I Love You

"Malik? How do you know when you're in love?"

Sitting in the kitchen apartment of the three-bedroom apartment, Malik stares over at Mariku, a feeling of shock and curiosity catching him off guard. "Wait what?"

"How do you know when you're in love?" Mariku repeats his question, his head resting on his arms while lying on the kitchen table. "I've seen movies about it, but I still don't understand how one knows when they're in love."

Lowering his coffee to the table, Malik twiddles with the mug before attempting to answer Mariku's question. "Well… being in love usually means that you enjoy being with a certain person and respect what they have to say."

Mariku stares blankly at Malik. "But I enjoy being with you and I don't think I love you like that Malik."

A hot blush stains Malik's cheeks as he averts his gaze away from Mariku. "T-that's not what I meant. You can have many friends that you enjoy being with. That does not mean you are in love with all of them." He quickly explains.

Furrowing his brow puzzled, Mariku asks, "Then how do you know which friend is the one you love?"

Sighing to himself, Malik leans back in his chair. He runs tan fingers through his golden fringe in an attempt to gather his thoughts. His lavender eyes drift towards Mariku and it shocks Malik at how earnest the male sitting opposite of him looks. "Look Mariku, I don't have much experience with love, but I can try my best to explain it to you," Mariku sits patiently, signaling Malik to continue. "A good sign to knowing that you are in love with someone is if you spend a majority of you time with them-"

"Like going out on dates?" Mariku interrupts.

Malik nods his head. "Yeah, like going on a lot of dates. Another sign is that whenever they speak you listen intently to what they actually mean. Everything they say matters to you."

Mariku sits up and crosses his arms, nodding his head in understanding. "Okay what else?"

"The person is all you ever think about. When you are alone, they come to mind. If you are feeling stressed, thinking about the person you love smile- or laugh- cheers you up immensely. Everything about them just makes you feel so warm and happy. You just want to keep them happy and safe. That's how you know if you're in love of not." Malik finishes his explanation, a sincere smile on his face as his thoughts drift away.

Sitting quietly, Mariku thinks over everything Malik told him. 'Well I obviously spend all of my free time with Ryou if I can… we go out all the time,' He reasons before thinking about everything else that Malik said. 'I always listen to Ryou, and if I don't I still try too… I'd hate to have him upset with me.' However, it really is the last thing that Malik said that clicks in Mariku's mind.

He cannot stop thinking about Ryou.

With his soft, fluffy white hair and dark brown eyes, he really is a vision of beauty. Mariku, even if he tries, cannot get the kind male out of his mind. Ryou's sweet smile always causes Mariku's heart to race. His laugh is the sweetest sound to Mariku's ears. Just everything about Ryou cheers the psychotic Egyptian up greatly. "I think I love him."

Mariku's mumbled confession breaks Malik from his own thoughts. "Wha- oh do you? It's Ryou right?" He asks grinning at Mariku.

Nodding his head, Mariku looks at Malik with wide purple eyes, looking similar to a lost child. "Malik… what am I supposed to do now?"

Malik looks over at Mariku, a kind smile etching on to his face. "Mariku, all you should do is tell him." He states calmly.

Mariku does not seem to agree with that simple idea. "What?! What if he doesn't want to hear that… what if he doesn't love me back?"

The stern look Malik gives freaks Mariku out a little. "Wait a minute here. Now I know you're not Mariku," With the confused expression Malik receives, he decides to explain. "The Mariku I know is not some love struck wuss that worries about 'what ifs'. You should take pride that you can admit your feelings to Ryou and accept what happens after without fear."

Mariku stands up and slams his fists on the table. "I am not a wuss Malik. I will tell Ryou how I feel." He declares, taking Malik's words as a challenge against his rather large pride.

Malik smirks, his words doing what he intended. "That's what I like to hear, but Mariku try to keep it simple and sweet."

"What do you mean?" Mariku asks, slowly sitting back down.

Shaking his head Malik says, "What I mean is, telling someone that you love them can be big deal. Don't just go and bluntly tell him over the phone or something. You should do something special for Ryou. Maybe spend the day together and when you're alone with him is when you should say it."

Mariku raises a golden eyebrow and eyes Malik skeptically. "Are you sure?" Malik nods his head, causing Mariku to sigh. "Okay, if you're sure…" He gets back up and walks towards the door, seeing as how he has many preparations to make. Looking back at Malik, Mariku says, "You know, for someone who hasn't had a lot of experience with love you sure know a lot. You should think about telling Bakura your feelings." He leaves grinning, knowing that Malik will most likely kill him.

Malik sits stunned in the silence as his cheeks flush a dark red. Suddenly he clenches his fists and shouts, "You idiot, I don't have any feelings for Bakura!"

-----

'Ra I hope Malik was right about this…'

"Are you feeling okay Mariku? You've been acting spacey and distracted today." Ryou's sweet melodic voice questions while breaking Mariku from his thoughts.

He blinks before grinning down at his love. "I'm fine Ryou; I've just been thinking a bit is all." He explains, giving Ryou's hand a reassuring squeeze.

Ryou smiles and leans in closer to Mariku as they walk back towards Ryous home. Snow crunches softly beneath their feet as they walk down the icy street. "What have you been thinking about? Has anything been troubling you lately?" He asks sweetly, staring up at Mariku with wide brown eyes.

"Nothing's been troubling me Ryou. I've just been unable to get you out of my head," He leans in closer grinning, "Not that I'm complaining."

Ryou's pale cheeks flush as he grins up at Mariku. Giving him a quick peck on the cheek Ryou says, "It better stay that way."

Chuckling quietly, Mariku walks forward with Ryou's hand still entwined with his own. They walk up to Ryou's house in a comfortable silence, both a bit tired from the day's events. Ryou lets go of his boyfriend's hand in favor of unlocking his house's door. Once the door is open, Mariku grabs Ryou bridal style and carries him inside. Ryou 'eeps' in surprise as Mariku kicks the door closed. Mariku kicks off his shoes, carries his love over to the couch, and sits down, placing Ryou on his lap comfortably.

Ryou giggles quietly and snuggles in Mariku's lap. "Okay I have to ask, why have you been spoiling me rotten today? Everything we did was what I wanted and you keep treating me as if I was the most important person here. I mean we went to that new tea shop I wanted to visit, and we walked in the park that I adore; we've done everything that I love."

Mariku strokes Ryou's hair in a loving way as he grins down at his love. "You deserve to be spoiled, and I happen to think that you are the most important person here," He explains. "Besides, I haven't heard you complain about my treatment towards you."

Leaning into the touch, Ryou giggles again. "That's because I enjoyed being spoiled," He admits, causing Mariku to chuckle. "I was just wondering if there was certain reason for the lovely treatment." He explains, turning to stare up at his boyfriend with shining brown eyes.

Mariku's breathe hitches in his throat as he stares intently at Ryou's doe brown eyes. The chocolaty orbs gleam in the dull lighting of the room and capture all of Mariku's attention. A tan hand grasps Ryou's pale cheek, stroking the smooth skin lovingly. He leans forward, his eyes closing, as his lips brush softly against Ryou's own. The touch tingles against his lips as he slowly parts away from the ghostlike kiss, his voice a mere whisper as he breathes out, "I love you."

Ryou's half-lidded eyes snap open as he intakes a rushed breath. His cheeks flush as he tries to comprehend what he heard. "I-I w-what did you say?" He asks nervously, confusing Mariku a bit. His heart rate quickens as Mariku stares at him with bright purple eyes.

"I love you." He states, his voice smooth and without a waiver. At Ryou's silence he asks, "Is there something wrong?" Looking away quickly, Ryou's breathing quickens, as he seems to panic a little. This worries Mariku greatly. "Ryou what's wrong, you can tell me," He cups Ryou's chin and gently directs his gaze to stare at his own. Mariku's eyes widen in shock as unshed tears shine in Ryou's watery eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

At the worried and hurt expression Mariku wears, Ryou's tears begin to leak and begin pouring down his pale cheeks. He leans into Mariku's chest, crying quietly as Mariku begins rubbing comforting circles onto his back. "I-I I'm sorry, so sorry Mariku." He hiccups quietly.

Mariku lets Ryou cry on until he seems to calm down a bit. He cups Ryou's chin again and convinces Ryou to look him in the eyes. "Why are you sorry love?"

Tears continue to run down his cheeks as Ryou averts his saddened gaze. "I-I just feel awful… no has told me that they loved me in so long… I don't know if I can say it back…" He mutters sadly.

"What do you mean? How has no one told you the love you? Surly your father has?" Mariku questions, masking his pain at the fact that Ryou cannot confirm that he loves him back. It just does not make any sense to Mariku. A while after he got his body back and adjusted to living with Malik and his family, was he told that he was loved. It shocked him at first, but he accepted being a part of the family and reasoned that he loved them, well as much as he could, like a real- dysfunctional- family.

Ryou hiccups quietly before leaning against Mariku's chest tiredly. "No, he hasn't told me that for years. I got used to it when I was younger after my mother and sister died. I've never really thought about it since I stopped telling him that I loved him… it only hurt since he's never around…" He explains as large tears roll down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry Mariku…" He pauses for a moment before sitting up straight with his eyes downcast. "I'll understand if you want to break up with me… you deserve someone who can easily tell you that they love you."

Mariku sits quietly as he takes in everything Ryou said. His heart aches as he feels Ryou wince at his hug. He tightens his hold on his love's waist and buries his face into Ryou's snowy white hair. He takes in a breath as he composes his thoughts. "Ryou… when I told you that I love you, I didn't take it lightly," he pauses to make sure that the white haired male in his grip is listening. "I truly do mean it. I love you Ryou. I don't want just anyone that can easily say that back to me. I thought long and hard about my feelings for you. If you tell me that you can't say it back I'll wait."

Ryou's eyes widen as his tears begin to dry up. He stays completely still, unsure of what to do or say. "What… what do you mean?" He whispers quietly.

"I mean exactly what I say. I will wait for you to say it back. No one that can easily say they love me takes the word seriously enough. Therefore, I know that when- or if- you say it back to me that you will mean it," He explains rationally. "Telling someone you love them is a big deal, I don't want it to be easy to say and mean nothing. I love you Ryou and I want to stay with you."

Mariku jumps a bit when he feels Ryou turn around and wrap his arms around Mariku's neck. Ryou crashes his lips onto Mariku's, in a sloppy but needed kiss. Mariku's immediate response is to grab Ryou's waste and return the kiss with intense passion. Ryou's hands grasp at Mariku's tan face as if he was almost afraid of Mariku disappearing if he was to let go. They separate for air, both panting as Ryou leans his forehead against Mariku's, his eyes half-lidded.

"I-I… I don't deserve you," He whispers, closing his brown eyes to fight off a new wave of tears. "I wish, I wish that I could say… say it back to you-"

Mariku silences him with a chaste kiss, smiling at Ryou in a very loving fashion. "Don't force yourself Ryou. It won't mean anything to me if it doesn't come from your heart," He strokes Ryou's cheek, drying his tears with his thumb. "Just please remember this Ryou." He leans forward and captures Ryou's lips into a sweet kiss. Ryou returns the soft kiss, his legs straddling Mariku's waist as he leans in close for the kiss. Mariku's arms wrap around Ryou's lithe waist into a comforting hug. They part from the kiss, Ryou returning the loving hug with a sad smile. They both sit in silence, eyes closed as they enjoy the comfort of the other in the hug. Mariku sighs, his words a mere whisper as he breathes calmly.

"I love you."