I slept better than the dead, and I've been dead enough times to know. I woke up with Ryou buried against my side. Marik and Kek's voices carried in the distance. I stretched, groaning so they'd know I was awake. Ryou murmured something and grabbed me tight against his chest.
"Wake up already." I tugged at a strip of his hair. Ryou slapped at my hand, in no mood to wake up.
"Will Belgian Waffles wake you up?" Marik asked.
"Waffles?" Ryou sat up, rubbing his eyes.
There was a knock on the door and Marik answered it. He returned to the bedroom with Kek behind him carrying a huge tray with their breakfast.
"I love you," Ryou said with a yawn.
"Are you talking to me? Kek? Or the waffles?" Marik asked.
"Yes."
I noticed two plates of steak and eggs and grabbed one of them, knowing it was mine. I stabbed into the yolks, watching them burst in a spray of yellow that reminded me of Kek's hair, and dipped chunks of steak into them before cramming each bite into my mouth.
"I'm getting too used to breakfast in bed." Ryou licked syrup from his lips. "I'll have to pay you guys back one day."
"Hey Bakura." Kek tapped my knees with his toe. I looked up from my steak to see what he wanted. He grinned at me. "You should braid my hair again before we go down to the beach."
"Ugh, that takes so long." I groaned at the thought.
"Oh? Is Mr. Thief King losing his speed and dexterity?" Marik smirked down at his own waffles as he made the comment.
"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. I was too content with steak to argue, and if I was Kek, I wouldn't want sand to get in that nest of hair either, so I understood why he wanted it braided. "But if you burn your scalp, don't cry to me about it."
"I packed plenty of sun block for Ryou." Kek laughed.
"Thank you. I was worried about that." Ryou pressed his arm against mine to compare them.
"Marik got us sunburned when he first left the tomb," Kek said. "That's why we started wearing the robes."
"Well, it was my second time outside. I wanted to enjoy it." Marik's smile was a mix of nostalgia and melancholy. I reached out and rubbed his knee to comfort him.
After breakfast, I went downstairs. There was a little gift shop/novelty store that had various toiletries and I was able to find little hair bands that would work for Kek's braids. The elevator ride up took forever again, but this time I leaned back against the wall and enjoyed the chance to think quietly to myself. Before we'd fallen asleep, we'd all piled into bed and talked a bit. Marik asked if we could move back into the apartment- of course that was met with eager, excited approval.
It just made me feel… like shell-shocked, only with good things instead of bombs. Still felt like I owed Ma'at a prayer or something, but it'd been so long that I really wasn't sure how to do that sort of thing anymore. What was I, like 5 the last time I had to listen to a prayer? Maybe I'd just set a beer in the sand for her later and call it a day.
Back in the suite, everyone was staring at Kek's phone and laughing. They looked up and grinned at me. Kek was the first was to speak up.
"Diabound VII barfed in Atem's shoe. Thought you'd want to hear about that."
"That's my girl." I felt my face twist up in a smirk. "Remind me to give her extra treats when we get back home."
There it was again. Home. Holy fuck…
I plopped on the bed, ignoring the tightness in my chest. Fucking feelings. I didn't sign up for this bullshit.
"Get a comb and sit on the floor, Kek."
Once we were situated, I parted his hair and started twisting each row into a separate braid, starting near the base, and pulling in extra hair as needed.
"This is so relaxing." Kek closed his eyes and leaned his head back a touch.
Although I'd complained about doing it, I really didn't mind. The calm expression on Kek's face alone was enough reason to braid his hair. It was also fun to run my fingers through the strands to separate them, and then twist them together in row after row and tiny braids.
"When you're finished, Ryou and I want to walk around the hotel gardens before we leave for the beach," Marik said.
"You can go now if you want. We'll catch up to you." I liked the idea of them getting a head start. A garden wasn't really my thing.
"No way. I don't want to miss anything," Kek said.
"Sorry Bakura, you're stuck walking with us." Ryou laughed. He was already drenching his skin in sun tan lotion.
Sometimes I forgot that Kek was the sort of guy that picked the zoo for a date and actually liked plants and animals. You wouldn't look at him with a first glance- a mound of muscle and sex appeal- and think I bet that guy likes holding hands and staring at koi and waterlilies. He's probably the type that cries when he's happy and writes hopeless romance novellas in his free time. But here we were, and that was exactly who he was, and I sort of loved him for it. Like, who would laugh at him for getting sentimental? He could break a man like a KitKat bar. Actually, it would be hilarious to watch, but I couldn't imagine anyone ever starting trouble with Kek.
"You know, you showed me the video, but it really is amazing watching Bakura do this." Marik sat in a chair near the bed. He drew his knees into his chest and grinned as he watched us.
"Got to use my superior dexterity and speed for something." I snorted, mocking his earlier teasing.
"I should give you credit, you were using those dexterous hands just fine last night in the shower," Marik said in a sultry voice that made the base of my spine tingle.
"Oh-ho, was that a compliment? You're getting soft, Marik." I kissed the air, aiming it for him, as my fingers twisted through Kek's hair. "Just wait until tonight. What was that game called? Seven minutes in Heaven? Lets see how many rounds of that I can win."
"There's not really a winner in that game," Ryou said.
"What fun is that? We'll have to improve the rules a little." I pulled the braids back into a final ponytail and patted Kek's shoulders. "There. You're done."
Kek slammed me against the mattress and thanked me by slipping his tongue into my mouth. I decided to test the braids by tugging at them- they felt sturdy. Yes, they definitely passed inspection as I yanked on them while Kek kneaded our lips together.
"Hurry up and get ready. You're the one that wanted to go walking with us." Marik stood up and smacked Kek's ass.
Outside, we walked along a stone-set path through the gardens. I guess it was beautiful, if you were into that sort of thing. I'd rather stick to my personalized bouquet of beautiful men myself. Ryou and Marik looked like they were having fun however, so it was worth the time. It made sense, with Ryou's love of dioramas and Marik's love to everything outdoors, that they would be the sorts to walk through a garden right after sun up.
Kek looked amiable enough, but his face didn't truly light up until he spotted a pair of green birds hopping along a maple branch. When we reached the koi pond, Kek lay on his stomach and dipped his fingers in the water. He paddled his hand back and forth, watching the ripples break up the images of the orange, white, and black koi.
"You really love animals, don't you?" Marik asked.
"They're easier to deal with than people." Kek answered.
"He's got a point," I said. "I always preferred horses to people."
"We can go." Kek shook his hand dry and pushed himself to his feet. "I want to see what else I can find here."
He saw toads, and turtles, more birds, and even a fox scattering through the shadows. Each time he'd point the creature out, and make us all stare a moment with him. I couldn't help but grin each time I glanced at his excited expression. On our way out of the gardens I started walking ahead. I hadn't gone swimming in over 3,000 years and I was looking forward to it, so I wanted to hurry to the beach.
Lost in memories, I didn't notice how far ahead I was until I reached the exit and realized I was the only one there. Turning around to look for the others, I saw them walking together- Kek in the center and Marik and Ryou holding his hands while taking. The early day sun was that specific, crisp, bright yellow that one only ever saw on mornings that would inevitably evolve into a gorgeous day. The light made their smiling faces brilliant as they laughed and talked about I-didn't-even-know-what, but it didn't matter what they were talking about, just that they were happy talking about it. The garden framed them with trees and clusters of linaria, and maybe I did like gardens. At least, when they served as a backdrop to the people I loved.