Alistair walked from her small side kitchen into the living space in her apartment. The light gray walls seemed darker with the three dark presences that were sitting in various places throughout the room.
Rocking in the reclining chair sat Bakura. The white haired prat had his eyes closed and legs crossed. Lying across the loveseat was Melvin. He was fiddling with his phone. She assumed he was texting some of his 'friends from work' that drank with him. Then there was Yami. He sat holding his head with his hand while his elbow rested on the couch's armrest. He was staring off into space, burning an imaginary hole into the wall.
They were all waiting for their brothers; Ryou, Marik, and Yuugi respectively, and had decided to crash at her place for the last half-hour seeing it was where their brothers came to hang out every day after their classes. While she loved the younger brothers very much, she could barely stand the elder ones.
Bakura had a bad habit of stealing shit, Melvin loved to destroy basically anything he could get his hands on, and Yami… Yami was like their little ring leader. He never really did anything but didn't exactly stop them either. So, in her books, they all were equally guilty. However, they were all very protective of their younger halves. Not that it made them any better.
"Here," Alistair said as she placed a plate of neatly cut sandwiches onto the wooden coffee table. The couches and chair were placed strategically around the table that sat before a large flatscreen television. She went to retreat back into the kitchen when a voice stopped her.
"What kind are they?" Melvin's rough voice asked.
She looked over her shoulder. Her blue eyes met his lavender ones with a glare. "Does it matter?"
"I asked so it must," came his irritated reply. His spiky blond, nearly gold, hair was sprawled out behind him going in every direction as if he had just walked through an electrical storm.
"Grape jelly with peanut butter," Alistair replied evenly, never releasing his gaze.
"Make 'em differently."
She turned her body to face Melvin. He was no longer relaxed as he was with his previous statements. She could see that his lean muscles were coiling with anticipation of a fight. Her eyes flashed dangerously, and her hand twitched. At this point, Bakura was watching with excitement, and Yami was looking at them both.
She licked her lips before speaking. "Excuse me?"
Melvin sat up in one smooth movement. His abs rippled against his black t-shirt as he did so. "I said," he began slowly as if to mock her intelligence. "To make a different batch."
Alistair's demeanor changed suddenly, going from treading lightly to ready to pounce within a second. Her shoulders squared; her eyes narrowed into a calculating gaze; her legs spread evenly apart; her arms laid lax at her sides. "I'm not here to babysit," she growled harshly. Her tone had become sharper as if daring Melvin to do something. "You're in my home, and I don't have to do anything you say, Melvin." She practically snarled his name.
She wasn't an angel either mind you. She knew what Melvin was capable of and was confident she could hold her own for at least a few minutes if Melvin did decide to attack. Bakura chuckled darkly from his position in the chair but made no move to interfere. She could see both him and Yami in her peripherals as she stared Melvin down. None of them moved.
"I beg to differ, Alistair." He hissed her name.
Alistair gave a very unladylike snort, amused. "You wanna' take this outside, Melvin? I'd rather not get my carpet stained with your blood."
Melvin grinned wolfishly before jumping up. He rushed towards her with his fist raised. Alistair reacted just as quickly. She had pulled a knife from the back of her jeans and was raising it to deflect Melvin's attack. His hand never met the blade's sharp edge.
Yami had stood and was holding Melvin's wrist. His fist was about three inches away from being sliced in half by the knife that was now held in front of Alistair's face defensively. "What is this, Pharaoh?" Melvin growled, using Yami's nickname.
"We're guests here," Yami said. Although the words were simple, the tone spoken with them left no room for argument. "Sit and relax until our brothers come."
When Melvin looked like he was going to say something, Bakura butted in. "Just sit your ass down, Melvin. You've been beaten this round." The white haired teen grinned cruelly when Melvin glared at him. Melvin wrenched his arm free from Yami's grasp before collapsing back onto the loveseat mumbling curses that would make even the Devil cringe.
Alistair retreated back into the kitchen, confident enough to put the steak knife back into the holder that sat on the counter. Not ten minutes of silent tension later did Ryou and Marik come laughing through the front door. Their surprised greetings at seeing not only their brothers but their boyfriends made Alistair chuckle beneath her breath. She stepped back into the living area seeing as Melvin would be preoccupied with Ryou.
Marik was already straddling Bakura's lap as they made out passionately. Ryou was cuddling into Melvin's side. The spiky blond had his face in the boy's white hair, obviously enjoying the smell of Ryou's strawberry shampoo.
"Where's Yuugi?" Yami suddenly asked. His voice didn't make the sound of lips smacking together stop, but they did pause as Marik spoke in choppy sentences.
"Went with… Téa… to watch… a movie."
Ryou spoke next. "Téa said she'd drop him off here when they were done with their 'date'." He used his fingers to emphasize the word date. He giggled lightly as Melvin's nose tickled his neck.
"I see," was all Yami said before he resumed staring at her wall. Alistair sighed before placing herself at the opposite end of the couch Yami was sitting on. She crossed her legs.
"Y'know," Alistair began sourly. "You two can find a room elsewhere." She glared at Marik and Bakura as they didn't even spare her a glance.
"Let's go, baby," Marik cooed softly into Bakura's ear after a minute. The white haired teen growled in annoyance before being led from the apartment. If Alistair didn't know any better, she would've thought that they would go down to the alleyway behind the building.
"That goes for you too, Melvin," Alistair growled.
Melvin huffed, much to Ryou's amusement, before dragging the poor boy out the front door. It loudly slammed shut behind them. Alistair sighed in sudden relief and didn't realize that Yami was currently examining his nails. He only did that if he was thinking or nervous.
"Hey," she said softly, resisting the urge to grab his hand. Bakura and Melvin were a handful when they were alone, but Yami knew how to behave. At least, when he wanted too. "Yuugi will be fine. Téa won't make a move until he's ready for it."
His violet eyes turned towards her. "Thank you, Alistair," he said gratefully. It seemed that her words had set his mind at ease because his shoulders slumped and he relaxed against the couch completely.
"No, thank you, Yami," Alistair replied back with a smile. "I really didn't want to fight Melvin."
Before Yami could respond, a knock sounded from the door. Alistair sighed and pinched her nose in irritation before getting up to open it. She mumbled curses as she walked over. She would've opened it and began yelling at them to go away but her surprise stopped her from doing something so foolish. "Hey, Alistair," John, her landlord, greeted casually. He was a short, chubby man but highly respected amongst the tenants.
"Hey, John. What's up?" Alistair responded kindly, attempting to hide the fact that she almost cursed him out. She knew the boy who sat in the living room was listening. She didn't know that Yami was silently watching the exchange as well.
"Y'see, I have some bad news, Ali," John said, using her nickname. Her eyes narrowed at not only his words but the name as well.
"Bad news?" she asked curiously. She tilted her head to the side and raised a blonde eyebrow as if to emphasize her curiosity. She really had no idea what he was going on about.
"Some of the other tenants have complained about you." He quickly recovered upon seeing her stiffen. "Nothing personal of course! It's just… There are children around and their parents don't think that you're the best neighbor to have here with all your visitors and such." John chuckled nervously as he trailed off and pointed down to the parking lot below. Bakura had his hand up Marik's shirt as they made-out on the hood of Bakura's sports car.
Alistair could feel her temper rise even more, and the near-fight she almost had with Melvin a little while ago wasn't helping. "Is there a problem, sir?" came a smooth voice from behind her. A pressure rested itself onto her hip, and she realized it was a hand. Yami's hand to be exact. He had his body pressed up against hers. His head would've been resting on her shoulder if he would only relax his neck. A light blush flushed across her cheeks at the sudden contact.
"And you are?" John asked.
"Yami Motou," Yami replied. "However, you can call me Pharaoh." Yami's dark violet eyes seemed to turn red in Alistair's peripheral vision, but she couldn't be sure. His breath tickled her neck which caused her to hide a shiver that went down her spine.
"Ph-Pharaoh?!" John all but shrieked and took a step back. "Of the Millennium Kings? The most notorious gang on this side of the city?!" The poor guy looked terrified now and bowed deeply from the waist. He mumbled out apologies left and right before hurriedly scampering away down the concrete.
Yami stepped back to allow Alistair room to close the door. She took a breath before turning around. "Thanks again, Yami," she said. The blush was still running rampant throughout her face, and she wished it would go away. No doubt Yami could see it clearly in her well-lit apartment. She smiled at him despite the butterflies that flapped around in her stomach.
It was a challenge, to say the least. Yami stood in front of the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. Everything about her was perfect: her appearance, her attitude, her personality, she could even stand up to Melvin and Bakura if she wanted too. Yet, he knew she only saw the Pharaoh side of him. His usually calm heart ached and beat a little faster as that sad thought went through his mind.
"Don't worry about it," he said plainly. "He shouldn't bother you again." Not knowing what else to say, much less do, he turned around and retreated to his spot on the couch.
"Yeah," Alistair said and almost like an afterthought added, "I don't know where I'd go if I lost this place." She pinched the bridge of her nose in sudden annoyance. Yami watched her quietly. "I'm so kicking Bakura's ass the next time I see him."
Yami couldn't help but smirk at the thought of the two of them fighting. As if he'd let that brute touch something that was so precious to him. He tried to hide his feeling for Alistair when Melvin and Bakura were around, but he didn't exactly know why. He figured he was just trying to avoid the entire situation completely, but he was forced to at least acknowledge it when the two weren't around.
Alistair slumped into the other end of the couch. Her face was hidden by her hand as she tried to think. It didn't help that her brain wasn't cooperating, so she remained quiet. A soft munching sound drew her attention to Yami who was currently chewing one of the sandwiches she had made earlier. A piece was held in his hand. Her lips twitched upward as she heard him hum in approval.
"Where did you learn to make these?" Yami asked suddenly.
Alistair couldn't help the smirk that turned into a grin as she spoke. "A couple of old friends and I entered a baking competition back in grade school. Everything was fine until we realized that none of us could cook to save our lives, so I basically forced myself to learn how to bake stuff like a champ."
He nodded in understanding. "You don't talk much about your friends, Ali," he stated casually enough that she wouldn't go on the defensive.
She shrugged carelessly. "One day they left and never came back. They didn't say goodbye or anything, so I forgot about 'em after a while. Then, I ran into Yuugi and the rest of you." Their eyes met, and she nearly swore when she felt her face heat up. He had finished the sandwich while she was talking and was now staring at her. His eyes were unmoving, covered by a veil of shadow that hid all his emotions. It was then that her stupid brain came up with the thought of how handsome Yami was with the light shining in behind him from the window.
His dark personality and leather clothing contrasted nicely with the angelically soft light. It accented his high cheekbones, sharp chin, and oh-so-touchable hair. Wait, she thought, halting her train of thought so it suddenly derailed. I did not just think that his hair was touchable. Her eyes widened slightly as she realized that she had.
Yami couldn't put his finger on the emotion that swirled in Alistair's eyes, but he couldn't hide the fact that it intrigued him. He curiously wondered what was going through her head when her eyes widened a fraction but quickly dismissed it. He would probably never find out. He knew she'd never see him as he did her. He almost dropped his gaze at the thought but something stopped him. An idea popped into his head. Maybe I could… he thought.
Yami suddenly moved across the couch and pressed his lips against her soft ones. Her eyes widened at the action, and her breathing hitched. It took a couple seconds for her brain to catch up with his movements. She hesitantly reached up to grab his shirt, effectively pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.
It felt like fireworks were going off in her head and like the butterflies had turned to dragons and were spouting hot fire throughout her stomach. Her brain became fuzzy, and her grip on him tightened, not wanting to lose her sense of reality. She felt him wrap his arms around her, and she leaned into his chest.
He soon pulled back when the urge to breath became too much to bare but held her close. His warm breath sent tingles running over her cheek and neck as he breathed. Her fingers slowly entwined themselves into his thick hair as he hovered beside her. "Can I take you to dinner?" his calm voice came from her neck.
She couldn't contain the shiver that ran down her spine as he spoke, and he smirked. "As long as you pay." She blushed heavily when he chuckled and proceeded to kiss her again.
Anything for my Queen.