5, 977 words! Please enjoy. :) And thank you so much for reviewing!

Chapter Warnings: Violence and back to back sexy times

Chapter Six

After losing his mother and sister, Ryou closed himself off. Completely. If it weren't for Yuugi and Jou, he probably would have gone to school everyday, hated every second of it, then returned to an empty apartment because god forbid his father were home for longer than a month.

It wasn't a secret that the man used "ground-breaking archaeological discoveries" as he so pretentiously phrased it to stay away from his only son. Ryou looked exactly like his sister and he had the same mannerisms as his mother. They were both gently fierce and loving, but independent and captivating. His father couldn't very well handle the memory of his lost love being shoved in his face every day.

Ryou had forgiven him a long time ago. Perhaps it had something to do with how self-sufficient he had become, but he honestly couldn't care less about his father's negligence.

That being said, human connections were difficult for Ryou to maintain. In his opinion, finding Yuugi was a stroke of luck he would never experience again; few others, he felt, were actually worth his time. So when Bakura came into the picture, Ryou surprised himself by almost immediately welcoming the boy into his life. They walked together after school and eventually discovered how much they really had in common.

Which is why Ryou let himself develop a crush.

He figured that because Bakura understood him in such an intimate manner, it was safe. More than that, he thought it would be successful. Who better to fall in love with than someone who valued all of you?

Even after their fight – maybe especially after it – Ryou wanted to be with Bakura. His anger proved to him that the other boy was already under his skin and there was no escaping their connection.

Ryou thought about all of this on his way downstairs to ask Bakura if he would accompany him home.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was thinking about the way Bakura would blush just a little bit if Ryou called him 'Kura' in public.

As he continued down the hallway towards the gym, the warmth of Bakura's side as he snuggled into it on the train filled his memory.

When he finally reached the open doorway, it was as if he were back in the cabin, pleading with that bear to save Bakura because oh god there was no way he could go through this without him.

Once he entered the gym and saw Bakura kiss Yami, he felt those joyful memories and hopeful dreams drop from him, taking his breath along with a dreadful thump.

Of course he could go through this without him. He didn't have a choice. Of course Bakura didn't feel the same. Ryou was alone, and he was a fool for ever thinking differently.

He didn't hear himself make a noise, but all of a sudden Bakura and Yami both snapped their heads towards him. Yami's face was painted with worry; probably that Ryou would tell someone what he had seen.

Bakura looked like he wanted to either cry or scream.

But that didn't really matter to Ryou. He couldn't hold this gaping trench in his heart against the pair staring at him; it was his own fault he got hurt. It was his own fault that oxygen seemed hard to come by and that his eyes were tearing up and that his voice was shaking when he finally spoke to Yami.

"Yuugi is gone," he whispered. Yami practically jumped to his feet. "Don't bother chasing him, okay? He'll be fine. Jou overreacted last time."

Ryou swallowed hard, trying desperately to pull the tears from his eyes back behind his walls. But it seemed the embarrassment of crying in front of others was his punishment for ever letting his guard down in the first place. Yami's fists clenched at his sides, but he made no move to pursue Yuugi. Bakura rose slowly, staring at Ryou who stubbornly trained his eyes on the wall behind them.

"Ry-"

"It's okay. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Despite the tears breaching his eyes, Ryou smiled. It doesn't need to be said that it was heartbreaking. "Just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to my apartment to get some things. I'll be back later."

Bakura pushed passed Yami and almost stumbled towards Ryou. "Wait, I'll go with you. It's dangerous."

Ryou's watery doe eyes finally looked towards Bakura, and the older boy felt his heart clench. He followed mutely as Ryou turned and exited the room, with one anxious glance back towards Yami who nodded with confidence in his eyes.

"Ryou, wai-"

"Bakura," Ryou paused his walk, turning back. Tears were falling down now, but he would be damned if he called attention to them. "Stop talking while I still like you."

The Kame Game Shop was cold, almost painfully so. The ground outside was bare of snow, but a disorienting lack of heat left Yuugi constantly rubbing his hands together for friction. Unfortunately the gas company decided to turn off the heat when he missed a payment last month.

Not that he didn't have the money. Because he did.

But after Grandpa died, he had taken some time to himself and only opened the shop for 50% of its usual hours, so profits were down.

And he just didn't have the heart to use Grandpa's life insurance yet.

"At least the fridge is still working." He muttered. There were sodas and waters in there, along with a few take out boxes from last week. "They've gotta be good enough, right?"

"Don't you dare pick those up, Yuugi Moto." Yuugi jumped a foot in the air, promptly smacking his hoodie-covered head off the edge of the fridge. He spun around with one hand rubbing his dome and the other raising a water bottle in front of him offensively.

He sighed with relief when he saw a taller brunette girl with cerulean eyes smiling at him with mirth. Lowering the water bottle, he smiled and flung himself at Anzu with a crushing hug around her middle.

"What were you gonna do, Yuugi? Splash water at me?" She laughed as she returned her friend's hug. She felt him shrug his shoulders, but his hold on her never loosened. "Yuugi? You okay?"

Yuugi pulled away from Anzu with a small smile. "Yeah. Just happy to see you. You beautiful, normal person."

Anzu laughed a little and let Yuugi go completely. She pulled a travel-size cooler from her shoulder, placed it on the counter, and unzipped it. Yuugi hopped onto the granite next to her while he popped the water bottle cap and drank a little of it.

"What's in the bag?" He peeked over and smiled at his friend kindly. Anzu smirked.

"I know you aren't eating properly. Case in point, reaching for at least week old leftovers. So I made you some of your favorites!" Anzu pulled out several containers from the cooler, filled with home-cooked foods straight from the heart. "Pierogies, fried chicken, green beans, corn, and stuffing."

Yuugi snagged the container of chicken and practically tore off the lid. "Anzu, you are my goddess. You make me wish I liked vagina."

Anzu laughed heartily. "Well you make me wish I didn't like it."

She wiggled her eyebrows at Yuugi, who joined in quickly with her laughter. They ate together, discussing Anzu's relationship with her girlfriend Miho and how it was progressing. After this semester they intended on moving in together. Yuugi filled Anzu in on his weekend (purposefully leaving out what he had dubbed the "crazy bits", but being sure to add every agonizing nightmare and all the feelings he had about Yami).

"Look, dude, I know you hate the kid but Yami is another one that could hit this." Anzu said. Yuugi rolled his eyes at her and hopped off the counter.

"Yeah, he's a steamy-hot love god but come on, does he have to be such a tool?"

Grabbing the food, they walked to the living room so Anzu could properly berate Yuugi for being oblivious in a more comfortable position. The two cuddled on the couch under a blanket with their hoodies pulled up to keep them warm while they laughed and gossiped long into the night.

Bakura hates silence.

Some might find this strange, considering that he also hates mindless chatter and most people's voices, but silence is the worst. It leaves him with time to think and overanalyze – his two least favorite activities.

In this particular situation, silence left him with no option but to contemplate exactly how far in the dog house he was with Ryou.

The two of them sat alone in one of Kaiba's vehicles – a 1997 Jeep Cherokee, lord knows why it was in the Kaiba garage, but it was – to complete and utter silence, driving towards their apartments. They would stop by Ryou's first to collect his clothes and clean out the fridge of spoilable food. He decided to stay at the mansion with his friends for a while. At least until they had any sort of idea what was going on.

Then they would hit Bakura's place, though it wasn't really necessary. All he had there was some beer and pot he needed to get.

Mostly he was only here for Ryou's safety.

And to try to talk his way back into Ryou's good graces.

"Yami and I kiss all the time." Ryou sputtered and jerked from staring out the window, unintentionally spitting all over the dashboard.

"What?"

"Well, no that's not what I meant. I mean I guess it is, but not like that."

"Bakura, just stop."

"We're not together or anything-"

"Bakura-"

"It was just a friend thing-"

"Stop-"

"And I'm sorry."

"Just sto-what?"

Bakura eased onto the breaks as he pulled into the lot. He didn't bother staying put to answer Ryou and instead decided to leave the car and walk towards an elevator to take them to the apartment.

"For the fight."

Ryou had to chase after Bakura and strain his ears to figure out what the other had said. Bakura never apologizes, so he wanted to hear all of this. But when he figured out that the other boy wanted to talk about their fight when Ryou could barely wrap his head around what he had just seen in the gym, he decided not to respond.

With a quiet 'whatever', Ryou walked passed Bakura into the elevator. No, no, no. Not going to grace him with a response. Yelling then kissing Yami and now being all weird and un-Bakura-y. He doesn't get my conversation.

"You just don't understand what it's like."

Fifth floor. Exit. Apartment 5B.

"This is a huge shock for me."

Unlock door. Enter. Resist urge to slam it in Bakura's face.

"I mean my aunt used to talk about this crap all the time and I spent my entire life believing it wasn't real."

Let Bakura follow into the bedroom. Pull out duffel bag from the closet. Covertly wipe tears from eyes.

"It's hard."

Whirl around and slap Bakura's cheek.

The white haired boy stared in awe at his counterpart, taking in the tears on Ryou's face and his tight lipped frown. His normally pale cheeks were shining red and the breath leaving his lips was ragged, as if he had just run a marathon. Seeing the state of the other, Bakura couldn't even bring himself to yell for getting slapped.

"Hard? Hard? For you?!" Ryou grabbed his duffel bag and hurled it at his dresser, knocking down the colognes that had been atop it and filling the room with his scent. "I fucking talked to a bear, Bakura! Twice! And who is the one person I need to be there for me? One of the only people I actually fucking talk to about all that girly emotional shit?"

Ryou was shaking; his words were nearly incomprehensible because of the cries leaving his throat. Bakura's hand slowly left his cheek as realization finally hit him. He felt sheepish and selfish and an overwhelming desire to go back in time and punch himself in the gut.

"You. For some totally unfathomable reason, I love you and I wanted you to be there for me." Ryou laughed bitterly at himself and plopped down onto his bed. His forearms rested on his knees and he turned his head on folded hands. "Bloody stupid, that was. I know you can't depend on anyone, I don't know why I did."

Bakura stared at Ryou with quiet comprehension; Ryou gritted his teeth together while pointedly looking away from his almost lover. They said nothing. There was nothing to be said.

So Bakura used his body language.

In one swift motion, he scooped his arms under Ryou's shoulders and around his back, then pushed the smaller boy underneath him on the bed. Ryou gasped in shock, both from the act of being nearly tackled to the bed and the way Bakura was whispering huskily into his ear. I love you. I'm sorry. You're beautiful.

In between each small sentiment, he would choose a spot on Ryou's neck and place the tip of his tongue to the skin, then close his lips around it in a kiss. The third kiss raised those tickling hairs on the back of his neck, sending a pleasant tremor down his spine.

Just once. Shiver. Give someone a second chance. Bakura's tongue along the shell of his ear. And let it be me.

With a devastating look sent into Ryou's eyes – and deep brown reflections of pure yearning staring back – Bakura kissed Ryou desperately, immediately pulling his knees forward for leverage to shift both their bodies further across the bed, until Ryou's bare feet only barely hung over.

Ryou, whose arms had been nearly forced behind his head when Bakura tackled him, opened his mouth around Bakura's when a surprised moan elevated from his core and exited through his lips. The broader of them growled in response, causing his lips to vibrate against Ryou's skin before he snatched the other's jutted bottom lip in his teeth and rolled it between them.

Oh god that moan of Ryou's sent torrents of titillating chills down his spine. Bakura jerked himself back on his knees, carrying Ryou's body along with him. From this position he could grab the smaller's sweater around the bottom hem and peel it from his body. His lips parted from the sweet ones beneath him as he frantically kissed down alabaster skin, simultaneously unbuttoning his own shirt. When he met with the boy's tight yoga pants, he abandoned his own open shirt and unzipped jeans – did Ryou see red boxers there? – to grab the elastic waistband and nearly violently remove the littler one's last piece of clothing.

Ryou lay beneath Bakura, naked and vulnerable. Were it any other pair of eyes studying him with such fascination and celestial gratitude, he would have curled around himself to hide the most unseen parts of him. But these eyes were the darkest of hues; they were narrow and beautiful and Bakura's. And these hands gently trailing down his taint were rough from fighting but stroked his body as if it were the softest silk. And it was okay to let someone back in as long as they were Bakura, right?

The first two fingers of one big hand circled around his wet hole, teasing it. When did he get lube? He couldn't figure it out before Bakura slid his fingers inside, then shrouded Ryou's cock in his mouth. His fingers crooked and rubbed his lover soothingly while he bobbed up and down, swallowing around the tender erection in his mouth.

"Fuck," Ryou groaned the word out of his mouth like it was being ripped from his very center. "Bakura-"

A high pitch gasp escaped when Bakura added another finger and carefully maneuvered them around to stretch his muscles while filling him so much that no nerve ending went unpleasured. He felt cold air tease his member when Bakura released it from his talented mouth and trembled.

"Ry." Bakura purred into his ear. While Ryou couldn't even think, Bakura had been working down his own jeans and boxers until they were at his knees and his painfully erect member was slickening Ryou's inner thighs. The cold fabric Bakura's shirt skimming his hot skin gave Ryou shivers. Without voicing an actual need, Ryou tucked his own arms underneath his knees and pulled them up to his shoulders to expose himself in a better position for Bakura. The boy on top shifted his knees further forward so Ryou could rest his legs against him. Then he bent forward so he could hold a silken white ponytail in one hand and position himself with the other.

Ryou graced his hands over Bakura's skin, reveling in this moment. When he reached around his lover's neck, Ryou tightened his hold and pulled Bakura down into a kiss, causing him to jerk forward into Ryou. Then the bottom boy's tongue was in his mouth and that whimper tightened a coil inside of him; one quickly looking to burst. He drove his body in and away from his love, rolling his hips to find what he was looking for.

"Oh, god god." One of Ryou's hands untangled itself from wild hair to hold his own forehead while he screamed. "Kura. Right there."

Fueled by his name leaving Ryou's lips the right way and the thrill of hearing the love of his life moaning with each pounding breath, Bakura forced himself faster and harder. He used the hand which had positioned his own dick earlier to pump the younger one as furiously as he was thrusting, quickly bringing both of them to the end of their ropes. With a heart pounding scream, Ryou and Bakura finished, almost unaware of the mess.

They lay together in sweat and love. Bakura continued to kiss Ryou's head long after the moment was over, both of them staring into space with tired looks on their faces.

"I love you, Ry."

"I love you too, Kura."

"It's going to be okay, you know."

Jou jumped around in surprise at the sound of Seto's voice; he had been sure that there wasn't anyone else around at the moment, let alone someone in the bathroom with him. Malik still refused to come out of his bedroom and Marik – in what he claims to be only for the purpose of cheering up his love – has taken to staying with him and flooding him with lust and sexual emotions.

Summarily, Jou does not expect to see them for the next few days at least.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Seto waved a hand in front of him. Jou's eyes softened as he looked at his love's concerned face.

"I know." Jou shrugged with a smile at Seto. "I just never don't worry about him."

Seto sighed at Jou's insistent protective personality, but still smiled just a bit. They knew Yuugi was going to be fine on his own, yet it had taken Seto's entire persuasive vocabulary to stop Jou from running out the door after him. Typical, that Jou would be more concerned for his friend's safety than an impending barrage of centuries old magic. However, Seto had the perfect way to get his pup's attention away from his best friend's absence.

He stepped forward to grab Jou's face and pull it passionately towards his own. They kissed each other nearly frantically, Jou grabbing at Seto's shoulders and hair trying to pull him as close as possible. Seto quickly discarded the boxers they had on for sleep and lifted Jou up to sit him on the counter. Once they were settled, Seto slowed the pace to trace his fingers teasingly along Jou's skin. He smiled again at the small goosebumps that showed themselves along his arms and chest after his touch. Seto grabbed Jou's wrists and held them between them so he could lean forward and whisper lowly into the blonde's ear. "Katsuya."

Said boy shook when his name reverberated down his spine. Their erections throbbed as they reconnected their lips and ground against each other. Jou felt the cold stone underneath him when Seto climbed on top, supplying pressure especially to his pelvis and ripping a moan from the blonde's throat.

Just as Seto began to bite his way down Jou's neck, he was thrown back violently by a tanned arm around his middle. Jou screamed and frantically covered himself, trying to identify their attacker. But before he could, Seto had jumped back to his feet and kicked the man away from Jou. He stood between them defensively, but had to close his eyes at the sudden light that flooded the bathroom.

"Malik! The fuck are you doing?" Marik screamed from the doorway. Once Seto and Jou adjusted to the light, they recognized their attacker to be Malik, who was glaring venomously at them and cursing in Arabic. The two naked boys could only stare when Marik responded back in the foreign language and began arguing with Malik in it.

After a few moments of incomprehensible dialogue, Seto slammed his fist against the wall behind Malik's head. He'd be gone to hell if he let these other boys interrupt his favorite thing and then not even acknowledge him.

"Two options," he growled. "Leave now to explain yourself later. Or watch."

Jou tried to protest Seto's perverse remark (actually afraid that the blonde pair would choose to stay), but shut himself up when Marik grabbed Malik around his middle and threw him over his shoulder.

"We're leaving."

"Thought so. Love you, mean it!"

Malik, however, had far less quiet plans.

"We can't leave. They'll fuck!"

The two naked men stared at their friend like he was the dumbest rock they'd ever seen. Seto spoke in a very slow, patronizing voice.

"We are going to fuck whether you're here or not."

Marik had to tighten his grip on his boyfriend to avoid dropping him as the smaller boy flailed in his arms. He pulled the other hectically through the door and away to their bedroom, all the while carrying screams of 'constant boner' and 'you sons of fucks, I will end you, Marik' in his arms.

Kaiba quickly slammed the door after them, being sure to lock it this time. He turned slowly back to Jou who, in the now bright light of the bathroom, looked exhausted, brokenhearted, and unfittingly 'laugh-y' for someone who should for all intents and purposes have passed out hours ago.

He sighed, silently planning Fifty Ways to Say Goodbye to Malik (Original Song by Seto Kaiba) in his head. Now that he knew exactly how tired Jou really was, he would never ask the other to exert himself more. He needs rest and to be taken care of. Not thrown around in a passionate love-making caboodle.

No, the only relief he'd get would be by his own hand.

Goddammit, Malik. I hope you feel my hatred right now.

He faintly heard a thump down the hallway as his confirmation.

"Come on, pup. Bedtime."

Jou's head popped up from its lulling position on his chest in surprise. Still, when Seto wrapped his arms around his waist and hoisted him into a hug, Jou latched onto him like a Koala (secretly loving the fact that he and Seto could be so close naked in both passionate and comfortable senses). He spoke in slurred words as he drifted to sleep against Seto's shoulder.

"'ut I do?"

"Nothing, dear."

"D'you say 'love you, mean it' 'o Mark?"

"It's just a thing we do."

"'e yer boyfriend?"

"No, pup, you are."

"I'm?!"

"Well, now yeah."

In a high pitched, raspy, tired-person voice that would surely be used as a Terrible Weapon of Mass Adorable should Jou find out in his waken hours that he has it, Jou sang his words to Seto as they curled together in bed. From his position with Jou fast asleep on top of him, Seto closed his eyes and held his love close under his chin so he could kiss his head.

"Setooo. Love you mean it."

"You, too. Goodnight pup."

Anzu shouted her greeting as she opened the door to Yuugi's kitchen with the spare key they hid under the mailbox.

"Sorry, Yuug! I made it all the way home and what do I find? I forgot my cell phone and my house keys. I'm a champion amongst men, I really am."

The brunette walked to the sink where she saw her friend standing with his back to her; Yuugi was uncharacteristically quiet. Usually he would have already made at least three sarcastic remarks about early onset Alzheimer's by now. She called his name quietly as she reached out for his shoulder.

"You shouldn't have come back." Anzu gasped slightly when her friend spoke. She realized that what she had thought to be faucet drips was actually Yuugi's tears hitting the metal.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She pushed against him to make Yuugi turn and face her. His black hoodie was still pulled over his face, but when she pulled it down, Yami's face was there instead.

"I said you shouldn't have come back. Slut." Anzu's hand automatically flew back into a fist, but she felt it get caught in someone's grip behind her. She painfully turned to attack the person behind her, but was surprised to see that it was Jou. He easily twisted the leg she kicked at him and bent her forward.

"We know that you're a demon."

Blue eyes widened in fright and confusion as she looked at who she thought was her friend. Before she could say anything to him, her chin was forcefully grabbed by a pale white hand and Ryou turned her face towards him.

"Just shut up. You're going to die for betraying Yuugi, and not by any other hand than his."

Disbelief shuddered through her; Yuugi would never let this stupid joke – or whatever it was – get too far. He would save her. Of course he would.

When she finally saw her shorter friend, she began crying with relief. She begged him to let her go. She said she had no idea what a demon even was. She said she was truly his friend and never would betray him.

But it didn't work.

From a place behind him, Yuugi pulled a butcher's knife as he glowered at Anzu with every foul emotion he had ever felt boiling up within him. He raised the knife and swung it against her exposed throat, exiling blood from the deep gash. The red color surprised him, but once the life left his "friend"'s eyes, Yuugi was convinced that she had never really been his friend in the first place.

With a vicious growl, he snarled out the window and jumped through it, his true friends following behind.

A horrible falling feeling caused Yuugi to jerk awake, sweat drenching his body as he panted and ran his hand over his face. After a few moments of calming down, he reached beside his bed and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Well fuck that dream." As he drank the water, Yuugi couldn't help but shake at the blurry memories of his nightmare. He knew without a doubt that he wouldn't

Yuugi noticed peripherally that a small black cat was sitting inside his windowsill. He quickly covered himself up at the thought of someone watching him, but rolled his eyes at himself once he realized how stupid he was being, hiding himself from a pet. "It's a cat, Yuugi. You idiot."

Grandpa had insisted on putting a cat door in their kitchen for all the strays around the area to get warm shelter and food. It was yet another thing Yuugi had no heart to get rid of. Because of their many feline solicitors there is a bag of cookie treats on his dresser at all times, so getting one and offering it to the cat was only a reach away. He pet the animal when it reached him, glad for some nonhuman company. Still lying down, Yuugi closed his eyes, enjoying very much the sound of a low purr and the warmth of the animal against his side.

Then Yuugi reached beside the bed to pick up his acoustic guitar and strum it a few times. "Mumford is always a good relaxer. What do you think?"

He scratched under the cat's chin until it purred again and then settled his guitar in a better position on his lap.

"So make your siren's call and sing all you want, I will not hear what you have to say." He sang in his beautifully raspy voice, feeling the words fly away on sound waves with his fears anchored beneath them. "'Cause I need freedom now and I need to know how, to live my life as it's meant to be."

He sang through a few of his most relaxing songs until he was at least calm enough to get back to sleep. Although the lifeless eyes of his dream friend plagued him through the night, they weren't overpoweringly awful and Yuugi slept in his own bed better than he had since Grandpa. He welcomed the cat into his arms for a hug; it purred louder, bringing an actual little giggle to Yuugi's throat. The cat opened one red eye to make sure Yuugi was comfortable before curling up closer and drifting off to sleep.

"You'll never control it if you don't calm down!"

"I'll never calm down if you don't leave me alone!"

Marik ducked with a scoff at the pillow thrown towards him. He then picked up a pair of pants lying next to him and hurled them toward Malik.

"I'm not leaving you like this, you numbskull."

Malik charged at Marik, knocking them both to the ground with a large bang. They wrestled a bit, rolling over their clothes and bedding that had been tossed around throughout their time this afternoon.

"This is the worst day ever." Malik screamed. He jumped to his feet and raised his fists towards his boyfriend. "You being here just makes it worse."

Marik lifted his hands, palm up in surrender of the fight. "I won't leave, but I don't want to fight. You may hate feeling my emotions but you could hurt yourself if I'm not here."

Malik clenched his fists tighter. He knew he was the reason why the bedroom resembled tornado leftovers. He knew that experiencing so many emotions at once was driving him insane and making him vent physically on the things around him. So what? He wouldn't hurt himself, and Marik was just making everything so much more complicated.

"You selfish son of –"

"Selfish?" Anger flared up inside of Marik. "I'm just trying to protect you, asshole!"

"I don't need protection!"

"You'd be dead if I didn't protect you!" Marik screamed. Malik flinched as if what his boyfriend screamed had been an actual blow. Whether it was anger at himself or at their situation or both, Marik wasn't sure. But his fury shook his body unnecessarily and all of a sudden his palms were burning and the lamp beside Malik exploded in a sudden blast of glass pieces all over their room.

Malik dove into his boyfriend's arms and hit the deck to protect them. They both shook uncontrollably, desperate to catch their breath.

"The fuck was that?!"

"Short circuit or-"

"Not the fucking lamp, Marik." Malik sighed from his position on top of Marik, speaking in a voiced layered with sadness. "You've never been that mad before."

His lover shook underneath him, seemingly too winded to respond. Malik spoke again, still rasping.

"How could you say that?"

Marik threw Malik away from him and jumped to his feet. Tears lined his usually dry eyes, reminding them both that really they were just a couple of teenage boys in way too deep with the wrong shit.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. His eyes never once looked up to meet his love's. Malik had yet to stop shaking with fear and overwhelming pain from the foreign emotions flooding his system. He could only barely bring himself to sit up.

"Baby-"

"Looks like you'll get hurt whether or not I'm here." Marik blinked tearfully in frustration and looked into Malik's perfect, beautiful, heartbreaking eyes. His gaze flickered to the now shattered lamp. "And besides the emotional shit, it looks like I'm the guy who blows up lamps now."

"But I love you." Malik whispered. His voice was hoarse and tears streamed down his face in waterfalls. He surprisingly didn't sob; just spoke in a slightly elevated pitch.

"I love you too, baby. So much." Marik sighed and turned towards the door. He paused with a hand on the knob to thunk his head against the wood. Tears slowly dripped from his eyes and his jaw hurt from gritting his teeth so hard, but he did not turn around. "We both know that you rile me up more than anyone."

"I'll stop."

"And this obviously has to do with my power."

"Maybe it doesn't."

"No way was that a short circuit and whatever this is, I'm not going to risk blowing you up, Malik."

"I'll be good."

Marik bunked his head against the door again. He didn't have to look to see Malik's crying face. He knew exactly what it looked like. He'd seen it so much in Egypt.

He had protected it so much in Egypt. And here. He would always protect Malik.

"I'll be at sister's. They aren't home. Went to Italy, or something."

Even if it meant leaving him.

"If you need me."

With finality unbefitting either boy, Marik stepped back from the door to open it and walked through it, resisting the almost overwhelming desire to turn around. The slamming oak shattered his heart between its hinges.

"Come back!" Malik screamed. He couldn't bring himself to even get off the floor; the weight of every possible kind of heartbreak was too heavy for his tired body. "Marik. Marik I need you!"

From the other side of the door, Marik could hear cries raking their way through his love's throat and stabbing him in the chest. He was leaving Malik. He was abandoning the only person he was sworn to protect for the sake of his safety.

Stupid fucking irony.

He was dragged down the stairs and to the garage by every fiber of willpower in his body. He kept telling himself that he wasn't going away forever. They would be together again soon. It's not too far.

Everything will be fine.

Malik's heartwrenching shriek of his name shredded through any optimism he had left before he could get his bike out of earshot. He didn't cry when his mom kicked him out or when they had to leave their country all of a sudden or when they found out demons and killers were real but oh god did he cry when Malik's voice slashed his heart like that.

Lifting one of his arms from the handles of his motorcycle to block the sound, Marik cried like a teenager with a broken heart. But right as he decided to turn around and go back, his front wheel dipped into a pothole and he flew over into the grass, arms flailing nervously. Every streetlight within a fifty foot radius blew up and any cars park on the street immediately sounded alarm. With his mind still jumbled, Marik jumped to his feet and nervously rolled his damaged bike towards their house, tears constantly rolling down his cheeks.

…..so was that a cliffhanger or?