"Are you ok?" Malik said as he knelt down next to Ryou and Yugi. Yugi nodded as the other two helped him to his feet.

"Come on, you'll be fine, huh. No need to cry." Malik said, gently wiping the tears off Yugi's face and pulling him into a warm, protective hug. Several people in the hall turned to stare and other's muttered behind their hand's to each other, but after what Malik had just done, none of them were going to voice their views.

"Err.... Malik..."

"Yeah?" Malik replied as he turned to look at Ryou, who had spoken.

"Are... Are you, gay?"

Malik stiffened and let go of Yugi, who took a step back and looked a bit shaken.

"So what if I am?" Malik said, a slightly apprehensive and defensive look about him.

"Just, boys don't usually hug other boys unless they're gay, well, not around here they don't anyway." Ryou muttered, shuffling his feet and looking tentatively up at Malik.

"So what, this whole school's homophobic or something?"

"Erm, yeah. This school's kinda split into gays, lezs and Homophobes."

"Oh. And let me guess, there's like, six gays?" Malik said, a small laugh in his voice.

"Well, there's Marik and Bakura, they're together, and I think Yami's with them. I'm pretty sure Seto and Joey are, and if you are, that's six people." Ryou muttered, not meeting Malik's eyes.

"Dirty fag!" Someone randomly yelled from behind Malik. The Egyptian instantly spun around; glaring at the direction the shout had come from.

"Malik." Yugi whispered,

"Just leave it, and get used to it, if what Ryou says is true..."

"Yeah, suppose you're right." Malik muttered a low growl in his voice that made Yugi back up slightly.

After school Yugi, Ryou and Malik were walking back to their respective homes together. They had been walking in silence until Yugi stuttered,

"Malik, What... What's it... What's it like being... Being gay?"

The question shocked Malik so much he stopped dead in his tracks, watching Yugi as though he'd gone mad.

"Well," He sighed, as he started walking again,

"It hard. You get rejected more often than not, people hate you, fear you, and you just have to learn to toughen up, I guess. Why'd ya ask?"

"Just wondering." Yugi squeaked,

"It sounds awful, why put up with all that?" Ryou muttered, glancing up at Malik.

"Because, well, when you're with someone, it's just amazing, like the best thing in the world. I just knew I had something special with other guys after the first time I got asked out by another guy. I just knew I was gay, it was just like one day it just clicked." Malik finished, looking down to the other two and blushing slightly.

"How old are you Malik?!"

"16, but there's no restrictions on gays are there?"

"I guess not..." Ryou muttered, still feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Look, you two don't have to hang around with me if you're scared, but really, I've been told I'm quite gentle!" Malik said with a grin as he looked at the two other boys.

"Malik! It's not we're scared, we've just been brought up to think well, that gays aren't normal people, that they're, like, deformed or have some mental problem or disease." Ryou said, Yugi nodding in agreement.

"Well, if you want to believe that, go ahead." Malik said with a scowl, causing the other two to jump back and squeak.

"No, no, we don't believe that! Do we Yugi?"

Yugi shook his head in reply to what Ryou had said. Then he added,

"People like that are just bullies, Right?"

"Most people just don't understand, and those people can go get stuffed for all I care, I've got my friends, and even if I haven't, I don't care, they don't bother me. But if you two hang around with me all the time, you're gonna get a label you know." Malik said, turning to glower at a group of boys on the other side of the road that had been talking behind their hands, but it was quite clear they were talking about him.

"Why don't you fucked up maggots say what you've got to say to my face?! Or are you scared?" Malik shouted at them, a scowl firmly covering his hansom features. The boys shut up and scurried away, still muttering.

Ryou sighed, looking up to Malik again and watching as his long golden hair fell gracefully over his face, shoulders, and back.

' I wonder if he really is gentle, he doesn't seem it, but he has been on the defensive all the time I've known him. He's butifull to, and now I think about it, he was gentle, when he hugged Yugi in the canteen, I wonder what having him for a boyfriend would be like? Hang on! What on earth?! Where did that come from?! I'm not gay!' Ryou shook his head to stop his train of thought, causing his wild white hair to fly across his face and flow over his back like water as he stopped.

"Ryou? Are you alright?" Yugi said, watching his new friend with concern.

"Oh, he's fine, would you two like to come back to mine? So we can get to know each other better?" Malik asked, a knowing glint in his eye as he looked at Ryou.

'If what I think he was thinking is true, I don't think I'd mind. But it's odd he's thinking that so soon after meeting me, maybe it's just his head messing with him or something like that? Anyway, I've learnt not to dream, it's probably nothing.'

"Thank you." Yugi said, nodding his head a little while Ryou just blushed a furious red and also nodded slightly.

"Ryou, are you sure you're alright? You look like you've got a terrible temperature, you're bright red you know." Yugi said, putting a hand on Ryou's forehead.

"I'm fine Yugi, I don't know why I'm red." Ryou lied, brushing Yugi off him and blushing brighter as he looked at Malik who was watching him, quickly looking back to the bushes on his right. There was a small rustle from said bushes, then a hissing sound. Ryou squeaked and jumped backwards, forgetting Malik was stood there as he collided with the other boy and they both stumbled back a few steps. Malik's arms instinctively wrapped around the albino who was now half fallen over, leaning back against Malik who was now wishing said boy would get up, but at the same time, not wanting him to move.

"Ryou?"

The albino shook himself and looked up and round at Malik who had spoken.

"Could you get off me please?" the Egyptian said, though it was clear he didn't want Ryou to go.

"Are you two sure you want me round as well?" Yugi muttered, watching them with a blush creeping onto his face. The other two blushed furiously and Ryou quickly stood up, stepping away from Malik.

"I'd rather you came." Ryou said, looking between his two friends and shifting his feet.

"I don't mind either way, you can come if you want."

"I'm not sure I want to though, would you really want me there?"

"We've known each other not even a day yet! Besides, Ryou's probably not interested in little old me in the slightest!"

"Oh come on Yugi, please, I'm straight, happy now? Anyway, like Malik said, we've not even known each other a day."

"I'm not sure my grandpa would want me to go round to yours on such short notice, I'm supposed to help in the shop after school."

"Well here, call him." Ryou said, pulling his cell from an inside pocket on his bag and handing it to Yugi. As the other boy took the phone, his fingers brushed over Ryou's hand, and both boys froze a few seconds as small sparks shot up both their arms and their stomachs churned. They looked from their hands to each other and quickly Yugi took the phone and stepped back, Ryou taking a step back also.

'What was that?! Why did my stomach churn like that? Why is my life even more on its head after meeting these two? I thought moving to a new school would be simple, I thought I'd just have to go and keep my head down and try not to get on the wrong side of bullies and fail, but what is it about Malik and Ryou? I can't describe it, but I just feel different around them, maybe... No, I'm straight, I can't take being gay anyway, I'm too weak, and by the way they're acting, they're both taken now anyway.' Yugi was snapped out of his thoughts as his grandpa's voice sounded in his ear,

"Hey grandpa, look, is it alright if I go to a friends house? ... Uh huh ... I will be ... ok ... fine, thanks! I'll see you later then, bye!" Yugi hung the phone up and smiled.

"Take it you're coming then?" Malik said, grinning as he looked at the spiky-haired boy.

"Umm, yeah, guess I am coming round." Yugi said, then he heard a small giggle from Ryou, who quickly stuffed his fist in his mouth and, after composing himself, shook his head to dismiss the raised eyebrows and questioning looks from his friends.

"Pun not intended on my part, don't know about Yugi!" Malik said as he cottoned on to what Ryou was laughing at. Yugi blushed when he worked it out and shook his head,

"No, pun not intended on my part." He said, still red in the face.