unfoggedlotus | [ ic // demi voicetesting ]

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[ ic // demi voicetesting ]

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?

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Ren moves over to give his boyfriend a comforting hug. “I’m here now. We’ll get you caught up on your Zzzs in no time.” Nuzzle, peck. “Do the kids need people to sleep with them, too?” Ren won’t lie — he’s not the most familiar with babysitting.

"Well, Akira-kun generally doesn't require it, though he does enjoy a story before bedtime and will occasionally cuddle with Hawk. Moth, the little vampire, seems fine in his own room, and Raven just turned thirteen." Ah, but the hug is welcome, and he gladly returns it. "I think the biggest thing to keep in mind is that they are very curious children. Hawk and Akira-kun also have a budding rivalry..."

Edited 2023-10-13 00:08 (UTC)

"That's adorable," Ren grins, taking another piece of takoyaki. "Are other versions of us rivals, too?"

"I suspect Magpie's relationship with his Ren may be of similar substance, though he'll fervently deny his attachment." Ah, another nibble of his own takoyaki. Warm food can do wonders, and he had been rather hasty in his own lack of eating before meeting with Ren. "Magpie is in a similar state as I was when I was younger. Friendship to him is like cooties to small children."

Ren snorts. "That gives me a better picture of him, at least." Then, with his chopsticks, he picks up the nibbled piece of takoyaki from Goro's side and pokes it into his mouth. "Eat."

...Ren. Ren, you absolute menace. Akechi feigns annoyance with a little groan, but accepts the offering all the same. "What am I, a baby bird?" He knows this will likely result in some other weird remark.

Try him, Ren.

"You're a baby bird when you don't eat without me feeding you," Ren asserts, less weird than anticipated. "But you're my baby birdie."

"Times like these make me glad the memory link only goes one way." He pops another piece of takoyaki in his mouth, like a big bird. Tsk. "Raven's already spilled the beans about your petnames to at least two people. I suspect we'll be hearing a lot about 'tuft of feathers' in the near future."

"Like you're still hearing about snake below the belt?" Ren smirks, feeding his boyfriend another piece of takoyaki. "At least we're on even footing now."

You know what? Just for that, he's going to pop one in Ren's mouth, too. "Even footing does raise certain questions for what would happen in a love nest." Quite the thing to bring up while... feeding each other...

Fuck.

Takoyaki. Balls. Damn it. Why must his teenage brain do this to him?

"Sex, probably," Ren cuts through the awkward stumbling around like butter. He delicately takes the takoyaki ball in his mouth, then swallows it whole in one gulp. "We're about to introduce me to your kids. Don't think any snakes below the belt would do anything for their perception of me." It's lighthearted, but the meaning is there.

"I know." The banter is fun, but he understands Ren's concerns, nodding. "All quips aside, I think the biggest thing we'll need to convey is that I'm not abandoning them. You aren't taking me away. You're an addition to the family, not a subtraction."

But that may be easier said than done, depending on the child.

Hmm...he can see where the concern's coming from; knowing what he knows about Akechi's mom, it's not hard to picture other, younger versions of him struggling with abandonment issues.

The problem makes his thoughts whir into leader mode again, and it's not long before he's got a few suggestions lined up. "Is there anywhere else we can sleep, aside from your bedroom? Living room, kids' room? Maybe sleeping somewhere easier for the kids to get to could help reassure them that you're still here. I'm open to any little kids who need snuggles...I'll help you send them to bed?"

Edited 2023-10-13 01:39 (UTC)

"I suppose we could bring a futon out into the living room. That would probably be preferable to the couch, and at least that way, we're out in the open." He'd like the privacy of a room with Ren, but perhaps that can come when the children have more confidence. "Helping send them to bed isn't a terrible idea, either. If you show that you're involved, it may put them more at ease."

"Hmm...I won't enforce the "sleeping-till-noon" thing tonight, then. Hard to keep you from waking up with everyone else if the house is as full as it sounds." Ren pokes Goro with his chopsticks. "It's coming, though! And this isn't an excuse to get a bad night's sleep."

"Heh. I think that if you're beside me, I may finally be able to rest easy." He blows a little sigh, taking another piece of his food. "You spoiled me, Ren. I got so used to our nights together that the sudden absence left me restless. Raven will probably tell you about me calling out for you in my sleep."

Ren wraps his arms around his boyfriend tighter, squishing him. "I'm here," he affirms, again. "I'm here."

"You're here." He leans into the touch. It's real. He's real. "Now I can breathe. The world won't spin so fast now. Everything's so... The other worlds are so different, Ren. Sometimes, it's left me feeling guilty because I'm so much luckier than my other selves."

Ren just nuzzles him, for a moment. "You all deserve the world," he says, eventually. "It's bullshit that their worlds don't understand that. But it's not your fault that ours does."

"...Most of the other Akechis here lived truly difficult lives. I can't go into all the details out of respect for Magpie's boundaries, for instance, but it's truly heartbreaking what he and some of the others endured." He returns the nuzzle, though with perhaps a bit less enthusiasm. "I know it's outside my control, but there have been times where I've asked myself what made me more deserving than them."

"Nothing did. Sometimes life's just like that," Ren says, a bit lamely, but he doesn't really have the words to go into a big speech about free will and all the thoughts in his head right now. He just hugs, and hugs, and hugs his boyfriend.

"See? This is why I need you, Ren. You're always good at dragging me out of my own stupid thoughts." He takes Ren's cheek in hand, planting a gentle kiss on his lips. He lets it linger for a few seconds before pulling back, though his hand remains cupped around his cheek, gently caressing it. "I'm sure they'll come to see why you mean so much to me."

"I'm hoping they do, too. I wanna get to know the people who're special to you." Nuzzle. "I'll do my best to charm their metaphorical pants off."

"I look forward to witnessing it. Especially where Magpie is concerned." He chuckles, regaining a teensy little smirk, when—

Ah. His phone's vibrating. "...Seems we have the all clear. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Ren grins wide, jumping to his feet and striking a little pose. "It's showtime!"

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fogbornphantom - 2023-10-13 03:40 (UTC) - Expand

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