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"Malik!" Isis snapped, storming into her brothers bedroom with the failed test paper in her hands, "what the hell is this"
He peered up from his games consol, raised one eyebrow and shrugged, "you know, the math test I took last week"
"how long have you been failing for"
He gulped, "since…ever"
"Malik!" shredding the paper she stormed off to the phone in the landing, her frantic brother following quickly behind.
"what are you doing?" he panicked "phoning the smartest guy in Domino, I'll pay him to tutor you"
"no, Isis, you really don't need to! I already have a tutor"
She snorted, "they clearly aren't doing a good enough job, no ands, buts or ifs, you're getting tuition and you're gonna be damn thankful for it!"
"I hate my life!" Malik exclaimed to Jou, slumping over the counter in Taste, "she's asked Seto Kaiba to tutor me! I mean of all the people she could have asked, Seto bloody Kaiba"
Jou shrugged and handed a smoothie to a waiting customer, putting the cash in the register he turned to his workmate and said, "you know, Kaiba's a real brain, having him tutor you might not be such a bad idea"
"are you crazy! He'll be such a strict arsed, snob who'd clearly rather get on with his business than tutor me"
"oh I don't know"
"why are you sticking up for him anyway?" Malik snapped, thumping some smoothies down on the counter, "you hate each other"
"yea, but he can do you a real favour"
"ugh"
Thelma sat on Ryou's couch, waiting for her best friend to bring the popcorn in for movie night. Yawning and stretching, she suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her left pocket.
"Hey Ry!" she shouted, scanning the miniscule screen, "I just got a text from Malik"
"good grief" Ryou sighed, placing the bowl in between them and slumping on the sofa, "what's he saying"
"he doesn't need me to tutor him anymore…Isis has asked Kaiba to do it instead"
The boy almost fell off the couch laughing, "oh how I love Malik's misery"
"Ry" she punched his arm playfully, "don't be cruel, but it is pretty funny…think he'll end up in Taste or summer school"
"who cares?" the whitenette sunk further into the cushions, pressing play on the DVD.
Malik glanced at the clock. A minute to go till Kaiba was scheduled to arrive. Looking at the doorway, he narrowed his eyes, if he could stare any harder, the door might actually melt.
The bell sounded and the boy leapt about three feet in the air. "how can something I was waiting for be so surprising?" he retorted, opening the front door. The young CEO stood, hands on hips supporting his long navy trench coat and leather trousers.
"come in" Malik said with almost no emotion.
"gladly" Kaiba replied, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat stand. "so let me get this straight, you failed a math test, your sister found out, and now you need my help so you don't end up in summer school"
Malik sighed, "in a word, yes. Just come in and lets get started, I've had a shitty day"
"you aren't the only one Ishtar, just get out your stuff and show me what the problem is, I don't have all night"
"oh not that I'm sure is untrue" Malik countered, "you may run a business, but as far as a social life goes, yours is far from it"
"maybe it's a lack of social gatherings that keep me in the big leagues and you in the enrolment list for summer school!" the older boy shouted, slamming a textbook down on the table top.
"ugh, this sucks worse than Taste"
The hours dragged on and Malik either found himself head first in the books asleep, or arguing with his tutor over little things that he'd end up losing about anyway. He did notice that regardless of the constant bickering, Kaiba would keep working away, never once making any errors.
"so you understand yet?" he asked, drawing a halt to Malik's train of thought. The Egyptian looked up into questioning, ice blue eyes. He'd never noticed before, but those eyes really were quite lovely. "um, no"
Kaiba grunted and hung his head backwards, "I don't know how to make it any easier"
Malik shrugged, taking a sip of water from the glass that had been sitting in front of him for hours untouched, "maybe I'm just not meant to be good at maths"
"don't talk nonsense" the CEO stated irritably, "people are programmed to be able to do things when they really try. You just don't try hard enough"
"that isn't true! Listen to yourself"
"ok then" Kaiba smiled smugly, "where were you last night? In studying"
The boy gulped, "ok, so I was out clubbing, one night Kaiba"
"one night can make all the difference, you'll see that when you get another F on the pop test you did yesterday. You need to be prepared for the next one don't you see? Do you really want to spend your holiday in summer school"
"no! that's the point in these one to one sessions"
Kaiba sighed heavily, "your heart isn't in it"
"it's boring" The brunette thought for a moment, Malik watching intently. He really was quite a good looking stuck up arse wasn't he?
"why don't we make it more interesting then?" Kaiba once again stopped the boys train of thought.
"how"
"we could make it into a game"
Malik laughed stubbornly, "yea, like that'll work"
"you got any other ideas smart boy?" he snapped back. Kaiba took Malik's stunned silence as a no. "I'll come up with something for tomorrow night. You keep at the books until then" Kaiba instructed, standing to leave.
"yes sir" Malik mock saluted, listening to Kaiba grumble down the pathway.
"can't wait" the Egyptian whispered into the night before shutting the door and heading to the kitchen for a snack.
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Ssor - ok, that was pretty short, but we get the general introductory idea. Well, I think so. Maybe write another part later tonight, who knows. Until then, much love.