#mainy writes

He was sitting down with a new set of packed blocks for the second layer of construction when there was a crunch of snow behind him. Light-footed, slightly hesitant on the ice – Bakura, then. Not concerning. He took his time to position the latest block and started packing a handful of gummy show into the cracks as the steps eventually stopped next to him.

“The fuck are you doing?”

Amir ignored the question in favour of cursing as the block he was trying to secure gave way. He snatched it up again and repositioned it. Snow crunched as Bakura shifted his weight. He was probably already crossing his arms with a grumpy little frown, the impatient bastard. It was no small miracle he wasn’t already complaining about the cold, too.

“Well?”

“Building.” Amir glanced up from his work just to see the scowl he was sure he’d get for the cheeky answer and did a double-take at the…thing… poking out from the crook of Bakura’s crossed arms. It was enough to pull his gaze from the disgruntled expression on his partner’s face. He pointed at the flash of gold and red. “The fuck is that?”

The ‘definitely-not-a-pout-Amir-stop-being-an-ass’ morphed into a wide smirk spread over Bakura’s face. “Built.”

At that point, clearly the correct thing to do was to fling a handful of snow as hard as possible at the thief’s stupid smirky face, and so that’s precisely what Amir did. The dull thud of snow on flesh was a satisfying reward, as was the grumbling as Bakura wiped the snow off his face and started scooping it out of his collar. Amir didn’t give him time to clean up before speaking up again.  

“Asshole. That’s not what I meant.”

“Don’t care. You didn’t answer my question.”

I was Amir’s turn to grin harder. “Sure I did. ‘Building’.”

At that point, clearly the correct thing for Bakura to do would be to fling a handful of snow as hard as possible at Amir’s stupid smirky face, and so Amir immediately dodged, smirking even harder when Bakura let out a curse.

“I win.” He gave Bakura a very generous additional three and a half seconds to finish removing snow from his face and neck before he once again pointed at the…thing… in Bakura’s hand. “Explain.”

“It’s for Ryou.” Bakura held out the hand-sized object for inspection. “It’s a model of the Gavelbocken. I made it myself. He was disappointed it lasted to Christmas this year, so now he has one he can fuck up however he wants.”

“Ryou’s weird.”

“Yup.”

They shared a warm look for a second before Amir made grabby hands towards the model. Bakura handed it over and Amir angled it back and forth, admiring the careful craftsmanship and small red accents before handing it back. “Yeah, he’ll like it. It’s kinda cute. You gonna give him a lighter with it?” He snickered.

“No comment.” Unfortunately for Bakura, the impish look on his face had plenty of comments. But since Amir was trying to be a good partner, he let it slide. This time.

Bakura’s gaze turned back to Amir’s snowy construction project and the ‘definitely-not-cute-Amir-don’t-be-a-dick’ frown came back.

“But seriously, what the hell?”

 “I’m building an igloo.” Amir looked pointedly at the chunks of snow waiting to be positioned. “Obviously.”

Bakura’s silence sounded about a judgy as a non-sound could, in Amir’s opinion. “Uh - it’s a little small. Also, why?”

“It’s fucking cold out. I’m giving the rabbits a place to live.”

“The rabbits?”

“Yeah. Fluffy little bastards. They eat Malik’s vegetables in the spring and piss him right off? Remember those?”

Amir then discovered that he was getting very good at dodging vindictive globs of snow. He stuck his tongue out at Bakura, who rolled his eyes.

“Of course I remember what rabbits are, dumbass. Do you? Wild animals, live outside, make their own damn houses?”

Amir shrugged. “This’ll be nicer. And what else am I supposed to do with all the snow?”

This silence was a lot less judgy. Much better. Amir had known Bakura would settle down once he was adjusted to the outside air.

“Yeah, alright, fair point. Let me help.” Bakura set the tiny Gavelbocken on the ground and reached for a block of snow.

An indeterminate but chilly amount of time later, they had achieved something almost, but not quite, completely failing to be an igloo. Amir huffed.

“Why does it keep collapsing?”

“Because we don’t know what the hell we’re doing?”

Amir chuckled. “Yeah, that could be it.”

“At least it has walls. Sort of.”

“Yeah. Better than nothing, I guess.” Amir unwound his scarf. “I dare this to collapse though.”

Bakura was clearly more invested in the rabbit habitat than he wanted to admit, since he helped Amir carefully lay the scarf back and forth across the top of the structure before unwinding his own add to the project, carefully tucking in the ends to make a solid woollen roof.  

Clearly the correct thing to do at that point was replace Bakura’s missing scarf with his arm and press his lips to Bakura’s temple in silent thanks, so that’s exactly what Amir did. But the life of a scarf is uninteresting, so he only admired their handiwork for a few breaths before resting his head atop of Bakura’s and shifting his weight to get up.

“Alright, let’s go inside before your delicate ass freezes to the ground. Your Gavelbocken can stand guard.”

Bakura chuckled. “Yeah alright, I don’t think there are any vandals to torch it in the yard. C’mon,” he said, crunching the snow underfoot as he stood, “I’ll make us some cocoa.”

Half a hot cocoa later, the door opened to the sounds of the rest of the household and things got a little chaotic for a while. Bakura scrambled to collect shopping bags from Marik and Ryou while Amir settled on the ground to try to distract the bundle of fur and wagging tail that nearly bowled Ryou right over tearing back into the house. He dodged the excited licking as best he could until Ryou handed him a new toy.

“Oh good, everyone gets some new toys. Right, Obi? You want it?” He wangled the toy before flinging it across the room where it was promptly chased down by the dog, who was then promptly chased down by Ryou. “Keh. Cute.”

Marik was accepting a welcoming kiss from Bakura by the time Amir hauled himself back to his feet. “So what did you two get up to while we were out?”

Amir and Bakura shared a look and answered together. “…building.”

They were still howling with laughter at Marik’s annoyed expression when Ryou and Obi wandered back in. Ryou settled himself next to Malik while the dog bolted to the window.

“What did I miss?”

“Our partners are idiots, that’s what.”

“Oh, the usual then. Alright.”

“Hey!”

Clearly the correct thing to do in that moment would be to manhandle Ryou and rough up his hair, so that’s what Amir did. Ryou shrieked with laughter and Amir was considering a suitable punishment for Marik when loud barking filled the kitchen.

Bakura marched over to the window. “What’s your problem, mutt? There’s nothing out – oh, sonuvaBITCH!”

Amir let Ryou go to see that the fuss was about. “What?”

“They’re eating it!”

“Huh?”

Amir got to the window and immediately burst out into loud cackling laughter. “I told you they’d like a better home! I told you!”

Ryou pushed his way through them to the window. “What are we looking at?”

“It was a model of the Gavlebocken. For you.” Bakura’s definitely-not-a-pout was warring with his definitely-not-cute frown, which set Amir off again.

“Oh!” Ryou smiled. “Well, ‘eaten by bunnies’ is certainly a unique way to destroy it. That works. Thank you.”

Even though Halloween was clearly the superior holiday, Ryou always appreciated a nice fresh snow right before the winter holidays. And he was rapidly discovering that it was all twice as entertaining when you have a boyfriend with no concept at all of winter to lovingly torture with it all. 

He still couldn’t quite believe he’d managed to convince Bakura into coordinating ugly christmas sweaters for the day. It was good to know just how far Bakura was willing to go in the quest for winter warmth; that would probably come in handy someday. But for now, he‘d take his small victory. Here they were, all bundled up – Bakura in a scarf and a hat and mittens, goodness it was only barely below freezing, what were they going to do when it got properly cold – and out to enjoy the lovely winter’s day. 

Despite his earlier grumbling, Ryou could tell that Bakura was enjoying himself. Bakura’s gaze was darting around, eyes suspiciously wide and sparkly for a man who was supposed to be annoyed. A thick fog had rolled through the day before, leaving a thick layer of hoarfrost clinging to every available surface in its wake. The frost glittered now against the bright blue sky, turning the world to crystal. Ryou tucked his hands around Bakura’s arm and leaned into his side.  

“See, it’s not so bad, is it? It’s beautiful out here.” 

“I admit nothing.” Bakura glanced over at Ryou with what was probably supposed to be a stern look, but he didn’t quite manage to hide a tiny grin. 

Ryou couldn’t help but roll his eyes a bit at that, though he gamely tried to hide it. “Of course you don’t.” He smiled. “Fine then. Just enjoy the scenery, you grouch. I should have found you a grinch sweater to match the sparkling holiday cheer.” 

“A tribute to the best thief of the holidays? I’d take it.” Bakura made no effort at all to hide his smirk this time. 

Ryou now rolled his eyes quite a lot, and enjoyed Bakura’s laugher at his side. They fell into silence as they walked down the path together, just enjoying the fresh winter air and sparkling frost for a while. Suddenly, Ryou tugged on Bakura’s arm.  

“Oh, look!” He pointed up the path. “It looks like someone’s been flooding a little ice patch. Let’s go slide around a bit!” 

Bakura went stiff beside him. “Not a chance.” 

“Oh, but it’ll be fun.” 

“Nope.” Bakura planted his feet. “It’s bad enough walking in snow, there’s no way you’re getting me sliding around like an idiot. You’re on your own.” 

“Even if moving around a bit more would help you stay warm?” 

Bakura squeezed his arm to his side, tugging Ryou’s hands more firmly into his side in the process, and smiled. “You’re doing a good enough job of that already, thanks.”  

“I see.” Ryou gave Bakura’s arm a squeeze and considered his options for a moment before smiling up at Bakura with an exaggeratedly angelic look.  

“Well, I’m glad to be of service and all, but your heater needs a break.” Fast as a viper, he snatched the hat off of Bakura’s head and bolted towards the ice, gliding smoothly across it to hop into the snow on the other side. “Your precious warmth is right here whenever you’d like it.” 

“What the fuck!” 

Ryou burst out laughing. Bakura looked so deeply offended.  

“Come and get it!” Ryou grinned and shook the hat as though trying to tempt a bull. “Surely the greatest thief of the last few millennia can steal back a hat? All that’s in the way is a teeny tiny patch of i-” The next words were cut off by a burst of hysterical laugher. “What was that?!” 

Bakura looked up from the ground, where he’d splayed himself out the moment he set foot on the ice. “Shut your f-AH!”  

Ryou had to bend right over he was laughing so hard. Bakura kept trying to get to his feet, but he couldn’t seem to manage more than half a second of traction before ending right back on the ground in a heap of awkward limbs. Eventually, he lay still on the ice, despondently spread-eagle, and turned pleading eyes on Ryou. That was about as close to a plea for help as he was ever likely to give, and Ryou managed to calm himself down enough to take pity on the poor man.  

“Ok, ok, let me show you how it’s don- eep!” 

Ryou blinked up at the sky, which was suddenly straight ahead. He lay on the ground for a few seconds of stunned silence before turning his head to look at Bakura, who was lying still next to him, stunned expression on his face. They stared at each other for a moment, before bursting into laughter again.  

“It serves you right! Justice!” Bakura punched a fist at the sky, but wisely didn’t try to get up again.  

“Yes yes, me and my big mouth.” Ryou reached over to stuff the hat back on Bakura’s head. “I think that’s our sign to head home and warm up.” 

“About time. Let’s get the hell out of here.”  

Ryou shimmied awkwardly off the ice, dragging Bakura along in his wake as best as he could. It wasn’t graceful, but they got there. They always did.  

---------- 

Ryou returned to the couch with hot chocolates in hand, and gratefully sank into Bakura’s side when he held the blanket open for him.  

“Here. Chocolate mint for me, and a dash of chili pepper for you. Only the best. Better?” 

“Yeah. Better.” Bakura shifted to help Ryou settle in, and pressed a kiss to his temple. “Remember this the next time you think it’s a good idea to go outside and freeze our asses off. We can skip straight to the good stuff next time.” 

“Oh, but you had a fun. I saw how you were staring at all the frost. Wasn’t it beautiful?” 

“And cold.” 

“Well yes, that’s how frost works.” Ryou took a sip of his drink with a happy sigh. “But it was a good day.” Ryou smiled up at Bakura, warm and content.  

Ryou carefully extended a hand and very pointedly shifted his weight in Amir’s direction. Amir’s attitude towards comforting touch was… inconsistent, to say the least, so Ryou was ready for a sharp warning away. But this time the stream of grumblings continued despite the movement, so Ryou took that as permission and slipped his fingers into Amir’s wild hair to gently scratch at his scalp.

A large whoosh of air interrupted the grumbling for a second and Amir shifted an arm up under his head, tucking his face into his elbow. This just so happened to push his head further into Ryou’s fingers, a fact that he’s sure Amir would say was just coincidence if he pointed it out. Ryou smiled to himself and dug his nails in more firmly, taking full advantage of that point of contact.

They stayed that way for a while, as Amir’s already-muffled words slurred together more and more. Gaming statistics set aside for now, Ryou passed the time trying to figure out whether any of Amir’s mumblings were staying in one language from beginning to end. It didn’t sound like it. He must be exhausted, poor boy.

“You can rest, Amir. We’ll sort it tomorrow.” The string of syllables shifted to something vaguely assenting, before fading away entirely.  Ryou kept up the steady rhythm of his fingers until the last of the tension faded and Amir’s breaths smoothed out, slow and deep. Pleased, he took that as his cue and slouched into the corner of the couch, waiting.

It didn’t take long for Amir to twist around and shift toward Ryou. With a wakeful, whirring mind it was always debateable whether Amir would seek or avoid physical contact. But like this, quiet and sedate in a way his mind wouldn’t allow any other time, it was always the same.

It started with the warm press of a forehead into Ryou’s leg, insistent and kitten-like. Ryou smiled and continued to massage the back of Amir’s head, obligingly shifting his legs so Amir’s seeking arm could anchor them together more firmly. A deep sigh rushed warm air past his thigh as Amir settled further, apparently content for now. Ryou had to smile as Amir’s mouth softly fell open, huffing out little puffs of air into the small space between leg and couch. Anyone else would look suffocated in such a pose, but Amir seemed perfectly at ease. Whenever he finally slept, he slept like the dead. Ryou let his hand fall still, silence settling in like a thick mist.

With Amir seeming settled for the moment, Ryou’s thoughts drifted back towards his abandoned project. He twisted just a bit to try to get eyes back on his campaign materials. He could almost make out the chart he needed from here, and he had been so close to figuring out how the shielding was going to work…

A discontented grunt filtered up from near Ryou’s leg, and he looked down in time to catch a little scowl cross Amir’s brow. Alright then. No more campaign prep tonight. But if he wasn’t going to get any further on his campaign tonight, he could at least avoid having a crick in his neck come morning. Ryou settled back further on the couch and reached down to scratch at Amir’s shoulders, hoping he'd move a bit.  The scowl on Amir’s face deepened as Ryou shifted his legs to try to lift them onto the couch. He never like being disturbed. The arm around Ryou’s legs tightened and something startlingly close to a growl rumbled out of Amir’s chest. Somehow, it managed to sound petulant.

“I’m not leaving, I just want to lie down properly, you goon. Come on, let me go for a sec.” Giving up on subtlety entirely, Ryou threaded an arm underneath Amir’s shoulder to pry him off enough lie down on the couch properly.

It was debateable whether Amir ever actually woke up moments like this, but at least he always responded to the movement. He relaxed his clinging arm with a grumble while Ryou repositioned himself, eyes scrunched shut and scowl firmly in place. The moment Ryou settled down, Amir let out a low rumble and dove forward, shoving his head into Ryou’s stomach hard enough to force a huff of air from his lips. Ryou resumed petting Amir’s hair, catching his breath as well as he could even as Amir wound an arm around his waist and held him tight, tight, tight, squeezing the air right back out again. Ryou hugged Amir’s head close to his middle. His very own live lion plushie, he’d once said, much to Amir’s great annoyance. Ryou figured he could deal with it as compensation for enduring his subconscious anaconda traits. A leg hooked around one of Ryou’s, effectively locking in his sleeping position for the night. Well, at least he was horizontal now.