I was so used to meeting Kek after work that it was a little strange to see Bakura's grinning face as he leaned against a maple tree growing out of the sidewalk. It was nice, though. The way the shadow and light from the tree mixed in his hair was lovely, and his eyes flashed as a bit of sunlight caught them. It was hard not to run up to him and leap into his arms, but I'd be too embarrassed to do that in public. Instead, I walked up beside him and bumped him with my shoulder.
"Hey you."
"Hey yourself." He returned the playful bump.
"Are you my chaperone for today?"
"Yup. Kek and Marik are already running off together, so I figured I'd meet you here."
"Let me go home and change, and then we'll be on our way."
Bakura nodded, and we started walking down the street. Bakura shoved his hands in his pockets. "So… it's been awhile since we've worked on a game together."
"That's because you've been a little lazy about trying to kill the Pharaoh as of late."
"Well, sloth is a sin. I should probably be more productive."
"Yeah?" I glanced over at him. "What did you have in mind?"
"A computer game. Something like Baldur's Gate or Neverwinter Nights, but based off of Monster World mechanics instead of D&D."
"That… does sound fun. Are you bringing this up because you want help?"
"You know me-" Bakura winked. "I never do anything without some self motivation, even asking cute guys on dates to internet cafes."
"Figures." I snorted, but I wasn't upset. It was the best sort of date for us. "Do you have a synopsis yet?"
"Of course not- that's your job, and then I'll draw the concept art."
"This is going to be like Battle City all over again where I never get any sleep."
"I promise not to stab you in the arm."
"You drive a hard bargain. Throw in a scalp massage and you have yourself a deal."
"Ryou." Bakura smirked. "Did you just negotiate to get a little something extra for yourself? I'm pretty proud of you."
"You're starting to rub off on me." I laughed.
"Rubbing you off does sound like a good idea." He lidded his eyes as he stared at me.
Couldn't help the blush. Dammit. It sounded too good. We walked into the apartment, and Bakura followed me to our bedroom, sitting on the bed and staring at me with a smirk on his face. I gave him a pointed look- he knew I wanted to change- but I couldn't fake like I was annoyed when I wasn't. I fully intended to let him watch me change even though it'd just rile us both up.
Teasing the hem of my shirt, I folded it up over my head, tossing it in the general direction of the laundry hamper. I swayed my hips as the pants came off bit by bit. My boxers were the last thing to go, but I only pulled them down several centimeters before tugging them back up to my waist. Bakura frowned so hard that I laughed out loud at him. He flashed a wolfish grin, standing and stepping toward me with the intention of helping me out of the last of my clothes. I raised up a single finger to stop him. Even without a verbal no, he understood and sat back down with an exaggerated pout on his face.
I turned away from him, brushing my hair over my shoulder, dancing a little. I might have gotten a little carried away with the dancing. I'd been working so much, and I was so excited to go out, even just to storyboard our game and sip mochas at a café. The entire weekend stretched out before me. Three luscious days where I could do as much or as little as I wanted. I had no idea what I would do- I wish I'd had known I was going to get an extra day off so I could have planned better, but whatever I ended up doing, I was glad to have the time for it. Because I was so happy, I forgot myself for a moment as I danced in my bedroom in nothing but my underwear. I ran my hands down my hips, and flipped my hair. After a few minuetes, I glanced behind me to see Bakura's reaction. My cheeks flared like they'd been kissed by fire. Bakura was recording me on his phone.
Take a few videos of one or two special moments, and then all of a sudden people are making fun of you for having a director kink and filming you back! #rude
"Bakura."
"Had to share with the others." Bakura grinned as he swyped a message to Marik before sending over his clip of me.
I rushed out of the boxers and hurried into the outfit I'd picked for our date. The blush stayed on my face as I dressed. Not so much because I was embarrassed, but rather because I was hoping they responded positively when they saw it.
"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."
Bakura grinned as he stared at his phone. "Marik and Kek suddenly want to leave the zoo and come back here. Can't fathom why."
"Wipe that grin off your face. That strip-tease was for you." I said the words quickly as if embarrassed, but maybe I was playing coy.
Maybe.
"All your friendship ways have changed me for the better, Ryou. Now I'm all about sharing with my… friends." He looked up to wink at me, but then he blinked instead. "What circus tent did you slaughter in order to make that jacket?"
"I like this jacket." I hugged it closer to my body.
It was beautiful! It had soft teal and turquoise blue plaid with darker purple trim, and I paired it with some lovely lavender corduroy pants. I felt really bad that I hadn't dressed up for my movie date with Marik, so I took great care to look nicer today- not that Bakura was grateful! He was looking at me like I was turning into a zombie before his eyes!
"Uh, sure." Bakura exhaled a sigh of long suffering.
I was going to give him a lecture, but he stood up and flung an arm around me, pulling us together so he could take a selfie and send it to Marik. I let the issue drop as we stood and stared at his screen until Marik's reply popped up. A gif appeared- a cartoon wolf whistling with his fingers. I was blushing again. Next there was a return pic of Kek and Marik. I could tell Marik had tried to take a serious picture, but Kek ruined it by nibbling against Marik's neck and making him laugh just as the camera had caught them. My whole world brightened for a moment. Marik's smile and laughter were always my favorite part of him, and they both looked so happy in the picture that my heart was screaming.
"I suddenly want them to leave the zoo and come back here, though I can't fathom why." I echoed Bakura's earlier words at him.
"Normally, I'd personally go pick them up and carry them back here, but not today. I have evil schemes. Oooops, did I say evil schemes? I meant plans for a happy date that has no ulterior motives whatsoever." Bakura cackled.
He cackled The Bakura Cackle. You know the one. I kept my expression unimpressed while I tried to figure out if Bakura was just satirizing himself, or actually covering up some sort of scheme. It was impossible to tell with him.
At least he wasn't going to try to kill the Pharaoh… I think. I mean… surely not? I mean, they'd been- not exactly getting along, but not actually fighting.
"Ryou, I'm not going to take over your body and try to murder your friends. Stop giving me that look!"
"I.. didn't really think-"
"Give me some credit. I wouldn't waste my time killing Atem when I know the gods will just send him right back to life."
"Oh, that's true." I didn't think he'd actually- but it was still nice to have a solid, logically reason to know he wouldn't. "Although if you ever did find a way to keep him dead. This is exactly how you'd act in order to lower my guard and-"
"Ryou!"
"What? You know it's true."
"There's like ten people on the planet that are actually good enough at playing duel monsters online to actually challenge me. I promise you, I'm not killing any of them."
"Yeah, you probably wouldn't."
"Now you're saying it to be facetious."
I giggled because it was true, and took his hand as we left the apartment. The internet cafê was cozy. It had a lot of light, but it was all wall sconces and lamps, giving the individual nooks a calm, private feel. We found a sofa behind a pretty screen full of painted ume blossoms. A warm smile spread across my face. I was confident that Bakura chose that spot in particular because the blossoms made him think of Marik, and the idea was so cute that I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from calling him out on it.
I set up our laptops as Bakura went to order drinks. He returned with a little tray. Two cups rose from the plastic sheet. I knew mine right away because of the extra whip cream piled on top. He'd also bought two eclairs.
"It was the closest I could find," Bakura said.
"To think I'd see the day when you were thoughtful. It's-" I didn't mean to choke myself up. I'd been joking, but it was a little overwhelming.
I used to wish with every fiber of my soul that everything hadn't been so… damaged back then, when I had the Ring. But even in my grandest of dreams, I'd hoped for a cathartic conversation and maybe a good cry. I never imagined Bakura sitting next to me as he was, reaching up, bracing my cheek against his palm…
His gaze was so delicate, so affectionate, I almost wanted to ask where the real Bakura had gone off to. But that was the best part!
The real Bakura was the one in front of me.
It had been the other one that had been a shadow of him, a mask.
"I love you," I whispered.
Bakura grinned. He pulled his hand away and scratched the back of his head. "I love you too."
"So? You can't expect me to pull a story from thin air. At least give me some idea on what this game should be about."
"What's the best game you can imagine?" Bakura grinned. "If we were going to play this ourselves, what would be want to play?"
"I'm not sure. Honestly? My brain has been stuck in romance daydreams for the last few months."
"Did you just suggest romantic fantasy?" Bakura grinned. "Add a little comedy and you'll be describing my favorite genre."
"You add the comedy. I'd be sneaking horror elements wherever I could."
"So are we seducing monsters in this fantasy RPG?"
"I'm not opposed to seducing monsters." I took a well timed sip of my mocha, scooping the top of the whip cream up with my tongue. "You know what would really be fun?"
"What?"
"Nothing.I'm sorry. It was a dumb idea." I filled my mouth with more whipped cream, this time to avoid the conversation.
"Great, I love dumb ideas. Tell me." Bakura leaned forward. His nose was scrunched up in amusement. Damn him for being so cute.
I set my cup down, staring at the cream melt into the coffee. "Well… it's just that… I've been reading Kek's stories, right? About Rory, and… they're a little sensational, but I love them. I freaking adore them. I'd love to play a game like that- about a rogue bard running around and having adventures, but you can choose between fighting or seducing the enemies? I mean, I guess if just the four of us are going to play it though-"
"Actually…" now it was Bakura turn to sit back and drink from his cup for dramatic pause. "How do you like the name Thief King Entertainment?"
"Sounds like a nice Friday night in the bedroom, why?" I asked, suspicious of course. It was Bakura I was talking to, and I knew him enough to know that something was up.
"As of Tuesday, that's been the name of the game developing company I started," Bakura answered.
"What?" I laughed because he obviously had to be joking.
"I put in my notice at Kaiba Corp. I am now the proud owner of an independent gaming company."
"Bakura, why would you do that?"
"Because." The cozy smile from before appeared back on his face. "I didn't think you'd quit your job for yourself if I offered to fund the project for you, but I was pretty sure you would do it for me if I needed the help."
"You can't just quit your- I can't quit my job either. To make a video game that no one would buy? That's insane- even for you."
"Who says no one will buy it? Rom/Com-Fantasy-Horror? I think this game's going to be amazing."
"Besides, it takes more than two people to make a game."
"That's utterly not true. Some of my favorite games are small and indy. Besides, there's four of us, assuming you join."
"You can't ask Kek to quit his job. Unlike me, he actually likes his job."
"So you admit that you don't like your job." Bakura snapped his fingers as if he'd just won lawyer of the year.
"Bakura."
"It's not Kek, or Marik. I wouldn't dream of taking either of them away from their jobs. Like you said, they enjoy what they do. It's you we're all worried about. You're the one stressing over a job you hate, for what? Take a risk, Ryou. Let's see what we can accomplish. The worst thing that happens is we fail and you go back to stocking balls of yarn and modeling clay."
My heart was racing. A game sounded fun, but… It'd be so much work. And what if everyone hated it? And sure I was good at writing campaigns and I knew some code, but there was so much I didn't know about developing a game from the ground up. Gods, what about marketing? I had no clue how to promote my own creations.
But still…
Still…
"If it's not Kek and Marik, then who are the other two?"
"You're going to shit yourself when I tell you." Bakura chuckled.
"Are they well known?"
"Kinda? It's Yugi and Atem."
"No fucking way- ooops, sorry, I mean-"
Bakura broke into loud laughter. I motioned for him to quiet, but anyone could guess how successful that was.
"It was kind of an accident. I was dueling Atem online, and making some Thief King jokes, and that's when I decided on the company name. Next thing I knew Atem was button smashing about how much he hated the mail room and trying to convince me that having the King of Games would be good for my company. I reminded him that Yugi was actually the King of Games, then the next thing I know, my phones ringing- why on earth did you give Yugi my cell phone number anyway?"
"For emergencies." I frowned.
"Well, he used it for games."
"I'm not sure Yugi knows the difference." I groaned, thinking about some of the reasons why we were exes.
"Well, anyway, long story short- sometimes a video game developing family is two-millennia-old enemies and their destined vessels-turned-boyfriends, and why on earth are you hiding your face in your hands? I thought you'd be thrilled to spend more time with your friends."
I was hiding my face in my hands because everything about this was crazy.
"I'd need to put in a two week's notice," I said.
"I know. I think you should tell them to all go and fuck themselves, but I know you won't, so Monday morning, put in your notice and while you're standing at the cash register, start thinking about cheesy enemies-to-lovers clichés we can make fun of in our game."
"I can't breathe." I said, sipping on my coffee. I knew sugar and caffeine wouldn't help, but I needed something to do with my hands.
"Lay in my lap."
"I can't do that in public."
"No one will see behind the screen."
Bakura pulled my head into his lap. He started circling his thumbs at my temples. I sighed. My eyes fluttered shut. His fingers felt like a miracle fighting off the tension in my skull.
"This was part of our deal anyway." Bakura sounded amused when he spoke, but he kept his fingers gentle against my head. "If you don't really want to do it…"
"I can't believe you did all this for me." I covered my face with my hands again.
"If you're not confident to do stuff like this on your own- that's probably my fault…"
"Bakura. Don't." I looked up at him.
"I can't fix it if I don't accept it," he muttered.
"I don't want you to feel bad. I want…" I laughed. It was quiet, but I was very happy. I only kept it quiet because didn't want to bother anyone else working nearby. "This. This is more than I would have ever dreamed of in any lifetime. How should we start the game? What should be our first scene?"
"It should start with Rory getting run through with a sword and waking up in hell because of something they did in life."
"Bakura, that's awful. Why would we ever do that to Kek's character?"
"For starters, the first level will be hell, and you can feast your morbid little imagination on all kinds of quests before Rory escapes. Also, I think it'll be more interesting of a story if Rory starts a morally gray at best and builds up to be the kind of hero that saves the world by getting to final boss- or bosses- to fall in love with them."
I smiled. "That would be a beautiful story, wouldn't it? Okay." I sat up, grabbing my cellphone so I could go outside and make a phone call.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to call and quite right now."