luckless | [RYSLIG] IC Inbox

[So...his efforts weren't useless, when it comes to Komaeda.

Atem has been fighting for a long time against a world that wants the opposite thing he does: he wants to protect his friends, while Ryslig wants them afraid and in pain. So many times, he's felt like he's failed...

...but Komaeda doesn't see it that way.

That's what I want, Atem thinks, their heart beating, pounding, under his hand. Because I love--

And the elevator doors open with a bright little chime, making Atem's eyes blink open.

Right...let's go.

Taking hold of the distraction, Atem walks them out of the elevator and into the hall,
needing to duck to get out and hunch as they head for the front doors.

I'll be glad when we're outside...really, I don't like getting taller at all!

He seems to intend to move on, from the thought he'd almost finished in the elevator.]

[Atem... what?

It's a good thing the shade possessing him takes the lead and forces their legs to move, because if it had been dependent on Komaeda, they would've stood stunned in the elevator yet.

Does Atem... love him?

He can feel the way their heart thunders so loud, how it commands his attention, despite Atem continuing their conversation in their head—as if what he had almost said hadn't happened at all.

Maybe he's reading too far into it, though. It's possible that, because Atem was cut off, he was going to say something else entirely. Maybe he loves their friendship, and how far it's come. Maybe he loves spending time together, because they're talking again. Komaeda shares those sentiments, truly. Even if his heart yearns for more, he was being one hundred percent honest when he said he's happy just having the other in his life.

So he doesn't mention it, even if Atem might be privy to the odd mix of emotions running through them. Even if their stomach flutters so hard it feels like they simultaneously might throw up and can't stop the giddy, stupid smile from spreading across their face.

I guess there's advantages to being so short, normally... I bet I'd feel the same way if I suddenly lost height.

His thought is. Suddenly a playful jab. They're playing now, maybe.]

[He feels all that fluttering, the kind of feeling that might well be why they call it being lovesick, and Atem...

...steps away from it, for now. He can't -- shouldn't -- they should be friends. Indulging in romantic feelings he can't deliver on is an unfair tease at best and a betrayal at worst.

(But, that smile...that feels really good. Uncomplicatedly, it makes him happy, to feel it, to share it.)

I never like gaining height! It makes the world feel too small...but I guess it would feel too big for you, if you got shorter.

Yeah, they're playing. He's teasing back.]

[And how easy it is, to fall into their familiar little game. Even Atem's bite back doesn't feel that sharp, what with those sweet could-be sentiments fresh in their mind. What follows it, almost immediately, is a hum that's at once thoughtful and playful.

Right. I don't know how I'd manage living my life being your height, Atem-kun. Maybe along with flying, we could try reaching for the things you usually have a hard time with?

Though his tease is followed by another rush of fluttering, this time it's the thrill of their impromptu little game. What lines draw in the sand are new ones to test, now that there's more trust blooming in their hearts—now that Atem can feel it, in the very core of his being, that Komaeda isn't trying to needle to bring him down. It's like the playful bow of a dog followed by a sneeze, just to make sure the other knows he's just teasing.]

[What things?

There's mental chuckling as they go along -- headed for the hill they'd attempted yesterday. The sun's shining; Atem will have to keep a close eye on the time, so he's not ejected from the body and burnt to a crisp before he can get back inside. But an hour is plenty.

Even if there were things up high that I couldn't reach...your height's no good for that, either. You'd hit your head on top of the door, and forget what you walked in the room for!

(Komaeda might get a tiny little mundane detail, actually, about Atem's life -- six months of daily practice at making only part of himself into mist, while the rest stays solid. It took Atem forever to get it right, and he can't stretch forever, only a few feet...but now, he can turn himself to gray, rolling mist, and materialize his hand around whatever it was he needed on the top shelf of the cabinet, before bringing it down. It's flashy, a little bit like buttering bread with a hunting-knife, but it gets the job done, and is second-nature now.)

Up the hill they hike! At least the air is cool; that does something to offset the heat of the sun on their back and wings as they climb.]

[Komaeda laughs out loud—the sound of it odd, when their conversation has been limited to the inside of their shared skull—but it remains as soft and cheerful as it can be.

Does my memory seem that unreliable, that a little bump could make me forget what I was doing...?

He's been through much worse, though he won't ruin the nice mood before them, by bringing that up. Instead, they both have something to worry about, when it comes to climbing that hill.

For the first time ever, Atem will be able to feel the way Komaeda's body is weaker than the average monster. His stamina seems to run completely out, just halfway through the climb, and his lungs begin to burn in a way that's familiar to the host himself, but maybe not to the borrowing ghost. It isn't helped all that much by the way his head begins to feel dizzy, either.

And yet, if Atem doesn't stop them, by the time they make it to the top, it all seems to even out again. The benefit of being a monster means his recovery time is amazing, even with those moments of weakness. And if Atem doesn't ask about it, Komaeda won't explain either—though he may remember Komaeda mentioning he had been sickly, before.

The breeze feels nice today... He'll say, perhaps changing the subject from what just happened, I think it'll be good flying weather!]

[That's odd...Atem does experience surprise at the way his lungs burn, at the way all his muscles feel weak. That's a feeling he's not had in a very, very long time...

...but Komaeda doesn't seem worried, so though they go a little slower, Atem presses them on.

Yes...it's good that it's not completely still, but the wind isn't too strong, either.

(Are we really talking about the weather?)

Are you ready to go, Nagito? I'll stay in control at first, but when you feel ready...I'll give some of it back.]

[Yes, they're talking about the weather. Komaeda is trying to distract Atem from being concerned about this weak and feeble body.

Which is why, with a smile spreading across their face that is most certainly by the nephil's influence, he raises their arms into the sky and responds:

Yes! I'm ready, and I leave my body in your care... Please treat me well.

Said, as if this were some polite ceremony and not two friends about to endeavor in very precarious flying.]

[Of course! is the feeling Komaeda gets in return: Atem won't let them come to harm through this.

He stands at the top of the hill, truly feeling impossibly tall -- as though it weren't possible to really stretch out, to hit their full height, until they were out here. There's a sense of power and of freedom to it: it's just a hill, but it feels a little like the top of the world, doesn't it?

Atem spreads their broad, strong wings out into the air and gives them an experimental flap, feeling how they move and catch the air, feeling where the resistance is.

Let's go!

And, with only a few bounding steps to pick up speed, Atem sends them down the hill, wings wide --

-- and there's the lift they need, the air becoming something firm under the feathers, something that can be ridden and climbed, something that can be trusted just as much as water can. Another flap lends them height; the ground pulls away from them, the grass becoming smooth, the trees and plants shrinking.

Atem doesn't leave them high, though. With a shift in wing-angle, they swoop downwards until their feet are only two or three meters above the ground, and Atem lets them follow the slope of the hill downward at a glide. It's not as easy to stay up when they're this low and there aren't any big updrafts, but they're a neph, they're magic, they're not entirely bound by the laws of physics already. It's far from impossible.

He pulls off from the glide and looks up towards one of the nearby buildings -- he wants to go land on that roof up there. Will that be all right?

Are you all right? comes the inquiry. Is Komaeda doing okay so far, with this?]

[Komaeda has never been afraid of heights, per se. When they stand at the top of that hill, the feeling of being at the top of the world is mutually exciting. It feels as though, from this one spot, they can see everything—and though he doesn't have the sharpest sight as a nephil, it feels like even small details have crispened into focus.

It's exhilarating and distracting enough that when Atem spreads their wings, when he gives them a good test-flap, Komaeda doesn't feel a rush of anxiety immediately. No, it isn't until Atem gives his signal that they're going that he returns to the moment again, and his attention turns to the path ahead of them.

It takes a considerable amount of strength to simply let go. Atem will feel that moment of resistance when the wind catches beneath their wings, of Komaeda's panic and how it manifests in the immediate want to get down, oh god.

But then, for the first time, he notices how solid the air feels beneath him. In that moment, he forgets they're flying, and imagines himself swimming along the ocean's current once more, allowing it to glide him through the water as they now glide through the air. It feels... comfortable, familiar, despite being so starkly different. Atem will be happy to notice though, that this revelation seems to calm Komaeda from that momentary panic.

By the time they touch back down, Komaeda is drawing desperate breaths into their lungs. Not because he's scared, but because he's so surprised. He never imagined flying could feel like... like that. He swallows, tries to distract himself from his racing pulse as Atem asks if he's okay. He thinks he is, but...

I... I don't know. I don't know how I feel about this, it's still... There's a part of it that's still scary, but you also made it feel... familiar.

He pauses, lifts his arms to wrap around himself in a self-soothing hug, that also serves as a way to touch Atem like this, too.

...Should we try it again?]

[It's soft...when they hold themself, each other, it's soft. Atem feels the air going in and out of their lungs, not out of fear but in wonder, feels their heart race. He wraps a set of wings around their shoulders, too.

It feels so soft to be this close.

But that isn't the only thing he feels. Atem is glad...he's glad this is going well, and not badly. He's glad that the fear didn't build, and build, until they had no choice but to end the lesson early.

I think so. Yes -- let's keep going, Nagito.

Atem fluffs their wings out again, and takes a look down the street.

Gliding went well, so...let me see if I can find an updraft.

He takes off down the street at a run -- careful to spread their wings and flap them into the air before Komaeda runs out of stamina, aware now of how their lungs can burn if they work too hard. Atem builds height as they go down the street, doing his best to conserve energy -- until he finds a gust of wind moving upwards. Moving into it, he lets it carry them up, and up...]

[Let's keep going—it's a thought just as much as it's a feeling, as Atem fluffs their wings and readies them to fly again. There's giddy excitement for something new and unknown, rather than the fear that had gripped him the day before.

The day before, he had Atem with him, but it was different. When he was in the air, soaring, it was by himself. He didn't have anyone to hold him, to carry him through these turbulent feelings. But now, as Atem sprints and catches a current of wind again, as that draft carries them upwards and over the skyline—Komaeda doesn't feel alone.

Right next to his heart, he feels a warmth that could only be from Atem. He can feel that comfort of knowing he'll be caught if he falls, and it gives him the freedom to commit every little sensation, every little adjustment as they soar through the air to memory. Atem is doing the heavy lifting, just so that Komaeda can learn to trust the skies, just as he's learned to trust the water.

Their gaze crosses the cityscape, takes in the sight of buildings, cars and people living their lives. When they look down, there isn't the panic of feeling like they might drop out of the sky. Slowly... all of the tension is easing out of their body and being replaced with an appreciation for how weightless and separate from the world this feels.

Atem-kun! Komaeda's feelings burst through their thoughts without intent, just pure and unadulterated joy— it's so beautiful up here!]

[Beautiful...

It is beautiful.

Not just what they're looking at, but...it is a beautiful feeling, to feel Komaeda feeling like this.

Atem doesn't remember feeling this wonder. He learned to fly alone, at night, in a crisis, so that he could find his friends who were taken by the trees...he was thinking about utility, and danger, and not much else.

This is seeing flight, a first flight, in an entirely different light. Atem feels buoyed up, like his heart is doing the same thing as his body.

It's beautiful through your eyes, he thinks, not adding in conscious words that he thinks this feeling from Komaeda is beautiful, too.

He wants to show Komaeda how to use the wind, but...in a minute. Be in the moment, first. See this through Komaeda's eyes...take joy where he can find it. A feeling like this is a rare treasure. He won't waste it.]

[It's beautiful because I'm sharing it with you! Whether it's his own feelings of wonder, or Atem's tender feelings about experiencing this wonder secondhand, is impossible for Komaeda to differentiate. He doesn't really care to, either.

The city, from their vantage point, looks vast and so small, all at once. The wind feels solid beneath their wings, carrying them effortlessly above and between buildings. The air is cold and exhilarating against their cheeks, already raw and ruddied by the speed they keep gaining. Every little thing just mounts up, bubbles laughter in their lungs and spreads their smile further. It isn't scary, not at all.

And as they continue to soar above Bavan, Komaeda shoulders half of the burden with all off of the muscle memory Atem is instilling in him. He spreads his arms out, catches the wind in their hand and feels it slide through their fingers.

Every sensation, every joyous feeling overwhelming them bleeds together to create a memory that will be burned into Komaeda's heart forever. Even though they share a body, the memory of Atem holding his hand throughout his very first flight, will be something he'll treasure into eternity. And though he knows they'll have to land eventually, just for a little bit longer... He wants to be up here, in a world just for them.]

[They're laughing -- laughing out of the sheer fun of it, without any regard for how wide or silly their grin is.

This might be one of the happiest feelings Atem can remember. There's only been so much room for joy, and most of the happinesses he's been able to snatch have been little, stolen, fleeting, tempered by the suffering happening before or after or during -- or gentle, soft, without the element of exhilaration that comes with flight. This is big, uncomplicated, a feedback loop of joy --

--and, Komaeda is really cute when he's this happy. Atem doesn't have to see his face to know, he doesn't mean Komaeda's face -- he means Komaeda's mind and heart. Komaeda's heart is cute when he's happy.

Atem feels pleased pride when Komaeda takes over halfway, and cedes the space more than willingly. That's it, you've got it, he thinks in an encouraging murmur, feeling a little like he's above Komaeda, hands at his waist, holding him up but mostly there as a precaution, as Komaeda flaps and tilts and spreads his wings in unison with him. They have the same wings, Atem is there to guide and correct if something goes wrong, but if Komaeda likes, he can steer.

Go on. It's Komaeda's body. Atem wants to be shown where Komaeda would like to go.

Atem thinks he can do it. There's nothing coming from him that's even close to doubt: just affection, and faith, and assurance that he'll be here, his soul in Komaeda's wings, to catch any falls as soon as they start.]

[The encouragement is all Komaeda needs, all he ever really wanted from Atem, by asking him to do this. It's the strength he needs to keep their wings flapping, to bend them through the wind as if it were some intricate ballet dance—the clouds their partner, the cityscape their stage.

They pass by a building, and Komaeda can't help but watch their reflection across a dozen mirrored windows—sees Atem in the closed-eye marking on his forehead, and feels his heart flutter with glee. He twists them between buildings, and can't begin to tell where this floating sensation starts and where it ends.

By the time he finds a place for them to land, it's at the top of the tallest building in sight. Komaeda pulls desperate, exhilarated breaths into their lungs, before exhaling another joyful laugh. It feels like magic. Being with Atem like this is pure magic.

How are you feeling, Atem-kun? Komaeda asks, within the space of their own mind. He walks them along the sheer edge of the building's roof, and pulls his wristwatch into view—(wearing it especially to account for their time limit)—to find they still have twenty minutes before time's up.

Do you want to go anywhere together before it's time to stop?]

[How is he feeling?

How does he describe it?

He can't. Atem just lets Komaeda feel how he's feeling, all the joy and pride and pleasure of a gift-giver who's given someone something they love and a teacher watching someone they taught succeed: that, and the exhilaration, the adrenaline and thrill that comes with being high up and above the world, and the cozy comfort of holding someone else's heart next to your own, in a shared body. He gives a little mental shrug -- like that!

And, quieter: I didn't know flying could feel like this, either.

They have twenty minutes...where should they go?

What's beautiful, from the air? What's fun, and won't take more than twenty minutes? Amusement Mile floats across Atem's mind: it's precisely where Adam Usir's family's house was in the other Ryslig, perched on a pretty bit of lake-shore, and....it's sort of where they met.

Do you think we can make it?]

[Amusement Mile is a little far... The thought floats between them, without intent. It's simply Komaeda feeling a momentary flicker of doubt and fear that if they don't make it, will the shade just... Eject out of him? Would that be dangerous, for either of them? The last thing he wants is to endanger Atem.

Komaeda is quiet, contemplative for a moment. A flurry of thoughts pass through their mind, plans half formed and discarded until he resolves himself to just fly as fast as he can. If they work together, then nothing should be impossible, right? That doubt fades, too, as he settles on the most obvious course of action to make Atem happy.

Let's go. We'll have to work together to get there before your possession ends... Komaeda muses to the other, his heart leaning softly against Atem's, and when we do... Let's ride the roller coaster, and share some snacks!

Right—that's the motivation he needs. Komaeda unfurls their wings again, feathers fluffed and ready for the challenge. They can do this. Nothing is impossible, when they're together.]

[Yes! Actually, there's a nephilim power...some of them can move as fast as a blink, as long as no one is looking directly at you.

Want to see if you have it?

There's impish intrerest, excitement. Maybe if they take a route out of the city, or go up high enough no one's looking up...they can get to Amusement Mile with plenty of time.]

[Ah... Nephilim have that power, do they? I hadn't even considered something like that...

If they can fly up high enough where no one could see them, then perhaps he could move fast enough to buy them some time? It's definitely worth a shot.

Komaeda unfurls their wings again, stepping closer to the edge of the building as he does. It's different, starting flight from so high up. He'll have to trust what Atem has taught him, and the winds both. Atem will notice, immediately how stepping up to the ledge quickens their heartbeat—but he isn't hindered by it this time. This time, he spreads their wings far and when he slips from the edge, it's nothing short of a trust fall. Trusting in himself, but also in Atem to catch him, if need be.

The need doesn't come though. Their wings catch the air and with both pairs alternating, he pushes them both higher and higher into the sky, until the city below feels like it's of a completely different world. Once they're high enough, Komaeda glances around—ensures that there couldn't possibly be anyone looking at them—and then positions them in the direction of Amusement Mile. He's not sure if it's simple movement or a spell, so he just takes off.

Let me know if I need to do anything more, Atem-kun! Let's see how fast I can get us there...!]

[Yes!!

Atem's hopeful they'll be able to make it to Amusement Mile in time to spend some time together...and, if Komaeda has this ability, it'll really help. They're up high, nobody is looking...

For Atem, it's not a spell. It feels like a release.

As a neph, when he's being looked at, he feels like a butterfly pinned to a display: limited to slow, restricted movement, unable to move how he should.

When no one is looking, it's like the pin is gone, and he can actually, truly fly.

If no one is looking, and the pin is pulled out -- then, around them, the clouds seem to move at half speed, but the air beneath them is as solid as ever. They will be able to tear through the sky, the air behind them filling in the space left behind like an afterthought.

Of course, if someone looks up, the pin will go back in, and moving through the world will feel like wading through water. But until then, they're free.]

[Luckily, no one's looking up.

In the sky, it's truly difficult to gauge just how fast they're moving; but in reality, it's miles within seconds, even if the feeling of the air around them and the clouds that pass them by doesn't seem to reflect that. If anything, it's nothing more than soaring at heights he'd never known before from outside of a plane cabin. By the time Amusement Mile has pulled into view, it's only been a matter of a minute or two, which is good, considering that they don't have much time before Atem's spell wears off.

Komaeda takes them down, landing as gracefully as he can manage as a new nephil smack-dab in the middle of the park. Carnival music plays jovially around them, with lights flashing and rides going on loop regardless of rider aboard. He takes in the sight with an ounce of childlike wonder.

Oh, wow... That was much faster than I expected? Now that we're here, is there anything you recommend...?]

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WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, NAGITO KOMAEDA. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 004.28.777.00 * MrBrightside has joined 004.28.777.00 <MrBrightside> Hello there! This is Komaeda. <MrBrightside>** I'm grateful that you want to talk to me.