A/N: Welcome to my collection! So, some details about this AU may be in order? Yes? Yes.

After having lost their Yami's, Ryou, Malik, and Yugi have moved in together. Ryou is an avid paranormal investigator, Yugi is working on designing a video game, and Malik is simply trying to get by. They are all in their twenties. Everything else will be explained as the one-shots are posted.

Enjoy! And please, tell me what you think!

"I don't know," muttered Yugi, shrugging his shoulders.

Malik lifted his head up from where it had been resting on the table, staring at him out of mostly unfocused eyes. "What?"

"What?" echoed Yugi, turning to look at the other boy.

"You jus'...you said somethin'." said Malik, lifting one hand up and waving it through the air, wrist limp and hand heavy.

Yugi nodded, and then he giggled. "God, you're really...you shouldn't drink any more."

Lips curving into a frown, Malik tugged the mostly empty bottle of beer closer to him. "Fuck you, Star Ass! If I have to quit drinkin' then so do you!"

Once more shrugging his shoulders, Yugi shoved his bottle towards the middle of the table. It teetered for a moment before falling, amber liquid spilling across the white cloth.

For a moment, both boys simply stared at the quickly spreading mess. Then they looked at each other, eyes wide and shot through with red.

"Ryou's goin' to kill you," whispered Malik, and he could already picture the wrath of their other roommate.

Yugi shook his head, shoving himself and his chair backwards. He stumbled when he stood up but didn't fall, instead crossing the kitchen in several wavering steps. "Nuh-uh. It's you guys's fault. Your the ones bein' weird."

Malik snorted, fumbling with his bottle for a moment before pressing the cold glass to his lips and chugging it down. It burnt at his throat, the skin torn and open, and he let out a heavy breath when it clunked down on the table. "Says the kid who can't even count anymore. Ryou went out, 'member? Said he had shit to do. Somethin' about...plants."

Plants. Flowers. Dandelions. Weeds. Weed.

Ra, Malik wanted a smoke. Briefly, he wondered where he put them. Then, he realized that Yugi was talking again.

"I don't know," muttered the younger boy once more, this time as he rooted through the fridge. "S'probably cleaned already."

"What?" asked Malik, leaning forward. "What's clean?"

There was a moment of silence before Yugi emerged from the fridge, clutching a plastic container of pudding in his hands. "The top one. I said you shouldn't finish drinkin' that."

Pursing his lips together, Malik stood up. His legs felt sturdy and his head didn't spin, which was a little odd because he had already had three beers and should have been past the point of falling on his ass.

Instead, he had no problem crossing the room, reaching forward and grabbing Yugi by the shoulder. "Seriously, Yugi. What the frigg are you talking about it?"

"I guess. He doesn't usually come back 'till mornin' though, remember? I don't know why you're being so weird...you haven't had that much to drink yet," muttered Yugi, shaking his head.

"Me? You're the one being weird! What, are you having a conversation with yourself?" demanded Malik, and in the brief moment between his words and Yugi's, he heard it. Another voice, louder then his own, sharper then his own, the same as his own.

"I guess I'm just going to have to find something else to occupy my time with. You want to play instead, Little Hikari?" asked the voice, laughingly.

Yugi looked unconcerned, merely walking past where Malik stood and over to one of the drawers instead. "Not really. I'm just gunna go...out. To the park, or somethin'."

A chill ran down Malik's spine, his lips curling up into a grin that wasn't his own. His mouth opened, but he wasn't speaking. "Fine, be that way. I'll just find someone else to entertain me until Snowflake comes home."

A body, pressed up against him from behind. Arms wrapping around his chest, fingers running over his arms, moving them as though Malik was nothing more than a marrionette.

As Yugi left the room, Malik crossed it. Opened up a drawer and pulled out a knife, big and large, light glinting off of the metal blade.

"Isn't that right, Cactus?" asked Mariku, running the side of the blade across his hand, Malik's hand, their hand. It left a thin white line behind.

A moment later and that white line ran red.