"Jounochi?"

Jou turned to look back at Otogi. "Yeah?"

"What were you thinking about?"

"Just...stuff..."

"Stuff? Like what?"

Jou closed his eyes. "I'm crazy, Otogi, leave me alone."

"Because you're crazy, we can't be friends?"

"Friends?" Jou asked, skeptical.

Otogi smiled, twirling his hair around his finger. "Well, to be perfectly honest...I think you're really cute."

Staring at Otogi, Jou had a delayed reaction. "Me...cute?" Delayed, disbelief...whichever. Jou's "friends" had given him such impaired self- worth, he would never believe anyone, in a million years, would ever want to be with him.

Smile widening, the raven-haired boy placed a hand on Jou's chest, closing the distance between their bodies a bit. "I think you're great...Jou...I mean," he aid, flicking his hair behind his shoulder, "I barley know you...but I want to..." he leaned in, he placed a chaste kiss on Jou's lips.

Jounochi blinked rapidly, shocked. He broke the kiss, dunking his head, embarrassed. "I...just go, Otogi."

Otogi stared at him, shocked. "I...why?"

"I don't need one more person taking advantage of me!" he screamed. He fell to the ground, stooping, and clutching his hair in his shaking hands. "Go! Go away! Now!"

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Jou! Can we go on a date? Please, just a date. Please?"

"Date?" he repeated, loosening his grip a bit.

"I don't care if you're...crazy... I like you. Please?" He gently held Jou by the shoulders, trying to look in the boy's eyes.

Jou looked up with scared, puppy-dog brown eyes looking at Otogi pleadingly. "You promise?"

Otogi smiled. "Promise. Are you doing anything right now?"

Jou shook his head, letting Otogi help him to his feet.

"Then come on, I'll buy you dinner."

~~~

"Let go of me!" Ryou screamed, trying to break his brother's hold on him. He dug his heels into the sidewalk, but was just dragged along.

Bakura stared ahead, glaring at the bus stop. ~If the stupid bus would only show up...

"Stop it Bakura!" Ryou screamed, then gasped as Bakura grabbed him with both hands, pushing him against the bus stop shelter wall.

"No, YOU stop it!" he growled.

Ryou began to fight his grasp again, when Bakura shoved his knee between his younger brother's legs, leaning in to kiss his neck, quieting him. Ryou stared ahead, not seeing anything, as his brother necked him.

~~~

Yarik stared at his brother as he began straightening the apartment up. "I ruin everything, don't I?"

"You're an inconvenience, Yarik."

"You're scared of me."

Marik straighten himself, staring into his brother's yellow eyes. "I..."

"Don't lie. I scare you."

Marik nodded slowly, not even realizing he was doing it.

"I should. I'm the better of the two of us."

Marik backed up a bit. "When's the last time you took your meds?"

Yarik snatched his wrist, pulling him against him. He smiled at his brother's pain-filled expression. "Your pain amuses me. Makes me happy. Anyone's pain does, but especially yours, when I do it." He lifted Marik's wrist up, sucking on the boy's blood he had drawn with his nails. He stared into his brother's lilac eyes, loving the way tears welled up in them. "You're so beautiful like this."

He pulled him into a hug, holding the stiff body against him. "Imagine you bleeding everywhere."

Marik sucked in a shocked gasp, just as Rishido turned the light on. "Marik, Yarik? What are you guys doing in the dark?"

"Just comforting him," Yarik explained.

Rishido studied him, skepticism written all over his face. "Well, Yarik...you have to take your meds."

As Rishido led Yarik out of the room, Marik noticed how Yarik reacted around Rishido. As long as Rishido was there, he was safe.

Safe from his own brother...