Chapter Five – 5 am
He couldn't remember how he had gotten back to Ryou's. How he had managed to get back without driving his bike over a cliff still baffled him. Still, as the sun was kissing the sky line, Honda slipped through the front door. He was greeted by Ruby, who had sensed him approaching. Honda knelt down and pet her before removing his shoes. In that brief moment, he had pushed Kaiba out of his mind.
It wasn't until he saw the light on in the kitchen that he realized Ruby had been awake for a reason. Slowly, he crept toward the light, unsure as to who would be up at this hour. Was it really that close to morning that Ryou was up? Or was it Bakura, wandering around with his insomnia rampant?
He felt a rough, wet texture on his knee. He winced in pain and looked down to see Ruby was attempting to clean his wound from his crash. Looking up at the ceiling, he hoped it would be Bakura in the kitchen. He didn't have a tale to tell if Ryou requested answers.
He stood in the middle of the threshold and froze. He didn't realize it would be the both of them. In the short moment he had seen into the kitchen, he had seen too much. Ryou had his legs pressed against the counter, facing the back splash. His nails clawed into the faces of the cabinets above him and he was glistening in a light sheet of sweat. His yami was behind him, his hands on Ryou's thin hips and his anatomy inside him. His neck almost snapped with the force of how quickly he turned to face the doorway.
Quickly, Honda raced backwards, pressing his body against the wall, as if to hide his presence. Bakura had seen him. Honda had caught the dark smirk spread across his face and his eyes shining in ecstasy. His stomach sank as his heart rose into his throat.
Ryou's soft whimpers from the kitchen caused Honda's face to flush to a dark crimson. That doorway was between him and his only way upstairs. He knew the right thing to do would be to turn and go back the way he had came. He'd have to sit outside until they were done.
Just as he turned for the door, he heard Ryou, "N-no! Not yet! I want to see you!" Honda bit his lip, knowing he was completely overstepping all boundaries. At this point, he knew he was caught so what else was there to lose? He peeked one eye around the corner into the kitchen. There, he saw that Bakura had indeed turned Ryou around by throwing him onto the table. Honda made a mental note to not eat there until the tablecloth was changed.
Bakura pulled Ryou to the edge of the table, allowing himself to reenter his lover. Ryou cried out, throwing his head back with his eyes closed. Honda backed away in case Ryou had opened his eyes, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled himself up, wrapping his body as much as he could around Bakura and with each thrust, his moans got louder and more urgent.
Just when Honda was ready to walk away again, he heard Ryou reach his climax, his petite frame shuddering as he came. Honda placed his hands over his mouth in complete shock. The imagine of Ryou throwing his head back in estasy was something he had once fantasized about, but never thought he'd ever see. Bakura grunted, finishing soon afterward. Ryou's chest heaved heavily with his hairs still tangled in his yami's hair. He kissed the other man softly, whispering as he pulled away, "Oh I love you, Yami."
"And I you." Honda's heart softened as he watched the darker spirit completely let his guard down and kiss the smaller boy on the forehead. He then realized that he was open for capture at this point and swiftly retreated back outside. In his haste, he had forgotten to put on his shoes. He hopped from one cold foot to the other, trying to keep them as dry as possible with little success. He felt dirty. He wasn't sure how Bakura would be react. Honda was mentally preparing himself for a punch in the face.
As he suspected, the front door opened and out crept Bakura, a cigarette already pressed between his lips. He stood on the front porch, lighting it without looking at Honda. As he exhaled the first drag, he asked, "Did you enjoy the show?" he offered the pack and lighter to Honda.
Honda awkward accepted, his eyes adverting Bakura's. He blurted out, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to s-see."
"What happened to your leg?" Bakura changed the subject with a cool calm that Honda envied.
"Fell off my bike." Honda knew better than to lie.
Bakura took another puff of his smoke, exhaling out of his nose as he spoke, "You're not usually so careless. Was it the rain?"
"Yes." he answered too quickly.
"Ah." Bakura clearly did not believe him. He paused, "Well Ryou can patch that up for you, I'm sure."
"Bakura, I'm really sorry I was spying." Honda tried again, "I didn't mean anything by it."
"People change." Bakura said in a matter of fact tone. He looked on at the skyline, watching it get brighter by the minute. Honda could already see Bakura's face clearly in the early morning light. "I never thought I'd give in to such a vulnerable state of being, Honda." Bakura admitted, "It goes against everything I stand for to give so much of myself to someone. One day, they might wake up and walk away." His eyes met Honda's.
To avoid feeling even more awkward, Honda quickly inhaled. He coughed, "I know."
"I don't think you do." Bakura stated, still speaking as if his voice was just returning to him after a long absence, "A proud man would rather lose his tongue than use it to preach of things he didn't believe in."
"Huh?" Honda still didn't understand. He shrugged and continued to inhale the tobacco. The earlier events from the evening hadn't quite sunk in yet. Honda took his time taking in the smoke, knowing he couldn't stop the inevitable, but he could delay it.
"Never mind." Bakura said, flicking his filter across the lawn. He shoved both hands into his pants pockets (they were undone of course) and asked, "How were your parents?"
Honda wasn't sure if he was making polite conversation or if he was genuinely curious. Whatever the reason, it was better than the tension. "Fine." he said simply.
"Surely you didn't stay with them so late?" Bakura raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
"Uh yeah. I lost track of the time." This was also not a lie.
Bakura snorted, "That might work on Ryou and Otogi, but you are mental if you think I'm going to let that go." he took out his pack and put another cigarette to his lips, "I'm gonna light this since I think we're going to be out here for a while."
Honda sighed, flicking his finished cigarette across the lawn. There was a small satisfaction in it landing further than Bakura's. He took a deep breath of fresh air and leaned against the house. He retraced his steps of the night and told the story to Bakura. He was kind to not interrupt. When he mentioned Kaiba, Honda sensed Bakura's shock, but he pressed on.
He spared no detail. He spoke of the one kiss and how Kaiba had verbally spat in his face. It took until Honda remembered the harsh words Kaiba had said that he had to stop and caught himself from tearing up. When he was done, he let it be quiet, enjoying the sound of the birds awakening. Occasionally, a car driven by an early commuter would pass by.
It took several moments before Bakura replied. He sighed deeply, "Well it's no surprise Anzu hates you. You know how protective she is of people she cares about. 'Shining friendship' and all that shit." he rolled his eyes, "She's gotten even crazier since she started dating Yugi. Nobody saw that coming. We expected Yugi to be with his yami. You know, the natural thing to do." Bakura shrugged, "But the pharaoh..." he stopped himself.
"Yeah, where is he? Yugi said they aren't speaking." Honda vaguely recalled.
"Not important." Bakura answered, "Not right now, anyways." he raised both arms in the air and stretched, "I think it's time for you to get some rest. Otogi's probably worried sick since you didn't come to bed and if Ryou doesn't clean you up, you'll risk infection." he opened the front door without a sound.
Honda straightened up, "Wait- what about...?"
"As difficult as this concept is to you, let it go." Bakura advised, "Just get some sleep. We can talk later if you so desire." he offered Honda to go ahead of him, "I have other things to do than listen to your troubles all day."
"M'sorry." Honda murmured and he meant it. He hadn't realized how much time he had spent with Bakura since he had arrived. Guilt suddenly overcame him and he was, again, staring at the ground.
"Oh, will you cut the crap and get inside?" Bakura snapped, firmly but not roughly pushing Honda into the threshold. He stepped around Honda, swooped down to scoop up Ruby, and took off down the corridor without another word.
When Honda entered the kitchen, he noted that the tablecloth was now missing from the table entirely. Ryou was busying himself over the sink, washing his kettle for tea. He looked over his shoulder when he heard a chair scrape along the floor. "Oh, good morning, Honda." he said with a kind smile. Honda tried not to notice when he saw how much Ryou was glowing.
"'Morning." Honda nodded.
Ryou suddenly took in that Honda was still in his clothing from the previous night, "Are you only now getting in?" he asked in surprise, "It is nearing six!" he gasped.
"Uh yeah. Sorry. I couldn't sleep." Honda scooted his chair so Ryou could see his leg, "I took a ride to clear my head and fell. Do you think you could clean me up?"
"Oh my! Honda, you must be more careful!" Ryou exclaimed, immediately falling to his knees before the other man and inspecting the wound. He returned to his feet and whisked off to the bathroom, "I shall be right back!" he announced from the hallway.
Honda suppressed laughter. There was nothing particularly humorous about the situation he was currently in. He simply felt the need to lighten the heavy burden that was burrowing deeper into his chest.
When Ryou returned, his arms were filled with first aid equipment. His cheeks were flushed as he dumped it all onto the bare table, "Ah... I need you to remove your pants so I can see the wound..." he knocked over a closed bottle of ointment and stumbled to pick it up, "... please."
Honda's face matched Ryou as the image of him against the counter came back to him. He cleared his throat and stood, "Yeah, s-sure." He slipped them past his knees, going carefully around his injury, and sat back down with them laying helplessly around his ankles.
Ryou, who had been busying himself with organizing the bandages, glanced over and squeaked. He coughed, "I apologize." he knelt down with a damp cotton ball, "This will sting." he warned, avoiding looking at Honda anywhere above the knee.
As he dabbed the bloody scrape, Honda hissed. It did burn, but not nearly as much as Kaiba's words. As Ryou continued to work, Honda thought deeply about the conversation he had had with the man only a few short hours ago. Before he could stop himself, he asked aloud, "Do you think I'm selfish?"
Ryou looked up, his brow knit together, "Pardon? No. I do not think that at all, Honda. Why do you ask?"
Honda sighed in relief. Ryou pulled away with cotton ball and began using a cloth to clean the caked on blood. He shrugged, "No reason. I just can't shake the feeling like I'm-"
"Did you know..." Ryou interrupted, "That when I was a young teen, I got in a fight with my father. 'I am grown up now, Father!' I had said, 'Stop treating me like a child!'" Ryou chuckled at the memory. His face quickly grew serious and he mumbled, "Sometimes, I would give anything to be a child again. Life can get too complicated too fast." He placed gauze on the clean cuts, "After the fight with my father, he had sent me to my room until I had calmed down. I remember sitting there and sulking. I know it was because I had spoken out of turn but all I had wanted was to be responsible for my own life." he wrapped bandage around Honda's leg as he smiled softly, "Even if it meant acting selfishly, I wanted my life to be mine. Do you understand what I mean?"
Honda nodded. He didn't think Ryou's story about teenage tantrums was anything like what he was going through. Still, he appreciated the effort. He looked down at his cleaned up leg and said, "Thanks, Ryou."
"Of course." He replied, slowly standing. He frowned and reached for Honda's hand. He examined Honda's thumb, "Looks like we have to wrap this up too. Goodness, Honda, did you want to lose it?"
Honda smiled sheepishly, "When I get stressed, I bite it."
"Stressed?" Ryou asked. He paused from cleaning the blood from Honda's wrist, "Did something happen?"
Honda pursed his lips, realizing he said too much. He shook his head and stood from the chair. He pulled his hand away from Ryou and stretched, "I'm gonna get some sleep. Thanks again, Man." and he left the kitchen with perhaps too swift a stride.
He didn't stop until he reached his bedroom door. Gingerly, he opened the door and slid inside. He found himself smiling as he saw Otogi balled up under the covers. The early morning light peeped through the windows and made his raven hair shine. Honda skillfully undressed and slipped under the blankets. It was so warm compared to the chilly rain that he'd be exposed to all night.
His presence stirred Otogi out of his dreams. The pile of blankets shifted to face Honda. One green eye squinted open, "H-honda?" he held back a yawn, "Did you just get home?" his voice was thick with sleep but it still carried the tone of surprise.
"Yeah." Honda's voice was soft. He leaned over to kiss Otogi's forehead, "Go back to sleep."
Otogi nodded sleepily and scooted over to Honda's awaiting arms. Though, as he went to wrap one of his legs around Honda, he felt the bandage against his bare skin. Suddenly very awake, he peered under the covers, "What is that? Are you hurt? Honda!" he sat up straight, looking horrified.
"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Honda protested, "Ryou took care of it!"
Otogi huffed, clutching onto the fluffy down duvet. He paused before smiling sweetly and nuzzled Honda in the chest, "Okay."
Subconsciously, Honda draped an arm over Otogi and laid beside him. He brushed away stray strands of hair away from his face. The heavy bass that had pounded in his ears all night was calming down and Honda was feeling the weight of his eyelids. He allowed himself to sink into the pillows and finally fall asleep.
It wasn't until after noon that Honda awoke. Naturally, the other side of the bed was empty. He sat up, wincing at how stiff his leg felt. He hobbled out of bed, threw a shirt over his head, and advanced into the hallway.
The shower was running in the bathroom across from his room. Honda had the urge to pee so he knocked and poked his head in, "Uh hello?" He was hoping it was Otogi. After living together for so long, they had become accustom to sharing the bathroom at the same time.
However, as Honda walked towards the toilet, he noticed there was a cat curled up on the seat. He gasped, his eyes darting from Ruby to the shower and back again. He couldn't swallow the lump that was in his throat and he thought his heart was going to jump out of the window.
The sound of the water stopping caused a shock through Honda's system. He raced for the door, but as his fingers grazed the handle, he heard the voice.
"You really need to stop spying on me, Honda. I'm going to get violent."
Honda kept his face turned away from the naked Bakura that stood before him. His face was scarlet, "I-I'm sorry! I had to piss!" he declared a little too loudly.
"So?" Bakura asked, rubbing his hair dry with a towel, "In Egypt, grown men took shits in the middle of the marketplace while reading the paper. Do what you must." he shrugged and took a moment to wipe his face dry.
Even with an invitation, the idea of being so exposed in front of Bakura terrified Honda and he didn't think he would be able to relieve himself anyway. Instead he cleared his throat and said, "I can wait." He still wasn't looking in Bakura's direction.
Bakura chuckled darkly, "You're such a bashful little miss." He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over toward the sink, "I think Ryou has thicker skin than you." He located his toothbrush and smeared paste on the bristles.
Honda frowned, "Hey! T-that's not fair! I can do it." He approached the toilet with reckless courage. Ruby gracefully leaped off the seat, curling up in the pile of Bakura's discarded clothing instead. Honda lifted the seat, pulled himself out from his underwear, and stood very still with his face scrunched up in total concentration.
Bakura paused with the toothbrush still in his mouth but his hands rested on his hips. He smirked as he watched Honda break a sweat. It felt like years had gone by until they both heard tiny trickles hit the water in the bowl.
Bakura nearly choked on his toothbrush in an attempt to not laugh. He pulled it from his mouth and spit out the foam while Honda relearned how to breathe. Bakura's dark eyes filled with tears as he laughed wholeheartedly. He pat Honda on the back and said, "Alright! Alright! I'll go!" he gasped for air, "I'd say we're even now." he opened the door and turned to snort at Honda's back, "You're a riot, Honda. I'll give you that." and he closed the door behind him, still sniggering.
Honda hung his head and exhaled loudly. He finished his business and made sure to wash his hands. After a quick teeth brushing, he also turned to depart from the washroom only to find that Ruby was looking up at him from her nest on the floor. Her tail flopped in lazy acknowledgment. Honda frowned, "What are you looking at?" he puffed out his chest and ventured out into the hallway. If there was one thing about Honda, he was able to take punishment in stride.
A/N: LOL I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. I know it was mostly centered around Bakura x Ryou and interaction between Bakura and Honda but I needed to break up all the tension with some humor and citrus. Besides, it wouldn't be Honda if he wasn't awkward and blundering. I hope you enjoyed it!