Ryou sat quietly in the kitchen, fiddling with a piece of paper, just to make time… pass by.
Anything to try to forget how nervous he
were about today.
His 17th
birthday... He'd grown a lot, both on the inside and on the
outside, so he'd bought a couple of new clothes, as a kind of
"personal" gift. Sort of. He didn't know why he did it. Just
felt nize to spoil himself for once, considering that he'd gone
through a tough time with past relationships and school, not to
mention discovering that he could actually love another person again.
For that, he was glad and he smiled as the thought of his somewhat
new boyfriend, maybe, would come and visit him.
That was the core of him feeling so nervous and he tore the piece of paper to shreads, biting his nails and pached through the room, over and over again until he grew tired of it and took a shower.
His
cellphone vibrated in his jeanspocket and so he picked it up.
Malik,
his new boyfriend had sent him a textmessage.
In it it said:
"Hey
Ryou! How are you today? I know it is your birthday today, so I'll
stop by in a couple of minutes, just to say congrats and all that
kind of things... Be there in 10."
He panicked, redid his
unruly hair and but on some lipgloss, just for the sake of looking a
bit more appealing then he used to. Not that he needed it, but it
made him feel extra special when he made an atempt to look a bit
nizer. Not that it would matter, Malik liked him nomatter how he
would look, but yeah... Whatever.
Nothing could ruin his day now.
Nothing. There would be one thing, he figured though... But he hoped
that it wouldn't happen in a very long time.
He opened the
door as the doorbell rang and was greeted by his beloved Malik,
smiling brightly with his hair combed back and a fresh shirt,
buttoned up neatly.
He handed over Ryou a red rose.
"To
celebrate your birthday AND our newfound love." He giggled, in that
dorky-cool kind of way that Ryou always found really cute and
special.
He blushed, took the flower, said thank you and carefully
gave Malik a kiss on the lips.
"It's beautiful." He touched
one of the many thin and kind of crisp petals and flinched as he
accidently cut his finger on a sharp thorn.
"Oh, fu-..." He
cut himself of and went to get a bandage.
"Let me help you with
that!" Malik said and sat beside him, took his hand and examined it
carefully. "That's pretty deep... You know someone who can stitch
that up? I mean, without going to the hospital... It's your
birthday, for christ sake."
"Oh, that would only be..." He
suddenly thought about Bakura. The one and only man he hated with
every fibre of his being, but yet still held some kind of emotions
against. What he meant was that... well. It didn't exactly go as
planned with Bakura. It all went to hell and they've been without
any physical, in real life kind of contact, for about a year soon. It
felt odd, not having him as close as before, by his side. Now he
relied on Malik to be there, but that felt odd too, even tough they
clicked and worked wonderfully together and all that... Long
story...
Although, he always felt this creepy feeling of being
constantly watched.
No doubt, it was Bakura who still wanted to be
a part of his life.
"Who?"
Malik asked.
"...B-Bakura..."
Malik bit his lip in
frustration, knowing far to well what "that bastard" had put Ryou
through.
"There's no one else that you know can stitch up a
wound?"
"No... But if I ask him to come, you'll probably
just get into a fight, with him still being very possesive when it
comes to me... And I don't want that on my birthday... Although
I've got to admit I'm really curious of how he's changed during
these years..." He stoped himself there, seing an angry Malik
clenching a fist.
"S-Sorry..."
"So, what to we do? A
bandage won't help and the hospital would probably want to keep you
over night, considering your low blood pressure and all
that..."
"I... have to atleast ask him. If he can come over.
Stitch up my wound and then I'll tell him to leave. Is that ok with
you?"
"I guess... But if that bastard hurts you... I swear I'm
going to kill him. You're mine, and he's got to understand that,
even if it takes a good deal of beating and..."
"Relax. He
won't hurt me. I'm too precious to him, you know that..."
Malik
huffed in defeat and sat himself down on a sofa in the
livingroom.
Ryou wrote in his textmessage to Bakura:
"Cut
my finger on a rose petal. It's real deep and you're the only one
I know... that knows how to stitch up a wound... so it will heal
perfectly and all that. Could you come over?"
A mere second
passed by, as if Bakura had launched himself at his cellphone as fast
as he could. Ryou gulped and read Bakuras answer:
"Ofc...
Although, I wonder why you'd ask me, considering you've more or
less said that you never wanted to meet me IRL. Hah~, fuck that. I'll
be right over. Should take be about half an hour, I'll leave in a
minute or so. I'm actually in town right now, close to were you
live. Thought I'd stop by for your birhtday, although if your dear
Malik's there I don't know how fond he would be if your fucked
up, psycho ex came knocking on your door. BWAH. This is going to
interresting."
"That was... disturbing..." Malik said as
he peaked over Ryous shoulder, cathing glimps of the text.
"HEY!
Don't sneek-read my textmessages!" Ryou gave a slight pout but
got back to normal as Malik quickly hugged him.
"You know, I'm
shitscared of that guy. Of him hurting you. Again. What happens if he
gets violent?"
"Then I'll simply lock myself in the bathroom
and let you talk to him and calm him down, or something...
Okey?"
"Y-Yeah... I guess."
Half an hour had soon
passed by and the doorbell rang, once again, but now with a scarier
sound then before, Ryou thought.
He carefully opened the door,
with Malik hovering over him.
"Hey Ry. You okey?" He simply
said, hanging of his leather jacket and took of his steel-toed
boots.
"Y-Yeah, I guess." He nodded and took a step
back.
Bakura watched silently with a small smirk on his lips. "You
suddenly afraid of me now, eventhough your all heroic little
boyfriend's here to protect you?" He said, with vicious burning
eyes, and a slight kind of animalistic growl, deep in his
throat.
"Hey, what the fuck's wrong with you, asshole?"
Malik roared, stepping in between Ryou and Bakura.
Bakura
laughed mockingly and just said:
"What are you going to do about
ME, then? Beat me all bloody to make you look like the superior
lover, right?"
"Shut up. No one really wants you here to begin
with. I can send all of Ryou's and my friends to kick your ass in a
matter of seconds."
"As if that's going to scare me of? You
think I'm here to fight you, or all your little, and oh so special
friends? Fuck no. I'm here to help Ryou in stitching up a wound.
That's all. And if you don't get out of my way right now, YOU'LL
be the one that's going to bleed."
"Everyone here fucking
hates your guts, you know that!" Malik hissed, clenching his fists
all over again, tighter and tighter every time.
"So? You think I
care about that? No. I care about Ryou, and no one else. This is
going to be somewhat of a relief for you, but I hate your guts to,
for taking what belongs to me."
"Belongs to you? Ryou's not
a damn toy, you egoistic bastard." Malik yelled and smacked Bakura
in the face.
Ryou cried out and stood, shaking on the
spot.
Bakura rubbed his red cheek and swallowed a bit of
blood. When his famous smirk appeared, his teeth were all covered and
smeared in saliva mixed blood.
"So, are you really sure you want
to fight me...? I'll prove to you that I've got more anger and
frustration built up inside of me then you do, you pathetic excuse of
a boyfriend."
Malik bit his lip but his fists remained tighly
shut.
"Answer me now, and hope that I'll forget what you just
did." Bakura exclaimed.
"D-Damn you! DAMN YOU! Go to hell!
I'll make you understand that you'll never get Ryou back, because
he's MINE now...!" Malik hit him again, although this time in the
stomach.
Bakura laughed, a deep and threatening laugh, covered
in disgust and extreme selfconfidence.
"You hear that Ryou? Do
you believe him? Really?"
Bakura held his stomach, coughed and
locked eyes with the terrified young boy.
"Stop... Just stop...
I never wanted you to fight over me. None of you... I don't belong
to anyone... I'm my own person and n-no matter what you or Malik
might say, y-you will never be able to change that fact."
Bakura
smiled, a warm, genuine smile and quietly whispered something.
"I'm
sorry, what?" Malik growled, ozing with anger.
"It's not for
you to hear. It's reserved for Ryou, and Ryou only. Now if you
could just put aside your anger for a little while and let me stitch
up his finger.... And then you'll be able to continue being all
lovey-dovey throughout the night without me bothering you."
Ryou
swallowed, but pulled Malik away to let Bakura into the bathroom,
where he could find needles, alcohol and all that he needed to help
him.
Malik slammed one of the beedroom doors and locked himself
inside, muttering angry words during that whole time.
Bakura
exhaled and cleaned all his equipment and sat himself down beside
Ryou, who wobbled unsteady on the toilet seat.
"Sorry about
that. I could understand though why he's so fucking ridicously
angry."
"... Y-Yeah..."
"Hey, at least I didn't hit
him back." He said, with needle and thread in his hands.
"You
ready?"
"Just do it, so it'll be over and done with."
Bakura
began stitching, carefully, making sure that he'd hurt Ryou as
little as possible.
"Why are you so gentle? I though you were
pissed at me for wanting to forget you ever existed..."
"...
Maybe not pissed, just extremely hurt and suicidal. But I'm used to
that by know."
"Why can't you just move on with your life
like any other normal human being would do?"
Ryou asked,
twitching slightly at the small tug of thin skin on his
fingertip.
"With this, I'll never "just move on". You
should know that... even better by now."
"Don't you think it
would be a lot more easier to just... walk away?"
"No. In
fact, that would be even harder. To never, ever have you in my life
again, that tears me up inside, and hurts worse then any self-made
cut could ever do. The reason for my pain is you, but it's also a
source of extreme happiness and relief... To know that you still, in
some way, need me. And eventhough you're trying to cover up the
fact that you still do, deep inside, have some kind of love left for
me..."
Bakura breathed, a somewhat harsh and shallow breath,
almost as if he was ready to cry.
"Do you... still love
me?"
Bakura grew silent, stopping his "stitching
mission".
"'Kura? Please... I... need to know."
"What
do you think my answer will be to that question?"
"... I
don't know."
"Yes, you do. I've got to admit, that right
now, all I want to do is to grab you, kiss you until you don't know
what the word breath means anymore and hold you in my arms to prove
to you that I... that I'll be right here. I'll never leave you.
No matter how badly you want me to, I won't. That is a thing I can
never do. No matter how good, or bad everything would turn out from
now on, I won't leave. I'll stand by in the sidelines, watching
your every step into your new life. I'll keep an eye on how you
feel and I promise you now... That I won't hesitate to come running
if you feel like dying, or... anything like that."
"'K-Kura...
Y-You can't do... that."
"Do what? Kiss you, or hold
you?"
"B-Both... It'll feel awkward."
"Or it'll
feel absolutely amazing. Aren't you curious AT ALL on how it would
feel?"
"I'm always curious. Maybe not about that. It would
tear up too many wounds..."
"Or it will heal them. You can't
win over me in this type of discussion."
"A-Are you done with
stitching me up soon?"
"Ry...You can't avoid me forever, you
know."
"What if I want to?"
"You just can't. That's
how it is. Someday you'll have to face me, and your emotions... and
mine. No one can keep this shit bottled up inside... In fact, this is
not as hard as you thought it would be, am I right?"
"M-Maybe
not... It just feels extremely odd to see.. That you actually have
changed..."
"Anything to make you realise that I'm not the
asshole you once knew. I'm not all shear evil but I'm not that
typical loving ex either. But I'm... all I can be is Bakura. The
only one I can be is me, myself and I. Do you understand were I want
to lead this conversation?"
"I don't know... anymore... It
feels as if you're... someone else, far away... that I've only
known for seconds."
"But I'm not. I'm as real as you are
and I'm not going anywhere."
"So I take it that you... still
love me then?"
"Yes. I'll always love you. And continue to
prove to you that I CAN change for the better so that it'll be
somewhat easier for you to have me as a part of your
future..."
Bakura finished stitching up Ryou's mangled
fingertip, dried away the blood and lovingly wraped it up in a piece
of sterile cotton.
"...Feel better now?"
"Yes... T-Thank
you..."
"...Ry..." He gave a deep and tormented
sigh.
"Y-Yes? What is it, 'Kura?"
"Would you let me do,
just this one thing?"
"W-What would that be...?" He looked
at Bakura's watery eyes.
"I won't let you push me away this
time... Be so sure..." And without a word, Bakura leaned forward
and tighly held Ryou in his arms.
He smelled the side of Ryou's
neck, as he always did, before, when they were together. He inhaled
the scent as if there was no tomorrow and clinged onto the only form
of security and... purest kind of love he had ever known in his
entire life.
"No matter what you or I might say or try to fool
ourselves into believing... We'll ALWAYS belong to each other. In
our souls and hearts we'll always love each other, and no matter
how angry or bitter or proud you might be to admit this fact, we both
know it's true. You'll move on with your life, with new lovers,
partners or friends, and I will do the same... But deep inside, you
will always be my RyRy and I'll forever be your 'Kura. And
someday you'll be able to look me in the eye and say: "Well,
'Kura... We actually had a great time together and I lock forward
to create a new, and better kind of friendship AND future with
you..."... Do you understand me, Ryou?"
Ryou hesitated, but
hugged him back, carefully but soft and held back the tears pooling
up in his eyes. Bakura was also crying, but did his best to hide
it.
"Yes. I understand. I do. Really. C-Can you let go of me now
so that I won't come out, looking like a swollen and puffed-faced
panda? Malik will beat you to pieces..." Ryou laughed, lovingly and
looked Bakura in the eyes, but only for a couple of seconds.
"A'right
then... I'll be good. For you. And Ryou?"
"Uh, what?" He
stuttered, as he cleaned away all the cotton and bandage covered mess
they'd created in the bathroom.
"If you feel real low some
day... If Malik maked you feel like shit, if he hurts you in any way,
don't EVER hesitate to call me, okey? I'll come running. I'll
always come running for you... I'm to stubborn to give up." He
smirked, pat Ryou on the head, messed up his hair a little, then
waited a minute or so and put all the love he possible could behind
the kiss he planted on Ryou forhead.
"Oh, okey..." Ryou
blushed, but giggled, happy that this rollercoast of emotions were,
at least for now, over.
Bakura marched into the hallway, put on
his jacket and boots and yelled with a load and clear voice, making
sure that Malik would hear:
"I'll be of then. Take care now!"
He winked at Ryou.
"I'll call you. Maybe just send a text
message to know you're okey."
"You do that... It was...
awful, but at the same time kind of... it felt good talking to you
about this... B-Bye now. For a while. I need to rest now... This has
been a lot to handle on just one day..."
"Oh. By the
way..."
"What?" Ryou blinked.
"Happy 17th
birthday, RyRy." A ring, ingraved with capital letters that formed
the words "Always Your RyRy" were shining brightly, on a
silverchain around Bakura's neck.
"T-Thank you... 'Kura..."
He smiled, and said goodbye again before closing the door and
breathing out, both in relief, but also in this somewhat... warm
euphoric feeling.
Malik came wandering back, frustrated and
pissed at Bakura for "stealing the show".
"What did he say
to you? Took you guys long enough... Hmph."
"Naah, nothing
much. Just... reasured me of something."
"Of what?"
"...
It's a secret..." Ryou poked his tongue out and kissed Malik on
the cheek. "Don't worry. He won't hurt me, or you, or anyone
else that's close to me for that matter. 'Cause he knows how much
you mean to me..." He hugged him for a very long time, cuddling
close, and happily thinking about the next time Bakura and he would
meet up, to grab an icecream at some caffé and smile about the old
days... Now he finally knew that life with both Malik AND Bakura
would be a lot easier to handle.
All in all, a very succesful birthday.
