Hey, y'all. Sorry this is late - exam season. Next week's shouldn't be late, and I'll try to update twice as a thanks for being patient with me. Hope you enjoy!

CW: NSFW, nightmare, panic attack, dissociation, phantom pains, drunk Bakura and Malik

Bakura laughed, stumbling over air as they walked home. "Okay, okay, but you really-?" Malik's coat was draped over him to shield him from the chill.

"Yup." Malik nodded, a tipsy smile on his face. "And Rishid walked in."

"Holy shit," Bakura cackled, clutching his ribs. He staggered into Malik, and the other wrapped an arm around his waist. "I can't believe he walked in on you reading Drarry fanfiction - what the fuck?" He shook his head, still grinning. "At least have some fucking taste. Wolfstar is better."

"Oh shut up," Malik scoffed, giving Bakura a small squeeze. "I'm surprised you even know the pairing names."

Bakura paused on the path, narrowing his eyes up at Malik. He didn't look annoyed - more like he couldn't see properly. "Are you kidding?" He stuffed his right hand into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his keys to Ryou's apartment. A Hogwarts key-chain held the keys together. "Fucking love it. It took me ages to read the books though - in the end I think I just got the audio ones."

"Shit." Malik grinned. "I didn't think you'd be into kids' books."

"Oh fuck you."

Malik's eyes landed on Bakura's keyring again and frowned. Then his eyes brightened and he laughed. "Is that a Hufflepuff keyring?" Bakura shoved his keys back into his pocket. "You're a Hufflepuff?"

"Hey, Hufflepuffs-" Bakura pointed up at Malik, waving his finger until it was directly in front of the taller man's nose. "-are great finders. Nothing wrong with being in Hufflepuff." Malik still laughed. "Oh shut up - I'll bet you're just a Slytherin."

Malik stopped laughing and frowned. "What's wrong with being in Slytherin? Slytherins are great."

"I knew it." Bakura lurched forward and Malik caught him. "Damn it, I didn't even drink that much."

"It was the shots." Malik began walking again. "Come on - let's get you some water." His apartment was closer, and there was less of a chance of being disturbed by Ryou, so they went there. "But seriously, what's wrong with Slytherin?"

"Nothing," Bakura insisted. Malik raised an eyebrow. "No, really. Nothing. I just find it funny that I was right." He reached up and tapped Malik's nose as they made their way into the hotel. The receptionist smiled at them, and Bakura gave her a nod.

Malik chewed his lip as he called the elevator with the push of a button. He couldn't see the old Bakura being in Hufflepuff - the one that was in the ring - but now... now he could. He didn't know why. Maybe because he was more expressive, and liked hot chocolate, and split a dessert with Malik that night.

The elevator doors slid open and they stepped inside. Malik pressed the button for his floor and leaned against the wall as the elevator began to move. "You're a good Hufflepuff," he decided. "It suits you."

"Yeah." Bakura grinned. "Slytherin suits you too."

Malik returned the grin. "Hufflepuffs and Slytherins are meant to get on well together anyway, so at least there's that."

Bakura snorted. "We don't get on. We argue." Malik paused, and had to agree. There was no point in proving Bakura's point by arguing with him.

The elevator stopped and Malik led Bakura to his room. The cleaners had been in, so the bed was made, curtains drawn, and dishes washed.

Bakura stared around the room and flopped onto the bed. "Damn."

"It's not that big."

"Your kitchen is nearly bigger than Ryou's apartment."

It was an exaggeration, though the bedroom and bathroom probably were bigger than the apartment. It was a bit excessive, but Malik did enjoy the finer things in life. "Wait there," he sighed, "and I'll get you some water."

When he returned with two pint glasses of water, Bakura was lying on his back, lazily tracing patterns in the air. He sat up to take the glass from Malik and swallowed a few generous mouthfuls before setting the glass aside. He yawned. "I don't want to sleep."

"How come?" Malik raised an eyebrow. It didn't sound like Bakura wanted to do something more fun either, by the tone in his voice.

Bakura just shrugged. "I just don't like sleeping right now," he admitted. "It's hard." His nose scrunched up. "That made no sense."

Malik chuckled and drained his glass. "That's usually a sign that you need more sleep." He wiped his mouth and slid his shoes off. Bakura followed his example, untying his boots. "You don't have to work tomorrow, right?"

"I do," Bakura admitted, tugging one boot off, "but not until the afternoon, so I can stay for a while."

"Good." Malik fell silent, and neither spoke as they stripped down to their underwear and crawled under the blankets. The air conditioning cooled the room to the point where Malik didn't get too hot under the covers.

Bakura curled into him, nuzzling into Malik's chest. "Thanks for dinner tonight," he muttered. "It was nice."

"It was." Malik kissed the top of Bakura's head. He didn't... do this often. The cuddling and dinner.

He didn't date often, but it was easier with Bakura than any potential partner he'd had before. It was easier to talk to him, and that might have been because they both had been under the influence of an Item, or it could have been something else, but either way, it was easier.

Bakura hummed and ran his thumb up and down Malik's wrist. "Do I have to sleep?" He was still probably a little drunk.

"Yeah." Malik gave Bakura a small squeeze. "But it's okay. You can wake me up when you wake up."

"Promise?" Bakura looked up at Malik, squinting again.

Malik leaned down and pressed a small kiss to Bakura's lips. "I promise. Now close your eyes already." Bakura huffed through his nose, but lowered his head again and closed his eyes.

Malik couldn't help but stare at the way the moonlight shone through the window, setting Bakura's hair alight in a fire of white and silver. They hadn't closed the curtains, and with this view, he didn't want to. Sunlight sounded like a problem that future Malik could deal with.

Present Malik just rested his chin on Bakura's head and let his eyes fall closed as well.

Bakura was always a light sleeper, so when Malik twitched, his eyes snapped open. He didn't think anything of it for a few seconds - a lot of people shifted in their sleep - but then Malik covered his mouth and pushed himself up. Bakura sat up as well. "You okay?" He mumbled.

Malik shook his head. His shoulders were heaving, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Bakura hesitated, then touched Malik's arm. Malik flinched. "What's wrong?" Malik just shook his head again. "Do you need more light?" After a moment, he nodded. Bakura reached over and turned the lights strung to the bottom of the wall and their bed on, so it didn't blind them but Malik would feel more comfortable. "Was it a nightmare?"

Malik sniffed, and a muffled sob reached Bakura's ears. "M-My back," he whispered. It echoed behind his hands, like he was in a cave. Bakura had to strain to hear him. "It's b- It's-" Burning.

Bakura drew Malik closer to him, careful not to touch his back. Not yet. It wasn't a good idea yet. "It's okay," he soothed. "You're safe." They were empty words, and he knew it. "What's your name?" Malik sniffled again and shook his head, hiding his face in Bakura's shoulder. Bakura's arms tightened around him. "What's your name?"

He repeated. He thought he heard a muffled response. It sounded like it began with 'Ma' but ended with a soft 'r' instead of a harder 'k'. It didn't matter.

Bakura smoothed his hands along the small of Malik's back, murmuring soft assurances under his breath. His hands felt warm, and he let his eyes close. Focus. He relaxed his shoulders and let the heat spread across his body.

Malik's breath hitched as the warmth continued into his body, his back, but he didn't move. Bakura slowly ran his hands up Malik's back. The other man didn't protest. The dips and bumps on his skin were chapped, like he hadn't been taking care of them recently. Bakura's eyes tightened a little and he began massaging the heat into Malik's back.

For a little bit, neither spoke. Malik had stopped crying, and the trembles wracking his body had ceased, but Bakura didn't move his hands. Malik shifted in his lap. "What are you doing?" He whispered.

Bakura opened his eyes and pulled back a little. Malik was looking at him. "You back?" Malik nodded. "That's good." He moved one hand away from Malik's back to cup his cheek. "I was worried."

Malik leaned into his hand, but he still looked curious. "What are you doing?" He repeated. "With your hands?"

"I don't know," Bakura admitted after a beat. "It's called heka, but I don't know how it works. I just know it does work." He hesitated. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No." Malik reached behind him and grabbed Bakura's wrist, pressing the other's hand harder against his skin. It felt a little less bumpy now. "Please don't."

"Okay." Bakura pressed a kiss to Malik's collar bone and moved both hands to the top of his back. Malik hummed softly. "If you want to lie down, I can give you a proper massage. It might help." After a moment, Malik nodded and moved out of Bakura's lap. He lay down on his stomach, and Bakura moved to straddle his hips to get better access to his back. "Is this okay?"

Malik nodded, resting his head sideways on folded arms. Bakura spread his hands over Malik's back, and began working out any knots of tension he could find. Most of it seemed to be centered in his neck, so he did his best to massage that area most.

Malik hid his face in his arms. "Is it good?" Bakura checked. Malik nodded, and a muffled groan escaped him as Bakura unwound another knot. Bakura chewed his lip, his dick hardening. He shifted slightly, hoping Malik couldn't feel it. "I didn't know if you'd like having your back touched."

"I don't," Malik sighed. He sounded a little breathy. "Not normally."

Bakura grinned. "So I'm the exception?" Malik just hummed.

Bakura found another knot, and Malik moaned. Just outright moaned. "Lift up a bit," he forced out. Bakura blinked a few times and obliged. Malik twisted under him so he could grab the back of Bakura's head and pull him into a rough kiss.

Bakura groaned, one hand leaning on Malik's shoulder for balance. He pulled back after a second. "Malik-"

"Bakura." Malik raised an eyebrow, very clearly displeased with the fact that they weren't making out.

Bakura groaned and ran a hand over his face. "You were just crying a few minutes ago. I don't think this-"

"It's fine," Malik insisted. "I need a distraction." He pulled Bakura a little closer. "So unless you're uncomfortable with something, fucking kiss me."

He couldn't say that he was uncomfortable with anything in that scenario - not beyond Malik not being up for sex. "Are you sure?"

Malik rolled his eyes and smashed their lips together again. Their teeth clicked and Bakura moaned as Malik bit his lip. Fuck it. Malik turned properly, pulling Bakura into his lap. The massage had left him hard as well, which was some bit of consolation to counter the embarrassment Bakura had been facing earlier.

Malik's hands twisted in Bakura's hair, pulling as their hips rocked together. It felt good, but not like when he had bitten Bakura's neck.

As if reading his mind, that's where Malik set his sights next, sucking at the side of his throat as though the bruise would actually show on his skin. Bakura's head fell back and he moaned, gripping Malik's shoulders tighter. He vaguely remembered what he was meant to be doing and channelled his heka again to smooth his hands over Malik's back. Malik whined - actually whined - against his throat. One of his hands reached down, slipping into Bakura's boxers.

They didn't have lube, so they couldn't exactly have sex in the way Bakura was longing to at the moment - he was literally aching for Malik to fuck him - but this was an acceptable compromise, especially with Malik still sucking his neck. "Malik," he gasped. "Fu-fucking-" He grit his teeth as Malik wrapped his hand around Bakura's cock.

"Yes?" Malik hummed against his collarbone, and Bakura knew the asshole was just doing it as a power move. "What do you want?" His hand stilled.

No, no, no. Bakura rolled his hips up, then down on Malik's cock. "Don't stop," he hissed, "or I swear to gods-"

"Ask nicely." Malik lifted his head to smirk at Bakura. His eyes were narrowed, just as amused as his tone, and Bakura's dick throbbed.

"Please," Bakura forced out, rutting his hips against Malik's. "Please make me cum." Malik's hand tightened around him and he ran his thumb over Bakura's slit.

He wasn't that experienced, and he hadn't been sleeping with many people since he came back, so he didn't last long, even without Malik slamming into him. "You look like you're enjoying this," Malik commented, nipping Bakura's earlobe.

"Fuck yes," Bakura choked out. He rolled his hips down on Malik's hard-on. "Gods, please-" Malik twisted his wrist and Bakura's hips jerked faster. Fuck, fuck, fuck, Malik's hand around him felt way too good- At that moment, his entire story of being ripped out of the shadows and dropped back on Earth in an issue-filled body seemed worth it, and warmth spread across his body. His nails dug into Malik's shoulder. "Fuck-"

"Are you close?" Malik breathed. Bakura buried his face into Malik's shoulder and moaned the other's name in lieu of a more verbal response. "That's right." Malik bit his neck again. "Say it again."

"Fuck, fuck- fuck! Malik! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck-!" Malik moved his hand faster, and a minute later, he was cumming. Once he had ridden out his orgasm, he slumped against Malik's chest, out of breath.

Malik, of course, wiped his hand on Bakura's boxers.

"Asshole," Bakura huffed, still a little out of breath.

"You're the one who made a mess." Malik smirked again.

Bakura just wanted to wipe that fucking smirk off his face. He moved his hands down Malik's back to his ass and squeezed. Malik's face tightened as he tried not to moan. "Want me to return the favour?"

"Obviously," Malik huffed. He had probably been expecting Bakura to jerk him off, so when he slipped off the bed to the floor, Malik's eyes widened.

"Is this okay?" Bakura checked, pulling Malik's boxers away.

Malik's fingers wound their way into Bakura's hair again. "Fuck yes."

Bakura dabbed his tongue out, teasing the head of Malik's cock, eyes flicking up to him. Malik's face was darker than usual, his eyes a little hazy. Good. Bakura wanted to distract him, just like Malik had told him to. After enough licks to lube Malik's shaft, Bakura wrapped his lips around it and plunged down. He was just as wickedly thick as Bakura remembered from their previous encounter, and he couldn't quite fit his entire cock down his throat, but he went down until he felt the back of his throat open. Malik didn't seem to mind. His grip in Bakura's hair tightened, and the latter allowed him to control the pace.

Bakura wrapped one hand around Malik's base to keep him steady and used the other to toy with his balls. Malik's lips were pursed and a muted mmm escaped his mouth. The more Bakura moved, the more his mouth watered, until Malik was slick enough for the friction on Bakura's lips to hardly bother him anymore.

He curled in over Bakura, grip forcing the other to stay in pretty much the same place, so he sucked hard, flicking his tongue up the sides of Malik's dick. He snuck his hands around to Malik's back again, eyes closed to try and focus on sucking and commanding his heka at the same time.

Malik moaned, "Bakura." It was so soft, Bakura nearly missed it, and he nearly gagged when the rush of heat hit him when Malik came. He held his breath and swallowed, pulling back with a grin. Malik panted slightly for breath, cracking open an eye to look at his partner. "You're terrible."

"I know." Bakura winked and wiped his chin dry. "You're a mess."

"You're one to talk." Malik smiled and pulled Bakura back up onto the bed. He fell back, landing among the pillows again with Bakura on his chest.

Bakura grimaced. "Hang on." He pulled away from Malik and grabbed a pair of boxers from the drawer.

Malik propped himself up on his elbows. "Excuse me, did I say you could steal my clothes?"

"Did I say you could wipe fucking cum over mine?" Bakura shot back as he stripped. He grabbed a few tissues from the box on the dresser to clean himself up.

"I didn't hear you complaining." Malik grinned.

"Yeah, well, now I am so I'm stealing one pair." Bakura pulled on the boxers and climbed back onto the bed. "I'm sure you can spare it."

Malik hummed and pulled the blanket over them again. "Perhaps." He sighed as he was pulled against Bakura's chest. "Thanks."

Bakura just kissed the top of Malik's head. "Do you think you can sleep now?"

"Probably." Malik drew a random, sleepy pattern on Bakura's stomach. It made Bakura a little self-conscious. Malik had abs of fucking granite; Bakura had a tummy that slouched over his jeans and made him nervous in tight shirts. Malik smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest. "Thanks," he repeated.

Bakura returned the smile and held him closer. "No problem." He let his eyes slip closed. He didn't bother to turn off the lights again. Malik wouldn't sleep without them.

"Will you show me how to use heka?" Malik asked softly after a few minutes. "And my ka?"

Bakura scoffed. "I didn't know that I could still use mine." The silence filled the space between them for a few seconds. "But sure. We'll need to go somewhere quiet."

"There's a forest up the mountain," Malik mumbled. "We could go up there for the day."

"Camping?"

"Fuck no. I like my luxuries."

Bakura chuckled. "Alright, I'll get a day off this weekend and we'll go up the mountain," he promised. "Now go to sleep."

As promised, Bakura took that Saturday off to go climb a fucking mountain with Malik. Ryou had said he would come too, but when Bakura checked in on him that morning, his landlord had been curled around a hot water bottle, still under the covers. Bakura did his best not to wake him as he left.

He met Malik at the bus stop and they slumped against each other, still half asleep, for the entire ride out. Morning light filtered through the dirty windows, patches lighting up Malik's hair, turning it to a pale gold. Bakura smiled as he watched. He had been feeling a little down, but this helped.

Malik caught him staring and smiled. "What?"

Bakura shook his head, settling back into Malik's side again. "Nothing." He liked this too much. They were moving far too fast. He let his eyes slip closed and dosed for the rest of the way - or tried to at least. Maybe he should go back- no. He didn't need to do that. He didn't want to take pills.

"Hey." Malik carefully shook Bakura's shoulder as the bus slowed. "Come on. This is our stop."

Bakura groaned and dragged himself out of his seat to grab their bags. "You're useless, you know that?" He complained as they climbed out of the bus. "I can't believe you brought a fucking kanken bag hiking."

"You know I live for the aesthetic." Malik winked and took his bag off Bakura.

Bakura huffed. "You're so fucking basic. You could be an honorary member of the Basic White Girls club."

"I'm neither white nor a girl."

"That's why I said honorary." Bakura hooked his own bag onto his shoulder - his proper fucking bag that wasn't built purely for the aesthetic. "What did you even bring? Ryou cooked."

Malik shrugged. "I found a few scrolls that might help us." He smiled. "And a blanket. I knew you'd forget."

"That's cause I won't need one." Bakura grinned and grabbed Malik's hand. "Come on."

Malik glanced down at their joined hands as Bakura led him away from the road. There was a small log cabin that had guides for paying tourists, but even if they weren't going to try to summon creatures that would now be considered ungodly, Bakura wouldn't have wanted to go in. He didn't like it.

Malik didn't speak until they were already climbing the hill. "You're a lot more physical than I expected."

Bakura's face heated up and he pulled his hand away. He hadn't even thought of it. "Sorry."

"Don't be." Malik took Bakura's had again. A leaf floated down past Bakura's ear. The sunlight landed on their skin in dappled inconsistencies, shifting whenever the wind moved branches. "I just didn't expect it when I met you."

"The first or second time?"

"Second obviously." Malik rolled his eyes. He had to squint and blink a few times - he must have looked at the sun.

Bakura hummed and ran his thumb over Malik's finger. "I was always pretty physical with my family," he admitted, "when I was young. I was an only child, but I had dozens of cousins and we were always wrestling and shit, and there was always people and casual contact, and then it just... went away." He shrugged. "It's nice now. Knowing that I can actually touch some people." No one had touched him for years - before he had come into contact with the Ring. No one wanted to even brush against the cursed child with death-white hair.

Malik sighed through his nose and lifted Bakura's hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it. "Did you win much?"

Bakura's lip quirked up. "Nah," he snorted. "I got my ass kicked. I was a scrawny little shit." He shook his head. "But I tried every day." They walked the rest of the way in silence - Bakura didn't know why people always used jogs or hill walks for exposition in films. This was fucking hard and he could barely breathe, let alone talk.

Even Malik seemed to struggle with the slopes, and they had to stop about halfway up.

"I think here should be okay," Malik panted, leaning forward. "There's still enough trees to hide us."

Bakura grunted and dropped to his ass, not caring if the grass stained his jeans. "Let's eat first," he muttered. He wasn't even sure if he could call Diabound, let alone teach Malik how to summon his ka - he needed fuel.

Malik nodded and pulled the blanket out of his stupid kanken bag. He laid it out and Bakura reluctantly shifted to sit with him on it. If it was there, he may as well.

He pulled out two small tupperware containers and forks, passing one of each to Malik. Curry again. Bakura couldn't complain, because it didn't have chickpeas and his had meat, but he wanted something other than cold curry to eat.

He chewed his way through the food in silence, staring at the narrow stream that ran down the hill a few feet away from them.

"Are you okay?" Malik asked after a few minutes. He grimaced every time he took a bite, and Bakura remembered too late that Malik hated cold sauces.

"I'm fine." Aside from the guilt settling in his stomach - why did it fucking matter if he forgot? He'd only met the asshole again two weeks ago.

"Nervous?"

Bakura didn't bother to deign that with a response. Of course he was fucking nervous. He took a slow breath and shovelled the last mouthfuls of his food into his mouth. Once he'd swallowed, he shoved the container back into his bag.

"I'm going to try," he mumbled. His stomach churned and he told himself it was the food; he'd eaten too quickly. He let his eyes slide closed.

"Are you going to teach me?"

"Damn it, let me-" He took another breath. "Yeah, okay." He opened his eyes again. "I learned by meditating, okay? So just... do that."

Malik frowned at him and set his own half-eaten lunch to the side. "Just do it? How?"

"Close your eyes and focus on the energy in your body." Bakura shrugged, crossing his legs. "You're looking for... a name, I guess. It's like trying to remember something - you just have to let it come to you."

"Real helpful," Malik muttered but closed his eyes.

Bakura mimicked his actions and settled into his usual position - legs crossed, back straight, hands planted flat on the ground. Focus.

He could feel the energy rushing through his body, but it took him a few minutes to channel it again. It was harder than the other night - neither of them needed it now, and even with the anxiety pumping adrenaline through his veins, Bakura couldn't kid himself into believing he was in danger.

Finally, he managed to focus it in his core and whispered, "Diabound."

Malik gasped.

Bakura's eyes shot open and he nearly cried. Diabound twisted in the sky above them, barely hidden by the cover of the trees. Her skin was still tainted green-grey, but it was far better than the putrid, acidic colour she had been the last time he saw her.

"Gods," Malik breathed. He stared up at her with wide, enraptured eyes.

"She was white," Bakura whispered, "like the moon." Malik looked over at him. "She looks sick." He called her back. He couldn't look at her.

"But she's better," Malik pointed out, "right? Ryou told me that she looked black when he made her figure."

Bakura nodded, but a shaky hand still came up to clutch at his shirt. "She should be better."

"She's getting there." Malik rolled up onto his knees and crawled closer to cup Bakura's face. "Just like you." Bakura met his gaze. "You went through thousands of years of pain - you can't expect you or your soul to be completely recovered yet."

Bakura sniffed and looked away. "You sound like my fucking counsellor." He knew she'd have said the same thing- well, if she knew. But she didn't. That was the point. And she wouldn't know. Bakura was never going back to her. "I just-" He shook his head. "She was a holy ka. She was fucking holy, and- and the damn Pharaoh- he never even-" He slammed his eyes shut. "He wouldn't listen." He probably shouldn't have dragged Atem's father into the throne room, wearing his gold, but he wanted to show him what it fucking felt like.

Malik wound his arms around Bakura, pulling him closer. "It's okay," he mumbled. "They were so far up their own asses that they didn't realise one of their own priests was corrupt. It's okay to be pissed at them."

This went beyond pissed, but when Malik put it like that, Bakura smiled against his arm. "I guess." He pulled away. "Come on. Did you get the name?"

Malik scowled and shook his head. "I keep thinking of other things, and then I try to focus, but I'm focusing too much on not thinking."

Bakura rolled his eyes. "Of course you're overthinking this." He chewed his bottom lip. "Okay, I saw this work for one or two people but you're going to need to trust me." After a second, Malik nodded. "Diabound."

Malik barely had time to roll out of the way as Diabound reappeared, rushing at him. "What the fuck?"

"Defend yourself!" Bakura snapped as Malik scrambled to his feet.

His eyes were wide and he jumped aside as Diabound rushed at him again. Her tail caught Malik's stomach and he stumbled. Bakura had to stop himself from running to check on him. Malik had wanted to do this.

Diabound twisted up above him and dove. Malik flattened himself on the ground and she missed, but swiped at him. Malik's eyes squeezed shut and for a second, Bakura thought he'd gone too far.

"Kek!"

Diabound's attack was blocked. She hadn't been going full strength - if she had, Bakura was fairly certain that Malik's ka would have been wiped out, even with him being out of practice.

Diabound pulled back and Malik pushed himself up. His ka was tall, a knight with armour that had a rose-gold tint to the black, warming it, and his face was left uncovered, along with his hands. His skin was as dark as the night. His eyes shone, gold like stars, and he held a knight's lance in his hand. His face itself was broad, a thick jaw and nose, almost like Rishid's. He had a third eye, golden like his regular ones, but almost like it was painted on his forehead. An eye of Horus. His hair streamed down his back like black velvet.

"Is that-" Malik's breath caught in his throat.

Bakura nodded. "Your ka," he confirmed. "Kek." Diabound settled a little beside him.

"What's wrong with him?" Malik looked worried. "Yours is so bright-"

Bakura shook his head. "Kas are all different," he murmured. "Yours isn't holy, but he's damn fucking close to it."

Malik relaxed. "His armour- I thought-"

"No." Bakura shook his head. "Black isn't an evil colour." He grinned. "Besides, his name's Dawn Bringer."

"Shut up, Sunrise," Malik shot back. His heart wasn't in the jab though - he was still caught up, staring at his ka.

Bakura let out a slow breath. "Do you want to try training with them a little?" He asked. "We could get them to fight?" He didn't want to. Not really.

Thankfully, Malik shared his sentiments. "No. I don't want to watch them fighting." Diabound moved a little closer to Kek and shoved him. He stumbled and dragged her into the stream. "Wait- I didn't-"

"They're just playing." Bakura wasn't sure that he liked what that meant. Kas rarely played. But he loved the bright smile on Malik's face.

"Can you show me some other stuff while they're doing that?"

"Like the heka?" Bakura raised an eyebrow, and Malik nodded. "It'll take some concentration. Are you sure you're up for it, Mr. ADHD?"

"I don't have ADHD." Malik rolled his eyes and walked back over to Bakura. Bakura frowned and reached out, placing his hand over Malik's stomach. "I'm fine."

"Still." He grimaced. "I'm sorry."

"You were just trying to help."

"I shouldn't have hurt you."

Malik wound his arms around Bakura again, pulling the other against his chest. "Tell you what," he murmured. "If you show me how to heal myself with heka, it won't be an issue. Alright?"

Bakura sighed. "I guess that's a fair compromise." He shook his head. "But don't expect me to stab myself again just so you can heal it."

Malik grinned. "Not even a little?"

"No stabbing."

By the time the sun was beginning to set, Bakura and Malik had finished training and were making their way back down the mountain. They had called Kek and Diabound back, both to save their energy for the walk down, and to avoid freaking anyone out as they got closer to the road.

"Thanks for today," Malik murmured as they reached the bus stop. Bakura just hummed as he checked the timetable. They would only have to wait a few minutes. "I mean it."

"You don't need to thank me." Bakura glanced up at him. "Seriously. I enjoyed it too. And I missed Diabound." He couldn't really miss her - she was a part of his soul - and yet he had. Finding out that he could still summon Diabound had helped. He wasn't sure how, but it had helped.

"You really haven't tried summoning her before now?" Malik tilted his head.

Bakura shook his head. "Never needed to." He dropped onto the narrow plastic bench beneath the bus stop. "I think I was scared of not being able to call her," he mumbled, "or her being the same colour as before."

Malik watched him. "Then why did you agree to show me," he asked, "if you were scared? What changed?"

Bakura leaned his head back. "You were there."

Hope you enjoyed. I wanted to give them a little bit of happier shit so Diabound returns. I wanted to have Malik have a darkish ka because of his aversion to it (and also he doesn't get a holy ka lol) but it also needed to represent his soul, so I figured that would work. So yeah! Please review and see you nerds soon.