Defiant

A/N: Well here we are, at the final chapter. I apologize profusely for how long this took me to write; suffice it to say that I had a really bad year. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who's stuck with me till the end, everyone's reviews helped me keep going whenever I wanted to abandon this story, and I appreciate it. :)

And especially thanks to Sam, my faithful beta who's helped me so much on this journey! And to TheRandomQueen (new penname and she didn't even tell me! .), Kagimine, Sweetpeacee, IamTerra, Hikikomori, Kuro Ookami Hatake, thanx-for-da-energy, did I get everyone? I think so, the whole gang *huggles*

So without further ado, I present to you the final chapter of Defiant.

One Year Later

Ryou's POV

I watched as Bakura anxiously paced the room before sitting down next to Marik at the kitchen table, and began drumming his fingers on the top. He glanced at the clock, his fingers stopping then resuming at a faster pace when he realized the time. This continued for about five minutes with Marik and I both watching before Marik put his hand over Bakura's, stilling the movement and seeming to calm Bakura down. It was odd seeing Bakura display his anxiety, but I guess the impending arrival of our father set his nerves alight.

Marik and Bakura had been living together for a year now in a city half an hour out of Domino. I saw them every weekend, but when my father arrived back home from Egypt two months earlier, my visits had to cease. This, of course, roused curiosity from Bakura and so he called looking for me. My dad heard me on the phone explaining the situation and after I got off the phone, he told me to plan my usual weekend trip out there. So with his "blessing", I was able to continue visiting without any problems, until a week ago when he told me he wanted to visit Bakura and Marik. I called Bakura with the offer, and he said no, but the next day I received a call from Marik accepting the offer.

My father wanted me to go out before he did so I could let them know he'd be there soon. Since my arrival, Bakura's been on edge. Because Marik's hand was still over his, Bakura began tapping his foot impatiently. He glanced over at the clock again and muttered, "When is he going to get here?" Marik and I glanced at each other briefly before Marik turned his attention back to Bakura.

He was going to say something but was interrupted by the doorbell. Bakura looked at the door nervously, but with another touch on the hand from Marik, Bakura's nerves melted behind a mask and he coolly went to answer the door.

"Hey, Dad," he greeted, steeping aside to let our dad in, Bakura led him into the kitchen where Marik and I were sitting, "I never properly introduced to my," he hesitated before carrying smoothly on, "boyfriend, Marik. Marik, this is my dad."

Marik stood from his chair and cautiously extended his arm towards my dad, "A pleasure to meet you, sir."

My dad nodded stiffly, "Likewise." He looked around the spacious apartment. "A nice place you got here, Bakura," he looked over at Marik and added, "Marik." He offered a tight smile.

"Thanks," Bakura answered his face unchanging. "It's a simple place; we're in the kitchen, and there's a family room, bedroom, and two bathrooms." As he listed off the rooms, he gestured in their general direction.

"Oh? And low rent?" Dad walked around the room, inspecting every detail.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Marik answered, walking over to Bakura to snake an arm around his waist.

Dad stopped walking and looked over at the pair. He flinched slightly before recovering and resuming their conversation. As they carried on with their small talk, I excused myself to make sandwiches. "What are you doing now?" Dad asked.

"I'm working two part-time jobs in retail, and Marik's working full time." Bakura answered, releasing himself from Marik's hold and sitting down at the table. The other two followed and sat down as well.

"And your plans for the future?" Dad inquired, as I served the first of the sandwiches.

"Nothing for now. We're just seeing where the tide will take us." Bakura replied, entwining his fingers with Marik's.

Then, our father did something surprising. He looked at their entwined fingers and back at them with a small genuine smile and said, "Well as long as you're happy."

It was in that moment that Bakura and I realized that our father was making a real effort to make amends with the past. Bakura relaxed and looked over at Marik with a smile playing at his lips, "Yeah, I'm happy where I am."

After I finished serving the rest of lunch and we ate, I was leaving to let the three of them bond but as I was opening the door, my father stopped me and said in a quiet voice, "I'd like to meet your boyfriend before I'm off to Egypt again, Ryou."

A grin broke my face, "I'd like that a lot, Dad." He nodded before walking slowly back into the kitchen. Like Bakura, I think we're all happy where we are now, and the future no longer seemed as scary.

OWARI

A/N: Just a quick note to plug (shamelessly), I'll be writing an original slash series so if anyone's interested feel free to message me about it or just head over to my profile for details.