Personally I'm not happy with this chapter, but you get to see a glimpse of
what the REAL Malik is like. Only a glimpse mind you, and it's not exactly
one of his better moments.
Also, I'm sorry that I confused so many with 'Amane' being Duke's sister. I just didn't want to create a new character because Duke's sister (no matter what her name) might make an appearance. I just wanted to use 'Amane', don't think of her as Ryou's sister.
And Mak's only 'playing' pharaoh. My friends and I were gods and goddesses during high school. And we all worshipped one another on any given day. I'm still trying to figure out how I became the goddess of death.
Comments to reviews at the end of chapter.
- - -
Tis The Season
Warnings: Christmas angst. AU
Pairings: You'll just have to wait and see.
/ thoughts /
*italics*
- - -
Chapter Two
Joey grinned as he handed his folder over to Duke. "So who'd you get Priest?" Joey asked as Duke handed the blonde his own folder.
Duke grinned, "Two brothers, Yugi and Yami Motou. They're staying at the Maxwell Orphanage because all the homes are full since its Christmas and their grandfather is sick. They don't have any other relatives so they have to stay there." He sighed, saddened by what others had to go through. This time of the year was supposed to be a happy one.
Joey looked through the folder; "Yugi seems like a cute kid. I'll hafta meet him. I got three brothers that live at the same orphanage. Seto, Mokuba and Noah Kaiba. Seto's the oldest and he's ten. None of them really mentioned much about why they're there, just that their father passed away - nothing about their mother." He shrugged, "Makes no difference to me - I'm so going to make their holiday a better one." He grinned.
"I got a little girl named Serenity. Her and her mother live in one of the woman's shelters." Mai said, "I guess her father was abusive and now her and her mother are stuck there for Christmas." She shook her head sadly. "What about you Ishtar?" She wondered, looking at the quiet Egyptian.
Malik shrugged, "Just a couple of brats." He said then went back to eating.
Duke stopped at the insult. He glanced at Mai and Joey to see their reactions. Joey hadn't seemed to notice, but Mai looked slightly surprised, "That's it? Well, what are their names? What are they like? Sisters? Brothers? Mother, daughter? What?"
Malik yawned, bored, "Names aren't important, I don't remember what they are and I really don't care. I have other things to be worrying about this season without having to add 'nobodies' to my list." He said and got up, grabbing his things and leaving the table.
Joey snorted with distaste, "Okay, I know what Malik's like. But what the hell was up with that?" He asked, looking at Duke and Mai for an explanation.
Mai only shrugged, clueless, but Duke only sighed, "You know Christmas is a bad time of the year for him Joey. It. . .he. . .it's just a bad time. It's no excuse, but that's all I can say for his defense." Duke sighed as he got up and ran after his best friend. "Malik!" He puffed, catching up to the other boy. "What the hell was up with that?"
Malik only shrugged as he continued walking.
Duke sighed; knowing Malik wasn't about to explain anything. "Why don't we go and meet them after school then? You might think it's a stupid idea now, but at least meet them first and maybe-"
Malik whirled around, "Maybe what? Maybe once I see what others have to go through my heart will just be filled with the joy of giving? Maybe I'll fall in love with the two strays and want to take them home? Or maybe this, or maybe that."
Duke blinked in surprise; he'd never seen Malik so angry before. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes at his friend. "You're acting like. . .like it's the end of the world or something! Malik, talk to me, you haven't said why you're even here this Christmas. You always go back to Egypt before the snow falls and you're always back when it melts."
Malik's eyes hardened into a glare that Duke had never seen before. "There's nothing wrong with me Devlin. I'm selfish, remember? I'm the most arrogant, selfish and stuck up person on the face of this planet. If I don't want to tell you something, you don't need to know." With that, the egotistical - but highly beautiful - Egyptian stormed away, leaving a confused Duke in his wake.
Angry, confused, slightly hurt and mostly disturbed, Duke growled lightly, then turned back to go the way he had come.
Even three hours later, when school had finally been let out, Duke's anger had not diminished at all. He just couldn't believe how selfish Malik was actually being! Before Duke had known it was an act - had the Egyptian fallen so far into the lie that he thought he had to act around Duke when the two of them were alone?
Fine, if Malik wanted to act like a prissy stuck up pharaoh, Duke would let him. For now.
"Dude, are you okay?" Joey's voice woke him from his thoughts; "You kinda spaced out on me. . ."
Duke sighed, "Sorry Joey. Malik just pissed me off! I want to hit him." He growled as they neared the orphanage.
Joey only placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, "Hey man, don't let Malik's pompous ass get to you. You're about to meet Yugi and Yami! You don't want them getting the wrong idea about you, eh?"
Duke smiled for the first time since lunch. "Yeah, I don't want to scare them off. I'll leave that job to you." He teased as Joey pretended to be hurt.
The blonde wiped at one of his eyes, "Now man, that hurt. I mean that really hurt." He insisted as they walked up the steps to the orphanage. "Look! I think I'm going to cry! How can I ever meet Seto, Mokuba or Noah like this?" Joey sniffled as they entered the doors, both boys taking in the decorations (some bought, most hand made).
Duke grinned at the festive display, always having loved Christmas himself, he could remember making decorations when he was younger. It had become tradition for himself and Amane to make one decoration each and give them to each other Christmas Eve so they could hang them on the tree. "You could always tell them the truth." Duke shrugged.
"I'm not gonna tell them you're a bastard."
Duke snorted, "No, you were bad. Santa's only bringing you coal for Christmas." He smirked as he came upon a desk.
A woman sat behind the desk and smiled at Duke as the both of them ignored Joey's grumbling. "Hello, can I help you boys?" She asked. The woman looked to be in her mid forties, her hair was still almost black, but it was beginning to gray in places - like near her ears and just at the top. It made her look very motherly. She was plump - very pleasantly so and Duke swore she fit the description of Mrs. Claus to a tee.
"Yes ma'am. My name is Duke Devlin and this is Joey Wheeler, we were given these folders for the 'Adopt A Family' project." Duke explained, handing his folder to the woman, Joey quickly following his example.
The friendly woman looked through the folders and smiled happily as she read the names, "Oh good! We're so glad there are people taking interest in this!" She said, handing back the folders. "I'm Linda. Most of the kids are decorating the Christmas tree right now and I know that all the boys you're looking for are there, now, come with me." She said and got up from the chair.
Duke and Joey followed her into another room. They were immediately bombarded with noise, but a noise neither of them minded. About twenty children, some really young and some that looked to be the same age as they were, were decorating a large Christmas tree. Giggles and shouts intermingled with clings and clangs as the decorations were hung on every branch.
Linda smiled as she moved toward a small group of boys who were stringing popcorn. "Seto, I have someone you and your brothers should meet."
The tallest of the three stood up and gently got his brothers in a line in front of her. Linda smiled as she knelt down, "Honey, this is Joey Wheeler, he's 'adopted' you guys for Christmas."
Joey looked down at the ten-year old and the two studied each other emotionlessly.
Finally Seto grinned, "Hi!" He said, then began to introduce his brothers, eight-year old Mokuba and six-year old Noah.
Linda smiled, happy to see the three boys excited, "I'm going to introduce Duke now, okay? You boys be good, and don't scare Joey off!" She teased and then led Duke toward the fireplace. Sitting within a large chair were three people. Two had to be related, both having black, red and blonde hair. The other had white hair and definitely looked out of place. Linda only stood beside the chair and waited until the older boy - who looked around fifteen - finished reading the book he was reading to the two younger boys.
Crimson eyes looked away from the pages, "Sorry Linda. Yugi really wanted to hear it again." He smiled, ruffling 'Yugi's' hair.
Yugi pouted, "But I like the Night Before Christmas Yami!" The small boy declared as he took the book and hugged it to his chest.
The white-haired boy giggled into his hand, "But that's the fouwth time today!" He revealed and Duke couldn't help but smile at Yugi's blush.
Linda laughed, "Don't worry about it Yugi, but I've got someone here to meet you."
"Okay." Yugi nodded, then looked at Yami, "Can you read it to me before bed again?" He stuck out his bottom lip and made his eyes big.
Yami grinned, knowing his brother's 'look' well. "Of course I will." He said and gently helped the two boys off the chair; they stood in front of Linda. "You said you wanted us to meet someone?"
Linda smiled and pushed Duke forward, "This is Duke Devlin, he's 'adopted' both you and Yugi for Christmas. I thought you'd like to get to know each other." She said as Duke and Yami both shook hands.
"You really adopted us?" Yugi beamed with happiness. He was happy they'd actually have a Christmas! Oh, the stories he would have to tell his grandfather.
Duke smiled and knelt down beside him, "Yeah, hope you're not disappointed." He said.
"No!" Yugi shook his head vigorously.
"Linda?" A small voice grabbed Duke's attention and both Yami and Yugi looked too. The small white-haired boy was gently tugging on Linda's long dress. "Has anyone comed fo' us?" He asked softly.
Linda smiled gently as she pet the boy's hair, "Not yet sweetheart, everyone just got their information today. Don't worry about it, okay?"
"Kay." The boy nodded, then noticed that he was being watched. He smiled at the three boys, then took off out of the room, disappearing up some stairs.
Linda looked back at the three, "You boys get to know each other, I've gotta go back to the front." She gently kissed Yugi's forehead, then ruffled Yami's hair; "It was nice meeting you Duke." She left the room.
"We didn't expect anyone so soon." Yami said as Duke looked at him.
Duke only grinned sheepishly, "Well, Joey and I were curious about who we'd adopted and we aren't really that patient." He said, rubbing the back of his head.
Yami only chuckled, "Is that Joey?" He asked, pointing behind Duke. The dark-haired boy looked only to find Joey with the youngest brother sitting on his shoulders as the blonde nutcase danced around. Seto and Mokuba were giggling loudly as Noah squealed of enjoyment.
Duke rolled his eyes, "Yep, that's my Joey." He shook his head and looked back at Yami.
"So um. . ." Yami began but was quickly cut off by Yugi.
"Do you know how to play Duel Monsters?" He asked, jumping up and down in front of Duke.
"Duel Monsters?" Duke repeated, remembering about the card game he'd heard of a few times. "I've heard a little about it, but I've never played it, sorry." He shrugged helplessly.
"Oh boy. . ." Yami tried to hide a smirk.
Duke had little time to contemplate what that meant as Yugi squealed with excitement, "Can I teach you? Please? My grandpa taught me and I wanna teach you! Please?" He asked, having stopped the jumping. Now he was staring up at Duke with that 'look' again.
Yami leaned over and whispered, "It's best not to fight it." He explained, "The best have tried and failed."
Duke only smiled; he didn't mind the idea. If that was what Yugi was interested in (and Duke had actually known that from Yugi's letter), he'd go along with it. Who knew? Maybe it would be fun. "Sure, if you'd like to teach me." He nodded and couldn't help but smile as Yugi grabbed his hand and began to pull him toward the stairs. Yami followed, laughing to himself.
During the lesson on Duel Monsters, the three boys got to know each other better. Yugi sat in Duke's lap, teaching him about the cards and giggling whenever a funny story was told. Duke was surprised at how relaxed he was - it was almost like he had known both brothers before.
"So you'll be going back to live with your grandfather when he gets better?" Duke questioned after Yugi had explained the special effect of the Morphing Jar card.
Yami nodded, "He caught pneumonia a few weeks ago." He explained, "We're going to celebrate Christmas with him as soon as he's strong enough."
"Who do you live with Duke?" Yugi asked after he'd explained the Castle of Dark Illusion's special effect.
"Yugi." Yami scolded lightly.
Yugi sighed, "Sorry, I was just wondering." He muttered, ashamed and slightly upset.
Duke only laughed and ruffled Yugi's hair; "It's okay, really! There's not too much I won't talk about - if you want to know anything, just ask." He shrugged.
Yami smiled; glad that was out in the open. He didn't want their 'adopted' family to get offended - especially on the first visit. "The same here then. We're pretty comfortable now, aren't we Yugi?" He asked.
"Yep!" Yugi nodded, happy that he was no longer in trouble.
Duke grinned, "Great! And I live with my parents and my sister."
"You got a sister?" Yugi tilted his head back, so he could see Duke.
"Yeah, her name's Amane. He's fourteen." Duke explained, thinking of his sweet little sister turned punk.
"A year younger than Yami." Yugi nodded, "Is she nice?"
"To everyone but me." The dark-haired teen laughed. "I suppose we fight sometimes but most of the time we get along just great."
"Yugi's always wanted a sister." Yami explained with a grin. "I think he wants to trade me in." He pouted as he looked at Yugi.
Duke knew Yami was teasing, but Yugi felt that he had to reassure his big brother. "I love you Yami! I don't want a sister if I had to get rid of you. I want both." He promised, "You believe me, right?"
Yami laughed, "Of course I believe you Yugi." He ruffled the boy's hair.
"Good." The small boy nodded, "What does your sister look like, Duke?" He wondered.
"Well. . ." Duke leaned forward to fish his wallet from his back pocket, "I've got a picture." He opened the wallet and showed them her picture.
"She's pretty." Yugi declared, "And she' got pink hair!" He giggled lightly.
"It's blue now." Duke shook his head; "She's dyed it so many times that I can't even remember its natural colour!"
"Who's that?" Yugi wondered, pointing to the picture beside Amane's.
"That's Malik, he's my best friend." Duke explained, shrugging as he closed his wallet, "You wouldn't want to meet him, he's not exactly the nicest guy."
Yugi blinked, "But then why is he your best friend? You like him, right?"
Duke smiled, "Yeah, I love the guy, and I shouldn't say he's not nice. He puts up an act so nobody can get close to him and he won't be hurt. I'm the only one that's gotten close, so I know what he's really like."
Yami snorted, "We've got a guy like that here. His name's Bakura. It's not that he's not nice or anything, he'd just rather spend time with Ryou, his baby brother. I don't know anything about them though, so we don't know how they got here or what happened to them before they got here. He might have a perfectly good reason for being the way he is, but as it is, neither Yugi or I have the time it would take to get passed Bakura's defenses."
Duke thought about Malik. The Egyptian wasn't mean to anyone, he could pull off being totally conceited, and yet he wouldn't put anyone else down - at least not seriously. Duke blinked suddenly as he realized that that was why he'd felt so disturbed when Malik had called his adopted family 'nobodies'. He'd actually called someone else down.
/ What the hell is wrong Malik? / Duke wondered, knowing that he needed to see the other that night. After an intense lesson of Duel Monsters, Duke had to leave, but he promised to return the next day.
Sighing to himself, Duke walked toward Malik's place, Joey silently walking beside him. Duke had used his cell phone to leave a message with his parents - he was spending the night at Malik's, and not to expect him home. This was a usual occurrence, so he knew he didn't have to explain anything. He'd just hung up from leaving the message when the phone went off - pressing the tiny button with the phone picture on it; he put it to his ear. "Duke's House of Condoms, how may we protect you today?" Joey snickered at the greeting.
"Hi babe." It was Mai. "Where are you?" She wondered.
"I was just goin' to Mak's house." Duke replied as he shouldered his backpack higher. "I just left the orphanage. Mai! You have got to meet Yami and Yugi!"
"And Seto, Mokuba and Noah!" Joey announced loudly so Mai could hear.
Mai chuckled, "You boys should meet Serenity, but that's why I called. You didn't have any plans tonight for us, did you?" She wondered.
"Not really." Duke replied, "I was planning on spending the night at Malik's. You know.talk to him and stuff."
Mai laughed, "And stuff huh? I can imagine." Then she sighed, "But I think he needs someone to talk to right now. He actually insulted someone Duke! It might not have been to their faces, but Malik's never been one to put someone down like that."
"I noticed that too, and I promise to talk to him. Even if I have to tie him up to get the answers, I'll get answers." Duke promised and smirked into the phone.
Mai chuckled, "I like bondage, couldn't I just come over for a few pictures? But try your best, and I was hoping you'd see him. I have plans with Serenity tonight, so I'll see you tomorrow at school - if you and Malik can get out of bed after such a busy night. Love you hun."
"Love you too, bye." Duke smiled as he hung up the phone.
"Tying him up huh?" Joey smirked, trying not to laugh.
Duke only rolled his eyes as they reached their split off point. "I'll see you tomorrow too and if you say anything about this in the morning, I'll gut you and use your intestines as Christmas garland! Understood?"
Joey saluted, "Yes, your High Priesty-ness. See ya later Dukey!" He practically giggled as he ran down the street toward his own home and away from Duke.
Duke sighed, but smiled as he shook his head and continued toward Malik's place. Malik's home was far from small - and Duke had never understood why it had to be so big. After all, the only people even living there were a few of the servants, a dog and Malik. Malik's other family members probably hadn't even stepped foot inside the country before, let alone the house. The front walk had been freshly shoveled and Duke made his way to the large door. After one ring, the door was opened and a tall man stood in the open way.
"Hey Rishid." Duke smiled up at the man. "Malik in?" He wondered.
Rishid, who always acted so serious, stepped aside, "His majesty is in his room and has been since he got home from school." After Duke had stepped in, Rishid closed the door. The older man sighed as he shook his head; "He seems depressed - more than usual. Did something happen today?" He wondered. Duke liked Rishid. Out of all the servants in the house, he seemed to be the only one to actually care about Malik.
"I'm here to find that out." Duke smiled, promising to do his best.
Rishid nodded, "Then make yourself at home. I have to go feed Anubis now. Damned mutt won't stop gnawing on things!" He shook his head and left the room, leaving Duke to find Malik's room in the maze that they called a house. The dark-haired boy grinned as he recalled Malik's beloved pet. Anubis was a Pharaoh Hound, and very loyal to his master. Of course, Anubis was still just a puppy. . .
Sprinting up the stairs to the floor with most of the bedrooms on it, Duke made a few turns, passed a few bathrooms, hundreds of bedrooms, ignoring the servants he ran into, and finally stopped in front of the room he'd been searching for. He didn't bother to knock - Malik never usually answered anyway. Upon opening the door he searched the room, noticing that it was as it had always been - lived in. Malik's room was unlike all the other places within the 'palace'. It wasn't decorated for show, to actually look like someone rich lived there. It was a room that clearly belonged to a seventeen-year old boy.
There were posters of famous people hanging on the walls, a pile of dirty clothes in one of the corners (Anubis had eaten Malik's clothesbasket the first week the pup had been adopted) and there was nothing pointing to the vast riches of Malik's inheritance. The only thing that was out of place was the suitcases, some full, and some that looked as if they were just being packed, or emptied, that sat at the end of the bed.
On the bed, which was small by Duke's standards, lay a motionless body, his back toward the door. Quietly, in case Malik had fallen asleep, Duke closed the door and crept toward the bed. Carefully, he climbed on and stretched out behind his friend. Now that he was this close, he could easily see that Malik's eyes were actually open and he wasn't as careful as he had been before. Upon resting his head on the side of Malik's, Duke wrapped an arm around his friend's chest, hugging him close.
Malik's hand came up and held the one by his heart, squeezing Duke's fingers in greeting. Other than that, he remained silent.
"Care to explain what that was about today?" Duke wondered softly, digging his other arm so it went under Malik's head. Malik helped by lifting his head as he cuddled into Duke's warmth.
The Egyptian sighed miserably, "I don't suppose you'd be satisfied if I told you I was cold." He muttered quietly.
"No, not in the slightest." Duke grunted, he gently kissed Malik's temple, "Come on Mak, you always talk to me! What's stopping you this time?" He wondered, a little hurt by his friends sudden secrecy.
"I'm not going home for the winter." Malik mumbled, his voice soft.
"No?" Duke asked, "Why not this year?" He felt Malik's body start to tremble and he became slightly worried. "Mak?"
Malik sniffled, "The ruler of Egypt didn't think having his youngest child fly all the way out to Egypt this year would be worth it. He's king, I understand that, but I only get to see them a few times when I am there, and now he's taken that away from me. I miss Isis and Marik and I want to see my nephew. My father couldn't even tell me himself, he got one of his representatives to write me an official letter. He couldn't even sign it himself, his name was stamped." The Egyptian let go of Duke's hand and curled up into a ball, trying to hide his tears. "How can I make someone else have a happy Christmas when all I want to do is curl up and die?" He sobbed quietly.
"Malik, it's okay." Duke promised as he smoothed his friend's golden hair away from his face. "So you were unpacking everything?"
Malik uncurled slightly and nodded, wiping his eyes with his hand. "I had everything ready before the snow fell and on the day I was scheduled to leave I received the letter from my father." He whispered, his voice hoarse. "They don't celebrate Christmas over there - they don't understand what it's like for me here!" He shook his head.
Duke was silent as he let his friend vent. He kept a hold on Malik's body again, letting the other know that he was there. He let his free hand run through Malik's hair, the action always seemed to calm him before and Duke was happy to know that it was working this time as well. After a while Malik had quieted down and the two just laid together in silence.
"It's hard to feel miserable when you're here, you know that?" Malik finally sighed, breaking the comfortable silence.
Duke chuckled, "I'm glad I can be of some help. Is there anything else you want me to do? I already told my parents I'd be spending the night." He shrugged easily.
Malik only shook his head, "Just hold me." He whispered and Duke did.
- - -
Anubis (like Pet-Penew from Chibi For A Day) belongs to me! (No, not Anubis as in the Ancient Egyptian God Anubis, but Anubis the Pharaoh Hound!) HE'S MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! Got It? Good.
COMMENTS:
Shanii, if Malik or Nuf (oh how I miss that show *sniffle*) had gone to my high school, they would have been laughed right out of it. But still, Malik walks around in Yu Gi Oh and nobody seems to find him very funny. . .
Also, I'm sorry that I confused so many with 'Amane' being Duke's sister. I just didn't want to create a new character because Duke's sister (no matter what her name) might make an appearance. I just wanted to use 'Amane', don't think of her as Ryou's sister.
And Mak's only 'playing' pharaoh. My friends and I were gods and goddesses during high school. And we all worshipped one another on any given day. I'm still trying to figure out how I became the goddess of death.
Comments to reviews at the end of chapter.
- - -
Tis The Season
Warnings: Christmas angst. AU
Pairings: You'll just have to wait and see.
/ thoughts /
*italics*
- - -
Chapter Two
Joey grinned as he handed his folder over to Duke. "So who'd you get Priest?" Joey asked as Duke handed the blonde his own folder.
Duke grinned, "Two brothers, Yugi and Yami Motou. They're staying at the Maxwell Orphanage because all the homes are full since its Christmas and their grandfather is sick. They don't have any other relatives so they have to stay there." He sighed, saddened by what others had to go through. This time of the year was supposed to be a happy one.
Joey looked through the folder; "Yugi seems like a cute kid. I'll hafta meet him. I got three brothers that live at the same orphanage. Seto, Mokuba and Noah Kaiba. Seto's the oldest and he's ten. None of them really mentioned much about why they're there, just that their father passed away - nothing about their mother." He shrugged, "Makes no difference to me - I'm so going to make their holiday a better one." He grinned.
"I got a little girl named Serenity. Her and her mother live in one of the woman's shelters." Mai said, "I guess her father was abusive and now her and her mother are stuck there for Christmas." She shook her head sadly. "What about you Ishtar?" She wondered, looking at the quiet Egyptian.
Malik shrugged, "Just a couple of brats." He said then went back to eating.
Duke stopped at the insult. He glanced at Mai and Joey to see their reactions. Joey hadn't seemed to notice, but Mai looked slightly surprised, "That's it? Well, what are their names? What are they like? Sisters? Brothers? Mother, daughter? What?"
Malik yawned, bored, "Names aren't important, I don't remember what they are and I really don't care. I have other things to be worrying about this season without having to add 'nobodies' to my list." He said and got up, grabbing his things and leaving the table.
Joey snorted with distaste, "Okay, I know what Malik's like. But what the hell was up with that?" He asked, looking at Duke and Mai for an explanation.
Mai only shrugged, clueless, but Duke only sighed, "You know Christmas is a bad time of the year for him Joey. It. . .he. . .it's just a bad time. It's no excuse, but that's all I can say for his defense." Duke sighed as he got up and ran after his best friend. "Malik!" He puffed, catching up to the other boy. "What the hell was up with that?"
Malik only shrugged as he continued walking.
Duke sighed; knowing Malik wasn't about to explain anything. "Why don't we go and meet them after school then? You might think it's a stupid idea now, but at least meet them first and maybe-"
Malik whirled around, "Maybe what? Maybe once I see what others have to go through my heart will just be filled with the joy of giving? Maybe I'll fall in love with the two strays and want to take them home? Or maybe this, or maybe that."
Duke blinked in surprise; he'd never seen Malik so angry before. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He demanded, narrowing his eyes at his friend. "You're acting like. . .like it's the end of the world or something! Malik, talk to me, you haven't said why you're even here this Christmas. You always go back to Egypt before the snow falls and you're always back when it melts."
Malik's eyes hardened into a glare that Duke had never seen before. "There's nothing wrong with me Devlin. I'm selfish, remember? I'm the most arrogant, selfish and stuck up person on the face of this planet. If I don't want to tell you something, you don't need to know." With that, the egotistical - but highly beautiful - Egyptian stormed away, leaving a confused Duke in his wake.
Angry, confused, slightly hurt and mostly disturbed, Duke growled lightly, then turned back to go the way he had come.
Even three hours later, when school had finally been let out, Duke's anger had not diminished at all. He just couldn't believe how selfish Malik was actually being! Before Duke had known it was an act - had the Egyptian fallen so far into the lie that he thought he had to act around Duke when the two of them were alone?
Fine, if Malik wanted to act like a prissy stuck up pharaoh, Duke would let him. For now.
"Dude, are you okay?" Joey's voice woke him from his thoughts; "You kinda spaced out on me. . ."
Duke sighed, "Sorry Joey. Malik just pissed me off! I want to hit him." He growled as they neared the orphanage.
Joey only placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, "Hey man, don't let Malik's pompous ass get to you. You're about to meet Yugi and Yami! You don't want them getting the wrong idea about you, eh?"
Duke smiled for the first time since lunch. "Yeah, I don't want to scare them off. I'll leave that job to you." He teased as Joey pretended to be hurt.
The blonde wiped at one of his eyes, "Now man, that hurt. I mean that really hurt." He insisted as they walked up the steps to the orphanage. "Look! I think I'm going to cry! How can I ever meet Seto, Mokuba or Noah like this?" Joey sniffled as they entered the doors, both boys taking in the decorations (some bought, most hand made).
Duke grinned at the festive display, always having loved Christmas himself, he could remember making decorations when he was younger. It had become tradition for himself and Amane to make one decoration each and give them to each other Christmas Eve so they could hang them on the tree. "You could always tell them the truth." Duke shrugged.
"I'm not gonna tell them you're a bastard."
Duke snorted, "No, you were bad. Santa's only bringing you coal for Christmas." He smirked as he came upon a desk.
A woman sat behind the desk and smiled at Duke as the both of them ignored Joey's grumbling. "Hello, can I help you boys?" She asked. The woman looked to be in her mid forties, her hair was still almost black, but it was beginning to gray in places - like near her ears and just at the top. It made her look very motherly. She was plump - very pleasantly so and Duke swore she fit the description of Mrs. Claus to a tee.
"Yes ma'am. My name is Duke Devlin and this is Joey Wheeler, we were given these folders for the 'Adopt A Family' project." Duke explained, handing his folder to the woman, Joey quickly following his example.
The friendly woman looked through the folders and smiled happily as she read the names, "Oh good! We're so glad there are people taking interest in this!" She said, handing back the folders. "I'm Linda. Most of the kids are decorating the Christmas tree right now and I know that all the boys you're looking for are there, now, come with me." She said and got up from the chair.
Duke and Joey followed her into another room. They were immediately bombarded with noise, but a noise neither of them minded. About twenty children, some really young and some that looked to be the same age as they were, were decorating a large Christmas tree. Giggles and shouts intermingled with clings and clangs as the decorations were hung on every branch.
Linda smiled as she moved toward a small group of boys who were stringing popcorn. "Seto, I have someone you and your brothers should meet."
The tallest of the three stood up and gently got his brothers in a line in front of her. Linda smiled as she knelt down, "Honey, this is Joey Wheeler, he's 'adopted' you guys for Christmas."
Joey looked down at the ten-year old and the two studied each other emotionlessly.
Finally Seto grinned, "Hi!" He said, then began to introduce his brothers, eight-year old Mokuba and six-year old Noah.
Linda smiled, happy to see the three boys excited, "I'm going to introduce Duke now, okay? You boys be good, and don't scare Joey off!" She teased and then led Duke toward the fireplace. Sitting within a large chair were three people. Two had to be related, both having black, red and blonde hair. The other had white hair and definitely looked out of place. Linda only stood beside the chair and waited until the older boy - who looked around fifteen - finished reading the book he was reading to the two younger boys.
Crimson eyes looked away from the pages, "Sorry Linda. Yugi really wanted to hear it again." He smiled, ruffling 'Yugi's' hair.
Yugi pouted, "But I like the Night Before Christmas Yami!" The small boy declared as he took the book and hugged it to his chest.
The white-haired boy giggled into his hand, "But that's the fouwth time today!" He revealed and Duke couldn't help but smile at Yugi's blush.
Linda laughed, "Don't worry about it Yugi, but I've got someone here to meet you."
"Okay." Yugi nodded, then looked at Yami, "Can you read it to me before bed again?" He stuck out his bottom lip and made his eyes big.
Yami grinned, knowing his brother's 'look' well. "Of course I will." He said and gently helped the two boys off the chair; they stood in front of Linda. "You said you wanted us to meet someone?"
Linda smiled and pushed Duke forward, "This is Duke Devlin, he's 'adopted' both you and Yugi for Christmas. I thought you'd like to get to know each other." She said as Duke and Yami both shook hands.
"You really adopted us?" Yugi beamed with happiness. He was happy they'd actually have a Christmas! Oh, the stories he would have to tell his grandfather.
Duke smiled and knelt down beside him, "Yeah, hope you're not disappointed." He said.
"No!" Yugi shook his head vigorously.
"Linda?" A small voice grabbed Duke's attention and both Yami and Yugi looked too. The small white-haired boy was gently tugging on Linda's long dress. "Has anyone comed fo' us?" He asked softly.
Linda smiled gently as she pet the boy's hair, "Not yet sweetheart, everyone just got their information today. Don't worry about it, okay?"
"Kay." The boy nodded, then noticed that he was being watched. He smiled at the three boys, then took off out of the room, disappearing up some stairs.
Linda looked back at the three, "You boys get to know each other, I've gotta go back to the front." She gently kissed Yugi's forehead, then ruffled Yami's hair; "It was nice meeting you Duke." She left the room.
"We didn't expect anyone so soon." Yami said as Duke looked at him.
Duke only grinned sheepishly, "Well, Joey and I were curious about who we'd adopted and we aren't really that patient." He said, rubbing the back of his head.
Yami only chuckled, "Is that Joey?" He asked, pointing behind Duke. The dark-haired boy looked only to find Joey with the youngest brother sitting on his shoulders as the blonde nutcase danced around. Seto and Mokuba were giggling loudly as Noah squealed of enjoyment.
Duke rolled his eyes, "Yep, that's my Joey." He shook his head and looked back at Yami.
"So um. . ." Yami began but was quickly cut off by Yugi.
"Do you know how to play Duel Monsters?" He asked, jumping up and down in front of Duke.
"Duel Monsters?" Duke repeated, remembering about the card game he'd heard of a few times. "I've heard a little about it, but I've never played it, sorry." He shrugged helplessly.
"Oh boy. . ." Yami tried to hide a smirk.
Duke had little time to contemplate what that meant as Yugi squealed with excitement, "Can I teach you? Please? My grandpa taught me and I wanna teach you! Please?" He asked, having stopped the jumping. Now he was staring up at Duke with that 'look' again.
Yami leaned over and whispered, "It's best not to fight it." He explained, "The best have tried and failed."
Duke only smiled; he didn't mind the idea. If that was what Yugi was interested in (and Duke had actually known that from Yugi's letter), he'd go along with it. Who knew? Maybe it would be fun. "Sure, if you'd like to teach me." He nodded and couldn't help but smile as Yugi grabbed his hand and began to pull him toward the stairs. Yami followed, laughing to himself.
During the lesson on Duel Monsters, the three boys got to know each other better. Yugi sat in Duke's lap, teaching him about the cards and giggling whenever a funny story was told. Duke was surprised at how relaxed he was - it was almost like he had known both brothers before.
"So you'll be going back to live with your grandfather when he gets better?" Duke questioned after Yugi had explained the special effect of the Morphing Jar card.
Yami nodded, "He caught pneumonia a few weeks ago." He explained, "We're going to celebrate Christmas with him as soon as he's strong enough."
"Who do you live with Duke?" Yugi asked after he'd explained the Castle of Dark Illusion's special effect.
"Yugi." Yami scolded lightly.
Yugi sighed, "Sorry, I was just wondering." He muttered, ashamed and slightly upset.
Duke only laughed and ruffled Yugi's hair; "It's okay, really! There's not too much I won't talk about - if you want to know anything, just ask." He shrugged.
Yami smiled; glad that was out in the open. He didn't want their 'adopted' family to get offended - especially on the first visit. "The same here then. We're pretty comfortable now, aren't we Yugi?" He asked.
"Yep!" Yugi nodded, happy that he was no longer in trouble.
Duke grinned, "Great! And I live with my parents and my sister."
"You got a sister?" Yugi tilted his head back, so he could see Duke.
"Yeah, her name's Amane. He's fourteen." Duke explained, thinking of his sweet little sister turned punk.
"A year younger than Yami." Yugi nodded, "Is she nice?"
"To everyone but me." The dark-haired teen laughed. "I suppose we fight sometimes but most of the time we get along just great."
"Yugi's always wanted a sister." Yami explained with a grin. "I think he wants to trade me in." He pouted as he looked at Yugi.
Duke knew Yami was teasing, but Yugi felt that he had to reassure his big brother. "I love you Yami! I don't want a sister if I had to get rid of you. I want both." He promised, "You believe me, right?"
Yami laughed, "Of course I believe you Yugi." He ruffled the boy's hair.
"Good." The small boy nodded, "What does your sister look like, Duke?" He wondered.
"Well. . ." Duke leaned forward to fish his wallet from his back pocket, "I've got a picture." He opened the wallet and showed them her picture.
"She's pretty." Yugi declared, "And she' got pink hair!" He giggled lightly.
"It's blue now." Duke shook his head; "She's dyed it so many times that I can't even remember its natural colour!"
"Who's that?" Yugi wondered, pointing to the picture beside Amane's.
"That's Malik, he's my best friend." Duke explained, shrugging as he closed his wallet, "You wouldn't want to meet him, he's not exactly the nicest guy."
Yugi blinked, "But then why is he your best friend? You like him, right?"
Duke smiled, "Yeah, I love the guy, and I shouldn't say he's not nice. He puts up an act so nobody can get close to him and he won't be hurt. I'm the only one that's gotten close, so I know what he's really like."
Yami snorted, "We've got a guy like that here. His name's Bakura. It's not that he's not nice or anything, he'd just rather spend time with Ryou, his baby brother. I don't know anything about them though, so we don't know how they got here or what happened to them before they got here. He might have a perfectly good reason for being the way he is, but as it is, neither Yugi or I have the time it would take to get passed Bakura's defenses."
Duke thought about Malik. The Egyptian wasn't mean to anyone, he could pull off being totally conceited, and yet he wouldn't put anyone else down - at least not seriously. Duke blinked suddenly as he realized that that was why he'd felt so disturbed when Malik had called his adopted family 'nobodies'. He'd actually called someone else down.
/ What the hell is wrong Malik? / Duke wondered, knowing that he needed to see the other that night. After an intense lesson of Duel Monsters, Duke had to leave, but he promised to return the next day.
Sighing to himself, Duke walked toward Malik's place, Joey silently walking beside him. Duke had used his cell phone to leave a message with his parents - he was spending the night at Malik's, and not to expect him home. This was a usual occurrence, so he knew he didn't have to explain anything. He'd just hung up from leaving the message when the phone went off - pressing the tiny button with the phone picture on it; he put it to his ear. "Duke's House of Condoms, how may we protect you today?" Joey snickered at the greeting.
"Hi babe." It was Mai. "Where are you?" She wondered.
"I was just goin' to Mak's house." Duke replied as he shouldered his backpack higher. "I just left the orphanage. Mai! You have got to meet Yami and Yugi!"
"And Seto, Mokuba and Noah!" Joey announced loudly so Mai could hear.
Mai chuckled, "You boys should meet Serenity, but that's why I called. You didn't have any plans tonight for us, did you?" She wondered.
"Not really." Duke replied, "I was planning on spending the night at Malik's. You know.talk to him and stuff."
Mai laughed, "And stuff huh? I can imagine." Then she sighed, "But I think he needs someone to talk to right now. He actually insulted someone Duke! It might not have been to their faces, but Malik's never been one to put someone down like that."
"I noticed that too, and I promise to talk to him. Even if I have to tie him up to get the answers, I'll get answers." Duke promised and smirked into the phone.
Mai chuckled, "I like bondage, couldn't I just come over for a few pictures? But try your best, and I was hoping you'd see him. I have plans with Serenity tonight, so I'll see you tomorrow at school - if you and Malik can get out of bed after such a busy night. Love you hun."
"Love you too, bye." Duke smiled as he hung up the phone.
"Tying him up huh?" Joey smirked, trying not to laugh.
Duke only rolled his eyes as they reached their split off point. "I'll see you tomorrow too and if you say anything about this in the morning, I'll gut you and use your intestines as Christmas garland! Understood?"
Joey saluted, "Yes, your High Priesty-ness. See ya later Dukey!" He practically giggled as he ran down the street toward his own home and away from Duke.
Duke sighed, but smiled as he shook his head and continued toward Malik's place. Malik's home was far from small - and Duke had never understood why it had to be so big. After all, the only people even living there were a few of the servants, a dog and Malik. Malik's other family members probably hadn't even stepped foot inside the country before, let alone the house. The front walk had been freshly shoveled and Duke made his way to the large door. After one ring, the door was opened and a tall man stood in the open way.
"Hey Rishid." Duke smiled up at the man. "Malik in?" He wondered.
Rishid, who always acted so serious, stepped aside, "His majesty is in his room and has been since he got home from school." After Duke had stepped in, Rishid closed the door. The older man sighed as he shook his head; "He seems depressed - more than usual. Did something happen today?" He wondered. Duke liked Rishid. Out of all the servants in the house, he seemed to be the only one to actually care about Malik.
"I'm here to find that out." Duke smiled, promising to do his best.
Rishid nodded, "Then make yourself at home. I have to go feed Anubis now. Damned mutt won't stop gnawing on things!" He shook his head and left the room, leaving Duke to find Malik's room in the maze that they called a house. The dark-haired boy grinned as he recalled Malik's beloved pet. Anubis was a Pharaoh Hound, and very loyal to his master. Of course, Anubis was still just a puppy. . .
Sprinting up the stairs to the floor with most of the bedrooms on it, Duke made a few turns, passed a few bathrooms, hundreds of bedrooms, ignoring the servants he ran into, and finally stopped in front of the room he'd been searching for. He didn't bother to knock - Malik never usually answered anyway. Upon opening the door he searched the room, noticing that it was as it had always been - lived in. Malik's room was unlike all the other places within the 'palace'. It wasn't decorated for show, to actually look like someone rich lived there. It was a room that clearly belonged to a seventeen-year old boy.
There were posters of famous people hanging on the walls, a pile of dirty clothes in one of the corners (Anubis had eaten Malik's clothesbasket the first week the pup had been adopted) and there was nothing pointing to the vast riches of Malik's inheritance. The only thing that was out of place was the suitcases, some full, and some that looked as if they were just being packed, or emptied, that sat at the end of the bed.
On the bed, which was small by Duke's standards, lay a motionless body, his back toward the door. Quietly, in case Malik had fallen asleep, Duke closed the door and crept toward the bed. Carefully, he climbed on and stretched out behind his friend. Now that he was this close, he could easily see that Malik's eyes were actually open and he wasn't as careful as he had been before. Upon resting his head on the side of Malik's, Duke wrapped an arm around his friend's chest, hugging him close.
Malik's hand came up and held the one by his heart, squeezing Duke's fingers in greeting. Other than that, he remained silent.
"Care to explain what that was about today?" Duke wondered softly, digging his other arm so it went under Malik's head. Malik helped by lifting his head as he cuddled into Duke's warmth.
The Egyptian sighed miserably, "I don't suppose you'd be satisfied if I told you I was cold." He muttered quietly.
"No, not in the slightest." Duke grunted, he gently kissed Malik's temple, "Come on Mak, you always talk to me! What's stopping you this time?" He wondered, a little hurt by his friends sudden secrecy.
"I'm not going home for the winter." Malik mumbled, his voice soft.
"No?" Duke asked, "Why not this year?" He felt Malik's body start to tremble and he became slightly worried. "Mak?"
Malik sniffled, "The ruler of Egypt didn't think having his youngest child fly all the way out to Egypt this year would be worth it. He's king, I understand that, but I only get to see them a few times when I am there, and now he's taken that away from me. I miss Isis and Marik and I want to see my nephew. My father couldn't even tell me himself, he got one of his representatives to write me an official letter. He couldn't even sign it himself, his name was stamped." The Egyptian let go of Duke's hand and curled up into a ball, trying to hide his tears. "How can I make someone else have a happy Christmas when all I want to do is curl up and die?" He sobbed quietly.
"Malik, it's okay." Duke promised as he smoothed his friend's golden hair away from his face. "So you were unpacking everything?"
Malik uncurled slightly and nodded, wiping his eyes with his hand. "I had everything ready before the snow fell and on the day I was scheduled to leave I received the letter from my father." He whispered, his voice hoarse. "They don't celebrate Christmas over there - they don't understand what it's like for me here!" He shook his head.
Duke was silent as he let his friend vent. He kept a hold on Malik's body again, letting the other know that he was there. He let his free hand run through Malik's hair, the action always seemed to calm him before and Duke was happy to know that it was working this time as well. After a while Malik had quieted down and the two just laid together in silence.
"It's hard to feel miserable when you're here, you know that?" Malik finally sighed, breaking the comfortable silence.
Duke chuckled, "I'm glad I can be of some help. Is there anything else you want me to do? I already told my parents I'd be spending the night." He shrugged easily.
Malik only shook his head, "Just hold me." He whispered and Duke did.
- - -
Anubis (like Pet-Penew from Chibi For A Day) belongs to me! (No, not Anubis as in the Ancient Egyptian God Anubis, but Anubis the Pharaoh Hound!) HE'S MINE! MINE! MINE! MINE! Got It? Good.
COMMENTS:
Shanii, if Malik or Nuf (oh how I miss that show *sniffle*) had gone to my high school, they would have been laughed right out of it. But still, Malik walks around in Yu Gi Oh and nobody seems to find him very funny. . .