Carved in Stone

Lay it on the Line

            Malik and Ryou waited patiently for David to return with something to eat. Malik
lounged around in a comfortable pair of red silk boxer shorts flippingnnelnnels on the small
hotel television. Ryou laid bed reading a book. All that was covering his scorched body was a
thin, white sheet.

Malik groaned as he turned off the television.

“I wonder where your father is, he’s been gone a long time.” he mused.

Ryou looked up from the pages of his book and glanced at the clock on the wall.

“He’s only been gone an hour, I wouldn’t start worrying yet.”

Malik sighed as he laid back and covered his face with a fluffy white pillow. Ryou set his book
down on the night stand next to the bed and peeked under Malik’s pillow.

“Am I boring you, Malik?”

Malik looked out from underneath his pillow and groaned.

“Just a little. I feel like monkey fucking you until your eyes pop out of your head, but thanks to
Dumb and Dumber, I can’t even as much as touch you!”

Ryou sighed lightly as he looked away.

“I’m sorry” he sniffled remorsefully.

Malik tossed the pillow off of his head and growled. He turned over onto his side and draped his
arm carefully around Ryou’s sunburned chest.

“Damn it, I’m sorry Ryou. I didn’t mean to lash out like that. It’s not your fault, I’m just fucking
cranky. Maybe I should go take a walk or something.”

Ryou bit down on his bottom lip and nodded.

“That’s fine, just be careful. Take the Millennium Rod with you too....just in case.”

Marik slid off the bed and smiled down at Ryou.

“Yes mother......I promise I’ll behave too...” he added with a chuckle.

********************************************************************

            Joey clenched his fists tightly against Yugi’s chest until his knuckles were snow white.
He knew he was in the wrong by kissing his former companion, but it felt almost impossible to
pull away. His lips were already tainted with fornication, was it even worth stopping this
paralyzingly familiar sensation?

            Yugi brushed his fingertips along Joey’s smooth jaw line. His tiny frame trembled
nervously as the sweet scent of Joey’s cologne tickled his nostrils. He smelled good enough to
eat. Yugi’s heart was pounding so fast he thought it was going to jump out of his chest. How
could he have ever let somebody so intoxicating go?

            “Joey.......we shouldn’t.......” Yugi whimpered as he tried to pull away from Joey’s soft,
precious lips.

A low moan escaped Joey’s mouth as he leaned forward to capture Yugi’s sweetness one last
time.

“I.. know.....must......stop” he panted intermittently.

Slowly they pulled their lips apart, savoring every precious second they had together.

Yugi sat up and pulled his knees to his chest. He wrapped his arms around himself protectively
and stared down at the flower pattern on his bedspread.

            Joey ran his fingers through his tousled blond hair and bit his lip.

“Yugi........I’m not sure what to say” he sighed shifted around on the bed nervously.

Yugi suddenly sprung up and jumped off the bed.

“I think you’re jeans are dry.......I’ll be right back.”

 Joey stared down at the floor and nodded his head.

“Uh, yeah, sure, good idea.”

Minutes later Yugi returned with Joey’s torn jeans in his hands. He handed them over to Joey,
along with a black sleeveless t-shirt.

“Your shirt was shredded after your fight last night, so you can have this one.” Yugi smiled
timidly.

Joey smiled as he took the clothes from Yugi.

“Thank you again for saving my ass last night. You’re a good shit, Yugi.”

Yugi pressed his lips together and smiled coyly.

“Yami’s the one who actually took care of Keith and his jerk friends. I only washed your jeans.”

Joey smiled back at Yugi as he pulled on his jeans.

“How’s Yami doing anyway? I heard Yami Bakura really made his life a living hell while you
were, um, you know......getting help.”

Yugi covered his mouth and giggled as he wrapped his hand around the Millennium Puzzle that
hung around his neck once again.

“He’s uh.....well.....it’s hard to explain. He’s good, ........ I think.”

Joey couldn’t help but notice the quirky grin on Yugi’s face. He pulled the black t-shirt over his
head as he sat back down on the bed.

“Well, tell him thanks for helping me out. I know he doesn’t like me, so it must have been pretty
tough for him to do what he did.”

A sudden flash of bright light filled the room. Joey was surprised when he realized the ancient
pharaoh himself was standing next to Yugi in solid form.

“I don’t hate you, Joey.” Yami saida loa low, stern voice.

“Jesus Christ!” Joey gasp in shock. He’d never actually seen both Yami and Yugi together this
way, and it was all just a little mind-boggling.

Yami cocked his head and chuckled as he sat on the bed next to Joey.

“I’ve been called a lot of things, but that’s definitely a new one” he smiled in a regal fashion.

Joey was taken by surprise by Yami’s sudden unexpected appearance. He took a few seconds to
collect his thoughts and than looked up at Yami.

“Sorry, you caught me a little off guard. Since when did you learn to uh....make yourself,
um....like, uh...you know, not spirit-like?”

Yami cringed nervously, indicating that he didn’t care to elaborate on the subject. He looked up
at Yugi with pleading crimson eyes, as if to say ‘you tell him.’

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go get a soda from the kitchen, either of you want a soda?
Yugi? Joey? A soda? Coke? Pepsi? 7-up?”

Yugi smiled at Joey and than looked back at Yami.

“I’ll take a Coke.”

Joey nodded his head, “I’ll take the same.”

Yami quickly rushed out of the room, leaving Yugi with a naughty grin plastered to his angelic
face. Once he was sure Yami was out of ear shot, Yugi hopped up onto his bed next to Joey and
giggled.

“Don’t tell Yami I told you this, but the reason he can take solid form now is because Bakura
and Marik put some kind of spell on him- they said he was ‘more fun’ this way. They did me
more of a favor more than they realize!”

Joey cocked his head and made a face.

“So YamiR lik like.....a real guy again?”

Yugi shook his head and smiled brightly.

“Yes and no, it’s kinda hard to explain. I’m no expert on that ancient magic stuff, but I do know
that Yami is A LOT easier to live with now! He does all the cooking and cleaning!”

Joey blew his bangs out of his eyes and shook his head in disbelief.

“Whoa, that’s deep, but cool. Sounds things are goin’ really good for you.”

Yugi nodded his head.

“Yeah, you could say that. How about you? Things with Kaiba going good?”

Joey bit his bottom lip as he reached over onto the floor and picked up his shoes and socks.

“Uh...yeah.....everything’s just peachy.” he purposely lied. “Things” between he and Seto were
far from “peachy,” but Yugi didn’t need to know that.

Just as Joey finished tying his shoes, Yami walked back in the bedroom carrying three cans of
Coke. He silently handed Yugi and Joey their sodas and sat on the floor with his back resting
against the bed. Joey and Yugi thanked him for their drinks as they opened them up.

While Joey and Yugi engaged in casual conversation, Yami sat quietly tracing his index finger
around the rim of his soda can.

**********************

“WHAT!” Seto gasp as he stared down in shock at his brothers sitting on the sofa across from
him. “You’re not serious, are you Mokuba?”

The youngest Kaiba brother silently stared down at his sneakers. He somehow knew that Seto
wasn’t going to take it well when he informed him that he was going to move into the old family
mansion with Noa.

“Mokuba, answer me!” Seto growled after not getting a response from his younger brother.

Mokuba slowly lifted his head and looked directly in Seto’s piercing blue eyes. Out of nowhere,
crystal clear tears began to pool up in his eyes. He sprung up off of the couch and squared off
with his powerful older brother. His heart raced and his hands trembled as he locked eyes with
Seto.

“I’m dead serious Seto, I want to move in with Noa. I’m sick and tired of listening to you and
Joey fight every fucking night, and I can’t stand how you treat him like shit! Why he puts up
with your bullshit, I’ll never understand. All I know is that I’ve had enough! I want out!” the
younger Kaiba shouted angrily.

Seto’s gaped at his brother in shock. Mokuba had never used quite that harsh of a tone with him
ever before, and Seto didn’t even know Mokuba could curse like an old drunken sailor. He sat
down on his desk and ran his fingers through his hair. After several uncomfortable moments,
Seto got up off of his desk. He walked over to one of the windows and stared down at the busy
streets below. Mokuba’s words played through his mind as he carefully considered his next
words.

“Okay Mokuba, you think you’re a hot shot now that you’re an official adult? Well little brother,
I can’t exactly stop you from making your own decisions anymore, so go for it, move out.”

Mokuba’s eyes almost popped out of his head. He couldn’t believe Seto was actually honoring
his wishes.

Noa got up from his seat and sided up to Mokuba.

“Shall we began packing your things now, Mokuba?” he smiled.

Mokuba glanced at Seto, who was still staring out the window. Ever since Mokuba’s assault six
months prior, he and Seto had grown apart. He wanted to run up and hug him, but something
inside of him stopped him from acting upon his impulse. Mokuba wiped the dampness from his
eyes and nodded at Noa.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Once Noa and Mokuba wert oft of the room, Seto reached up and wiped the dampness from his
eyes with the back of his hand. He couldn’t believe Mokuba was actually going to go through
with moving out. Seto hadn’t given the matter at hand any thought prior to this, so he wasn’t
prepared for how badly Mokuba leaving would affect him. For 18 years they had been together,
Seto could barely imagine what life without his precious little brother would be like. He’d raised
him practically on his own since they lost their parents. The thought of his younger brother
leaving the Kaiba nest caused Seto to break down in tears.

He turned away from the window and sat down at his desk.

“Mokie.....” he gulped as he looked at a picture of him and his brother taken many years ago at
the orphanage. Mokuba was a wide-eyed little ball of happiness back than, even though their
lives were not so happy. Over the years he’d changed a lot though, and not necessarily for the
better. Mokuba was now 18 years old, an official adult. Even though Seto wanted to tell him no
to loving out and lock him in the room until he was 50, he knew he had to let go and allow
Mokuba to live his own life.

Seto took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “Mokuba.....I love you....” he choked as his
emotions overwhelmed him.

**********************************************************

            Only minutes after Malik had left for his walk, Ryou’s father returned carrying two
grocery bags and one with some new clothes. He set the clothes on the small table near the
window and brought the food over to Ryou.

“Hey son, how are you feeling?”

Ryou smiled up at his father and reached up to hug him. David *very* carefully returned his
sunburned son’fectfection.

“To be honest father, I feel like crap.” Ryou chuckled.

David smiled at his son and handed him one of the bags with food in it.

“Here, I wasn’t sure what kind of food you and Malik liked, so I guessed. There’s some new
clothes in the bag on the table too.”

Ryou’s eyes lit up when he looked inside one of the brown grocery bags.

“Nachos!” he squealed excitedly as he yanked out a bag of corn chips and a container of ooey-
gooey spicy nacho cheese.

David chuckled in amusement as Ryou quickly tore open the bag of corn chips and started
stuffing his face.

“I take it I did good?” he laughed.

Ryou looked up from his nachos and nodded his head.

“M’hm!” he exclaimed with his mouth full.

David sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around the room.

“Where’s your friend?” he ask curiously.

Ryou covered his mouth and finished chewing his food before answering.

“He went for a walk, he was a bit cranky.”

David nodded his head.

“Oh, okay. Ryou? Can I ask you something....eh.....a bit personal?”

Ryou set his nachos down and looked up at his father.

“Sure, go right ahead.”

David took a deep breath. He had practiced what he was going to ask Ryou over and over in his
head, but suddenly he’d forget the words. He nervously twiddled his thumbs and stared at the
beige carpeting.

“Ryou, you and Malik.....uh......is there anything that you want to tell me about your relationship
with him?”

Ryou could see his father was feeling rather uneasy at the moment. Even though David had ask
him indirectly, Ryou knew what he was trying to get at. He wasn’t going to lie to his father, so
he nodded his head.

“Yes father, my relationship with Malik goes deeper than just friendship. Does that bother you?”

David was visibly relieved that Ryou understood what he was asking and answered him honestly.
He reached down and ran his hand over Ryou’s soft white hair.

“Thank you being honest with me, son. I appreciate it, and no, it doesn’t bother me.”

Ryou smiled brightly up at David.

“I’m glad you feel that way, because I really love Malik. He’s the best thing that ever happened
to me.”

David nodded his head as he got up off of the bed.

“That’s good, I hope he loves you as much as you love him.”

“He’d better!” Ryou chuckled as he dug through the grocery bag for something to drink.

David looked at his watch and bit his bottom lip.

“Oh my, I didn’t realize how late it was getting! I best get heading back to the excavation site
now.”

Ryou cleared his throat and held up his hand.

“Oh, wait a minute father, before you go! There’s something I wanted to tell you.”

David tilted his head and looked at his son curiously.

“What’s that?”

Ryou’s face lit up with a proud smile.

“Malik and I found an ancient burial site when we were wandering around the desert today!” he
exclaimed.

“Oh? Where at?” David ask with an interested smile.

“It was at this oasis, the stone tablets marking the graves were written in hieroglyphs AND in
ancient Sumerian!”

“Sumerian? Are you sure?” David ask with enthusiasm.

Ryou nodded his head excitedly.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

David pressed his lips together and bobbed his head.

“That’s very interesting now, do you think you boys could take me there tomorrow?”

“Sure, I’m pretty sure Malik can find it again.”

David patted his son’s head and smiled proudly.

“Great, I look forward to it. Ill be back here in the morning to pick you boys up. You take care of
yourself now, son.82178217;ll see you in the morning.”

Ryou reached up and wrapped his arms around his father.

“Splendid, thank you for being such a great father.”

****

Next update will be Friday. I did a little tinkering around with this chapter, so it’ll be in the next
where Bakura gets the gets his big surprise. Malik’s going to get one too now, so yeah...lots of
weird stuff coming Friday. LOL Also, I'm working on a story that revolves around the time Yami got the *opportunity* to be Bakura's bitch. It's called "My Pet Yami" and Ill have it up next week sometime:-)

Thank you for reviewing!!! You’re so encouraging, I really appreciate you all!!! *hugs and
kisses*