"Marik! Wake up!" Malik yelled into the sleeping boy's ear.
Marik just grunted and rolled over. Malik shook Marik's shoulder gently at first, but when there was no reply he decided to whack the boy around the head with a pillow.
"Ok, Ok!" Marik yelled, leaping up, "I'm awake!"
Malik dropped the pillow on the floor and walked towards the door.
"However," Marik started," I'm not going to school, I don't feel well."
"Liar," Malik retorted.
"Am not," Marik replied, "I don't feel well, I feel rather peculiar."
This wasn't actually a lie. Marik did feel peculiar after yesterday; he didn't want to chance bumping into Ryou again.
"Whatever," Malik replied and walked out of the room.
A few minutes later the sound of the front door shutting told Marik the younger boy had gone, so he clambered out of bed and thought of what he was going to do with his day.
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"Be careful you clumsy fool!" Bakura growled, as someone walked right into him.
"Sorry, I was preoccupied," a voice replied, sounding equally as angry.
Bakura turned round and found himself staring at a large mop of sandy coloured hair.
"Malik," he stated.
"Bakura," Malik replied.
"Not with Marik today?" Bakura sneered.
"No, he's ill," Malik said, turning to go.
"Ill, heard that one before," Bakura scoffed.
"My thoughts entirely," Malik laughed ruefully, and walked off.
Bakura shrugged, and walked in the opposite direction. He was a bit irked at the moment because Ryou was acting strangely; it also seemed Malik was having problems with his Yami.
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At lunch time Malik got his food and headed for his normal table, expecting to find Marik there. His heart sank when he saw that he wasn't. Malik sat down and started stirring his meat around in the gravy.
"Don't play with your food, bad habit," a voice said from Maliks right.
Malik looked up and was startled to see Bakura standing there.
"May I?" Bakura asked, nodding at the empty spaces on Maliks table.
"It's a free country," Malik replied, "sadly."
Bakura plonked himself down in a seat opposite Malik and started shovelling piles of into his mouth, which was open.
"Bakura," Malik hissed, "the way you eat is disgusting!"
"Do I look like I care?" Bakura asked, through a mouthful of mushy peas.
"No," Malik replied, trying not to laugh, "why are you eating lunch with me anyway?"
"Well, there was no-one else."
"Yes, but we are the most unlikely people to get on," Malik protested.
"You'd be surprised," Bakura grinned.
For some reason this comment made Maliks cheeks flush and he couldn't meet Bakura's eyes.
"Right, I've finished lunch," Bakura stated, putting down his fork, "fancy bunking off?"
Malik dropped his knife and fork in shock, Bakura wanted to bunk off with HIM?
However, he was no stranger to bunking off so he regained his composure and replied: "Yeah, why not."
"Great, come on, we can sneak out of the back gate and go to the park."
The boys walked out of the canteen, through the school, across the field and up to the gate at the far end. Then with a quick check for teachers, nipped through the gate.
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Meanwhile Marik was going mad with boredom. So he decided to go for a walk. He wouldn't go to the park near school, because there was bound to be kids bunking off there, so he went to the one on the other side of town.
Once there, Marik sat on a bench and… became bored again. However, his boredom soon became a distant memory when he saw a huddled white figure walking, or rather sloping along. Marik was about to forget about the person, until he saw they had very familiar, long white hair.
Marik, for some reason called out: "Ryou!"
The boy turned round and looked very shocked to see Marik sitting on a bench waving at him. Cautiously, he made his way over to the bench.
"Ryou, bunking off?" Marik asked.
"You know my name?" Ryou said, astounded.
"Yeah, got it off Malik," Marik replied, patting the bench beside him.
Ryou sat down on the bench and shifted about.
"So, why are you bunking off?" Marik asked.
"Unwell, you?"
"Same," Marik replied, then, "well, actually I just needed the day off."
"Same," Ryou said, laughing. All of his hair was in his face again so Marik put his hand forward and tucked Ryou's hair behind his ear. Ryou flinched.
Before he could have second thoughts and before Ryou could protest Marik lent forward and kissed the boy gently on the lips.
Ryou looked at him quizzically.
Marik simply said: "The boy who stood up to me."
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"We've been here for an hour now, shouldn't we get back to school, lunch is over," Malik complained.
"Don't be a boring bum," Bakura laughed, "Who cares if we're missed, well I doubt anyone will miss us actually!"
Malik didn't want to look silly in front of Bakura so he stayed quiet.
Seeing a tree with potential climbing fun, he walked over to it, leapt up, and gripped a branch. This caused his T-shirt to ride up and reveal a rather toned and tanned stomach.
"You know Malik, you have quite a fit body," Bakura said, smirking when he saw Malik blush.
However, Malik tried to keep his cool.
"Thank you, I think."
"You welcome, perhaps you could share your work out routine with me sometime?" Bakura laughed.
"I might, although I warn you, I will be shirtless and sweaty!" Malik said, becoming a bit more daring.
"I look forward to it," Bakura smiled.
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It had grown quite late by the time all four boys got home. Malik was the first back. He stepped into the house and called out. No reply.
Maliks good mood instantly evaporated. Marik had probably gone on some random killing rampage.
"Where is that…."
"Here!" Marik said, stepping through the front door.
Malik spun round and saw Marik standing there with a huge grin on his face. Now he knew Marik had definitely been on a killing rampage!
Reading his thoughts, Marik said: "And do Malik, I haven't been on a killing rampage."
Marik was unwilling to tell his hikari about Ryou, just as Malik didn't want to tell Marik about Bakura.
"Why are you back so late anyway?" Marik asked.
"No reason, I was in the park," Malik replied.
"With…"
"Myself," Malik said stubbornly.
An awkward silence filled the room so both boys shuffled off to bed.
As Marik lay in bed his head filled with images of Ryou. What had happened today was so odd, that annoying boy in the munch line had changed his life. However, a thought kept nagging at the back of his head. When he brought it to the front of his mind he found it was about Malik. He was acting very distant and Marik was worried about him. Actually, no, it wasn't that he was worried; he was more annoyed that he didn't know everything Malik was doing anymore. He didn't like people keeping things form him. Although he was keeping something from Malik…Eventually Marik dropped off into an uneasy sleep.
Back at Ryou and Bakura's house Ryou was lying in head, his head bursting with thoughts.
What happened today?
Why did it happen?
Marik?
Why is he interested in me?
Do I like Marik?
Ryou didn't really know how he felt he was so confused. There had definitely been something between them, and Ryou didn't think he would dare refuse Marik anyway. Marik had also been so tender, and kind…
Ryou had managed to ward off any questions from Bakura by saying he felt awful and needed to go to bed. This hadn't been far from the truth.
Bakura however was lying in bed trying not to laugh.
Malik.
Malik, the most unlikely person for him to like, but they'd been flirting quite outrageously.
He made plans to spend more time bunking off with Malik soon.
