"Let's go out now, I'm getting cold," Malik suggested with an exaggerated shiver.
"Sure," Ryou agreed, pushing Malik over and dashed out, laughing.
Malik swore and sprinted after him.
When they were sitting comfortably on the warm sand with their towels wrapped around them, Malik peered over at the lifeguard stand. "It looks like they're switching over! We should go talk to them, Ryou!"
Ryou groaned in annoyance. "I just got comfortable..." he complained.
Malik snickered. "Come on, princess, you can bring your towel with you if you're cold."
Ryou glared at him. "I'm not a princess!"
Malik grabbed his arm and pulled him up. "Then stop acting like it. Come on, I can't go by myself, you have to make sure I don't make a fool of myself again."
Ishizu looked up from her book, "A ha, so he admits it!" she crowed, and then turned her attention back to Pride and Prejudice.
Ryou gave in to Malik's insistent tugging. "If he's not on duty, where is he?" he asked.
"No idea!" Malik replied cheerfully. "We'll just have to ask whoever's on now."
They soon approached the lifeguards' seat. "Yo," Malik called up. "Where'd Marik go?"
The lifeguard looked down and grinned. "Oh hey, Malik. He's just over there, gettin' drinks wit' Bakura."
"Thanks Joey," Malik said and pulled Ryou behind him.
"How come you know everyone?" Ryou asked curiously.
Malik shrugged. "Previous visits. Once you know one person, they introduce you to their friends and then you know people. I know Joey through Yami who I know through Yugi."
"Yugi? Yugi from school?" Ryou asked in surprise.
"Yeah, he comes down here too." Malik walked up to the drinks counter and ordered two cans of Coke. He passed one to Ryou.
Marik turned around from his conversation with Bakura. "Look who it is!" he said, smirking amusedly.
Ryou and Malik both caught their breath. He truly was stunning up close, Ryou thought.
Bakura looked between Malik and Marik and then Malik again. "Are you guys related?" he asked.
"No more than you and Ryou are," Malik replied, finding his voice.
Bakura grinned at Ryou. "I have you figured out, kitten," he smirked. "You're one of my fans dressed up like me, right?"
Ryou gaped at him. "No!" he said indignantly. "I've never even seen you before!"
"Is that so? Well I bet you wish you had."
Marik chuckled and punched Bakura in the arm. "Leave the kid alone, Bakura, you're just jealous because he's cuter than you are."
As he intended, the attention was diverted from Ryou. "I don't need to be cute," Bakura informed him haughtily. "I am the sexiest thing alive."
Marik, Malik and Ryou all cracked up laughing at the self-righteous expression on Bakura's face.
"So what are your names?" Marik asked Malik.
"I'm Malik, and this my friend Ryou." Malik motioned to himself and Ryou.
"Fuck, even your names are similar," Bakura chuckled, earning another punch from Marik.
"Do you guys want to come sit down with us somewhere?" Marik offered.
Malik and Ryou exchanged glances and then both nodded in agreement.
"Excellent!" Marik exclaimed and ushered them over to a table in the shade; it was nearing midday and was getting steadily hotter.
Bakura lounged comfortably in one of the chairs. He checked his watch and groaned.
"What is it?" asked Ryou.
Bakura glanced at him. "We have to go back on in less than an hour."
"Already?!" Ryou exclaimed.
"Yeah, there's a shortage of good lifeguards around here," he grinned, displaying long canines.
Malik fidgeted uncomfortably. Ryou stared at him, it was odd to see the great confident Malik Ishtar being so meek. "Is there something wrong?" he asked.
"Uh... yeah. Hey, Marik?"
Marik looked at him. "Yeah?"
"You know... last year... when I fell on you?"
Bakura started cackling, remembering.
Malik glared at him before continuing. "It wasn't on purpose!" he blurted out.
Marik stared at him. "I didn't think it was," he said finally, bemused.
Now it was Malik's turn to stare before looking away, embarrassed.
Bakura leaned over to Ryou. "Is he always this shy?" he asked.
Ryou smiled. "Actually no, he's usually really loud and boisterous." His voice dropped to a whisper, "I think he has a crush on Marik."
Bakura laughed, "Anyone with eyes can see that," he replied, sitting back to observe Malik much to his discomfort.
Ryou looked at Bakura out of the corner of his eye. Marik was gorgeous, it was true, but Bakura had a certain something, a wild fey beautythat appealed to him more than Marik's good looks.
Bakura caught him looking at him. "See something you like?" he teased.
Ryou blushed and looked down, mortified.
"Ha! I knew it! You did, didn't you?"
Ryou muttered something unintelligible.
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that." Bakura was clearly enjoying himself.
"Bakura, enough," Marik intervened much to Ryou's relief.
Bakura narrowed his eyes in a glare but stayed silent.
"So how many lifeguards do you have now?" Malik piped up.
"Well there's me and Bakura of course, then there's Joey and Tristan, Yami and Duke," Marik ticked off on his fingers. "So that's six. It doesn't get very crowded so that's usually enough. Why, thinking of joining?"
Malik shook his head, "Nah I'm not a strong enough swimmer myself to be able to save people."
Marik nodded, "Fair enough."
"Hey Marik, did you see Seto this morning?" Bakura asked, laughing.
"Briefly, why?"
"The girls are still convinced he's straight. I saw Téa, Serenity and Mai all trying to come onto him, one after the other."
"God, remember when they used to come after us?" Marik shuddered.
"How'd you get rid of them?" Ryou asked interestedly. He knew Téa from school.
Bakura and Marik exchanged glances and then both cracked up laughing. When Bakura had recovered enough to speak he said "We pashed in front of them" and then fell into hysterics again.
"Y-you should have s-seen their faces!" Marik was close to crying, he was laughing so hard.
"Wait, so are you guys together?" Malik asked, looking crestfallen.
Bakura snorted. "Yeah, he wishes."
"Nah, we're just friends," Marik answered, pointedly ignoring Bakura.
None of them missed the look of relief wash over Malik's face.
Bakura checked his watch again. "Sorry ladies, but it looks like we have to be going." He mockingly blew them a kiss. "Ta ta!"
Marik sighed at his friend's antics. "Yeah we have to go back on duty. We should catch up again sometime when we have more time off."
"Yeah that'd be good," Malik agreed and Ryou nodded.
"Ok. See you then." Marik smiled and followed Bakura.
"Wow," Malik gasped, remembering to breathe. "He's even hotter than I thought he was. That Bakura's a real nutcase though..."
"I'm sure he's harmless," Ryou said fondly.
Malik, picking up on Ryou's tone looked at him shrewdly but said nothing of it. "You wanna go for another swim?"
~*~
"What do you reckon?" Bakura asked Marik.
"Of them? They're cute."
"I saw you checking Malik out," Bakura taunted. "He's a pretty one."
"Yeah? Well what about you and Ryou, huh? He's like a sweeter version of you."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"This is a pointless argument," Bakura pointed out.
"You started it," Marik replied as usual.
They turned their attention back to the water just in time to see two heads, one white and fluffy, the other platinum blonde, struggling to stay afloat...
~*~
Malik and Ryou were both floating peacefully on their backs, drifting over the waves and each daydreaming about their new official lifeguard crushes when they realised they were in deeper water than they meant to be. Malik peered out to the shore. "Ryou!" he cried, panicking. "We're out of the flags! I think we're caught in a rip!"
Ryou could definitely a feel an undertow pulling him out further. "Stay calm, Malik, and put your arm in the air," he said, following his own instructions.
However, they soon felt themselves being dragged under...
A/N: Ooh cliffhanger!!