I have decided that I like this pairing. It inspires warm fuzzy feelings in that shriveled little black thing that used to be my heart. X3
The usual apology for spelling and grammar, it's late. Anyhoo, hope you like it. : )
"Don't you even DARE try and blame this all on me!!" Yami growled, his head turned to the side so he could glare at the seething mass of bandages in the next bed that was Marik.
"Don't you dare tell me not to dare blame you for starting it!!" Marik snarled back, his one visible eye narrowed in fury.
"Don't you dare tell me not to dare tell you not to dare blame...guh...SHUT UP!!"
Malik sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that hour and massaged his temple with his fingers. When he'd woken up that morning, he never would have guessed he'd be spending the night in the hospital waiting for the police to return to take statements from all three yami's regarding the rather unseemly brawl that had transpired in the local bowling alley due to their insufferable stupidity. He was saved from further dwelling as Yugi returned from the vending machine with two cups of steaming hot coffee.
"Thank you" he smiled, gratefully accepting the Styrofoam cup of liquid joy.
Yugi smiled back and plonked himself down into the chair next to the exhausted Egyptian. "How're they doing? Any calmer yet?"
Malik opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by an angry voice from one of the chairs across the waiting room. "Hey, where's my coffee?!" Bakura demanded, trying to fold his arms in annoyance but failing due to the handcuffs securing him firmly to the plastic arm of the chair he was sulking in.
"It's in the vending machine" Malik replied coolly, not looking at Bakura as he spoke, "If you want it, go get it."
Bakura grumbled something in what sounded a lot like Klingon and went back to staring out the window.
"As I was going to say before I was so rudely interrupted, no, they aren't any calmer. If anything, they're getting worse. We've moved on to 'whose fault is it'."
Yugi rolled his eyes and took a sip of coffee. "This is ridiculous, even for them."
Malik nodded in agreement and sighed sigh number one hundred and one.
"Look, I never would have hit you if you hadn't thrown that pen at my head!" Marik argued.
"Well, I wouldn't have thrown the pen at your head if you hadn't been trying to tamper with the scores!" Yami yelled.
"You were cheating!"
"I was WINNING, that doesn't mean I was cheating you moron!"
"Yes it does! No one can win as much as you do without cheating!"
"Oh not this AGAIN!! For Ra's sake, let it go you imbecile."
"NEVER! You're a lying, cheating, ugly, girly haired pile of camel dung!"
"How dare you!"
Malik tried to tune them out by singing his favourite songs in his head, but it was like trying to tune out a road drill with a music box. Four and a half hours he'd been sitting here listening to their bickering. Most of that had been on his own; Yugi had only turned up twenty minutes ago. It wasn't quite so bad with the company, but still, his head felt like it was going to split in two. Why couldn't they just shut up?
"You ok?" Yugi asked, his voice full of concern as he studied Malik haggard face and forlorn looking eyes.
"No" Malik admitted quietly, staring down into the murky depths of his coffee. Oh if only his head were small enough to fit in the cup, he could end it all. Or maybe the cup could be big enough for his head? Or Marik's head? Yes, drown Marik. That sounded good.
"What's wrong?" Yugi persisted, laying his hand on Malik's arm and pinning him with one of his best pleading puppy looks. One glance up into those eyes and there was no way Malik couldn't tell him what he wanted to know.
"It's just...I...I feel like I've failed, you know? I was supposed to be helping Marik adjust to modern life and become socially acceptable, but it just seems like he's getting worse every day. It's one crazy stunt after another. I mean, what the hell was this about? They go out for a friendly bowling match and end up in hospital!"
Yugi's eyes softened as he squeezed Malik's arm reassuringly. "I know how you feel, I still wouldn't trust Yami to live on his own, but you can't blame yourself. You've done your best, and sure, he might still be a rude, repulsive lunatic, but he doesn't hurt people...except Yami...so that's something. A year ago, he wouldn't have thought twice about knifing someone who looked at him funny, but you taught him to respect life...or at least let it be. Perhaps respect is still stretching it a little." Yugi trailed off and grinned apologetically. "I'm sorry, friendship speeches aren't really my specialty."
Malik laughed and patted the smaller boys' hand. "No no, it was good, thank you. I suppose you're right, he has learned some important lessons. I just wish he wasn't so damn crazy."
Yugi snorted in response and Malik chuckled. He was right, that wasn't ever going to change.
"I think you'll find those chipolatas were mine, I pad for them" Yami said, his voice rising again to drown out the hikaris' conversation.
"Nonsense, I found them fair and square!"
"YOUFOUND THEM BY MY SEAT BY MY WALLET, WHICH YOU ALSO TOOK!!"
"I did not!"
"Yes you did!"
"No I didn't!"
"Then who did?!"
"Oh, I don't know, why don't you ask the King of Thieves if he knows who took it?!?!"
"Oy, don't you drag me into this!" Bakura interrupted, "I'm in enough trouble already because of you two, I don't need to be accused of theft too!"
"Because of...because of us?!" Yami gaped, "If it weren't for you, it wouldn't have escalated into an all out battle!"
"That's bollocks and you know it, I took no part in any of it."
"Bakura, you handed me the bowling ball and said 'go for his left knee, he jarred it falling off the pavement earlier'!"
"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT THAT!!"
"I'm going outside for some fresh air, are you coming?" Malik asked, his voice straining with forced calm.
"Sounds good to me" Yugi nodded, "To be honest, I don't know why you've stayed in here for as long as you have."
"Hospitals freak me out, I don't like being alone in them" Malik admitted, finishing off his coffee and throwing the cup into a nearby bin. Standing up, he stretched then followed Yugi outside into the crisp winter night. Apparently it had snowed since he came in with the others all those hours ago and there was now a clean, white film over everything. He found the sight quite calming. "So" he said conversationally, "Did you manage to get through to Ryou?"
"Yup" Yugi nodded, a small smile playing around his lips.
"What did he say?" Malik asked curiously.
"'Woohoo, I can watch the OC marathon after all'"
Malik laughed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Ra, it's cold out here."
"We can go back inside if you want..."
"Nah, it's fine, I like the peace out here."
Yugi nodded and shuffled a little closer so they could share a little body heat. "You really shouldn't beat yourself up over this you know, there's nothing you could have done, even if you'd been there. Heck, it might even have been your head that Marik threw the bowling ball at rather than Yami's."
"I suppose" Malik said quietly, kicking half heartedly at a tiny snowdrift, "I just don't know what more I can do."
Yugi smiled and slipped his arm through Malik's. "You'll think of something, you're not a quitter and you never will be. That's why I love you."
Malik looked down into Yugi's smiling face and felt some of the warmth return to his body. Smiling back, he snuggled against the smaller boy, sliding his arm round behind his back to pull him closer. "I love you too Yugi-bear."
As they stood there, each drinking in the others presence, Malik thought about what the other boy had said and realised he was right. He would never give up, not as long as he had Yugi there to show him that it was worth trying.