***Updating this Thursday is impossible, and next Thursday is Thanksgiving. So I've decided to move updates up to Mondays.
Random thoughts about this chapter: Limes and fluff and gay brunch, oh my.***
Ryo squealed in delight when he saw Kurimu.
"Careful, he doesn't like people. He growled at everyone at work, and on the way home, and in the store."
Ryo let the puppy sniff his hand and then started scruffling the top of the Shiba's head. "Aww, you're not half as grouchy as Bakura, are you little puppy? No, you're a little angel."
"Kurimu." Kek said, somehow not surprised that Kurimu accepted Ryo without question. That seemed right somehow.
"Huh?"
"I named him Kurimu . . . Ryo, is it okay?"
Ryo looked up at Kek, still fussing with the puppy. "I should tell you no. I should tell you it's too much responsibility, and the pet deposit is too expensive, and that I won't have time to help you walk him, but..." Ryo sang the "but" like it was a magical incantation. "I only have so much willpower, and right now it's being used up each night when I kiss you while keeping my clothes on, so let's just keep the puppy and have ice cream for dessert tonight."
Kek wrapped one arm around Ryo; his other arm held Kurimu. Kek kissed Ryo's lips and grinned. "Good, because I already bought him food and toys."
They took Kurimu to the park that evening for one last bathroom break and spent a good deal of the night playing tug-o-war with him in their living room. When it was time to go to sleep, Kek shared his bed with the puppy. Kurimu curled on his chest more like a cat than a dog. Kek's fingers strayed over the soft fur; he felt calm and thoughtful. He didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until a warm tongue against his cheek woke him up.
"No," Kek muttered and turned over.
The only reward for his efforts was a nip and then Kek remembered he had a puppy who probably needed to use the bathroom. Kek stretched and groaned and scratched his head.
"Yeah, yeah." He patted Kurimu's head and stumbled to the light switch. He glanced at the clock. "Six a.m.? Really? I'm leaving you at the park."
He walked the dog and stopped by a bakery on the way home for a cup of steaming hot coffee and a couple of pastries. Coffee was still his favorite flavor, and he yearned to taste it fully as he sipped from his cup. He left one of the two pastries on the table for Ryo to find before his morning math final and let Kurimu explore the living room while Kek went to take a shower. Ryo had to throw away almost everything he owned after Zorc trashed his apartment, but Marik had insisted – despite Ryo's myriad, polite refusals – on replacing everything, since he was the one that caused the tear to begin with. It was inappropriate, how well they all got along, how often they found excuses to play games as a group or continue their never-ending Naruto marathon.
The second and third mornings went the same. Kek would work throughout the day, come home, walk Kurimu again, and return to Ryo making dinner. Then in the evening, they both went on a final walk before they returned home to play games or watch t.v. (which usually involved little t.v. watching and more making-out) until it was time for bed.
On the third night, Kek lay hidden under his comforter and curled up beside Kurimu when a strange realization stole through his thoughts.
He loved the little cream and white puppy.
It was odd . . . to accept it, but no less true if he accepted it or not. Kek really thought, when he took Kurimu home the first day, that he'd somehow fuck up and end up killing the dog. Kek was a monster, after all, or at least still thought of himself that way. A dark spirit of violence possessing a doll. He touched the last few centimeters of string sewing his body closed. He thought he'd be human by this point. Everything changed so fast at the beginning, but the last stages seemed impossible to reach. He thought the banishing ritual would get rid of some of the thread, or at least getting along with his co-workers, but nothing seemed to change the last length of thread into blood and flesh.
Nevertheless, Kek felt like more of a person now than he had that first night. No length of string or dulling of his senses could rob him of that, and Kurimu proved an important point. If he loved the dog, he, Kek, himself, then his emotions weren't mere magic-induced projections from Ryo. Ryo didn't wake up in the morning to walk Kurimu, nor did he feed him. Knowing Ryo he already did love the little Shiba - there wasn't much in the world it seemed Ryo didn't love, but Kurimu was undeniably Kek's puppy. He slept on or by Kek every night. He only let Kek touch him that first day at Death-T while he growled at everyone else.
Until that moment, Kek still feared his feelings toward Ryo weren't his own. Were they Ryo's affections reflected back on him? Was it subconscious echos of Marik's feelings towards Bakura manifesting themselves in Kek's consciousness? Was his longing for a mother or other family the same? Just an echo from Marik? How could he know? How could he know what was his and what was leftover from others? He had nothing to compare it to.
Perhaps Ryo had put a spark in Kek when he made him, but what Kek did with that initial light was his and his alone.
Now that he knew, knew and understood love, his chest hurt. Kek crept out of bed, trying not to wake the puppy and went to the bathroom. He'd realized his emotions all at once.
They were his emotions. He felt them on his own and not because of magic. He loved his puppy. He loved Ryo. Marik was his brother. Bakura was his friend, despite the fact that they never said a single nice thing to each other.
He realized his emotions all at once, so the last section of string bled all at once, all the way to the top.
He was used to cleaning and bandaging his own cut at this point, so it wasn't difficult to doctor the last section of thread-now-wound, but something else hurt in his chest. Even after he'd stopped the bleeding he stood, leaning against the counter with his free hand pressed over his lungs.
After what felt like a life time of agony, Kek felt something stir in his chest. It was similar to the feeling of one's heart skipping a beat, only for Kek, it was his heart's first beat.
A single thump and silence.
After a moment, another thump.
A shorter pause before a third.
Kek gasped for air, eyes closed, his mouth stuck between gritting his teeth in pain and grinning from joy.
He kept his hand on his chest, feeling the steady, living rhythm. His heart. He was alive. Perhaps he'd really become human before that. Perhaps he'd been human since that night they sat in Marik's kitchen and Bakura teased him for his body language, but now he was alive to match his humanity, and now he knew the difference between magic and emotions, and he had both.
He pushed himself away from the counter and ran to Ryo's bedroom, too excited to wait until morning. Kek wanted Ryo to feel the heart dancing in his chest.
"Hey Ryo, guess what? I—" Kek looked away as soon as he saw Ryo, naked and spread open wide like a white lotus. "Sorry, uh, sorry. I should have knocked."
Ryo let go of himself and yanked the covers over his naked body, face red as fresh-peeled beets.
"I – I should have knocked," Kek repeated. His new-found heart beat fluttered in him as if it had sprung wings. Not just from the surprise, or the embarrassment, but because his mind wanted to replay the three seconds of what he saw in a continuous loop.
"Kek? Are you okay? You have more bandages," Ryo asked in a breathless voice as he hid under his blanket to cover himself.
Kek reached behind his back to find the doorknob so he could leave Ryo alone, but since he refused to look up, he couldn't find it. "Yeah, I do, but I got it bandaged myself, so I'll leave you alone."
"Um, Kek?"
"I'll knock next time."
"Do . . . do you want to help me?"
All the air rushed out of Kek's lungs. He swallowed a moan before it could embarrass him. Licking his lips, Kek managed a nod. "Damn right I do." Kek rushed the bed and jumped. He regretted it as soon as he landed and felt the tug on his bandages and stitches.
"Kek, be careful!"
He ignored the pain and grabbed Ryo's hand, pressing it against his bare chest. "This is why I barged in."
Ryo's eyes brightened and a smile covered his face. "Your heart's beating."
"Yeah, I'm alive now."
"That's fantastic. We should tell the others."
Kek grabbed Ryo's shoulders so that Ryo couldn't move. "We can tell them in the morning."
Ryo's face physically couldn't get more red, otherwise Kek suspected Ryo would have blushed more. "That's right, I did say that once you were completely changed over that we'd . . . we'd . . ." he looked at Kek, brown eyes eager and a little lost. "Is that what you want?"
Kek shook his head. He drew his mouth close to Ryo's.
A strangled breath chocked out of Ryo's mouth, and it reminded Kek of when he throttled Ryo. The memory hurt him. He reached down and kissed Ryo's throat. The bruises healed, but Kek still felt bad for having caused them. Ryo moaned as Kek's lips traveled across his throat. He eased back into his mattress and pillows, shifting the cover down so Kek could see the entity of white that was Ryo's body.
Kek smiled at the sight and allowed his kisses to wander lower, over new areas never before experienced by his lips - chest, nipples, navel, hip bones. Each new area kissed made Ryo cry out in a delightful way that had Kek near busting out of his sweat pants. He'd never realized how soft Ryo's skin felt against his lips until that moment, never realized how good Ryo smelled, or how the salt tasted off his body. Kek lost himself in sensation, savoring each new experience.
Then, slender white fingers worked against the knot on the drawstring of his pants, swift, deft, and fervent. Seconds later, Kek found himself naked in Ryo's lap. They grabbed each other, their groans loud and desperate in their ears. Ryo felt good in his hand, hard and thick, and Kek was relieved that he'd been experimenting in the shower so that he didn't feel like a complete novice. This moment would have been inconceivable in his mind during Battle City, but now it was all he wanted.
They tried to kiss, but they breathed too hard through their mouths and only managed to moan at each other between faint brushes of their lips. Kek knew he should lay down, spread himself wide so Ryo could do more than touch him, but the moment felt too good, Ryo's hand slipping up and down Kek's shaft felt too good, and Kek couldn't move, or stop, or vocalize a single damn thought. Instead, he rocked gently in Ryo's lap until Ryo called out with a sharp, wonderful cry and spilled sticky heat over Kek's hand.
Acting on instinct, Kek licked the mess off of his fingers. He smiled when he noticed the hazy, aroused stare on Ryo's face as he watched Kek's tongue work. Ryo's hand kept a steady rhythm. Kek moved faster in Ryo's lap, bucking his hips and leaning back until he felt Ra's holy flames consuming his entire body in fire.
He crumpled against Ryo's chest when it was over. Ryo leaned into him in return and they sat there, supporting each other as their breathing slowed.
"You're heart's definitely beating now," Ryo cooed into Kek's shoulder. "I can feel it thumping against my chest."
"Can I stay the night?" Kek asked. "I want to stay like this."
Ryo nodded, nuzzling Kek's shoulder.
"Um . . ." Kek tried to do his best I'm-too-cute-for-you-to-say-no-to-me look. "Can I get Kurimu?"
Ryo giggled. "You big teddy bear."
Kek kissed the side of Ryo's neck. "Please?"
Ryo laughed harder. "That tickles. Stop manipulating me and go get your puppy."
Kek thanked Ryo with a soft bite where he'd been kissing, then Kek went to the bathroom to clean up before he carried the Shiba pup from his room to Ryo's. Kurimu whimpered a moment, but when he realized they were going back to sleep, he accepted the new environment without further complaint. Ryo's bed was warm, his mattress a little softer than the bed in the guest room. Kek started dozing the moment all three of them settled.
As he lay in Ryo's bed, with Kurimu snuggled on his left and Ryo on his right, he couldn't stop himself from whispering. "Ryo?"
"Yeah?" Ryo murmured, more asleep than awake.
"I know for sure now. I thought I did the first week, but now I know for sure."
"Know what, Kek?"
"That I love you."
Kek opened his eyes a crack so he could see the surprise on Ryo's face. For a moment, Kek feared Ryo would look away, reject him somehow, but Ryo's face softened and he smiled. "Good, because I love you, too."
Ryo didn't wake up when Kek slipped out of bed to walk Kurimu, but he noticed when they crawled back under the covers. More asleep than awake, Ryo turned towards them so he could press himself against Kek's cold body and warm him. A little, content moan slipped out of Kek's mouth and Ryo smiled before drifting fully back to sleep.
When he opened his eyes again, sunlight struck the walls and furniture in the room, gilding everything. Ryo yawned and stretched, feeling incredible. He'd almost died of embarrassment when Kek busted through his bedroom door the night before, but when he saw the rest of Kek's chest bandaged up, Ryo was too happy for him to kick him out. Ryo had been willing to go as far as Kek wanted. He had, in fact, fantasized about doing much more to Kek as he stroked himself before Kek interrupted. Yet once they had their hands on each other, Ryo became stuck in the pleasure of the moment and couldn't bring himself to stop long enough to do anything else.
Ryo shifted to a sitting position and glanced at Kek. He gasped when he looked at Kek's face. The difference between doll and human was subtle, but made a stark difference in Kek's appearance. Kek lay curled at an awkward angle to avoid Kurimu, his hair sprayed out around his features in a fountain of sun-spun gold. His face glowed with serene contentment, a Pre-Raphealite painting living and breathing in Ryo's bed. Spellbound, Ryo leaned over and stole a kiss from Kek's ruddy lips.
Kek kissed back, waking up as he did. "Ryo?" He blinked.
"Good morning, Kek."
"Will you make coffee? I want to taste it."
"Yes." Ryo grinned. "Yes. I'll make whatever you want. Are you off today?"
Kek nodded.
"What do you want for breakfast?"
"Uh, something that goes with coffee?"
Ryo laughed and kissed the corner of Kek's mouth. "Okay. I'll think of something."
Ryo started tossing ingredients into a bowl. He wanted to make coffee cake, and then had an idea. He grabbed his phone and texted Bakura.
"Go to the store and buy me a pint of blueberries and I'll share the amazing breakfast I'm about to cook."
He was pulling eggs, cheese, spinach, and mushrooms out of the fridge for omelets when Bakura texted him back.
"You and your fucking fetch quests!"
"Hey, you keep saying this is the most boring RPG ever. You should expect infinite fetch quests."
"I'm only doing this because I'm sick of toast for breakfast."
"Thanks!"
Ryo put up his phone and heated a wok in which to cook his omelets. Kek stumbled into the kitchen once the smell of coffee started drifting throughout the apartment. Ryo poured him a cup and set it on the table in front of Kek's favorite chair.
"I told Bakura and Marik they could come over if they brought blueberries."
Kek smirked. "You just wanted to play Monster World."
Ryo shrugged. "And make you a blueberry coffeecake."
A strange, happy, look replaced the smirk on Kek's face. "Thanks."
When Marik and Bakura walked into the kitchen, Kurimu attacked Bakura's pant leg, trying to goad Bakura into a game of tug-o-war. Bakura tried growling at the Shiba pup, but Kurimu growled in return, thinking it part of the game.
"Don't drop the blueberries playing with the puppy, Bakura." Ryo took the bag from Bakura's hand, but otherwise offered no help.
"Make this thing go away."
"But he loves you." Marik snickered, going into the kitchen to steal a cup of coffee. He looked around the kitchen, and then at Ryo. "So . . . still no problems?"
Ryo finished folding the last omelet before he answered. "Nope. Everything's been great here. We really got rid of him."
Marik sighed, visibly relieved. Kirimu finally gave up on getting Bakura to play and ran off to find Kek. Ryo mixed the batter and folded in the blueberries. "Are your finals over?"
Marik nodded drinking from his cup.
"So, have you talked to Ishizu yet?"
Marik winced. "Yeah, I was able to convince her to postpone her visit until summer breaks."
"Wow, how? I can't imagine her being willing to give up a visit."
"It wasn't easy. She's been having nightmares about Zorc." Marik sighed. "Which I'm sure is my fault. She had the Necklace, after all. Even without it, she's very intuitive. I had to mention I was living with someone to get her to agree to visit after next semester."
"Does she know who?"
Marik shook her head. "I tried hinting, the best I could, that it wasn't a girl. I figured I shouldn't shock her with everything all at once. At least this way, she can get used to the thought of me being gay before she has to handle the fact that our other halves are back."
Ryo gave Marik a sympathetic nod. "Yes. That's probably best. Bakura and Kek will be a shock to her. What about Rishid?"
Marik looked sheepish. "I didn't have to tell him much. He figured it out on his own. I guess Ishizu's nightmares plus my news was all he needed to know more or less what happened."
Kek, who'd gone back to his room for a top when the others showed up, walked back into the kitchen with Kurimu snuggled in his hoodie similar to Kiba and Akamaru.
Marik blinked when he saw Kek. "You're . . . different."
Kek grinned. "I'm me."
"What? Did Ryo finally sleep with you?" Bakura snickered from behind them.
"Bakura," Ryo scolded. "That's not how humanity or magic work."
Bakura only laughed and sat down at his spot next to Marik. This wasn't the first time they'd all had breakfast at Ryou's since the banishing ritual. In fact, as Ryo served breakfast, he realized they'd turned Sunday brunch into an accidental habit. They each had their own spot at the table. They even used the same mugs each week. Monster World followed and then they'd watch Naruto before Marik and Bakura went back to their own apartment. The former partners in crime still argued non-stop, but Ryo hardly noticed anymore. It became a background noise, as endearing as Kek talking to Kurimu and the little Shiba yipping out a reply.
Ryo smiled, drinking hot tea and eating his omelet as the smell of baking coffeecake overpowered his tiny apartment kitchen. As he watched Marik, Bakura, Kek, and Kurimu – trash talking and bantering over their breakfast as they passed the coffee pot or sugar canister across the table to each other – Ryo couldn't help but think that if they were in a story, that this would be the perfect spot for a happy ending.
***AN: Don't tell me how to do my job, Ryo! I'll end the story with lemons, not coffeecake. Speaking of lemons – next chapter – Deathshipping lemon – finally. Bugger plot (actually, important plot-like things happen in the next chapter as well).***