Hihihi! Muaha. How ish yew all? Better than me, I am SURE! -sigh- I'm an idiot. A retard. Yep.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"I'm scared, Malik." Ryou clung tightly to the older boys sleeve as the pair made their way down the long white hallway. After fifteen minutes of firstly waiting to speak to the receptionist, and then another ten of the stupid woman clacking her keys as she searched for Bakura's ward. And finally, here they were, Malik traipsing down the long white hallway, Ryou trailing anxiously along behind him, dark mocha orbs staring from side to side, his limbs trembling.
"I know you are." The Egyptian murmured softly, slowing down in his nervous march to let Ryou walk alongside him. "I-I'm scared as well." Malik admitted, scratching the back of his head with a free hand. "It's okay to be afraid, Ryou."
"There used to be a time when I wasn't." The whitenette said quietly, clinging to Malik's hand as they walked slowly down the corridor. "I never cried, I never used to be so scared of him. It's just when he lied to me…" Ryou let out a long sigh, his hold on the Egyptians hand tightening. Malik returned the squeeze with a small, sympathetic smile.
"What he did was inhuman, Ryou." A frown creased Malik's forehead, and his hands tightened instinctively. "I-I still can't believe he treated you like an animal."
"Maybe it's his twisted way of expressing affection." Ryou shrugged his shoulders. "I mean… Oh. We're here…" The pair paused outside a plain white door, Bakura's name scrawled in black marker on the white cardboard tag. "O-Oh dear…"
"It's okay." Malik stood behind the trembling whitenette, rubbing his arms soothingly. "It's going to be okay, Ryou. He's going to be okay." Ryou sighed and nodded, slim ivory fingers lingering on the door. "I'll be right here beside you."
Ryou let out an audible gasp as the door slowly slid open, revealing the sleeping figure inside. His knees buckled as he stared at Bakura, and he was only vaguely aware of Malik's strong arms wrapped around his middle, keeping him upright. Oh my gosh… Malik's eyes were wide in shock as he stared at the unconscious demon. He looked so small, like a little doll tucked under the pale blue sheets, folded around his waist. There were two tubes running through his right arm, both hooked up to two plastic bags, one a light yellow, the other clear. Both arms were heavily bandaged to the elbow, and various wires had the spirit hooked up to a number of machines, machines Malik had no hope of comprehending. Bakura's eyes were closed, but he looked a million miles from sleep, an oxygen mask covering the lower half of his face to help his breathing. A nurse stood beside the sleeping spirit, scribbling something on her plastic clipboard. She looked up as the pair stumbled into the room, a frown forming on her face as she stared at Ryou and Malik over her glasses.
"Are you relatives of the patient?" She asked crisply, her gaze flicking from her clipboard and back to the pair, Ryou gulping, quivering nervously under her gaze. "If you aren't, then I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to leave. Patients in Mr. Bakura's condition have very strict visiting schedule."
"I-I'm his little brother." Ryou managed to weakly mumble, his cheeks tinting a pale rose. "P-Please, I need to talk to him…"
"Mr. Bakura is unresponsive right now." The nurse asked crisply, her hazel eyes narrowing. "I suggest you return later with a parent or guardian." Malik narrowed his eyes slightly, his protective hold on the light tightening.
"Ryou hardly slept last night because he was so worried!" The Egyptian argued, placing a hand on Ryou's shoulder, glaring at the nurse. "It doesn't matter that Ryou's not here with his parents, because he's old enough by your stupid rules to be here by himself!" Malik let out a deep breath. "Please." He said, somewhat calmer, lowering his gaze. "Just give him a few minutes…"
"Ten minutes." The nurse said sternly, glaring over her spectacles at the pair. Malik returned the gaze with equal venom, while Ryou merely nodded, making sure to keep his dark mocha orbs at the floor. "Not a second more." She continued threateningly, hanging the clipboard at the end of Bakura's bed on the way out. Malik followed suit, his gaze softening for a moment as he looked at Ryou on the way out, closing the door as he left.
"Yami?" Ryou slid his slender frame into the plastic chair beside the demons gurney. "Yami, are you awake? C-Can you head me?" A trembling hand, pale and bony, smoothed the clean white sheets, wide brown eyes glistening with tears. "Please… You have to wake up." The light whispered, brushing Bakura's messy white hair out of his eyes. "Please… You have to wake up, Bakura; you have to say something…." A single tear slipped down his face. "Please, say something…" Ryou continued to comb his fingers through the spirit's snowy tangles. "I don't want to be alone; I don't want to be without you." The tears were flowing thick and fast now, Ryou's breath harsh and disjointed with sobs. "I might not love you, Bakura, but I care about you. I… I don't mind looking after you, you know…" The only answers to Ryou's tearful words were the steady beep of machines. The whitenette gazed at the flickering monitors for a second, blinking away his frustrated tears. I never meant for this to happen. The teen began tracing his deft fingers along Bakura's bandaged forearm.
Although Ryou didn't see it, the demons' eyelids twitched.
"Ryou?" Malik leaned his forehead against the door for a moment before he pulled it open, his lavender gaze softening at Ryou, his head resting against the metal rail of the gurney, his hand clasped in Bakura's. Their fingers were entwined, and although the whitenette's shoulders were shaking with sobs, Bakura was completely motionless. The only movement the demon made was the small, barely noticeable rise and fall of his chest, aided by the oxygen mask. "Oh, Ryou." Malik walked over to the smaller boy, gently taking his free hand. "I'm… I'm sorry… It's been almost fifteen minutes. That bitchy nurse is going to come back soon… I'll tell you what. We'll go back to your place and pick up some clothes, (Ryou was wearing a somewhat scanty outfit borrowed from the Egyptian) and then you can eat some more and get some rest. We'll come back when she's hopefully finished her shift." Ryou didn't move, didn't even acknowledge Malik was there. "Ryou?"
"How can you do that?" Ryou lifted his head, his eyes red and swollen, ivory cheeks streaked with tears. "How the hell can you just pretend that everything is just okay? Bakura is really hurt, Malik, he's hurt and it's my entire fault! And I-I-I…" Ryou gasped for air between heartbreaking sobs, his right hand unintentionally clutching Bakura even tighter. "I don't know what to do, Malik! What if Bakura's lost all of the feeling in his hand? How am I going to live with myself if he does? He'd never be able to duel, or steal, or do anything he likes to do! Why the hell are you acting like this Malik?"
"Do you want to know?" Malik shouted back, his voice as loud as the whitenette's. "Think at what you're saying, Ryou! This is the person that's been treating you like complete shit for years! Do you think Bakura deserves this attention and kindness you're giving him? He-He freaking raped you! You've been nothing but submissive and gentle to him all this time, and he's acted like you're nothing but his slave!"
"I know that!" Ryou shouted, now standing up, his eyes narrowed slightly in anger. "I'm not stupid, Malik. Even if he's thought nothing of me for all these years, I've thought the world of him! Nobody's ever stayed around so long, Malik! I need him in my life if I don't want to be alone! And aside from all that, did it ever occur to you that I care about him? That I only ever wanted to make him happy? Did you ever look past your own opinion Malik? Or is it because you are so goddamned pigheaded-"
"Well excuse me for caring, Ryou!" The Egyptian shot back, his face contorted in anger. "I cared about you because I never wanted you to get hurt! I cared because nobody else did! Face it Ryou, I'm the only friend you have because you freaking isolate yourself so much! When the hell are you going to grow up?"
"Oh, this is rich, coming from someone as spoiled and immature as you-"
"Shut up." The arguing pair froze, a pair of lavender eyes narrowed and hardened in anger and warm chocolate orbs glittering with unshed tears turning towards the hospital bed, momentarily forgotten. Bakura glared at the pair weakly, mocha orbs clouded and confused, before his eyes slid shut again, a long sigh steaming up his oxygen mask. "….Headache…" His mumbled words sounded muffled from the mask, his lips barely moving. Malik stood frozen, his lower lip dropping slightly in shock as he stared at the demon. The dam in Ryou's eyes burst, and fresh tears coursed down his face as he sank into the grey plastic chair. "Ryou…" Bakura croaked, opening his eyes again for a moment to stare at the quivering light. Instinctively, Ryou grabbed the demons right hand, tears trickling down his cheeks.
"Bakura… I'm so sorry I made you upset." The light whispered, weaving his fingers with the demons long, spidery digits. "I'm so sorry it got so far…" Bakura sighed again, his weak hold on Ryou's hand gaining strength.
"Not… Not your fault…" Bakura finally managed to moan, fluttering his eyelashes in an attempt to bat away a few strands of hair that had fallen into his eyes. Ryou smiled weakly, brushing the demons bangs out of his face, tucking the milky strands behind his ears. The whitenette chanced a glance in Malik's direction, but the Egyptian was gone. "Th-thanks." Bakura managed to open his eyes and keep them open, half-lidded orbs slowly clearing.
"I was so scared." Ryou murmured half to himself, still running one hand through Bakura's hair. The demon smiled slightly, inwardly enjoying the sensation of his other half's gentle touches. "I-I thought I was going to lose you forever." Ryou continued tearfully, one hand stroking the yami's hair, the other tightly clenched in his hand. "I-I thought…"
"Don't cry." Bakura finally murmured tiredly, tilting his head to look the teenager in the eyes. "Don't…"
"I-I can't help but cry." Ryou whispered, continuing his gently ministrations. "I'm why you did this. Because you said you…"
"I said… I l-loved you." Bakura groaned, his forehead beading with sweat from the simple effort of trying to talk. "I-I …meant... it, Ryou…" The light swallowed, wrenching his hands away immediately.
"No, you don't." The lights usually gentle cadence was harsh, a sharp edge of anger in his voice. "You don't even know what love is, Bakura. Its lust you're experiencing. All you want is my body."
"…N-No…"
"Yes, Bakura!" Ryou stood up, glaring down at the demon. "You. Don't. Love. Me.Get it through your thick head and stop hurting the both of us like this!"
"…No… I… Love you…" Bakura muttered weakly, desperately. Ryou let out a frustrated moan, grabbing fistfuls of his long white hair. Turning away from the barely conscious spirit, Ryou paced towards the large window that faced quite a nice view of Domino City. "R-Ryou…"
"Name one thing you love about me apart from my looks." Ryou leaned his forehead against the cool glass, pressing his palm against the clear pane. Bakura closed his eyes for a minute, his fingers trembling with fatigue.
"Brave…" Bakura mumbled in a barely audible tone. "…Never cried…" He took in a deep breath. "When… I h-hurt you…" Ryou softened, sliding his hand down the glass window pane.
"Y-Yeah…" Ryou admitted, drumming his fingers lightly. "W-Well… I-I suppose I wasn't scared because I eventually grew used to the pain you inflicted. Tears seemed so pointless…" He fell silent, and although he sounded dull and uninterested, a small seed of pride began to swell in his chest. His yami thought he was brave… The same man who used to scream at him, call him a coward, said he was brave. "Wh-What else?"
"…Smart…." The demon moaned, his voice harsh and scratchy in his throat. "…Smarter th-than…. Me." Ryou's left hand, at his side, clenched into a fist, the corners of his lips tugging into a faint ghost of a smile.
"We're two different kinds of smart." Ryou reasoned, trying to salvage a bit of the yami's pride, expressed that he still had a bit of respect for Bakura. "I-I'm book-smart, I suppose, and you're… well, street smart, I suppose." Ryou let out a long sigh, scratching the back of his head, a faint blush tinting his ivory cheeks. "You're not stupid."
"Gentle…" Bakura sighed, shifting slightly in his gurney. "Kind… Sweet…" Those alien words rolled from the demons lips. "Compassionate…" He groaned, his right hand clenching into the crisp white sheets. His left hand was scarily numb, and he couldn't move his fingers, or even flex his palm. What if he'd lost his feeling forever?
"You said that was a weakness." Ryou whispered, becoming less and less sure of himself as he breathed steam onto the glass, staring blankly at the fog that formed. "You said you hated it…" Tears pricked at the back of the whitenette's eyes, but he ignored them, opening his mocha orbs and staring at the morning scenery of Domino.
"N-No…" Bakura moaned somewhat thickly, staring at Ryou's back. "Don't…"
"Please, Yami…"
"L…Love you…"
"There you are." Ryou jumped as a tanned hand was placed on his shoulder, the soft, soothing words lightly whispered in his hair. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
"It's not like I've been hiding," Ryou murmured, a long sigh of relief spilling from perfect pale lips. Malik frowned slightly, "I've just been here…" The Egyptian sighed, running a hand through his sandy locks. The light sniffed, leaning back into the moulded plastic chair. His knees were drawn up to his chest, his arms circled around his ankles. Ryou leaned his chin on his knees, clothed in black leather. Malik sat beside the shivering light, extending a tanned arm and gently wrapping it around Ryou's slender shoulders. The teen leaned into the embrace, his lower lip trembling with suppressed tears. "I-I'm scared…"
"I know you are." Malik said softly, soothingly, rubbing small, comforting circles into the whitenette's back. "That nurse is bloody scary…" Ryou shook his head, nibbling on his lower lip.
"Not that nurse, Malik." Ryou sighed, tightening his arms around his legs. "Bakura. He… He said he loved me and he meant it!" Ryou's voice was shaking as he buried his head in the Egyptians shoulder. "He said I was brave and smart and kind… I don't know to believe him…" The whitenette whispered. "H-How can he be telling the truth when a few days ago he said I was a stupid coward?" Malik tightened his hold on the light, Ryou all but curled up in his lap. "He's such a paradox… I wish I could understand him…"
"I know." Malik whispered, burying his nose into Ryou's mop of silky white hair. Mmmm. The Egyptian relished in the scent of wildflowers for a moment before pulling away, closing his eyes.
"It's just… How can he keep screwing around with my feelings like this, Malik? How can he just lie to me, and then six weeks later swears he's telling the truth and expect me to believe him?"
"Mmm." Malik nodded, his eyes still closed. He was trying to recapture the sweet small of Ryou's fluffy hair. The whitenette let out a choked sob, resting his forehead onto his knees.
"I want to believe him." Ryou whispered; his voice trembling and hoarse. "I really, really do. Having a relationship with him was so wonderful, Malik. I was so happy…"
"I'll bet." Malik murmured softly, his eyes still closed. Imagine being with someone as sexy as Bakura…
Or as cute as Ryou.
Malik's eyes snapped open immediately. Instinctively, his hold on Ryou loosened, and his mouth fell open in surprise.
No. No no no. Ryou is a friend. He's just a friend. I can't like him in that way… Not when he's in love with Bakura.
On the other hand, Bakura loves Ryou, and I've been crushing on him for months…
No! This is Ryou! RyouSweet, innocent, sexy little Ryou- ARGH! I did not just think that! Ryou is not sexy! No. He's not, he's… He's…
Damnit.
Well, he's wearing black leather! Hell, those pants he's wearing don't even fit me! Look at that shirt as well! And those pants… They just fit around his ass so well…
No. No. No. I am not going to get feelings for Ryou. No. He trusts me. And besides, he's way too messed up to have a relationship with. No. Bad Malik!
"Malik… Are you okay?" Ryou looked up from his knees to stare at the Egyptian. Malik shook his head, shutting of his confused thoughts to smile down at Ryou, inclining his head in a small nod.
"I'm fine." Malik sighed, leaning against the chair back. "Ugh. It's not me you should be worrying about, Ryou." The whitenette sniffed, uncurling himself from his ball to firmly wrap his arms around the Egyptians slim waist.
"I'm so glad you're here." Ryou murmured, burying his head into the blondes shoulder. "And I'm so sorry I yelled at you before. I-I'm just so worn down." He continued softly, tightening his arms. "I don't know what to do anymore… I'm just so glad you're here for me to lean on, Malik. I-I could never thank you enough for this." Ryou's voice wobbled, but he managed to keep the tears down for once, swallowing the burning ember in his throat. Malik, on the other hand, was flushing furiously at the close contact Ryou was giving him, placing his hands rather nervously on the lights back to return the embrace. Only someone as innocent and trusting as Ryou would ever act this way to a friend, Malik pondered ruefully, idly twisting a lock of white hair around his finger. No one would ever act this close unless they were in a relationship or trusted absolutely trusted them. Heh. Nobody's ever trusted me like this before. Isis say's I'm too childish… Would she say that to me if she saw me right now? If she wasn't away in England at that seminar… I'm glad I said no to going to that…
"I'm glad to be here." Malik finally replies after a long moment of silence. "You shouldn't be alone at a time like this." The Egyptian continued, releasing Ryou's hair from his index finger with a blush. "Hell, no one should. I'm going to kick Jounouchi for running off like that." Ryou giggled softly, lifting his head slightly from the crook of Malik's neck to stare into wide lavender eyes, soft and caring.
"I'd rather have you here anyway." The whitenette murmured, his eyes half-lidded and sleepy-looking. Malik had a sudden urge to lean down a few inches and claim those perfect lips for himself. What? What are you, a total retard? He's only a friend! He needs your support right now, your friendship! The last thing he needs is another head case wanting to get into his pants…Mmm.
"Ugh." Malik screwed his eyes up tight, shaking his head to clear his mind of such evil thoughts. Ryou frowned at the sudden movement, and blinked, gently shrinking away from the Egyptian. Malik sighed, pushing the light off of his lap completely, and running his hands through his hair. This is really not good…
"Malik?" Ryou's eyes widened as the sandy-haired teen stood up completely, brushing a strand of stray hair from his face. "M-Malik, what's wrong?" The Egyptian ignored Ryou, turning away from the light and beginning to walk away. Ryou let out a soft cry as he stood up also, following the Egyptian and grasping onto his shoulder. "M-Malik, what's wrong?"
"I-I need to be alone." Malik mumbled, keeping his face turned away from Ryou. The whitenette frowned, taking a step in front of the Egyptian to look into his face. His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of crystalline tears running down caramel skin, his mouth forming a small 'O' of surprise.
"M-Malik?" Ryou stammered; confusion evident in his face. "Wh-why are you crying?" Malik sniffed, rubbing hastily at his lavender orbs with a free hand.
"I-I don't know," The Egyptian managed to lie, directing his gaze anywhere along the hospital corridor except for the beautiful teen in front of him, nibbling on his lower lip with chocolate eyes wide in confusion. "P-Please, Ryou. I want to be by myself for awhile… Go-Go talk to Bakura or something…" He mumbled the last few words, before wrenching his shoulder out of Ryou's tender grasp, and walking, leaving the light alone in the corridor, confused and afraid.
"Malik?"
Ugh. R&R?