When in Domino

Prologue.

Ryou looked nervously at the cardboard boxes that now formed a bulky wall in his apartment living room. He nodded politely as a man sat, hopefully, the last box snugly beside the others. Behind him, through the door, another man appeared with a smaller box full of books and manuscripts. Messy handwriting was scrawled crudely across the side, probably meant as a label of some sort. He didn't recognize the writing, perhaps because it was practically illegible.

But the man had a familiar face that he knew well.

"Hello, Father, let me help you with that," Ryou cheerfully greeted after a couple beats, racing over to his father.

"It's fine, just set this one over there for now," the older man said with a smile. He set a shoulder gently on Ryou's shoulder as he took the box from him. "It's good to see you, son. You look great… much better."

Ryou nodded, feigning a smile. His father didn't look like he'd changed much at all. He'd forgotten it had been so long since he'd last seen him. Back then… "I'm… feeling a lot better. Things have been great. It's so good to have you."

"You don't have to worry about me bothering you too much, I'm still pretty busy with work and things… you know how much I move around."

Ryou sat the box down on the sofa, promptly deciding to sit down himself. He watched nervously as his father tied up the loose ends with the men helping him move, paying them, and finally closed the door with a heavy sigh.

"Glad that's over with… I hate asking people for help, but I just had much more crap than I thought I did!"

Ryou smiled, nodding, as his father sat down next to him. "Would you like some tea, Father? Something to eat?"

He shrugged it off. "Don't worry, we'll have tea shortly. First things first, I'd like to catch up with you… Can I have a hug?"

Ryou chuckled, awkwardly reaching over to place his arms around his father's shoulders. Hugs were awkward enough as they were, let alone sitting hugs. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to have these awkward family gestures. "There's really not much to tell…" he mumbled into his shoulder. "Just that I'm starting over, and I wanted you to see for yourself how much better I am now…"

The hug was warm and nostalgic as he felt his father's arms wrap likewise back around him in return. He really had missed him terribly… although thoughts of his father still reminded him of his mother and sister, something about this embrace felt different; something new and yet completely familiar. He almost felt like a kid again. His father must have felt the same way, because he felt him give a final, quick squeeze and snorted a laugh.

"You're such a pretty boy, you know that, Ryou?" his father joked. "It's almost amazing how much you look like your mother. She'd be so proud of that, you know. Always bragged about how ever since you were born you looked just like her."

They both exchanged a smile, sadness hiding behind both of their curled up lips. Perhaps it was best to just break the ice nice and easy. This was good. Topics that would normally be avoided just brought out in the open, just like old times… besides, it's not like there wasn't any pain they didn't share together. They were still a family, or at least, what was left of one.

Ryou searched solemnly for a meaningful answer, but decided to just avoid it. "I… I had been thinking of cutting it recently, but I'm not quite sure I can bring myself to do it."

"Ha!" his father smirked proudly. "You sound like me. I don't think I'll ever be able to myself, so why change it, right?" He flicked his long ponytail over his shoulder for emphasis.

Ryou was glad to see his father still in good spirits, still silly and awkward and aloof, still healthy and his long dark hair still void of any gray strands. He still looked fairly young for his age, with wrinkles just barely starting to form around his eyes. Or at least, from what he could tell from behind his father's thick-rimmed glasses. He was still tall and lanky and seemed pretty solid on his feet. Ryou hoped he would be as lucky as his father when he got to be his age. He imagined there was a pretty good chance, considering.

"I bet the girls don't ever leave you alone, do they?"

Ryou laughed shyly. "Sort of… um, speaking of girls… do you have a, you know…?"

His father's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard by his son's curious question. He hadn't expected that to come up so quickly. "Me?" he asked, incredulously. "A girlfriend? Me? Ha, what a silly question, my boy. I assure you I have no time for things like relationships, and… that is what you meant, right?"

Ryou nodded. "Sorry, I… I didn't mean to sound so nosy. I was just… it's been so long, you know. A lot to catch up on."

Mr. Bakura slapped his hand playfully down onto his knee. "Not at all, not at all! You're my son, not some gossiping old housewife. You know you can ask me anything you want!"

Ryou nodded despite his father's cheerful antics, wanting desperately to believe that was true. He wanted to cry suddenly, thinking of all the things he actually wanted to tell his father; all the things that had happened to him in the past year, his adventures with Yugi and friends, his fate with the Millennium Ring and all the terrible things he had done…

His father knew, really, nothing.

Only that he had moved away after a brief period of depression and trouble at his old school (still, thanks to a certain evil spirit his father knew nothing about) and that his son had randomly taken a recent trip to Egypt somehow, returned home, and was suddenly cured of all mental and psychological problems he previously had.

"Um, Father, speaking of relationships—" Ryou started, watching his father's ears perk up with interest, "—I actually… met someone."

"Aha! I knew there had to be a reason besides these new friends of yours that you look so happy now."

Ryou wished he had a mirror handy. "I do…?"

"Definitely!" Mr. Bakura assured him. "Especially since last time I saw you. You didn't look nearly as healthy, and you look like you're actually getting some sleep now… so that's a good thing. So, tell me about it, then. Who is the lucky girl?"

Ryou felt like he swallowed a billion razor blades at once. It was now or never. This was harder than all of the tests in the world, harder than being stuck inside your own mind while someone else controlled you, harder than trying to fit in with people that would never, ever know you—

Ryou bit his tongue, whether by accident or on purpose he wasn't sure.

"I… um, well, his name is… Marik."

The words came out like a song, sweet, soft, and sincere. It felt completely right, and the burden was lifted from his shoulders.

For half a moment, anyways.

He watched his father's mouth gape open in surprise. He reached up, probably involuntarily, to adjust the glasses balanced over his nose. "Oh…! Oh. I-I see," he chattered to himself, eyes still wide as he processed the information.

Ryou leaned forward some, balanced uncomfortably on the edge of his seat. "I-It's not like I dislike girls or anything, Father, I promise, it's… it's just that we…we have this connection, you see, and we've been through some things together in the past, and it just kind of happened one day, and… I—"

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt his father take his hand in his own. It was warm and rough, complete with a painfully sturdy grip.

"Ryou, you don't need to explain yourself to me," he said quietly with a smile. It didn't look fake or forced. "Look, I understand, you know? I'm not fazed by it in the least, see? Just, uh, threw me for a loop, that's all. I'm… certainly glad you told me. About this… new development."

Ryou nodded slowly, still in a bit of shock himself. He was positive his heart had either stopped beating, or he was too numb to feel how fast it rattled within him. Not that he expected his father to storm out in a fit of rage, or anything, but still…

"You've been wanting to tell me this for a while, haven't you?"

Ryou affirmed this with another nod, followed by a sudden onslaught of uncontrollable tears and sniffles. "I-I'm so sorry, Dad, I just… I'm so happy you aren't angry with me… I've been so lost lately, and now I just…"

Mr. Bakura gripped his hand tighter. "It's alright, son, relax, just let it out… I'm here. I swear. I abandoned you once before, and I'll be damned if I do it again."

Ryou wiped some tears away with his sleeve. "You… you didn't abandon me," he said, voice slightly cracked from his crying.

"I don't care. I want to be in your life for good, Ryou. All we have is each other, you know…? I know we've been through a hell of a lot, and I know we've never really been this open with our feelings before now, but… I want you to know that your happiness means the world to me. Ryou, you... You deserve a happy life, after all you've been through. And if this is what makes you happy? Well, so be it, I say! So… please. Don't you ever worry again about a thing like that, alright…?"

"Th-thank you so much, Dad," he whimpered softly. "I want to be in your life, too…"

Mr. Bakura leaned back into the sofa once again, another quirky smile forming on his lips despite his previous dejection. "So, go on, then, tell me about this Marik of yours… he, uh, sounds like he means a lot to you. When do I get to meet him?"

Ryou immediately perked up at the mention of his name, eyes blinking away leftover tears. "Well, he… he actually lives in Egypt…"

His father's eyes widened once again. "Egypt?! Well, that's… interesting. So that's what you were doing there, eh?"

"N-n-no, no, that's not actually why I was there, I knew him before I went there. Well, sort of… but, we did start… um, you know, talking more while I was there with Yugi and everyone."

Ryou sighed, barely even believing this was happening… here he was in his apartment, talking with his father whom he hadn't seen in a year, whom was now moving in with him, sitting on his couch and blushing like an idiot, crying about being in love with a boy from Egpyt… what in the hell was going on here? When did things suddenly become so… normal? For once, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad, he thought, if some other Bakura took over his body right this very moment and he could hide inside his mind and disappear; maybe even bang his head against the darkness a few times.

"Hey, wouldn't it be funny if I've actually met him before one of the times I went to Egypt? I still go there quite often, you know," Mr. Bakura laughed. "It'd be funny if I've ran into him randomly without knowing, or something."

"I doubt that," Ryou replied. "His family, er, doesn't really get out much. It's kind of a long story."

"Phew, I'll say," his father quipped, standing up. "Still, though, I'd like to meet him sometime, you know…? Not gonna lie, I'm a little curious if anything."

Ryou looked down at his feet, still blushing. "I, um… well, we had talked before about him coming to stay with me for a few days, maybe once school is out. I would love to show him around the city, places I know he's never seen before."

"Hey, see, that's a good idea! Well, don't let me stop ya. Even though I'm here with you now, I don't mind in the least if he came and stayed with us."

"Really? Hmm, well, I guess I could try sleeping on the sofa tonight, just to see how comfortable it is…"

"Sofa?" his father asked in surprise. "Uhhh… wouldn't he just be sleeping with you or something? I mean, that is... There's no need for anyone to sleep on the sofa…"

Ryou wanted to jump out of his skin. "F-Father! That's… um… I mean, I'm sure he could, I mean, if I wanted to… I mean, I know he would, but…"

At this point, he was sure that even his father was blushing.

Mr. Bakura cleared his throat. "Well, a-anyways, I really would love to meet him one day. You should try and run it by him, eh? See what he thinks. You can work out the details later."

Ryou nodded, politely, head bowed mostly to conceal his burning cheeks. "Th-thank you, Father, I'll bring it up next time I talk to him."

His father fumbled with a few boxes in the hall, peering inside a few as he read the mystery scribbles on the sides. "Well, I guess I need to start unpacking, right? I'd love to hear more about what you've been into, but I guess we'll have plenty of time to catch up now that we're living together again, eh?"

"R-right," he replied, trying his best to not smile too big, as big as he felt like smiling. He stood up and began heading towards his kitchen. "I'll make us some tea, while you make yourself at home."

"Oh, and Ryou?"

Ryou turned around, blinking innocently. "Yes?"

His father's eyes softened, his crooked grin replaced by a genuine smile. "I've missed you. Thank you for letting me stay with you… it'll be just like old times."

Ryou nodded happily in agreement, waiting until he saw his father focusing his attention back fully on his boxes until he dashed into his room, quickly closing the door behind him. He struggled with the phone in his pocket, quickly and urgently dialing numbers one by one until he heard a dial tone, and a "Hello?" and…

"Marik! Marik!" he whispered loudly into the phone, "wake up, won't you! I have to tell you something important, you're going to freak out, can you hear me?"

A/N: I can't be stopped now! Ahhh. I'll try and update this pretty quickly, as I have quite a bit planned for this. Also, I really just love the idea of Bakura's father pretty much just being a silly version of Ryou... I mean, he has to be a quirky dude, after all. It runs in the family. After all the family has been through, I love the idea of Ryou's dad just being overly optimistic and cheerful like this, but, ya know... is he really?