Er, yeah. I know I should be working on chapter 3 of Escape, but. I joined another fanfic challenge on LJ; this time I only have to cough up seven fics for it. 8D And... yeah. XD

Uniformity
7 Snogs Challenge; theme #01 - Uniform

"This fabric's too stiff. I can barely move."

"You're wearing it, Malik."

"It itches!"

"You're wearing it, Malik.

"... It's not showing enough skin?"

"You're wearing it, Malik."

Malik pouted as he stared at his reflection. He was no longer wearing the cropped lavender hoodie, or the comfortable cargo pants; the golden bands no longer adorned his arms. Instead, he was dressed in the royal blue uniform of Domino High - and he didn't like it one bit.

He frowned as he turned his face toward his unwavering boyfriend, putting on the best set of 'puppy eyes' he could muster up - a technique he'd picked up from said boyfriend, no less. "Ryou?" he whimpered, "do I have to wear it?" Malik tugged at the collar of the jacket, in an attempt to free it from his sweat-dampened neck. Collared clothing was always so warm on him.

"If you're going to come to school with me, yes, you have to," Ryou said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It's just how the Japanese school system works. I'll be surprised if they even let you get off with your hair." He walked behind Malik, weaving his fingers through the flaxen strands in an attempt to straighten it out a little.

Malik would've frowned at Ryou's statement, if it weren't for the fact that he was practically melting under the boy's gentle touch. "Why wouldn't they let me off with the hair?" he asked, turning to look at him.

The corner of Ryou's mouth turned up in a nervous smile as he laid his hands on the back of Malik's shoulders. "When I first transferred to the school, the gym teacher, Karita-sensei, wanted me to cut my hair because long hair on boys was against the rules," he explained. "He wanted me to come in the next day with a crew cut."

"A crew cut?" Malik exclaimed. He whirled around and grabbed Ryou's arms, frantically pulling him into a tight hug. "You poor thing!" He took Ryou's thick white hair in his hands and tangled them in it, as if it would suddenly vanish without warning. Malik absolutely loved Ryou's hair; it was always soft and fluffy, and often made for a good pillow. The thought of his boyfriend with a crew cut was absolutely horrifying.

Ryou squeaked as Malik embraced him, his cheeks stained a bright red. He hesitantly reached up and patted Malik's back, another nervous smile crossing his lips. "... It's okay, Malik," he said, a little bit worried about the taller boy's mental condition. "Obviously, I didn't cut my hair. I don't think they'll say anything to you about it as long as you're with me." He hoped that would suffice; he wasn't sure if he'd ever told Malik about what had happened with Karita. The spirit of the Sennen Ring had confronted him and turned him into a pawn in the tabletop RPG, "Monster World". Some time after the incident, Karita had returned to the school, but he'd never said anything to Ryou about his hair after that.

In fact, he'd kept his distance from him.

Malik slightly pulled away from the hug, gazing down at Ryou. "... Okay." He looked back behind him at the mirror again. "I don't care if I have to wear the uniform, as long as they let me keep my hair." Of course, Malik didn't like just Ryou's hair. He loved his own hair, and the hair of pretty much everyone that they knew as well. To say that he had a fixation with hair would've been an inderstatement - it was more like a fetish.

"... You don't have to keep the jacket buttoned up, you know," Ryou said, reaching up to undo the buttons on Malik's uniform. "If you're more comfortable with it, you can keep it unbuttoned..."

Malik blinked. "You could've told me that sooner," he said, pouting again. "My neck was burning up." He looked down, assisting Ryou with the unbuttoning of his jacket. Moments later, it was completely undone, exposing the black shirt underneath.

Ryou reached up again and grabbed the collar, adjusting it a bit so it stood up straight. "There. That's better, isn't it?" he asked, smiling sweetly.

"Yeah, it's better," Malik replied, returning the smile. "... But I still don't like the uniform."

"Malik!"

"Well, I don't."

Ryou sighed. "Look, Malik... it's only for eight hours. You can change out of it as soon as you get home, but..." He frowned a little, "you'll get in trouble if you show up not wearing it at all. I don't want you to get in trouble on your first day..."

Malik bit his lip in contemplation. His boyfriend had a point - he wasn't sure what the discipline system was like at Domino High, but he did know that if he got into trouble, Isis would have a complete fit about it. Getting into trouble with his sister was worse than anything the school could throw at him, because Isis tended to make him actually do things. Like cleaning the toilets, or under the refrigerator.

"... Fine," Malik said, slumping his head in defeat. "I'll wear it. But only because you want me to." He turned around to face the mirror again, eyeing his reflection from head to toe.

A wide smile broke out on Ryou's face as he wrapped his arms around Malik's waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. "Thank you, love," he said, softly brushing his lips against Malik's cheek. When he felt the taller one relax within his embrace, Ryou turned his head to whisper into his boyfriend's ear. "You know," he purred, "it's actually good that you don't like wearing it... because you'll only be more eager to get out of it later..."

Malik turned his head to face Ryou, breaking out into a devious smirk. "Well, when you put it that way..."

Before Ryou had a chance to respond to that, the small gap between them was closed as their lips met. Ryou squeaked and tensed up slightly, but his surprise promptly diminished as Malik turned around within his grasp and wrapped an arm around Ryou's slim waist, pulling him up flush against his chest. Malik's other hand was preoccupied with gently stroking Ryou's cheek; he nipped at the soft lips below his before pulling back, that same sly grin on his face.

Ryou was panting lightly by the time Malik pulled away, and he allowed his head to fall down to the Egyptian's collarbone. A contented sigh escaped from Ryou's lips as he felt the arms of his boyfriend encircle him completely, and for a moment he even forgot what they'd been talking about before. However, one glance at the cobalt fabric beneath him was a good reminder.

Subdued as he was, Ryou pouted and threw a halfhearted glare up at Malik; he'd likely been trying to distract him with that kiss. "You're still wearing the uniform."

"... Damn."