A/N: DISCLAIMER! I literally know absolutely about alcoholic beverages and the making/consuming of them. Also, I'm rating this M just as a precaution. There's no smut, but there are somewhat sexual tones.

This is a gift that I finished for my friend Rae's birthday. Happy birthday! I hope you have a fantastic day!

The familiar hustle and bustle of the bar at night is calming to him. The hard bass that boomed around the occupants of the bar made his heart pound with excitement, adrenaline rushing through his veins. The air was humid, stinking of cigarette smoke and alcohol and the sweat of bodies as they rubbed frantically against each other on the dance floor. It should have be unpleasant, but all Ryou felt was at peace. The environment was familiar, and, for the most part, non-threatening.

Club Millennium was a small club indented between a dance studio and a record shop. Ryou had been to the bar with his friends several times before he started working there. It was also where he met Marik, his current best friend. After blubbering to him in a more-than-slightly drunken state that he needed to find a job, Marik promised to hook him up with a job at Club Millennium.

Ryou was, as Marik had called it, adorably attractive. His good looks allowed him to receive generous tips. His cute, almost bashful personality captivated customers. Granted, that meant that he's had numerous people trying to convince him that their bedroom was, essentially, the bee's knees. Ryou had quickly gotten over his polite rejections after the amount of numbers left for him reached far over the amount he could count on his fingers and toes alone.

Saturday nights were the busiest nights for Club Millennium. Many of the club's patrons were college kids looking either to get drunk or get laid. Most of the time, it was both. Business always boomed in the club on nights like these. Ryou was almost constantly on the move, swiftly and precisely making drinks for all sorts of people. A little after 3 am was when the bar finally started to calm down to a less rushed pace, though the adrenaline from earlier continued to course through Ryou with a pleasant buzz.

A tan hand smoothed over the counter, knocking once to get Ryou's attention. The sudden sound startled him. He turned, ready to ask what the man wants to drink, when his throat suddenly decided it wanted to pretend to be a scorching hot desert. Deep purple eyes gazed at him, running over his petite form. Immediately, Ryou's cheeks heated up as the captivating man in front of him inspected him, as if the man hadn't eaten for days and Ryou was a piece of steak dangling in front of him.

Ryou had to concentrate with all his might so he didn't stutter like a fool. "Is there something I can get for you?"

The sultry gaze of the man shot up to Ryou's eyes. A lazy smirk played on his lips as he leaned in towards Ryou. "How about you, bunny?" The man's voice was smooth and velvety, somehow both blending in and contrasting with the bass still booming out of the club's speakers.

"I'm afraid I'm not on the menu, sir," Ryou responded without missing a beat. He noted that this man was extremely attractive. Blond locks were styled up into wild spikes as leftover bangs fell into his smoldering mauve eyes. Cumin skin was pulled tightly over just the right amount of muscle. Not bulging, but still noticeable.

The man's eyebrow perked up. "Is that so? What a shame." The man licked his lips, running his eyes over Ryou once more. "How about a name, then?"

Ryou averted his eyes in a half-assed attempt to calm his heart. "It's rude to ask for a person's name without introducing yourself first."

The corners of the man's mouth lifted into a sharp grin. "I'm not really one for common courtesy."

"Then I guess you'll have to suffer."

The man barked out a laugh, eyes twinkling with amusement mixed in with a hunger that made Ryou squirm. "A rum and coke will do, bunny."

Ryou turned around, thankful to finally have an excuse to stop looking at the enchanting man, as he busied himself with preparing the drink. The man's stare burned his back as he poured the white rum and cola into the mixer, along with the small portion of lime juice. His movements were graceful as he mixed the liquids together, before pouring the finished mixture out into the standard highball glass, filled up three quarters of the way with ice. As a final touch, he grabbed half a lime, carefully slicing of a piece and sticking it on the lip of the glass. As he slid over the finished drink, he licked the slightly sour taste of lime off his hands, not failing to notice how the man follows his tongue's every move.

"Thank you," the stranger nearly purred as he cradled his drink. Ryou's cheeks began to heat up at the tone. He cursed how little self-control he had over his reactions. The man took a long sip, eyes never leaving Ryou's. "Say, what's a pretty bunny like you working in a dark place like this? There's all kinds of dangerous wolves around here, waiting to feast on a cute bunny like you."

Ryou tried to keep his expression neutral as he wiped his hands on his shirt. This man was doing strange things to him and his head. "I don't see how that's any business of yours, sir."

The man took another sip of his drink, purposefully licking his lips as he came off it. Ryou's eyes zoomed in on the muscle, enchanted by the almost seductive movement. A thick haze fell over his mind, as if he was the one drinking and not the handsome stranger before him. He took a step closer to the counter, not completely in control of his actions.

The man chuckled, a deep sound that sent pleasant shivers down Ryou's spine. He lowered his voice into a dangerous, seductive lull. "No need to be so cold. I don't bite."

Ryou's face flushed completely at the sensual tone. His hands traveled down to fiddle with the fabric of his shirt. "How do I know that? Who's to say you won't gobble me up?"

It was hot- too hot. He felt restricted, almost claustrophobic behind the counter, hands itching to touch and feel. The man continued to observe him with a hungry glint in his eye. It churned Ryou's stomach in a way that made him feel nauseous, but a good kind of nauseous. One that made him curious, made him want more.

The man paused for a moment, taking another long sip of his drink. Ryou watched the way he licked his lips once more, sending streams of embarrassing arousal straight to his groin. "The way you're acting, bunny," he murmured, leaning further towards Ryou. Ryou caught a delicious whiff of something - cologne, maybe? "I don't even think you'd mind if I did just that."

The statement seemed to snap Ryou out of whatever was taking over his mind. "I- I have to attend to other customers," he stammered, stumbling his way over to a person at the other end of the bar counter. The dark chuckles of the man behind him melted in with the beating bass and the pounding of his heart.

Before Ryou had worked up the nerves to talk to him again, the man had left. Ryou had hoped that he would come again, but unfortunately, had no such luck.

For the past six days, he hadn't been able to get the man out of his mind. He wasn't entirely sure why. He didn't even know the man's name, much less anything else about him. All he knew was that he was entranced, fascinated even, by this guy.

Ryou's mind filled itself with fantasies and scenarios. His thoughts were completely contaminated by him. He had tried to distract himself by visiting his friends and hanging out with them, but that proved to be a fruitless effort.

Desperate to get the man out of his mind, he decided to go binge shopping at a nearby game store that sold figurines and pieces for tabletop RPGs. As soon as he entered the familiar store, his mind was cleared of the man. Instead, it began to fill with different plot and story ideas for the next time he played Monster World with his friends. When he was content with his purchases, he left the store with his head still buzzing with all sorts of ideas.

Ryou began to mindlessly look through the windows of shops when he saw him. The man from the bar. Inside of a movie store, sitting behind the counter with a bored expression. All of the plot ideas, the twists and turns of the stories he thought up emptied out of his mind as it focused on the man.

A bolt of interest shot through Ryou's veins as he stared at the man. He wanted to go talk to him. He wanted to hear that low voice, those dark chuckles. He wanted to see those smoldering eyes that stared at him with lust peeking over the edge of their iris'. Working up the courage, he threw caution to the wind and entered the store, grasping onto his bag of figurines tightly. The man shot up as he saw who entered, a smirk slowly making his way on his lips.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite bunny," he hummed. His voice was just as dark and seductive as it was at the bar; only now there wasn't any heavy music for it to mold into. The only other noise in the store was the low-volume pop songs that played on the radio. "Something you need?"

Ryou tried to calm his nerves as he walked over to the counter. He met the man's eyes for a split second before looking back down at the floor. "Just looking for some movies. Where's the horror section?"

The man gestured towards some aisle that Ryou didn't bother looking towards. Even his feet refused to move. He glanced down at the man's shirt, but he had taken off his name tag. "Isn't it against the rules to take off your name tag?"

The man grinned, a sly glint in his eye. "Oh? That desperate to know my name, bunny?"

Ryou flushed, cursing himself yet again. He fiddled with the hem of his shirt nervously. "I'm just curious."

"They say that curiosity killed the cat," the man challenged, leaning towards Ryou with that smoldering look again.

Ryou met his eyes. "But satisfaction brought it back."

The man paused, silence filling the air. A grin made it's way back onto his lips. "Isn't it rude to ask for someone's name without introducing yourself first?"

Ryou inhaled deeply, commanding his body to relax. "My name is Ryou. Ryou Bakura."

The man looked as if he had been taken by surprise by someone that held a knife to his neck. Slowly, the startled expression melted into one of fascination, then amusement. "Ryou Bakura..." the man murmured, tasting the name on his tongue. Ryou ducked his head to hide the blush heating his cheeks, nodding once. A wide, cheshire grin stretched itself over the man's lips as he pulled Ryou forward, crashing their lips together.

Before Ryou had time to react, the man pulled away, his hand finding its way to the back of his head. He combed his fingers through the locks. It was oddly affectionate for someone that he had assumed only wanted a one night stand with him. Perhaps he was wrong about that?

Ryou's breath caught in his throat as the man practically petted him. "And your... your name...?" he asked slowly.

"It's Mariku." The tan hand came to a stop. It migrated to Ryou's cheek, where it decided to rest.

"Mariku..." Ryou breathed, leaning slightly into the hand caressing his cheek. At that moment, nothing else mattered. Maybe, he thought, this could actually go somewhere. As their eyes met again, and they leaned in for another kiss, Ryou was convinced that this - whatever this was - would work.

A/N: Gosh this is the most romantic thing I've written in like a year or so. Romance is definitely my lowest point orz

Once again, happy birthday, Rae! I hope you all enjoyed this train wreck.