Author Notes: For the sake of clarity, I just wanted to tell you that this does not happen on the same day that the previous chapter ended on. It happens later. Don't ask me how much later, because I don't know yet. ^_^'
After work, Duke went to the grocery store to buy a few things he needed. When he came home, took off his coat, and toed off his shoes at the front door, he turned towards the living area and saw something that made him stop in his tracks. Ryou was laying face-down on the couch, his face buried in a throw pillow to muffle his sobs as he cried. Duke bit his lip anxiously, unsure of what he ought to do or say. He set the grocery bag on the floor as quietly as the cellophane would allow him to, then walked over to the couch. He perched on the edge, by Ryou's side, turning a little to face his friend as he placed his hand on Ryou's upper back and took a deep breath.
"Let me guess, you just found out that Bella picks Edward?"
Ryou's sounds increased, but Duke couldn't tell if he'd made him laugh or just cry harder.
"I know, it's terrible," Duke lamented, shaking his head sadly. "Team Jacob all the way."
Ryou lifted his head, supporting himself on his forearms, and this time his weak, teary laugh was easily identifiable. It made Duke smile a little, and he shifted off the couch so that he could kneel on the floor and face Ryou directly.
"What's wrong, Ry?"
His flatmate heaved a heavy sigh. "Just... too many bad things happening on one day. It would take too long to explain it all." He started wiping his cheeks with his hands, which only succeeded in spreading his tears. "Not even important things, just..." He trailed off, looking like he was going to start crying again.
"If it bothered you, then it's important," Duke said, giving Ryou a little smile. "You don't have to tell me, but if you want to talk, I'm right here. Is there anything I can do?"
Ryou shrugged weakly as he rubbed his puffy eyes, unable to think of anything that could make him feel better.
Duke thought for a moment, then gently asked, "Would a hug help?"
With a slight smile, Ryou nodded and started to sit up. Duke stood and sat beside Ryou, just as he was starting to sit up fully. Duke put his arms around Ryou and pulled him back down, though, letting him lay against Duke's chest as the dark-haired teen lifted his legs onto the couch too and let them run parallel to Ryou's. Duke tugged the throw-blanket off the back of the couch and haphazardly spread it out over them, then put his arms around Ryou again, rubbing his back as Ryou tried to calm himself down.
Duke had to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying things better left unsaid. He was tempted to come out this very second and love Ryou, if only to ease Ryou's grieved heart and troubled mind and give him a reason to smile. It wasn't the right time to do that, though, and there was always the chance that his proclamation would upset his friend and do more harm than good. So for now, Duke just held him and offered what assurance he could with his presence alone. Ryou's sobbing had ceased, but he still stayed where he was, laying on Duke with his hands tentatively resting on his friend's ribs, his cheek pressed against the soft black fabric concealing Duke's chest. He attempted to breathe deeply, but it sounded more like a shuddering gasp.
"It's going to be okay," Duke murmured, fighting the urge to kiss the top of Ryou's head where his fluffy white hair was mussed and still smelling like his fragrant shampoo. What was the scent called again? Dusk? Moonlight something? They'd lived together long enough for Duke to know that Ryou tended to pick up a new brand of shampoo each time he ran out, just out of curiosity, but he hoped that Ryou bought this one again.
"I know, it's just..." Ryou's eyes watered again, and he pressed closer to Duke. "It was just one of those days, you know?" he whispered. "One of those days when all I can think of is everything I've ever done wrong and every mistake I never wanted to remember, and nothing seems to go right, and no matter what I do, I can't seem to forget, and everything I say is wrong and all I do is screw up." He squeezed his eyes shut, and twin tears escaped down his cheeks, only to be absorbed by Duke's shirt.
"No, I don't know," Duke answered slowly, horrified by the notion that Ryou had days like that on a regular basis. It sounded like torture. Was that what it felt like to be depressed? No wonder Ryou had days when he struggled to smile.
He slid his arms around Ryou again, hugging him tightly and lifting him up a bit as he pressed his cheek into Ryou's hair. To make their position more comfortable, Duke adjust his legs, slipping one between Ryou's so that their bodies were no longer awkwardly angled.
Duke could feel Ryou's rapid heart through his chest.
They didn't talk for a long time, just cuddled on the couch as the apartment turned blue with the light of dusk. Soon, it was dark, and Duke was tempted to get up and turn the lights on, but he didn't want to move away until Ryou did. He wanted to stay like this for as long as Ryou let him. He rubbed little circles with his thumbs over Ryou's back and sides through the fuzz of the blanket. At some point, Ryou's toes got cold and he pressed his sock-covered feet into the crack between the couch cushions. When Duke noticed this, he used his own feet to pull the blanket down over their lowest extremities.
"No one's ever called me Ry before."
Duke opened his eyes and looked down at his friend with a smile.
"I just don't get nicknames."
"Am I allowed to call you that again?"
Ryou lifted his head and smiled. "I think I would like that."
Duke smiled back, and Ryou settled down against him once more. After a little while he asked, "Are you hungry?"
No answer. Ryou had fallen asleep. Duke shimmied a little lower on the couch so that he was no longer propped against the arm-rest and was lying flat. Laying together like that, Duke dozed off for a bit too. Duke woke up a couple hours later, the room completely dark, but Ryou was still asleep, his head lolling against Duke's shoulder with his pale face upturned. Duke wanted nothing more in that moment than to caress that angelic face and kiss Ryou into wakefulness. By some miracle of willpower, he managed not to.
"Ryou, wake up. It's getting dark." Duke nudged his friend gently and called his name again, then Ryou started to stir. "Wake up, sleepyhead."
"What time is it?" His voice was thick with sleep as he lifted his head to look around and take in the change in lighting.
"After nine, I'd guess."
"Ach, I'm so sorry. I'm sure you had more important thi—"
"No, Ryou," Duke interrupted, lifting a hand to Ryou's cheek and stopping him short. "You're more important than any mere thing."
"Thank you," the Brit murmured, unsure of what else he should say.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not... really," Ryou murmured, stiff as Duke's hand remained on his cheek.
"I'm going to make you food anyways." Duke dropped his hand and started to shift, so Ryou rolled off of him, falling onto his back on the couch as Duke started turning on the lights. "How do Hot Pockets sound?"
"That sounds great." Ryou smiled; he loved Hot Pockets, and had probably eaten too many of them back in high school. Then again, having frozen meals on hand was quite convenient; sometimes he'd have fresher food on hand, and then he'd wake up without knowing how much time had passed, and they'd gone bad. After a while, he'd given up and settled on frozen meals, canned soups, and Ramen noodles.
"Did you get all of your homework done before I came home?"
"I got a lot of it done. I'll have time to finish it tomorrow morning, if I work fast and if I work for an hour or two tonight."
"I think you should just go to bed now, actually. You're clearly exhausted, and I don't think you'll be able to get much done even if you try."
Ryou hummed a sigh, rubbing his eyes and dropping his face onto the back of the couch, wanting to look away from the bright lights.
"I'm far more concerned about your health than I am about your grades, Ry." Duke glanced back at Ryou with serious eyes just before the microwave beeped. "You should be too."
"Sorry I'm late," Ryou said as he sat down across from Kaiba, sounding rushed and unhappy. "I had to take care of some things, and it took longer than expected."
"I understand." Kaiba sipped his coffee calmly as Ryou, still looking frazzled, set down his tea and tried to mentally collect himself. After a moment, though, he seemed to give up on the idea and instead dropped his head to the table. He still had one hand on his cup, mostly to keep it from colliding with his head, and let out a low groan.
"Why do you get the same tea each time?" Seto asked curiously, graciously refusing to comment on Ryou's posture.
"Because I know that I like it," Ryou answered, voice muffled, then lifted his head a few moments later and propped his chin in his hand, gazing down at the steaming cup he still held. "And if I know I like it, why try something different and risk disliking something new?"
"They say there's no gain without risk," Kaiba commented nonchalantly.
"I've never understood that," Ryou grumbled, rubbing at his eyes for a moment before resuming his previous pose. "You see it on TV or in movies, when someone's trying to move on after a breakup or something, and their friend tells them that, of course they might be dumped again, or it might not work out with whatever new person they find, but that risk is necessary for them to find that happiness they used to have. And somehow, that makes the person so motivated to go out and try again, but I don't know how that's at all comforting or encouraging. If they tried the first time, and it hurt them instead of helping them, and they try again, and they still get hurt, why should they keep trying? They never really justify the risked pain, and I have yet to hear anyone give a decent explanation of it! I'm sorry, now I'm just ranting." Ryou sighed and let his eyelids droop; it was so hard to keep his eyes open. "I'm so tired."
"One moment." Kaiba abandoned his own coffee at the table and went back to the counter, while Ryou let his eyes rest for a few moments. The sound of something slamming onto the table made him open his eyes again. Kaiba slid the new cup across the table and let it sit in front of Ryou as he sat down again.
"Um, what is it?" The college student blinked in confusion.
"Coffee. You need it." Kaiba sipped his own coffee and watched Ryou curiously, wondering if he'd accept the highly caffeinated beverage.
"I-I don't really drink coffee," Ryou said hesitantly, wrapping both hands around the hot cup anyways. "Thank you, though."
It was a small, which Kaiba had gotten more out of consideration than stinginess. Ryou already had tea, after all. He didn't want him to be walking back to classes with two unfinished drinks.
"If you're tired, then you should drink it."
"I don't know..." Ryou continued to hesitate, biting his lip nervously. "I tend to get shaky when I have caffeine in large doses. It's worse when I haven't eaten in a while. I did eat lunch, because I have to—I-I'm somewhat hypoglycemic," Ryou explained, feeling a little bit embarrassed, but as usual, Kaiba didn't seem to care either way, and that always made Ryou feel a bit better. "So if I go too long without eating, I might pass out. Besides, if I don't eat lunch, Duke gets mad at me." Ryou smiled a little as he said that, though, so he obviously didn't fear Duke's anger. "Still, I didn't eat too much at lunch, and I'm just worried that..." Ryou chewed on his bottom lip again while Kaiba silently watched him puzzle through the problem out loud.
"What do you have to lose?" the executive asked smoothly while the college student struggled to sort his own thoughts.
Brown eyes flicked up to meet blue, and after a few blinks, Ryou looked down again and took a tentative sip of coffee.
Later that evening, Seto received a text from a numbered that wasn't registered in his contacts. He was tempted to delete it before reading it, but out of curiosity, read it anyways:
Kaiba, this is Duke. Next time you give my roommate coffee, I'm going to your house and giving Mokuba a double shot of espresso.
What do you have against coffee? Seto texted back, intrigued.
I have nothing against coffee, but you're not the one handling Ryou on caffeine.
Is he really that bad?
You have no idea. O_O He's wilder than a sugar-loaded ten-year old.
Seto allowed himself a small chuckle as he looked at his phone, finding it impossible to imagine Ryou Bakura as anything but tame and demure, then added Duke to his contacts. He was putting his phone down again when he received another text.
He's going to keep me up half the night. Maybe I'll decide to return the favor so you know how it feels.
Are you suggesting doping my brother with caffeine regardless of a repeated coffee incident, or are you suggesting keeping ME up half the night?
I'm sure we'd both enjoy the latter far more.
I'm free when you are.
Next Thursday?
Be at my house at 10.
Wouldn't miss it for the world.
"Duke. Duke. Duke. Who are you texting, Duke? Duke. Duke. Duke. Ow!"
Duke looked up from his phone to see that Ryou had hit hit head on the padded armrest of the couch. His socks must have slipped on the fabric while he was jumping on it, acting rather childish, though it was quite amusing. Duke walked over to the couch and leaned down over his roommate, who was rubbing his head where he'd bumped it.
"You called me?" the dark-haired one asked cheekily.
"Hi." Ryou burst into a fit of flushed giggles, and Duke pat his friend's bumped head gently.
"I can't wait until you crash from the high," Duke sighed with a shake of his head. "No more coffee for you, Ry. Next time, just say no."