Chapter LXVIII: Splish Splash

Hello again, Darkness Falls fans! Welcome to a rather short chapter, but a somewhat silly and possibly fluffy one! Enjoy!

Legal disclaimer: Peach, Ani and Lobo do not own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise or its related characters. They just like playing in the sandbox. This chapter's title comes from the song of the same name by Bobby Darin. Thank you!

Elsewhere, Aster Phoenix wiped a great deal of mud off his face. How in the heck had he gotten this liberally coated in the stuff from one pass? Wait... this is Duel Academy, he thought in frustration. I gave up the Pro Leagues for this! Now, what do I do? Oh yeah... get a shower.

"Yo, Aster! What're you doing out here?" It was probably someone he was eager yet dreaded to see in that moment: Atticus, and with his surf board to boot.

Aster groaned inwardly, but decided to speak. "Went for a walk. Scout told me I could. But then I think Violet and Bastion decided I needed a mud bath."

Atticus blinked, stopping to look his surrogate brother up and down. "Wow. It's weird seeing you all brown, since you're usually more of a silver guy. Too bad I missed it though; it looks like it was fun!"

Even through the mud coating, Atticus was suddenly dismayed to see a vein popping. "Can you just help me to the dorm, please? I need a shower!"

The older boy gave a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, uh, sure. Yeah. Careful bro, if you get too steamed you might dry all the mud! Ha ha!"

"Just do it, okay?" Aster, still recovering from his little 24-hour bug, was not to be tested. The two young men headed back to the Obelisk dorm, Atticus having to direct Aster because the latter couldn't see very well. "I think I need to hose off or something before I walk in."

"Pfff, then freeze outside and get sick again? Mom would kill both of us. Who cares if you track a little mud? I bet Violet and Bastion did too if they got you this coated," Atticus pointed out.

Aster opened his mouth to argue, but then noticed a small set of muddy footprints accompanied by wheelchair tracks. "Looks like they did! Guess they're showering too."

"Exactly! Now c'mon, Mudster! Let's head upstairs so I can actually see your face again," the other replied, giving a thumbs-up and an encouraging grin.

Aster sighed, remembering that Atticus truly wanted to help. And so, after a good hot shower, he was back in clean clothes. "Thanks for helping me when I was feeling so rotten," he said when they were sitting in the huge dorm room, sipping on lemonade.

"Hey, no prob. That's what bros are for, right? I've helped Chazzy out of bigger pickles than that one. Though you did look pretty hysterical all covered in mud like that," Atticus teased.

"Yeah... I meant... when I was so sick yesterday," Aster said slowly.

The brunette boy blinked. "Oh, that... well, same thing! Family helps each other, especially when they're under the weather. You may not be my brother by blood, but I consider you family all the same."

"Thanks, Atticus." Aster couldn't help but smile. "I guess my surrogate family's gotten bigger. Zane and Sy's mom and dad said the same thing last summer."

"Hmm." Atticus seemed to think for a few moments as he sipped his lemonade. "Well, when you think about it, we're all sort of one big family. We've been through a lot together and it's made us bond like one, anyway."

Aster considered that and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So with that in mind, brother, what are you planning for Zane's bachelor party?"

Atticus smirked, mischief in his eyes. "That's for me to know and you guys to find out!"

Aster sighed. "You know your sister's going to kill you, right?"

The smirk dropped into a pout. "Why does everyone keep saying that? You guys don't even know what I'm gonna do!" he whined.

"From what I've heard, you have a reputation. And weren't you the one who dared Chazz to panty raid Violet's room?"

"Hey-hey-hey! That was requested by Bastion, he just didn't have the nerve to dare Chazzy himself. But everyone always blames me for it anyway!" the eldest Rhodes brother groaned.

"Yeah, but you went through with it!" Aster laughed. "Your mom; does she know about that?"

Atticus winced. "I'm not sure. If she doesn't, I'm not gonna be the one to tell her! She'd ground me or something even though Bastion's the one who wanted Violet's underwear!"

"Okay. I won't tell. Wait... does Alexis know?"

"Most likely. At least I think she pounded me for it back then."

Aster nodded, taking another sip of his drink. "Makes sense. The girls would've told." And then he stretched. "So you think we'll just relax tonight?"

"Well, so long as nothing crazy happens. You never know on this island."

"Yeah. Way too much weird stuff happens here." The two young men laughed, clinked their glasses and enjoyed their drinks.

Hope you enjoyed this rather short chapter! See you soon! Until then, read and review! Thank you again!