Quit It! Chapter 3
By OtakuChild
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! in whole, or in part. I don't even own Malik's earrings, so let me be!
Hello everyone! It's been awhile, I'm sorry! ;_; I got majorly behind on schoolwork, and there's the Christmas Show practices...NARGH! So anyways...here is chapter three!

Chapter Three: Method Number Two: The Nicotine Patch
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~Bakura's POV~

Well, here we are at the grocery store. Malik woke me up and told me he was going to get some patches. I was kind of groggy, and I hadn't been sleeping well, so at first I thought he was just going to Hot Topic or something so he could get patches to pin to that pair of jeans he has or something. He has this pair of black baggy jeans that is covered in patches from bands and whatnot.
But he woke me to tell me that we were both going to the store to get nicotine patches, because the cold turkey method wasn't working. There these little patches that you stick on your arm, and they supposedly ease the cravings for a cigarette or something. Anything to make this go away. Of course, I'd be happy to have another cigarette.
We're walking down the aisle and we see all sorts of medication. We finally stop at the patches. I let Malik take over, because I have no idea what the hell to do. He's looking up and down the shelves, violet eyes lost in thought and concentration. They're really very pretty eyes...DAMMIT! I didn't say that! You didn't hear that! I mean...I said, "They're really very petty eyes, because...because...uh..BECAUSE HE WON'T LET ME SMOKE IN THE DAMN HOUSE! Yeah. That's it.
So anyways, he's looking, and he finally pulls out a box. "Look," he says, then hands the box to me.
"Guaranteed to make any and all cravings for cigarettes disappear," I read aloud. Hmmm...sounds fishy to me.
"I'm not sure..." I say.
"Okay then, here's another one." He takes the box from me, puts it back, and takes out another package. He hands it to me, and I read the back.
"Gently appeases cravings for cigarettes with a time-release formula that works for eight hours." I think for a moment. This one is more believable. "I like this one."
"Okay, then let's get it," Malik says. He gives me a wink, and I feel my cheeks grow hot...because it's hot in the store, not because Malik's hot! Uh...shit. You didn't hear that either.
We go to the checkout line to pay for the purchase. The chick rings up the patches. Then she just has to open her mouth.
"So, do you guys like, smoke or something?"
Must not snap her neck. Must not snap her neck. Must not snap her neck.
"No. He's quitting." Malik points to me.
"Oh! Like, that was totally my bad. Um..so...is it hard to quit?"
Mustnotsnapherneck. Mustnotsnapherneck. Mustnotsnapherneck.
I grit my teeth. "Yeah, it's really, really hard. You get irritable and cranky." Maybe that will give her a hint!
"Ooooh," she says.
Silence.
"So, like, how do you quit?"
Mustnotsnapherneckmustnotsnapherneckmustnotsnapherneck.
"Yes, very hard to quit," Malik said. "So, that's why we have to pay for the patches we bought and get out of here, because...uh...we have a plane to catch, so we can go to the...the annual Quitter's Convention! Yeah! So, tally it up if you please." He gives her this biiiiig toothy grin.
"Oh, then like, I better get this done!" She giggles, rings us up, and Malik pays and gets the change.
"Like, good luck!" Malike thanks her, and then we leave. Thank god.
"You okay?" Malik looks at me intently. "You look pale. Paler than normal, I mean."
"Yeah. I'm fine. Let's go home."
"'Kay." Malik flashes me a smile. Gods, he's pretty.
Oh crap! No! I don't like him! I mean, not like that! Aw, hell!
Um, anyways, we go home, and I put on a patch. Funny, I don't feel different. Malik says they take a few minutes to take effect, so I guess I'll wait.

~Malik's POV~

Gods, I just hate stupid people.
Like that chick at the store. Jeezus. Poor Bakura almost killed her. So did I, but I have a better temper than he does.
Anyway...
He put on a patch, then went to the den for a bit. Time for the weekly sanitizing of the house. Cleaning supplies...
Oy.
I come back, cleaning supplies in tow, and find Bakura sucking on a pen.
Oh man. His eyes are all red. And it looks as though he's trying to suck all the life out of that pen.
"Bakura?" I ask.
"It's not working!" he snaps. "Dammit! I want a cigarette!" Now he's all pouty.
Oh boy. He's tough to deal with when he gets like this.
Umm...
"I don't have any. You know that."
"NAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!!" He kicks the coffee table, and books and coasters go flying.
Maybe he can try to sleep it off again.
It's worth a try.
But first he needs to relax. But I don't know what to do!
Wait! I got it!
But...what if he finds out? Oh well. He won't, I think. I mean, we're pretty close.
I walk over the the back of the couch, so that I'm behind Bakura. I put my hands on his shoulders. He instantly freezes. He's so tense...
I slowly start to massage his shoulders and back. He's not fighting back, that's good. So I keep going. He's slowly starting to relax! I think he's even enjoying it! His eyes close, and he lets out a content purr. He slowly starts to fall over, so I run to the other side of the couch, and continue the massage.
"That feels gooood..." I hear him mutter. I keep massaging his back, until I hear a light snore. I look and see that my roomate has fallen asleep. I can't move him, he's too heavy, so I find a blanket in my bedroom closet, and softly drape it around him, and tuck him in. I look at his face. For once, it is peaceful, and serene.
He almost looks like an angel. Maybe I should move him. But he looks so heavy!
I gingerly slip a hand underneath his knees, and one underneath his back, and lift. Geez, he sleeps like a log.
Ohmygosh! I'm lifting him! He's so light!
The blanket falls off, and I fear he'll wake, but he doesn't, and I carry him to his room and quietly lay him on the bed. I brush some of his silvery bangs out of his face, and slowly stroke his cheek.
Gods I love him.
I walk out of the room and let him sleep.

~Bakura's POV~

Oarghhh..
How did I end up here?
Malik must have carried me!
He must be really strong...or I'm not as heavy as I thought.
Man, he can give a massage...that felt good. It actually relaxed me. But now I feel restless again. I want a cigarette.
But I want to quit.
Yes, you heard me, I want to quit smoking. Not because Malik threatened to kick me out, but because...well...I dunno. I think I want to quit for Malik. I really care about him. I think I love him.
What? You say that you knew it all along? That it was about time that I admitted it? Huh?
Oh shut up.
The thing is, I know it's bad. But, it relaxes me. But so did that massage. Why did he do it? Why is he doing this all for me? Helping me quit? When this whole thing started and he caught me, he made it sound as if I was left to fend for myself.
Sigh...
Malik has always been a tad eccentric...

~Malik's POV~

We need to figure out something else to get our former tomb-raider off the cancer sticks.
It's already clear that traditional therapy isn't working. I think...
We should try hypnotherapy.
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*whew* chapter three done! Whoohoo! *does happy dance* Chapter four will be up soon! Mom is bugging me, must go. Later all!
-OtakuChild