"How much do you want to bet they're fighting when we get home?" Ryou laughed.
"Not taking that bet." I grinned; my hands full of bags.
We bought everything we needed for dinner, plus of few steaks for Bakura and I. Not to mention two bottles of wine to go with the meal. We wanted everything to be really nice. My stomach was in knots. I sighed and held it with my free hand.
"Nervous?"
"Yeah," I confessed.
"Me too. It's okay."
"He never liked me," I blew out a tense breath.
"He'll like you now." Ryou squeezed my arm. "You're amazing. And didn't you two get along in the kitchen last night?"
"Yeah, that's the problem…" I stared at the sidewalk, stared at the cracks, tried to put deep, unformed thoughts into words. "It… was fun, and when we were talking…" I blew out another breath. "I was really happy. It hurt so bad, when he didn't show up that first day. I felt bad for Bakura, but for me too, and now he's here. I-" I frowned, but pushed through my thoughts. "I'd like it if we were close, somehow. Even if it wasn't romantically, but…" I flushed. "Romantically sounds fun if I'm honest about it."
"Yes. I understand." Ryou nodded. "It was like that with Bakura. We didn't necessarily get along either, back then, but I felt… kinda like what you said, and then when you two got together, and I already liked you, and I'm glad we all ended up together even if Bakura does leave." Ryou gave me a nervous giggle. "It's really nerve-wracking, isn't it?"
"What about Marik?" I asked. "Are you mad at him for controlling you during Battle City?"
Ryou blew out a stuttering breath. "He apologized, years ago, for that. When we were in Egypt for Yugi's Ceremonial Duel, and I forgave him. Besides, he didn't do half as much damage as Bakura did." Ryou scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Back then, when we had the Items, I would have never developed feelings this this for either of them, but it's different now."
"Because they were cruel?" I asked. Our apartment was only a block away, so I knew our conversation was almost over.
"No." Ryou gave a soft, affectionate chuckle. "Because I pitied them. That's why I could never be really angry at them- I felt too sorry for them."
"You would." I made the same soft laugh as Ryou. "You would."
He would. They cut him up like a fish and treated him like a doll, and the whole time Ryou felt like they needed sympathy. Poor them. Poor violent sociopaths. During Battle City I just thought they were both exceptionally stupid, and weak. I wouldn't have known how to feel pity had someone handed me a handbook. There wasn't enough of me back then to do it even had I wanted to, and I hadn't wanted to, at all.
"But I respect Marik now," Ryou continued. "He looks like he finally knows where he is, you know? He always looked like a lost child before."
"Yeah." I nodded. That part was true. A lost child. I remember thinking the same thing back then.
We entered the apartment, expecting to hear arguing, but we heard laughter instead. Marik and Bakura were curled up together on an oversized beanbag chair near the game area. Bakura was showing Marik how to throw the dice.
"Bakura, don't teach him how to cheat before he even knows how to play," Ryou scolded.
"We've been playing all day," Bakura said, stroking Marik's wrist, then correcting the angle before Marik tried to throw. "Time for the advanced lesson."
"Keep in mind that I'll always know when you cheat," Ryou said. "So be reasonable about it."
"Or what?" Marik laughed. "You'll give me a penalty game?"
"I'll start controlling my dice rolls." Ryou continued to the kitchen without further explanation.
On my way to join him, I leaned close. "Trust me, don't do it unless you're in the mood to roll a new character, because he will make sure the one you cheat with explodes."
Marik snorted, but Bakura made a noise in the back of his throat.
"Literally," Bakura said, getting fired up at the memory. "Explode. He does it on purpose so magic can't revive the character. I was almost into epic levels, too, such bullshit- I was hardly cheating!"
"You rolled a supercritical to try and steal from a god after Ryou specifically told you that the god could sense deceit- which you know means don't cheat this roll because it will fuck up the campaign and piss off the DM," I argued.
"I thought I could get away with it." Bakura grinned.
"That never exactly worked for you in real life." Marik raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you think it'd work in the game?"
"The game is a fantasy."
"I'm going to go help Ryou make dinner. We're making kushari." I flashed a smile at Marik, hoping it came off as charming and not, like psychotic or something.
"Hmmm, kushari?" Bakura asked with a suspicious purr. "That wouldn't happen to be Marik's favorite food, would it?"
"Yeah." I blinked, not understanding why Bakura seemed so sleek about the statement. "We thought we should nice and make something Marik likes."
"Another point for me." Bakura whispered into Marik's hair.
"Dammit, you shouldn't have told him," Marik complained, and I was even more confused. "Now it's only fair if you tell me what Bakura's favorite food is."
"Don't be bitter that I'm ahead." Bakura snickered.
"Uh, steak?" I shrugged, not really understanding what they were talking about. It was obviously some sort of guessing game, but I didn't understand.
"Ha! Wrong!" Bakura cheered. "Don't get me wrong, it's in my top three, but not number one."
"Dammit," Marik swore under his breath.
"Well, you're getting steak." I snorted and went to the kitchen.
Ryou stood in the kitchen with his hair swept up into a bun. He was already busy cooking the rice, pasta, and lentils while chopping onions and garlic.
"It smells good already." I smiled when I saw him- a bad habit I'd never even try to break.
I snuck behind him and kissed the nape of Ryou's neck. He giggled and shooed me away with his shoulder as he continued chopping with his knife. The way Ryou handled a knife always excited me, and I stole another kiss to his neck before allowing myself to be shooed away again. I got both steaks in the broiler and was setting the table when Marik and Bakura burst into the kitchen. Bakura walked behind Marik, both hands wrapped around Marik's mouth.
"Don't tell him, anything! He's supposed to figure it out on his own- ew!" Bakura jerked back and wiped his hands on Marik's shirt. "Licking? Really? That's so mature, Marik!"
"It worked, didn't it?" Marik smirked, and then spun on us. "So, what's Bakura's favorite way to travel? Obviously mine was motorcycle, so I think it's only fair that I find out his."
"Why don't you take him out on a freaking date?" I rolled my eyes. "Try different things and look at his reaction."
"See!" Bakura gestured to me. "He knows how to play the game! And we've never even played this game!"
"That would take too long." Marik huffed. "I just want to know. Then I don't have to waste time and if I decide to take you somewhere, I can plan properly."
"Bakura's right. You're cheating," Ryou said.
"Ugh, you two are useless." Marik stormed out of the kitchen.
It pissed me off, so I marched to the door and shouted into the livingroom. "We're making you dinner! You're fucking useless!"
I slammed the door shut and went back to the dishes on the table. Ryou sighed, and I knew what it meant- way to be seductive, Kek. Well… fuck it. Marik's a brat. An attractive brat, and less of a brat from when we shared a body, and a brat that I actually admire because of how much he's changed since then- but still a brat!
"It smells good." Bakura leaned over to kiss Ryou's exposed neck like I had, but he stopped, looking confused, like he wasn't sure if he should or not.
The three of us exchanged a look, and that was the problem. None of us really knew, but guessed the answer was probably not. The moment he started kissing Marik, we technically lost him. None of us really knew how Marik would feel, so Bakura sighed and wrapped his arms around Ryou instead, resting his forehead on the nape of Ryou's neck instead of kissing it.
"Sorry," he muttered.
"Why?" Ryou asked as if he didn't notice what was wrong, although his tone gave him away.
"We're going to play Monster World after dinner, okay?"
"That sounds great." Ryou smiled, sincere if tentative.
"I'm sorry." Bakura stumbled out of the kitchen.
"It's okay-" Ryou called out after him, but his voice was soft and I wasn't sure if Bakura had heard the words or not. Ryou sighed.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"Not you, too."
"Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at Marik about dinner."
"No, he needed to hear that. He was being rude, and this scheme of ours won't work if we're not honest," Ryou said. "I learned that the hard way when I dated Yugi. I always smiled and never tried to bother him when something bothered me, and look where that ended?"
"With you in my arms instead." I grabbed Ryou from behind and nuzzled his shoulders. "Seems like I won."
Ryou laughed, and it was good to hear.