A/N: RETURN OF THE BAT PILLOW! Because I liked it.

Warning: Awesome-O says that this is GAY. Full of GAY. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I… I gots nothing. Really. Nothing. Sorry.

Summary: Challenge fic. 25 Random Words. The rules? Just use the word in a scene about the pairing. Chapter 20: Shut.

Remember:

"Blah" – Speech

Blah –Thoughts/Emphasis

Blah – Self Explanatory

20. Shut

"Don't shut me—" Ike began, but there was a slammed door in his face a second later, "… out…"

It had been several hours into a movie marathon when Shadow had begun twitching in his spot next to Ike on the couch. At first, the Canadian thought nothing of it. They'd been deep into the horror movies for a few hours now… but it was becoming worrying when Shadow starting to dart his eyes over to Ike. Not that Ike carried. He was busy watching the two-bit '80's slasher flick through lidded eyes. This was at sometime between 8 and 9:40 that Saturday night. The Brofloski's were out for the weekend, and Kyle was at some convention with Stan. The summer was sticky-hot, with sweat gliding between shoulder blades and dripping off the ends of dark hair. Ike only wore his pajama pants, and cuddled with a bat shaped pillow in the corner.

It started simple, with Ike suggesting his goth friend take off a dark layer.

"It's nighttime, I'm fine," Shadow said in his bundle of heavy, thick layers of wool and cotton and leather. A buckle on his steel-toed boots glinted neon red as the villain gutted someone on the TV. Ike raised a brow but didn't speak until a rather dialogue-heavy scene started up.

"Your eyeliner is running," he mentioned, stretching against his armrest and turning over the pillow to the cool side. Shadow scowled and rubbed under his eyes. When he pulled back his fingers, sure enough there was a smudge of smoky black makeup. It left his white cheeks almost gray in the flicking television's light. "You will look like a raccoon in a few hours…"

"Fuck," Shadow breathed and Ike reached over to wipe a thumb across the coat of ashy colored liner. The poor goth was startled and leapt to his feet. Instantly, the genius withdrew, hiding behind his once fluffy, but now matted with sweat, bat-pillow.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to pop your personal bubble!" he declared and paused the movie. Shadow shook his head, drawing back his hips and he relaxed his stance. Ike's poor friend seemed really tense. "If you want, you can take a shower or something."

"In… In your house?"

"Well, Kyle and I have our own bathroom, so, yeah," Ike clarified.

"Will you leave me alone after that?" Shadow grumbled. With a good-natured smile, Ike nodded. With a sigh, the goth consented, "Fine…"

"Yippeee!"

That should have been the end of the weirdness that night… but it wasn't. Ike remembered that there weren't fresh towels in the bathroom. In fact, his left over towel was just slung on its hook by the sink, probably dripping. How disgusting of him to have done that! So, being a good friend, Ike stole a striped taupe-brown and faded burgundy beach towel from the linen closet and knocked on the bathroom door. He wasn't thinking as he tried the doorknob to see if it was locked.

Ike swore he was just going to leave it on the counter, or place it on the towel rack… but when the door opened easily, he peered in without thought. He did it all the time when Kyle asked from a clean towel. Being polite he kept his eyes up on the ceiling for his brother, and he was going to do that for Shadow too…

But there was movement down there.

Ike walked in on Shadow, and heard the hard panting, and from his fringe version, noted a jerking movement below his line of sight. What the Canadian-born teen saw shocked him for a second, and he gasped louder than he should have.

Shadow had Ike's damp towel from earlier, wrapped around well, obviously wrapped around his—

Ike couldn't think it, blushing hard and heartbeat burning.

Uh, wait no! The blush was burning and the heartbeat was hard. And he was hard and—

Wait no! Not that either…

Well, actually—

"Gah! Not the time for that!" Ike muttered to himself as he beat his own head. That idea sounds funny too, and suddenly he tried to remedy it by reminding himself, "The head on top!"

Ike was practically in tears as he paced the hallway.

"Just go away, Ike…!" Shadow called from his side of the bathroom door. No light was seeping from under the door. That must mean the goth was bracing his body against it incase Ike tried to enter again.

"I'm really sorry! I didn't mean—"

"I was the one who forgot to lock the door…"

"I know, but I should have waited or something," Ike gulped and found himself sliding down the wall beside the door. Years of dirt had built up around the handle and doorjamb… Absently, the poor teen began to rub some of it away with the corner of the towel he originally brought for his friend. "… I'm really sorry."

"Oh my goo-ood," Shadow groaned. Ike felt the urge to shiver and cover himself. He didn't focus on why though. "Why the hell are you apologizing?! I was the one fucking touching himself with his friend's dirty towel!"

Ike paused, not quite responding, just kept rubbing the discolored fibers across the door's messier aspects. There was a need to whimper. Something about the bluntness Shadow had for the situation was causing strange things to happen to his stomach and lower body. "I-I know… I saw," he managed to force past his windpipe. The words sounded foreign, and his voice was loosing its strength.

"… So, you know," Shadow coughed, and a slight thump was heard, as well as a vibration from the other side of the door. The goth must have hit his head against the off-white painted plywood.

"Um, no not really," Ike said and laid his own head on the door. He was feeling sticky and hot again, and was not entirely convinced it had to do with the summer heat wave rolling over Colorado.

"You should, like, I dunno…" Shadow began and the shuffling movement came from under the door, "Hate me or something. Probably by a new towel."

"Did you…?" Ike started, but found himself flushing from head to toe.

"Did I what, Ike? Cum?" the goth scoffed and Ike felt jolted. He lifted away from the door to hide under the somewhat clean towel in his lap.

"Yeah…"

"All over the place. As soon as I saw your face, I couldn't help it," Shadow was point blank and Ike felt like he was crumbling… or maybe melting. The heat was getting to be too much. Assuming it was heat. "It was better than my fantasies."

That was it. Ike felt himself squirming.

"Shadow," Ike's voice wavered, "Please let me in."

"No. I'm gonna die in here, either from embarrassment or starvation," the stubborn goth answered. Ike's hand placed itself over the bulge growing in his pajamas.

"Please?" came the trembling voice as Ike scooted closer.

There was a slight hesitation and a flittered beam of the bathroom's fluorescents could be seen peeking out from under the door. This time, Shadow was the one asking questions. "Why, exactly, would you want to see my perverted face again?"

"Because… I don't know how to masturbate. You have to help me."

Needless to say, Shadow was kind enough to open the door.

—END?—