Okay so I actually do have the next chapter finished, I just need to write the final chapter now! Hope you enjoy! Apologies again to any Duke fans because I really did do him dirty for the sake of comedy but this scene made me really happy to write lmao

CW: Sex (slight edging, slight dom/sub energy, toys (clamps, cuffs, vibrator))

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Seconds after Malik knocked on the door, Kek opened it with a wide grin. "Hey!"

"Hey, bitch." Malik gave him a quick hug. "Thanks for inviting us."

"Of course." Kek opened the door wider. He had dressed up, in leather pants and a purple hoodie, with his custom Vertigo t-shirt. "Bakura, Yugi, and a few of my co-workers are here already, and Rishid's on his way."

"We also brought this." Ryou offered Kek a small paper bag with a grin. "I hope it's okay."

Kek's eyes lit up and he peered into the bag. "Holy shit, are these Monster World minis?"

Ryou nodded, smiling at him. "Yeah, I figured you'd like some new ones to paint." He had unintentionally matched with Malik, which he had teased Malik over, despite them dressing in their own homes. He'd worn a soft blue sweater with boba tea prints on it and white-and-black striped pants, with gold sneakers, while Malik wore his 'Beetlejuice jacket' over a slim navy dress with golden jewellery and heels.

Kek nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "They're perfect, thank you!" He stepped aside to let them in, still staring into the bag.

The apartment itself was cosy, with dark walls and colourful plants dotted around the shelves and windowsills. Books and figurines lined the cases, and mismatching cushions dotted the armchairs and couches.

A few people Malik didn't know were dotted around the living room, but he heard a familiar laugh in the kitchen, and when he peeked in, Yugi and Bakura were at the table, the latter leaning against it with his hip, talking to- shit.

Malik twisted away and almost walked straight into Kek.

"Whoa." Kek steadied himself. "You okay?"

"Mhm." Malik nodded, voice a pitch too high. "Yeah, all good. So, is everyone here a co-worker?"

Kek frowned. "I mean, aside from you, Ryou, Bakura and Yugi, yeah? Why?"

"Cool." Malik nodded again. "Cool. Good to know. I'm going to go mingle."

"Malik." Kek caught his arm before Malik could walk over to where Ryou was already chatting to an older metalhead. "You're doing that thing again. What's going on?"

Malik glanced at the kitchen over his shoulder. "I... may have hit on one of your co-workers and then ghosted him when I saw what he was wearing."

Kek dragged a hand over his face. "Of course you did," he sighed. "Which one?" He glanced past Malik to the kitchen. "Never mind. Fucking Duke? Really?"

"Everything he was wearing was dice-themed," Malik stressed. "In my defence, it was a fair reason."

Kek paused. "You know what," he sighed, "I've seen that suit. That's fair."

Malik frowned. "He wasn't wearing a suit that night. I mean, I was pretty drunk, but-" He stared at Kek, eyes wide in abject horror. "He has more than one dice outfit?"

"Checks out." Kek rolled his eyes. "Go be gay with your boyfriend, I'll try to keep you two apart."

Malik sighed but shook his head. "Don't worry about it. This is your night. I'll deal with it if he comes up to talk."

Kek snorted. "If you already dealt with him as bluntly as you usually do, I don't think that will be an issue."

A small laugh escaped Malik. "Good point." Sure enough, shortly after Duke saw him, he made a polite reason to leave, and Ryou only snorted when Malik explained the situation. They nibbled on snacks and sipped wine until most of Kek's co-workers left, leaving only one named Atem that Kek was unusually quiet around, them, Rishid, Bakura and Yugi.

Kek's apparent shyness eased as he passed around a few cans of beer and they relaxed on the couch, chatting amicably, until Kek pulled out his new Monster World figures to get a proper look at them.

"Oh, have you started playing again?" Rishid asked.

"Not yet," Kek admitted, examining one of the orcs. "Haven't found a decent group yet."

"I'd offer for you to join mine," Atem said, "but our campaign kind of broke apart when the DM had a kid."

"Wait." Ryou leaned in. "Both of you play too?" He had a bright look in his eyes.

Atem nodded. "Yeah, I was a paladin but I'm thinking of doing up a new character next time."

"Well..." Ryou grinned and looked over at Malik.

Malik gave a long-suffering sigh and made a 'go ahead' motion. "I've already resigned myself to bi-weekly game nights at mine. You may as well."

Kek looked up. "Game nights?" He stared at Malik. "You're playing Monster World again?"

"Apparently." Malik gave Ryou what was supposed to be a teasing glance but from the flush that crept up Ryou's cheeks, it came across far fonder than intended. "We haven't started yet, but-"

"Can I join?" Kek hugged the orc to his chest.

"Of course!" Ryou assured him before turning to Rishid and Atem. "You're both very welcome to join too."

"I'd love to, if it's not too much trouble." Atem grinned. Bakura rolled his eyes and sipped his beer. Malik's lips quirked up. If they were already at odds, the campaign would be fun.

Rishid considered it. "Could I play a unicorn?"

Malik and Kek laughed. "I can't believe you're still playing him," Malik teased. "It's been years."

"Sixteen and counting," Rishid confirmed. "And I don't plan to change during the first campaign I've played in three of those years."

Ryou tilted his head and Malik chuckled. "Rishid, Kek, and I started playing when we were fifteen with a group from his college, and he made some bet with us, and lost, so we thought it would be funny to make him play a unicorn. He's literally done it in every campaign since."

"That's adorable," Ryou giggled. "You can absolutely be a unicorn."

"Damn it, Ryou, don't indulge him," Kek protested.

"I am the almighty Dungeon Master, and I will indulge who I like." Ryou took a definitive sip of beer.

"In that case, I would love to." Rishid smiled and sipped his water. He was the only one who declined a beer.

Ryou beamed and grabbed Malik's arm. "We have a proper campaign!"

Yugi smiled and leaned into Bakura's arm. "This'll be so much fun, but everyone remember to make at least three characters. Ryou's a brutal DM."

"I'm making three unicorns," Rishid decided.

"I'm not that bad," Ryou huffed.

"You literally had us fight Odin at level one back in college."

Ryou frowned. "I simply had an old man drinking at the bar. You're the one who decided to pick-pocket him."

"Well, I dibs thief for this," Bakura declared. "Can't have anyone stealing my thunder."

"You know there can be two people with the same class?" Yugi pointed out. "We could both be thieves."

"As long as they're gay," Bakura conceded. "And roommates."

At least three, 'and they were roommates,' echoed around the room.

"I'll allow it," Ryou decided, "because that sounds hilarious." He quickly exchanged discord usernames with everyone and created a group so they would hold each other accountable and have the campaign ready to start in a month. After a little more gaming talk and chitchat, Malik and Ryou excused themselves and made their way back to Malik's apartment on the skyline.

Ryou squeezed Malik's knee as they reached their stop. "So, what exactly happened with... what's his name?"

"Duke." Malik did his best to impersonate the man's nasally voice as they climbed off the train. "Duke Devlin. It was at the club, and he hit on me, but I was drunk and it was dark, so when we went outside, his outfit... hit me. Almost literally. I felt like I was actually knocked back several feet." Ryou snorted at that. "No, I'm serious! He had dice everything. Earrings, waistcoat, garish pants, bracelet, hell I think he even had those limited edition Dungeons and Dragons converse."

"Hey!" Ryou protested. "I have those converse, and they're cool."

"On you, they're cool," Malik assured him. "On the walking version of a humanoid dice-themed mimic chest? Not so much. So then I just said I was good and very quickly went back for more alcohol."

"That's so mean," Ryou giggled.

"With that monstrosity of an outfit?" Malik scoffed. "I think I was far nicer than I had to be."

"I do hate when you pretend to be nice," Ryou mused. "Have you ever had a normal evening at Nova without drama?"

"Well..." Malik slipped his hand into Ryou's. "Whenever I'm there with you, it's fine, though I wouldn't describe it as normal." It was far too fun for that.

He unlocked the front door, and they took the elevator up to his penthouse. Ryou had been there a few times, but still paused when Malik unlocked the second door into his apartment. It was tall, two-stories, with an open-floor plan and floor-to-ceiling windows.

The lights came on automatically as they walked inside, and Malik slipped out of his heels with a sigh of relief. "Fuck, that's better."

Ryou kissed his shoulder and toed off his own shoes. "This is why I always wear converse. Way more comfortable."

"Maybe," Malik agreed, twisting to wrap his arms around Ryou's waist, "but I'm not sure I could pull them off like you can."

Ryou leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to Malik's lips. Malik hummed, holding Ryou closer, and Ryou nibbled on his lip before pulling back to murmur, "There's something else I'd much rather pull off."

Malik chuckled and shook his head. "That was so cheesy."

"I know." Ryou grinned, slipping his hands beneath Malik's jacket. "But you love it."

"Mm, do I?" Malik teased, playing coy. For now.

"You do," Ryou said, leaning in. His breath brushed Malik's lips, but nothing more. "Or we wouldn't be here right now."

Malik chuckled and slipped his hands up Ryou's jumper to tease his skin with cool hands. "How presumptuous of you."

"You love it," Ryou repeated.

"I do." Malik leaned in and pressed their lips together. Ryou hummed, returning it eagerly. The drinks from earlier still held a pleasant buzz over Malik as Ryou sucked his lower lip between his teeth, and Malik snuck his hands down to grab Ryou's ass.

Ryou moaned, hitching up to press his hips to Malik's. "Should we-" He was cut off by Malik's lips again. "Move to the bedroom?"

"Good idea." Malik nipped his lip and gave Ryou's ass another squeeze. "I still don't have quite your... collection, but I've a few new additions I think you'll like."

Ryou's eyes crinkled from his grin, and he followed Malik upstairs to his bedroom. Fairy lights adorned the ceiling, and they flicked on the second the two walked into the room from motion sensors. Malik's bed was king-sized, of course, freshly changed that morning, but the room was sparsely decorated.

Ryou sank down onto the bed and sighed. "I don't think I'll ever get tired of how comfortable your bed is."

"Good." Malik leaned down and plucked a kiss from his lips. "And if you do, I'll just get a new, more comfortable one."

Ryou giggled and pulled him down, kissing him again. Malik shifted to straddle him as Ryou's tongue teased his lips. Malik dragged his fingers up Ryou's chest to push his sweater up over his head. Ryou's hair tumbled back down onto the sheets in a glorious mess as Malik tossed the pesky fabric aside.

Malik used the chance to kiss down Ryou's neck, though he only grazed his teeth along the sensitive skin.

Ryou huffed. "Mal-"

"I know," Malik chuckled. He traced a finger in ever-shrinking spirals around Ryou's nipple. "You'll just have to wait a little."

"I've been waiting all night." Ryou puffed his chest out, and Malik gave his nipple a quick pinch before withdrawing his hand.

"I suppose you have." Malik grazed his teeth along Ryou's neck again. Nothing more. "And you'll have to wait a little longer."

Ryou reached up and tugged Malik's jacket lightly, pushing it down his arms. Malik allowed this, quickly stepping out of his dress too, before returning to press soft kisses down Ryou's chest and stomach until he reached his pants. He slowly popped the button, catching the zip between his teeth and dragging it down. Ryou watched with lidded eyes, chewing his lower lip. Malik slowly pulled the pants down, kissing down each inch of Ryou's newly exposed thighs, and back up as he left the pants at the foot of his bed.

Ryou held his breath, but Malik ignored his pelvis, instead working his way back up Ryou's stomach again until he could nibble Ryou's neck.

Ryou reached up, clutching Malik's shoulders as he bit, shuddering at the sharp pain. "Fuck, more!"

"Not yet." Malik pulled back to steal a kiss and then stood up.

"Malik Ishtar, you get back here," Ryou scolded, sitting up, and Malik laughed.

"Trust me. Just another moment and I'll reward you for being so very patient."

Ryou huffed but didn't protest as Malik rounded the bed to pull open the top drawer on his dresser. He examined his new wares for a moment before picking out a few and shutting it again. He held them behind his back as he returned.

"Left or right?"

Ryou examined his face for a moment before his gaze flickered to Malik's right arm. Malik grinned and dangled a pair of soft cuffs in front of his face. None of the fuzzy early-90s porn shit - black ones with tight velcro straps that wouldn't stop any circulation, with steels clips connecting them. Easy to put on or take off while he was still learning the ropes (literally).

Ryou's pupils dilated and he looked back up at Malik. "So, my reward for being patient is to be tied up and let you do whatever you want?" He teased. "Who's to say you won't just edge me again?"

"Oh, Ry, when I edge you, you'll know it." Malik brushed his nose against Ryou's. "But I assure you, I don't plan on it tonight."

Ryou hummed as though thinking about it, though they both knew even just being tied up was a reward in and of itself for him. "What's in your left hand?"

"You'll find out soon." Malik pressed his lips back to Ryou's, sliding the remaining objects out of his line of sight on the bed.

Ryou leaned into it, reaching up to cup Malik's face. His thumbs brushed against Malik's cheekbones and meandered down to explore his chest as Malik sucked Ryou's lip between his teeth, biting hard enough to draw a low gasp from his lover. He caught Ryou's hands when they neared too close to his dick, and he pressed Ryou down into the soft mattress, hands above his head.

Malik clicked his tongue. "What did I tell you about being patient?"

"I was patient." Ryou's eyes glittered. "Now I want my reward."

Malik grinned and quickly strapped the cuffs around Ryou's wrists, clipping them together. "Your wish is my command." He snuck a hand up and pulled down one of the other two toys. "Now... how would you feel about a little more jewellery?" He held it up.

Ryou's eyes followed the swinging chain of the nipple clamps and he grinned. "I'm always up for trying things, but I think you just like seeing me in pretty things." They were pretty, though simple, a sterling silver chain with metal and silicone-tipped clamps that could be adjusted as needed.

"I do," Malik agreed, "and for good reason. Pretty calls to pretty."

"I think you mean-" Ryou's breath caught in his throat as Malik attached the first clip. "-like calls to like."

"I prefer mine." Malik leaned down to tease the second bud with his teeth before clamping it too. Ryou arched his chest, following the sensation, but Malik pressed his weight down on Ryou, keeping him pinned. "Not just yet, love."

"Please?" Ryou groaned. "I'm pretty sure you don't even have to prep me at this stage."

"Oh, I'll prep you," Malik promised, "but we have one more toy first." He finally grabbed the bullet vibe and turned it to the lowest setting, leaving the remote in easy reach, and slipped it between Ryou's folds to tease his entrance. Ryou hitched his hips up with a soft moan, and Malik eased it into him.

"Now," he said, as Ryou squirmed from the too-light vibrations, "we can start."