"So Bakura? You really bought all the factories in the area to promote your new campaign on labor unions?" the reporter questioned excitedly.
"Wait for it," Bakura advised.
Ryou leaned into Bakura's chest, hands up over his mouth in anticipation. "Oh, I can't," he promised.
The Bakura on the television grimaced into the camera, barred his teeth and said, "Yes."
Ryou fell off his moth-eaten couch onto his crusty carpet in his hysterics, arms holding in his exploding sides.
Bakura scowled. "This is ridiculous. Now the world thinks I'm idiotic."
"What else were you- going to say- to them?" Ryou asked smartly, giggles impeding his speech. "The truth?"
"How about you blackmailed me?" Bakura suggested grimly.
Ryou got control of his breathing again, peering up at the gloomy rock star that leered at him. "But now your fans love you," Ryou pointed out positively. "And the government hates you, which makes your fans love you even more. Because you're creative, irrational and 'fighting the power'." Ryou giggled again.
Bakura's lip curled cruelly. "I think I liked you better when you were mopey."
"Then you would be mopey," Ryou countered simply.
Bakura scoffed. "You wish." Even though he knew it was true.
Ryou crawled back onto the couch, next to his contemptuous boyfriend. Bakura casually hooked an arm around Ryou's neck and dragged the teenage boy's down to the rock star's lap. It was a rough sort of affection.
"Ishizu's not going to kill you anymore because you got the band lots of neat publicity," Ryou added, head nestled comfortably on Bakura's folded legs.
Bakura's calloused fingers clawed through Ryou's hair distractedly and grunted to show that he was at least pretending to listen.
"You really didn't lose anything from this," Ryou concluded.
"Yes. Nothing, except my dignity."
Ryou shrugged carelessly. "That can always grow back."
The two sat like that in Ryou's dinky apartment for a while. Ryou staring up from the rock star's lap. Bakura's stiff face turned away as he mindlessly tangled Ryou's locks.
"Ryou," Bakura grunted.
Ryou made a noise.
"I want you to quit your job," Bakura ordered.
Ryou made a face and rolled his head away. "I can't do that."
"You hate it," Bakura stated. "It takes up all of your time. You're always busy."
Ryou pressed his teeth together, his expression no longer relaxed.
Bakura extracted his hands from Ryou's knotted white hair and then looked down fiercely at the teenager's turned face. "You don't need it."
"Yes, I do," Ryou retorted, words hard.
"What? Because of money? I have money," Bakura questioned.
"I'm not taking your money, Bakura," Ryou refused, eyes closing.
"You shouldn't be working for it either."
"I have no choice," Ryou said.
"Yeah, just cause your dammed father won't support you anymore?" Bakura cursed unkindly.
Then Ryou sat up so fast, Bakura had to jump so that their foreheads wouldn't collide.
"Fuck HELL, Ryou!" Bakura cursed loudly, falling back against the couch.
"Who told you?" Ryou demanded.
"Jesus-fuck! Warn people when you decide to freak out," Bakura grumbled sourly.
Ryou grabbed the front of Bakura's shirt in urgency, his brown eyes wide. "Who told you? Yugi? Or Atemu?"
Normally Bakura would have been all too enthusiastic to have Ryou grab his shirt like that, but the effect was ruined by the mad irrationality in Ryou's pale expression.
Bakura, perhaps a little too strongly, shoved Ryou's hands away. "I looked. Money is public record. Leaves tracks when it moves and doesn't leave tracks when it doesn't."
Ryou's shoulders slumped a little. "Oh." Then, as though this were obvious, he started nodding slowly.
Bakura frowned. "What?"
Ryou tried to run a hand through his hair but failed because the tangles Bakura had created were still there. "Why would you look at my financial records?"
Bakura's glare turned to the blank television screen. "They were there and they were yours." This seemed to be a satisfactory enough reason.
The rock star could feel Ryou's amazed stare. "Oh..."
"Yeah well..." Bakura grumbled lamely. "It's not fair, right? Having to pay for your own life when you're not even out of high school?"
Ryou settled softly back onto Bakura's rigid shoulder, relaxing again. "You do it just fine."
Bakura glowered at his significant other. "It's not the same and you know it," he snapped harshly.
"Right," Ryou admitted, shamefully.
Glare sharpening, Bakura cupped Ryou's chin and directed the head to face him. "You should live with me."
Ryou's eyebrows rose, coolly "Um, no."
"Ah, yes," Bakura snapped.
"No," Ryou persisted and he jerked his head out of Bakura's control.
Bakura scowled. "Why? I would travel the world. You would have food and a bed every day. You'd never have to work again. And you'd be with me."
The muscles in Ryou's throat swallowed. "I can't leave. Even if I quit my job, my school is here, my friends. If my father were to come back he would expect me here."
"Fuck him," Bakura answered. "Fuck school. I want you with me."
Ryou grimaced. Did Bakura know what he was asking? Did he understand that they would see each every day? Did he know how painful it would be if they drifted apart, traveling on the same tour bus? "I can't travel with you, Bakura."
"Why not?" The question was surprisingly brittle and it made Ryou's insides quake. Did Bakura mean it?
Ryou curled himself against Bakura's resistant chest. His body's warmth was very reassuring, like... everything would actually work out.
'I'm being stupid,' Ryou told himself.
"Because I have responsibilities. I need to get an education," Ryou explained to Bakura's chest, his cheek up against Bakura's throbbing heart. "And this apartment is my responsibility to my father, my only family."
Bakura breathed loudly.
Ryou gulped and let the guitarist's musty, spicy scent envelope him. "I can't live with you yet."
"Yet?" Bakura questioned. If his voice hadn't been so shaky Ryou wouldn't have thought anything of it.
Instead, Ryou choked down his uncertainties. "When you come back from your tour, when I graduate high school, if we still... if we're still like this..."
Bakura snatched up Ryou's face again and glared purposely into it. "We will."
Ryou felt the trembles start in his chest and tunnel their way up through his throat.
Bakura frowned. "Now what's this?" he inquired as he released Ryou's head and, with the tip of his finger, he squashed a tear that had suddenly leapt from Ryou's eye.
Ryou sniffed and rubbed his nose. "Nothing."
Bakura lifted one skeptical eyebrow but said nothing. The reality was obvious.
As more nothings fell from Ryou's watery eyes, Bakura leaned forward and kissed him savagely. Ryou, thankful for the distraction and for the pleasure, reacted accordingly. Bakura wasted no time in seizing Ryou's upper arms and forcing his body closer. Ryou opened his mouth meekly and Bakura brutally took swift advantage of his submission.
Shoving the ordinary, not-famous, teenage backwards onto the couch, Bakura scrambled on top of him. The delirious Ryou with wet cheeks laughed as the rock star sat on his hips.
Bakura's upper body crouched over his prey as he consumed Ryou's mouth. Then after a significant amount of teeth teasing and mushed lips, Bakura hissed into Ryou's soft mouth, "You'll get a nicer apartment. One that smells better."
Ryou gasped, collecting air for a response. "No."
Bakura smirked and then snuck downwards to conquer Ryou's neck. "And I'm going to pay for it."
"No..." Ryou whined helplessly and then moaned as Bakura sucked his collar bone until it bruised.
Bakura nipped at Ryou's neck again, catching soft flesh in his teeth. "Don't argue," he commanded.
Ryou's breath hitched into a squeak. "Y-yess..."
Bakura liked that word. It got him excited. Ryou trembled as Bakura felt up under Ryou's shirt, his rough hands scratched Ryou's pale stomach and chest. The shirt was shoved up under Ryou's chin as Bakura licked Ryou's chest.
"And... clothes..." Bakura's mouth was hot on Ryou's skin. "I'll buy you new clothes."
Ryou's head was tilted backwards, harsh breath drying out his mouth. "Y-yeh-ss..."
((18))
"I don't think this was your best idea," Malik admitted, surveying his boyfriend's operation with a critical eye.
Mariku shoved Yugi's head down again; the average teenage boy squeaked. "Posh, this is a brilliant idea!" Malik swore as he put a significant amount of his weight into the next push.
Yugi cried out in pain. It felt like they were trying to force him back into the womb. "I told you, my head won't fit!" He was curled into as tight a ball as he could manage. "Weren't their any bigger boxes?" Yugi inquired, his mouth up against the top of his knees.
"Sure," Mariku admitted, off-handedly. "But they wouldn't have worked as well. It would have been too obvious that a person was inside. Plus the giant bow I got is just the right size." Another push, Yugi made a squashing sound in his throat.
Malik was thoughtful. "Perhaps you should rotate your feet the other way."
Yugi groaned, extricated himself from the cardboard box, turned 180 degrees and then, with only the slightest wince, lowered himself back into the box again.
"You know," Mariku began as he enthusiastically jumped back into position, ready to squish Yugi inside the tiny space, "If you had been naked, like I had suggested, you could have probably fit in the box better."
Malik rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure Atemu would have loved that."
Mariku looked confused. "Why wouldn't he?"
Yugi sighed. Normally he would have never agreed to such a prank. But when Mariku had called him up last weekend and suggested it, Yugi, despite his better judgment, found himself agreeing. Honestly, Yugi wanted to get, at least partly, into Mariku's better opinion, if possible. Malik seemed to like him well enough. Bakura ignored him, which, seeing the guitarist interactions with Anzu and Honda, wasn't so bad.
But getting to know the sadistic drummer was not the only reason Yugi had agreed. There was also the matter of that frightening four letter word to end all other possible four letter combinations.
'Atemu told me he loved me...' this thought repeated itself in Yugi's head daily, knocking itself against the wall of his skull like an unwelcome visitor. Yes, the comment had seemed natural and casual when the rock star had said it, in the midst of conversation, without warning or set up or hints. It had been over the phone. The phone! Who says that over the phone?! Shouldn't it be over flowers or in a Jacuzzi or... alone in a hotel room during a long passionate...
Yugi was glad his face was pressed against his kneecaps.
So why was he in a packing box?
An invisible, underlining sensitivity lurked under Atemu's and his conversation nowadays. Even in the simplest greeting or casual phone call. And it was Yugi's fault. The burning in Yugi's cheeks dropped down to his stomach and gurgled. Nothing, Yugi hoped, in their conversations had changed or the frequency of the calls, but every time the phone rang, Yugi felt the urge to run away. Atemu had not spoken those words again, which meant that he had noticed his boyfriend's hesitation and that made Yugi feel even worse.
So naturally, it was up to him, Yugi, to fix this awkwardness.
There was a scrape of cardboard and Yugi's knees buckled as his whole rib caged jerked downward, clashing against his pelvic bone.
"Complete!" Mariku announced gleefully, examining his crushed and, perhaps future crippled, masterpiece. "Don't you think so, cos-cos?" Mariku inquired cutely.
Malik looked politely anxious. "You ok, Yugi-kun?"
"Fine," I mumbled. "How long did you say Atemu would be?"
"Oh..." Mairku glanced somewhere to the side, "About... say, fifteen minutes."
Yes, definitely cripple. Yugi resisted the impulse to flinch as his legs slid toward dislocation.
Mariku crept to his lover's side. "Malik?"
Malik looked expectantly blank. "What?"
"Would you jump naked out of a present for me?" Mariku questioned insistently.
Malik shrugged. "Sounds more like something you would do."
Mariku roped an arm around Malik's waist. "Now, don't be cruel." Mariku cooed. His other hand snaked down Malik's hip and placed itself mischievously on Malik's thigh. "I'd jump out of a cake for you, if you would prefer..."
Malik's eyebrows rose. "Would you? What kind of icing?"
Mariku growled and snapped his teeth at Malik's neck. "Hmmm...butterscotch."
Unfortunately the two were close enough to the opening of the box that Yugi had a pretty good view of their interaction.
When Mariku had chewed viciously on Malik's lips for a significant amount of time and Yugi could no longer block out the sounds of colliding teeth and sticky tongues, the teenage jam-packed into the box decided to speak up. "Hm.... Guys?"
Malik apologetically shoved Mariku's head away. "Sorry- Yugi-kun-" Malik gasped for air, "We'll- find another room-"
"Fuck..." Mariku murmured deliriously, refusing to let Malik's waist go even as the younger Egyptian leaned down to pick up the top of the box, with the giant bow balancing on top of it. He set the lid in its place and Yugi was left in darkness as the two Egyptians moved to another room; Yugi followed the muffled grunts and the scratching of fingernails on jeans as it drifted out of the room.
Yugi breathed in his own body stink. All that was left now was to wait. What would Atemu think when he found a giant, decorated gift box in the center of his room? Yugi hoped it was something positive.
Minutes passed. Yugi tapped his own temples to block out any sounds that might seep in from whatever room Malik and Mariku reached before they...
The door to the apartment opened.
"In your bedroom!" Atemu, in the next room, screeched at the two Egyptians who had, apparently, only made it through one room. "That's the rules, remember?"
A scuffle of feet and grumbling voices then Yugi's ears caught Mariku's comment, "Oh, yes. Something came for you today. They put it in your room." This was followed by very obvious giggles.
'Very subtle,' Yugi thought as his shriveled stomach filled to bursting with butterflies.
Feet walked down the hallway, then paused. Atemu's bedroom door opened.
Another longer pause. Yugi did not breathe. There was no way he would be able to jump out of his box and shout, "Surprise!" He would be lucky to escape the box at all.
The top was lifted smoothly off and Yugi was exposed.
Atemu's face peered down at his boyfriend, the ceiling lights behind him caused his crown of multi-colored hair to glow. "Yugi?"
Yugi tried to wriggle his skull out of the mess of limbs but failed. "Surprise?"
Atemu tried to help him crawl out of the box. In the end, they had to turn it upside down and allow gravity to assist them.
Yugi rolled out on to the very soft expensive carpet. "Ooooouuuch..."
Atemu attempted to hide his smile with a hand but failed to cover the amusement in his voice. "How long have you been in there?"
Yugi groaned as he flattened his body out on the carpet. He felt his joints blissfully pop back into place and sighed with relief. "Ten minutes...ish..."
Atemu chuckled. "Wow."
Yugi frowned at him. "It was Mariku's idea."
"Mariku's? Ah, well, that does explain it," Atemu agreed playfully.
Yugi shrugged then waited for another conversation topic to surface in his mind. But nothing did. All that came to his poor aching head was, 'Atemu told me he loved me, he told me he loved me...' And their usual, longed for, sweet conversation plummeted. Atemu was just staring down at him, smiling blandly.
'Shit!' Yugi cursed. He could think of nothing! He had just vacuum-packed himself in a cardboard box and they had already lost the conversation!
Yugi panicked as sand filled his gut and accidentally let out a "Uhg..."
Atemu looked confused. "What?"
Yugi panicked again. "Um... uhg. My... um, back hurts, that's all."
"Here." Atemu flipped Yugi over so that he was now lying on his stomach.
Then the rock star began to massage Yugi's back.
"Oh," Yugi said in surprise. Actually, this wasn't a totally awful out come. Yugi's back did hurt a little and... and Atemu had very skillful hands. Yugi pulled his arms forward and crossed them under his head like a pillow. "Hm...."
"Good?" Atemu asked, as he knelt over Yugi's body, the rock star's thumbs targeting his knotted muscles.
"Hmm.... yesyes," Yugi answered happily. Perhaps his answer had been too eager because Atemu chuckled.
Yugi's body relaxed into the carpet, Atemu's hands soothing his muscles...
"You know who usually jumps out of presents...?" Atemu asked in a hushed tone.
The rock star did have very nice hands. Strong hands. "Who?" Yugi inquired.
"Strippers and hookers." And as Atemu spoke the answer, his mouth was suddenly very, very close to Yugi's ear.
Yugi let out a shaky, secretly nervous, laugh.
A pleasant fluzzy sensation was bubbling up under Atemu's fingers. This was very, very nice. The hands worked their way up to Yugi's neck and then down toward...
They kept on sliding down.
The memory of Mariku's hand snaking down to Malik's thigh flashed vividly in Yugi's mind.
His body suddenly got tense again. And hot. And Yugi's breathing increased. And he felt himself molding to Atemu's touch.
Then Yugi noticed he was unintentionally emitting a low hum in his throat. He wondered with a start if Atemu could hear it too.
Atemu's hands were working his lower back... then his lower lower back...
Yugi gasped. 'Oh.... Shit...' He was panicking again.
Atemu felt very close. Yugi wasn't sure if he wanted to be trapped on his stomach for this
So he turned his head to the side and turned to look up at the controller of those masterful hands.
"Um... Atemu...." Yugi mumbled.
The rock star was already leaning over him with those alluring red eyes. The hands left Yugi's back to place themselves on his shoulders.
"Yugi..." Atemu answered playfully as he descended.
The kiss was nice and sweet and it made Yugi warm all over. During that very nice, very long kiss, Atemu pulled Yugi so that he was on lying on his back once again. The rock star leaned over Yugi like a cloud.
'This could be...' Yugi couldn't think of an appropriate adjective, his brain was too fuzzy.
Atemu's strong hands were becoming restless. They inched down Yugi's neck and then traveled down his chest... Yugi shivered with delight and fear.... If this continued... oh god.
Between kisses, Yugi gasped for breath. "Atemu..."
"Hm..." Atemu answered, distractedly.
"I love you."
Their mouths broke apart.
Yugi's face was pink and his eyes squeezed shut to wince so he couldn't see Atemu's face. "Sorry."
Atemu's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What are you sorry about?"
"I..." Panic, panic, Yugi gasped. "I just... I... love you..." Yugi tried again.
'Shit, shit, shit, I've ruined it again!' Yugi cried to himself.
Atemu leaned back on his heels. His expression was pitiful. "Yugi..."
"And I'm sorry that I ruined the moment!" Yugi rambled as his voice got squeaky and he was left cold with his back on the carpet.
"Yugi," Atemu put a finger on Yugi's lips to hush him.
Yugi closed his mouth, embarrassed.
Atemu inhaled. "You don't have to say you love me just cause I did."
"But I want to!" Yugi insisted, too loudly. He scrambled up to his knees so that he could see Atemu's face. "Ever since... we've been awkward and I just want us to be ok again..."
Atemu was looking at his boyfriend peculiarly. "You shouldn't say that to someone just to fix things."
"I'm- I'm not," Yugi asserted.
"Yugi," Atemu began. His tone was sweet... and sad.
"No!" Yugi cried shrilly. "You don't understand. That's not what I meant! I don't want you to think that I just said it because I- cause I didn't!"
Atemu tried to shush him. "Yugi, its ok..."
"I love you!" Yugi proclaimed again, his voice desperate. "I tried to set up the mood with that- that stupid present. I thought you would like it..."
"I did," Atemu consented. "You were very cute."
Yugi squirmed. "I didn't want to be cute, I wanted it to be special."
"Yugi, calm down," Atemu shushed and he put his hands on Yugi's arms to stop them from flying up in indignation. "Yugi, stop, I love you too, ok?"
Yugi settled down, pressing his lips together. "You shouldn't say that just to fix things."
Atemu smiled and he put his arms around Yugi's body, reeling him into his hold. "You're right, I'm sorry."
Yugi perched the side of his head on Atemu's shoulder. "I didn't know what to do, ok? I thought you must have been disappointed in me for not saying it back. And our conversations made me so nervous and I really..." Yugi trailed off.
Atemu touched Yugi's chin. "You really what? Tell me," he pleaded.
Yugi dug his face into Atemu's shoulder and his insides were cold with fear. "You wrote me a song, Atemu. A beautiful, beautiful song."
"Yes, I know."
"No, you don't know. When I heard that song, you know what I did? That song was so beautiful I- I cried, ok. I cried because you wrote me a song, Atemu. A song. And When I heard it all I wanted was to be with you. And then I realized... I could never write you a song or anything like that..."
"Yugi," Atemu squeezed his boyfriend's shoulders. "You don't have to write me a song..."
But Yugi wasn't done. "And then you said you loved me."
Atemu breathed.
Yugi bit his lip. "I love you Atemu. But I can't write you a song or anything. And then when you said you loved me I was so stunned and then I didn't say it back and I don't know why I didn't say it back but I wanted too! And then the moment passed and I'm afraid, Atemu. Because I didn't want you to think I didn't love you. And I tried to think of a way to show you but I couldn't. So... I tried to jump out of present for you."
"And that was very sweet," Atemu agreed.
"But it wasn't a song," Yugi moaned sadly.
"So?"
"So, I," and now Yugi felt silly but he had to continue had to tell Atemu everything. "I love you so much I want to be able to say it. God, I want to be able to say I don't want you to go- if you ever did! And I... I want to be able to say that I don't think I can live without you... really."
Atemu paused, or hesitated or was struck dumb, Yugi didn't know.
"I'm sorry!" Yugi squeaked immediately, clutching to Atemu's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. That sounded weird, right? Like stalkerish? I'm sorry."
Blissfully, Atemu spoke, "No, Yugi. Don't think that." He squeezed his boyfriend to him and Yugi was engulfed by beautiful warmth. "I'm really happy you said that."
Yugi touched Atemu's face in wonder. The cold in him began to thaw. "Really?"
Atemu nodded and he looked right in Yugi's eyes. "I didn't even mean to say I love you then. I wanted to wait but it, it just kinda slipped out," he admitted. "I didn't plan. I didn't know I was saying it. Yugi," and Atemu squeezed his lovers shoulders, "You have more courage than I do, you admitted you were afraid. I can't express myself like that. But I was afraid because... because I thought, maybe, I loved you too much..."
Yugi was full to the brim with warmth. "No more than I do."
Atemu grinned and it was very, very nice. Then he snuggled into Yugi's neck and the average teenage boy giggled like a gleeful child.
"I love you, Yugi," Atemu promised.
Yugi hugged Atemu around the neck. Happiness bursting in his heart. "I love you too, Atemu."
And, like in every happy ending, they kissed.