Disclaimer: Do I really have to write this every chapter? No Yu-Gi-Oh ownership here! I know, I'm just so much like Kazuki Takahashi, I understand where people could get confused… not! (Especially cuz I'm Irish and he's Japanese!)
Wow!! So many reviews!! I feel so warm and fluffy right now, I think I'll just poof into a giant teddy bear!!! Thank you so much! In fact, I think I'll add something to my fanfics now, review responses! Yay!
Santurion1- Dude, you're so nice so me! I'm like, so happy you like my story so much! About the Mai thing, yeah we wouldn't have much of a plot if Joey gave up on Mai so quick, would we? Unless I think up something else… I'll think of something, no worries! I'm glad you like the confuzzled Malik, I think he's a little way too OOC but every seems to like him so I'll keep him that way!
Pchan- Try not to scare innocent bystanders! Yeah, you're my best buddy, I would hope I'd be the only one who knew who you were! Unless you have a stalker or something... anyways, I lurv you too!
AmethystDragonflame- More cute Malik? Okey-dokey!
Cattypatra- I'm so glad you likey! I totally agree with you, I think I'm the first person to write a Joey/Malik fic that's actually longer than two chapters! At least I haven't seen any longer…
Kira-Kura- What d'ya mean not bad!? Just kidding. I'm just stupid; just ignore me and my idiotic comments. As for Serenity, don't we all have a naughty side? Includeing Joey and Malik! Let's watch them make out and do other naughty things I dare not mention… yet!
Bitterchoco20- Arigato! I'm glad you likey, too! Warm and fuzzyness!!!
Oh, people, as in addressing everybody, if I posted a completely random and stupid fic that pchan and I wrote, would anyone read it? I want to post it up so bad, but I'm kinda afraid it will ruin my early reputation as an author! I hafta check with pchan if it's okay to even post it yet, anyway. But I assure you, it's hilarious, review and tell me what you think. Oh, and should I keep writing "Joey's POV" every chapter or is it just annoying? Please tell me! Wow, it's taking a long time to get to the fic… okay, here we go!
Chapter Three: The Thought that Counts
Joey's POV:
"Good morning Joey!" the voice of the violet-eyed Egyptian rang throughout my mind, no different then it did the night before. All throughout the day my thoughts have been drifting toward him and away from my school work. Not that I ever concentrate on my school work anyway….
"Joey…" a rather annoying voice called to me, seemingly from another realm. I swatted it away only semi-consciously to revert to my thoughts of my new house guest.
"You made breakfast for me?" The events of earlier this morning played over again clearly in my mind. I remember waking up this morning without Malik in my arms. I trudged into the kitchen still only half awake, not looking forward to actually pouring cereal and milk into a bowl… Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised to find a place already set for me at the table, milk and cereal poured and all!
"Joey, you know what's going to happen if she catches you." There the oddly familiar voice was again. Who was it talking about? Mai? Yes, I know very well what will happen if she finds out about Malik. But I do still love her… I wouldn't have fought with Malik's darker half if I didn't.
"I guess so… I'm sorry I can't do better than cereal…" This I remember, too. His eyes had flashed disappointment then and sent a streak of pain through me.
"Mr. Wheeler?" Now the voice had changed from an innocent boy's to that of an older woman's. I could think of nothing to do but to sink my head lower into my arms and try to ignore all these voices.
"Don't worry about it! It's the thought that counts, right?" An unknown object had been tossed at my head just hard enough to wake me from my daydreaming. I glanced down at the floor, hoping to get a glimpse of my foe, only to find the high-healed shoes of my teacher. My eyes trailed up her round form until I met with her tiny beady eyes. The discouraging look on her pale round face told me I had done something wrong.
"Mr. Wheeler, sleeping is something to be done at home, not during my class." Mrs. Suzu glared at me, awaiting my response.
"Don't worry, I sleep through every teacher's class" I replied sleepily. "Not just yours."
"Excuse me, Mr. Wheeler?"
"Just thought you should know the truth." A couple of girls in the back of the classroom giggled at my response, causing me to blush slightly.
"I appreciate that." Mrs. Suzu said sarcastically. "But unfortunately your peers find your snoring quite distracting. Mind putting off your nap for another fifteen minutes?"
"Uh… sure." I glanced at the clock. I guess I slept through forty five minutes of the period…
"Thank you." Mrs. Suzu retuned to the front of the classroom to continue with her lesson.
I slumped in my desk only to have the shorter boy sitting beside me nudge me awake again. My vision still blurred from sleep, I could make out nothing passed his tri-colored hair and his huge burgundy eyes, now dilled with concern. "I'm sorry, Joey. I tried to warn you…"
"Don't worry 'bout it, Yuge." I rubbed my eyes, still exhausted from the previous night.
"Is something wrong, Joey?" My little friend's voice was now lowered to a whisper in an attempt to keep the teacher from over-hearing our conversation. "You seem out of it today."
"No, I'm alright." A devilish grin played on my lips, attempting to lead my pal in the opposite direction of what went on last night. "Late night with Mai, that's all."
"Oh, I get it." He winked at me a returned to scribbling down the notes on the over-head. I couldn't tell my little buddy that the same psycho Egyptian that wants him dead is staying over my house. I'll have to someday, I suppose. But you never know, maybe he'll see Malik in the same light as I do. Maybe Yugi can understand how fragile Malik really is…
The bell alarmed me out of my thoughts, signaling that it was finally time to get the hell out of here. I gathered up the few materials I had (maybe a folder and a pencil or whatever) and marched out the door. I don't think I've been this happy all day! With the exception of breakfast.
I pushed through the mob of people in the hall way, skimming the top of the tanned lockers for number 997. Even when I did find it, I still had to push through a bunch of preps talking about some random movie on last night. I hate those people.
I shoved my folder into my locker and continued on my way out the school. My pointy-haired friend, Tristan, had caught up with me and noticed I had 'forgotten' my backpack. "No homework today, Joey?"
"Nope, I guess not!" I practically sang cheerfully. Both he and I know that's not true, I was just happy to finally be on my way home.
"You seem awfully happy. What's the occasion? Movie with Mai?"
"Nope, bed with Malik!" The words practically slipped out of my mouth on their own, not even letting me realize what I had said until I saw the confused expression in Tristan's now puzzled brown eyes.
"What'd you say?!"
"I said, I can't wait to get home and sleep?" I tried to play off. Too bad I'm not a very good actor, and finishing my sentence with a question didn't exactly help.
"I could've sworn you said something about Malik…"
"Uh…" My cheeks heated with the mere mention of his name and what I suggested. How could I even think something like that when I'm in love with Mai (supposedly)?!
"Joey…" My friend gave me a suspicious look. "Are you hiding something?"
"No! You're mind's playin' tricks on ya, dude!" I lied, rushing my words a bit. "I mean, Mai and Malik don't sound all that different, and they have a lot of the same letters, and didn't Malik go back to Egypt anyway?"
"Joey, you're not making any sense." Tristan shook his head, trying to compute my rushed sentence and failing miserably. "Get some sleep, man." He wondered over to his bus stop, awaiting the public transportation device along with several other people. We waved our good-byes and I continued on my way home.
I approached my apartment complex, it's bright shades of blues and greens now visible in the light of day. I made my way up to the third floor, apartment number five. I walked through the door to find my thermostat on the ground in a pile of metal and other random thing used in making a thermostat. It looked as if someone had bashed it into millions of tiny little pieces.
Malik dragged his feet into the room, peering up at me, guilt filling his amethyst eyes. "I'm sorry… I couldn't figure out how to stop making it cold…"
"What exactly did you do to it?" I asked, wondering how the hell he got the device in this condition.
"Well, you said something about a thermo-thingy last night, and I read the words on that thing." He pointed to the pile of rubble that used to be my thermostat on the floor. "So I thought I could figure it out. I tried moving that little plastic thing around, but it only got colder. So I kinda… got frustrated…"
"So you took the nearest thing you could find and smashed it?" I guessed. That part was pretty obvious from the number of pieces all over the floor.
"Getting to that part…" Malik pointed to the remote control my TV, also smashed into at least a hundred pieces. "I'm really sorry! Everything's just really new to me, and…" Tears began to fill his violet eyes, and streak down his face. "Please don't kick me out! I won't do it again, I promise!"
I wiped away his tears with the long sleeves of my navy school uniform. "Don't worry. You don't have to go anywhere." I smiled down at him reassuringly.
He was almost immediately resurrected with my words and actions. I let a yawn escape my lips as I rubbed my eyes yet again in a vain attempt to wake myself up.
"Here, you rest." He shoved me onto the soft couch conveniently located right behind me. "I'll do something for you. I have no clue what it is yet, but I'll find something!" And with that he ran off to find something to occupy himself with.
Oh God. I guess all there is to do is fall asleep and pray he doesn't burn down my apartment building. Well, there are other options. I'm just to lazy to consider them. I slid my eye lids closed and drifted off to into a desperately needed sleep.
End Note- Okay, wondering why the whole theme-type thing of this chapter is sleep? Cuz it's 1:41 AM! What I'll do to give an early update… that's also the main reason why this chapter more drawn out and boring than the previous two. Not as much fluff as I want. Oh well, next chapter will be better, and I still didn't put what I wanted to put for chapter 2 in!! Hopefully I'll get to it next chapter. Oh well! Puts on a giant teddy-bear suit Reviews!! Warm and fuzzy they make me feel!