DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Yu-Gi-Oh! and all related characters are the creations of Kazuki Takahashi.
Chapter 3: Restless
Ryou bustled around the bathroom, filling the bathtub and getting together everything that he thought Bakura would need for his nice, hot bath. It had taken some work on Ryou's part, but he'd finally convinced his half-frozen yami that a bath would be the quickest and easiest way for him to warm up again.
Bakura watched in silence as his light ran the water. He blinked, but made no comment, as his light then proceeded to pop in and out of the room with an assortment of items. He found it extremely difficult to keep quiet about three of them in particular, but he managed because his light seemed to be happy fussing about. But when Ryou came in with the seventh item, Bakura knew it was time for him to curb his light's enthusiasm.
"Ryou, I didn't say a word about the stack of towels, or the bathrobe, or the hairdryer. I even kept quiet about the pajamas, the underwear, and the slippers. But I draw the line at the rubber duck." He glared at the offending object. If he never saw another duck again, it would be too soon!
Ryou paused as he crossed the room. He blinked at Bakura as though he'd forgotten that he was there, then blinked down at the small yellow toy in his hand. "Oh... Right... Sorry about that... Force of habit." Smiling sheepishly at his yami, he moved it out of sight behind his back.
"Force of..." Bakura stared at his light in shock, "Never mind! I don't want to know!" As a tide of red rushed into Ryou's cheeks, Bakura made a mental note to never, ever, take over Ryou's body while he was in the bath.
There was a moment of awkward silence as Ryou tried, and failed, to regain his composure. Unable to look at his yami, he hurried over to the bath and breathed a sigh of relief. "The water's ready! I'll just add some..." He reached for a bottle of pink liquid standing on the shelf above the bath, beside the soap. He squeaked in surprise when a hand grabbed his in mid-reach.
"Don't even think about it. I do not want that prissy stuff in my bath!"
Ryou dared a quick glance up into his yami's face. Bakura scowled at him and Ryou responded with a small, nervous smile. "Um... right..." He glanced down at where Bakura was still holding on to him. "Um..." Bakura noticed the look and quickly released Ryou's hand. He turned away, silently cursing the heat he could feel in his face.
He heard Ryou's light steps moving from the bath to the door. "All right, I'll finish getting dinner ready while you have your bath. Don't get out until you're completely warm, but don't stay in once the water gets too cool. Oh, and make sure that you dress warmly before you leave the room, even if you don't think it's cold enough. The bathroom will feel a lot warmer than the rest of the house because of the steam. You already have a cold, you don't want it to get worse!"
Bakura turned to scowl at his fussy light. "I'll be fine! Just go!" Ryou blushed again and nodded swiftly before hurrying out of the room.
The bathroom door closed with a soft click and Bakura sighed. "About time. All his fussing's given me a headache," he mumbled to himself as he headed for the bath. "Ryou had better be right about this warming me up." He'd stopped shivering once they'd reached the house, but he still felt cold.
Thinking very uncharitable thoughts about ducks in general, and pond guarding ducks in particular, Bakura stripped off his soggy clothes and stepped into the water. Closing his eyes in pleasure, he sighed softly and sank down into the liquid heat. "Ahh… that's more like it…"
Opening his eyes again, he reached lazily for the soap. The pond water hadn't been the cleanest and Bakura wasn't overly fond of mud. The warmth of the water was starting to make him feel very relaxed. He rubbed the soap idly over his skin, closing his eyes again as he laid his head back against the rim of the bathtub.
He smiled slightly as a pleasant flowery scent wafted around him. "Mmm… Nice perfume… Wait a minute…" Bakura's eyes snapped open and he frowned as he looked around. Why would Ryou keep perfume in his bathroom? Not seeing anything that could cause the scent, Bakura distractedly resumed soaping himself up. The scent immediately caught his nose again. Bakura blinked and then stared at the soap in his hand, a look of horror dawning on his face. Hesitantly, he sniffed the innocent-looking white soap.
"Ryou!!!" Bakura's howl rang through the house.
An hour later, Bakura made his way down the stairs to the lower level of the house. He was warm, he was dry, he was clean, and he was still scowling and muttering to himself. "I smell like a girl… Why didn't Ryou warn me about that cursed soap? Why does he even have that cursed soap? Oh Ra… don't tell me he actually uses it!" The thought made him stop in his tracks, his eyes wide with shock as he renewed his mental warning to himself to never, ever, take over Ryou's body when his light was having a bath. Shivering slightly, only this time not from cold, Bakura continued down the stairs.
He stopped again in the hallway outside the kitchen, this time pausing to listen to the strange sound coming from within. It took him a moment to recognise it. His light was humming! It was a happy little tune that made Bakura's lips twitch instinctively into a smile before he realised what was happening. He immediately schooled his expression into its usual sneer, then started for the door.
He stopped on the threshold, stunned by the sight that met his eyes. Ryou wasn't just humming, he was dancing! As Bakura looked on in amazement, his light moved gracefully from one side of the kitchen to the other with a swaying, hip-wriggling motion that made Bakura make another mental note. He would never allow Ryou anywhere near anyone else's kitchen. Or this kitchen, if anyone else was around, for that matter.
He would have said something to let Ryou know he was there, but he told himself that it would be far more embarrassing for Ryou if he didn't. The fact that he was enjoying the show had nothing to do with it. Leaning against the door, Bakura silently watched his light wriggle around the room.
Ryou was enjoying a rare moment of peace as he did one of the things that he loved to do - cooking. Bakura was not yelling in his mind or getting them both into trouble, but was safe and sound in another part of the house. Dinner was almost ready and the table was already set, so the only things left to do were wait for Bakura and finish preparing dessert. Ryou was happy. He didn't often feel like humming, but the mood had struck so he was going with it. He also didn't often feel like dancing, but the tune that was running through his mind had too good a beat to resist. So he hummed and moved in time to the music.
He put the dessert in the freezer and went to close the door, half turning as he did so. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of someone standing in the doorway. Ryou stumbled in mid-step, embarrassment heating his cheeks as he slowly turned to face his amused yami. "Um… how long have you been standing there?" he asked hesitantly, not sure that he really wanted to know the answer.
Bakura smirked. "Long enough to know that I either haven't heard that song, or you can't keep the tune straight." His eyes flicked over Ryou and his smile abruptly turned into a scowl. "What are you wearing?"
Ryou blinked and looked down at himself, puzzled by his yami's reaction. He was dressed in the same clothes he'd been wearing all day, except for… Looking up he pulled on a corner of his apron. "Do you mean this?"
Bakura's scowl deepened. "Yes, I mean that… thing… What is it? It looks… silly." He practically snarled the word as he glared at the white apron.
"No it doesn't!" Ryou crossed his arms defensively and frowned at his yami. "It's called an apron. Cooking can be very messy, so people wear them to keep their clothes clean. They serve a very useful purpose and I happen to like this one."
"You would." Bakura snorted. Ryou's normally wide eyes narrowed slightly as he studied his yami.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Inwardly, he sighed. His yami was obviously displeased about something. Surely he wasn't still upset about the soap?
"It means that you have horrible taste in clothes."
Ryou blinked and stared at his yami in shock. "Well… that was certainly unexpected. Um…" He blinked again, completely at a loss for words for a moment. "You… haven't mentioned that before… Is there a reason why it suddenly… bothers you?"
Bakura straightened up from his leaning stance in the doorway and moved into the room until he was standing a few feet away from his light. He crossed his arms, realised that he was standing in the same position as Ryou, scowled, uncrossed his arms, fidgeted for a moment and then re-crossed them with a defiant glare at Ryou, silently daring him to comment on it. A dare that Ryou wisely did not accept. "I haven't been inconvenienced by it before," he finally answered.
Ryou blinked again, now completely lost. "Inconvenienced?"
His yami sighed and uncrossed his arms, spreading them wide and then indicating his outfit. "Look at me." Ryou looked, unsure exactly what he was supposed to be looking at.
Bakura was dressed nice and warmly, just as Ryou had instructed. That in itself was a miracle. The fact that Bakura had actually listened to his light… Surely that had to be worthy of a mention in a record book somewhere? Ryou had a feeling that wasn't what Bakura meant though, so he studied his yami's outfit carefully. His spare pair of pajamas, his cosy bathrobe, his warmest pair of slippers… Ryou was no nearer to understanding the problem. "You look fine to me, what's wrong?"
"Just look at these pajamas. They have clouds on them. Fluffy clouds. And they have buttons. Tiny, fiddly, buttons. Not a zipper or buckle in sight! And do I honestly look like someone who would wear flannel pajamas? Or pajamas at all for that matter!" Ryou blinked at that, but Bakura was on a roll and didn't allow his light to get a word in.
"As for these things…" he pointed at the pale blue furry slippers on his feet and gave Ryou a glare. "It took me a while to realise that they were slippers and not some sort of Shadow Monster!" He frowned down at them and added in a mutter, "I'm still not sure they're not related to those cursed Kuriboh… I wouldn't put it past the Pharaoh to have summoned them deliberately just to annoy me…" Bakura glared at Ryou as the boy made a sound suspiciously like a strangled chuckle.
"Then there's the instrument of torture you call 'underwear'…"
"What was wrong with…?"
"White cotton boxers? Oh please." Bakura rolled his eyes and drew nearer to his light, pleased to note that the boy edged away warily. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Black. Briefs. If I really have to." Bakura almost smiled at the wide-eyed look his light gave him. There was no trace of laughter on Ryou's face now. Only shock, with some panic thrown in for good measure.
"You… you mean…" Bakura raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh. Oh my," Ryou said faintly, suddenly feeling the need to lean back against the kitchen counter for support as heat flooded his cheeks. He swallowed and eyed his yami nervously, making a mental note to never, ever, allow Bakura to take control of his form when he was dressing. Although… it certainly explained a few things that had happened in the past, including... His eyes narrowed and he straightened.
"You're the reason why my underwear keeps vanishing every time I do laundry, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Bakura replied smoothly. A little too smoothly, it seemed to Ryou. He kept frowning at his yami.
Bakura tried to maintain his usual slightly bored expression, but he found his light's scrutiny more than a little unnerving. When the oven began beeping softly, he was only too happy to latch onto the excuse. "Are you going to stop that annoying noise, or do I have to break something?"
Ryou sighed and turned to the oven, knowing that was as much of an admission of guilt as he was likely to get from his incorrigible yami. "Just don't do it again, please. I've had to buy so many replacements lately that the shop assistants now give me very odd looks every time I go in there. Now, go and sit down. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
The food was good, but Bakura knew he would have enjoyed it more if he hadn't needed to swallow it. He hadn't noticed how sore his throat was until he'd started eating. He also didn't really feel like eating all that much. He spent most of the meal silently pushing his food around on his plate, so it looked like he was eating more than he really was. He knew he'd failed when Ryou put his knife and fork down, looked at him seriously and said softly, "You don't have to eat it, if you don't like it."
Bakura looked down at his plate, uncomfortably aware of the disappointment in his light's voice. He had the sudden urge to explain and, even though he tried to ignore the feeling, it persisted until he finally blurted out, "I do. Like it, I mean. I'm just… not that hungry."
It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the complete truth. To prove it though, he deliberately took a bite of what Ryou had called a 'chicken casserole'. Whatever that was. It was tasty, but he almost choked at the pain it caused going down his throat. He quickly took a sip of water. It hurt too, but it also seemed to ease the pain slightly. Looking up, he tried to cover his pain with his usual confident smirk. He wasn't entirely sure he'd succeeded. "See? It's fine."
Ryou had been growing increasingly worried about his yami throughout the meal. He knew something was wrong, but he hadn't been able to figure out what. Bakura's reaction over his last mouthful had given him a clue though. Standing up, he started clearing their plates away.
Bakura blinked and frowned. "Ryou… You didn't finish eating." He sent his light a suspicious glance. Ryou responded with a gentle smile.
"I'm not really hungry either. Besides, I want to leave room for dessert. I think you'll like it." He felt his yami watching him warily as he got it ready. When he placed the bowl of ice cream in front of Bakura, he couldn't resist saying softly, "It should soothe your sore throat." Bakura's gasp was all the confirmation he needed.
"How did you…?" Bakura looked uncomfortable. Ryou just smiled and ate a spoonful of ice cream, raising an eyebrow in teasing challenge for his yami to do the same.
Despite the dare, Bakura hesitated before swallowing a mouthful of the creamy homemade dessert. He'd never had it before so he wasn't sure what Ryou had meant about it being soothing. It was cold and sweet, and it numbed his whole throat as it slipped down. His eyes lit up and he blinked down at the bowl in surprise. He cautiously ate another spoonful before a slight smile settled on his face.
The two boys polished off their desserts in contented silence. When they were done, Ryou glanced over at Bakura, noticing how pale and tired his yami looked. Not that he'd ever tell him so, of course. He knew better than that. Instead, he stretched and faked a yawn convincing enough to get Bakura yawning as well.
"I think I'll leave the dishes until tomorrow and have an early night. It's been a long day and I have that math test tomorrow. I need a good night's sleep." Ryou smiled at his yami. He didn't need to worry about Bakura detecting his lie, because he wasn't lying. He really did want an early night. "How about you? I made up the guest room earlier so it's ready whenever you are."
Bakura blinked and went suddenly still. He seemed about to say something when he bit his lip and looked down at the table. After a few moments, he nodded. "Yeah, I guess I'll do the same. No sense in my staying up. The sooner I go to sleep, the sooner I'll be another night closer to having my magic back."
He scowled at the thought, deliberately focusing on it rather than on the sudden realisation that this would be the first night since Ryou had gained the Millennium Ring that they wouldn't be together. Somehow, their having separate forms didn't seem like such a good idea in the dark of night as it had in the bright light of day. It wasn't that he was afraid of being alone, he told himself, it was just that he wasn't used to it. Not anymore.
As he followed Ryou up the stairs, Bakura wondered when he'd become so comfortable with sharing a life with the one he had so often called 'weak', 'pathetic' or 'naïve'.
"Ryou! Enough! You're making me dizzy with all this pillow fluffing and if you pull the covers any more around me, I won't be able to breathe! Stop fussing already!" Bakura glared at his light as best he could, considering that he was lying down with more types of bedclothes than he recognised tucked up around him. He could barely see Ryou over the top of all the covers piled on him.
Ryou smiled sheepishly and gave the top cover one last pat before backing away towards the door. "All right, Bakura. I'll go now. Remember, if you need anything, I'm just down the hall. I'll leave both our doors open, so I'll hear you if you call out." At Bakura's silent glare, he hurriedly stepped out the door before giving his yami a little wave. "Goodnight, Bakura. Sweet dreams!" He ducked out of sight as Bakura's low growl echoed through the room.
Bakura sighed and closed his eyes. His light was apparently very fond of fussing, especially when it came to fussing over him. It was enough to drive a yami insane. Or, in his case, make him give serious consideration to never casting this particular spell on himself ever again. At least when he and Ryou were in the same body, Ryou wasn't able to fuss over him! With a frustrated sigh, Bakura drifted off into restless sleep.
Ryou stirred and slowly opened his eyes, blinking sleepily at the sunlight streaming in through his window. Yawning, he stretched and snuggled back into his warm bed. He was exhausted. What little sleep he'd gained had been restless. He'd been conscious all night of the fact that his yami was not asleep in his soul room. He'd never realised before just how comforting the knowledge of his other half's nearness was. But even though Bakura had not been within his mind, he had still made his presence felt during the night. Ryou had lost track of the number of times he'd needed to check on him, but he knew he'd spent more time looking after his yami than he had spent sleeping.
As if the thought had been a signal, Ryou heard his yami coughing again. He'd started around midnight and had been so bad at one point that Ryou had resorted to desperate measures. He'd given his yami a dose of cough mixture. Or 'that cursed stuff that looks like something a Zombie Clown would throw at you, smells like the Dark Sage and tastes worse than Joey's cooking', as Bakura had put it. There was a good chance that Bakura would never talk to him again because of it, but it was a small price to pay. At least it had eased the coughing enough for them both to get some much-needed sleep. By the sound of it though, the cough mixture had now worn off.
Ryou automatically turned to look at his clock to see if it was time for another dose. His eyes widened in shock.
"Oh no! I'm going to be late for school!"
After scrambling to get ready as quickly as possible, Ryou went to check on Bakura. Despite his hurry, he couldn't bear to leave without making sure that his yami would be all right by himself.
The first thing he noticed was the slight flush on Bakura's cheeks. His second observation was the fact that the covers were now lying in a heap on the floor. Putting them both together, Ryou immediately dropped his school bag and hurried across the room. Leaning over his yami, the boy lightly touched the back of his hand to Bakura's forehead. He let out the breath he'd been holding.
"What was the sigh for?" Bakura's voice was even huskier than usual, gravelly with both a sore throat and tiredness from his restless night. He hadn't slept any better than his light. In fact, he was so tired that he didn't even have the strength to bat Ryou's hand away.
Ryou smiled slightly at his grumpy yami. "I was relieved. You have a temperature, but it's only slight. I was afraid it might be more serious." He started collecting the covers off the floor, replacing a few of them.
"Hey! I kicked them off because I was hot! Now you're putting them back on again?" Bakura scowled at his fussing light, annoyed that his voice came out whining rather than commanding.
"I'm only putting the lightest ones back on. You need to stay warm or you could end up getting very sick." Ryou glanced at his yami and smiled wryly. "I'm sure you don't want that any more than I do!" Bakura snorted and looked away, but didn't comment as Ryou finished tucking the covers around him again.
Ryou stood there for a moment, thinking. He really didn't want to leave Bakura when he wasn't well, but the math test scheduled for that day was the main one for the semester and he'd be in big trouble if he missed it. The only reason his father allowed him to remain home alone while he was away on his frequent trips was because Ryou had promised to keep up his grades. The last thing he wanted was for his father to decide that he needed to arrange for a baby-sitter. Ryou shuddered at the thought. He'd put up with that for years. Never again! But one look at his ill yami was enough to make him question his priorities.
Bakura could tell his light was worried about something by the way he was unconsciously biting his lip. He'd also noticed that Ryou had been carrying his school bag when he'd come into the room. That reminded him… "Don't you have a math test today?"
"Yes… but I'm sure the teacher will let me take it another day." Ryou smiled reassuringly, but he didn't fool his sharp-eyed yami for a moment.
"You're a hopeless liar, Ryou. Get going." When Ryou didn't move, Bakura scowled at him. "If you're worried about me, don't be! I can take care of myself!" He was pleased that his voice only wavered a little. Hopefully his light wouldn't even notice.
Ryou shook his head, not looking convinced. "You can barely even talk today."
Bakura winced. His light had noticed. "Look, I'll be fine! Really! I'll just spend the day lying here, catching up on my sleep. I don't need to talk to do that." His yawn was only partly faked. He really was tired.
Ryou wavered. "Well… I really should go… If you're sure that you'll be all right…?"
"I'm sure. Now will you get out of here already! I want to get some sleep." Bakura closed his eyes, his ears straining to hear if his light was moving or not. He caught Ryou's soft chuckle just before a gentle hand lightly brushed the hair off his face.
"Very well Bakura, I'll go. But I'll leave the number for the school beside the phone downstairs. I want you to promise me that you'll use it if you start feeling worse!"
"If that's what it will take to get you to stop fussing, then fine! I promise! Now go!"
When Ryou finally left, Bakura sighed and closed his eyes. "About time… maybe now I can get some sleep… Dratted light… always fussing…"
Ryou stumbled slightly as he came in the back door and into the kitchen. His schoolbag fell ignored to the floor as he leaned against the counter to wait for the dizziness to pass. He was so tired… After a few moments, the room finally stopped spinning enough for him to start across the room.
"Bakura! I'm home!"
Upstairs, Bakura stirred as he heard his light's voice. He frowned in confusion. Surely it couldn't be that late in the day already? He'd gotten a little sleep, but he was certain that it hadn't been much. He would never admit it to Ryou, but he just didn't sleep well when his light wasn't near.
When Ryou looked in on him, Bakura greeted him with a scowl. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you still be at school?"
Ryou smiled weakly and leaned against the door. "Miss Weatherby sent me home."
Bakura's eyebrows raised so high they vanished into his hair. "Isn't she the one that looks like Gearfried the Iron Knight? The one that never smiles and wouldn't recognise a joke if it bit her on the…"
"Yes, that's Miss Weatherby," Ryou interrupted with a frown, "Although I think you've been around Joey and Tristan a little too much lately. She's actually rather nice."
Bakura waved his light's protest aside, having just caught the meaning of Ryou's earlier comment. "Never mind that, what do you mean, she sent you home? Why? What happened? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?" He struggled to sit up, silently cursing the way Ryou had tucked him in earlier that morning. It was hard to move when tightly tucked blankets had you pinned to the bed.
Ryou smiled gently. Bakura blinked and grew still. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm not used to seeing you worried about me, that's all." Ryou shrugged slightly and slowly crossed the room, aware that his yami was closely watching him. "I'm all right. Just tired. Miss Weatherby saw me come in late and she saw how I could barely concentrate during the exam. When the lunch bell rang, she told me to come home and get some sleep."
Bakura frowned at his light. "What aren't you telling me? That doesn't seem like enough reason for a teacher to send you home."
Ryou shrugged and a faint blush rose into his cheeks. "Well… I think my falling asleep during the math exam might have had something to do with it…" he finally admitted. Bakura stared at him in shock and Ryou's blush deepened. "Oh, don't worry, I'd finished the exam. There was still half an hour to go though so I thought I'd just close my eyes for a few minutes. The next thing I knew, Miss Weatherby was shaking me to let me know that the exam was over." He smiled sheepishly at his yami. "I think she felt sorry for me. She also seemed to think that I was ill. She said that I looked pale..."
Bakura snorted. "You always look pale." But he had to admit, his light was looking more fragile than usual. Lack of sleep always had that effect on him.
Ryou smiled slightly. "But at least it proved useful today. I got to come home early." He studied Bakura closely. "Although it looks like I needn't have been so worried. You're looking a lot better."
"Yeah, well, I've just been lying here the whole time. I guess it helped."
"You didn't sleep?" Ryou frowned slightly as he sat down on the side of the bed.
"Not really. Too restless." Not in five thousand years would Bakura admit to his light that he hadn't been able to sleep because Ryou wasn't there. He was barely able to admit it to himself.
"Oh. Well, maybe you'll be able to rest after lunch. I'll go make you some sandwiches." Ryou started to get up, but Bakura's hand shot out and grabbed his arm. It was hard to tell which of the two boys was the more surprised by the unexpected move. "Bakura?"
"I'm not hungry." Realising that he was still holding on to his light, Bakura released his grip and tried to ignore the heat he could feel rising up his neck. "But you're exhausted. Stop trying to hide it. You never were good at that sort of thing." He scowled at Ryou, his frown deepening when the boy blushed guiltily in response. "Go take a nap or something. You're worse than useless when you're tired."
Ryou blinked and then smiled slightly, recognising his yami's concern even though Bakura tried to hide it with insults and an even harsher tone of voice than usual. He shook his head. "I'd only end up tossing and turning again. It's too strange not having you grumbling in your soul room."
"I don't grumble! Even if I did, how in the Shadows could you hear me all the way from your soul room?" Bakura protested, but then he blinked. Had his light just admitted to not being able to sleep while they were separated?
Ryou didn't seem to notice his yami's sudden distraction. "Yes, you do. I can hear you every night, muttering about whatever happened that day that you didn't like. Especially if we've seen Yugi or Yami. You don't always grumble though. Sometimes you rant. Loudly."
Bakura scowled at him, the last part of his light's words catching his attention despite his mind still dwelling over Ryou's earlier comment. "If I do, it must be because the Pharaoh did something annoying."
"You find everything Yami does to be annoying. Even his existing annoys you," Ryou felt obliged to point out.
"He was supposed to have given up his life and soul to save all Egypt from the dangerous Shadow Realm. There were celebrations to honour his sacrifice. They went on for weeks. You couldn't walk down the street without hearing his name at least a dozen times. They had his profile etched into every pyramid, tablet, statue and monument. It was nauseating. You couldn't miss seeing that hair. Then I find out that he just put himself in that cursed puzzle! Of course I find that annoying!" Bakura scowled at his light.
Ryou turned away to hide his smile. He started for the door, knowing that Bakura would just continue to work himself up into a rant if he had an audience. If there was no one to listen… well, Bakura would still rant, but he wouldn't get as fired up over it. Maybe.
"Where are you going?" Bakura demanded petulantly and Ryou sighed inwardly. He'd been so close… Another few steps and he would have been safely out the door…
"I thought I'd go downstairs and get something to eat. Maybe watch a little television," Ryou added as the enticing thought came to him. He didn't watch it very often, but if he could find something relaxing… He really didn't feel up to doing anything very strenuous.
The bed creaked behind him, then again, accompanied by Bakura muttering curses under his breath. Ryou turned to see what his yami was doing and had to bite his lip to stifle his laughter. He didn't quite succeed.
Bakura stopped struggling with the bedclothes and glared at his light. "It's not funny! You've wrapped me up tighter than a mummy! Get me out of this before I destroy something! If I had my magic, these cursed things would already be taking up space in the Shadow Realm!"
"Going somewhere?" Ryou asked mildly as he began to pull the covers free.
"Downstairs. I'm tired of lying down. It's boring." He glanced at his light out of the corner of his eye. "That television thing… Any good movies on?"
Ryou shook his head and smiled wryly at his less-than-subtle yami. "It depends on your definition of 'good'. If it's the same as mine, probably. If it's the same as Tristan and Joey's, and considering the look you're giving me it is, then no. Those kind of movies are usually only on at night. Very late at night. And before you ask, no, I do not have any on video."
Bakura scowled as Ryou gave him the 'you really should be ashamed of yourself to even consider it' look that always made him feel about three inches tall. His light really could be disgustingly prim and proper sometimes.
"Whatever, as long as I don't have to watch any of those stupid kiddy shows you like so much."
Bakura pulled a face, remembering all too well the last time Ryou had slept over at Yugi's. The two lights had spent most of the night watching anime videos. Children's anime videos. There hadn't even been any decent fighting, dueling or injuries in them!
Ryou smiled. "I promise I won't make you watch anything with cute or cuddly animals in it."
Bakura nodded grudgingly. "Yeah, that should cover it." He followed his light out of the room.
He woke, but kept his eyes closed as he tried to work out where he was. He was sitting up, which wasn't unusual. He'd slept in some pretty odd places and positions in his lifetime. And since. But it was unusual for him to feel so… content. There was something soft underneath and behind him, supporting his back. Something warm and soft and fluffy was wrapped around him. He could feel it across his chest, down over his lap and around his legs. Bakura had a vague memory of Ryou tucking a blanket around him at one point. That had to be it. But the blanket wasn't the reason why he felt so comfortable.
There was something warm pressed against his side and a slight weight rested on his shoulder. There was something familiar about the sensation, and yet he was sure that he had never felt it before. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
Bakura looked down at his light; an odd sensation curling around his heart just like Ryou was curled up against him. The boy had pulled his legs up on the couch and was half sitting/half lying against Bakura's side. His head rested on his yami's shoulder, his white hair tumbling down over his face as he slept. His breaths came in the slow, even rhythm of deep sleep. The blanket was wrapped around Ryou as well, so he was in a warm, safe little cocoon as he snuggled against his yami's side.
For a moment, Bakura forgot to breathe. It had been a long time since he'd watched his light sleep like this. Usually he only went into Ryou's soul room if he needed to wake him, or yell at him. But seeing him like this… The memories flooded back and his arm, already lying around Ryou's shoulders, tightened slightly, protectively.
For a long moment, Bakura simply watched his light sleep. He thought about how restless they had been while apart, and how easily and deeply they had slept when together again.
They'd eaten lunch and had started watching a movie, but Ryou had stayed awake for only a few minutes of it. Bakura knew he must have fallen asleep not long after. He remembered they had awoken when it started getting cold, just long enough for Ryou to fetch the blanket. Neither of them had been completely awake, and he couldn't help but think that had been a good thing.
He could tell by the faint light starting to seep in around the edges of the closed curtains on the other side of the room that it was shortly after dawn. They would never have slept so long, or so well, if they had been in their separate rooms, and Bakura had to admit to himself that he would never have consciously chosen to remain down here with Ryou.
Bakura sighed softly as he gazed down at his innocent light, sleeping so trustingly at his side. How was it that one boy - one weak, pathetic, human boy - could bring out both the worst, and the best, in him so easily? Although Ryou claimed that Bakura was the one with all the power, at times like this, Bakura wondered if that were really true. It seemed to him that his light was very powerful.
Ryou had the power to make Bakura feel.
His arm tightened a little more, a light hug that would be released as soon as his light showed signs of waking. It would never do for Ryou to know exactly how much he meant to Bakura.
Bakura relaxed into the comfort of the couch, the warmth of the blanket and his light's nearness. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift back into sleep, the slightest of smiles on his face.
Maybe being human wasn't so bad after all.
