A/N: Since this is in 1st person POV, it's Malik's POV.

Tainted – Part Nine

The door gave way under my fingers and I pushed it open gently. Surprisingly, the lighting was dimmer inside than in the hallway. For a moment I suspected that he wasn't there and perhaps left the lights on accidentally.

I stepped inside and shut the door, my shadow swallowed up as the light behind me died. I still had the key grasped loosely in my palm and I fingered it absently as I toed off my shoes. My bare feet slid quietly over the cool tile as I wandered further into the apartment.

"Bakura?" I tried tentatively. But I might as well have remained silent for I received no reply.

The apartment was fairly small and I could already see most of it from where I stood, not too far from the entrance. To my right was the small kitchen, where the remnants of his dinner was sitting on a counter; ramen, with a few of the noodles splayed over the rim and chopsticks sticking out from the bowl at odd angles. It struck me as unusual that he would have left the food out and not even bother to put it in the sink; he was an absolute neat freak, you see. If he had indeed left, he must have been in a rush.

I never understood why he was so obsessed with having everything in order. Everything had to be clean. Dirty sheets, dirty clothes, and a dirty floor bothered him to no end. The only time I ever saw clothing on the floor of his apartment was when I spent the night, and he was too preoccupied to care about where his clothes were landing as they were stripped off.

I realized I had been staring off into space, and as I blinked, my vision came back into focus. The soft blur of shapes and colors formed objects once more and I found myself staring at the lonely bowl of soup on the counter. I turned away after a moment and let my eyes drift into the bedroom directly in front of me. Well, it was more of a living area than a bedroom, I should say. A small television stood on a dresser against the wall and in front of it was a proportionally small coffee table. A worn-down couch faced the screen, at its back the footboard of his bed. His neatly made and untouched bed, I noted.

I should have left, seeing as he obviously wasn't home. Actually, I should have done a lot of things in the course of my life. I should have stayed in college, so that my future wouldn't seem so bleak. I should have stayed at home and taken care of my family rather than running off. I should have stayed away from cigarettes, since it's a horrible and unhealthy habit. I should have done more than simply regret what I did and didn't do in the past. And I shouldn't have fallen for him. But of course, I didn't do any of that.

So I didn't leave.

I continued to roll the key, now warm with my body heat, in my hand as I walked around the apartment. I'd already been here enough to know my way around with my eyes closed, but I looked none the less. I knew I was loitering and stalling time, since I had no reason to be here. But I didn't want to leave because the thought of going home to my own empty apartment wasn't exactly appealing.

Eventually, I found myself standing in front of the bathroom door. It was the only place I hadn't checked yet, and I didn't think that it was likely for him to be in there. I hadn't heard the water running while I was there, and for what other reason would he be in the bathroom?

But of course, I was wrong.

He lay fast asleep in the bathtub, textbook open on the edge and arm half draped across it. The small window above the tub let the moonlight in, highlighting the beads of water on his skin that hadn't evaporated yet. They shimmered like diamonds imbedded in the sand of his skin, waiting to be uncovered.

I made my way quietly towards him and knelt down on the floor.

Apparently, he was studying when he had fallen asleep. I rolled my eyes as I carefully removed the book (more akin to a tome) from beneath him and set it aside on the floor. I'd always told him that he studied too much, but he never listened to me. His arm was bent in a somewhat awkward position, and I knew he'd be sore when he woke up if I didn't move it. But I was afraid to wake him, since he seemed so tired.

His head had fallen to the side during his sleep and the angles caused shadows to obscure half of his face. Some of his wet hair had fallen into his face and he'd managed to draw a lock between his lips. I reached out and brushed it aside, letting my fingers touch the skin beneath. He was cold, despite the fact that he was immersed in warm water. Pressing my palm gently against the curve of his face, I felt the cold seep into my skin as he took my warmth.

I knelt by the side of the tub for a while, and by the time his eyes fluttered open, my knees had begun to ache. I kept my hand against his cheek as he made a few whining noises in the back of his throat and started to stir. His brows drew together, accentuating a deep line between them that I'd never noticed before. His joints were probably hurting him from the awkward position, I mused.

As I was pulling my hand away, he pulled his own out of the water and pressed it over mine, keeping it there. The lukewarm water ran down my skin and dripped off my elbow. I smiled a bit as he let out a groan, shifting and sloshing water around.

"Ugh... Malik? That you?" His eyes remained closed and the words were slurred with sleep.

"No, it's the tooth fairy."

"... Idiot."

I chuckled as he straightened his head and promptly winced, reaching up to rub his sore neck. But of course, the only hand he had available was the one dangling over the side of the tub. And when he moved that, he made another pained noise and tried to flex the pain out of his elbow joint.

"Your fault for falling asleep in the bathtub."

He opened an eye to glare at me in the semi-darkness. He removed the hand on top of mine to massage the tension from his neck, and I dropped my hand and shifted to relieve the ache in my own joints.

"Shut up."

I grinned at him as I leaned forward to kiss his lips lightly. "Now you're going to be all pruney."

He pulled his hand away from his neck at my comment and stared down at his fingertips. Sure enough, the skin had soaked up too much water and bunched together in the center. I laughed as he pouted at the digits.

"Ugh."

"Not much for conversation now, are we?"

"No one asked for your opinion."

He made a face as he shifted in the water, reaching down into the tub and pulling the plug so as to drain out the water. When he sat back up he appeared a bit confused as he looked at the edge of the tub; he was probably wondering where his textbook was. "Wait... where's--"

"Right here." I pointed to the anatomy book, still open to the correct page, on the floor right next to me. He looked a bit sheepish when I rolled my eyes at him. "You're going to kill yourself, you know."

"I'm perfectly content with my life and have no reason to commit suicide."

He was rising out of the tub, body glistening in the faint moonlight. His legs met his hips with a slight angle, accentuating the curve of his thigh. I didn't stare at him because I wanted him; lord knows I do. Rather I stared at him simply so I could admire the angles and curves of his body, and the way his hair seemed to deepen to a dusty grey with water.

"You know what I mean, bookworm."

He reached out for a towel and I watched as his muscles slid over bone, admiring the way they tightened and formed ripples on the stretch of his skin. It was taut and smooth like paper, and equally pale. When I looked up to his face, he was grinning as he toweled off his hair. "Find something interesting, hmm?"

"Absolutely." I then proceeded to stare straight at the apex of his legs.

The damp towel came into contact with the side of my head and I laughed. He laughed too as he pulled the towel back, continuing to dry himself off. "Lecher."

"Kettle calling the pot black," I hummed sweetly.

He chose to ignore that comment in favor of running the towel over his body to catch the last remnants of moisture. He stepped out of the tub carefully and dried off his feet. "I have finals soon," he started quietly, hair in his face as he rubbed the sole of his foot, "and I need to pass."

I propped my elbow on the edge of the tub and watched the way his muscles shifted. "Won't do any good if you've exhausted yourself before the exam and are too tired to think straight."

"I still need to stu--"

"Go out with me tonight, Bakura." I smiled softly at him as he turned around to look at me, the towel wrapped loosely around his hips and low enough to tease the eye by exposing his hipbones. "You need a break."

He continued staring down at me, lower lip caught between the rows of his teeth as he thought it over. The uncertain expression he wore smoothed out the angles of his face and gave him a childish appearance. When the silence continued to stretch on, I took it upon myself to urge along his decision.

"Ne," I purred softly as I crept closer, "come with me, please...?" I rose to my knees when I was directly by him, lifting my arms and wrapping them around his slim waist. My cheek pressed against his smooth stomach and his breathing caused my head to move in a slight up and down movement. I let my hands trail along his skin, tracing the ridges of his spine absently. "I don't want to be alone tonight."

His fingers buried themselves in my hair and stroked it gently. "Why do I get the feeling you're only trying to get me in bed again." His voice was soft and teasing, and I lifted my face up and matched his grin with one of my own.

"Because I am."

His eyes narrowed, though his lips pushed out in a sexy pout. He gave my hair a sharp tug and I chuckled as he feigned being hurt. "All you keep me around for is the sex."

My lips had found their way to a jutting hipbone, licking and nipping at it. "I'm appalled," I murmured against his skin, "that you would think such a thing."

He laughed softly and tugged on my hair a bit before I rose to me feet. His hands kept their hold on my hair as he leaned up and pressed our lips together, stealing my breath and giving me his. I pulled him close and took in his scent, knowing that I was already too attached for my own good.

"So is that a yes?" I whispered as we pulled apart.

His eyes were closed and he pressed our foreheads together, leaning against me and stealing my warmth.

"Yeah."

-TBC-