Hey everyone, I'm back! You probably thought I was dead or something, didn't ya :D Well I might be after today. I have to go have a stupid blood test. It's not that I hate blood or anything, it's just they have to take at least a syringe full out of me, and I said "what! You don't need that much!"

Anyway, in more important news, I HAVE CHANGED MY NAME. My pen name I mean. It's now heidiGCGD as you can tell, not heidi of the woodland rea. Now that you now… on with the story!

Once Tristan was finished "being classy," he decided to bring the journal to his beloved Duke so he could read Tristan's beautiful love notes and thank him in the flesh. Physically. Thank his brains out… heheh…

Tristan gave the journal a once-over, however, and decided it just wouldn't do. The royal blue cover was starting to fade. The pages were crackly and fragile, as if they'd been dunked in water. The whole thing smelt like a toilet.

… No, Tristan did not put two and two together.

It had also been stabbed clean through the middle, had food and bin juice stains on it, and had been run over. Definitely not a gift fit for a boyfriend. Unless that boyfriend lived in the gutter.

However, Tristan knew how to fix all that. He picked up an un-opened letter from Serenity and peeled a large love heart sticker off the front. He licked the back of it and slapped it over the gash in the cover.

"Perfect," Tristan muttered. "Mum, I'm going out!"

"Goodbye poodle!" his mother called. "Don't forget to look both ways before crossing the street!"

Tristan groaned. "Mum, my name is Tristan. And I'm not going to cross the street, I'm riding my motorbike."

"Oh no you don't, that's too dangerous. Take the bus."

"Aw mum – "

"No, Tristan. Where are you going anyway?"

"To see Duke."

"Oh how sweet! Be sure to bring that girlfriend of yours a present."

"I am bringing her a present. Him. Bringing him a present. Duke is a boy!"

"A boy!" Tristan's mother gasped. "Young man we need to have a serious talk about your – "

Tristan ignored her and walked out the door. He and his mother had the same conversation every time he left the house. Even if he didn't have a gift. Even if he wasn't going to see Duke. Even if he wasn't leaving the house!

She just hadn't been the same since Tristan had let Marik perform brain surgery on her. Marik of course shirked the blame, claiming that if she hadn't been flailing her arms around and screaming, he wouldn't have cut her lobes.

Tristan had suggested Marik use an anesthetic, but Marik explained that, being a member of the FBI, he knew how to perform brain surgery.

Tristan grimaced, remembering all the blood his brain damaged mother had to clean up once Marik had grown bored of her brain, set their cat on fire and gone home.

Poor Mr Fluffikins.

But Tristan brightened up when he saw Duke's store up ahead, and sped up, doing a skid stop out the front and running inside with the journal in hand.

Duke was leaning on the counter, looked bored and twirling his hair. He brightened significantly when Tristan ran in. "Oh my god! Hi Tristan!" he squealed girlishly.

"Hi Duke," Tristan grinned, walking over to him. "What are you doing?"

"I want to listen to my CD's, but my Discman batteries are flat," Duke pouted. "Heeeey, you're butch! Can you climb the ladder and take the batteries out of my smoke alarm so I can put them in my Discman?"

"Um… isn't that dangerous?"

"You're right, I should definitely invest in an iPod."

"…"

"But until then, can you please get the batteries for me? Please?" Duke gave his boyfriend puppy eyes.

"Sure Dukey-poo," Tristan grinned, going and retrieving the ladder. He set it up under the smoke alarm and Duke handed him a hammer.

"It's the only tool I own," he apologized, smiling.

"Ah it's fine babe," Tristan grinned, climbing up the ladder, hammer in hand, and examined the smoke detector while Duke examined his nails.

What Tristan really needed was a screwdriver. "Hey Duke, can I have a screwdriver?"

Duke whacked him. "Screw later, I want my batteries."

Tristan took that as a no and, aiming carefully, swung the hammer as hard as possible. Half of the detector shattered and fell away. Taking that as a good sign, he swung three more times before the batteries fell into his hand.

One was bent and the other was cracked and spewing battery acid, but Tristan handed them to Duke proudly anyway.

"Thanks poodle," Duke cooed, pushing them into his Discman. "Hm, they don't fit. Oh well – Tristan, can you put them back in the smoke detector?"

Tristan glanced at the smashed remains of the smoke detector. The remains still in the ceiling, anyway. A chunk of plaster fell down and shattered on the ground. "I bought you a present, Duke!" he said hurriedly, holding out the journal.

"Aw Tristan!" Duke squealed, taking the journal. "It has a love heart and everything!" He looked again, a little closer, and took in all the faults. "This is the cleanest thing to ever come out of your house."

Tristan averted his eyes and covered a food stain on his shirt. "Read it," he urged.

"Oh-kay!" Duke said happily, and flicked through the pages until he saw Tristan's handwriting and read to himself.

I hate having to say "I love you" to Duke. This is why motorbikes are better. You don't have to tell them you love them.

Duke pouted at Tristan, who was grinning moronically. "You bitch!" He slapped Tristan across the face and stormed out, slamming the door.

"What? Dukey-poo…" Tristan began, but a piece of plaster fell from the ceiling and he decided to leave before the whole shop collapsed.

Well whaddya think? Was it worth the wait? Please review! Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far, this story has 101 reviews! That's the most I've ever gotten! Thankyou!