Wait For It

"So what are everyone's plans for the weekend?" Joey asked at the lunch table one Friday during school.

Yugi smiled cutely (like he ever smiled any other way?). "I was going over to Seto's tomorrow. We were going to test the new game he made for his virtual reality pods. It looks like it's going to be really cool."

Yami sighed. "So you'll be gone all of this weekend as well?"

"Yeah, jeez Yug, leaving Yami all alone for, what, the bazillionth weekend in a row?" Joey put in, spearing his dessert with his fork and managing to stuff the whole thing in his mouth at once.

Shrugging and smiling, Yami said, "Oh, I won't be all alone this weekend." He cast a tender look at Ryou, teasing amusement in his eyes. "So long as you'd like to come over for a sleepover, perhaps?"

Ryou flushed sweetly, coyly lowering his gaze. "I'd love to."

"Yuck, you guys, none of that mushy crap while we're eating!" Joey said, spraying a few crumbs of food from his mouth. "Gonna make me sick to my stomach."

Bakura just glared at everyone and everything within fifteen feet of him, wiping a few of Joey's food crumbs from his cheek. "If you continue to spit food at me, I shall turn your stomach inside out."

Joey glared at him. "Lighten up, eesh."

"He's probably just upset that he'll be the one all alone this weekend," Yugi said sympathetically. "Maybe you could hang out with him this weekend, Joey?"

"Save your tender hearted suggestions, Yugi," Bakura growled, getting up and tossing his uneaten lunch into the trash. "I'd rather be alone this weekend anyway." He walked away without so much as a goodbye.

Yami and Ryou both watched him go, exchanging glances with one another of which the meaning was lost to everyone else. The mood at the lunch table was less tense once Bakura had left, but Ryou and Yami both sat through it in a slightly uncomfortable silence.

**

"Aw come on, Bakura!" Ryou pleaded, following his yami into the house. "When I agreed to go, I hadn't actually meant to go. I said yes for you! So you could go spend the weekend with Yami!"

"I said I wanted to be alone this weekend, and I meant it!" Bakura snapped back at him. "I don't need any favors from you! Go spend the night at Yami's, see if I even care!"

The truth was, he was sick of the damn charade. After the past few months, he was worn out from forever pretending to be someone else. If Yami liked Ryou so much then he… well, he could just have Ryou then. Bakura was tired of trying to slow the inevitable.

"You don't mean that," Ryou said, sitting down on the couch and looking pleadingly at Bakura. "I saw how cranky you got when he invited me over; I know you wish it was you he'd asked."

"Yeah, well he didn't ask me, now did he? He never asks me! He asks YOU! He likes you, not me, he doesn't even know about me!"

"Then let him know," Ryou said. "You have to tell him sometime. What, are you going to let another 5,000 years go by before you say anything? Maybe if you just quit lying about it, things would be different."

Bakura folded his arms. "I am not going."

Frustrated anger flashed in Ryou's eyes, an expression Bakura had never seen on his sweet, calm hikari. "Oh yes you will!" Ryou shouted at his yami. "You can be a damn cowardly liar all you want to be, but I am TIRED of having to lie for you too! You're going to tell Yami the truth this weekend, or I will do it for you!"

Bakura stared at his hikari. It appeared he'd finally pushed Ryou a little too far. "Maybe you're right," he said tiredly. "Maybe this has gone on long enough."

Ryou was left staring at Bakura's back as the thief left the room, momentarily stunned speechless that Bakura had actually admitted to being wrong. Well, not in so many words, but it was close enough. He relaxed back onto the soft couch cushions, smiling faintly. It was going to be another nice, quiet weekend to himself. He was looking forward to it.

**

It rained all of Saturday. Bakura and Yami spent the day holed up in the house, playing Duel Monsters and cuddling on the couch watching videos. Seto had given Yami a video tape of "The Mummy Returns" since the Pharaoh had liked it so much, and Bakura had to admit, he felt sort of sorry for the mummy in the end as well.

After the movie they just curled up on the couch and talked. Yami talked of things in Ancient Egypt, and though Bakura already knew most of it already, he had a great time just listening to the sound of Yami's voice.

It eventually got late, and they got tired, forgoing the trip upstairs to the bedroom and just settling comfortably under a heap of blankets on the couch. Yami, being somewhat shorter, rested his head on Bakura's chest, wrapping his arms around the fiend as he drifted toward sleep.

Bakura, as usual, didn't have such an easy time of it. Things Ryou had told him kept running through his head. He didn't want to be a coward. He ought to tell Yami how he felt, if only to get it out. With Yami curled against him and half asleep, Bakura finally worked up as much courage as he could manage.

"Yami?" he said softly in the dark, to make sure the Pharaoh was still awake.

"Hmm?" Yami hummed back in reply, shifting a little so he could look up at Bakura with half-lidded crimson eyes.

Bakura took a long breath. Now or never, Bakura… "…I… love you, Yami…"

A slow smile curved lazily over Yami's lips. "I love you too, Bakura."

Bakura froze. Bakura? Had Yami really called him Bakura? Finding his voice a little hoarse, he whispered, "What… did you say?"

Yami lifted himself up so he could grin down mischievously at the thief. "You didn't honestly think I wouldn't figure it out, did you?"

Bakura could do nothing but stare up at the Pharaoh. "Wh-when? When did you know?"

"Ever since you and Ryou came to see me in the hospital," Yami said. He took Bakura's hand, tracing over the pattern of calluses and toughened skin. "You and your hikari may look identical, but Ryou's hands are much softer than yours." His voice was gently tender. "That's when I knew it was you who came for me in the shadow realm… not Ryou."

Bakura had to force a swallow past the lump in his throat. "But… all the time you spent with Ryou at school? The presents you gave him? I saw you kiss him at the hospital…"

Yami smirked, that teasing glint shining brightly in his eyes. "All to make you jealous. Ryou said you had to be tortured into telling me the truth." He ran a soft caress down Bakura's cheek. "That's why I never told you I knew. I was waiting for you to tell me. Took you long enough, too."

Bakura just stared at Yami, unable to think of a single thing to say. Yami had known all along… and had only been waiting for Bakura to stop pretending. It seemed as though he'd been the one played for the fool this time… by his tricky little hikari and his infuriating beloved Pharaoh.

"So," Yami murmured low and sweetly to Bakura, "what are you going to do now?"

Bakura's answering grin was feral, as he pushed up and twisted so that he managed to pin Yami beneath him. "Be myself." And he pressed his lips to Yami's in a rough, passionate, and utterly delicious kiss.

**

Hansha and Shiroi watched with increasing amusement over the two through the shimmering window of their mirror. Hansha smirked a little as he watched Yami reassert control over the thief, once again pinning Bakura beneath him.

"Man," Shiroi commented, "I didn't know anyone other than you could take clothing off that fast."

Hansha smirked. "It appears Yami is going to be the one on top."

"Mmhmm," Shiroi murmured faintly, casting a sideways glance at his lover.

The Dark Magician folded his arms. "Say it."

"Say what?" Shiroi asked, laughing nervously.

"You know," Hansha said.

"Alright, alright, I give," Shiroi said with a sigh. "You win; you get to be on top tonight."

Hansha smirked. "And you have to dress as the Dark Magician Girl."

"Awww," Shiroi groaned. "I thought you'd forgotten that part of the bet."

The Dark Magician smiled. "You must be joking; that's my favorite part of our little wager."

"Okayy…" Shiroi relented. "But I want to watch these two finish up first."

Hansha grabbed a fistful of the Blue Eyes White Dragon's collar, calmly dragging him away from the mirror. "Allow them a little privacy. There will be plenty of opportunities to watch them later."

Shiroi smirked, casting one last glance at the image of the two going at it in the mirror. Bet Bakura regretted not listening to him earlier now. They could have gotten to the good part much quicker.

But as much as he wanted to watch Yami and Bakura screwing, it seemed his own lover was a little impatient to get some. The Dark Magician dragged his Blue Eyes into the bedroom, the door slamming shut behind them, and all was well in the shadow realm.

**

Author's note: Um, and they all lived happily ever after, and all that! There! I'm done. There may be sequels if you beg me and offer me presents and bribes, but until then, see y'all, love muchness, hope you all liked the story!