The answer came from Yugi. "He said he was robbing a tomb when something pulled him and he ended up here. That's probably where he got the knife from, in fact." Yugi gestured covertly toward the knife with the gold and jewel encrusted handle that was still stuck in the wall.
His eyes then narrowed a bit and hardened. "I hope it wasn't the tomb I think it was."
Ryou turned to Yugi. "You don't think he could have set off a trap do you? A spell to send unwanted visitors away?"
"A spell set with shadow magic? Maybe." He stopped to think. "Yes, that could very well be, especially if the person who set the spell didn't quite know what they were doing . . . though that means it'll be even harder to get him back to his own time." Yugi watched Akeifa closely as he became bored with the conversation and stood up, intent on retrieving his knife.
Ryou followed Yugi's gaze to the thief. Realizing what he was doing, Ryou jumped up and ran to the knife. He pulled it out of the wall and kept it behind his back as if that would effectively hide it from the man.
Akeifa snarled at him and held out his hand, silently demanding what was his.
Ryou, startled at the snarl, shook his head and backed up against the wall. Great, now he had cut off his own escape routes. He tried to look at Yugi or ask for help but found he couldn't tear his eyes off Akeifa. (1)
The thief clenched the open hand after a moment and stalked away, but not before throwing the boy a rather nasty, pointed glare. He barked out a phrase in harsh Egyptian, then walked off, down the hall and toward the other rooms, partly to make a dramatic exit and partly curious as to what the rest of the dwelling contained. Yugi stifled a laugh and translated as soon as he was out of earshot. "He says 'Fine, keep it, I'll only steal it back later.'"
"Well, I can't say that I envy you," Yugi continued. "I think you're going to have more than your hands full until we find a way to send him back. And since he thankfully seems benign enough, I should get home and try to sneak in before Grandpa realizes that I'm gone."
Ryou blinked and looked back at Yugi, taking a full minute to comprehend what he was saying. He couldn't believe Akeifa hadn't tried to take it by force.
"Oh, right. Right! Um, well I guess you should get back. You'll come over tomorrow right? That is, if you don't have anything else you have to do." He snuck a glance down the hallway. He couldn't tell which room Akeifa had gone into and was slightly worried it was his father's. Or worse, his own.
"Sure. Grandpa wanted me to work in the shop but I'm sure I can make up a good excuse. Or, in grandpa's case, the truth might work just as well . . ." He stifled another laugh. "I'll let myself out. I guess you had better go make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."
"Yeah. I'll see you tomorrow Yugi. Be safe getting home."
Running water was heard coming from the direction of the bathroom.
This time Yugi did laugh, harder than he had for a long time on his way to the door.
Ryou stuffed the knife in the waistband of his pants and hurried to the bathroom praying the thief didn't turn on the shower. Or investigated the shampoo bottles.
Akeifa was bent over the counter, head level with the faucet, watching the running water from the sink and poking at it curiously. A couple of bottles looked like they had been opened, had their contents investigated, and then were pushed aside.
Ryou sighed in relief and walked over to the counter. He stuck his hands under the faucet and splashed the water around a bit.
"It's just water," he said. He turned off the faucet and smiled at the thief. "It lets water in and out. That's all."
His face fell momentarily when he remembered the language barrier problem. "Shoot. You understood none of that."
The thief chuckled lightly at Ryou's obvious frustration and grinned at him, patted him on the head and grabbed the shampoo bottle. He popped the top off easily enough and took a whiff of the contents.
Ryou waved his hands in front of the man's face. "It goes in your hair! Don't drink it! It tastes nasty!" He pointed to the bottle then at his hair. If he drank any of it he could get sick and what if he had to go to the hospital? Calm down, Ryou. Don't panic. He'd have to drink a lot to get sick enough for the hospital. So calm down.
The thief rolled his eyes. What did the kid think he was going to do? Drink it? He handed the bottle to Ryou and walked out of the room to try another door.
Ryou sighed in relief. Well that was one non-crisis averted. He began screwing the caps back on the various bottles and tidying up a bit. The thief would need a place to sleep and since Father was gone, the master bedroom was vacant. He could sleep in there for the night and maybe even borrow some of his father's clothes. They both looked to be about the same height and build, only Akeifa was more muscled and toned. A blush spread across his face and the weird feeling began in his stomach again which was odd since he wasn't really scared of anything at the moment. Maybe he had a fever?
He shook the thoughts from his head as he grabbed a couple aspirin from the medicine cabinet. He'd give them to Akeifa before they went to bed. He knew the thief would need it.
Akeifa opened one of the doors randomly. Now this was more like it! A soft looking bed, some random and fairly recognizable furniture . . . He began opening drawers and rummaging around inside. Let's see . . .
Clothing, clothing, more clothing, ah ha! Trinkets! So what kind of things were valuable in this day and age?
Ryou turned off the light and closed the bathroom door. Now to find where his 'guest' had gone. He looked quickly up and down the hall and noticed his door open...
Oh no! He ran into him room to find the thief digging through his drawer. And not just any drawer. That was his underwear drawer!
Akeifa tossed several unrecognizable objects aside but was startled when one started making beeping noises at him.He picked the odd device up and examined it closer, pressing some of the buttons and watching what happened on the small screen with fascination.
Ryou noticed Akeifa examining his DS. He sighed in relief again. He wandered up to the thief and looked over his shoulder. Huh, he had forgotten he had left his Final Fantasy game in. Well, he'd just let the thief mess around with it and figure it out. As long as he didn't break it.
The thief asked a soft question and gestured toward the DS, looking sideways at Ryou as the boy hovered over him.
And then pulled back slightly when he noticed just how close they were.
Ryou was blushing again when the thief backed away. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately. He cleared his throat and gestured to the game. "It's, uh, its a game system. You can play different games on there. Right, you have no idea what I'm saying. I guess I'll just show you then, okay?" He went to take the game from his hand and their fingers brushed together.
The boys fingers were soft and warm and Akeifa suddenly found himself wondering if all of his skin was that pleasant. His eyes drifted to Ryou's hand and up his arm, to his pale neck and jaw line before he could push the thoughts away harshly. He shoved the game into Ryou's hand and made an impatient gesture for him to continue.
Ryou feared his blush would become permanent. It always came back just when it was disappearing. He took the game and focused on it so he wouldn't have to meet the thief's eyes. He missed Akeifa eyes wandering over his arm and face.
He started a new game and held out the system out toward the thief while inching closer to show him. "Um, it's a game where you control these characters and try to stop the dragon that's destroying the Viking ships."
He fiddled with the keys, skipping through the story rather quickly since he couldn't understand it anyway.
The thief didn't move away this time, but let the other get close, though he did try to keep his eyes on the game and not on the boy.
He watched the relation between the controls and what was happening onscreen and, when he thought he might somewhat understand how the game went, reached out to take it back from Ryou.
Ryou was focusing so much on the game he didn't notice how close they were standing until their shoulders brushed together. Instantly, Ryou's arm tingled like he had been shocked only this feeling was so much more pleasant.
He saw Akeifa reach toward the game and gave it to him, raising his eyes to meet the thief's.
Akeifa suddenly realized his opportunity and held Ryou's gaze, hoping to distract him as one hand reached around his waist to where he had seen the knife disappear earlier. His fingers brushed fabric ever so lightly to determine where his dagger had been hidden and when he finally found the hilt, gently began to pull and lift the blade free from where it was tucked away in the back of Ryou's pants.
For some reason, Ryou was finding it hard to breathe. Akeifa had his arm around his waist and was much too close. His head was getting fuzzy and his vision was hazy. He tried backing up only to bump into the thief's arm and trip over one of the things that had been tossed around the room.
Akeifa used the movement to finish freeing the knife, reaching around with his other arm at the same time to catch and steady the boy. He found himself supporting most of Ryou's weight and being at an even closer proximity than before. The boy in his arms was warm and cute and completely molestable . . . No wait! Those were bad thoughts. Or at least, very inappropriate for the time and place. (Especially the time.) AND the boy had tried to take his knife! He remembered the knife and grinned like the cat who caught the canary, bringing it forward to show Ryou and gloat. "ds-i." (2) he said smugly.
Ryou braced himself to hit the ground but it never happened. He peeked open one eye and found him staring into the thief's much closer face. He could feel the arm supporting him, holding him off the ground, the breath on his face, and the warmth coming from both of their bodies, combining and somehow making it so much hotter. Well, to him at least. Then the thief grinned and flashed the dagger in front of his face, looking smug and saying something in Egyptian again. He didn't have to speak it to know what he said. Or what was probably said. He ignored the disappointment that began to surface when he realized that was why the thief's arm was around him in the first place.
Akeifa backed up a bit and set the boy on his feet, still grinning.
Ryou wanted to make some witty reply, use a sarcastic tone, or even glare but the most he could get out was a strangled, "Ungh." Looked like his brain hadn't yet solidified from the pile of goo it had turned into a moment before. The only thoughts actually forming were 'sexy', 'kissable', and 'fuckable'.
He shook his head to clear them away deciding to start hanging out with Joey on Friday nights a little less. Especially when he was looking for a date.
Akeifa took a step further back, still grinning and now chuckling lightly to himself, and tucked the knife safely away between his robe and kilt.
His stomach took that moment to protest being empty. Loudly. The thief looked up expectantly at Ryou and raised an eyebrow.
Ryou's mouth sagged open. After what had just happened the man was hungry? This was just so...so...stupid! He couldn't help it, though. He giggled. Then the giggles turned into chuckles which turned into real laughing. He had no idea where this was coming from but he couldn't help it; it was all just so absurd.
When he finally got himself under control, he looked up at the thief. "I take it you're hungry?" he snickered.
Akeifa gave him a measured look though did not seem entirely unaware of what had caused the fit of laughter. In fact, he looked slightly amused by it. He made a careless, affirmative gesture at the question, assuming Ryou had asked the obvious.
"Well then follow me." Ryou gestured for him to follow, left his room and walked down the hall.
He stared around the kitchen trying to think of something simple the 3000 year-old thief would like. He decided to try out a PB & J sandwich on the man. Simple and filling.
He grabbed the jelly and peanut butter out of the pantry and set them out along with the bread. He hummed a little tune as he made the sandwich, pushing all the thoughts of what happened earlier to the back of his mind. They would only confuse him and make him uncomfortable.
Akeifa followed closely behind him, watching over his shoulder as he rummaged through the cabinets.
He took a particular interest in the silverware and the cutlery, pulling out certain pieces to examine them and making some disappear beneath his robes.
Finishing the sandwich, Ryou set it on a plate and turned to find the man looking through his silverware. He rolled his eyes and tugged on the man's sleeve to get his attention on the sandwich he was holding out to him.
The thief looked at Ryou, then at the sandwich, then back at Ryou again, before taking the plate and proceeding to examine its contents suspiciously. He took a bit of bread and tasted it . . . that seemed alright, then he pealed back the layers and took stock of the gooey center. He tasted the peanut butter, then the jelly, and, finding them sweet and not unpleasant, gave a sniff of approval and practically devoured the thing.
Ryou covered his mouth to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape. He quickly set about making another one. Or two. Maybe one for himself...
He yawned a little, looking up at the clock and almost gasped at the time. Midnight already?! Well it was a good thing he was on break and didn't have classes in the morning.
Akeifa licked the remainder of the sticky substance off his fingers and took a moment to study Ryou. The boy wasn't unpleasant to look at. He was rather cute in fact. Like a small animal, all warmth and fluff. Though with a damned stubborn streak! He still couldn't believe the boy had tried to take his knife . . . (3)
He caught Akeifa looking at him and blushed lightly. What was with him and blushing lately? He quickly turned away and motioned for the thief to follow him. They both needed sleep, Akeifa more than Ryou since he kind of crash landed on the coffee table a few hours before. He began to walk down the hall, checking over his shoulder to make sure the thief was following him.
And came almost nose to nose with Akeifa who was following nearly on his heels.
Ryou let out a squeak and nearly ran to the end of the hall where his father's bedroom was. (4)
The thief rocked back on his heals and gave the boy a measured look. He added 'jumpy' and 'skittish' to the list of terms he had used to describe the boy earlier.
Ryou opened the door and gestured for him to go inside while looking anywhere but the thief. What was it about him and personal space? He was always so close to him in some way or another. His stomach did a little flip at this and that feeling came back. He was getting all tingly again just thinking about it.
He couldn't help himself. He suspected he knew exactly why the boy was so jumpy around him and kept turning bright red. He walked past Ryou and into the room, getting much closer than necessary as he passed by and leered at him slightly.
Was it his imagination or did the thief come much too close when he walked past him? And what was with that look? Could he...? Ryou shook those thoughts from his head and followed him in.
He walked towards the bed taking care to go the way that would take him as far from the thief as possible without seeming rude. He motioned for Akeifa to get in the bed and sleep. He a little silly doing the five year-old sign for sleeping but it was all he could think of.
Akeifa rolled his eyes and moved toward the bed, shrugging off his robe and tossing it to the floor where it made strange clinking noises. He stretched out on the bed and briefly wondered whether the boy intended to join him as he was still standing in the middle of the room.
He certainly would make a pretty bedmate . . .
Ryou caught the clinking sound and raised a suspicious eyebrow at the thief. He walked over to examine the man's robe a little further.
The thief simply laughed and watched the mouse poke around through his robes. He had already proven that there was nothing that the boy could confiscate that he couldn't steal back later. Besides, it would be interesting to see his reaction as most of the stuff in there was his anyways. (5)
Ryou picked up the robe and blinked when most of his silverware and some jewelry fell out. He shot the thief a glare and grabbed his stuff to put away. Like the extremely mature boy he was, he stuck his tongue out to show exactly how he was feeling.
"Didn't anyone teach you that stealing is rude and wrong?"
The thief practically rolled with laughter. His little mouse was too much fun to tease.
Ryou's eye twitched. He didn't find it funny. He dropped everything he had been holding and without thinking, he jumped on the bed, fully intending to shut the stupid thief up. How he was going to accomplish this task wasn't something he had thought of yet. He did the first thing that came to mind which was pouncing on the thief and trying to hold him down. Maybe a lecture would work. Wait, no, language barrier. Damn it!
Well now, this was a pleasant surprise. Apparently his mouse had a temper! The boy was surprisingly strong for being so slight but he still had the advantage and easily got the upper hand, flipping Ryou onto his back and pinning his limbs. "bin pnw-nDs,"(6) he purred into the boy's ear.
Ryou found himself pinned under the bigger man who whispered something in his ear. He flushed bright red and tried wriggling out from underneath him. He could feel Akeifa's breath on his ear and it completely froze his brain. He had the strongest urge to bury his head on the crook of this man's neck or run his fingers through his hair. He could feel his own pulse quickening as his heart started beating almost erratically.
"sxA pn." (7) He added, then released his catch, rolling onto his side and giving the mouse his most smug grin.
Ryou took several deep breaths to calm his heartbeat down and maybe figure out what the hell just happened.
He slowly got off the bed and gathered up his things. "Sleep in here tonight," he muttered, turning to the door. He had some things to think about tonight.
Akeifa chuckled, then threw one of the blankets over himself, watching the boy as he left..
Hmmm, this little, detour, could prove to be quite a lot of fun.
Tears. Salty and hot and wet and here he had thought there were no more left. Watching Ryou and the thief interact had certainly been interesting and amusing, causing him to laugh harder than he had in a long time, but it was also a reminder of what he had lost. . .
It was all so much different than what he had been taught to expect. Well, that was a bit of a lie. It was exactly what he had been expecting yet different, too. His family and friends were all there and even the gods themselves were with them. It looked exactly like his homeland and the palace. The food was delicious, the weather always perfect, no sandstorms ever came, and no evil or crimes were ever committed. Perfect. Yet flawed in some way. He wasn't sure how. Something was just missing. Some part of him was gone and it felt like he wasn't completely whole. It was strange and confusing because he had regained all of him memories. He should have everything he could want. He should but he didn't.
Empty. Empty and alone and not whole anymore. He slipped back into bed and let himself drown in the blankets, hugging his pillow to him and letting it catch his tears. This wasn't right, was it? This feeling of being only half. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Atemu was supposed to leave and things were supposed to be sad but not like this. Not like this feeling that he had lost a part of himself and would never be a whole person again. (8)
FOOT NOTES!
1. And later Fantasy.Maker tried to claim that I was the master of sexual tension! Man, I will forever say that she's the one who started it. I mean . . . RAWR.
2. ds-I – My knife.
3. The characters themselves often wander in and out of our IM windows. Whether we're roleplaying or not:
Jenivi: I'd love to bring Atemu back soon anyways. POOR YUGI!
Fantasy.Maker: ((snuggles Yugi)) We're bringing him back REALLY soon!! Wouldn't want him to feel left out with all this tendershipping action going on
Jenivi: Yugi: Don't want him to feel left out? What about me?! What is it with fangirls that they never think I might be a horny teenager too . . .
Fantasy.Maker: So you want us to write a hot, steamy smex scene with you and Atemu? ((evil grin of fangirl doom))
Jenivi: Yugi: ((hesitates before answering)) Um . . . wait . . . perhaps I should rephrase
Fantasy.Maker: Too late!!
Jenivi: Yugi: Weeeell, I suppose it's not all bad. I mean, I guess I am going to get laid, even if it is written by fangirls . . . ((wanders away thinking this may not be so bad after all))
4. And at this point, the decision was made to include footnotes XD
Fantasy.Maker: Sheesh I love Flustered!Ryou. Can you tell?
Jenivi: XD He's just so damned CUTE that way!
Fantasy.Maker: Too irresistible!!
Jenivi: Dang it, if we ever post this, we have to include all the little notes XD
Fantasy.Maker: None of it would make sense without the notes.
Fantasy.Maker: Well, I suppose it would but it makes it so much better
Jenivi: Hehe they add so much flavor XD
5. The official contents of Akeifa's robes:
Jenivi: Ryou would find several forks, a couple butter knives, three of his steak knives, one of his good butcher knives and a peeler. Along with a few bits of jewelry and the original jeweled dagger.
6. bin pnw-nDs - bad little mouse
7. sxA pn - remember this
8. Fantasy.Maker: awww
Fantasy.Maker: ((sniffles))
Jenivi: ((tackles teh Yugi )) I'M SORRRRRY!!!
Jenivi: Yugi: can't breath!
Jenivi: oh. sorry.
Jenivi: Yugi: ((wanders away muttering about goofy fangirls))