Oh my goodness! I am so sorry for taking so long to get this up! I was away this last weekend and I had no access to the web or my files or anything. I'm sorry and I'll make it up somehow. Here we go!
The sandy-blonde hikari fled to his bedroom and slammed the door behind himself quite loudly. His face had retained its bright red color and he looked panicked and on the verge of tears. He walked into his rather large closet and slid the mirror door closed. "I can't believe my luck. I just dropped my towel right in front of him…how embarrassing." Malik leaned against the wall and hung his head low in shame.
Then there was a knock on the door and Ryou's kind voice emitted through the sand painted wooden door. "Malik…Are you all right?" He inquired of the other in a most kind and concerned tone.
Malik gasped lightly and peeked out of the closet a short ways. "Um…yeah…" He said sounding still unsure.
"Do you want me to stay out here?"
"He's seen me bare before…why am I suddenly so embarrased?" Malik questioned of himself. "Well…you can come in if you want to." He said sounding more sure. "Are you sure its all right?" Ryou questioned again. Malik confirmed and ducked back into the closet.
Ryou entered slowly and shut the door quietly. He heard the sound of cloth being pushed about in the closet where he assumed Malik was hiding. He sat down on the bed and crossed his legs politely.
Malik rummaged through his wardrobe to find something appropriate to cloth himself in. He had managed to slip on a shirt in the small amount of space he was allowed and was working on getting his jeans on when he tumbled out of the closet when them half zipped.
He stared at Ryou who was sitting on his bed in a most proper manner and was looking at his finger nails. He looked upside down from Malik's point of view. He zipped up his pants the rest of the way and buttoned them quickly.
Ryou looked away from his nails and giggled lightly at the sight of his lover, who had his shirt on backwards and inside out. "Do you need some help straightening out your clothes?" Ryou teased. Malik stood himself up and walked over to the body-length mirror set up in a corner of his bedroom. He turned his back to the mirror and saw that the logo was on the inside of shirt that was backwards on him.
"Yes, please." Ryou stood from the bed and approached him casually. He helped Malik off with the shirt and began turning back outright. He noticed that Malik was shaking quite a bit. "Are you all right, Malik?"
"Hm?" His shaking stopped as he glanced over his shoulder at Ryou.
"You are shaking…or you were."
"It's…its just cold in here…" Malik replied and looked back at his reflection in the mirror. Ryou shrugged and pushed the sleeves outwards. He returned the shirt to Malik who didn't hesitate to put it on as soon as he could.
The sandy-blonde hikari padded over to his bed and fell backwards onto the flowing white sheets and purple comforter. He draped his arms over his face and sighed. Ryou looked at him in a confused manner and crossed his arms. "Are you all right?" Malik peeked through his crossed limbs and shrugged his broad shoulders.
"I don't know…"
Ryou laid down beside him on the bed and rested his head on his arm. "You can tell me." He assured and pushed Malik's arms away from his face. Malik sighed heavily and looked over at Ryou who was staring straight at him without breaking his stare. "Well, I just suddenly feel so nervous around you…as if we had just met or something…"
Ryou lowered his eyes from Malik's and looked rather sorry. "I am sorry I make you feel that way…I don't mean to…" Malik sat up quickly and put his hand on Ryou's shoulder. "I don't blame you, Ryou."
He rubbed the back of his neck and dropped his hands into his lap. "Something feels different, but I don't know what." Malik explained and looked back at Ryou who was contemplating what that could possibly mean.
Still feeling that this was somehow his doing, Ryou stood from the bed and walked towards the door. He opened it, but paused to look back at Malik. "Well, I don't want to make you feel nervous, so, I guess I wll just go home. I will see you later…I guess."
"Ryou," Malik whispered.
"Bye, Malik." He left the room and shut the door on his way out. He exited the large estate and walked down the icy pavement not knowing where to go now. He was sure that Bakura and Mariku had gone to his house, and he wanted in no way to upset either of the destructive forms, so instead he made his way to the park for some alone time.
Malik buried his face in one of the feathery pillows resting at the head of his bed. "I'm such an idiot!" He screamed into his pillow and started throwing things about his room in anger.
The pallid-hair hikari ended up in the park, on one of the benches, somewhere in the more wooded area where it was silent and without existant life at the moment. He leaned back against the cold, wet boards of the bench and stared up at the grayish sky hovering gloomily over the city.
"Bakura?" Mariku said to the form laying with his head on his lap. The thief looked up from Mariku's lap at him. "I need to go home for a short while." Bakura sat up against the headboard and nodded. "All right, whatever. Just don't get into a load of crap, allright?"
"I wont. I'll be back soon." Mariku leaned over to his lover and kissed him on the forehead. Bakura sniveled at the little peck and quarked his fine brow. "What the hell do you call that?"
Mariku seemed confused by his sudden rudeness and besides that didn't know what his lover was saying. "I prefer to do it this way…" Bakura leaned towards Mariku and took his lips to his own for the few seconds he was allowed. Mariku had leaned into it a little more when he had suddenly recalled that he was just about to leave.
Bakura sat back and smirked at Mariku knowing that he wanted to stay the kiss. "You can leave now if you need to." Mariku grinned and scrambled off of the bed. "I do, look at me. I'm still dressed like a nurse." Bakura draped his arms behind his neck and looked Mariku over. "You do. Just go before you change your mind," he teased.
Malik chuckled on his way out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house. He had almost forgotten to grab his coat on the way out, but made sure he went back into the house to get it before he even dared to walk out into the cold winds.
He walked a steady, but quick pace so as to get him more quickly so he could take the warm shower he had practically dreamt of. He walked up the slippery patheway to the manor. He walked inside easily since the door had been left unbarred.
The sandy-blonde yami hung his coat on the coat rack and walked up the two flights of stairs and had just walked by Malik's. He stopped in his tracks and took a few steps backward to the entrance of Malik's open bedroom. He leaned against the doorway and looked around at the wreck that was his hikari's bedroom. His hikari was face down on his bed and laying there motionless.
"Are you dead yet?" He taunted. "No," Malik frumped into his blankets which muffled his reply. "Whatever then. I'll be in the shower." Mariku walked off without a care in the world and made for his bedroom quite a ways down the egyptian corridor.
The half excited yami opened the two gold doors to his room and was met by a rush of cold air that had been trapped in there for quite some time. He shuddered and then walked in closing his doors behind. He walked over to the bathroom door and opened it. He was very happy to see that his bathroom was untouched and was the same as he remembered it.
He padded over to the bath tub that was about the same size as a jacuzzi and reached over to the knobs. He turned on the water and found a comfortable temperature to run it at. As the water filled the bathe, he began to strip away the hospital scrubs that had small spots of his blood on them. He grabbed a few of his favorite scents from a small cupboard hanging over the bathe and poured them into the water.
As soon as it had filled, he eased himself in and sighed his relief as he slid in as far as his neck and made a funny little happy noise as he quickly became very comfortable. The scent of lavendar and other such scents intoxicated the air and his senses as he inhaled it with each slow breath. He suddenly wished that he had dragged Bakura along so that he too could enjoy the bathe as well.
An hour or so had passed and Mariku had not yet returned from his little trip to house. Bakura had gotten bored waiting around for him and decided to go over to the mansion to retrieve him.
The tomb robber just walked into the house without knocking or anything and walked into the living room where he discovered Malik moping around. The sandy-blonde hikari glanced up at Bakura and seemed surprised to see him and a little embarrassed to be caught acting like this. "What are you doing here, Bakura?"
Bakura said nothing and sat down on the same couch as Malik only on the opposite end from him. "Where is Mariku?" His eyes wandered around the living room without interest in any particular item. "Still in the shower…" Malik replied quite sadly.
Bakura looked over at the more nervous male in an awkward way. "What's wrong with you?" The smaller male was suddenly all over Bakura and crying his eyes out. He clutched Bakura's shirt tightly and sobbed loudly. "I'm so stupid!" He cried out.
"Get the hell off of me!" Bakura detached the raving male's hands from his shirt and thrust him off. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Bakura snapped angrily and pushed his hair out of his face. He looked quite upset with Malik's sudden outburst. "You have to help me!" Malik pleaded with Bakura. "I don't have to help you do a damn thing!" He snapped back at the hikari.
"You have to! I won't be able to confront him ever again!" Malik continued to sob and took hold of Bakura's shirt once again. Bakura threw him off and again and moved to the other couch across the room.
Mariku had finally finished with his shower and had walked downstairs already dressed and looking a lot better, and also feeling that way. He heard someone in the living room sobbing quite loudly. He stepped into the room and saw his hikari sniveling on the ground and Bakura sitting on the couch with an unfavorable look on his features.
"What's going on in here?" Mariku asked out of pure confusion. He did, however, have the idea that there was a confrontation between the two. Malik looked up at his yami with tears in his eyes. He looked so pathetic that Mariku almost felt sorry for him.
"Ryou hates me! I will never be able to talk to him again!" He cried out. Bakura rolled his eyes and stuck up his nose. "I'm glad. I don't want you to rub off on him in any way, shape, or form." Bakura hissed.
Mariku sat down on the couch near his hikari and pulled him close in a very caring way that he had not shown the other for years. "Quiet yourself, Malik. Explain to me what happened."
Malik explained what had happened in vivid detail. Bakura heard it all and looked as if he were going to vomit. Mariku seemed enraptured in his hikari's tale. Once Mariku pulled his hikari up onto the couch beside him and whispered something in his ear.
"Its okay that you were nervous. You rushed into a relationship too fast and merely skipped a few vital steps in courtship. Its understandable that you would act that way. I occassionally feel the same way when I am around Bakura. Do not be hard on yourself or little Ryou." He had whispered.
Malik looked at his yami with distress and worry still in his eyes. Mariku smiled and patted Malik on the head as if he were his pet. "But Mariku, he was so upset when he left."
"It is likely that Ryou also misunderstood what was going on. You should just talk it out with him." Mariku explained for the last time. He stood from the couch and looked to Bakura with a smile on his face.
"I'll be in the kitchen," Mariku began. He noticed that his hikari had practically lit up when he heard those words. "And no, I don't want your help, Malik."
Malik lowered his head and seemed upset that he wasn't to be included. Mariku left the living room and headed to the kitchen and left Malik and Bakura staring at one another.
Bakura glanced away from Malik and began pulling at his entangled white tendrils. The jittery hikari stood and approached Bakura. He reached out and took his silver locks in his hair and carefully began untangling the many snags.
Bakura gently pushed his hands away. "What are you doing?"
"You seemed to be having trouble," Malik said sounding as nervous as ever.
"Don't worry about it, I can do it." Bakura's tone was noticeably softer, which made it sound very welcoming to the other. "I am not inept."
"Fine…" Malik drew back his hands and sat down beside Bakura with his hands in his lap.
"Thanks for your help though…" Bakura regretably said as he untangled the last of the mess. He stood from the couch and exited the living room, turning down the hallway and climbing the tall staircase with Malik in tow.
He could tell that Malik was behind him and was trying his best to ignore him. He turned down the hallway to Mariku's bedroom and opened the door. "Wait, Bakura!" Malik called from behind.
Bakura turned his head back and looked harshly at Malik. "What now?" Malik stood there for a moment, looking at the walls and seeming unsure of what he was doing there.
"Just spare me any of your nonsense, and tell it to someone who cares." Bakura hissed and began to turn away to the room. Just then, Malik darted forward and grabbed Bakura's arm, turning him about and pulled him into a most passionate of kisses.
Bakura threw him back and wiped at his mouth furiously. "What the hell was that for!" He screamed at Malik and gave him a look that said 'I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp'.
Malik pushed Bakura into the room and shut the door. He threw Bakura back onto his yami's bed and showered his neck with kisses, one after the other. "What the hell is wrong with you, you fucking idiot!" Bakura sat up and tried to force Malik off.
"Shut the hell up!" Malik commanded and took Bakura's lips to his own again. Bakura turned his face away from Malik and again tried to lift him off. "I don't have to do anything you say, and I sure as hell don't have to lay here and take this shit from you."
Bakura pushed Malik off with great force and fell of the bed in the process. Malik was quick to get back onto him and pin him down once again. He was obviously out of control and there was no way Bakura was going to be able to reason with him.
"You bastard!" Bakura cursed and continued to struggle for his freedom. Suddenly, the unlocked door opened and Mariku walked in with a glass of wine in his hand and a plate with a sandwich. "I didn't know if you wanted-"
"Get off of me!" Bakura raged at Malik. Mariku dropped the wine glass and the sandwich. He had a look of shock and horror on his tan skin, which was now growing more pale with each moment that passed.
The glass shattered, leaving a massive stain from the sandwich and beverage. Bakura had not truly realized that his lover had walked in on the both of them, however, he had noticed the other who had just now darted from the room with tears in his eyes.
He found his own strength and threw Malik hard off of himself. He jumped to his feet and kicked him in the side just once. "You have messed everything up!" Malik groaned and rolled onto his front. Bakura dashed out of the room to find his hurt lover.
Well, there you have it! Another chapter. Ta da! I'll have another one done soon, I promise.