what you did under terrible compulsions. You're still yourself.
[That said...hearing the story from someone he cares about...it's horrifying to imagine what that must have been like.]
But, being caught in those cages...being part of the slaughter that happened after their failure...Ryou, I'm so sorry that happened.
[He's going for hug 2.0, he's gonna pull Ryou by the shoulders into his chest, wrap arms around his shoulders. You're gettin' held, buddy.]
You didn't deserve that. No one did. It was outside your control, like...stopping the parasite from the inside was for me. So, you shouldn't punish yourself, not for someone else's swing of the bat -- pick up your pieces instead, and make sure that when you put them back, you're still shaped like you.
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He's grounded by Atem's hand on his shoulder, and he has to fight not to cry again when he realizes how stupid he's being, to really try and convince himself that Atem could ever hate him for something like this.
But what hits home the hardest is the apology. Atem apologizes for what happened and that sympathy is a balm on a wound that had remained raw for so long, much longer than it had any business being. But Ryou has a tendency to pick at his wounds, opening them up fresh before they can scar over. He hadn't sat down and told this story to anyone like this. Not even the Ring-Spirit.]
You don't know...how much it means to me to have you understand. I've been so afraid to admit what I've done, the weight I carry in my heart for those who I hurt, because I've spent so long afraid that maybe Javert was right that there was a beast in me waiting to be set free. But...that isn't me. It was out of my control, and were I to have agency, I'd never have chosen that path.
[He doesn't care that he's pulled down a little--only a little, he's still shrunken a bit--to compensate for their height difference. He lets Atem pull him down and in fact returns the hug, almost fiercely. His hair flows over his friend's shoulders, soft and almost wisplike, due to the semi-solid state of his shadows.
But...although he's being comforted, Ryou hears something there that he needs to address. Sure, they've already addressed it, but he doesn't care. So when Atem repeats Ryou's analogy back at him, the shade's grip tightens for a moment. A firm squeeze.]
You didn't choose that path for yourself either, with the parasite. So remember the evils of this world and make sure to put your pieces back just the same. You're stronger than me, motivated and self-assured. I know you won't make that same mistake, Atem.
cw discussion of mind control and fucky manipulation
.....
Is he going to tell? Is he going to say it, admit it? Part of him doesn't want to, part of him wants to keep the secret locked in his heart forever. If he were looking Ryou in the eye....he might not have been able to form the words.
But...he doesn't have to look at Ryou's face. That makes it easier. He tenses, hesitates, and then, quietly, too quiet to carry to any of the other rooms, where anyone might be asleep...]
...it repeated the things I thought.
When it was inside of me, it made me feel like it was my friend. That I should help it find my other friends, so that their minds would be with mine, always, and no one would suffer alone ever again. That way, I could always be there...
[If Ryou attempts to pull away at any point, it will be resisted. No. He doesn't want his face looked at right now.]
It was a lie, of course. We weren't friends. It didn't listen to me, when it did things I didn't agree with. When it tried to take people against their will. It...could force my mind to be quiet. All it wanted was hosts, and would have done anything to get them.
[A breath. How does he put the rest of this?]
I don't want to be part of a collective any more, of course!
[This is a secret, he's telling Ryou a secret, he's not quite whispering, but it is told low over Ryou's shoulder, don't tell, it's shameful, don't tell anyone--]
But...it's hard to tell, how much of that desire to be connected to everyone I cared about was it, and how much of it was me...
[Since the hydra had tried to sell multiple people on the hivemind lifestyle, and every single one of them had been disgusted. Atem's disgusted now. But whatever the hydra did to keep him compliant has given him one (1) doubt, about, would he have been too easy to get, because he was lonely in his mind? Was he desperate? Was it that easy for something to use that, and hurt people?]
cw; manipulation and mind control
He doesn't let go of his friend. There is no attempt to escape the hug. In fact, Ryou tightens it, not painfully of course. Enough to keep Atem grounded, to help him understand that Ryou wasn't going anywhere. This is now his time to share, and Ryou won't begrudge him that.]
It made you feel as if it only had yours and their best interests at heart. You just wanted to bring all of us together, so that we could be as one, forever. You could have your friends with you always. That's admirable, Atem. It really is.
I could never fault you for believing it when you were put in a situation in which you could not think otherwise without being suppressed.
[Ryou Bakura can never, ever judge anyone for that. He, the bearer of the Ring, could never judge someone for being fed pretty words and made to comply through them. He stole back the Ring after Battle City because he was so convinced that it was his, he could control it. It was nothing he couldn't deal with, honest. He empathizes with Atem's feelings here, because he's felt them.
Most importantly, he empathizes with being pushed down into the background. Silence and blackness and not knowing what happens when you come back because someone else is driving and they're out to harm your friends, not help them.
The shade gently presses his face against Atem's--they're hugging and so close, it's almost like a nuzzle, but stronger. Fiercely protective, in a way that maybe a friend shouldn't be. Too close, too involved, too emotional.
Of all the words he's spoken, these are the quietest and gentlest.]
There's a space that was empty, that no one else could fill but Yugi. Do you...maybe think that it is a weakness?
No, Atem. That is the strength of your bond. That is a unity past anything you could ever have with anyone else here, because you shared thoughts, actions, and feelings. The hydra would never understand that. It co-opted those feelings and rewrote them to suit its hivemind mentality. Do you understand?
Anything bad...came from the hydra. To believe that being bothered at being alone in your mind is your fault is to misrepresent what friendship and camaraderie in its truest form represents.
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He thinks he might never stop realizing how grateful he is to have friends like this. Friends who stand by him, not just when he's in trouble, but also when he needs other kinds of support...friends who understand, who hear even the parts he doesn't say out loud...who he can unwrap his wounds in front of, and trust that they won't see him as a weakened part of the herd, easy to pick off, but instead pull out the thorns and shrapnel and make sure it'll heal clean.
He needed to hear this, too, from someone who knows what they're talking about, who's experienced something like it. Anything bad came from the hydra -- a situation in which you could not think otherwise without being suppressed. A space that was empty, that no one else could fill but Yugi -- the hydra would never understand, it co-opted and rewrote. Being bothered at being alone in your mind -- is not a weakness. The words help Atem's feelings about the event settle into a shape he can understand and accept; they help him know himself, to understand what happened and why, and that the answer to "why" isn't "weakness." Ryou presses the sides of their faces together, and Atem shuts his eyes, and tilts his own face in, just a few degrees -- turning towards the comfort offered, accepting it, letting the contact to the sensitive nerves in his cheek and eyelid send warmth and a sense of peace he hasn't felt since Lust had embraced him right away after meeting him outside the other-world all through him.
He gives a little nod against Ryou's face -- yes, he understands.
He's content to be quiet for another breath or two, not in a hurry to respond further. When he does speak, he's clearly calmer, the tight note of I don't know if it was something wrong with me gone from his voice.]
You're right.
Thank you. I'll remember what you've said...and keep it in my heart.
I'm very lucky to have a friend like you.
no subject
It is absolutely normal to want to stay like this for a little longer and it's just business as usual to think about how nice it would be to put a hand in your friend's hair just to see how it'd feel and if it would help him relax.
Of course...Ryou keeps all of that to himslf because it's not his turn anymore. This is Atem's time to be comforted and held and made to feel important.]
I'll be here for you as long as you need me. You've been here to strengthen me, the least I can do is lend my shoulder when you need it. We are all only human, after all. When it becomes too much...sometimes this kind of thing is what anyone would need.
[Ha...he uhm. He should probably let go of Atem but he doesn't want to be the one breaking their contact. This feels right. Like Ryou's heart has been filled with something warm and soothing that was slowly spilling out to the rest of his body, soft and comforting and good.
He wholeheartedly believes this is just friendship. This is how it feels when it's perfect, he'd just never...had that perfect feeling before. That's all, right?]
no subject
Talking about this...it's helped a lot.
It feels like time to let go, though. Had he really just brushed his face against the side of Ryou's a moment ago? Is that normal? Ryou seems to think it is, so Atem decides not to worry about it, and schools the dark-bruise blush back down off his own face before loosening his hold on Ryou and pulling back, feeling more relaxed than he has in...well, in weeks.
He picks up the mug of blood off the coffee-table and raises it.]
Here's to putting our pieces back together.
(no subject)