By the time they returned home, Bakura was very tired. It was the most time he'd spent in control of the vessel in a while and, if it weren't for Marik's sake, he would have relinquished control to Ryou shortly after the movie had ended. Despite his outbursts, however, the afternoon seemed to please his lover... though he was met with a dreaded comment about 'going out more' and 'adjusting to society' upon leaving Burger Palace. For a moment he wished he'd never given in to the younger boy's affection, but the gentle kiss which followed reminded him that their relationship was anything but one-sided.
As soon as they reached the living room, Bakura headed for the couch. Marik quickly followed and leaned over his partner as he lay down. They exchanged a deep yet gentle kiss which left the tanned boy blushing. He wanted to say 'thank you' for their date, but he knew better. Trivial things like that meant nothing to the spirit; he would not have stayed out unless he wanted to, and Marik knew (or at least hoped) that he had done it for him.
Instead, he brushed a stray white lock from brown eyes and stole one more kiss from strangely soft lips.
"Goodnight."
Bakura smirked. He thought about setting up an awkward situation for Ryou's return, but he really didn't want to deal with any rebuttal later. Instead, he turned onto his side and went to sleep. Marik sat on the empty spot of couch behind his partner's legs and rested a hand on his thigh. He watched for the signs that Ryou was waking up, and offered a welcoming smile when the boy opened his eyes.
"Sleep well?" he asked, not really caring but acting as though he did. Ryou nodded.
"I feel strange, though," he said as he sat up. "Normally I'm very hungry when Bakura is out for a long time."
"We had lunch not long ago," Marik explained. Ryou seemed surprised.
"He doesn't usually eat, does he? How'd you get him to do that?"
Marik looked away so Ryou wouldn't see him bite his lip. "The movie must have made him hungry."
Ryou wrinkled his nose and laughed nervously. "He would find himself wanting a meal after something like that."
Marik didn't bother to tell Ryou it wasn't all that bad. Some people just had weak stomachs, he supposed.
They ended up watching movies all night. Marik found the first one very boring, but Ryou insisted it was one of his favourites. Of course, the tan boy had no way of knowing why. When it was over, Ryou asked Marik to choose the next movie. He browsed the collection and picked one that made the pale boy uneasy. Apparently, it was one of Bakura's movies, and included some graphic imagery. Marik smirked and joked that he would help Ryou shield his eyes. He started to put the movie away, but Ryou seemed to take his comment seriously and insisted that they could watch it. After a moment of prying, they were back on the couch, sitting closer to one another than before, and the movie started.
Marik gave Ryou credit for his uneasiness that time; the movie turned out to have some very gory scenes. He couldn't help but smile at the way the boy leaned against him, trying to hide his eyes and cover his ears at the same time. When he was being cuddled because of fear, he thought nothing of it. However, once the movie was over, Ryou was quick to request that another movie be put in. When Marik began to protest, he argued that he wouldn't be able to sleep well after watching that one. With a sigh, the tanned boy gave in. Ryou seemed very pleased, and even knew which movie he wanted to put in. He told Marik it was about samurai, but not of its underlying themes. When the white-haired boy came back to the couch and resumed cuddling with his friend, Marik told himself it was just because the previous film was still having an effect on him. However, shortly after the new movie began, Ryou propped his legs up on the couch, nuzzled Marik comfortably, and covered up with the blanket that was normally draped over the back of the couch. Marik eyed him curiously, but made no effort to move.
It soon became clear that the film included homosexual themes, and it was around the time Marik realized this that he began to question Ryou's motives. Did he suspect that his new housemate was gay? Did he know about his relationship with Bakura? Was he trying to send a message? Get a reaction?
Ryou looked up, his soft hair brushing the bare skin on Marik's arm between his golden bands. When his gaze was met, he smiled and softly invited his housemate to get comfortable. Surprised by this comment, Marik thought quickly and told Ryou he would fall asleep if he got too relaxed. It wasn't a lie; he had never watched this many movies in one day and was beginning to feel tired. Earlier, he wouldn't have thought twice about falling asleep, but he was weary of Ryou now and wanted to observe his actions. The pale boy nuzzled his head to Marik's chest and whispered something incoherent. When questioned, he just shook his head and quietly returned his attention to the movie.
Some short amount of time passed, during which a pattern of thought went through Ryou's head that Marik would not have assumed characteristic of him. The boy either became confident, curious, or simply assumed his housemate had let his guard down. Earlier, he had moved his hand to rest on Marik's outer thigh; now, it began to creep inward – its touch was light, but Marik could feel it ever-so-slightly tremble. Its owner must have sensed his awareness, as it stopped mid-way to its apparent destination. Had it not been for that tremble, Marik might have given Ryou benefit of the doubt – after all, nobody could stay perfectly still for too long. Still, despite himself, he pretended to ignore the movement. Ryou was still for another ten minutes or so; the movie seemed to be nearing its end, but Marik couldn't be sure as he was barely giving it half his attention. Ryou shifted upwards, rested his head on Marik's shoulder and paused to contemplate the strange texture of permanently tanned skin. When he looked up, it was with an expression that Marik had not seen before, but immediately recognized. Before he could protest, Ryou moved with inhuman speed and closed the gap between them. At the same time, he had somehow managed to roll his body off the couch and all but climb into Marik's lap. Eagar as it had been, there was a cute innocence to the kiss, and the hands that were now gripping his shoulders were trembling again. Initially stunned by the swift movement, Marik hadn't noticed he'd moved his own hands to his predator's waist. He broke away from the kiss and placed a hand gently on Ryou's chest to keep him at a distance. They looked at each other, both confused. Ryou's eyes trailed downwards as the rejection sank in, but something caught his gaze before Marik could find his voice. He was staring at two bruises which had, until moments ago, been hidden by carefully laid locks of blonde hair. He looked back into lavender eyes and offered a peculiar smile. Marik absently covered his shoulder with the hand that was not keeping Ryou at a distance. The white haired boy stood up, turned the movie off, then approached his still-weary housemate. He placed a hand gently on the uncovered shoulder, touched his lips to Marik's forehead and, still smiling, suggested that he go to bed.
Marik did go to his room, but anxiousness outweighed tiredness in him now. He didn't fear Ryou – his actions made it clear that he would not pursue someone who was already claimed – but he was afraid of how Bakura was going to react. Ryou may or may not know what goes on when he's not in control, but Marik was sure Bakura would. For this reason, he planned to stay up until he was sure that his housemate had gone to bed. Even though Ryou had slept for a better part of the day, there was only so much he could do around the house at this hour, and would have to turn in eventually. Marik did not know how many years Ryou and Bakura had spent living alone, however, and was not prepared to stay up until the high hours of the morning. Sleep took hold of him twenty minutes before Ryou finally headed to bed, so he was not awake to hear the footsteps pause outside his door.
Marik slept until noon, and woke to find the house eerily quiet. He was slow to get out of bed and had to sit up straight to keep from dozing off again. He'd purchased a cellphone just before leaving his hometown, and had convinced Ishizu to get one despite her hatred for them. He insisted she would only have to use it to keep in touch with him, though at first he feared she would call all the time. In reality, they'd only spoken once since he'd left, and that was only to say that he'd arrived safely. He didn't know how to feel when he realized she hadn't called to ask where he was living, or even just to check in. The phone (which was an inexpensive model and had not updated to its new time zone) reminded him that it was just after five where his sister was, and though he did not doubt that she'd be up, he wasn't sure he was prepared to talk to her that early. As he stood up and observed that he had not gotten undressed the night before, he sighed inwardly.
"Ishizu," he told the empty room, his voice heavily sarcastic, "I'm living with Bakura... the white-haired boy with the split personality," he wandered into the hallway with no thought that he was still talking out loud. "Oh, and by the way, I'm kind of sleeping with him. I know, it's wrong, but I love him, and..."
He stopped in his tracks and stared at the hand he'd been waving in the air for emphasis. What did I just say?
