Chapter 4
"I'm sorry that I'm late," I say to Bakura who looked pretty pissed off that I made him wait. "I was trying to convince Marik to come with me, but he's busy with a date, or something."
"So it's just the two of us then?" Bakura asked as he looked at me. I don't understand the expression on his face. It's not like I have experience with dealing with many people. So, I just simply sat down across from Bakura. There was an awkward silence that hung between us.
"Hm, why are you so quiet, Brit?" he asked, but the nickname that he continued to place upon me wasn't the same taunting insult that used to use on me. I assumed that he had no intention on calling me by Ryou.
"I don't know what to say," I said simply.
"You really aren't a people person after all," Bakura said with a sigh. Well I couldn't deny that. "I should have known since you only seem to hang out with Marik in your little corner of the classroom."
"I'm trying," I insisted. He looked at me and raised an eyebrow. He didn't seem to believe me. He put his hand on his head. He appeared to be having a headache of some kind. I hope it wasn't from me or anything. "Why do you only address Marik by his name?"
"What? Are you jealous or something?" He asked with a smirk. He grinned at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. It gave me a bad feeling.
"N-no, but I don't like being called Brit," I told him and looked away. Again, my face heated. Maybe I was getting sick. "It's just insulting."
"I don't really think it is that insulting," Bakura said as he continued to grin. What was he smiling about? Why did I feel like I was being cornered by him like a small animal? It was certainly not the feeling I'd like to feel when talking to a friend. I don't know if this is going to work out if I'm going to be this tense around him. I shouldn't have said yes. This was making me more confused than ever.
"Well I do," I said with a slightly more irritated tone than I expected.
"Woah, calm down," he said with an amused smile. "I thought we were under some kind of truce. If you don't like that name then maybe I should call you something else."
I sighed, frustrated with how he was treating me like a joke. He was just pressing my buttons and making me squirm for his own entertainment. I just wanted to go, but that little voice in my head said that I shouldn't be so serious around him and that I should forgive him.
"It would be a lot easier if you just called me Ryou like Marik," I told him. Normally I'd ask someone to call me by my last name, but I knew it would be strange for Bakura to call me Bakura.
"I feel sorry for Marik then," Bakura said. "Does he feel like he's being replaced?"
"Oh not you too," I whined. There was something in common with those two. They like joking around in similar ways. It's just that Bakura had a temper. That was probably why I can't relax around him. "You're not replacing my best friend. Besides, how can you? I barely know anything about you."
"I like drinking, sex, and stealing. I don't like weaklings and my 'brothers'. My hobby is sketching," Bakura said abruptly. It took me by surprised, but he continued to list facts about himself. "I enjoy junk foods like pizza, popcorn, and chips. I was adopted. I have two 'brothers' that I hate, but we have to live under the same roof for now anyway. So how about you?"
"W-what?" I asked, still stunned about all the sudden information that was thrown at me. Wait! Did he just said he liked to steal things? No, no, must be my imagination or something like that. I have such an over active imagination. Yeah, that must be it.
"You said you barely knew me and I thought this would be a better way to start a conversation," he said with an actual nice smile that soon twisted into an evil smirk. "And I'll be able to know more things about you. You know, to tease you with."
I don't know if he was joking, but he must be.
"U-um, wait. I'm still overwhelmed by what you just told me," I said as I tried to regain my thoughts. What should I tell him? Should I pick out my words carefully? I'll probably mess up either way. I'll just tell him about the same things he told me to make it fair. "Well…I like all types of games…L-like video games or board games. I don't like um…I guess the people at our school? I don't really have a hobby, unless you count sleeping. I like sweets like cake. My mum and sister are dead. My dad is in Egypt again so I'm living with Marik. Is that good enough?"
"Eh? So you live with Marik?" Bakura asked, leaning against the palm of his hand. "About your mother and sister…"
"Hm?"
"Never mind," he said shaking his head. I felt there was a silent apology somewhere. So that means that he must pity me. I didn't like it when people pity me, but I chose not to say anything to him. My stomach growled loudly.
"O-oh," I stuttered out and Bakura laughed loudly.
"You're hungry?" Bakura asked. "Then maybe you should have actually come on time huh? As punishment you'll be treating me."
"E-eh?!" I squeaked out. Really? How? Bakura was strange. It was unfair that he was making me pay for this when he was the one that wanted to come here in the first place, but I didn't complain. Somehow, it felt like the air between us was getting a bit lighter.
"Marik, I'm home," I called out into the house. I didn't expect that my talk with Bakura would last until night fall. It wasn't until I saw the sun setting from the window inside of the pizza place did I gain my sense of time again. The sound of the TV comforted me as now I knew that Marik was home. I was worried for a second, because how I saw Malik in the streets had upset me. I didn't want Marik to be hurt by that man anymore than he was back before we started to live together.
The comfort I was feeling soon left me as I didn't get a reply from Marik. I slowly approached the couch in fear that he would be bloody and beaten, but when I saw his face. I saw that he was sleeping. I smiled at the sight and looked at the time.
It wasn't that late. I should make dinner.
Oh, was Marik waking up? He was. His eye lids twitched and he yawned loudly. He stretched and his eyes fluttered open to see me. He looked so worn out. I wonder if he had gotten lucky with his date or something.
"Oh hey," Marik said as he looked at me. Hi voice expressed his lack of energy. I could see that he was cuddling into the couch pillows again, trying to go back to sleep. "When did you get here?"
"Just now, do you want dinner?" I asked. It was my turn to cook anyway. I was expecting a tired nod or something like that, but instead Marik sat up and looked at me with a smile.
"Would you?" Marik asked. "I'm starving."
I laughed at how he was a puppy right now.
"Sure," I said as I made my way to the kitchen. "So how was your date?"
"It was good, but he has no sense of foreplay," Marik whined as he flopped back onto his back. "But it was really-"
"Stop," I said suddenly. "I do not want to know the details."
He laughed and smiled.
"It was a lot of fun," He said. The sound of bliss and joy in his voice made me smile. It felt like forever since I heard him this happy. Whoever this person was clearly was doing some good with Marik. The only thing that I had a problem is, Marik will start talking about how the sex is like in detail to me, and honestly I don't want to hear those details. Maybe if he fed those girls at the anime club they'd leave more guys alone.
"Oh, right," I said as I just thought that I should probably tell Marik about his elder brother. He deserved to know. "I saw your brother today on the street."
"W-what?" Marik asked with a big stutter. I could hear him tensing up. I felt bad for telling him the news like this, but I don't think he should suddenly run into his brother on the street. I needed to make sure he was at least a little careful now that Malik was sighted in the city.
"Yes, I saw him walking when I was meeting up with Bakura," I continued as I warmed up the frying pan. "I think you should be careful when you're outside. I know he didn't…do that do you like your father, but you did say that he abused you when you were back at his house. I just wanted you to know."
"Y-yeah you're right," Marik said with a nervous laugh. Was he that shaken up by the news? It was strange, not knowing what was going on in his mind. "Well, I'm not that worried about it. The city is a big place."
Marik did have a point, but still…
"If you say so," I replied gently.
"So how was your date with Bakura," Marik asked as he got into the kitchen. He changed the subject for a reason. I didn't know what it was, but I bet I won't be able to bring up the subject of his brother around the house for a while. Hey, he just called it a date!
"I-it was not a date!" I said as my face heated up. Ugh, I felt sick. "We only talked for a bit."
"What did you talk about?" he asked, being back to his nosey self. "I want all the sexy details."
"There are none," I stated with an upset pout. I didn't like how Marik was teasing me. I am not gay. I am completely straight. Yeah, I am completely straight even though I had a dream about another man. No, this isn't the time to doubt my sexuality.
"We only talked," I stated again in case Marik didn't hear me. "We shared some likes and dislikes. A little about our family, but that's all. Then we talked about how annoying the people at school were."
"So you two found out that the only thing you had in common was how much you disliked the people at the school?" Marik asked. "That's a weird conversation."
"Well, I don't dislike the people at school," I said slowly. "I just don't like how they act."
"That's basically the same thing," he said with a laugh. "Wait! You don't hate me right?"
"Don't be so silly," I told him. "It was awkward without you though, but he started the conversation up pretty fast. I really think he's trying to become my friend, Marik."
"I still don't trust him!" Marik whined. "He's just a shady character."
"You're also a shady character," I retorted. "Besides, I did say I was going to give him a chance."
"I know," he said, sounding defeated. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't, I won't," I told him with a smile. Somehow I felt like Marik was right and that I should run away from this before I became too attached. These instincts were supposedly accurate, but I just couldn't. It felt like I was being drawn in by the mystery that was Bakura Yami.