Mew: Yet another cross-dressing Malik one! Yay!! –laughs- I just love it when Malik cross-dresses. He'd be such a perfect cross-dresser. Someday I will write to Kazuki Takahashi and ask him if Malik is gay or if he cross-dresses in his spare time. When I get enough guts to.

Draiku: …oh my gods…you're insane…-snickers as she imagines Malik cheerleading-

Mew: Yes, the idea is stupid, but I started it at like, what, three in the morning? I dunno. Just read it. –sweatdrops-

Disclaimer: Don't own YGO or anything else copyrighted in here that is mentioned, but I'm too lazy to double-check. o.o

Note: This is a result of my exhausted brain. Please don't kill me for it. And Malik will not be the stereotype cheerleader (the ones that go "OMG!!!11shift11! LYKE, THEN I SAID 'NO WAY' AND SHE WAS LIKE 'I NO!!'" and wear nothing but pink), so don't worry. I wouldn't do that to him. And also, I know that boys can be cheerleaders, but Malik's school doesn't have that option. –shifty eyes-

Malik the Cheerleader

"No, I'm serious!" Malik yelled at his laughing friends after he told them what he wanted to do for the school football team. "I really do want to become one!"

"Malik, only girls do dat! An' any straight dude would never consider doin' dat!" Jou replied with a grin. "So, you gay?" Malik blushed.

"No, of course not," he replied.

"Then why do you want to become a cheerleader of all things??!" Otogi said, laughing. Malik sighed.

"Because it looks fun. That's why," he mumbled self-consciously. He hadn't ever actually told anyone up until now, because he knew that everyone would laugh. Of course, when he did tell them it had kinda slipped out. Ryou sighed and shook his head. He was the only one not laughing, of course.

"Guys, if Malik wants to become a cheerleader then you shouldn't laugh. How would you feel if we laughed at you guys for wanting to become famous football or baseball stars when the chances of that actually happening are almost zero to none?" he said.

"Well, at least that's a manly thing. A guy cheerleader is…well, y' know, gay," Honda said. "I mean, we'd understand if you'd want to be ref or something, but cheerleader? Honestly, Malik." Malik sighed sadly.

"I knew you guys would laugh," he muttered. The bell rang, signaling that lunch was over. Malik stood up and left without another word. Ryou hurried after him.

"Malik!" he called. Malik looked up.

"Oh, hey Ryou," he mumbled.

"I think that… I think that there may be a way for you to become a cheerleader," Ryou said with a smile. Malik blinked.

"How?" he asked, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice. He had wanted to at least try being a cheerleader ever since he had first seen them on television.

"You could talk to the head cheerleader in private. Maybe she'd let you join," Ryou suggested.

"She'd think that I'm gay," Malik muttered. "Which I'm not! I just want to do it since it looks fun, and you get exercise without getting hurt! I mean, the guys in football get battered around and--!"

"I get it, Malik. You're not gay. There, I said it. Happy? Anyway. I'll take you to the head cheerleader, or whatever they're called, and you can talk to her," Ryou said. Malik nodded.

"Thank you, Ryou," he said softly and smiled. Ryou smiled back.

"Sure! Let's go," he said. They walked towards the office a few halls down.

"So anyway, I was talking to Bakura a bit today in the hallway and--," Ryou said, but Malik cut him off.

"You seem to talk about Bakura a lot, Ryou," he commented. Ryou blushed.

"I do not! We're friends, that's all," he said.

"He doesn't even look at you during lunch. And I saw you speak with Bakura in the hall! You were apologizing for bumping into him," Malik said. Ryou sighed softly.

"Fine. I…I like him, alright?" he muttered. Malik blinked and gasped.

"You do?" he asked. Ryou nodded.

"He's so cool and so artistic…you know how he wears that beret to school every day, even if the teachers don't let him? That's a sign of individuality, Malik. He doesn't give a crap about peer pressure, which adds points to his cool meter," he said, smiling slightly. "But please, don't tell anyone! They'd make fun of me."

"I won't, I promise. I'm just surprised, that's all," Malik mumbled.

"Oh. A-anyway, here's the office. Let's go inside," Ryou said. They walked inside and the secretary looked up.

"What can I do for you two?" she asked.

"We'd like to talk to the head cheerleader," Ryou said. "It's important. We have to give her this note." He held up a piece of paper. "The teacher who told us to give it to her said it was private and that we had to take it to her personally since she trusts us and she said that you're nosey." Malik blinked, deciding that Ryou was probably one of the most prepared people in the entire world. The secretary bristled.

"Fine. She's in that room over there," she said angrily.

"Thank you, ma'am," Ryou said with an innocent smile and they walked inside. The head cheerleader looked up.

"What can I do for you two?" she asked. Ryou shoved Malik forwards.

"He'd like to become a cheerleader," he said, still smiling that innocent smile of his. Malik blushed and the teacher blinked, then laughed out loud.

"You're kidding! Boys can't be cheerleaders!" she said. "What'd our opponents think of the school??!"

"We're serious, ma'am," Malik said softly. She stopped laughing.

"I'm sorry, kid, but…wait. Wait a moment. You look kinda like a girl…wait here a second," she said and stood up. She went to the closet and pulled out a box filled with clothing. She pulled out a few pieces of cloth and threw them to Malik. "These look your size. Put them on." Malik blushed.

"Now??" he said, disbelieving.

"Of course now." Malik nervously took off his shirt and pants and put on the cheerleader outfit instead. The woman at the desk looked thoughtful. "You look exactly like a girl. I suppose with some padding here and there it could work out. Of course, we'll have to keep this a secret. That way someone won't go blabbing to another school about it. So you'll need a fake name, or an alias, rather."

Malik thought about it. He took his Japanese name—Mariku—and changed a few parts of it.

"How about Marie?" he said.

"Perfect! Alright, kiddo, you're on the team. What's your name?"

"Malik Ishtar."

"I'll put you down as Marie Ishtar. So it'll be like you have a sister and she's joining," she said. Malik grinned.

"Thank you," he mumbled. "Thank you so much."

"No prob. Now, go change already. Give your teacher this note so it'll be like you were excused from the nurse for having a large cut on your hand. And here's a band-aid." She put a band-aid on his hand after pulling it out from her desk, then she handed him a note. "See you at practice." He nodded, still grinning, and left with Ryou after changing.

-

Malik eventually grew used to dressing in drag every few days during practice. He wore padding so it looked like he had breasts, and he wore a special kind of underwear so it looked like he really was female whenever he did high-kicks and such. He tried to practice whenever he got the chance, and when no one was around.

Finally, he went to his first game. Each time their team made a goal, Malik and the others would encourage the crowd to cheer. And of course, at halftime they danced and did all sorts of sexy moves.

Malik looked to the clock. He sighed slightly and thought to himself, Eight seconds left in overtime. He didn't know that at the exact same time one of players on the opposing team was thinking the exact same thing.

The game ended and Malik sighed. The opponents had won. He made his way off the field when suddenly, someone ran towards him and tackled him to the ground. Malik let out a cry of surprise, then realized that whoever was doing it was pinning him to the ground by his wrists.

"Finally, I get to see your face clearly, my pristine little cheerleader," the older boy said. He was obviously from the opponent's team. His number was sixty-nine. Malik found this very embarrassing and ironic, considering that this guy obviously was feeling aroused by him.

"Get off!" Malik yelled, keeping his voice feminine. He squirmed and tried to get away, but the boy was very strong. The football player removed his helmet with a hand, using his other one to pin down both of Malik's wrists. Malik gasped. His eyes widened and he cursed himself for feeling this way. After all, he wasn't actually gay, just…unique.

The football player had spiky blond hair and tanned skin. His eyes were deep violet, much deeper than Malik's own eyes, and he had charcoal underneath his eyes. The first set was obviously for playing football, but the second set was more for…decoration, almost.

"Ah, so you're interested," the boy murmured, bringing his face close to Malik's as if he wanted to kiss him. Malik blushed.

"Of course not! You look…weird! I mean, what boy wears makeup??!" Malik demanded angrily. Okay, that made him sound like a hypocrite. After all, he also put on charcoal, but nothing else. The boy chuckled slightly.

"One who knows that he's hot and that girls want to see his cock in all its glory," he whispered.

"Pervert! Freak! You're full of it," Malik sneered.

"Well, I like the feisty ones. They're so full of energy," he said. "My name is Marik Ishtal. Now, tell me yours. And your phone number, and if you have a cell, that too. Oh, and your address, and your email, any AIM or other instant messaging, your myspace or livejournal profile, etc., etc." Malik sweatdropped.

"Why would I?" he growled.

"Isn't it obvious? I'd like to go out with you." Malik scowled and pouted.

"No," he stated.

"Oh? And why not?" Marik said, sounding truly confused. Malik sighed. Football players are all alike. Thick-headed and rude.

"Why do you think??! This is sexual harassment! Get off!!" Malik yelled. Marik sighed, seemingly disappointed.

"At least tell me your first name."

"Will you get off of me?"

"Yeah."

"Fine. It's Marie," Malik said, blushing. Marik smiled and gently brushed Malik's face with a hand, caressing his skin. Malik blushed even more and looked away from his hand.

"Marie. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he murmured, half-closing his eyes.

"That's the oldest come-on in the book," Malik growled. "Honestly, a boy with real class would at least know the girl before tackling her to the ground like he's going to rape her!" Marik chuckled.

"I couldn't get you off my mind, Marie. Especially during those last eight seconds," he said in a mere whisper. Malik sighed.

"Whatever. Now get off," he said, close to begging. Marik was heavy on his frail body.

"Alright, alright. But first…" Marik gently kissed Malik's lips, his eyes closed. Malik's eyes widened and he tried to get away, but soon found himself lost in the kiss. He kissed Marik back as best as he could, then they pulled away. Malik mentally sighed in bliss. He didn't mind changing his sexual orientation if Marik kissed him like this.

"Five-five-five, zero-one-three-four," Malik mumbled. Marik blinked.

"Huh?" he said dumbly.

"Five-five-five, zero-one-three-four is my number," Malik said with a giggle. Marik grinned.

"Seriously?" he said. Malik nodded shyly.

"Yeah. And by the way, does your body look as good as your face?" he murmured.

"Of course it does. I suppose you can't tell with these gargantuan shoulder pads." Malik giggled again and kissed him again.

-

After Marik and Malik exchanged their email addresses and phone numbers, Marik left and went back to his school on a bus. Malik waved goodbye, grinning. It turned out that Marik wasn't as thick-skulled as he'd imagined. Marik was actually in an advanced program for math, reading, and science.

Malik waited until the bus was out of sight and he went to the girls' locker room to change. He came out after changing in a dress. Ryou walked up to him.

"Mal—I mean, Marie, what were you doing for so long after the game?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. One of the football players from the visiting team just tackled me," Malik said with a shrug. Ryou blinked.

"He did what??!" he exclaimed as the information finally processed in his mind.

"Well, his name's Marik and he kissed me," Malik said, blushing slightly. Ryou gasped.

"I thought you were straight," he said, his voice lowering to a whisper.

"He's a good kisser, Ryou, and he's handsome, smart, athletic, strong, sweet, funny, and adorable all at the same time! I guess that…maybe I was really in denial. I think that I wasn't admitting the fact that I like guys," Malik said, looking away.

"I see, but there's a major problem, Malik," Ryou said softly. Malik blinked.

"What?" he asked.

"He think that you're a she. He's straight, and if he figures out that you're a guy, who knows what'll happen?" Ryou said in a whisper. Malik gasped in horror.

"Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. This is…oh, shit, what have I gotten myself into??!" he groaned and fell to his knees. Ryou knelt next to him and put his arms around Malik's shoulders.

"Don't worry. Maybe…maybe after a while say that things aren't working out and dump him?" Ryou said. Malik shook his head vigorously.

"I could never do that! I…what if things are going out great? What if we're really close, and then suddenly I dump him? I can't just do that, think of his feelings! I'd rather him hit me or something than hurt his feelings," Malik mumbled.

"But…why?" Ryou asked. Malik sighed.

"I love him. I know that it's sudden, but I do. And a physical wound heals over time, but if I suddenly dump him it'll hurt him emotionally. And who knows how long that would last?" he said. Ryou sighed.

"I guess you're right, but if he hurts you, I'll never forgive him. You're my closest friend, Malik," he said. "Good luck, though. And remember, if he truly loves you he'll accept you as a boy. But if he doesn't he'll dump you or something. Just remember that. And I hope you guys stay together for a long time. I guess he sounds kinda nice." Malik smiled.

"Thanks, Ryou," he said softly. "Just for kinda supporting us." Ryou smiled.

"Just be careful," he said. Malik nodded and they left school and went their separate ways. Malik turned into an alley and changed into his normal clothing. He looked to a person talking into a public phone. Too bad they removed all of the phone booths. Superman's got it knocked, he thought.

He hurried back to his apartment where he lived with his father and mother. His older siblings had moved away and had jobs. They usually visited on the holidays and sometimes every month or so. Isis worked as an Egyptologist and Rishid worked as a bodyguard for the ambassador of France. (A/N: Couldn't think of anything else…sorry. –sweatdrop-)

Malik surveyed his home and saw that his parents weren't there at all. He smiled to himself and sat on the couch, then the phone rang. He picked it up and was about to say his name into the phone when he stopped himself. What if Marik was calling?

"Hello? This is Marie Ishtar," he said, sounding feminine.

"Hi, Marie. It's Marik," said the voice. Malik grinned.

"Oh, hi Marik! What's up?" he said cheerfully.

"I was wondering if you were free Friday night…want to go out to a movie or something?" Marik asked. Malik smiled.

"I'd love to! And I'm totally free Friday night," he said.

"Great! Is 'Eight Below' okay?" Marik asked.

"I've been wanting to see that movie for a long time! I love dogs and all, especially huskies and malamutes, so that'd be awesome," Malik said.

"Awesome! I'll pick you up at eight, okay?" Marik said.

"Thanks, Marik! I'm looking forwards to it!" Malik said with a grin.

"Okay, great! See you then!"

"Bye, Marik! See you soon!" Malik hung up the phone and smiled slightly. He rested on the couch, ignoring the fact that Marik thought he was a girl.

-

Malik waited for Marik to pick him up, sitting in his apartment wearing some of Isis's old makeup and clothing. He picked out girl jeans and a girly pink shirt, hoping that his parents wouldn't arrive home before Marik could pick him up. They usually worked pretty late, anyway. Finally, his doorbell rang and he answered it. He grinned.

"You're right on time!" he said to Marik, who grinned back.

"Good, I'm not wearing a watch at the moment," he replied. They laughed and Marik took Malik's hand and escorted him to his motorcycle. "Um, I hope you don't mind riding on this, my parents won't let me use their car," he explained, blushing a little. Malik blushed a bit as well, but smiled.

"That's alright," he said. "I love motorcycles. My dad used to have one, and he used to take me for rides when I was a kid."

"Great!" Marik said. They climbed onto the motorcycle and sped off towards the movie theater. Malik wrapped his arms around Marik's strong chest to keep from falling off, smiling in total bliss all the while. Marik was so warm against his body…

Finally, they stopped in front of the movie theater and walked inside. Marik bought the tickets and concessions and they walked into the theater itself. They took their seats next to each other and Malik smiled and leaned on Marik's shoulder, silently thanking him. Marik smiled back and held Malik's hand gently.

After a while the movie finished. Marik and Malik left, hand in hand.

"Thanks for taking me here, Marik," Malik said, smiling at him. "I had a great time." Marik smiled back.

"I had fun, too," he said. They got onto his motorcycle and Marik drove back to Malik's home. They walked back to Malik's apartment and Malik kissed Marik gently.

"Thanks again, Marik," he said softly.

"No problem," Marik replied, kissing him back.

Marik and Malik went on many dates after this. Finally, Marik asked Malik out to the Winter Dance at his school. Malik had, of course, agreed. Marik was totally overjoyed.

Malik went to the store to pick out a nice dress just two hours before the dance. He had to wait until his parents weren't at home. Unfortunately for him, all of the dresses that would allow him to wear a stuffed bra were way, way over his budget. And the rest of the dresses that he could just barely afford were the kind that had two thick, padded pieces of cloth that went over where a woman's breasts were, leaving the space between them bare. And Malik didn't want to wear a cheap, second-hand dress to the dance. He wanted to look good for Marik.

Ryou walked into the clothing shop and saw Malik staring the dresses.

"Shopping for a dress?" he said. Malik nodded.

"I can only afford those," Malik said, pointing at the dresses weakly. Ryou gasped.

"That sucks," he mumbled. He suddenly gasped. "Malik, you could probably wear that even if you don't have breasts!"

"And how?" Malik said dully.

"Bakura could make some fake breasts for you!" Ryou said with a grin. "I'm sure he'd do it. He may be quiet, but he's really nice." Malik considered it, biting his lower lip.

"And if he doesn't?" he said softly.

"I could help you fix up one of Isis's old dresses, if you like. I can make anything look like new again," Ryou said proudly. "See this shirt? There used to be a rip almost as big as my arm in it. I sewed it up and it looks brand new."

"Thank you so much, Ryou!" Malik cried, pulling Ryou into a tight hug.

"Uh, yes, but everyone's staring."

"Oh." Malik pulled away. "Sorry," he said, blushing a bit. He took the dress off of the rack and walked to the counter with it.

"Why're you buying a dress, kid?" the lady at the counter said. Malik blushed.

"Um…well, my sister is studying drama and she's ill today. She asked me to get this dress for her," he said.

"Ah. You're a good brother, then," the lady said with a smile.

"I try to be," Malik said, sweatdropping and smiling back. He and Ryou left the shop. They stopped at Bakura's apartment, since he lived by himself, supporting himself by selling his art on a popular website.

The door was answered. Bakura blinked.

"Uh, what do you want?" he said. He was dressed pretty lazily, and it was apparent that he had just woken up. He still had the beret on, though.

"Um…Malik's going on a date with a guy that thinks he's a girl. And this dress was the only one he could afford. So…could you maybe sculpt some fake breasts for him?" Ryou said, close to begging. Bakura examined the dress.

"Wait here a moment," he said. He shut the door, then came back a moment later with a cigarette in his mouth and an artist's apron on. He grinned.

"Sure. This'll be a challenge, and I like challenges," he said. Malik and Ryou both grinned.

"Thank you!" Malik and Ryou both said.

"Come in," Bakura said, stepping aside for them to enter. The apartment smelled mostly of cigarette smoke, paint, clay, and fabrics. The floor was totally wooden and had various paint stains on it of different colors. The room had been lit so that each color was its true color, and not darkened. Some finished pieces were sitting against the wall. Scattered here and there were boxes filled of broken art materials that could be created into something else, along with a shelf full of paint cans.

"Please excuse the mess. I'm not all that organized," Bakura added. "Come in here, Malik. This is my sculpting room. You can come too, if you want, Ryou."

"Thanks again," Malik said.

"No problem. Okay! Let's get started," Bakura said with a grin. "But first, a little bit of research." He walked to a small laptop and pulled up a few pictures of women wearing the same type of dress Malik had. There were a few videos of them dancing.

"Let's see…to get the bouncy effect we could use water balloons, but how am I going to match the skin tone? Maybe if I took some clay and…" He continued mumbling to himself while Malik and Ryou wondered why he had these videos and pictures on his "favorites" list.

"Okay, let's get started," Bakura said after a bit. He filled up two water balloons so they were the same size, then walked over to Malik. "The dress should fit so the water balloons fit comfortably inside it," he said. "So could you change into the dress?" Malik nodded and changed, then Bakura fit the water balloons in the dress. Malik hissed slightly at the cold of the water.

"Hn…yes, these will work. Now I just have to make them blend into your skin," Bakura muttered.

"Um," Ryou spoke up. "Do you have a bathroom?"

"Yeah, out this door and to your right, at the end of the hall," Bakura replied. Ryou thanked him and hurried out of the room. Bakura waited a moment before moving again. "How do you do it, Malik?" he asked. Malik blinked.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Go out with that guy and not get embarrassed or something."

"Well…I just…pretend that he knows that I'm a guy and is okay with it. It helps me, at least," Malik said, blushing slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering. But…he thinks you're a girl. Aren't you ever afraid that he'll reject you if he ever figures out your real gender?" Malik sighed softly.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "Very afraid. I don't know what I'd do without him."

"That's how I feel about Ryou," Bakura muttered. Malik blinked.

"You like Ryou?" he asked. Bakura nodded, shaping some clay carefully on Malik's chest.

"Yes. Ever since I first saw him. But I just kind of avoid him since I'm worried it will slip out. I…I don't know how I'd handle rejection," Bakura admitted. Malik blinked.

"I see…Bakura…he likes you too," he said. "He talks about you all the time during lunch and such." Bakura gasped. He looked up at Malik with wide eyes.

"Seriously??" he whispered. Malik nodded.

"Yeah. He never said anything since he didn't want you to reject him," he said with a grin.

"By the gods," Bakura mumbled. "This is the greatest day of my entire life." Malik smiled slightly.

"Yeah, but just finish this first and I'll leave so you and Ryou can have all the time you want together," he said. Bakura nodded and quickly covered the water balloons with clay and skillfully shaped them, just as Ryou returned.

"Finished already?" he said, surprised. Bakura nodded, making a few finishing touches so the fake breasts blended better. He got up, ran to Ryou, and hugged him tightly.

"I love you, Ryou," he murmured. Ryou blinked, looking over Bakura's shoulder to Malik for an explanation. Malik just winked with a grin. Ryou gasped and hugged Bakura back.

"I love you too, Bakura," he replied.

"Um, thanks again, Bakura," Malik said. Bakura smiled at him.

"No, thank you. If you hadn't come here I never would have admitted my love to Ryou. So thank you." Malik smiled back and hurried outside. He then walked to his apartment, put on some lipstick and other make-up, and soon Marik arrived to pick him up.

Marik took him by the hand.

"You look beautiful," Marik breathed. Malik smiled.

"Thank you," he said, blushing slightly.

"Shall we go?" Marik said, kissing Malik gently. Malik kissed him back and they walked to Marik's parents' car. Apparently, they finally let him use it just for this night. Malik sat in the passenger seat and Marik drove to his school. They got out and walked into the building. Malik was introduced to some of Marik's friends. After a bit of chatting, they danced together.

Malik sighed in happiness as he leaned on Marik's shoulder for a moment. Marik smiled and hugged him gently, then the music changed its pace to a fast dance. Marik and Malik grinned and danced quickly, then they heard something fall to the floor with a dull splat, right in between their feet.

Marik and Malik both could only stare at each other for a moment in confusion. Their gaze lowered to the floor where they saw a pile of tan clay. Inside of that clay was a water balloon. Malik gasped.

"Marie," Marik started. "Your breast fell off." Malik blushed wildly.

"Uh, uh, th-they do that all the time! Nothing to worry about! I'll just go fix it!" he stuttered, his feminine voice cracking and revealing his real voice. He gasped and clapped his hand over his mouth. Marik stared at him, his eyes wide in what seemed like disbelief. Malik could practically see the steam building up in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and looked away shamefully.

Marik suddenly took Malik's hand and dragged him out of the gym, leaving the artificial breast behind. Malik gritted his teeth and tears fell from his eyes. They suddenly stopped, outside of the school, Malik against the wall of the building. He kept looking away, the tears falling even more freely.

"I know that breasts don't suddenly fall off," Marik said, somewhat sternly. "Tell me what happened." Malik suddenly felt his knees go weak. He fell to the ground and clutched his legs tightly, hiding his head in them. He felt so small right now, so insignificant…but he still had to tell Marik the truth.

"I'm not a girl," he mumbled. He heard Marik gasp. "I…I didn't mean to lie to you. I had been cross-dressing for a while before I even saw you, even though I was…well, I thought I was straight." His shoulders shook as the cold winter wind blew against his bare skin. "I had wanted to be a cheerleader for a long time, even though it sounds stupid. So Ryou, my friend, took me to the head cheerleader and she said I could join, if I dressed like a girl. So I agreed, even though it was a little bit embarrassing. And then when I finally got to cheer at one of our games, when you kissed me, I fell in love with you. I didn't realize that I was making a mistake until it was too late to tell you the truth. I do love you, and I always will, but…you probably hate me."

The silence that passed between the two after Malik spoke was deafening.

Both wanted the other to say something. Anything at all.

"Then…what's your real name?" Marik finally said. Malik wondered why he cared, but he pushed the thought away.

"Malik. My name is Malik Ishtar."

Another long moment of silence passed.

"Look at me, Malik," Marik murmured. Malik shivered slightly as he lifted his head and saw Marik's hand outstretched in front of him. Malik blinked away his tears, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Marik looked…sad? He wasn't angry, he wasn't disgusted, he just wore an expression that clearly stated that he was depressed.

"Get up," Marik said. "Take my hand, and stand up." Malik gasped and his eyes widened. His hand shook as he gripped Marik's hand. Marik helped him up and gently held his other hand as well.

"How could you think I hated you?" he said softly. "I don't care if you're a girl or a guy. I couldn't care less. You're still you. And I love you for that. No matter what." Malik gasped, trying to comprehend what he had heard.

"You…what?" he said, disbelieving. Marik tugged Malik into a tight hug and stroked his hair gently.

"I love you. And I want to be with you," Marik murmured. "So please, don't think that I hate you." Malik squeezed his eyes shut and hugged Marik back.

"I love you too," he whispered, clutching Marik tightly.

-

"Marik!" Malik yelled, waving as Marik drove by on his motorcycle down the street. Marik stopped and parked it just a few feet away from Malik. Malik walked over to him.

"There you are! So you're feeling better?" Marik said, smiling. Malik nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't call, my mom thought that if I was well enough to use the phone I was well enough for school," he said, scratching the back of his head. Marik chuckled slightly.

"Well, I'm glad you're better. The flu sucks. What were you doing out here? It's freezing!" Marik said.

"I had to get some books from the library. The teacher ran out of copies, so I decided to just check them out. Plus, I need to do a research project," Malik said. "I have to build a diorama!" He groaned slightly.

"I see. Want me to help? I'm pretty good with making dioramas," Marik offered. "I could come with you right now." Malik smiled.

"Thanks, Marik," he said gratefully. "I'd really appreciate that."

"Then get on! Let's get to your or my place, so we can finish it as soon as possible!" Marik said with a grin. Malik grinned back and nodded, then got onto the motorcycle and wrapped his arms around Marik's torso tightly. He smiled and rested his face on Marik's back, and Marik smiled and decided that Malik's warmth felt so good on his body…

End

Mew: My gods…that was the worst ending ever. I am so sorry, but I had not idea how else to end it without them saying "I love you" and "I love you too"! So sorry, again, and again, and again, and again…

Draiku: Shut up! Will you shut up??!

Mew: Oi! Stop quoting Monty Python! –glares-

Draiku: I wasn't quoting Monty Python. I was quoting Gaara of the sand. –cracks up laughing-

Mew: Okay, no one will get that. It's a little inside joke my family and we have. It's from a flash movie. Don't ask. Okay, you're going to, but I'll give you the link in a reply since some of you might not be interested. –sweatdrop-

Yoko: -sobs- I'm so useless!! –brings hand gun to ear- P-please R&R. Thank you if you do. Good bye now.

Mew and Draiku: -take gun away from Yoko and toss it in a river-