1. Feeding
The day seemed like every other to Ryou Bakura, it was a normal Monday morning, kickstarting another week of school. He hastily shoved a rice ball in his bag and left home without breakfast. Because why eat when you could spend more time sleeping was Ryou’s thought process.
Once he made it to school by foot, he was greeted by the familiar sight of his fanclub of squealing girls. They all had a huge crush on Ryou despite not showing any feelings back. He chalked it up to his striking white hair he kept long. However today they seemed more chatty, more excited even. Ryou did not particularly care but he overhead bits and pieces amongst the girls.
“Hey, did you play the game I told you about yesterday?”
“Mhm! ‘Boys’ Heartthrob’ was it? I finished a whole route last night. It was so cute, I never thought I’d like it so much!”
“Are you guys talking about ‘Boys’ Heartthrob’? I love that game too! I played it like three times!”
“Boys’ Heartthrob?” Ryou wondered. He was naturally interested in games and was curious to know what it was, although he didn’t know how to go about asking. While most would love to have girls clinging onto their arms and swooning over them, it mildly annoyed Ryou. And thus he kept his mouth shut; instead going to his desk and waiting for class to start.
Before he knew it, his morning classes were over and it became lunchtime. As soon as the class was no longer being monitored by teachers, a few of Ryou's fangirls came up to him, giggling to each other.
“Hey Ryou, can we ask you something?”
“Uhm… sure.” He forced a weak smile, which failed to come through. The three girls looked at each other, flashing cheeky grins, before asking in unison.
“Are you gay? ” All three giggled before intently waiting on the answer.
“What-” The question caught the usually calm Ryou off guard, “N-No. Why would you ask that?!” He answered impulsively, he wasn't gay just British, so there could’ve been a mix-up. Surely if he was gay he would've known already, right?
The girls pouted, a bit disappointed at the answer, surprisingly. Ryou was worried they were subtly picking on him, as they were always finding weirder and weirder ways to grab his attention, but it turned out not to be the case. Despite being a bit disappointed, they pulled some chairs to sit at Ryou’s desk to have lunch with him. Before he was flooded by the school’s entire female population, Ryou excused himself to grab his lunch. The girls not following him, only to save their seats.
As Ryou walked towards his locker, he saw Duke Devlin, an acquaintance he’s spoken to a handful of times, chatting up his fangirls (who had a great rivalry with his own fanbase.) Unlike Ryou, Duke adored his fangirls and would entertain them endlessly. He was a bit jealous of Duke in that regard, Ryou wished he could find at least some joy in being popular with women.
“Yo, Ryou!” He called out to him, his fangirls eyeing Ryou intensely when the attention was no longer on them. “Uh, Hello Duke.”
“Want to have lunch with me? I want to talk to you about a new game.”
“Oh, Sure.” Ryou nodded, grateful he wasn't going to be left alone with his fangirls..
Duke shot a glance back at his fangirls behind him, “And can it be… private? ” An assortment of squeals rippled throughout the crowd. Ryou was glad the glaring had stopped but what was everyone getting worked up about?
Shrugging off the thought, he followed Duke into an empty classroom and closed the door behind him, wondering the whole way through what Duke wanted to talk to him privately about.
Duke took a seat in the back row, near the door. “Okay, I know this might be a big thing to ask, but I hope you can hear me out on this.”
Ryou pulled up a chair, “No worries, I’m sure there’s a reason you're asking me in particular.”
“Yeah there is. Have you heard of this game called ‘Boys’ Heartthrob’? It's getting pretty popular.”
“‘Boys’ Heartthrob’? That name sounds familiar…”
“It's a new type of game you can play on your computer. It's called a visual novel, where your choices affect the story. Like being the main character in a book.”
Ryou's eyes widened in excitement, “Really? That sounds cool. What's the game about?”
“All you need to know is that it's a boys love story, or a BL.”
“All I need to know?...What do you mean?”
Duke smirked, “If you haven't already noticed, the girls here are obsessed with boys loving boys. And they'd go head over heels if we were a thing.”
“A thing?! ” Pretending to be gay for a teenage girl's fantasy was not what Ryou thought he'd be doing when he woke up this morning.
Noticing the concern on his face, Duke chimed in. “-Relax, we don't have to date or do anything crazy. Just egg the girls on for a bit before this fad dies down.”
Ryou looked down nervously, doing something like this would be very awkward and would only draw more attention to him. Not to mention he’s never been in a relationship before, and he’s not sure if he ever wants to be, pretend or not. “...Why should I go through with this? You already know I don't like having fangirls.”
“Yeah I had a feeling you'd say that.” Duke rested his face onto his hand, “For starters, if we were together perhaps our fangirls would stop fighting with each other?”
“Well… yeah…”
“And if you go through with it for one week, I'll take you out somewhere expensive. My treat of course.”
Ryou's stomach grumbled at the mention of a potential restaurant. Perhaps he should’ve considered having breakfast this morning because Ryou accepted rather too quickly. “Well alright, one week isn't too bad.” Duke smiled, probably excited to get more female attention at school.
Talking about eating also made Ryou realize he forgot his food outside. He was caught off guard by Duke mentioning games that he foolishly didn't bring his own lunch to lunch.
“Oh! I need to go grab my lunch, excuse me-” He was interrupted by a firm tug on his uniform. Duke darted his eyes to the window on the door, full of nosy fangirls on the other side, before looking back at Ryou. “It's okay, we can share my lunch.”
He opened the box to reveal a beautiful salmon with a side of white rice and a few bright red cherries. Ryou's mouth watered, knowing that he only had a misshapen rice ball from a convenience store he bought a few days ago waiting for him in his locker. He could cook but never found himself doing so in the morning. So he eagerly accepted, thinking he'll just incorporate the rice ball into dinner.
Duke took out his chopsticks and grabbed a bit of salmon and rice together. He put it up to Ryou's mouth, to his surprise. “Here, have the first bite.”
Ryou realized that the faking dating bit had started now, evident by the squeals from the hall; not even a locked door could hold back. He took a small bite, leaving a bit of food in the chopsticks. The raw salmon was so soft and tender, the savory umami flavor pairing well with the plain rice. Ryou grinned as he was in pure fish heaven.
After cleaning up the leftover food from his chopsticks with another, Duke then picked up a cherry by the stem with his two delicate fingers, hovering it over Ryou. “Try this Ryou, I made sure to buy fruit in season.”
The cherry had a vibrant color, and had drops of condensation on it. It was so fresh that its fruity aroma was vivid only a few inches away. Ryou slid his mouth over it whole, his soft lips brushing Duke's fingertips. He ripped it gently off the stem as he started chewing it. Sweetness gushed in his mouth, the flavor making Ryou to hum in approval.
Duke smiled at him before averting his gaze onto Ryou's cheek. “Hm… Stay still.” His agile thumb brushed against him, causing a rice grain to bounce off. His tough fingertip, due to all the time spent on dice tricks, pressing against Ryou's soft cheek, causing another uproar in the crowd.
2. Hand-holding
It was now Tuesday morning, Ryou got up earlier than usual since Duke texted him that he'd walk to school with him today. He had some extra time on his hands so he decided to make himself breakfast today. He still couldn’t believe he actually agreed to this ‘boys love’ thing so he made a mental note to never leave the house without having something.
Around 40 minutes before school started, Ryou heard a knock on his door. “Must be Duke.”
He opened his door to see Duke, bag in hand. “You ready to walk to school together?” Ryou nodded and the two went down the steps and left Ryou's apartment complex.
“Here, hold my hand.” Duke reached out to him, “The girls will love it.” Ryou was a bit nervous, he was always a bit of a loner and never held hands with anyone. Still, keeping to his promise, Ryou obliged. His naturally cold hands heated up by Duke's warmth.
His cheeks warmed a bit too.
Walking hand in hand for the journey, they went on about games and other nerdy things, as Ryou didn't live particularly close to the school. Despite not hanging out with Duke much prior, Ryou found it easy to talk to him. Especially since he could talk more about than just Duel Monsters, unlike his friends who were consumed by it. (Though he couldn't blame them, Duel Monsters is a fun game.)
A horde of squeals reminded Ryou that he was at school now, and also reminded him that Duke and him were holding hands. Somehow he almost forgot, like his hand was supposed to be there.
Usually, if Ryou's and Duke's fangirls were in one place, chaos would ensue. Arguing, fighting, and completely childish wars on who was cuter . However, ever since they started leaning into the BL trope, the two fanclubs rejoiced, united by fujoshi passion. “I guess Duke was right…”
After flaunting their “homosexuality” by saying a few cheesy quips to each other, the bell had rang, causing all the girls to begrudgingly leave the two alone. “I'll see you soon, Ryou.” Duke let go of his hand, and left for his class.
Ryou frowned for a bit as the cold air froze his hands again. He too went to his class, hoping Duke's warm hands would hold him again.
3. Kabedon
The cherry blossom tree in the school's courtyard finally started blooming on Wednesday, its floral aroma enchanting the whole school. It seemed to have put a spell on the usually uptight staff since the lunch break started earlier to appreciate the season, (however it was only for students without unfinished assignments, the tree wasn't that magical.)
Duke and Ryou had finished their lunches, (Ryou remembered to bring his this time,) and had a nice spot right under the tree. Of course reserved for them by the now unified “Minorshipping Fan Club”.
“Achoo!” Duke sneezed again for the 3rd time in a row, his eyes growing teary from the pollen. “Duke! We can leave if you want, you're getting sick.”
Duke shook his head, “It's too beautiful today, and plus-” He subtly turned to the group of girls who were not-so sneakily watching the two, “-It's perfect for my girls.” Ryou's eye twitched for a split second.
“...Alright then.” Ryou held his legs to his chest, he already knew Duke was doing this to impress a couple of girls while this one visual novel was popular, but for some reason he felt his heart twist.
“Anyways, I saw in a magazine saying that Monster World- Achoo!” Duke sneezed again.
“Here give me a second-” Ryou went into his pocket and pulled out a pink handkerchief with a strawberry design, whose edges had cotton frills. “Take this, you might want it.”
“Oh.” Duke parted his lips in a slight surprise.
“Ah! I didn't use it- if that's what you're thinking!” Ryou quickly defended himself, really not wanting Duke thinking he was gross.
“No it's not that, it's just…” Duke paused for a bit, “I didn't expect your handkerchief to look like this.”
Ryou nervously played with his fingers, “Oh… I thought it looked nice so I bought it. I like scary stuff more, but a handkerchief should give comfort and be cute, right?”
“Hm? I guess you're right.” Duke hummed, “In that way, it does fit you .”
Ryou felt his face completely warm up, what did Duke mean by that last bit? He bit his lip, feeling overwhelmed simply by the compliment. “Y-You can keep it, I don't even get allergies anyway…”
“Lucky.” Duke smiled before blowing his nose.
Once the extended lunch was over, the two held hands while walking back to the school building, (much to Ryou's excitement.) The all too familiar femme crowd surrounded the two boys once again.
Ryou didn't have much time to react as Duke let go of his hand and subtly nudged him onto the nearest wall. He then placed his arm over him while leaning in close, oh so close.
“D-Duke!” Ryou gasped, as a genuine reaction. His face fully flushed now, to his embarassment.
Duke leaned in closer, his face hovering over Ryou's. Their uniforms barely brushing each other. “Ryou…” His warm breath touched his forehead. Ryou gulped.
“...There's a blossom in your hair.” Duke chuckled softly, making Ryou's stomach flutter. He gently picked it off and let it fall gracefully onto the tile floor.
“How beautiful…” Duke whispered so quietly that Ryou wasn’t sure if he was supposed to hear it.
High pitched screams filled the halls, breaking the silence and breaking Ryou's own fantasy, reminding him that this was only an act.
An act for the girls.
4. Studying
On Thursday, Ryou had a study period to his amusement. It was easier to not pay attention when nose deep in a textbook, tables away from any teacher. Although this time he'd have to focus as he was behind on his research paper. Ryou was a bit stressed as it was due only a week from now. Being a gamer was a time-consuming hobby as Ryou silently cursed himself for spending the past two weeks procrastinating, opting to instead work on more Monster World dioramas.
Walking in a single file line with his notebook and pencil case in hand, Ryou and his class headed to the library. It wasn't that grand, just as plain as the rest of the school, but the atmosphere of books and quietness comforted Ryou a bit, not exactly enough to forget about the looming deadline over his head.
When he got there, there were already a handful of students occupying the place. Ryou knew that beforehand as he recalled his teacher mentioned they'd share the library with another class. His eyes curiously scanned the room until he saw Duke Devlin at one of the tables.
It wasn't long before Duke saw him too and gave him a silent wave. Ryou felt giddy knowing Duke was with him, unsure if his excitement crossed the bounds of being just friends. Maybe Duke was just his best friend now? Ryou didn’t have many friends growing up so everything was new to him.
However, Ryou came to study so he went to the historical section of the library, looking for anything at least related to ancient Egypt.
“Ryou!” A whispered voice popped up from behind him, causing him to almost scream if it weren't for a hand instinctively covering his mouth.
“Calm down, It's just me.” Ryou recognized the voice to be Duke, his shoulders relaxing. Duke put his hand down, letting Ryou speak again.
“You scared me!” He smiled, “Don't you have anything to study?”
Duke shook his head, “No, my work is pretty much finished. It looks like you're the one who's falling behind, you look like you don't even know what you're looking for.” he booped the boy on the nose.
Ryou let out a small laugh, a tingling floating up to his stomach. “You must be really smart then, Duke.” He looked up at him as he said it.
Duke's eyes darted away for a moment, despite no fangirls in sight. “It's nothing really, school comes easy to me. Did you need any help?”
“I just need to find a book on… on…” Ryou stumbled, trying to remember what his subject was, “It was a pharaoh or something, Tutankahem… or Tukamun…” He felt his face going red.
“Oh, Tutankhamun? Like King Tut? I studied him last year actually at my old school.” Duke said, “Though I don't think you'll find him in the Ancient Greece section.”
“Ancient Greece?! But I thought…” Ryou looked up and realized he wasn't in Ancient Egypt, causing him to instantly facepalm.
Duke once again held Ryou's hand, “Here I'll show you where it is, I’ve seen it before in passing.” Ryou was almost glad he went into the wrong section as the two walked hand in hand to the Ancient Egypt section.
“Let's see… oh!” Duke pointed towards a book near Ryou, “I remember reading that book for my project, it was my savior. I only wish I knew about it sooner.”
Ryou picked out the book titled “The Life and Cultural Impact of Pharaoh Tutankhamun” “What a mouthful.” he thought as he took the book off the shelf, surprised by the sheer weight one book could have.
“Hmph- this is- rather heavy.” Ryou heaved as he clumsily held the textbook in his thin arms. His athleticism was never impressive, but lately it had become laughably worse the more he spent his life inside, playing games.
“Here let me help you.” Duke offered, sweeping the book off of Ryou with ease. Ryou's heart twisted as his face flushed, something about Duke being stronger than him got a reaction out of Ryou .
Once they picked out a book, the two sat back down where Duke was originally sitting alone. Ryou internally sighed as the textbook looked dense and a drag to get through.
“We can get through a few chapters today. It'd be best if you took good notes so you won't have to reread anything.” Duke said as he turned to the first chapter.
“You don't need to help me anymore,” Ryou nervously played with his fingers, “I wouldn't want to burden you.”
Duke put his hand on Ryou's shoulder and gave it a light shake, “But I want to help you, and besides, I have nothing else to do.”
Ryou sighed, “Well if you really want to, you can help… read this text for me.” His eyes squinted at the first sentence, “It's uhm, too small for me.”
“Hm? Sure, I'll do that.” Duke leaned in close to the book, and consequently Ryou, his cologne smelled so strong this close, “I never knew you had trouble seeing. Do you have glasses?”
“Glasses? Oh, no I don't. It was never a big deal like that…” Ryou felt a twinge of guilt as he lied through his teeth, his eyes were perfectly fine and he was an excellent reader, one of the few academic things he was good at. He just… wanted Duke to read to him, to hear his voice uninterrupted.
Perhaps it was for the worse, as Ryou was completely distracted by Duke. His charming and soothing voice, his woody cologne, how their faces were almost touching. Ryou left the library knowing just as much as he did coming in, although notably less stressed.
5. The Pocky Game
After the classroom had been fully clean for the next day, Ryou and Duke promptly left the school that Friday evening, an array of giddy fans wishing them farewell. Some were even taking pictures on portable cameras, likely zooming in on the “couple’s” locked hands, which now came naturally to them. Duke was telling him they had a blog on the internet but Ryou didn’t particularly care enough to check himself.
The two were going over to Ryou's apartment to play a game of Monster World since he was finally done with his new board, 3D diorama and all, to attach to the RPG. (Which caused his research paper to be even further delayed, but he was so close to being done that how could he stay away from it?) Strangely, though a game like Monster World is more fun with more players, Ryou wanted to play with just Duke. And Duke alone.
God, Ryou couldn't get enough of Duke. His silky hair, his moisturized skin, his expensive cologne, his way with words that gets him flustered, he liked holding his hand and brushing over his ring again and again, the light in his eyes when he talks about concepts for Dungeon Dice Monsters or-
“We're here Ryou! Apartment 801, correct?” Duke broke him out of his internal swooning. “It does say Bakura on it so obviously, right?”
“Oh! Yeah, that's my apartment.” Ryou jolted back to reality, “Sorry for zoning out, it's been a long day.”
“Tell me about it, I think we're driving the girls too crazy.” Duke slid his hands in his pocket, waiting for Ryou to unlock his apartment. “No worries though, tomorrow's the last day. I'm sure by next week the school will be into some other game Yugi's grandpa brings in!” He laughed as the door clicked open. Ryou frowned, knowing their “relationship” would come to an end.
Once the door had been locked again, Duke and Ryou had their privacy, no fangirls watching their every move. They could be their true, authentic selves.
Friends.
“You should rest before playing, I'll make some tea.” Ryou bit down hard on his lip as he went into the kitchen. Duke told him he'd use the bathroom and get comfortable, which left Ryou alone.
Ryou took down a carton of tea bags from his kitchen cabinet, and set a kettle of water on the stove. The teacups were already clean so all he had to do was wait.
All he had to do was wait.
Now that Ryou was alone with his thoughts, he had time to think. Think about what Duke was to him. He wasn't just a friend- friends don't get jealous when they're flirting with other girls! If Yugi or even Joey were scoring, Ryou would probably cheer them on. But Duke? He wanted to pry him away anytime a fangirl came close. He wanted to hold him tight, making sure he could never leave him. He wanted to give him a million hickeys, telling everyone in the world that Duke Devlin is Ryou Bakura's-
Whistling rang throughout the small apartment as steam rose to the rather low ceiling, snapping Ryou back to reality. Turning off the heat, Ryou knew he couldn't be just friends with Duke much longer. It'd break his heart if Duke stopped fooling around and actually found someone other than him. His feelings were so strong too, Ryou was worried he’d do something he’d regret if he let it fester.
As he poured two cups of black tea, Duke came into the living room that connected to the kitchen. Wearing one of Ryou’s shirts.
“It's cool that I wear this, right? Since I'm sleeping over y'know?” Duke half-hazardly asked before settling on the couch. Ryou was completely flushed as his shirt fit Duke well, albeit it could be looser, but that's what made it all the more perfect. “Y-Yeah it's alright.” Ryou mumbled, fighting the urge to not unashamedly stare at the tightness around his chest and midsection.
“Oh yeah! Do you need any help with the tea?” Duke got up as quickly as he sat down and walked towards Ryou in the kitchen, his body pressing on Ryou's back.
“Ah, I-I'm fine, it's already finished. You can sit back down.” Ryou said, picking up the heavy tea tray assorted with cups of tea and desserts, acutely aware of every breath both he and Duke took.
“Here let me help you carry this, I'd hate to just be sitting around.” Duke's fingers slid under the tray, grazing Ryou's hands, before lifting the tray off of them. “Where should I take this?”
“The floor is fine, unless you'd prefer the dining table.”
“Floor it is.” Duke crouched down and placed the tea tray on the carpeted floor, a dangerous place to have drinks and desserts, but neither of them particularly minded.
When the tea tray was on the ground, Duke's eyes widened, “Woah, this all looks amazing. Where'd you get these from?”
“If you're asking about the biscuits, I made them myself.” Ryou gave a shy smile. Duke was already putting one to his mouth. “ You made these?!” He swallowed while grabbing Ryou's hands, “You have to teach me, I suck at baking!” Ryou nodded, smiling to himself.
After a long game of Monster World, it had become late in the night. Duke and Ryou were full of laughs and smiles from all the inside jokes and roleplaying they did. Now, it was time to settle down.
Ryou couldn't help but feel a bit peckish though. The last proper meal he had was all the way back when he was at school. “Duke, are you hungry for anything?” He asked while heading to the kitchen, wondering if he'll have to bring something for two.
“Yeah a bit, it's late though so I'll just take a snack.” Duke called from his bedroom. Ryou looked through his pantry for anything to nibble on. He had a vicious sweet tooth, so the shelves were stuffed with packaged sweets. Scanning through the mounds of sugar, his eyes landed on a box of pocky. “Sweet, simple, and light.” Ryou thought as he happily took a box for him and Duke to share.
Ryou went into his room where Duke was sitting on his bed. The lights were off and the rain was coming down hard, making him feel sleepy and cozy. Ryou sat next to Duke and handed the box to him, “We can share this, that's good enough for you right?”
“Relax Ryou, you're not offering to a pharaoh.” He slid a hand on Ryou's back, causing him to shiver.
Duke tore open the plastic bag, unwrapping all the cookie sticks for the two to enjoy. Ryou was quick to grab one, relishing in the sweetness of the milk chocolate.
“Hey, Ryou.” He pulled out a pocky stick and placed the box on the floor. “Wanna play a game?”
Ryou blinked, could it be what he thought it was? “What game?” He asked, his heart quickening.
Duke slid the pocky stick in his mouth before cupping Ryou's cheek and pushing his mouth into the pocky too. “The pocky game, you know how to play right?” His speech muffled by the chocolate part of the stick.
Ryou's heart was racing, he could hear it in his ears. His breaths grew more and more shallow, his face going embarrassingly red. He quickly shot his eyes to the ground, too nervous to look Duke in the eye. Was this it? Was Duke more than just a friend who needed help with some girls?
Duke took a bite, then Ryou. Back and forth, closer and closer. Noses almost touching, tickling. Every fiber of Ryou wanting for Duke to take the final bite that separated them. One more bite.
“‘Ol ‘on.” Duke murmured, mouth full of pocky, as he pulled Ryou onto his chest and held him there, careful to tilt his head with him, to not break the pocky between them. Ryou almost bit down in surprise and excitement, wanting to break the tension himself and reach in for the kiss. It wasn't his turn in the pocky game though, so he bounced his leg in anticipation. His mind screaming “Kiss me, kiss me now!” Ryou was about to explode. His lips were yearning , his heart was yearning , his down-there was yearning too.
Yearning.
Yearning.
Yearning.
*Click*
“Huuhh?” Ryou mumbled, well into the chocolate side by now. In front of him was Duke's flip phone, turned backwards to get a picture of the two in their compromising situation.
Then Duke bit down, not towards, on the pocky stick, ending the game.
“I'm going to text these to our fangirls… maybe they’ll uh, put it on their blog or something.”
Ryou stared down at the bed, he stared hard down at the bed. All he could do was stare till his eyes burned.
Getting that close… Holding me that close… I was so close…
Tears bubbled in the corners of Ryou's eyes, rising to the top as if they were carbonated. He could barely speak.
“Y-You… You- said…” Ryou choked, trying to keep an ounce of composure. “-Said y-you'd just egg - on…Y-You said you'd just egg on the girls!”
“Ryou?”
Shaking, Ryou grabbed onto Duke, hiding his face in his chest, wanting to scream so loud that it'd break Duke's heart too. “Why do you tell me I'm cute and beautiful- and wear my shirts- and sit on my bed- and try to kiss me and-” Ryou took a deep, shaky breath.
“- And why do you hold my hand when no one's watching?!”
Silence. Dead silence.
Streams of tears racing down his face.
“Why Duke?! Why?!” He screamed onto his chest, full on sobbing. “WHY?!”
The timid boy had burst.
“Ryou I didn’t think you’d- I didn’t know-”
“You didn’t know!? How could you not know?!”
“That’s not what I meant-”
“ Of course that’s not what you meant- you never mean what you say!”
“Y’know what, I’m not getting into a screaming match with you! I’m going home!”
“NO!” Ryou shrieked, holding Duke as hard as he can, “Don’t leave me! You can’t leave me! You led me on, I deserve you!”
Duke shoved Ryou off of him, his head hitting the bedframe hard. “‘ I deserve you!?’ Do you hear how psychotic you are?!”
“That's not-”
“-What you meant?”
“...”
“Take your stupid shirt back!” Duke swiftly removed the shirt and threw it behind him as he walked, a sight Ryou couldn’t really appreciate at that moment both to sheer emotion, and the fact that the clothes landed over his eyes.
Ryou sat there dumbfounded, his head aching and tears ever flowing. His lip trembled as the shirt draped over his head reeked of Duke’s cologne.
His expensive, woody cologne.
Ryou spent the night silently weeping, holding the Duke-scented shirt.
+1:
Ryou walked to school alone on Saturday, empty handed. He’d always been alone, yet today it was unbearable. His eyes were still puffy from last night.
Like every other day this week, he was greeted by the sight of his and Duke’s fangirls. Usually they’d accompany their interest with a few squeals, but today the girls were giving him puzzled looks. “Ryou, where’s your boyfriend?” One voice asked. Ryou could feel the tears piling up on his water line..
“...We’re done.” Ryou said, still shaky, breaking his deal with Duke, not caring about whatever restaurant he was planning to bring him to. An array of gasps came from the crowd as a million questions were all asked at once. All ignored by Ryou as he walked right past the girls, his eyes glued to the floor. Since Ryou’s relationship was aired to the public, all of its problems would be too. Maybe this is what he deserved for lying to everyone, pretending to be gay just for an “expensive” meal. He just had to get through today and hopefully everything will blow over by next week. Just get through today.
The bell had rang for lunch as students became free from classes, Ryou instead stayed at his seat, his head down, not bothering to grab any lunch. He didn’t have an appetite anymore, all he felt was hollow. Perhaps he could take a nap and wake up when everything is over.
“You jerk!” A notebook collided Ryou’s head hard, he didn’t even get to doze off. Ryou immediately straightened up, the students at this school never bullied him too much so he was surprised to see a handful of angry fangirls surrounding him.
“You hurt our Duke you heartbreaker!”
“Yeah you're heartless Ryou!”
Ryou took a better look at the girls and realized they used to be Duke's main fangirls before “The Great Merge” as they called it on their blog, (Duke had told him about it). Teeth gritted, he shot up from his desk, not saying a word in response to his classmates. One thought ran through his mind, “Where's Duke?!”
The thoughts stopped when he saw Duke, grabbing his lunch from his locker. Ryou's heart twisted, remembering how good it tasted, and how good it felt when he fed him.
“You!...Duke!” Ryou started to shake, he was never good at confrontation but when it came to Duke his feelings were intense. Ryou continued, “Why are you lying about me?!”
Duke turned his head around, face scrunched. “Why won't you leave me alone?”
“Leave you alone- answer my question first! Why are you telling ‘your girls’ that I'm the jerk, that I'm the heartbreaker!” Tears started to form in the corners of his eye. Duke's lips parted, looking genuinely shocked.
“I didn't tell anyone anything! Everyone's calling me the heartbreaker, explain that!”
“...I didn't say anything either!” Ryou held himself, “Can you just tell everyone I didn't do anything wrong?!”
Duke gasped, “ ‘Didn't do anything wrong’ ?! You were the one who ruined everything! Didn't I tell you it was all an act?! ”
The crowd grew silent not before letting out a wave of gasps. (“An act? It wasn’t real?”) Ryou was definitely not getting that dinner now.
“You took it too far! I just… sometimes it didn't feel like an act. The way you look at me- it was too real!”
Duke fell silent, the one prideful, almost arrogant boy, was now quietly looking at the ground. Almost like he couldn't deny anything Ryou was saying anymore.
Ryou went on, “...You held me so close, so gently, all for a picture to send to a bunch of girls to get them to like you! You were prostituting my emotions!”
A murmur of questioning whispers emerged from the crowd. “I never sent them, Ryou. If that's what you're worried about. I never was going to.” Duke's eyes still on the tiled school floor.
“And I'm supposed to believe that? The guy who travels to and from America to talk to Maximillion freaking- Pegasus doesn't have phone credit?!”
Ryou was starting to get uncomfortable by Duke's quietness. It was almost like they switched personalities . “Could it be that he was nervous?” Ryou scoffed at the thought, perhaps he just knew when to stop fighting a lost battle.
“I'd burn every copy of ‘Boys’ Heartthrob’ if it meant you would never start ‘dating me’.” He put up air quotes as he whipped around and started to leave.
Before Ryou could truly walk away, a giant fight between the girls erupted like an overdue volcano; girls rushing in, throwing punches, tugging hair. Ryou could barely pick out what anyone was saying.
“How could you stand with Duke?! Didn't you hear anything Ryou said?!”
“Ryou was being rude, hurtful! Duke looked like he was about to cry!”
“Duke broke Ryou's heart! I'd be rude too!”
The commotion was quickly broken up by the gym teacher Karita, a man who got his kicks from punishing students, before anyone could get hurt. “Settle down, it's a whole zoo in here! Don't tell me you girls are in gangs too!?”
The girls, begrudgingly, stopped fighting, though scoffs and glares were being shot from either side.
“Now, you better explain yourselves before you're all expelled! ”
“Well…”
“-We were fighting because…”
“-Ryou and Duke broke up..?” The girl received a smack at the back of the head, “Rose, you weren't supposed to say that!” Another girl said in a hushed voice.
“Ryou and Duke broke up?” Karita echoed as he made his way toward the two boys. “Which means they were dating?! ”
Karita grabbed Ryou's and Duke's long hair and yanked them hard, a few hisses coming from the two. “I'm sure you two are well aware of our strict ‘no dating’ rule? I'd have you two expelled if you hadn't just broken up!”
Karita went on, “Which means I'll have to come with something else. Hmm why don't you two long-haired freaks clean up the entire school by yourselves?!” He tugged hard at the remark.
The final bell had rang, halls filling with relieved students not having to clean their classrooms for once. Ryou, on the other hand, was beyond stressed. Two people cleaning up this giant school? As if that's possible. Ryou was also miffed about having to spend his evening alone with his sort-of-not-really ex. He was still emotional and the public outburst still weighed on him, Ryou was at his wits end.
Sighing, he made his way to the janitor's closet for all the cleaning supplies he'd undoubtedly need; this was one of the more grosser schools he attended. When he got there he spotted Duke Devlin from the opposite end of the hall.
“Great…” Ryou whispered to himself. The plan was to ignore him the whole time and perhaps the whole school year. How in such a big school with multiple custodian closets, did they happen to meet up? Still, maybe if he waited for Duke to be done with the closet he'd grab what he needed later and-
“Ryou!” Duke spotted him too and rushed over, “...I think we need to talk.”
Ryou bit his lip, unsure how much more he could take. “...What do you want from me now?”
“I know you probably never want to hear or see me again, but I feel like I have to tell you this. I think you deserve to know.”
Confused, Ryou let him go on.
“I mean- at first it was just an act, I just wanted more attention from girls. But over time… I don't know…” He scratched the back of his neck, “...The attention from you, being with you, it was different than any girl I've been with. I feel so comfortable with you, yet… I feel like vomiting butterflies whenever I think of you.”
Ryou's eyes widened, starting to tear up, “You loved me? T-Then why…”
“Because I was scared!” Duke blurted out before slithering in on himself, “I was scared, I was so vulnerable for the first time ever, and at the time I hated it. I hated how much I loved you, how you made me feel, I felt so weak. I wanted to push you away so I could feel better, so I could have control, but I just ended up hurting you.”
“Duke…”
“You can forget about me now, I'm sorry for everything. I played with your heart and you don't have to forgive me for that. Here.” Duke pulled out Ryou's pink handkerchief from his pocket. “Have it back, I washed it.”
Ryou looked at Duke, still teary eyed. The audacity of Duke to return his gift! Ryou slapped the handkerchief out of Duke’s hand, letting it fall on the floor. As Duke’s eyes were distracted by the swaying cotton and linen cloth that, before he could say anything, Ryou grabbed him into a tight hug, his tear soaked face pressed against him.
“No, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have pressured you so much and put you in a tough situation, and I shouldn't have screamed at you. I was being so horrible to you, all because I didn't want to lose you? How stupid and immature is that? I hate that I was being so selfish to you. ”
Duke hugged Ryou back, his arms draped over his back. The position felt so natural, so right.
“...Can we have a second chance?”
Ryou nodded, face still deep in Duke's chest. His fingers digging into his red vest as he took in the handsome cologne, wanting to keep him there and make sure he never left him.
“Hey Ryou, look at me.” Duke whispered gently, causing Ryou to perk his head up.
As soon as his lips became available to Duke, he swiftly went in for a long overdue kiss. Ryou closed his eyes in relief as he returned the kiss, one thought reigned supreme in his head.
Finally Duke was his.
Here it is! The first Bakura fanfic I published. Probably not the first one I wrote but I have bad memory.
I made this fic for icryinks's Cringetober 2024 for the prompt "5+1". If you don't know, 5+1 is basically a fic format that follows the lines of 5 times 'x' happened and 1 time 'y' happened. If you want a more indepth explanation then I suggest using google... Anyways, I've always found this fic style unique and have been wanting to try it, so this challenge was a great excuse too. With the 5+1 being "5 times Duke pretended to be gay and 1 time when he actually was". Writing this fic was a struggle since I've never written a 5+1 fic and I had to write this in a day! Most of my fics, even the short oneshots, take months! Granted, I did spend three days on this fic, it was still way out of my comfort zone. But honestly, this taught me not to over-perfect my writing and just post it! Which was definitely an important lesson as most of my fics baking time is just me worrying if I made a huge gigantic mistake that can only be found by reading it 500 times or something. A funny fact about this fic... I accidently made it a 4+1! Yes somehow I couldn't count to 5 properly lolz. So I kinda just slapped in number 4 and called it a day. But actually the cool thing is that this worked in my favor! Did you know that before 2004 Japanese schools had 6 day school weeks? Sounds completely miserable I know, but at least it wasn't in vain because it was used to cover up a counting error in my amateur yaoi...?
About the actual fic itself now, this fic centers around the pairing Minorshipping. Which is so CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED!! I know they barely- if at all- have any screentime together, but they have so much in common and their contrasting personalities fit so well together! One parallel they share that I've never personally seen mentioned is that they both have fanclubs. They are both seen as the cutest in school, yet it's never brought up which one is cuter. And it also doesn't help that it's literally the same girls for both fanclubs if you look closely. So that got me thinking of what would happen if there were to be a clash against which boy was better. And then the best fake dating idea came to me! What's better than a cute boy? Two cute boys kissing, Domino High is now Fujo High folks! I think Ryou and Duke fake dating to appease fujoshi is an interesting idea, and I hope I served it justice in this fic. I don't have the highest confidence when it comes to the quality of my written work, as opposed to my drawings, but at the end of the day, only I could write this fic, and I couldn't be happier that I did. Also I wrote this with NO AI only my raw skill from writing all these years, which automatically makes it better than any AI slop that dirties this world.