Coffee and Cigarettes
A series of unconnected vignettes, starring the Yu Gi Oh cast and revolving around the eponymous items. Obviously, I don't own Yu Gi Oh, and I don't own Jim Jarmusch's wonderful film Coffee and Cigarettes... but it's a fabulous movie, so I do recommend it to you.
Slight apologies for Jou's language, but I modelled this off a movie segment, so... Also, I'm aware that the name thing from the movie didn't translate in the same way, but I still find it funny. ::shrugs::
Scene Seven: Yuugi, Jou, Malik, Never Too Late
"See, Yuug? I told ya some place around here would be open," Jounouchi grinned proudly as he pushed open the door to the run-down café and marched inside. "One thing ya can always say about this part of town... Somewhere is always open 'til three in the mornin'."
Yuugi surveyed the deserted diner. It was brown. That was about it. Tan-coloured walls, a dark brown trim, brown leather seats. A few honey-gold lights hung low above each table and booth. There was no waiter in sight.
"Are you sure it's open? There's no one here..." Yugi shuffled nervously, his footsteps slightly faster than Jou's in order to keep up with the taller boy.
"Ah, they'll come out - it's never too late for coffee. Just siddown. I'm gonna put something on the juke box." Jou gestured to the large, clunking machine, half-hidden in the far corner.
Yuugi raised an eyebrow but moved to take a seat in a booth. He'd be suprised if the jukebox played anything, the state it was in. This was what he got for playing Duel Monsters with Jou until all hours. Now they needed some caffeine to wake them up again.
A tune got off to a shaky start from where Jou was standing, and the blonde booted the machine once with a scuffed blue sneaker. The jukebox blared to life and Jou turned and gave Yuugi a thumbs-up, before he walked over and sat down. He then pulled a crumpled packet out of his jacket pocket and lit up a cheap cigarette, ignoring the way Yuugi's nose crumpled in distaste.
"So Yuug, ya know when you draw the mystical woodelf card, an'..."
The two of them tuned out their surroundings until two coffee cups appeared in front of them, sans saucers.
Yuugi blinked his big purple eyes and looked up, just as Jou exclaimed, "Malik Ishtar!"
The Egyptian was standing in front of them in jeans and a crumpled white t-shirt, a black apron over his clothes and a white, angular cap on top of his head. It definitely did not match the gold jewellery covering his neck and studding his ears. He smiled tentatively and held up a glass coffee pot. "You guys want coffee?"
"Motherfuckin' Malik Ishtar!"
"Yeah, that's me." Malik seemed nervous. Or perhaps just jittery.
"How are you doing, Malik?" Yuugi asked politely.
"Oh, you know, pretty good." Malik shifted the coffee jug.
"YEAH we'll take coffee, Malik Ishtar," Jounouchi announced, pushing his cup back towards Malik.
"What have you been up to?" Yuugi questioned.
"Oh, pretty much serving this stuff." Malik shrugged as he poured out a black liquid into the waiting mugs.
"...Why?" Jounouchi said.
Yuugi shot him a look. Unfortunately, Jou was oblivious to said look.
Malik smiled. "Well, first it was because I didn't have work experience in much anything other than trying to take over the world."
Jounouchi's smile froze.
"But now..." Malik shrugged. "I sort of got addicted to coffee."
"...But no more schemes for world domination, right?"
Yuugi kicked Jou under the table. "...Would you like to sit down?" He smiled at Malik.
"Yeah, siddown, Malik Ishtar!"
Yugi stifled a sigh. Maybe the late hour was getting to his friend.
Malik gave a more sincere grin, and pulled a small white cup out of his apron pocket, before sliding into the booth next to Jou and opposite Yuugi. He poured himself some of the drink and slurped it happily.
Jou held out his cigarette. "You smoke, Malik Ishtar?"
Malik eyed it for a moment, then accepted. "Not really," he said, but took a puff nonetheless.
"You know how bad that is for you, right?" Yuugi said, concerned.
Malik shrugged again. "Gotta have a hobby. Other than drinking coffee, I mean."
Yuugi noticed his hands trembling. Waaaay too much caffeine.
"So how much coffee do you drink then, Malik Ishtar?" Jou questioned, leaning back in his chair.
Maybe he'd noticed the hands, too. Then again, with Jounouchi, you could never tell. Malik was pouring himself a second cup as Yuugi cautiously took a sip of his first.
"Oh, I don't know. Not much. A few litres a day. What are you two doing here, anyway?"
"Anzu was supposed to be taking us to a party tonight, so we were sitting at Jounouchi's playing around with Duel Monsters cards... We sort of lost track of time."
"Hey, yeah, what happened to Anzu?" Jou said. He took a happy puff of the new cigarette he'd just lit, in order to replace the one Malik was now smoking.
"...You guys should try being addicted to something healthy..."
The two blondes ignored their short companion.
"Anyway, as I was saying, Malik Ishtar... You ever drink a whole lotta coffee right before bed?"
Malik grinned. "Oh, yeah. All your dreams run in super fast motion, like you're seeing them through a camera stuck to the top of a racing car, speeding along. It's incredible!"
Jou laughed and waved his lit cig dangerously close to Yuugi's hair. "Exactly."
Yuugi jumped suddenly - so soon again placing his rather voluminous hair in dangerous proximity to Jounouchi's smoke - as his cellphone began vibrating in his pocket. The face was flashing 'Anzu' at him. "...Hello?"
Jounouchi and Malik both quietly puffed their cigarettes as Yuugi listened to Anzu.
"...Now? What kind of party are you at?"
Jou grinned and pumped the air with his fist. "Al-right!" he mouthed at Malik. "She didn't forget us, afterall."
Yuugi laughed. "Okay, we'll see you soon." He clicked his phone shut.
"We headin' out?" Jounouchi questioned hopefully.
"Yeah." Yugi gulped down the last dregs of his coffee and stood. "It was nice seeing you, Malik. ...Hey, would you like to come with us?"
Malik glanced between his coffee cup and Yuugi, as Jounouchi also stood up. "Well..."
"Come on, Malik Ishtar, we'll show you a good time. It's not too late for you to make friends other than a coffee pot." Jou's tact was in the negatives, now. Anti-tact. A deadly force. Not even Malik could withstand it.
"...Okay." Malik put his cup back in his apron and stood. "Let's go then." He reached into his apron pocket and fished out a set of keys, hitting the lights as he, Jounouchi and Yugi headed for the door.
"...That's all you need to do?"
"Yer such a worrier, Yuug," Jou said, laughing. "It's not like Malik Ishtar needs to grab his purse."
Malik laughed. "Yeah, and it's not exactly busy at two-thirty a-m. The kitchen is basically shut down."
"Well, okay then." Yuugi smiled and headed out the door. The two blondes looked like trouble. But maybe there was hope for Malik, yet.
Unlike Jounouchi, who had just tripped over his own undone shoelace.
Author's Note: Hehe. I love Jou. Jou fans, don't kill me for making him silly. He's just fun this way. The way I intended to end this chapter - and it probably would have been artistically better - was to have Malik sitting alone drinking coffee. But uh... I can't stand being mean to my characters. So sue me.
Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed this story. Sorry the last chapter was a little delayed, but you know, Christmas and stuff got in the way. Plus, I've been busy trying to get this thing up and running:
Website belonging to me and my friend, go ooon, check it out. It's full of weirdness. Don't mention my ffnet name on there though. I can't have my dastardly YGO affliction being made common knowledge. ;) If anyone does go there and wonder, I'm Leigh.
I'm not sure what my next fic project will be (if there is one) so until then... Happy Holidays, all. Be safe and have fun.