"You're the guy from McDonald's, aren't you?"
Marik snorted. "I just got fired. I yelled at a customer and punched my manager."
Jounochi giggled. "Wish I could do that."
"So what are you going to do about your friends?"
Jou whirled his head towards Marik. "Shut the fuck up about that, okay?!"
He merely shrugged. "Do you ever wish...you could make your bully disappear forever?"
"Yes..."
"Kill them...?"
"I..."
"I know you do. It's human nature to." Marik wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees. "It's hard to imagine that they're even human. They're like...this other creature created solely for our own torture. Why is that?"
"Because it's human nature to pick on what's weaker than us."
"Both of us aren't going to suffer, kid. I'm going to do something about it."
---
"Hello Jounochi," Otogi said, not glancing up from his book.
The blonde stopped, staring down at Otogi. He was sitting in the hallway, reading. "Any reason you're in the hallway?"
"My roommate has his girlfriend over," he said distractedly.
Rocking back and forth on his heels, Jou waited for the other to say something. He pulled out a cigarette and waved it at him. "I'm going outside to smoke. Want to join me?"
"I don't smoke," he said softly.
"Then keep me company while I slowly give myself lung cancer. Even the dying need some sort of comfort," he joked.
Otogi got to his feet, the joints in his lean, tall body popping. He stretched, waving his book towards the ceiling. "Is being morbid part of your craziness?" he asked, following Jou out of the building.
"Perhaps. My doctor doesn't really tell me."
"You actually have a doctor?" Otogi asked, shocked.
"I told you I was crazy. You just didn't want to believe me, did you?"
"Why'd you run off like that?" he asked, leaning against the brick wall.
Thin wisps of smoke trailed up from Jou's cigarette, but he remained silent.
Otogi looked down. "Was it something I did?"
"You're the confident one," he murmured.
"I am, aren't I?" he whispered. "But you've always exuded this aura of confidence yourself, Jounochi."
"I'm fucking insane!" Jounochi screamed at the other boy. "Why don't you get it?"
"Because--"
"Because what?!" Jou pushed Otogi against the wall, his cigarette resting on his bottom lip. "You think I'm pretty and would make a nice fuck." He grabbed his cigarette and threw it over his shoulder. "You don't know me and lets face it. If you did you'd go running home to your mommy."
Otogi pushed Jou off of him. "That's fucking bull shit, Jou! You're so fucking scared! Why?"
"I don't have to tell you shit!"
"So there is a reason."
Jou smacked Otogi. "Get off my case, Right NOW!"
"I can't!"
"Why, huh?"
"I don't have a good reason, Jou. But I want you to smile." Otogi nursed his red cheek with his hand, avoiding looking the other in the eye.
Sighing, Jou shifted from foot to foot. "Look...I'm only trying to save you the trouble. My head is...messed up. I don't want to drag you into my mess."
Otogi brushed Jou's bangs back, then cupped his cheek with his hand. "Jou...you've already got me wrapped up in your spell. Nothing you could say would bring me out of it, either." Otogi rested his forehead against Jou's shoulder. "I want to know you, you got that?"
"Otogi...yes, I get it..."
"So don't think you can dismiss me. I'm willing to fight for you."
Otogi's words sent a shiver down Jou's spine. A good shiver.
---
"I need to tell you a secret," Ryou said softly.
Yugi glanced over at his friend, who was hugging his backpack close to his chest as they walked home. "What is it, Ryou?"
"Bakura kissed me." He was surprised at how easy it was to say that. He wasn't beating around the bush like he usually did.
Yugi looked back at Ryou, shocked. "Your brother?" he hissed.
"Yeah...Yugi, I liked it..."
Yugi gapped at Ryou. "Let's ignore the fact he's related to you for just a minute. Your brother is a jerk!"
"I don't care...I liked it Yugi. And I'm not going to stop it."
"Then why did you tell me?" Yugi asked, kicking at a rock.
"Because you're my best friend. I don't keep secrets from you."
"Do you think maybe you just want a boyfriend?"
"Maybe...I don't think so. I like the way -he- touches me."
"Just don't get hurt, Ryou."
Marik snorted. "I just got fired. I yelled at a customer and punched my manager."
Jounochi giggled. "Wish I could do that."
"So what are you going to do about your friends?"
Jou whirled his head towards Marik. "Shut the fuck up about that, okay?!"
He merely shrugged. "Do you ever wish...you could make your bully disappear forever?"
"Yes..."
"Kill them...?"
"I..."
"I know you do. It's human nature to." Marik wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his chin on his knees. "It's hard to imagine that they're even human. They're like...this other creature created solely for our own torture. Why is that?"
"Because it's human nature to pick on what's weaker than us."
"Both of us aren't going to suffer, kid. I'm going to do something about it."
---
"Hello Jounochi," Otogi said, not glancing up from his book.
The blonde stopped, staring down at Otogi. He was sitting in the hallway, reading. "Any reason you're in the hallway?"
"My roommate has his girlfriend over," he said distractedly.
Rocking back and forth on his heels, Jou waited for the other to say something. He pulled out a cigarette and waved it at him. "I'm going outside to smoke. Want to join me?"
"I don't smoke," he said softly.
"Then keep me company while I slowly give myself lung cancer. Even the dying need some sort of comfort," he joked.
Otogi got to his feet, the joints in his lean, tall body popping. He stretched, waving his book towards the ceiling. "Is being morbid part of your craziness?" he asked, following Jou out of the building.
"Perhaps. My doctor doesn't really tell me."
"You actually have a doctor?" Otogi asked, shocked.
"I told you I was crazy. You just didn't want to believe me, did you?"
"Why'd you run off like that?" he asked, leaning against the brick wall.
Thin wisps of smoke trailed up from Jou's cigarette, but he remained silent.
Otogi looked down. "Was it something I did?"
"You're the confident one," he murmured.
"I am, aren't I?" he whispered. "But you've always exuded this aura of confidence yourself, Jounochi."
"I'm fucking insane!" Jounochi screamed at the other boy. "Why don't you get it?"
"Because--"
"Because what?!" Jou pushed Otogi against the wall, his cigarette resting on his bottom lip. "You think I'm pretty and would make a nice fuck." He grabbed his cigarette and threw it over his shoulder. "You don't know me and lets face it. If you did you'd go running home to your mommy."
Otogi pushed Jou off of him. "That's fucking bull shit, Jou! You're so fucking scared! Why?"
"I don't have to tell you shit!"
"So there is a reason."
Jou smacked Otogi. "Get off my case, Right NOW!"
"I can't!"
"Why, huh?"
"I don't have a good reason, Jou. But I want you to smile." Otogi nursed his red cheek with his hand, avoiding looking the other in the eye.
Sighing, Jou shifted from foot to foot. "Look...I'm only trying to save you the trouble. My head is...messed up. I don't want to drag you into my mess."
Otogi brushed Jou's bangs back, then cupped his cheek with his hand. "Jou...you've already got me wrapped up in your spell. Nothing you could say would bring me out of it, either." Otogi rested his forehead against Jou's shoulder. "I want to know you, you got that?"
"Otogi...yes, I get it..."
"So don't think you can dismiss me. I'm willing to fight for you."
Otogi's words sent a shiver down Jou's spine. A good shiver.
---
"I need to tell you a secret," Ryou said softly.
Yugi glanced over at his friend, who was hugging his backpack close to his chest as they walked home. "What is it, Ryou?"
"Bakura kissed me." He was surprised at how easy it was to say that. He wasn't beating around the bush like he usually did.
Yugi looked back at Ryou, shocked. "Your brother?" he hissed.
"Yeah...Yugi, I liked it..."
Yugi gapped at Ryou. "Let's ignore the fact he's related to you for just a minute. Your brother is a jerk!"
"I don't care...I liked it Yugi. And I'm not going to stop it."
"Then why did you tell me?" Yugi asked, kicking at a rock.
"Because you're my best friend. I don't keep secrets from you."
"Do you think maybe you just want a boyfriend?"
"Maybe...I don't think so. I like the way -he- touches me."
"Just don't get hurt, Ryou."