Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds
Sometimes Nice Guys Finish First
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This is post-series. For anyone unfamiliar with what I'm doing, I portray Radley as a nice person and he and Kalin have become very close. I've been gradually leading up to this scenario for a while and the plunnie finally exploded into a full story. I'm using prompt #60 from the abandoned 5Ds_100 writing community on Livejournal, Change of Heart. The 5Ds Month theme for July 9th, Yin & Yang, helped too. I was sad when the event ended and decided to write or draw for a few more of the themes.
Malcolm had experienced many strange things in his decades of living. He and his brother Lawton had grown up in poverty and had risen from it to becomepowerful mining kingpins. They had bullied and muscled and tortured their way into more than one mining town, adding the riches to their ever-increasing mound of wealth, until a little Oregon dyne mining town had stopped their progress in its tracks. Malcolm had been held back from fully taking over for four years. Then Lawton had betrayed him only to be defeated by two new heroes. Now they were both in the pokey, where they were likely to stay for the rest of their lives after all the deaths they had either directly caused or ordered done.
One thing Malcolm had never experienced, even while dealing with mines, was to suddenly have a massive earthquake happen while he was trapped in a little room. And he certainly hadn't ever had it happen while arguing with his old archenemy, who had come to question him about his possible involvement from afar in some newfangled problem they were having in Crash Town.
When the room suddenly, violently rocked, Malcolm was flung back on his bed. "What in tarnation's happening?!" he yelled.
Radley grabbed for the wall. "Haven't you ever experienced an earthquake before?!" he retorted.
"Not in what's supposed to be a state of the art facility!" Malcolm snapped.
Radley clenched his teeth. "Well, I think they've been skimping a teeny-tiny bit on making these rooms safe. Look out!"
And suddenly Malcolm was being tackled. They tumbled over the bed and to the floor while he screamed and swore in shocked surprise. A heavy pipe fell on his bed, striking Radley at the same time. Another hit Malcolm's leg and the abrupt pain sent him into unconsciousness.
Everything was still when he next opened his eyes. The room was a shambles, with half the pipes in the walls sticking out and some of the ceiling gone. The room's light was hanging precariously by several wires out of its socket. He was still pinned to the floor, and he grimaced with the sudden shooting pain up his leg.
It took him a moment to remember Radley, but when he did, he found the younger man lying on the floor where he had fallen, turned away from him. The pipe was nearby, one end coated in blood.
"Radley?" Malcolm gruffly barked. "Get up and help me get this thing off my leg!"
Radley didn't respond, and suddenly Malcolm felt very strange.
In the Duel Monsters world, Radley had saved everyone in danger, Malcolm included. Of course, he hadn't been expressly trying to save Malcolm. But this time he had, and now he wasn't moving.
". . . You didn't even think," Malcolm said. "You just up and pushed me out of the way. Why? I always thought you were a fool, but that big of one? I wouldn't have done that for you."
Was Radley actually dead? Malcolm couldn't see any indication that he was breathing, but maybe he wouldn't, with their current positions. Somehow, though, he needed to check, didn't he? He didn't want a dead body in his room. . . .
Maybe no one would find them until they were both dead.
No, Kalin would come looking for Radley, and he might even blame Malcolm if anything had happened to him. Malcolm had seen Kalin attack Barbara in the Duel Monsters world.
Malcolm grabbed the pipe, finally lifting it enough to shove it aside. Moving his leg was another problem altogether. The slightest attempt sent pain shooting through it from every angle. If it wasn't broken, it was certainly badly bruised. Finally he had little choice but to crawl forward to Radley's body in spite of the continuing pain.
"Radley . . . hey!" He reached out, gripping Radley's shoulder and turning the man to face him. Radley's skin was too pale, especially against the crimson of the blood streaking down his face. He was dead, he had to be dead, and this time directly for Malcolm's sake.
Malcolm rocked back. He didn't know what to even make of this. He felt deeply uncomfortable and troubled. He had always thought he wanted Radley dead, that he would laugh if he saw it. He had laughed when his men had told him Radley was dead in the mines. But when he had gone back to the diner and it had been so quiet and empty, and he had realized Radley would never be there again, it had felt strange. Lonely, even. But he had pushed those feelings aside and left, only to be arrested for the murder . . . and the deaths of other prisoners in the mines.
He had actually seen Radley laying dead in the Duel Monsters world, when he had sacrificed himself to save everyone. Malcolm had felt even worse then. He hadn't laughed then and he certainly wasn't laughing now, either.
What he was feeling . . . was it sorrow? Grief on some level? How could he feel those things for Radley? That was ridiculous! Still . . . Radley was gone and it just wasn't right, especially like this.
"Hey!" Malcolm shook him even though he knew it was hopeless. "Radley, you can't go this way! You've gotta wake up! Your friends . . . you have friends who'll never be able to stand it without you! That Kalin, he'll get vicious if he finds you like this! I . . ."
He trailed off. His reaction wasn't even about fear of Kalin lashing out. He . . . didn't want Radley to be dead. Was it pride, just not wanting Radley to die for him? Not wanting to be saved by his archenemy? Well, maybe that was some of it. But . . . no, he just honestly didn't want to see that life snuffed out. Radley had always been one of the most annoying people he had ever known. He had never been without a witty insult or two for Malcolm and his men. But . . . he was happy and cheerful, and he had friends who followed him out of love rather than intimidation or delight in bullying. He had something Malcolm didn't have, and maybe deep down Malcolm had always been jealous of him for that. But him dying here would serve no purpose. To think of him gone, Malcolm actually felt . . . empty.
His hand rose slightly as it rested on Radley's shoulder. He stared. Radley was breathing after all; he wasn't dead.
". . . You old pole-cat," he exclaimed. "How many lives have you got?!"
"Huh? . . ." Radley weakly opened his eyes. "Malcolm? . . ."
"Yeah, it's me," Malcolm growled. "We're still not rescued yet."
Worry flashed through Radley's eyes. "I wonder how bad the rest of the building was hit. . . ."
"Your friend's fine," Malcolm said gruffly. "Isn't he always? Just like you, he's always cheating death. He's probably trying to get to us right now. Or to you, rather. He wouldn't care about me."
"I hope so." Radley took out his phone, but scowled at the No Signal notification flashing across the screen. He put it back and focused on how Malcolm was sitting oddly on the floor. ". . . Are you alright?"
"My leg's hurt," Malcolm admitted. "Don't know how bad. But it's better than my head. You . . . you almost gave up your life for me! Why?!"
Radley hissed in pain as he slowly sat up, holding a hand to his head. "I wasn't really planning to," he said. "I just saw that pipe was going to hit you, so I acted."
Malcolm looked away. Now he definitely felt shame. ". . . I wouldn't have done that for you."
Radley sighed. "I know. But I'm not like you, Malcolm. I never really was."
". . . No, you're not," Malcolm admitted. "We were both after the dyne, but never in the same ways. I made you duel for labor, but you didn't want to hurt anybody. Even after everything I threw at you for years, you stayed good and pure. It wasn't even believable when you tried to be nasty, like that threat you made to Kalin about his Duel Gun exploding. Nobody believed that because they knew you and your Bunch were too nice to do anything like that."
Radley gave a weak, rueful chuckle. "Yeah. . . ." He still regretted that moment of desperate weakness, but he wasn't about to tell Malcolm that.
". . . You just take care of your friends now, you hear?" Malcolm growled. "Don't go risking your life for me or anyone else who don't deserve it. Those guys, they love you and they need you to stay with them."
"I know," Radley said softly. "I need them too." But he peered at Malcolm, raising a tired eyebrow. "You almost sound like you care."
Malcolm scowled and looked away. ". . . I just know you've got higher morals than me and you deserve everything you have. And me, I deserve this, I guess."
Radley sighed. "You ordered so many people tortured in the mines, even knowing some would die. And you ordered my death."
"Yeah, and now I don't want you dead," Malcolm grumbled. "Times change. People change."
Radley pondered for a moment. ". . . Have you had much contact with your brother since that mess in the Duel Monsters world?"
". . . Not much," Malcolm said. "He didn't care if I died right along with everybody else. Barbara didn't care either. And he didn't care about her."
"You did work with him to lob that cursed knife at Kalin when it hit me instead," Radley reminded him.
"I know, I know." Malcolm still wasn't facing him. "I shouldn't have done that. That was just stupid."
"Well, you're actually getting some sense," Radley dryly remarked.
"It's just ironic," Malcolm said. "My own brother, the one I grew up with for years and years, he was willing to abandon me and just let me die. And my archenemy saved my life . . . twice."
Radley laughed without real humor. ". . . I'm sorry about your brother," he said as he sobered. "I wouldn't wish that kind of a betrayal on anyone."
"Yeah, that was a real mess," Malcolm muttered.
They both snapped to attention when the twisted door suddenly caved in, kicked down by a frantic Kalin. "Radley?!" He ran over, staring in horror at the blood streaking Radley's face.
"Hey, I'm okay," Radley soothed, smiling at Kalin. "It looks worse than it is."
"Maybe." Kalin took out a cloth and dampened it with a water bottle from his coat. "I knew you should've waited for me to finish filling out the form so we could talk to Malcolm together!"
"Then we would have both been trapped and you couldn't come to rescue us," Radley playfully chuckled.
Kalin grunted. He couldn't deny that logic, but he didn't have to acknowledge it.
Malcolm watched as Kalin tenderly wiped all the blood away and inspected the cut left behind. He was looking at Radley with sweetness and love in his eyes and nothing else. Long ago, Malcolm had felt like that about Lawton. Had Lawton ever felt like that about him?
What would he give to really have what Radley had?
Two guards hurried in after Kalin and went over to Malcolm, roughly examining him.
"His leg is hurt," Radley frowned.
"We'll get him down to the prison hospital," one guard said. Together they got Malcolm onto a stretcher and straightened up to leave.
"I hope it's in better condition than this wing," Radley remarked.
"This wing was hit the hardest," the guard told him.
Kalin was still looking Radley over with a scrutinizing eye. "Can you stand?" he asked.
"I think so," Radley said.
Kalin brought an arm around Radley's shoulders and slowly stood, bringing his friend with him. Radley wobbled a bit but then sank against Kalin.
"You should be examined too," Kalin frowned.
"Yeah, I guess so," Radley said. "But I really just wanna go home."
"We'll go home," Kalin promised. "Just as soon as I know you're alright to travel. What happened here?!"
"I'll tell you on the way," Radley said.
xxxx
To Kalin's and Radley's relief, Radley was alright to go home as long as a close watch was kept on him. Kalin and the Bunch would certainly provide that.
Radley sighed as they stepped out of the examination room. "I'd kind of like to find out how Malcolm is before we leave," he said. "I got hurt trying to save him from a falling pipe." He hadn't told Kalin yet, both for lack of privacy around them and the dread of wondering how Kalin would react.
Kalin definitely went stiff. "It's that creep's fault you're hurt?!" he snarled.
"It's my fault for not being able to escape the pipe," Radley said wryly. "I know we've been archenemies and all, but . . . things seem to be different now. We talked for a bit before you found us and he really has changed. I feel kinda sorry for him. Maybe he deserves it, but he really has nobody. His own brother doesn't care about him. And I . . . I know what that's like."
Kalin frowned, considering Radley's words. ". . . That's true, you do," he said. "And you're more forgiving than I am." Sighing too, he added, "Alright, for your sake let's check on him."
They found Malcolm being wheeled out in a wheelchair as they searched for a staff member to help with their inquiry. He looked up gruffly at them.
"Bad bruises," he said. "I've gotta stay off of this leg as much as possible for a while. They're taking me to a room here until they fix up the damage to the cells."
Radley nodded. "Have they told Lawton?"
"Yeah. But it's not like I expect him to come see me." Malcolm studied the bandage on Radley's forehead. "You look like you're doing okay."
"I am," Radley said.
"I'm taking him home to rest," Kalin said coolly, drawing a protective arm around Radley's shoulders.
"You've got a rare gift, Radley," Malcolm said. "You just make sure you don't lose it."
"I'll make sure," Radley said, leaning into Kalin's arm. "But I know Kalin won't leave me."
"No, I won't," Kalin said.
"And . . . thanks," Malcolm grunted. "For what you did. Even though you shouldn't have done it."
"Probably not," Radley said easily. "But you're welcome."
Malcolm stared after them until they disappeared through the doors. Then he looked away.
"Some people have all the luck," he muttered. Sighing in resignation, he added, "But at least some people deserve it."