#luckbased

[txt] I will be at your repair appointment.

"Oh, hey Jou-bro! Back to see my brother again, huh?" Mokuba greeted warmly, offering a smile as he spoke. He was always happy to see Jounouchi, they were good friends after all. But he'd taken a very distinct notice of the fact that the blond and his older brother were trying to date without him noticing...And doing a rather bad job of it.

Nobody else would even know he was gone. No one would find him in the small ditch they’d dragged him into, not unless they decided to take a close look. He had tried to open his mouth, scream for help, and yet he couldn't make a sound.

As the minutes ticked slowly by, Yugi slowly came to the crushing realization that he would have to face death alone. The longer he laid there, feeling the cold ground beneath his body that was a stark contrast to the warm blood that spilled from it, he could feel his life slowly slipping away. He had to do something, had to will his exhausted body to move.

Struggling to his hands and knees, he tried to drag himself out of the cold death trap that those men had left him in, limbs shaking with the effort. But if he didn't do this, then he would die, and no one would ever know. If he could just make it out...Maybe someone, anyone, would see him.

It had been a long time since he'd had time to just explore his old stomping grounds within Domino City. Having only just returned after being pretty much kicked out of the afterlife, it was time for him to finally go to the old spots where he and his old friends had once spent so much time. And the first stop, of course, was likely to be one of his favorite places.

It didn't take him long to spot a familiar face, one that was impossible for him to forget. A messy mop of blond hair, and that oh-so-familiar, happy voice he'd been yearning to hear for who knows how long. Could it really be?

He stopped for a moment, eyeing the other and trying to ensure he wasn't mistaking someone for a person he had long since thought he'd never see again. Deciding to take a risk, he called out, hoping it truly was his friend.

"As fun as throwing myself off of the nearest bridge sounds, no I am not actively trying to commit death. But if someone put a gun to my head, I'd absolutely dare them to pull the trigger because being dead would honestly be a blessing at this point." Ryou deadpanned in response, honestly he wasn't exactly in the mood for a deep talk about feelings.

"Saving your ass!" Jounouchi hisses lowly, before clamping a hand over Bakura's mouth. Another sound of glass breaking, and this time, it feels final. The creak of the front door opening. Hurried footsteps padding through the hallway— He nudges the other towards the closet. "I'll go see what's up." He cracks his knuckles, wearing a fierce look as a dark shadow falls over his face. Whoever they are, they're catching these hands.

Bakura stumbles slightly when Jounouchi shoves him toward the closet, catching himself against the doorframe. His heart is pounding - not entirely by choice, the body responding to danger even when his mind stays cold.

"Wait--" The word comes out hushed, urgent. Ryou's voice, Ryou's concern. "Jounouchi, don't--!"

But Jounouchi's already moving, already committed to playing hero. Of course he is.

Bakura stays where he is for a moment, pressed against the closet door, listening. The footsteps are deliberate, methodical. Not a random break-in. Someone looking for something. Or someone.

His jaw tightens. Without the Ring, without his full strength, this is complicated. Inconvenient. This body is useless in a fight, and Jounouchi charging in like he's a rhino isn't going to help matters.

He should stay hidden. Let Jounouchi handle it. That's what Ryou would do.

But the footsteps are getting closer, and there's more than one set now. He can hear them.

"Jounouchi," he hisses between teeth, stepping out from the closet instead of into it. His voice drops lower, barely audible. "There's more than one. You can't--"

He stops himself, course-corrects. Softens his tone back into something more appropriate.

"Please. We should call the police. This isn't--" His hands are shaking. That part's real. "We don't know what they want."

That look in the other man's eyes was one he recognized all too well. He had seen that look in the mirror one too many times after Gozaburo had died, and yet, he knew better than to press for answers. So instead, he decided that perhaps it was best to offer a distraction instead.

"...The weather this evening is quite nice. I was going to take a drive up to one of my favorite spots to watch the sunset, sit on the tailgate for a while. Why don't you come with me? You've been working hard since you got here, so...I figured it might do you some good to have a break for a little while, and I want to at least try and reward you for your hard work. Some fresh air might help clear your mind."