Elloelloello! -glompstehpeople- How have yew been? Good? I hope so. Muaha.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Bakura?" Jou placed a hand on the teenagers slender shoulder. "Bakura… Are you okay?" The blonde gently shook Ryou's shoulder, concern written all over his face. If Ryou felt the teenager's hand, he didn't notice it. "Bakura… Please, you have to say something!"
"What do you want me to say?" Ryou whispered, staring at the floor, his skeletal frame slumped into the plastic moulded hospital chair. His knees were drawn up to his chest, bony arms circling his legs. The light sighed, resting his forehead on his knees. "I don't know…" His voice was muffled against his bloodstained clothes.
"Bakura." Jou let out a long breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Bakura, please. It's so scary to see you like this… I don't know what to do, and…" The blonde looked away. "I feel so useless." Jounouchi mumbled, leaning back into his chair and holding a hand over his eyes.
"Don't." Ryou whispered, hunching his shoulders as he buried his head deep in his knees. "Y-You called the ambulance, Jou. You stopped the bleeding for a while. I was the one who did n-nothing." The teen swallowed, suppressing a sob. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't forget about how afraid he was when he found Bakura in the lounge dying. How his heart beat in fear when his other half passed out in his arms. Why was he so affected? Did he care? Yes, of course. Of course he cared about Bakura; there was no doubt about it. He would always care for the demon, but Ryou could never love him…
"Do you want me to call someone?" Jou said, his voice uncharacteristically soft as he placed his hand back on Ryou's shoulder. The whitenette sniffed, rubbing his nose on the fabric of his school pants. Ryou nodded, closing his eyes momentarily as he lifted his head.
"C-can you please call Malik?" The light rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Jou nodded, taking a mental note of the number Ryou gave him, and ran to one of the pay phones lining the walls. The teen sighed, letting out a long, quivering breath, his head in his hands. The last hour seemed to have flown by in Ryou's mind… Finding Bakura on the floor… The ride in the ambulance… And now just waiting uselessly for news. Was Bakura going to be okay? Was he going to survive after losing so much blood? Was there anything the doctors could do? Was Bakura… Going to die? No. Ryou mentally berated himself. No, that's not an option. Bakura is going to be just fine. They've been in there for a while now. If he was going to die, it would all be over by now. They would have given lots of blood, and they're doctors, of course they can fix him up. The whitenette continued in this vein for a while, trying desperately to calm himself and keep his tears at bay. Bakura's going to be okay, he's going to be okay…
"Ryou?" The light gasped, lifting his head from the false comfort of his knees to find wide lavender eyes, wrought with concern in front of him. "Ryou, Jounouchi told me what happened…"
"Malik." Ryou gasped, his chin trembling. "I-I-I-" Unable to form any proper words, Ryou burst into tears. The Egyptian sighed, crouching in front of the chair to hold Ryou in his arms, the light sobbing desperately into his shoulder. Malik was almost heartbroken as he listened to Ryou's tears, his heart swelling in pity for the poor boy.
"Shhh…" Malik whispered, gently rising up and taking a seat beside Ryou, the frail whitenette sobbing in his arms. "Ryou… I know your upset… But Bakura's going to be fine. Jounouchi said he's been in there for nearly two hours. He's going to be fine…"
"B-But…" Ryou's voice was weak, muffled against Malik's shirt. "I-It's m-my f-fault…"
"No…" Malik said soothingly, stroking fluffy white hair. "It's not. Bakura's a psycho. He's mentally imbalanced, and Jou told me he was pissed off his face, too." Ryou remembered the sharp scent of alcohol on the yami's breath.
"B-But he said… He said he loved me." Ryou swallowed. "A-And he w-wanted to try a relationship." The whitenette felt Malik's arms tense, wrapped around his slender torso. "I-I c-couldn't, not after what he did… And he got angry…"
"Did he hurt you?" Malik whispered, lifting Ryou's chin to look into wet brown eyes. The light shook his head, sniffing as he lowered dark mocha orbs. "Good. If he has…" The Egyptian left the threat dangling in midair, Ryou looking down at his bloodstained knees. It was then when he realized that Malik had no idea that Bakura had stolen his innocence. Oh dear… I think I'll wait until Bakura is either dead or healed until I tell him…
"Where did Jounouchi go?" The whitenette realized for the first time, lifting his head to stare around the hospital waiting room. "Is he…"
"He had to go home." Malik said in that calm, soothing voice again. "Between you and me, I don't think he was comfortable staying here. He hates Bakura's guts and no offense, but I think you creep him out sometimes." Ryou sighed, leaning his head into the blondes shoulder. "Ryou? Are you all right?"
"Just tired." Ryou mumbled, his luxurious chocolate eyes drifting shut. "So tired…" Malik nodded, as he unwound his arms from Ryou's waist, and the lights arms from his neck.
"Maybe you should rest." Malik said softly, leaning into the back of the seat. He winced as his spine was pressed against the moulded plastic uncomfortably, and slouched slightly. That's better. Ryou nodded, stretching out along four of the hard plastic chairs, resting his head on folded arms, and folded arms on Malik's lap. The Egyptian sighed, leaning back a bit more to get slightly comfortable, but to no avail. Would it really kill the district health board to invest in comfortable chairs? Malik growled, casting a lavender glare about the room. Ryou was asleep on his lap, silent except for the occasional soft whimper of murmur, which was lost amongst the hustle and bustle of the busy hospital. Malik stared at the doors to the Resuscitation Unit, where he knew Bakura was being treated for his torn arms- And more than likely, alcohol poisoning. I hope he pulls through. The sandy blonde sighed, running a hand through his hair. There was no way around it- He cared. The demon was his friend, and Malik (And maybe sometimes Ryou) was the only person who could control Bakura whenever he lapsed into a violent frenzy. And aside from that, yeah, he had a crush on Bakura. It had remained in the back of his mind for months, but Malik knew that nothing could ever come of it. Not when Ryou and Bakura were both in love with each other. He would just let the story between them unfold first.
The Egyptian sighed, still caught up in these thoughts. I have to stop. Ryou is the best friend I've ever had. I can't be feeling this way about his lover… Wait. Lavender eyes snapped open. Why did Ryou say no when Bakura said he wanted to try a relationship? Was he scared it was going to be another lie? What did Bakura do to break his trust like this? Malik shook his head. He did have to stop. Casting a bored glance towards the table beside him, the Egyptian noted a pile of old magazines. He picked up the thin book on the top of the stack, leafing through with a bored, tired expression on his face. It was incredulous within a minute however, as he continued to turn the pages, and Malik rolled his eyes. What junk. It really was for middle-aged women with no lives. He tossed it to the table again, and let out a sigh. He was doing that a lot recently. It was the tension, the stress. He was surprised his hair hadn't fallen out yet.
"Bloody hell." Malik remarked, looking up at the clock for the fourth time in five minutes. "What did you do to yourself Bakura?" It was nearly eleven O'clock, and blonde was bored to tears. He'd gently shifted Ryou -who was still asleep- from his lap so he could get up and walk around, but that was just as bad. He had no money for the vending machines, or crappy arcade games, and anyways, he didn't want to stray too far from the waiting room, in case A) He got lost, or B) The doctors had news, but couldn't find him. Although his body screamed in exhaustion –he'd barely slept last night- he was mentally alert, ears keenly tuned in for any suspicious sound. The waiting room was completely empty except for him, Ryou, and some receptionist woman clacking away behind her desk. What the hell is taking them so long? Malik mentally sighed, cupping his chin in one hand, gazing at the set of double doors. Bloody hell. He stretched his long legs, raising his amethyst eyes to the ceiling. The air was so tense around him, he was so nervous and uncomfortable…
The double doors were opening. Malik snapped to attention, one hand shaking the sleeping whitenette's shoulder with gentle urgency. Ryou moaned, rubbing sleepily at his eyes as Malik set him aside. The doctor, tall and thin with a balding patch of brown hair, took one look at the boy who could have been Bakura's twin covered in blood, and sighed.
"Are you friends or family of a…" He consulted his clipboard. "Bakura, I believe?" Ryou's eyes opened at the demons name, his chin trembling as he forced himself weakly into a sitting position. Malik looked back at the teen with a forced smile on his face, close to tears.
"Y-Yes, he's my friend, and Ryou here is his little brother… Is he okay? Please say he's going to be all right… You wouldn't have been in here so long is he was dead-"
"Malik." Ryou said softly, placing a hand on the Egyptians shoulder. Malik jumped; he hadn't heard the light sneak up behind him so silently. Was that a trick he picked up from Bakura? "Why not just let the man speak?"
"He is in a stable condition." The doctor adjusted his glasses. Both of the teens let out an audible sigh of relief, two sets of shoulders sagging considerably. "Currently he is being moved to a private ward on the third floor, and by tomorrow, he will be able to have visitors-"
"Tomorrow?" Ryou interjected. "But please, sir I need to see him now, I need to talk to him."
"He is unresponsive at the moment anyway." The doctor looked severely over his glasses. Ryou gulped, unintentionally taking a step back from the austere-looking medical professional. "And apart from that, visiting hours ended a long time ago. I suggest you boys go home and get some rest. You'll be able to see him when visiting hours begin at nine."
"But-"
"Thank you sir, we will certainly be here." Malik's voice cut over Ryou's the whitenette receiving a sharp dig in the ribs. "Come on, Ryou, I'm really tired." The Egyptian burst into a genuine yawn to prove his point. "And hungry." He took the teenager by his elbow, despite soft words of protest, and began to lead Ryou away from the emergency room, a hollow feeling of relief settled underneath his ribs.
"Why did you do that?" Ryou hissed in a low, angry voice as they left the hospital, furiously wrenching his arm away from the Egyptian. "I don't care what they say, I need to see him!"
"Ryou, He's unconscious. He wouldn't be able to hear you. Look, you're exhausted. You need to have a decent night sleep, and certainly change out of those clothes-"
"No!" Ryou screamed as loud as his soft voice could muster. "I don't care! I need to see him, Malik!" At this, the light turned back towards the hospital, and began to run. Malik swore, as he chased the light, managing to snag the back of his jacket. Ryou cried out as the Egyptian tugged harder on his bloodied coat, pulling the slender whitenette into a bear hug, wrapping his arms around Ryou's skeletal chest.
"Please, Ryou." Malik hissed in his ear. "You have to calm down… People are starting to stare…"
"Let me GO!" The whitenette half screamed, half sobbed, pounding his trembling arms weakly against Malik's sides in a futile attempt to escape. "I want to see him, I want to see him! Please, Malik, just let me go…" Ryou whispered the last sentence, his head bowed and thin shoulders shaking with sobs. "P-Please…"
"Come here." Malik let the boy go, and before Ryou could move, pulled him into a real hug, his arms tightly around Ryou's thin waist. The teen sniffed, burying his head into the Egyptians shoulder. "I know you're stressed and tired…" He continued softly, beginning to rub soothing circles in the lights back. "And scared, but he's okay. He's going to be okay."
"N-No it's not." Ryou murmured thickly, his arms around Maliks neck as he sobbed. "It's not okay. I-I don't know if it was masochism or suicide, but it's really scary…" The blonde sighed, one hand stroking Ryou's soft white hair.
"Come on." Malik said softly, taking Ryou's slim, bony hand. "Let's go home." The whitenette hesitated, and nodded, sniffing as leaned on Malik's shoulder. The streets were almost empty, and there was a cold chill in the air as the pair walked along the pavement.
"Wh-where did you park your motorbike?" Ryou inquired, looking up at Malik with those big brown eyes, still wet with tears.
"I actually walked." The blonde, tightened his hold on Ryou's hand, shivering in the late night air, his arms and midriff completely bare. "It's only a few blocks away, and around the corner." Malik rubbed at his arms for a moment his teeth chattering.
"Do you want my jacket?" Ryou asked in his gentle voice, looking up into Malik's lavender eyes. "I-I'm not that cold."
"Liar." Malik tightened his fingers further. "You're freezing. I'll be okay, Ryou, don't worry." He faked a smile, blinking away his tears that formed in the chilly air.
The pair continued their walk in silence.
"I-I'm really grateful you're letting me stay." Ryou said softly, still clinging to Malik's hand as the Egyptian led him into his small apartment. "I-I don't think I could make it all across town…"
"Ryou," The blonde sighed. "You're my friend. My best friend. I really care about you. Do you think I would leave you in that apartment by yourself?" The whitenette smiled, weaving his ivory fingers amongst Malik's caramel digits. "Not now. I never likes leaving you alone with him, Ryou."
"There were a lot of times I didn't like being alone." Ryou admitted, rubbing tiredly at his eyes with his free hand. "Especially with him." The light sighed as Malik let go of his hand, sitting Ryou down on the couch.
"I know Ryou… Look." He made a face at the teenager's bloodstained clothes. "I'm going to go and run the shower. You might feel a bit better after that." Ryou nodded, leaning into the plush back of the fuchsia velvet sofa, closing his eyes. "I'm still… Why the hell would Bakura even do that?" Malik sighed, now in his small, messy bedroom, rifling through his drawers for clothes Ryou might fit. "I know he was a messed up psycho…" The Egyptian muttered to himself, burrowing through his garments for where he thought Ryou might find acceptable (he was very modest). He finally found an old white tee-shirt, and started searching for his now too-small trousers (Malik might have been thin, but Ryou was tiny). "Why would he want to kill himself?"
"I don't know." Ryou leaned against the doorframe, nibbling on his lower lip in deep thought. "I really don't know. I-I did find my favourite photo all torn up, and Bakura must have cut himself really deep with that bit of glass to hit a tendon-"
"He what?" Malik interjected, spinning on his heel to stare at the boy. "No bloody wonder he was in there for so long… What kind of retard does that? Especially a masochist as good as Bakura…" The Egyptian trailed off with a sigh, running a hand through his long blonde hair. Ryou shrugged, as Malik set the shirt down on the bed. "The shower's probably hot now, and there are plenty of towels in the bathroom." Ryou nodded, taking the hint and leaving Malik alone to his thoughts.
The room was clouded with steam as Ryou closed the door behind him, his hair damp from condensation in seconds. Perspiration began to drip down his forehead as he stripped off his clothes, leaving his bloodied school uniform in a puddle beside the glass cubicle. Slim white fingers grasped the metal door handle, and he pulled the glass wall opened, stepping into the spray of water.
It was hot! Ryou gasped as the almost boiling water hit his skin, arching his back at the contact. He groped blindly for the shower knob, turning the cold up higher. Malik had really hot showers…
"Ryou?" Twenty minutes later, Malik opened the shower door. "Ryou, are you finished? I brought you some clothes… Oh?" He frowned as he saw Ryou staring at himself in the mirror, chewing on his lower lip slightly with tears in his eyes. He was naked, except for the large white towel wrapped around his waist, and his heavy, damp hair was scattered about his slender shoulders, trailing down his back. Ryou turned around, a frown creasing his forehead.
"Yes?" He asked, tilting his head slightly to the side. Malik opened his mouth to respond, when he took another step towards the light, his mouth falling open as he looked at Ryou's chest, his ribs clearly visible from a foot away. "Malik?"
"Oh my God…" The Egyptian let out a long sigh, holding a hand to his mouth. "You're freaking emaciated Ryou…" The light swallowed, lowering his gaze to the floor. Malik gently took Ryou's hand, leading him into the bedroom where he had laid out the clothes. Those pants are going to be too big for even Ryou… I'll have to find a belt. Ryou sank onto the coverlet, his hands gripping the edge of the bed. "Why did he do this to you?"
"He stopped!" Ryou said defensively, looking up at Malik, his brown eyes oddly bright. "A-After I passed out a few days ago, he let me eat again…"
"Bloody hell… Why didn't I know any of this?" Malik sat down beside the light, one arm gently circling Ryou's bony shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wasn't allowed to." Ryou's voice sounded strangely empty and hollow as he looked at the floor. "I wanted to, but Bakura said I wasn't allowed to talk to you anymore." I might as well tell him the entire story. "I got really angry. Really, really angry. I-I hit him, Malik. I punched him in the nose, and he was bleeding quite a lot, and…" The light let out a long, shuddering breath. "Th-That was when I-I actually started to hate him." He leaned into Malik's shoulder, his slender bony fingers twisting around each other. He felt the Egyptian stiffen, his arms trembling.
"No… Ryou no, please tell me he didn't do that to you…" Ryou nodded, sniffing as he closed his eyes. "That sicko… That twisted perverted psycho, I'm going to get him for this, Ryou, I swear, I-I-" Malik's voice broke, and his eyes sparkled with tears. "How the hell can Bakura do that to you? How can that sadistic freak bring himself to…"
"Malik," Ryou sighed, one arm soothingly rubbing the Egyptians back. "It's okay, really. It's all over now, and Bakura is sorry for what he did… But it did confirm what I thought."
"Which was?" Malik wiped at his eyes hurriedly, tilting his head slightly to look Ryou in the eye.
"He said he loves me, but he doesn't." Ryou's voice sounded strangely empty and hollow, with a ring of disappointment on the edge. "He may think he loves me, but it's not. It's my body he loves, Malik. I can tell by the way he looks at me, the way he touches me… He thinks I'm a boring, shy, stupid weak boy, Malik. He doesn't- He doesn't care…" Ryou swallowed deeply, struggling to suppress his sobs. Malik wrapped both of his arms around Ryou's chest, still wet, the whitenette beginning to cry. Tears of sympathy sprung to Malik's eyes as he held the crying teen, Ryou sobbing into the Egyptians shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." Malik breathed, rubbing small circles in the lights back, wincing as his fingers brushed over Ryou's exposed ribs. "He can't get away with any of this, Ryou." He continued fiercely, tightening his hold on the teen. "I-I'm not going to let you go back with him, Ryou, I-I can't…"
"Malik," Ryou lifted his tearstained face to look the blonde in his lavender eyes. "Banning me from seeing him sinks you to his level. I-I still care about him… I suppose." Ryou finished somewhat doubtfully, raising his dark eyes to the ceiling. "He's the other half of my soul. I don't think I could ever leave him."
"But he raped you!" Malik stood up, pacing the floor in front of Ryou, the teenager still perching on the end of his bed, hunched over and staring at the floor. "He took the one thing you cared about anymore and crushed it! He… He…" The Egyptian was at a loss for words as he sank onto the bed beside Ryou, his hands clasped together and head bowed. "I can't believe he did it. I always knew he was a twisted psycho but to go that far…"
"Malik, please." Ryou gently grasped one of the blondes caramel hands, squeezing it tight for a short moment before slackening his grip, his left hand rubbing tiredly at his eyes, his slim rounded shoulders sagging. "I don't want to think about any of it." He sighed, leaning his damp head against the Egyptians shoulder. "I don't want to think about Bakura right now. It just makes me want to throw up. I-I'm still really scared that I might lose him…"
"Oh Ryou." Malik sighed, giving the light a short hug. "Don't think like that. We're going to see him tomorrow, and I swear, you two are going to sit down and sort everything out. You two wouldn't have gone through half of all of this angst and stress if you'd sit down and tell each other how you feel." Ryou bit his lip, his shoulder turning up into a shrug.
"I'm completely for that, Malik." The whitenette said gently, looking at the ground. "But we both know that the only thing that will loosen Bakura's tongue when it comes to his feelings is a bottle of strong alcohol." Ryou finished in a depressed tone. "Look, I'm really tired, Malik." The teen flopped down on the bed. "I just want to go to sleep and forget everything for a few hours."
"I get ya." Malik nodded, standing up and turning around, respecting Ryou's modesty as the teenager got unwrapped the towel from his waist, pulling on the black satin boxers the blonde had found for him, as well as the oversized white tee-shirt, climbing into the bed. "Done?"
"Mhm." Ryou sprawled out underneath the sheets on his back, staring at the ceiling. "You're bed's so nice." The teenager smiled, his eyes fluttering closed. "Comfy." Malik smiled, switching out the light as he headed towards the other side of his double bed, relying on the amber glow of the streetlights that illuminated the city below.
"It's better than the floor." Malik said, a sad tone in his voice as he slid beneath the sheets, rolling on to his stomach to look at the light, who looked small, shrunken underneath the blankets, his eyes cast in a painfully lost gaze on the ceiling.
"Don't remind me." Ryou sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sick of Bakura treating me like I'm some kind of animal. He never stops to think how I feel, how his treatment affects me. That's another reason why I'm sure he doesn't love me." He finished bitterly, his gaze changing to a glare. "Oh… I need to sleep." Ryou rolled over onto his side, curling up slightly as he settled himself beneath the sheets.
"Yeah." Malik groaned, burying his head in the pillow. He was achingly tired, and his head was starting to hurt. "Goodnight, Ryou." The light nodded, his eyes already closed, his voice hardly louder than a soft mumble.
"'Night."
Bleh. Hate it? Love it? See it coming because you read the original? Put it in a review and tell me. XD