Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh characters.

Warnings: This will get very angsty in later chapters, sometimes gory so this is not for the faint of heart. Also, this is AU. (My first AU story, wee!)

Her Sweetness: Thank you for the great responses, everyone! I will try not to disappoint!

— Everybody, Everybody —

Chapter Two

Ryou Bakura sighed, looking at the paper he was just handed back. Another F to add to his growing collection. He looked up, scanning the room and his fellow classmate's papers, able to see the tests over their shoulders thanks to his seat. This test must've been easier than he had previously thought because they all had relatively high grades. And here he sat, starring at what was probably the lowest grade in the class. He turned it over so that no one would be able to see his pathetic score.

From anyone else's point of view, it would look like he did not care about his grade, that it made no difference to him whether he made a F or an A in this class, on this test. That was probably because he was so flippant in the way that he had turned it over, in the way that he had received and looked at it. But, of course, Ryou Bakura had always had that air about him, that way of seeming so care free and laid back. He knew this strange affect he had on people, the way they all watched him with a curious and sometimes admirable twinkle in their eye.

Most of the time, he used this to his advantage. Which was why this F was a bit of a shock for those in his class lucky enough to steal a glance at his paper. Surprisingly, his charm, his way of intriguing people, worked on people of all ages. It went from when he was a young boy and people in the grocery store would stop his mother, 'What a sweet young boy you have there, Mrs. Bakura,' is what they would say. Then when he became older, graduating to middle school and then High school, he would get left behind in classes, not pay attention and get Fs — such as the one he was currently hiding — on tests. One day he discovered that his charm would work on teachers.

The female teachers were always the first to succumb. All he had to do was flash his smile. It was that easy. Grades gradually got higher and all he had to do was smile and joke around, wear tight clothing. But soon after, as he moved up to the ninth grade and discovered his own deepest desires, he focused more on his male teachers, sitting on their desks after class in the dusk of the early evening. It started out with just asking for tutoring after school, an hour, maybe two. With the older ones, he would act sweet and gentle, would touch their shoulder as they bent over him, showing him an equation's formula or some such.

As for the younger ones, they were harder to satisfy without Ryou Bakura giving up more than he was receiving. He smiled rather fondly out the window next to his desk now as he thought back to his freshman year at the end of the semester and remembered how badly he needed to get a passing grade on his Chemistry final. He had snuck back into the classroom during lunch when the other students went down to the cafeteria and closed the classroom door softly behind himself as he ventured forward, hoping that his jeans were tight enough for the man sitting at his desk in a white lab coat.

"Mr. Glenwood," He'd whispered softly in the heat of the afternoon. In had been July and the school had yet to turn on the air conditioner. The room was stifling and he was regretting wearing those denim jeans.

The man looked up, sparkling blue eyes catching the light and setting the room ablaze. Ryou Bakura had seen those eyes starring at him in the middle of a lecture and sometimes Mr. Glenwood would stop talking altogether, both of them caught in that gaze. It was then that Ryou Bakura knew he would be getting an A on his final without too much compromise. His look was questioning enough but he spoke, "Yes, Mr. Bakura? Do you need something?"

He held up his Chemistry notebook, "Actually, yes. I was wondering about that problem you were showing us at the beginning of class. The equation? I don't think I fully understand."

Mr. Glenwood smiled and rose from his chair, coming over only too pleased to help this young boy. Ryou seated himself at the nearest desk and opened the notebook to the correct page, pointing to a series of abbreviations and numbers as his professor stood behind him and put on hand on the desk, hunching over and immediately explaining the entire thing. Ryou paid no attention to his words and planned his next move. He chuckled at the thought. Like it even needed planning.

It was only another thirty seconds before Mr. Glenwood took a breath and looked at his pupil. "Well, did any of that make sense?"

Ryou smiled lazily, leaning his head back and letting it rest on the teacher's hip. The man took in a quick gasp and moved to back away but Ryou latched onto his hand, Mr. Glenwood's sun-kissed skin beautiful against his own milky white flesh. He stroked his larger fingers tenderly and looked up at him. Ryou could almost feel his teacher's pulse quicken.

"Mr. Bakura—"

"It's hot in here," Ryou interrupted, still smiling.

He smirked, trying to gain back all the composure that this boy was making him lose. "Well, I'm not surprised. You're wearing that sweater."

Ryou Bakura was not affected by this comment. He matched that smirk with his own, reaching his hand higher up that well-toned arm, "Would you like me to take it off, then?"

There was almost a full moment of silence as they starred into each other's eyes, a cool blue meeting a melting brown. A second there, Ryou thought he was losing his teacher and his shot at an A for the final but all doubt was eliminated when Mr. Glenwood bent down and leaned into the boy's face, ready for whatever would happen. Just before their lips met, Ryou lifted his finger to the teacher's lips, a cunning smirk dominating his features that said playfully, I got you now.

The teacher put his arm around the boy's frail shoulders, "What do you want?"

"Mmm. What does every student want?"

The deal was sealed with a kiss.

-

Ryou Bakura remembered that day and that year all too well. He got that A and he had earned it. Of course he had not gone all the way with Mr. Glenwood, he never went all the way. That was his one rule. He would never do such a degrading thing with a teacher, with anyone. He promised himself that a long time ago, so long ago, in fact, that he did not remember exactly when the promise was made. All he knew was that it was a promise he would never betray. Not that he didn't want someone special but he considered himself to be wonderful — however self-centered that may sound — and he wanted someone just as good.

He smirked, looking across the classroom to an empty desk that stood lonely by the exit door. His big brother was sick today. Not sick really, but sick of school. Ryou really preferred for his big brother not to skip school for no reason. He liked having him here with him, not only to be with but for protection's sake as well. There were people that his charm did not work on and when that happened, his big brother was there to back him up. It amazed him how similar they were — of course, they were identical twins. Him being born two minutes before Ryou gave him the place of 'big brother' — their looks, even though his brother was two inches taller and his features were more defined, muscles more toned and hair having more of a spike to it.

'Bakura' was what his big brother liked to be called, having a certain fondness for their last name. Ryou did not question him on this and called him what he wished but in the stillness of the night or when they were alone in a corridor, even for a brief moment, he would shorten the name to a playful pet name that only he was aloud to use. His big brother was wonderful as well, just as wonderful as he was and it was not long until he saw it, though, at first, it was not his choice to see it.

Ryou did not like bringing up memories from the past too often. They hurt too much; hurt in places he did not know that he had until he remembered them. That first time his brother had made him see how wonderful he was, that maybe he was that wonderful person made just for Ryou.

When they were still just kids, only fourteen years old, their family had taken a trip during the summer break to their summer home by the coast. They did that every year, but this year had been different than all the rest and Ryou felt it that night as he sat in his and Bakura's room that they shared in the spacious cabin.

The door to the bathroom opened suddenly and Ryou tilted his head, glancing back to see Bakura in a lone white towel wrapped securely around his waist, slipping some as he walked out, shutting the door behind him. Ryou looked at him as he stood there at the foot of the bed, looking at his younger brother expectantly. Ryou shook his head, "Alright, alright. I'll go in as soon as I'm done with this chapter," He said, still immersed in his novel.

Bakura raised an eyebrow and came around the side of the bed, sitting down beside him, "Ry," Using his own sweet nickname for his brother, "You don't have to pretend anymore, you know. It's summer. There's no school and mom and dad wouldn't care."

"Wouldn't care about what?" He raised his own eyebrow, matching his brother's, this making them look like mirror images.

"Don't play with me, Ry. I know you, know how you got such a good grade on those last few tests."

Ignore him, "I don't know what you mean, I studied."

He laid down beside the boy now, leaning his head on his shoulder and wetting him in the process, his body still damp from the shower. "Studied what? Certainly not History. I saw you, what you and Mr. Barnes were doing. You little whore," He smirked now, voice teasing, "You let him kiss you, let him touch you. You were making bedroom eyes at him."

Ryou kept his calm, "So,"

There was a small second when his brother did not say anything, only changed his position by coming in front of him and gently taking the book away, crouching down and leveling his brown eyes with his younger brother's. "So. Make those eyes at me."

"What?" He was not taking him seriously.

"You heard me, Ry. We're brothers, aren't we? I should be able to be intimate with you, more so than some teacher. So, c'mon. What are we waiting for?" He grinned now, toothy and all white as he took his brother's frail wrists in his grip and turned him on his back without much struggle even though he was trying to break free.

"'Kura," — ah, that nickname — "what do you think you're doing?"

"I want to love you like that teacher did."

"We didn't—"

"Doesn't matter, Ry. I'm your brother and what's yours is mine. You know that."

Ryou cringed now thinking back on the events of that night. They were both virgins and no matter how gentle Bakura tried to be, the whole thing was one stumble after another and it hurt Ryou something awful. But that did not matter now. Because after the first month or so of that — Bakura coming in and pinning him down, him protesting in return — Ryou began to relax and appreciate it more, appreciate his brother more. It was safe to say that he had fallen in love with his brother a long time ago, but that summer brought up the physical side of himself, a side he would only continue to share with Bakura.

Now, as if hearing a shout from a far off distance, Ryou Bakura heard his teacher's voice, something along the lines of, "Page 182 in your textbook…"

He rolled his eyes and reached down to his school bag, fishing around in it. After a moment of feeling nothing there, he opened it fully and noted that there was nothing inside. He must've dropped his text book on his way…

"Oh," He said aloud, not meaning to but doing it anyway and drawing a few people's questioning glances his way. He smiled and waved away their concern and they automatically went back to their task more elated than when they had left it. After all, Ryou Bakura just smiled and waved.

Turning back to his own thoughts now, he remembered where his book must've been. In the hallway, by Ms. Sinclair's room. That was when he bumped into Marik, Marik Ishtar he thought his name was. What a funny person. Never spoke, never made eye contact and Ryou was curious why he never had any friends. Surely a good looking boy like himself could have dozens of potential dates, a number maybe even rivaling his own. But he did feel bad for poor Marik Ishtar. He was rarely spoken to and once, he thought it was a month ago, he had seen the teen confront Ms. Sinclair about colleges. She didn't even know his name.

Marik had walked out of there so quickly that he probably had not seen Ryou. That didn't matter though, Ryou was only going in to finalize his midterm grade. And in homeroom, he enjoyed the feeling of Marik Ishtar behind him, craning his neck and trying to be discreet about the notes he wanted a peek at. Most of the time, Ryou would lean back and let Marik have the run of his notes, reading them and he knew Marik Ishtar knew none of the people any of the letters concern.

He was innocent of everything, so why not let that silly thing have his fun?

Ryou Bakura decided that he would have to get to know this boy better. Not only did he feel sorry for him and wanted to be helpful in the department of friends, but simply because he was interested in him. Sometimes he would see him in the cafeteria, sitting in that lonesome corner by himself, but he never looked sorrowful or pained my his lack of companions, he just existed as if he were the only one on the planet.

The bell rung and Ryou went through the rest of the day thinking of how he could approach this boy, Marik Ishtar, without seeming to have planned it.

-

A pale face leant over him as he slept. A gentle voice and a smile, two perfect pink lips forming the words:

"I'm in love with you, Ishtar."

In the night as everyone in his apartment complex slept, Marik Ishtar woke with a start, purple eyes wide, sweat running down his body and soaking the sheets in it. He threw the covers off himself and turned to the other side, feet dangling just above the hard wood floor. He sighed, calming himself from what must've been a dream.

After a few deep breaths, he closed his eyes and smiled. He could still see Ryou Bakura's face, heard his angelic voice and he was talking to him. Not the pretending, but he was in fact saying his name and meaning it. I'm in love with you. His smile grew broader as he got off the bed, walking down the darkened, narrow hallway and into the bathroom, on the way repeating the name he had been sense he arrived home.

Ryou Bakura.

To be continued.