Chapter Text
“Where have you been, Ryou?” Yuugi sighs in relief, and pauses to catch his breath. “You’re supposed to be running D&D in half an hour, and I couldn’t find you anywhere. I looked in the gaming room, the exhibition space…”
Ryou’s leaning against the wall outside the hotel where Domino comic-con is held, the fingers of one hand closed tightly around a can of gin and tonic. He turns his head towards Yuugi with a faint smile; his cheeks are suspiciously rosy, and Yuugi feels his heart drop.
“Did you win the tournament?” Ryou asks, before taking a swig from his can. Before Yuugi can answer he chuckles. “Of course you did. Did anyone recognise you?”
Yuugi self-consciously tucks his fringe back under his Dark Magician hat. He looks more like the King of Dorks than the King of Games in his painstakingly handmade cosplay, but Ryou can’t bring himself to think Yuugi’s anything less than adorable in it.
He shakes his head. “It was kind of nice, actually.” He pauses; his heart skips another beat as he watches his blushing companion drink even more. “Ryou, are you-”
“I’m fine, I’m fine…” Ryou stands up properly and takes a careful step away from the wall.
Yuugi’s kohl-lined eyes widen in horror. “You’re swaying, Ryou – how many of those have you drunk?”
Ryou bites his lip, as though he’s trying not to laugh. “Not too many, I promise.” He tips his head back and drains the last of his can. “I’m a little tipsy, but I’m fine.”
He moves towards the overflowing rubbish bin, stumbling slightly. With a sharp intake of breath, Yuugi rushes to steady him with an arm around his waist.
Ryou raises an eyebrow. “What’s this for, Yuugi?” he teases. “You’re never normally so affectionate in public.” He stuffs the empty can between a pizza box and a pile of even more crushed gin and tonic cans.
“What the hell are you doing?” Yuugi whispers sharply, hoping that at least some of the empties aren’t Ryou’s. “I thought you were looking forward to running your game? I’ve seen you run games in worse states before, but still…”
Ryou stifles a giggle at Yuugi’s serious expression. “I just… I got a little nervous. I knew the con would be big, and busy, and loud, but…”
“Why didn’t you come and find me?”
“You seemed to be having fun duelling – it must be nice just to play, without the fate of the world on your shoulders or, you know, anything like that.” He allows himself to relax into Yuugi’s arm a little more, smiling blissfully. “I would have felt terrible dragging you away.”
“There are more important things than card games – if you can believe it.” Yuugi glances at the time on his phone. “Shit, we’ve got twenty-five minutes to sober you up. Did you eat anything today?”
“Um, does gin count?”
It takes all of Yuugi’s energy not to glare at Ryou and shake him for being so foolish. He rummages in one of his pockets and hands over a chocolate bar. “Here. It’s better than nothing.” He looks over his shoulder at the gaggle of cosplayers gathered on the steps up to the revolving hotel door. “Why don’t we sit down for a moment?”
Ryou gingerly nods, and allows Yuugi to guide him over to a free stone step. A nearby group of excitable teenagers in brightly-coloured wigs abruptly stop their conversation to stare at Ryou as he flops down heftily onto the floor, prompting an exasperated facepalm from Yuugi.
As Ryou slowly nibbles at the bar of chocolate, Yuugi sits next to him, placing a comforting hand on the faded grey denim of his jeans. “You can… You can definitely do this. I believe in you.”
Ryou splutters. “You don’t sound very sure of it.”
“You’re the best dungeon master I’ve ever played with.” Yuugi’s fingers drum gently on Ryou’s thigh. “I’m sure your instincts will take over and you’ll do great.”
Fluffy white hair brushes Yuugi’s shoulder as Ryou shakes his head vehemently. “It’s going to be a complete bloody disaster, Yuugi. I can just feel it. Why did I agree to do this again?”
Yuugi’s not quite sure how to respond. He reaches around to stroke Bakura’s back, hoping that the gentle motions of his hand over the soft cotton of his t-shirt will bring something resembling comfort.
“I… I can’t do it!” Ryou’s eyes are wide with panic. “What am I going to do, Yuugi? Is it too late to tell the organisers I’ve suddenly fallen ill?”
“Shhh.” Yuugi’s hand tangles in the silky hair tumbling over Ryou’s shoulder, and pulls him closer. “If you want to go home, I’m sure we can figure something out.”
Ryou frowns for a moment. “If we go home now, we’ll miss the karaoke later.”
A disbelieving chuckle slips through Yuugi’s lips. “Karaoke? You?”
Blushing furiously, Ryou fiddles with the hem of his t-shirt. “Oh, I don’t know… I wouldn’t usually, but maybe it could be fun – maybe you could come up there with me?”
Yuugi snorts. “I didn’t think it was possible for you to be drunker than you look.”
“Is that a yes?” Ryou draws back and bats long eyelashes at Yuugi.
“No!” He laughs at the absurd thought, but it’s hard not to get taken in by such sweet, imploring eyes. “If you still want to do it when you’ve sobered up… Maybe.”
“Who says I’m planning on sobering up?” Ryou gives what he thinks is a sly wink, but overall it just adds to the intense sloppy-drunk vibes emanating from his entire being.
“Your game, remember?”
Two ten-sided dice seem to have materialised in Ryou’s hand as if by magic, and he’s rolling them absent-mindedly through his fingers with surprising dexterity. Yuugi sighs softly to himself and closes a hand around Ryou’s.
“I can tell how nervous you are – you always play with those dice when you’re nervous – but hey, I’m here.” He leans forward, nuzzles into Ryou’s cheek. “I can sit with you while you run the game, or leave you be. Whichever you prefer.”
Ryou turns his head, finds Yuugi’s lips, and falls into their comforting embrace.
Yuugi’s painfully aware that the teenagers in brightly-coloured wigs have once again gone quiet, and Ryou’s gentle tongue tastes like a gin distillery, but he’s just happy to give as much comfort as he can. He slowly draws back, brushes Ryou’s fringe out of his face, and smiles.
“Right. I’m extremely tipsy, but I’m going to run that game, and it’s bloody well going to be fun.” Ryou’s lips stretch into a crooked, confident smile that reminds Yuugi far too much of evil spirits. “Thank you, Yuugi.” He stands up straight, then staggers slightly.
“Uh, should I come with you?” asks a nervous Yuugi, holding out a hand towards Ryou.
With a sigh of resignation, Ryou takes his hand. “Perhaps you’d better.”