Ryou almost dropped the newest figure he pulled out of the box. His fingers juggled it three times before catching it in both hands. He had to exhale slowly as his heart rate returned to normal once more.
The figure in his clutches was a tiny representation of his former Yami, the Ring Spirit. Bakura.
Ever so slowly he opened his clasped hands to look at the Monster World character figure. Dark eyes peered up at him. A expertly painted grin on pale features. The details were intricate, the paint job stunning. It was some of his best work... and yet it left a pit in his stomach.
Memories resurfaced, troubled and confusing. Not every moment with the Ring Spirit had been bad. There were times when he'd been protective, or tender, friendly even. But those cherished moments were overshadowed by obsession, scheming, murder, and dark machinations. A cruelty that left Ryou with moments of PTSD he still struggled to cope with. But through it all he didn't hate Bakura, actually he pitied him.
He was reminded that Bakura was off with Malik Ishtar now, presumably living his best life and all the cruelty was put behind him. At least Ryou hoped. After so much suffering in his life, and three thousand years of purgatory, Bakura deserved his own redemption in a new life. Even if Ryou could not be a part of it.
Very carefully he placed the figure onto his office shelf, pushing it to the back where it wouldn't be the center of attention. He refused to put Bakura back in the box, in his mind the Ring Spirit deserved this small gesture, to be on parade with other important elements of his life.
Ryou retracted his hand to appraise his work. The shelves had a few books, some odds and ends that held various amounts of significance to him, but mostly they were being occupied by his vast collection of Monster World figures.
A collection he'd crafted and painted himself from primary school all the way to present.
Satisfied with the placement he bent down to retrieve another figure.
"What are those?"
This time he did drop a Monster World figure. Startled the clay character bounced out of his hand and right onto the floor, the end of the character's halberd breaking off on impact.
"Bugger," Ryou muttered, scooping the two pieces from the ground. When he spun around to face his unexpected intruder. It was not much of a surprise to find Yami Marik standing right behind him.
Marik's dull lavender eyes scrutinized Ryou's Monster World collection with a curious fascination. His gaze swept over each figure with interest, pausing longer on the Bakura figure, eyes narrowing, before moving on to the rest and his features relaxing once more.
Finally he looked down at Ryou and cocked his head in a way Ryou almost thought was cute.
"What are they?" Marik asked again.
"They're my Monster World figures," Ryou explained brightly, still cradling the busted one.
"And you buy them? Like an action figure collection?" Marik sounded genuinely curious, his tone devoid of any of the mockery or scorn it normally held.
"Actually," Ryou turned the figure over in his hand self consciously and a light blush painted his cheeks, "I make them."
Blonde brows shot up with keen interest. Marik raised a hand as if to take one of the figures off the shelf but halted halfway through the movement and withdrew. "You make them?"
"Sometimes out of clay, sometimes with a 3D printer, some of them are carved from wood," Ryou explained. "But yes, I made all of these by hand and then painted them."
"They're... cool." The expression on Marik's face displayed an admiration his words didn't quite convey, but Ryou was gratified none the less. His skin felt hotter than usual under the intensity of the former Yami's stare.
"Thank you." The temptation to rub his burning ears was overwhelming.
"So this is a game?"
"Yes, these are the game figures that the players use, and some of these are NPCs. Each figure represents a different class and race. Like this one," he held up the broken figure, "this one is an elven halberdier."
Marik studied the figure for a long moment then his eyes darted down to the box with the rest of the unplaced figures. Something must have caught his interest, because he stooped and snatched up one of the characters from the box.
Ryou wanted to curl up in embarrassment when he saw which one it was.
"This one looks like you," Marik said, curiously raising a brow and shifting his gaze to the white-haired male.
"It-it is..." Ryou mumbled quietly. He could feel his blush traveling all the way down the back of his by now. Thankfully his hair was so long and unkempt it probably hid most of the color. "That one is mine. It's a white mage. I made it back when I was in High school."
"This is so good. The details are crazy accurate," the former Yami praised. He suddenly smirked showing a hint of sharp teeth, "You look cute."
Ryou wasn't sure whether he was referring to him or the game piece, but it knocked the air right from his lungs and sent his heart crashing like a jackhammer. His face was completely red now, and he couldn't even meet Marik's eyes as he snatched the figure from his large and stupidly gorgeous calloused hands.
"Ah... thanks?" he squeaked. He attempted to place the figure on the shelf, and missed the shelf three times before slamming it a little to forcefully onto the surface.
"Can you teach me to play?"
Ryou almost choked on the breath of air he sucked in. He wasn't sure why he was getting so flustered right now of all times. And because of Marik? "P-play Monster World?"
"Yes," Marik gestured at all the figures on the shelf, "this game."
"Oh, I don't," Ryou stammered out nervously, "I don't play Monster World anymore. Not since High school..."
Marik blinked at him, "why not?"
Eyes glued to the floor and unable to look anywhere else, Ryou turned the broken figure over and over in his hands. "The Ring Spirit, Bakura, used to use the game to trap the souls of all my friends when I was growing up. Their bodies would be hospitalized, all of them falling into mysterious comas, but their souls would be prisoners, pawns in Bakura's sick games." He took a shuddering breath and continued. "Yugi and friends set all the souls free during a shadow game, but I haven't been able to play the game since. I couldn't bare to lose any of my friends again..."
"Keh!" Marik scoffed. "Your bitch of an other half couldn't put me in a coma even if he tried. Teach me the damn game."
This time Ryou really did snap his head up. Surprised, he met Marik's earnest lavender eyes. When he swallowed, it was thick and almost painful. "I... no. Not right now at least. But l-let me think about it. Ok?"
For a split second it looked as if Marik was going to snarl. His jaw tense and his nose scrunched, brows drawing together. But just as quickly as it came the exasperation dissipated. His expression softened then, a look of acceptance settling over his features. "Alright," he said lowly.
Ryou smiled at him, soft and appreciating.
For a long minute the two of them stood in the office, Ryou fidgeting, and Marik switching his gaze back and forth from the figures on the shelf, to Ryou, and back again. He opened his mouth a few times, bit his lip, then raked his fingers through his wild blonde hair. Finally he spoke again but in a soft tone, almost tentative. "...Will you tell me about the rest of them while you set them up?"