Make Yourself
Chapter 16: Keep Your Friends Close
By: Maiya Asuka

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh, any of its characters, or any of the songs throughout this little FANfic.

Who knew that being a gay boyfriended lead singer of a world-famous band was such a juggling act?

First of all, your boyfriend does not like to speak up about his problems a lot but yet, internally, requires careful attention and lots of affection to be at peace. And you enjoy being with him because he is genuine and one of a kind and you just love him. But yet, it is not that simple.

If you spend too much time with him, your bandmates will eventually start giving you shit that that is the only thing you do now, therefore implying that you are a dull and boring person, that you are no fun to be around. They want to spend time with you, too, and so do the rest of your friends.

Not to mention the fact that there are tireless practices that grant, perhaps, three hours of sleep per night. Every bandmate wants to do a certain measure their own way, and you even get a few drumsticks thrown at you due to the fact that you are trying to retain your leadership role.

Your band is also coming upon a gigantic world tour, with most of that drama in tow. It is highly unlikely that your boyfriend, who is one of your favorite people in the world, will be able to see you for about four months. And now, because you do not have a guy to occasionally divert your attention from the "same-old-same-old" routine every day, you feel sufficated by eight crazy young men (and one psychotic young woman) for a third of a year.

Bakura, caught up in this exact scenario, was trying his best to evenly distribute his time.

There were about two weeks before the tour left.

"'Kura?" Ryou tugged on his sleeve one morning.

Bakura turned around and looked at him. "Hmmm?"

"Do you want to go out to eat today or something?"

The older of the two bit his lip and looked at Seto and Marik. "Uhh, guys? Do you think Tanak would be cool if I called off my plans with him?"

His two friends stared at him, dumbfounded and silent; Bakura could not find out why that was.

"Oh!" Ryou took his hand off of his sleeve. "I didn't know you had plans already."

"Really isn't anything big," eased Bakura.

"No, I don't want to interfere. I'm not the only person in your life." He smiled briefly.

"Ryou."

"Go! I'll find something else to do today," the younger urged with a playful shove. He walked back into their bedroom and shut the door behind him, probably to get dressed.

Seto, in the meantime, still stared at Bakura before finally mustering up the competence to say, "I cannot believe you."

Bakura looked confused, so Marik explained for the brunette. "You make plans and resolutions to hang out with somebody else, but the minute Ryou comes around, you ditch! Grow some balls."

The guitarist put a finger to his chin, looking thoughtful. "Hmmmm. I do believe it was you, Marik, who said I should be more grateful for a loving boyfriend."

"You're smothering him, for god's sake." Seto crossed his arms. "There's no reason why having a boyfriend should keep you from hanging out with your friends. Seriously, if only you could watch your behavior these past few months."

"Alright, alright. Chill. I'll go hang out with Tanak and Mike. Hell, I'll go shopping with Ran just to make you bitches happy!" Bakura said with a grin before strolling off to his room. As he walked in, Ryou walked out.

He plopped down onto the bed, laying on his back with his hands behind his head.

Could I really be spending too much time with him?

"Good one, Bakura!" Tanak cheered as he hit him on the back three or four times. The three of them—Mike, Tanak, and Bakura—laughed.

"Say, how's that Ryou kid been doing for you? Well?"

Tanak nodded to acknowledge his equal curiosity. "Yea. Anything new?"

There was a pause before Bakura spoke up. "Hey, Tanak, can I get some boyfriend advice?"

Tanak did his "mock-flattery" act by blushing and trying to look modest and innocent. "Oh, me, oh, my! To think that the wonderful Bakura Ryou would ever ask little old Tanak for romantic counseling! I thought you said you'd never ask me for tips when it came to boyfriends. I'm just so honored that you've had a change of heart. What is it, deary? What would you like me to help you with?"

Bakura rolled his eyes but smirked. "Yea, very funny. I was just wondering. Do you think it's possible that I'm spending way too much time with Ryou lately? I mean, do you think it's possible to screw up a relationship with too much time together?"

As soon as the question was submitted, Tanak reverted back to his "serious-genious" expression and took a slow and rigid sip of his iced tea. "Most definitely. Why do you think you never really see me and Kuro together out in public? Mostly, the only private time we share is… Uh, yea. Anyway, do I think you're smothering Ryou? I can't tell, for I do not monitor you two twenty-four-seven. However, it's definitely a factor to consider in a relationship."

"Easy there, Dr. Phil," remarked Mike upon finishing his glass of beer. "I do think he has a point, though. I've never done the whole 'boyfriend' thing, but in all of my relationships, I kept a fair amount of distance. Spending time apart is what makes the time spent together that much sweeter. Right?"

Tanak nodded in agreement before leaning over the restaurant table to pinching Bakura's cheek. "Awww, 'Kura-kun, we should hang out more often, ne?"

Bakura laughed, slapping the hand away. "Yea. We should."

Though he never would have dreamed of doing this two days ago, he was now doing it for some unknown reason.

He actually was going shopping with Ran. Only it was not just Ran; it was Ran and two of her "girlfriends."

Ran stepped out of the dressing room in a black leather skirt and a matching black leather shirt with a very deep V-neck. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back into a low ponytail today, and to accent her black outfit, she wore a black beret-style hat.

"Well? What do you think?"

One girl said it was perfect while another told her that she had seen better.

"Come on, Bakura. What do you think? If you're going to come shopping with me, I want your opinions on my outfit choices. If I were to pick out anything that people thought looked stupid then I'd look, well, stupid. And because I'm a celebrity, I can't be caught looking stupid."

Bakura stared at her frame for a moment or two. "It makes me fantasize about seeing Ryou wear that hat," he finally told her with a chuckle.

Ran threw the beret to one of her girlfriends. "Great. When people see me, it's supposed to make them fantasize about me; not somebody else."

"You probably need more sex in your life, too, Bakura," said the other of the two girls.

"Has Ryou been neglecting you lately?" Ran cooed.

"Neglecting?"

Ran went back into the changing room, and as she changed into a different outfit, she said, "I just think it's a bit odd. You make it sound like you're not spending enough time with him. Or that he's not spending enough time with you. Which is it?"

"I'm trying not to smother him to death," muttered Bakura, confused.

"Guys. There's a fine line between 'you time' and neglegence. Right?"

The other two girls confirmed their agreement. "Uh-huh."

"I-I thought I was doing the right thing." Bakura suddenly felt rotten, worrying about Ryou being at home by himself.

"Hey, you're the boss, Bakura. Don't let me get in your way, huh?"

Ryou did not quite know what to expect when Bakura asked him to get in the car with him for a minute. Usually when the two got in his car alone, it meant that one or the other wanted to go for a drive somewhere to talk about something. But what Ryou did not know was what he wanted to talk about.

Unlike most times, Bakura did not drive very far; he only went to the road right next to the beach before parking and turning off the car.

He turned to his left and looked at his passenger. "Do you feel like I've been neglecting you lately?"

"Neglecting?" Ryou repeated carefully.

"Like, that I haven't been spending enough time with you, or you haven't been spending enough time with me?"

"Um, well, you've been hanging out with your friends a lot lately. I-I mean, that's fine. And even though we hung out before then, I haven't really felt like we've had enough time alone. Every time we hang out, it's with a party with your friends or with your band. And I like them and everything, but I miss it just being me and you."

Bakura leaned over to the other side of the car and kissed Ryou straight on the lips. It was not quick like the past few times, but slow and deep. He placed his hands on the side of his shoulders before moving a sole hand up to cup his cheek. Ryou moaned just slightly, though rather than sexual, it was more romantic. And he gratefully returned the kiss.

"I love you," Bakura whispered when he was finished tasting his lips. "And I promise I'll make this up to you however I can."

Ryou smiled, his eyes foggy and dazed. "Just take me out—alone—and it'll be fine."

Bakura smiled back at him and kissed his cheek. "So, where do you want to go?"

Boyfriend and boyfriend decided on a fancy restaurant, which was enough for them. After all, it was even a bit of a romantic setting. So now, the two were going on the first date they had been on since who knows how long? Ryou could not recall the last time they had had a date like this, and Bakura recalled a date like this that the two of them had a very long time ago before the car accident. The dress was still semi-casual, they had both agreed; jeans with decent shirts would be look "nice" enough.

Ryou had borrowed Yami's jeans since they actually fit him better than his own. To go with it, he wore a black collared shirt with vague gray pinstripes. His shoes were the usual navy blue ones, and even though Ran (who actually heard about this date and came over to the house just to help him with this outfit) insisted that navy blue never should go with black under any circumstance, there were no other shoes for him to wear.

Bakura, just in order to vary the look among the both of them somewhat, pulled his messy hair back into a thick and messier ponytail, leaving some of the front strands out, since he had been told that that hairstyle was sexy. He borrowed a pair of jeans from Seto, whose pants were just a size or two larger than his own; he wanted them to be looser for the look he was going for. With his pants he wore a fairly small dark green T-shirt which was in decent condition. Somehow, anything that Bakura wore could be pulled off as just the degree of "casual" that he was going for.

When the two saw each other, they stared in shock for a few seconds before Bakura whispered, "You look particularly hot tonight, m'dear," and swept Ryou off of his feet, carrying him to their limo.

And when the two arrived at the restaurant, they strolled up to the front doors with their arms linked onto one another.

Upon sitting down, Bakura seemed anxious to do something, but mentioned nothing of it until the waitress had already written down their drink orders and had walked away.

"So, Ryou. I wore bigger pants tonight so I could fit this—" He paused his explanation as he reached into his pocket and took out a dark red velvet box "—in my pocket. It's no engagement ring, so don't get freaked out, but it is a promise ring. That is, if you would be so kind as to put it on?" Bakura reached into his pocket again, pulled out a gold ring with a small enscription, and slipped it onto his own left ring finger.

Ryou grinned and found himself unable to stop smiling. "O-of course!" He leaned over the table to hug Bakura quickly. "Um, actually, 'Kura… do you think you would like to put it on me?"

The older grinned and held the smaller hand, sliding the silver ring onto the left finger of Ryou. Both of the rings consisted of matching enscriptions, but opposite colors to represent how well the two complimented each other.

Their waitress returned with a glass of water and a glass of wine.

"Thanks for your promptness, ma'am," Bakura said to her and gave her a ten-dollar bill. "Please keep up the good work."

Ryou smiled at her largely grateful expression. Bakura was in a very generous mood, which meant a good mood.

Bakura raised his drink and put his finger to his chin. "To us, right?"

Ryou happily nodded and clinked their glasses.