Queer As Tachi – Chapter 60
For the first week of Marik’s visit to Domino City he stayed quietly at home with Bakura, keeping him company and getting to know him better. They called Yugi up and went to visit him one evening while he was working, later when it slowed down enough for him to suffer the distraction, but Marik was fine with that much for now. He wanted to devote most of his attention to Ryo first and foremost, and take the visit seriously, before he started running around being a social butterfly. As it was, Ryo had some difficult classes as well as his after-hours work study in the research laboratory, so when he was done at the end of the day, all he wanted was to come home and curl up with a good dinner and some friendly company. Though every night ended with a kiss, and every morning started with another, he and Marik did nothing more outrageous than that, tentatively exploring the boundaries of their relationship the way a person tests the hot water of a bath one body part at a time. Ryo got very comfortable with sharing his bed, though, grateful to have a nice warm body to snuggle up to while sleeping. Days and nights passed in a blur, happy times spent together with no sign of interference either from real life or from the spirit of the Millennium Ring. In fact, after the first night when their talk grew serious, they didn’t even speak of the spirit. Not that he wasn’t lurking, torn between sulking and paying curious interest, but he had no desire to make himself obvious.
As the days passed and the full moon grew nearer, Yugi and Ryo traded a few phone calls about going out on the pharaoh’s ritual day, which fell on the twenty-second of the month. No one specifically told Bakura why that day would be used, but it had been settled upon with enough certainty to start making plans. Ryo and Marik didn’t go out together much beyond taking some walks, visiting the park, or going down to the ramen shop to grab a quick hot meal together, but the idea of double-dating with Yugi and Yami appealed to both of them privately. By now, between sleeping together and greeting each other with sweet kisses, and a little making-out on the couch when they ran out of things to talk about, Ryo was sure he was officially dating Marik in some way or another. How it would continue after he went back home to Egypt, neither of them knew, but for these few delightful weeks, neither of them cared. They simply indulged themselves in the moment and how truly happy it was to have someone to share it with.
Duke was the one who actually came up with the idea. Even though Yugi was keeping an eye on the local event schedules, he regretfully passed on the idea of going dancing at another one of Dream’s late-night rave-till-dawn nights, even though it fell on the full moon again. He didn’t think Marik and Bakura would be interested in that sort of thing. But then Duke called him, and all but arm-wrestled him into going, using the fact that Tristan agreed for once that going out dancing was a great idea to cajole Yugi into making it a date. So, Yugi called Ryo again, and this time proposed the dancing idea since he had already been talked into it. Bakura knew about Duke and Tristan, but it still struck him as a bit of a surprise to hear that the pair also wanted to double-date with Yugi and the pharaoh. “Well, you know, we don’t all have to go out at the same time,” Yugi reluctantly offered. “If you don’t feel like going dancing in the middle of the night with us, me and Yami could always do something else with you and Marik later. Like, I don’t know, dinner or something.”
“Well…hold on. Let me ask him.” There was a muted sound as of a hand covering the phone, followed by muffled conversation, which was surprisingly brief. Ryo came back sounding rather interested. “Marik said it sounds like fun – going out dancing, I mean. I suppose, if you’re inviting us…”
“Yeah, consider yourselves invited,” Yugi said brightly. “We’ll make it a triple-date. We can all meet up at the club after midnight, and just cut loose.”
Ryo laughed shyly. “I’m afraid I’m not much for cutting loose, Yugi.”
“Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” his friend teased. “After all, I’ve seen Marik dance. Definitely something you can’t miss.”
They arranged to meet outside Dream on the correct day, and that was that. Ryo hung up the phone and turned to Marik with wide-eyed surprise. “You’ve been out dancing with Yugi?”
Marik started and blushed. “Oh! Just…at Mai’s birthday party, when I was here last fall. I had to go, I was guarding the pharaoh while he was out of the Puzzle.” He slowly began to grin. “They dragged me onto the dance floor, what was I supposed to do?”
Bakura grinned back. “Yugi said it was a sight I can’t miss.”
“Oh, I’m sure it will be.” Marik pushed himself off the couch and went to his companion, unable to resist reaching out and running a light caress down his arm. “So does that mean, it’s a date?”
“I think it’s a date,” Ryo nodded, glancing down at the fingertips brushing his arm. “I hope you’ll teach me, because I don’t know what to do. I’ve never been to a club before.”
Marik laughed even more strongly. “You think I have? Ah, don’t worry. We’ll make it up as we go along. My guess is, as long as Tristan is going with us, we have no worries about being the ones looking the most out of place.”
When the full moon came around, it found two pairs of friends meeting outside Dream right around midnight, a little early considering it would take Yugi and Yami time to recover from the ritual before they could get there to join everyone. It gave Marik a chance to say hello to Duke and Tristan and confirm for them that he was visiting town just to spend time with Ryo, while Bakura stood aside with his hands shyly tucked in his pockets. Tristan shrugged to show his acceptance of their presence. “Kinda funny, isn’t it,” he remarked. “It’s only been six months since we crossed paths, and look how much has changed for all of us.”
“I guess you’ve got to grab hold of happiness when you see it, and not wait,” Marik said, only then glancing past Tristan and Duke and finally seeing their transportation parked at the curb. His eyes widened and sparkled in the moonlight. “Oh! Is that your motorcycle, Tristan?”
“Yeah…” Tristan eagerly led him over to it and let him see it, and even sit on it. Duke and Bakura stood aside aloofly while the other two discussed handling and engine power and the differences between Tristan’s workhorse little Honda bike compared to Marik’s classic monster of a machine which he had just sold. “Aww, how could you sell it?” Tristan pouted at him.
“Honestly?” Marik replied, shrugging. “Apart from taking it around here last fall, I hadn’t ridden it in well over a year. There just isn’t anywhere to ride it back home. It’s better this way – I’m saving up the money for more important things. Like visiting here,” he added with a grin for Bakura.
Right about then, Yugi and Yami melted out of the shadows and came upon them, hand in hand and both jacketless on this warm spring night. Yugi grinned hugely when he saw his friends gathered together, and their smiles of welcome. “Hi guys!” he called out. “Ready for some action?”
Duke chuckled at him. “Look at you two. Sexy.”
Yugi was wearing the slinky black shirt he had worn in the world tournament. Yami had opted for one of Yugi’s tank tops with a star on the chest that was much too small for him – and they both probably liked it that way. Not that the others weren’t equally dressed to dance, all except for Bakura, who was as casual as he could get in a short-sleeved button-up shirt. Yugi giggled at Duke’s assessment. “Of course! It’s just that kind of night.” He turned to Ryo and Marik. “I’m glad you guys could make it. I know it’s insanely late, you’re probably not used to this sort of thing.”
“Not really,” Ryo admitted, “but…a little adventure never hurts.” He gave Marik a shy smile. “I’m already being naughty and skipping all of my classes tomorrow. But considering I haven’t skipped a one the whole time Marik has been here, I think I’m due.”
Marik turned a briefly serious gaze on the pharaoh and his partner. “How did everything with the ritual go? Did you faint again?”
Yugi shook his head. “I took a really long nap before, I only just got up maybe an hour ago,” he said. “That seems to be helping a lot. And of course, now I’m wide awake and ready to go!”
“Well, come on, then!” Duke encouraged them, leading the way.
The six boys passed through the doors into complete darkness, and paused in the entry while some other youths ahead of them paid the cover charge. Duke pushed his way up and leaned on the counter, flashing a lazy smile at the attendant working the door. “Hey. Is Maiku spinning tonight?”
The attendant glanced at him, and then gave a small start of recognition. “Hey, Devlin!” he greeted enthusiastically. “What’s up? Naw, Maiku’s off tonight. But it should be good – one of his protégés is taking over. Should be real good. Say, who’s the big monkey?” he added with a nod toward Tristan, who was standing with hand resting casually on Duke’s shoulder.
Tristan bristled; the “monkey” thing always bothered him. “Hey!”
“Hey now,” Duke likewise chided the doorman, “that’s my boyfriend you’re ogling.”
“Boyfriend – serious?” The attendant reached over the desk and shoved him in the shoulder. “Go on! You’re settling down?”
“I’m an old man,” Duke sighed. “It’s about time.” They both laughed, while the others stood behind Duke watching and wondering what the heck was going on. At last, Duke gestured toward his friends. “I brought a pack with me tonight, is that cool?”
The attendant waved him on. “Yeah, yeah, go on in. How many? Six? Oo.” He eyed each of them in turn, as if inspecting their fashion sense. “Nice. I always said we needed to get more pretty boys in here. And you got some pretty friends, all right. Hey,” he added with a wave to the shy trailing members of the group. “Nice to see you guys.”
They all waved back, and Duke slapped his friend’s hand before darting into the darkness of the club beyond. Yugi tucked his handful of bills back into his pocket, shrugging. “Well, I guess we’re not paying the cover charge,” he remarked as soon as they were all very clearly inside the club without being stopped or carded.
“What can I say?” Duke bragged. “I know most of the people here, including the owner. DJ Maiku introduced me around once. See?” he winked at Yugi. “I told you, you should wait until I can go with you before you come here dancing.”
Marik and Bakura hung shyly behind their bolder friends as they all made their way through the club, looking for a table they could claim at least for the time being. It wasn’t that the swirling, colored lights, thundering music, and crowd of young people bouncing on the dance floor were particularly alien, but it all belonged to a world that the two of them had only ever heard about but never expected to be a part of themselves. Ryo, especially. It seemed like something out of a television show. But Duke, Yugi, and Tristan seemed perfectly suited for the location and atmosphere, staking out a table in a far corner with quick access to the stairs down to the dance floor. Not that there would be much sitting going on, but it was a good place to meet if they got separated, or leave their drinks while they were out dancing. In fact, ordering a drink was the first thing Duke did, as he was not driving and now happily legal. Yugi leaned on the railing that overlooked the dance floor, smiling excitedly to watch the electric action. “What do you think?” he asked Ryo as he sidled up alongside him. “Kinda crazy, isn’t it?”
Ryo shyly rested his arms on the metal railing and looked down. “I think I need a few minutes to adjust…”
“That’s okay. Take your time.” Yugi beamed as Yami came up behind him and wrapped slender arms around him. “We have all night. The dance goes until dawn, although we usually tire out sometime between three and four.” He glanced back at Yami, and then turned in his arms in order to present him more formally. “So…now you see. This is the pharaoh…you can call him Yami.”
Ryo gave him a demure smile. “A pleasure.”
“Likewise,” Yami purred. “You and I have seen much of each other, but never quite like this.”
“It is rather unusual,” Bakura nodded. “But compared to some of the other things we’ve been through…”
“Exactly,” Yugi chuckled. “I’ve gotten so used to it, I forget that there’s a few people who don’t know. Like at the tournament, seeing people I haven’t seen in ages all over again.”
Marik studied his partner carefully without his notice, but was content to see that meeting the pharaoh face to face did not stir any remote hint of the spirit of the Ring. But then, rumor had it, the spirit had known of the pharaoh’s embodiment well before Ryo ever learned of it. “Well,” Marik said with some enthusiasm. “Are we going to hang around here all night, or are we going to dance?”
“You know my answer!” Yugi grabbed his lover’s hand and towed him away; the pharaoh gave the others a resigned grin before he was whisked away. Tristan was standing around watching people while Duke sipped at his drink, so there was still company for those too shy to get out on the floor right away, but eventually there was nothing stopping the six friends from gathering in the middle of the raving crowd. Bakura was still shy and Marik inexperienced, but he had been at Mai’s party and knew something of how Yami and Yugi liked to dance, so he led the way. Seeing Tristan try to dance despite his relative incompetence and not really caring how he looked gave Ryo some confidence, and before long he was casually imitating some of Marik’s moves, listening to the music and figuring out how to move in time with it. The little smile that glowed in his eyes when he got the hang of it made Marik’s heart flutter, and Yugi grinned to see the interplay between them.
Having a group of friends to support them bolstered the less confident ones, though it took only a glance to see that they would never keep up with Yami and Yugi, or Duke. But they didn’t feel left out, far from it. The couples paid appropriate attention to each other and looked quite sexy doing it, but they also reached out to include their friends, mixing into a large group that no one from outside dared breach. Together they danced like mad all night long, stopping now and then for water or rest, retreating to their table in the corner to laugh and talk and look around before heading back out for another round. As the night went on, even Tristan showed signs of improvement in his skills, though no one was allowed to chide him for it unless he started it himself. It didn’t bother Duke any, his attention didn’t waver from his partner no matter how badly he danced. Ryo found himself enjoying the sensual undertone of the music, though he never fancied himself able to appreciate techno, and before too long the sway of his hips had Marik’s full attention. He slinked up behind Ryo and wrapped an arm around him, so they could move together in matched form, and the touch of his body made Ryo shiver with delight. Yugi spent most of the time enraptured by Yami’s presence, but he glanced over time and again to see how close Marik and Ryo were dancing, and grinned in triumph. So, it was true – they had gotten together after all. He was happy to see it, Tristan and Duke rather surprised but not at all put off. After all, they had no right to complain about odd couples. After a while, Ryo was worrying less about keeping up with his more experienced friends and not looking dumb, and focusing more on just Marik, being next to Marik, touching Marik, watching Marik. That was the most fun of all.
As the DJs changed in and out and different sets of fresh trance and club music ended and started, the electricity between the three couples began to change, as they all warmed up, loosened up, let go, and lost themselves in the sensual vibe of the music. All it took was a step to the side and a shift of the body to change partners without missing a beat, so that was what Duke did, turning away from Tristan temporarily to slink up close to Yugi. It was a harmless flirt, made even more tantalizing when Yami sidled up on Yugi’s other side, trapping him between two taller, sexier bodies who wanted to match him writhe for writhe. Duke even cast Yami a few sultry looks over Yugi’s shoulder, which were returned as cool, knowing smiles. It meant nothing, other than wanting to show each other that they thought of each other as fun to play with, but it added an extra note of enjoyment to the night. Later, when he could escape the pharaoh’s arms for a brief time, Yugi stepped aside to join Bakura and Marik, and gave Ryo’s confidence a tremendous boost by flirting with him instead, setting a hand on his shoulder and dancing alongside him in full view of Marik. It was such a nice tease, Ryo thought, and Yugi was so very adorable and sexy dressed like that, dancing like that. It was enough to make Marik sweep in with a grin and possessive sort of growl, grabbing Ryo by the belt loops and demanding he pay attention to his own boyfriend for a bit. Yugi was not deterred, so together the two of them conspired to make Ryo feel not just loved, but desired, all the while grinning at each other with Ryo between. But then Yami returned from getting a drink and tugged Yugi away, hands slinking down around his lithe body to his ass and pulling him into a hip-grinding dance that took just about everybody else’s breath away to watch.
It was close to four in the morning by the time all of them agreed to call it quits, breathless and giddy and still talking as they gathered around the corner table about how much fun they were having together. The later into the night it got, the more they started getting overly touchy-feeling with their respective boyfriends, sitting in laps, hanging over each other’s shoulders, wrapping arms around waists and letting hands wander. Their breaks were getting longer, and appropriately enough, a change of DJs and music style provided the perfect excuse to stop dancing altogether and just go sit, catch their breath, and finish their drinks before calling it a night. Yugi was sitting on Yami’s lap, facing him while Yami steadied himself in a chair, but he still carried on a conversation over his shoulder either with Duke on one side (fondling Tristan’s earlobe) or Marik on the other. Yugi glanced at Marik’s hand resting on the table with Ryo’s firmly clasped in it, his thumb caressing Ryo’s fingers, and grinned a little too suggestively. Marik laughed quietly. “Yes, it’s true,” he finally admitted. “We’re kind of…officially…”
“Only kind of?” Duke teased. “Come on, I’ve been watching you all night. You two are totally into each other.”
Both of them blushed. “Well, we’re trying not to rush into anything,” Ryo tried to explain. “After all, whenever Marik’s visit is over, he has to go back to Egypt and we’ll have to try to make a long-distance relationship work.”
“How long are you staying, anyway?” Tristan wondered, reaching over his shoulder to find Duke and thread his fingers through his partner’s long hair.
“I don’t know.” Marik glanced aside at Bakura. “It’s hard to believe I’ve already been here two weeks, give or take. We haven’t really done much except hang out.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Yugi encouraged, trying not to be distracted by the hands caressing his ass. “After all, if you’re trying to cram in activities all the time, it doesn’t leave you much time to just sit and get to know each other.”
“But going out is fun too,” Ryo admitted. “I’m having a lot of fun tonight. Even if I am up well past my bedtime.”
“Well, if you’re skipping class tomorrow, what does it matter?” Duke snorted. “You’re allowed to have fun once in a while, you know.”
Yugi leaned back a little to address Ryo directly, trusting Yami’s hands on his ass to keep him from falling. “So you still want to meet us for dinner tomorrow? Er, well, later tonight?”
Bakura gave him a cute smile. “Sure! I would like that.” He glanced at Marik for confirmation, but received no argument. “We’ve not done anything extravagant yet.”
“We may as well,” Marik shrugged. “It’s not like you have anywhere else important to be.”
“True enough.” Ryo stifled a yawn. “Oh my. It is late, isn’t it? It’s almost morning.”
“It’s not morning yet.” Tristan patted his partner’s cheek, since it was in reach. “But I am dead tired, now. If I’m going to be in any shape to drive home, we better think about taking off.”
Marik sat up a little. “You’re still going to let me take your bike out sometime, right?”
“Oh yeah.” Tristan gave him a wobbly thumbs-up. “Make sure you call me or something before your visit ends. I’ll let you take a ride.”
“Better only be on the bike,” Duke retorted, slapping Tristan’s ass as he got up out of his chair.
They all laughed, tossed back whatever was left in their glasses, and collectively got up to leave. On their way out the door they chuckled about their mutual desires to go home and sleep, or shower and then sleep, except for Yugi mentioning that he was pretty sure he and Yami had something else to do before falling asleep. Once outside where the air was much cooler and fresher, they stood around for a moment more, teasing and laughing, and then hugged or just waved and said farewell for now. Yugi doubly confirmed the time he and his partner would meet Marik and Bakura for dinner, and then they all parted ways.
The full moon had fought clear of clouds by this time of night and stood high in the sky, adding its light to the streetlamps for those walking home in the wee hours. Not used to the chill, Marik walked with his arms hugged around his body, but comfortably close enough to Ryo to show him affection. Bakura had his hands in his pockets to keep them warm. “That was really fun,” Marik remarked in his general direction. “Definitely worth being up so late.”
“I never thought I would ever find myself in a club after midnight,” Ryo said with a small laugh. “Or in a club, at all. I suppose we have Yugi to thank for that.”
“I think it’s great. I like trying new things.” They flashed each other a warm smile, and then returned focus to the sidewalk in front of them. They had a bit of a long walk to get home, as public transportation was not running at 4 a.m. Not that Marik minded; he was with Ryo, a comfort which could erase all worries. “Really,” he added after a short space. “We’re not kids anymore. We can do things like go out dancing, and stay up all night, and date whoever we want. Consider yourself lucky – I wouldn’t get to do any of this at home.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Ryo said quietly. “I forget sometimes how things I find commonplace are not the same around the world.” He walked a few more paces in silence, and then added, “then again, they’re not exactly commonplace to me, either.”
“You just haven’t had a chance to get out and explore,” Marik said kindly. “Up until now, life has been basically about school for you and nothing else, right?”
“I’m just not a ‘going out’ type of person,” Bakura mumbled under his breath.
“I thought that about myself, once,” Marik said idly. “Turns out once I got my one-track mind off of things like seeking the Puzzle and destroying the pharaoh, I discovered there was a whole world out there and some of it wasn’t so bad.”
Bakura gave a strange chuckle. “Yes, well. Perhaps because of the Millennium Ring, I never expected to have any kind of normal life. It’s not as though I needed one.”
The casual indifference with which he said the last part made Marik look sharply at him and frown. He may not have still carried the Millennium Rod, but his senses remained somewhat sensitive and he immediately discerned the change. Bakura walked with his head down so his hair covered his eyes, but there was no mistaking it. “Ah,” Marik said flatly. “I was wondering when you would show up.”
The only part of Bakura’s face visible was his mouth, which curved into a twisted smile. “Oh, so you recognize me after all, do you?”
Marik eyed him sidelong. It was a good thing they weren’t holding hands, or he would have dropped Bakura’s in a heartbeat. “I don’t know what you want, I have nothing to talk to you about. You should just sod off and leave Ryo alone.”
Bakura chuckled darkly. “You think I’m just going to sit quietly like a good little boy and watch you insinuate yourself into Ryo’s life? You’re sorely mistaken. The last thing I need to play voyeur to is you and him getting romantic.”
“I don’t recall asking for your opinion.” Marik gave him a haughty look as they continued to walk down the sidewalk, completely alone. “Yugi told me, privately, that you made a pact with the pharaoh to leave Ryo alone so he would learn to find happiness in his life and therefore not do anything to hurt himself. I intend to hold you to that pact. Back off and leave him alone, and don’t show me your face again, or I’ll have to begin deliberately assisting the pharaoh in finding a way of getting rid of you permanently.” His glare darkened for a moment. “He won’t be happy if he hears you’ve been making noise again.”
Bakura lifted his head enough to give Marik a sullen glare, at which he could see clearly that it was indeed the dark spirit in control, all sneering lips and smoldering eyes. “You’re considerably less fun than you used to be,” he pouted. “Going to run off and tattle on me now, are you, Marik?”
“Piss off,” Marik said sharply. “You can’t intimidate me. I’ve been through hell and back, trading snide comments with you isn’t remotely scary. I have nothing you could possibly want, no information relevant to you and no reason to indulge you in either your rants or your secret plans to dominate the pharaoh. So if you want to keep your place, you had best leave Ryo alone to spend his time as he wishes. Even if it does mean letting him have a boyfriend.”
Bakura snorted. “Allying yourself with the pharaoh has given you an overdeveloped sense of idealism and naivete,” he complained.
“I’d rather be idealistic and naïve than hateful and bitter,” Marik retorted, keeping his eyes studiously forward. “Face it, you’re outnumbered. Complaining about it to me isn’t going to help your case, I’m not going to go away anytime soon. I like Ryo, a lot, and I have no intention of letting you run his life.” He took a couple brisk steps forward so he could swing himself around and place himself bluntly in Bakura’s path, arms at his sides and a grim smile on his lips. It forced Bakura to stop short and glare at him. “If you’re so concerned about keeping yourself intact, then the best thing for you to do is just slink off and be quiet. I know you’re there, you don’t have to let me know you’re watching me. I’m fully aware of it. But it’s not going to stop me. You can’t get between me and Ryo like you could anyone else. I know how to handle you.” He backed off a step and turned to resume walking, tucking his hands in his pockets. “You can’t do anything to me except growl at me, anyway. As long as the Ring stays where it is on his bureau, you have no means of attacking me with shadow powers.”
Bakura stepped forward to catch up to him, walking alongside him once more. “Yes, but we’re going home, aren’t we?” he snidely pointed out. “That’s where the Ring is.”
Marik laughed humorlessly. “Trust me. I’ve got ways of keeping Ryo from even noticing that he still owns the Ring. Especially tonight.” Another sideways glance. “So piss off, already. I’m done with you.”
The Ring spirit growled, but taunting Marik was no fun at all when he wasn’t going to bend. He faded from control, with Marik watching out of the corner of his eye. After a moment, Ryo heaved a sigh and reached to hook his arm into Marik’s and cuddle closer to him. “I’m so tired,” he murmured, and Marik’s heart eased to hear the gentle tone returning to his voice. “I feel like I could fall asleep on my feet.”
So he doesn’t know. Fine, then. Marik knew better than to set his companion worrying anew by telling him he had just been taken over by the Ring spirit for a few minutes. He resolved to keep it to himself in the hopes it wouldn’t happen again. “Don’t worry,” he assured, putting a calm lilt into his voice, “we’re almost home. And then you can wrap me up in those nice warm blankets – I’m cold!”
Chuckling, Ryo snuggled closer to him. “You’re not used to this weather.”
“It’s better than it was in November,” Marik said wryly. They looked at each other, laughed, and stepped up the pace to hurry up and get home.
Yami and Yugi had a shorter walk to get to their home, and though it was very late and they were worn out from dancing, they walked briskly with thoughts of what they’d do to each other when they got safely inside and into bed. “So, what do you think?” Yugi asked his partner along the way. “Marik and Bakura?”
“I think it’s a very good thing,” the pharaoh murmured in reply. “Not only for Bakura, but for Marik as well. As much as Ryo needs someone to make him feel wanted, Marik needs him just as much. Maybe not for the same reasons…”
“I was watching them on and off, like when we were sitting around,” Yugi said dreamily. “Just the way Bakura’s eyes shone whenever he would look at Marik, or he touched his hand, any little thing like that. It’s so clear – they’re totally in love!”
Yami hugged him closer as they walked, laughing quietly. “And you’re going to take credit as matchmaker, are you?”
“No, I know it wasn’t me,” Yugi sighed. “I just suggested it, but they beat me to it. I honestly didn’t know whether they’d hit it off, Ryo is so shy.”
The pharaoh hummed thoughtfully. “I just hope they don’t drift apart when Marik has to return home. A few weeks together is no substitute for a regular relationship.”
“These days, you have to take what you can get,” Yugi shrugged. “At least they can chat over the dueling network every day. That makes it a lot less hard than it used to be.” He gave his lover an insolent look. “Back in your day.”
Yami rolled his eyes. “I think ‘back in my day’ it was a rather different situation. Kings and their concubines and harems, and all.” He caught Yugi up in his arms as they reached the door to home and tickled him, since he wasn’t wearing a coat and thus left all his vulnerable points open to exploit. Yugi wrestled back, giggling, and then clapped a hand over his mouth as he unlocked the door and dragged his partner inside. They were tired, but not tired enough to fall asleep once clothes were off.
Marik clicked off the light as he left the bathroom, plunging the flat into dim darkness but for the streetlamps leaking in between the shades over the windows. Ryo was sitting in the middle of the bed in a t-shirt and pajama pants, ruffling a hand through his hair, feeling rather sweaty and unkempt yet but agreeing with his companion that they could shower in the morning. He smiled sweetly as Marik sat down next to him and slid his feet under the blankets, admiring his companion’s lean, tanned figure clad in nothing but sleep pants. “All set, now?”
“Mhmm.” Marik turned to him and placed a hand on his cheek, holding him still to receive his kiss. After the first one, they both seemed to want more, and sank into a long series of deep, delicious kisses driven by memories of dancing with their friends and each other earlier. Ryo’s heart fluttered in his chest over the way he was being kissed, the warm lips savaging his, the tongue slipping into his mouth and teasing his, the heated palm pressed to his face. He reached up and tangled his fingers in Marik’s hair, kissing back just as ferociously. He began to lay down where he was, not breaking the kiss, and Marik followed, pushing him gently down into the bedding and continuing to kiss him with wild abandon. Then, Ryo felt the warmth of his hand sneaking up under his nightshirt and gave a little gasp. Marik paused, blinking innocently down at him in the dim half-light. “Is it…okay?” he whispered.
Ryo stared at him for a moment, and then faintly nodded. “Yes,” he whispered back, “just…took me by surprise.”
Marik settled his weight onto his elbow and gently caressed along Ryo’s flank, his fingertips feather-light on his skin. “Because if you don’t want to…” he reluctantly offered.
“No, no…” Ryo smiled hopefully. “I’m trying not to be shy, really I am…”
Marik smiled and leaned in a little closer, caressing a little more firmly and letting his hand roam high enough up to brush across Ryo’s nipple. Ryo held his gaze, gasping but smiling as well, and unable to look away from his partner’s sultry eyes. “I won’t go all the way,” Marik promised. “Not unless we’re both ready. I just want so much to touch you…” He lowered his head and kissed Ryo softly along the jaw and neck, at the same pace as his slow, gliding touch. Ryo moaned quietly, turning his head to encourage further exploration of his neck, his hand clenching on the back of Marik’s neck. They had been slowly feeling out their boundaries, one step at a time, and had spent several nights passing the time by making out on the couch, learning by doing. The sensual night of dancing had stirred them both, setting them on a path toward pushing the limits a little more. Marik was still gentle and patient, but his kisses were getting deeper and heavier and his hand on Ryo’s body stroking more sensitive places by choice. He moved from his stomach and flank up to his chest, pushing up his shirt for better access, at which Ryo decided to pause him with one hand on his shoulder. He simply smiled wordlessly and sat up to remove his t-shirt, tossing it aside on the floor. Marik smiled his agreement and resumed where he left off, brushing his hand in slow circles across Ryo’s chest and paying particular attention to his nipples. Ryo laid back and willingly offered himself to his partner, curling an arm around his neck and pulling him close for more kisses, gazing dreamily up at him through half-closed eyes at every pause for breath. Everything was new, but wonderful, and not frightening at all. Even when Marik began to kiss his neck, then his collarbone, chest, and stomach…and his hand roamed even lower, to the edge of Ryo’s pajama pants, and beyond.
Ryo tensed a little, feeling Marik’s hand gently grope him through his pants. Marik felt it and lifted his head, giving his partner a calming look. “It’s all right,” he breathed. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Not so fast,” Ryo pleaded. “I…not tonight…”
“Shh…” Marik kissed his stomach again, and gave him one more soft caress between his legs before withdrawing his hand. “I won’t. I just wanted…” He lowered his eyes and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry. I was being selfish. I wanted to touch you. I wanted to…know…”
Ryo gasped a little, and then set his hand on Marik’s cheek. “Well, in that case,” he murmured, giving Marik’s face a little brush with the backs of his fingers. He shifted in bed, tilting his body a little more towards Marik and sliding his knees apart. Marik smiled to accept the invitation, and crawled up alongside Ryo, wrapping both arms around his body and settling his head down on the pillow beside him to be in the right place to kiss him. As his silver-haired partner turned to him for just such a kiss, Marik let his hand glide down over his stomach again, not intruding beneath his clothing but just brushing on the outside, teasing and exploring. He could feel Ryo’s shape, and that he was just a little bit hard, the more they laid together and kissed. But between the agreement not to go too far, and his own weariness and need for sleep, he only caressed for a short time before settling his arms comfortably around Ryo and nestling his head in the crook of his companion’s neck. Chuckling softly to himself, Ryo stretched to snatch a handful of the covers and pull them up around both of them, tucking them in together as they settled down to sleep. Dawn began to break shortly after both were completely dead to the world, wrapped up together with bare arms happily clutching naked chests.
A delightfully warm day hinted at summer soon to come, just one reason why the four young men meeting downtown for food were entirely glad that they had no obligations like school or jobs keeping them indoors. Considering all of them slept in rather late and missed half the day while the rest of the world went about its business, their meeting fell somewhere between lunch and dinner, giving them lots of time to hang out together. Marik had made some comment about having not been out for sushi yet in the two weeks he had been there, and wanting to experiment, so they met up at a quaint little place with sidewalk café-style seating near the pedestrian mall that marked the city-center. That way, they could sit outside and linger over their meal, poking fun at Marik’s reactions to some of the tastes and generally carrying on as two couples ought to. Yami found himself musing over Yugi’s comments to him the night before, about how much it appeared the other two were in love, and had to agree. They still danced shyly around each other as befitting the newness of their relationship, but the deep trust in Marik’s eyes was rewarded with Bakura’s unabashed devotion. The pharaoh could not remember observing Ryo being more relaxed and natural than he seemed around Marik, it made him more sociable than he used to be. He and Yugi giggled at each other across the table at just about every other point in the conversation, leaving Marik and Yami to be the cool, responsible ones. Yami didn’t want to bring up any uncomfortable topics like the Millennium Ring and how they would deal with it, but the more of the interaction between his friends he observed, the more confident he felt that he didn’t need to. Marik did seem to be the only person in the world who could understand Bakura, let alone stand up to the spirit if he needed to. The way they talked to each other, it was clear that they had been talking a lot, sharing everything, holding nothing back in order to build a bond of trust between them. Yami sighed happily to himself, grateful that he didn’t need to play the part of chaperone and check up on Ryo’s mental health, but when Yugi looked at him with his big, gentle eyes and asked him what he was sighing about, he assured him it was nothing and just smiled.
After they finished eating and finally decided to tear themselves away from the perfect seat at the sidewalk café, the four went walking together for a while, just to see the sights. Marik didn’t mind going to see the pedestrian mall and the fountain and all the places etched darkly in his memory from Battle City, now that his former enemies were friends and boyfriend. He and Yami eagerly discussed that past conflict with a new tone, so the pharaoh could point out just where he had been standing or what he had been doing when Marik intruded on him via his mind-servants. It gave Ryo a chance to pull Yugi aside and speak to him alone. “I can see, now, what you meant,” he mused as the two of them followed Yami and Marik at a distance. “About you and the pharaoh – I mean Yami. When you first told me about him, I thought it might have been a case of wishful thinking, but now that I see you two together, I see it’s all true. You really are soulmates.” He gave Yugi a generous smile. “You make a good couple.”
“So do you and Marik!” Yugi gushed at him. “It’s so cute to watch the way you two talk to each other, and act around each other. You seem right, together.”
“It feels right,” Ryo admitted. “Which is why…I need to ask you something. If you don’t mind.” He suddenly blushed furiously. “It’s…well…rather personal.”
Yugi blinked in wonder at him. “Uh…okay. Sure. Ask me anything.”
Ryo glanced furtively around to make sure Marik and Yami were well out of earshot, first. “Well, you see,” he began in a hush, “last night, after we got back from the club…” He glanced aside again, and an impish grin began to push past his embarrassment. “Well, Marik and I haven’t gone too far, yet, we’ve only just kissed, but…last night…” He grinned shyly. “I let him touch me, in a different way.”
Yugi gasped in mock horror, his eyes sparkling with humor. “Bakura! You’re so bad.”
“I know,” Ryo giggled. “We didn’t do anything, just…he said he wanted to, and I really wanted him to. I know we haven’t been dating all that long, but…” He looked away, to where Marik and the pharaoh were standing head-to-head in slightly deeper conversation. “I think I’m ready to take the next step.” He bit his lip uncertainly and looked back at Yugi. “You don’t think it’s too soon, do you?”
Yugi thought about it, cocking his head. “Well, the only person who can really answer that is you,” he said plainly. “Everybody’s ready at different times. Yami and I took a while to build up to it, but that was because of circumstances. We didn’t know it was possible to do it. But then, Tristan and Duke – they slept together after their first date. So, it’s not too soon if you don’t think it is.” He grinned cutely. “If that makes any sense.”
“I suppose.” Ryo averted his eyes bashfully. “It’s just…I didn’t realize until I could feel his hand on me…that I wanted it. I wanted it so badly. He’s so beautiful, and gentle, and I’ve not been dissatisfied with anything he does. He kisses like an expert,” he added with a smile. “I thought about it, I figured maybe someday we would work up the desire to…to take that last step, but I wasn’t in a hurry. Until last night.”
Yugi grinned sneakily. “Now I’m extra-glad I talked you two into going dancing! Maybe that was all you needed, was a little push.” He chuckled. “It’s kind of a scary thought, I know. Being intimate with someone you love is no small matter.”
“But…” Ryo gazed plaintively at him. “I’m not really sure I know what to do. I mean…I figure it’s different with boys than what we were taught in school.” He blushed even more brilliantly. “They definitely didn’t cover this in biology.”
“Ahh…” Yugi said knowingly. “You want my advice, huh?”
“Since you know a little more than I do about the subject.”
“More than a little,” Yugi said with a naughty grin. “Well, sure. I’m not embarrassed, it’s okay. Ask me anything you want.”
Before Bakura could do so, a shadow darkened their path as Yami walked up to them, smiling coolly. Yugi dropped the conversation and turned an innocent look to his partner. “I just noticed,” Yami said to them both, “there is an ice cream vendor over there.” He gestured to the far side of the pedestrian mall.
Yugi rolled his eyes comically. “That’s it, I’ve created a monster. You wouldn’t believe,” he added to explain to Ryo. “The first day he was out of the Puzzle, I treated him to ice cream, now he can’t get enough of it.”
“I’m not that bad,” the pharaoh pouted defensively. “I just thought, since it was a sunny day…”
Yugi dug in his pocket for what was left of his money and handed it over. “Get me some too?” he begged sweetly. “Ryo and I want to talk about something over here…” He glanced behind him and nodded toward a bench beneath the trees. “Over in the shade.”
“All right,” Yami relented. “Strawberry?”
“Of course!”
Marik was standing right behind the pharaoh. “Ryo?” he wondered.
Bakura patted down his pockets, already knowing that his wallet was empty after dinner. “Oh, no…it’s okay,” he assured.
“No, don’t worry about it.” Marik smiled at him. “My treat.”
“Oh! Well then…” Ryo smiled demurely. “I like chocolate. Anything with chocolate in it.”
“Okay.” Marik and Yami nodded at each other, and departed together to go fetch ice cream for their respective boyfriends.
Once they were gone, Yugi pulled Bakura over to the bench hidden in the shade and plunked him down to talk. “Perfect,” he breathed. “They’ll take plenty of time to go do that. So, what do you want to know?”
Now that he had a captive audience, Ryo found himself losing his confidence. “Uh…well,” he began, blushing all over again. “It’s not like I don’t know…what goes where. I just don’t know if…if that’s all it is, or if there’s something I’m missing. Is there anything I should know before we end up in bed together?”
Yugi did not seem perturbed at all. “Well,” he mused, looking away while he thought, “I guess the first thing to figure out is which one of you is going to be on the bottom.”
Ryo covered his face with a hand to hide the burning blush, though by now it was pretty much impossible to stop. “Oh…um…”
Yugi laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s not that complicated. Really, it just depends on which one of you takes control. It doesn’t even matter who gets things started,” he added helpfully. “But someone has to be the giver, and the other one has to be the receiver.”
Clasping his hands in his lap, Ryo gave his friend a cautious look. “Which…one are you?”
Yugi smiled, and blushed. “I’ve always been on the bottom. I kind of like it that way.” He scratched idly at his neck. “Though I guess I might try it the other way sometime. Yami suggested he might like to switch, just for variety.”
Ryo leaned in a little closer. “What is it like? Is it…strange?”
“It takes some getting used to,” Yugi admitted, not ashamed that he was blushing. “And, I’ll warn you – it can hurt, the first time. If you’re not careful. Just ask Marik to go slow, and it gets better.” He grinned. “A lot better.” Something occurred to him, making him sit up with a start. “Oh! And you’ll need to get something for lubrication. I wouldn’t recommend doing anything without it.”
“Oh,” Ryo said, eyes wide. “All right. I suppose…I would have had to buy condoms too, wouldn’t I? They have all of that there?”
“Yeah, just go to the drugstore. They won’t raise an eyebrow, that’s what it’s there for,” Yugi assured. “I feel bad for admitting this, but…we don’t use condoms. But that’s because Yami isn’t just any old normal guy…we know we don’t have to worry about anything. But you and Marik…” He made a thoughtful face. “You haven’t been with anyone before, right? Has he?”
Ryo shook his head gently. “I asked him, but no. He hasn’t, either.”
“Hm. Then maybe you can get away without it…but you could always decide that later. Maybe use one the first time, just until you get used to it.”
“I guess.” Ryo fidgeted, glancing away to make sure Marik wasn’t coming back too quickly. “I think…he is the confident one, and he wasn’t too shy to push things a little last night. He would probably be better off on…on top.” His gaze swiftly returned to Yugi as he thought of another question. “So, what is the best way to do it? I would imagine…I should lay on my stomach, and let him…” It was embarrassing to be talking so frankly, but he swallowed his trepidation, or he’d never get the real information he needed to assuage his fears. “…let him be on top? That way?”
Yugi shrugged. “That can work, but it’s only one way. I actually like it a lot better when Yami and I are facing each other.” He smiled candidly. “It requires a little flexibility, but in the end, it’s much more comfortable, definitely for him. And you get to look into each other’s eyes while you make love. There’s nothing better than that.”
Ryo stared, captivated. “But how do you do that? Our bodies aren’t made to face each other…”
Yugi blinked. “You really don’t know? Haven’t you ever even looked at…pictures?” Ryo shook his head mutely, making Yugi clap his hand to his forehead. “Wow, you’re even more innocent than I was! I didn’t think that was possible! Though, I guess, if you didn’t have a bad influence like Joey for a friend in high school…”
Bakura laughed. “How did I guess that was what you two were always secretly swapping by your lockers?”
Yugi laughed back. “Yeah, well…he didn’t corrupt me that badly. After all, I was still blushing and trembling and all nervous the first time Yami and I made love…and that was inside the Puzzle, not even his real body!” He tapped a finger to his cheek. “Hmm, maybe on our way back we should stop by a bookstore, I’ll buy you a manga.”
Ryo’s eyes widened again. “They have manga…about this?” he asked, astonished.
Yugi held up his hands. “They have manga about everything!”
“True…”
“Really. Boyslove manga. I’ll get you the first volume of Kizuna, it’s got some nice positions in it,” Yugi said mischievously. “Don’t worry too much about the how. There’s lots of ways to get into position, it depends on how flexible you are. I’m short enough, compared to Yami, that I can get a foot up over his shoulder and that’s enough for him to tilt me back enough…” He trailed off, watching the blush rise in Bakura’s cheeks and his eyes widen as each word painted a vivid picture in his mind. The sight made Yugi laugh. “It sounds scary, doesn’t it? It’s really not that bad. If you think about it a little ahead of time, by the time you’re both ready for that moment, it’ll seem kind of natural. It’s just a matter of you being in a good place to receive, and him being in a good position to give. And then, just go slow. Give yourself time to adjust. Otherwise it’ll hurt more than you want it to, even with lubrication.”
“O-okay,” Ryo stammered. “But that’s…that’s the big step, isn’t it? That’s…all the way.”
“Mhm,” Yugi nodded. “You don’t have to go all the way, the first time. There’s lots you can do, that’s still sex but not intercourse. I would suggest,” he added, leaning forward with his elbows on his knee, “while you’re building up to it, ask him to start with his fingers. Just so you can feel what it’s like to have something inside you, in a place that’s not used to it. That way, if you don’t like it, you can stop there and give it time, talk it out, decide how you want to do it.”
“And if I don’t?” Ryo asked with the first shade of real fear in his eyes. He didn’t want to consider himself unwilling to receive a lover, particularly not Marik!
Yugi shrugged again. “Like I said, there are other things you can do. Stroking each other with your hands…” He smirked wickedly. “With your lips…that’s really nice. Take some time, find out what you like. Don’t just jump into intercourse because you’ve been brought up to think that that’s the only way to define having sex.” He leaned in even closer, lowering his voice to a suggestive murmur. “Sometimes, Yami and I don’t even get to the good part. He’s so good with his hands, and his mouth, I don’t mind at all. Sometimes, I just lie in his arms and let him stroke inside me with his fingers, and that’s enough to make me come.” He glanced up as Ryo sat back, startled, and clapped his hands over his mouth. “Oh…sorry!” Yugi said with a little chuckle, sitting up. “I didn’t mean to speak so casually about it.”
Ryo’s eyes were wide, but as he withdrew his hands, they uncovered a big grin. “You said ‘come!’” he gasped happily.
“Well! What else would I say?” Yugi leaned in again, grasping Ryo’s hands to pull him close so he could whisper secrets of naughtiness. “See, there’s lots of ways to enjoy each other. Try everything before you decide what you like. It’s so good. Nothing is so good as being with someone you love, and exploring each other’s bodies. It’s like you can’t hide any secrets from each other anymore. You don’t have to be shy, because he’ll take care of you.” He smiled knowingly. “That’s what makes a lover. Not that you’re having sex, but that you’re making each other happy. Finding out the best ways to give each other pleasure. It’s not the act itself, but everything you do along the way to getting there.”
Bakura smiled back at him, admiring him just a little. “How did you get to be so wise in the ways of pleasure, Yugi? I never would have thought I’d hear you say those kinds of things.”
Yugi chuckled wryly. “I’ve been sexually active for almost three years,” he replied smartly. “You don’t get to stay innocent after that much.” He tugged at Ryo’s hands, clasping them flirtatiously. “Don’t worry! It’ll be all right. Just don’t over-think it. As long as you know what you’re getting into, the rest is just…exploring. Finding out what you like, finding out what he likes. If you’re both virgins, there’s probably a lot about yourselves you don’t even know, so you’ll find out together.” He beamed hopefully. “And in the off chance that you don’t like being on the bottom, maybe Marik will. It’ll all work out.”
Ryo squeezed his hands before letting them go. “I’m sure it will. Thank you, Yugi. You have no idea how much better I feel, hearing all of that.” He smiled cutely. “You don’t mind that I asked?”
“No, it’s okay,” Yugi assured. “If anything I said makes your first time unforgettable, then it’s all worth it. And I mean good unforgettable,” he hastily added. A glance aside told him Marik and Yami were on their way back clutching pairs of ice cream cones, so whatever else he wanted to say had to be done quickly. “I think it’s great that you two are together, and you took this time to get to know each other and know whether you really wanted each other that way. I’m sure you won’t have to try too hard to get a nice, romantic mood and take it slow, figure things out together. But if you’re interested in something to help you along, I know a shop to go to. It’s not the kind of place you’d expect to be a sex shop. The owner’s really nice, and he gets relationships like ours.”
“I don’t think I’ll have any need of that just yet,” Ryo said demurely, “but thank you. I’ll remember that.”
They sat back as Yami and Marik came up to them, each handing down an ice cream cone to their respective partners. The pharaoh gave Yugi a sly smile. “All done gossiping about us?”
“How do you know we were talking about you?” Yugi said insolently between licks of his ice cream.
Yami raised an eyebrow. “You’re blushing.”
Groaning, Yugi hid his eyes behind his hand. “Never mind! Yes, we’re all done now. Where do you want to go next?”
Marik extended a hand to help Ryo to his feet, and didn’t let go of his hand after that. “How about we just take a walk?” he suggested, entwining his fingers with Ryo’s. “It’s a nice day, and none of us have to be anywhere.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” Yugi hopped up and took Yami’s hand the same way, and together the two couples drifted across the pedestrian mall, smiling under the bright sunlight and caring nothing for the looks they were gathering from passersby. After all, they were having the most wonderful day. Yugi and Ryo glanced at each other, taking in the sight of the other blissfully hand-in-hand with his own boyfriend and cutely nursing an ice cream, and grinned. There wasn’t much that could top the purity of that moment.