[ ic // demi voicetesting ]

[unfoggedlotus]

Man, whatever happened to a good night's sleep? Is the first thought that crosses Ren's mind. One moment he's tossing and turning in bed, trying to get to sleep, and the next he's staring up to the ceiling of the Velvet Room. He closes his eyes after he processes the bare minimum to get his location down. Can't a guy go a week without getting dream-DM'd by the fake-powers-that-be?

It's not entirely fair, he knows. He's just feeling blergh because Goro hasn't texted him back for a few hours and he was starting to get worried when Morgana batted the phone out of his hand and said he'd come home when he wanted to. But. Well. If he really had to do something in the realm of the subconscious involving chains tonight, he'd really rather be in Goro's dreams.

Maybe the chains would even be fun for once.

He lets himself stew for a few moments before shaking himself out of it. Might as well see what the "wardens" and "Igor" have in store for him this time. Ren grumbles to himself only a little bit as he opens his eyes again, and...

...What?

Ren blinks, taking in his surroundings with wide eyes. This is definitely the Velvet Room. There's the desk, the structure is vaguely similar, and he. Well. He just sort of knows it. The vibes are incredibly Velvet Room. 100% blue, 100% weird music, 100% cognitive prison.

Except.

There's no prison decor. He isn't even in a cell. There are a few doors scattered around. Peeling himself off the floor, he realizes he isn't in a prison uniform (he's in his daytime clothes) and there aren't shackles wrapped around him either. And the weird music isn't grating in his chest like the world's worst rendition of Prison Hallway Salsa silently beamed into his soul, it's just kinda...smooth. Jazzy. Soothing. A bop.

The Velvet Room actually feels...

...Nice?

...He doesn't buy it. (Something in him wants to, though.)

Ren turns around a few times, trying to find answers. What's going on here?

Comments

[fogbornphantom]

...Oh no. What has he walked into? You see that, Ren? That would be your boyfriend's cheeks being a pretty little shade of red as he very briefly averts his eyes because, damn it, Ren is being Ren again.

Being so suave and flirty and just... Ren Amamiya.

Absolute menace.

Well, he walked into this, and it was bound to come up one way or another. Hoo boy.

"Gay chicken." He reaches for his forehead, massaging his brow. "Magpie, erm. Came on a bit strong. ...And I'll note, this was at Raven's birthday party, as an elaborate diversion so the kids could steal the birthday cake. I..."

Oh. This is so incredibly awkward to admit.

"Well, let's just say that my body had thoughts that my mind did not agree with. I got uneasy, because more than anything, I missed you. Nothing happened. In fact, Magpie has zero interest in me in that particular context, but it..."

Hm.

"I still felt guilty."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren pats his boyfriend with all the soothing wisdom of a guy whose sex knowledge is health class, an awkward talk with the parents, random PSAs online, and like maybe two half-watched porn flicks. And some doujinshi thrown in there. "Sometimes...bodies just do things in response to other things. Doesn't always have to mean things. Just 'cause I look at the sun and sneeze doesn't mean I'm allergic."

[fogbornphantom]

"True. But I suppose it just made your absence hit harder." He adjusts one of his gloves, trying not to be too flustered. It's fine. Everything is perfectly cool. "...It's not as though I haven't thought about it before. Though, obviously, we're in no rush. You literally just got here."

He scoots a little closer, once again pressing his forehead to Ren's. "More than anything, I've missed holding you close at night. I've missed kissing you. I've missed every one of your ridiculous antics... You're my world, Ren."

[unfoggedlotus]

"I just got here, only to find out that you had children without me," he lets out a comical groan, smiling all the while. "Now we'll never have the chance."

Ren reciprocates the forehead press after a quick kiss to the nose. "And honestly..." fingers back in Goro's hair, "trying to get to sleep without you was hard for just one night. I'm happy to have you back in my bed...in any way we can."

[fogbornphantom]

Oh.

Oh dear. As if his heart wasn't aflutter already. "...We can pencil it in. There's no rush. I imagine we'll need time to... figure it all out." Preferences. Boundaries. Comfort zones. But he'll give another quick kiss on the lips. "But if we do, we should pick a place just for us, separate from the children. There are other unoccupied houses. It'd probably be less awkward than doing so in my childhood home. Or perhaps... the Amagi Inn? There are hot springs. Nice beds. It could be a little getaway."

[unfoggedlotus]

"I don't know if I can think of anything less sexy than doing it on your dad's bed," he says, blunt and honest, but runs his fingers comfortingly through Goro's hair again. Two months really did a number on him, huh... "Or like. In a place where kids are living. How young are they again?"

[fogbornphantom]

"As young as I was when I first became privy. ...That is not a good thing, just so we're clear." He sighs, slumping slightly. "Everyone besides Raven is about six or younger, so around them, we'll have to keep things age appropriate. Though it's not like I was planning to make out in front of them- that can be saved for our own time, along with everything else."

[unfoggedlotus]

Another nuzzle at the slump. He knows how hard that time of his life was for Goro, and other Akechis -- and Rens -- too, by the sound of it. "Hmm...yeah." That'll be a bit annoying. "Just when I'd gotten Ryuji to say "fuck"...I agree though, there's no need to rush it. "Someday" doesn't have to be tomorrow."

[fogbornphantom]

"Raven rather likes to say 'fuck' and 'shit'. He has to self-censor in front of the kids." Heh, heh. It's quite funny to see. That boy has so much pent up rage energy that, thankfully, this Akechi manages better these days.

Mostly. We don't talk about Loki.

"...It's probably silly how nervous I've been about bringing up the subject. But then I found out the other you has been at it for years, quite casually. You don't happen to have years of secret experience in the art of seduction, now, do you?" He gives a playful poke on the nose, smirking.

[unfoggedlotus]

"And what if I do?" Ren gives him a shit-eating grin. "Maybe I've left you in the dust in terms of sex experience, rival."

[fogbornphantom]

The thing about Ren is that sometimes it's so hard to tell when he's serious or messing around. He'll flash a smirk back at him, of course, so not to lose his cool. "Well, if you have, then you'll have to get me up to speed, then, won't you? Wow me with your abilities..."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Yep. Catch you up to speed with all two of the doujin I've read," he jokes. "I'm just teasing you. I haven't done anything either. No one back home was interested and you scooped me up pretty quickly when I moved."

[fogbornphantom]

"Ha. Well, I suppose we can figure it out as we go and have a good laugh along the way." Just as he says that, his phone vibrates, and... He takes it out, squints at the message and after shooting a reply, shows the silly little emojis. "Oh, speak of the devil. Here he is now, sending me unsolicited smileys. Methinks Raven informed him of us."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren peers over at the contact info. "Another Ren, huh? I already like him, he's got good taste in names," he grins. Then, his own phone vibrates with a message. "What...?"

[fogbornphantom]

"...I have no idea how Akira got your number. Then again, Akira also found out about a very embarrassing euphemism I made, so nothing should surprise me anymore." The pun is probably the least surprising thing about all of this. "Oh. And he also offered advice of a more intimate nature, so don't be alarmed if that comes up."

[unfoggedlotus]

"...Huh," Ren blinks. "Color me intrigued."

Another message, and Ren reads it, then shows it to Goro. "Who's..." he squints, words swimming in front of his face for a moment. "Nightmare-chan?"

[fogbornphantom]

"That must be Akira-kun. He's rather fond of his older counterpart. Calls him Card-san, if memory serves." But, ah. He knew right away. Perhaps Arsene helped in that respect. How handy. "Well, it's good to hear that Akira-kun is in safe hands. That should potentially make your introduction go a bit smoother. And Magpie seems to have brought quite a bit of food over to boot."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Card-san...aww, that's cute. Does Akira-kun have a nickname for you?" And, as if on cue, Ren's stomach growls. He didn't manage to eat much food while worrying over his boyfriend...

[fogbornphantom]

"Rock-Akechi-san, sometimes. ...It's because we both found special rocks together, although I was still Raven at the time." Nonetheless, he'll pull out his pretty blue rock to show all the same. "Although if you're getting hungry, I suppose we should consider heading back to the house. Unless you'd rather stop somewhere along the way?"

Either is valid, of course. It's hard to say how adequately the others have prepared the children.

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren admires the rock. It's nice and blue. "Maybe you can get me a special rock one day. One for my finger," he laughs. "Hmm...I'm okay with stopping somewhere for a snack. Maybe one of the...other-us-es can tell us when they think it's good for us to head back?"

[fogbornphantom]

"One day." He takes Ren's hand, giving it a small kiss. "We do have a few options for food. The Junes food court has various options, and there's Aiya if you favor Chinese food. Souzai Daigaku for steak croquettes and skewers..."

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren giggles when Goro presses a kiss to his hand. "Such a gentleman thief, stealing my heart -- metaphorically," he grins, rubbing his cheek against Goro's. "I'm not feeling too picky right now, so I'll take your recommendation. You know the area better."

[fogbornphantom]

"Junes might be more efficient. It has just about everything, so if anything else tickles your fancy, we can grab that on the way home." Ah, a part of him just wants to stay here a little longer, but he very reluctantly rises to his feet. "Under other circumstances, I'd try to prepare a nice dinner for you, but I suspect Magpie would growl at me if I so much as tried."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Magpie's territorial about the kitchen, huh? You wouldn't be cooking tonight, anyway," Ren flicks the side of his head. "After I meet everyone we're going right to sleep and you're not waking up before noon tomorrow."

[fogbornphantom]

"Magpie is territorial, period. He's a lot like a feral cat." Well, at least it's a pleasant day as they stroll down the hill. The compressed distances should make Junes creep in relatively fast as well. Still, he frowns a little at that remark. "And if I sleep that long, I won't be able to make breakfast. Or ensure that the kids are behaving themselves."