Made it to the Happy Ending
And finally, this is day 7 of @deathshippingweek, free day! A fluffy little years post-canon thing, where they reflect on what might have been and what ended up happening. Comments in tags or replies or reblogs are really appreciated! Thank you so much to everyone for participating, I’ve loved seeing everything!
Ao3 link
Wordcount: 890
Rating: G other than like one swear word
Kek was chewing on a Kit-Kat and sketching when Ryou plopped on the couch down next to him. He was still in his work clothes from the museum, bits of paint from making the models for the displays splattered down his pants.
“What’re you drawing?”
Kek angled the sketchpad away from Ryou, swallowing the candy. “Nope.”
“Aw, come on.” Ryou tried to crane his neck, but Kek flipped the page. “Genuine surprise or just teasing?”
“Why don’t you try to find out?” Kek raised an eyebrow as well as the pad above his head, and Ryou grinned, crawling into Kek’s lap. He strained to reach up, Kek’s arms too long, but being on his lap had an advantage- he managed to grab on to the edge of the binding and curled his finger into it, tugging it down. Kek snatched it back, but after flipping to the right page, he held it out for Ryou to see. Ryou squinted at the page.
“Okay, that one is clearly you, but is that…?”
“I was just thinking, the other day.” Kek’s fingers tightened a bit around the pages, and Ryou waited patiently. “About… everything. It’s been… eight years, right?”
“Since what, Battle City?”
Kek nodded. “I never really met you there. Malik met you a little bit, but-”
“That doesn’t really count.” Ryou said. “I didn’t even really know who he was until I woke up after the finals and he was ‘all better’.”
Kek fiddled with one of his fidget rings, hearing the tiny gears inside click. “Anyways, I was just… wondering, what it would have been like if we’d met then.”
“Probably nothing good. You weren’t well, and the Ring spirit had a pretty good grip on me. Plus, by the time you were out, I would have been in the hospital or in desperate need of it anyways, what with this.” He gestured to the fading scar on his upper arm.
“I guess.” Kek said, turning the pad back to his chest, but Ryou stopped him.
“What made you think about that?” From the way the lights wavered in his eyes, Ryou could tell this was important.
“You know the other day, when I made breakfast?”
“Mhm? Thanks again for that, you make the best pancakes.”
“I just realized… we’ve really come a long way.” He turned the page out again, and Ryou looked closer at it. Kek had drawn his past self with black holes for eyes and sharp teeth, hair like daggers and with a cape shredded at the ends. Meanwhile, past Ryou was deathly thin, with woozy spirals for eyes and blood dripping from his arm, the Ring taking up half his torso.
“We were kids who’d been through a lot of shit,” Ryou said, setting a hand on on Kek’s arm. “It’s better we met how we did, after everything was over.”
“Probably.” Kek said, rubbing his thumb over past Ryou. “Still. Maybe you could have worked your magic and tamed me earlier, saved everyone a lot of trouble.”
“Including you. If I’d had the chance and known it would end with this, I would have done it in a heartbeat.” Ryou said with a smile.
“I wanted the world, but I got you. I think that’s more than fair.” Kek set the pad aside and squeezed Ryou. “Plus there’s more of you to like now.” He patted the side of Ryou’s stomach, getting a flush.
“Hey, more of you too, now that you’re eating like a normal person.” Ryou said, starting to tickle Kek right where he knew he was vulnerable and getting a sharp snicker.
“Don’t you dare!”
“I always play dirty, you know that.” Ryou grinned, moving his fingers down to tease at Kek’s midsection, feeling as much as hearing the short bursts of laughter.
“I take it back, you could have been my- pffft- my minion of evil.”
“That’s better.” Ryou gave one last teasing poke before backing off.
“Oh, no, don’t think you’re getting off that easy.” Kek started tickling Ryou back, smirking at the peal of giggles as he found the best spot. Seeing Ryou flushed, no matter how it happened, always made his heart flip.
At least until Ryou grabbed a pillow and stuffed it over his face.
“Hey, you started toying with me first!” Ryou said, rolling off him..
“It was a compliment, you’re much better to hug now.” Kek said, banishing the pillow to the other end of the couch. They’d both softened up over the years, and Kek especially loved how nice it felt to curl against Ryou in bed.
“Fine, you’re forgiven- if you add something to that drawing.” Ryou said. Kek blinked.
“Sure, what?”
“An after to the before.” Ryou said. “It’s just kind of depressing, even though we did get to the happy ending.”
Kek tugged Ryou back unto his lap, picking a piece of lint out of his hair. “I’ll think about it.”
A few days later, Ryou found the paper pinned to the fridge under a Kuriboh magnet that had been a gift from Yugi, with an addition on the lower half of the page. It was Ryou in his favorite sweater and Kek in his favorite tank top holding hands, a little taller and with big smiles on their faces.