Yami stared at his sleeping aibou's form.

What's gotten into him? he wondered. What could have gotten under his skin, so much?

I guess I haven't spent a lot of time with him this week… Yami searched his taffy stretch of memory, trying to remember the last time him and Yugi did something together this week. Maybe I didn't spend any time with him this week… or… the last one… or the… no, I must have done something with him the week before that, right? Didn't we watch Night of the Living Dead? I should have spent more time with him, though, and for that I should apologize, but… I didn't realize… he shouldn't be so mad, should he? I wonder what it is that's bothering him. Maybe it's me and Tea? Or maybe he likes somebody else that turned him down…Most everyone he's ever liked has: Tea… and… uh… Well, actually he hasn't really liked anybody except for Tea… Well, ok. There was the random girl here and there, but he never asked any of them out. Except for HER. But they just made out during science class, and then Tea put a stop to THAT…

Why does it bother Yugi that Tea never pays him any attention? Most people would be happier that way. Not that I'm one of those people, but…

The real problem Yami had wasn't what was bothering Yugi, but whether or not Yugi even liked him anymore. What he should have realized was that those two problems, for him, were the same. He didn't realize that it wasn't Tea's attention Yugi wanted.

A slight shift of position in his flustered soul partner's restless sleep summoned Yami's attention. He could look upon this as a game, he decided; that way, everything would come easier to him.

Well, if aibou wants to challenge me to a game, then so be it! I never lose. I'm going to find out what's on his mind without having to mentally penetrate him, if it takes me all week! Yami stood up, struck a pose and smiled, looking extremely retarded. Two seconds later his smile melted off of his face; in its place was a look of stark horror and disgust.

…Ew, mentally penetrate, Yami recoiled. That sounds like I'm raping his head or something…

Images flew.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Meanwhile, Marik was sitting in his room, wearing a gloomy expression. It wasn't much of a room; various library books that the family had accumulated and had never returned (even Ishizu was at fault for this) littered the octagonal floor along with several math tests of Malik's, all of them stamped with an 'A' or a 'B.'

O-shujinkaku-sama, Marik figured, is pretty smart. Maybe he could help me. I wish this had never happened, and I wish it had. Aw, screw it; I like Yugi. Aw, man, this is sad. Bakura is going to taunt me for weeks, and I'll run out of vomit after I spew on his shoes twice or so! Oh man…

Maybe I could still act badass and say that I'm just trying to use him to get to the Millennium Puzzle.

Yugi's bittersweet face struck a chord in his memory. He could imagine Yugi peering at him with his puppy eyes, through the lenses of his glasses. Those kawaii glasses. And he knew he couldn't do it. Damn it. U.U '…U.U?'

Yugi wouldn't like that… And I actually care! Hn. This is worse than I thought. ... 'Hn?'

"Yami?"

Marik looked up to see Malik, leaning against the doorframe. "Is something wrong?" Malik asked.

"It's Yugi." Marik looked around. Was that ME? That didn't sound like me! I sounded depressed.

Malik's amethyst eyes became huge and vitreous. "It's Yugi?" he repeated, astonished. "So you mean to tell me that what Tea told me was true?"

"Uh… It wasn't true… yesterday…" Marik explicated lamely and with compunction. His hikari stared at him with his large, lavender eyes.

Malik kept staring……………..And then, Malik totally flipped.

"DUDE!"

'Dude?' Marik wondered. Hikari-sama is weird. Am I doing that blushing thing now? Probably am. Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiot.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Malik squealed. Marik raised an eyebrow. "So you're going out now?"

Marik growled. "No!" he snapped. "We're not going out! Ever."

"But dude," Malik said, correcting himself when Marik growled at the repeating of that word. "I mean, Mar." More growling. "MARIK!" Malik screeched. "You could've had a BOYFRIEND! That's actually close to a SOCIAL LIFE! To you know how proud ISHIZU would've been!"

Marik snorted. "O-shujinkaku-sama, I don't think it's any of Ishizu's business whether Yugi turns me down or not."

Malik's eyes grew wide; his jaw hit the floor. And Marik thought, Oh, shit. But it was too late.

"He turned you down!" Malik repeated, dazed.

"You're acting like Tea…" Marik tried to remind him, but Malik wasn't listening.

"Dude, you got turned down by a midget. By the Pharaoh's hikari. Do you know what that means?"

Marik soughed uncharacteristically. "That Bakura will hang me by my toenails?"

Malik shook his head—then changed his mind and nodded. "Probably," he agreed. "But it means that you just lost to your polar opposite. If you lose to your polar opposite, doesn't that mean that you're the epitome of a loser, because they're the epitome of a winner? Tell me why he turned you down," Malik sighed. "Man, you must've been so close!"

To what? Marik wondered, bewildered. "Not really. I--"

"Well?" Malik looked at him expectantly. Marik rolled his eyes and blushed, embarrassed. His hikari was acting like they were both girls and Marik had gotten his period first and had to tell his friend what it felt like. O.O;;; So, yeah. Odd feeling for Marik. ………………….O.O;;;;;

"Uhhh…" Where do I start? …The end seems like a great place to start. "Uhhh, he kissed me. And… I… I didn't kiss him back?"

The thing that had made Yugi the most hurt, was something that Marik hadn't done. Just a tiny osculation Marik hadn't returned. Yugi's feelings were hurt, Marik thought. I care.

"That's it? Why not?" Malik leaned in, trammeled in the 'suspense'. (What a dork.)

"Uhhh, you see, I… can't… um, don't know how to… uhm……… kiss."

Malik blinked. "Oh, really?" He smiled brightly. "Well that's easy enough to teach."

"To… teach?" Marik looked at Malik, bewildered. "Hey, wait a second—"

Malik leaned in.