Sup guys, sorry this is late. I just finished writing it lol. This is more of a feelgood chapter and it's just smut and Euroshipping lmao. Anyway, hope you like this. Also sorry, my line breaks aren't working for some reason so I'm back to the old --- thing. I'll try and fix it tomorrow.
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CW: Sex, mentions of Ryou's dad, mentions of familial transphobia, mentions of sterilisation, mentions of scarring
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Malik rubbed the back of his neck as he unlocked open the door to his apartment. He had found one a bit bigger than Ryou's in a good area and got a job as a translator for a publishing company due to his fluency in numerous languages. It paid well, but it was long and tiring.
And his apartment was very empty when he got home.
Empty living room, empty kitchen, empty bedroom. Empty.
He sighed and dropped his briefcase onto the grey fold-out couch. He needed to release energy but he was too fucking tired to do anything. Between work and therapy, he never wanted to do much when he got home. He pulled out his phone and fiddled with it for a moment. He sighed and pulled up his messages with Bakura.
You free for a bit?
The reply was almost instantaneous. Yeah, why?
Come over. I want to watch more of The Good Place.
On my way, don't start without me.
Then hurry up.
Bitch I will cut you.
Malik snorted. No you won't.
Bakura practically lived with him, but some days he liked to just go back to Ryou's. It gave them both some necessary space and it helped Ryou make ends meet with rent. He pulled his tie loose and kicked his pants off. He was still too scared to wear skirts to work. Being a foreigner already brought enough discrimination.
By the time Bakura arrived with a bag of popcorn and vegan jellies, Malik had changed into one of his more comfortable t-shirts and a fresh pair of boxers, and The Good Place was ready to play on his computer.
"That's mine." Bakura poked at his side.
Malik glanced at the shirt. It had a Mimikyu on it. "I was wondering why I had such a nerdy shirt." He smirked and pulled Bakura onto the couch beside him. "But it's mine now."
"It doesn't even fit you." Bakura kicked off his shoes and Malik curled into him.
"Yeah, well if it's big on me, it's a fucking dress on you."
"Touché." Bakura ran his fingers through Malik's hair. "Rough day?"
"It was fine." Malik pressed play and sighed. "I just need a break."
Bakura nodded and kissed the top of Malik's head. They watched it with the brightness turned down a touch for Bakura's sake, but with all of the fairylights Malik had strung up on the roof turned on.
Three episodes into their marathon, Malik's phone rang. He only glanced at the screen and then turned it off. Ishizu. Bakura only watched. "I'll talk to her eventually," Malik said.
"I'm not judging." Bakura shrugged. "It's up to you if you never want to even see her again."
Malik shook his head. "I do," he mumbled. "I do, I just..." He heaved another sigh. "Not yet." His phone rang again, and this time he declined the call with a text. Working late, I'll call when I'm free.
He turned his phone off and threw it onto the table beside his computer. The end credits rolled onto the screen, and no next episode button came up. They had finished the season.
Even after the credits ended, neither of them moved to click into the first episode of season three. Bakura ran his fingers along Malik's shoulders. "You know you can talk to me about these things, right?" He said. "You don't need to bottle them up."
Malik shifted up so he was a bit closer to sitting up. "I know." He gave Bakura a small smile. "It's just hard sometimes."
"I know," Bakura echoed, "but we're both fucked up, so maybe it's a bit easier if we talk to each other."
Malik hummed in agreement and pressed a kiss to Bakura's lips. "Thanks." Bakura leaned in and caught his lips again before he could fully pull away.
Malik pushed himself up a bit more so he was able to return the kisses, and Bakura climbed into his lap. Bakura's tongue was hot and real in his mouth, and he moaned with Malik rolled his hips up.
Malik caught Bakura's lower lip between his teeth and pulled back. Bakura's breath caught. "Want to go to bed?"
"Are you up for it?" Bakura's voice was breathy.
Malik nodded. The exhaustion was very quickly fading, leaving just a need to release energy. Bakura climbed off his lap and Malik led him to the bedroom, both discarding clothes on the way.
Bakura grabbed the half-empty bottle of lube from Malik's dresser, and then Malik caught his wrist. A smirk graced his lips. "I want to try something new."
Bakura grinned and raised his eyebrows. "What, you bought sex toys?"
"Not quite." Malik wrapped his arms around Bakura's waist, pulling him closer. "A spell."
Bakura frowned. "What kind?"
"A sex one." Malik brushed his lips against Bakura's. "Ishizu got a crate in and Rishid sent me a few books to look over. One of them was very interesting."
Bakura's eyes widened. "You bitch. You've had a book of sex spells this entire time and you didn't tell me?"
"We can go through it later if you want," Malik snorted, "but I wanted to surprise you." He grazed Bakura's lower lip with his teeth. "Are you up for it?"
Bakura's eyelids drooped a touch, eyes growing hazy. "I am if you are."
Malik grinned and pushed Bakura down onto the bed. There was a lot he wanted to try. Orgasm denial, bondage, mindreading, shapeshifting, but he was in the mood for something a touch more... personal.
He murmured the words of the spell under his breath, ka running from his body through his fingertips. He graced them over Bakura's chest and face, and Bakura gasped.
Malik sealed the spell with a kiss. Even though it didn't do anything to help it, it was nice.
Bakura was breathing heavily when they pulled apart, but he didn't need his inhaler. Malik could feel it in his lungs. "What did you just do?"
Malik smiled and cupped Bakura's face. "It's a binding spell," he murmured. "Not a particularly powerful one without ingredients, but it's enough." He rolled his hips against Bakura's and heat that wasn't his own pooled in his stomach. "How do you feel?"
"Fuck!" Bakura clamped his eyes shut as he hitched his hips up. "Oh, fuck!"
Malik grabbed his hand - the one with the lube in it - and Bakura blinked up at him. "Want to get me started?"
For a second, Bakura looked confused. Then his jaw dropped and he nodded. "Uh, yeah, I- is that okay?"
He knew it was. Malik knew it he knew it. But he brushed Bakura's hair away from his face and kissed him again. "Why should I always be the one doing all the work?" He teased.
Bakura's hesitance vanished and he scoffed, but still dumped a generous amount of lube over his fingers. Malik straddled his lap and kissed Bakura's neck as Bakura traced around his asshole with one finger.
He eased one finger into him and Malik hummed, nipping his throat. Bakura moaned and tilted his head back to give him more room. Malik couldn't feel the bites himself, but he could feel the pleasure Bakura got from them, and he bit again, harder. The pleasure spiked and Malik rolled his hips down.
Bakura mumbled a curse under his breath and added a second finger.
Malik smirked and ran his hands through Bakura's hair. "Are you just feeling the pleasure of it?" He asked. "Or does it feel like I'm finger fucking you?"
"Mm." Bakura hooked his fingers up and Malik squirmed. "Yes."
"Which one?"
"Yes."
Malik shook his head. "You're- ah! Impossible," he decided.
"Of course I am." Bakura's smirk was a lot less sardonic than usual. He massaged tiny circles into Malik's prostate.
Malik's own smug expression crumpled and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Fuck," he gasped. "Oh, holy fuck, yes..."
"Good?" Bakura purred. He added a third finger and Malik gasped.
"You know it is, you asshole." Even his insults didn't have the bite they usually did. He wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck and kissed him.
Bakura returned it and only pulled away when he finished prepping Malik. By that stage, Malik's hair was a mess, his kohl was smudged, and his cock was aching.
"How should we do this?" Malik asked.
Bakura hummed and grabbed the lube. "Ride me," he said. "It'll keep your back safe."
Malik hummed in agreement and stole the lube from Bakura. He poured some into his hand, and then wrapped it around Bakura's dick. They both moaned, Bakura's head falling forward onto Malik's shoulder.
"Gods-"
"I'm the only god in here." Malik spread the lube over Bakura's cock and then shifted a little so the tip brushed just against his ass. "Ready?" Bakura nodded, breathless.
Malik took a slow breath and eased down onto Bakura's cock. They both moaned, loudly. Bakura's pleasure doubled over on top of his own, and his legs shook by the time he was seated in Bakura's lap again.
Bakura crossed his legs beneath Malik and traced circles over the skin on his thighs. "You okay?" His voice was a touch strained.
Malik wrapped his legs around Bakura's waist, arms around his neck. "I'm perfect." He pressed their lips together as he began to roll his hips.
Bakura moaned into his mouth and began to thrust up into Malik, though he let Malik set the rhythm. Malik relaxed into it, and Bakura shifted under him until Malik suddenly fell back from the kiss with a short shout. "Bakura!"
Bakura held him closer and thrust up again. "Fuck, Malik!" He pressed his forehead to his partner's. "Gods, this feels amazing..."
Malik laughed, breathless, but moaned again as Bakura hit his prostate. "Oh gods, Bakura..." He dug his nails into Bakura's shoulder and bit his neck.
Bakura arched up, chest pressing against Malik's. He was wheezing a little, and Malik could feel it in his own lungs, but Bakura might have killed him if he stopped to force him to use his inhaler.
They didn't last long. They couldn't, with the spell. The combination of both of their pleasure was too much, and too soon, Malik was screaming Bakura's name and slamming himself down on his cock. Bakura fumbled for Malik's dick and stroked it in time with his thrusts, and Malik came over their stomachs before crashing into Bakura's arms.
Bakura was panting for breath, still hard, but he held Malik closer and helped him ride out his orgasm. Once he was able to breathe again, Malik sat back up and began to roll his hips, clenching his ass. Bakura groaned and clutched his hips.
Malik reached out and cupped Bakura's face, drawing him closer. "I love you," he murmured. His voice was syrupy and a content smile was on his face, even as Bakura cursed and moaned his name. "Gods, I love you."
"I-I-I- Malik!"
Malik hummed and kissed Bakura as he came. With Bakura so desperate for release, the kiss started out rough, but after he came, it softened. One kiss became several until Malik slipped off Bakura's lap to take a shower.
Once they had both cleaned off and climbed into the bed, Malik lay on Bakura's chest. The spell had mostly worn off, but the remnants of it were still coursing through their bodies, and he could feel Bakura's heart beat alongside his own.
Bakura traced idle patterns on his shoulders. "Feeling better?"
Malik chuckled and kissed Bakura's chest. "Much." He smiled and let his eyes slide closed. "Thank you."
Bakura shook his head and squeezed him. "I feel like I should be thanking you. That was hot."
Malik snorted and looked up at him. "You're terrible."
"Not at sex, apparently. I fucked you well enough to calm you down." Bakura winked.
"Oh shut up." Malik swatted at him. "You know what I meant."
Bakura chuckled and it vibrated in his chest, but he fell into silence. White noise suddenly seemed much louder than before, and Malik slid one foot out of the bed because he was overheating.
Finally, Bakura squeezed him again. "I love you too."
"Bit late," Malik chuckled but Bakura turned his head to face him.
"No, Malik." He looked oddly aware, considering it was well after midnight and they had just fucked. "I love you."
Malik's breath caught in his throat. "Bakura!" He jolted up and threw his arms around Bakura, who fell to the side with a quiet grunt.
"What was that for?" Bakura grumbled, though his cheeks were dusted a darker brown than usual. "It's not like I've never said it before."
"But not like that!" Malik laughed and pressed their lips together. His smile eased a touch from over excited to soft and happy somewhere between the first and sixth kiss. "I love you too."
Bakura's lip twitched as if he was fighting a smile, and he righted them in the bed so they were able to lie on the pillows again. "Whatever. Let's just get some sleep." But he couldn't hide the crinkles by his eyes, and when Malik snuck a peek after they had both settled down to sleep and closed their eyes, Bakura was smiling too.
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Ryou winced as his phone rang and he turned it on vibrate - just in case Malik or Bakura rang with an emergency. "Sorry." He pocketed it again and looked back up at Seto. They had asked him out for a third and fourth and fifth date, and now Ryou was in his still-new suit for the seventh time at a nice restaurant. Seto had insisted that they would pay for the entire meal this time, and Ryou had agreed on the condition that he pay for whatever they did next.
The restaurant was cream-walled with two floors and walls made of glass. A large potted plant sat behind Seto, and the tablecloth was white and made of good cloth. A candle sat at each table, and the lighting was dim. A low hum of chatter filled the room.
Seto raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to take that?"
"It's not important." Ryou shook his head. He had seen the caller ID, and even if he hadn't, only one person called him so late at night. "What were you saying about the development of the virtual Monster World game?"
Seto paused and set down their fork. Ryou focused his gaze on it instead of on Seto - the way it shone under the candlelight, how it was perfectly in line with Seto's other two forks, how their plate almost looked like it had been just washed.
"Ryou?"
Ryou hummed but didn't look up at them.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"No." Ryou shook his head. "Not right now." He didn't want to ruin the mood, and it would. It always did.
Seto let out a slow breath and nodded. "Alright." They picked up their fork again. "What do you want to do after this?"
Ryou chewed his lip. "The arcade will still be open," he replied. He had already finished his main course, so he took a sip of water. "We could go there and relax a little."
Seto looked amused now as they raised their eyebrows again. "You know I have more than that at Kaibaland, right?" They asked. "We could go there."
Ryou shook his head. "No. You need to have the proper arcade experience, and you don't get that from your own theme park."
Seto hummed and finished their food. They wiped the corner of their mouth with a napkin. "Alright," they agreed, "but consider this. In Kaibaland, we'd be entirely alone and I have good special effects."
Ryou frowned at them. "Are you trying to tempt me with making out in a horror simulation?"
Seto smirked and shrugged. "Maybe."
"Well it's working." Ryou folded his arms. "But not today. Today, you're going to a regular arcade with me and we're going to try and beat your brother's high scores on every game we're interested in. Deal?"
Seto chuckled and took a sip of wine. "If that's what you want to do."
"It is." Ryou smiled at them but his chest still felt too tight in a way that had nothing to do with his binder. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he did his best to ignore it.
Seto must have seen something on his face, because they leaned forward on the table. "What's going on?" Ryou opened his mouth to say that it was nothing, but Seto cut him off. "I know that we had issues in the past, but I do like you, Ryou. And I'm hoping you feel the same about me."
Ryou's cheeks flushed. "Of course I do." He wouldn't have bothered with a first date if he didn't like them.
Seto nodded. "Then you should know that you can talk to me about these things," they said. "Of course, if you really don't want to-"
Ryou shook his head and Seto fell silent. He looked down at his plate until the trace remains of sauce blurred. "It's my dad," Ryou said after a minute. The sounds of people talking and eating seemed so much louder. "He wasn't exactly the most... supportive of my transition." He swallowed. "So when he found out that I'd legally changed my name and the whole sterilisation process that goes with that, he cut me off financially and said that if I wanted to do this, it was on my own money and time. So I've cut him off entirely. He doesn't... know about us or even that I'm living with Bakura or that I got my masters." Ryou smiled at Seto, but it was bitter. "But he likes to try to ring me every once in a while to make sure I'm not dead, and I like to ignore him to keep him guessing."
Seto let out a slow breath through their nose and nodded. "If you need anything-"
"I'm fine," Ryou assured them. "Really. Between myself and Bakura, we have plenty for rent and bills."
Seto nodded again. "Alright, but if you need anything, let me know."
Ryou couldn't help but smile. "I will. Thank you."
Seto gave him the tiniest smile in return and it made Ryou's heart swell. Those were usually reserved for when they were alone, so it was nice to get a surprise smile. Ryou finished his drink as Seto told him more about the virtual Monster World game, Seto paid for their meals, and they left the restaurant to walk to the arcade. Ryou insisted they walk even though Seto wanted to take the limo.
It turned out that Seto didn't have Mokuba's skill for most arcade games. Seto was able to pick out patterns in older games and beat Ryou in those with ease, but they lost so badly in anything that involved shooting or any type of RNG.
"I don't know how you beat the Pharaoh," Ryou laughed as he put the gun back into the machine. He had gotten to level twenty-two, and Seto had died at thirteen. It was one of their better levels. "Drawing is entirely luck based and you're very unlucky."
"The Pharaoh isn't very good at games." Seto shrugged. "It's Yugi that I still want to beat."
Ryou tilted his head. "That's fair," he admitted. "I haven't played Atem since he came back."
"Bad memories?"
"You could say that." Ryou tugged the sleeve of his shirt a touch. The scar on his arm itched. "But I also just prefer Monster World and chess, and they don't."
"We'll need to have a game of chess soon then." Seto smirked at him. "I haven't lost a game in nearly twenty years."
Ryou nodded in agreement. "We should do it next time. I haven't lost in a while either." He didn't doubt that he would lose against Seto, but it would be nice to play a game with them that they were both passionate about.
When the arcade closed, Ryou managed to convince Seto that they should walk for a bit again - at least back to Ryou's apartment. They didn't protest all that much. The night was warm for near Christmas, and they were comfortable in their coats and suits even though their breaths fogged.
Seto looked up at the sky.
Ryou followed his gaze. "I miss the stars."
Seto glanced at him.
"When I was in England, I was out in the countryside, so I could always see the stars. They made me feel small, but in a good way. Like... the universe is so big that no matter how badly I fuck up, it's not going to have that big of an impact on the universe." Ryou shook his head. "Then we got deported and I haven't been out of Domino in ages so I haven't seen them in a while."
Seto hummed. "I've lived in Domino most of my life so I only see them if I need to leave for business really." Their hands were in their pockets. "But I saw them a lot when I was still living in Russia. They're nice." They looked over at Ryou.
He was still watching the sky, as though if he focused enough, the stars would pierce through the light pollution and smog and reach him. After a moment, he shook his head and looked down again. "Sorry." His voice was a touch deeper than before.
Seto was silent for a minute. "Do you want to go to the planetarium next week?"
Ryou paused and looked up at them.
"It's fine if you don't. I know it's not the same, but it's better than never seeing them again." Seto's cheeks were a touch pink in the yellow light of the street lamps. "Besides, I could probably do with learning an appreciation for something outside of games."
Ryou looked away. "You don't need to do that."
"You do enough things that I enjoy." Seto was still watching him. "You can pick something else if you want."
Ryou paused and let out a slow breath. Seto wasn't his father or his exes. This wasn't going to end badly. He looked up again. Seto's hair was soft for once, hanging forward over their forehead and not held in place by a mountain of hairspray. A few stray hairs stuck up, illuminated by the light Seto was standing under. It looked like they were wearing a halo of some kind.
Ryou smiled. "I'd really like that," he admitted. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Seto returned the smile and Ryou felt his heart flutter again. "Come on, you need to get home." They hesitated. Not paused, but actually hesitated. "Unless you want to stay out at mine again." Their arms seemed a touch tenser than before.
"Sure."
Seto seemed to be chewing something. Their tongue, maybe. "And perhaps you'd like to sleep in the same bed as me this time?" They asked. "Nothing needs to happen."
Ryou blinked. Then relaxed. "That sounds nice." He loved how awkward Seto was. They had always seemed so terrifying and cold when Ryou was younger, but now he could see that a lot of it had been genuine confusion at how to deal with people. "But I wouldn't mind something happening if you're up for it too."
Seto chuckled and shook their head. "Alright then. I'll call my driver - we're not walking two hours back to my house."
Ryou snorted. "It might not be the best idea," he agreed as Seto pulled out their phone. Just as they began to type in the number from memory, Ryou stood on his toes and kissed Seto's cheek. He wasn't meant to, he knew, in case anyone recognised Seto and took a photo of them together. It was for Ryou's sake. For his protection and privacy. But in that moment, he couldn't bring himself to care.
Seto faltered and they hit the wrong button. They quickly erased the number to start again and glanced at Ryou. Their cheeks were pink again. "What was that for?"
Ryou shook his head. "Everything." He grinned. "And I like how you react."
Seto leaned down. "You're a hazard to society," they murmured before pressing a quick kiss to Ryou's lips. Ryou did his best to return it, but Seto pulled away too quickly to ring their driver.
There was a small smirk on their face. Bastard. They knew exactly what Ryou wanted.
After a few muttered orders, Seto hung up the phone and pocketed it. "He'll be here in a few minutes."
"Great." Ryou slipped his hand into Seto's pocket and intertwined their fingers. Seto edged a little closer to him. Ryou leaned his head against Seto's arm and looked up at the sky again. "I can't wait to see the stars."
Seto squeezed his hand. "I'm glad I get to bring them back to you."
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Hope you enjoyed, please review. I'll try to finish the next chapter in time.