Alone Together

6: Wrong One

Ryou let out a yelp and dropped the books he was stacking. He turned around to see a man with poofy hair, who seemed confused but smug at the same time.
"Excuse me!" He scolded, hiding his flushed face behind his hair. "What is wrong with you?!"

He was shocked to see the man laughing a bit—his eyes were wide, like he hadn't expected the situation to turn out this way, but he was wearing a confident and seductive grin. "What? Come on. Can't take a joke?"

"A joke?!" Ryou had never wanted to slap someone so hard. "You, sir, should not just walk up to some random person you've never met and just grab them from behind!"

Crossing his arms, Melvin sneered. "And why not?"

"Because it's rude? Because it's perverted and downright creepy?!" He began to climb down the ladder to hide his sensitive little bottom, and to stabilize himself to properly confront this imbecile.

Melvin backed him up against the shelf, leaning into his space and towering over his small figure.

Ryou squinted in disgust—he did not like the powerful gleam in his eyes.

Melvin tilted Ryou's chin up to face him. "It could be a compliment, if you'd like it to be."

Ryou raised a brow at this, starting to panic. How could he leave the situation? His mum never told him what to do about anyone randomly grabbing his ass and then cornering him.
He frowned, not daring to let his eyes falter. "I think it's best you don't waste your time. I'm considered a boring lot—if it's fun you're looking for, you won't find it here. This is a bad idea."

"Who says I'm not already having fun, Creampuff?"

"...Creampuff?"

Melvin grinned at him, his tongue sliding against his top row of teeth. "I've never had one, but I heard they're delicious—"

"Ooooooookayyyyyyyyy." Ryou slid out from beneath him, took the ladder in his hands to create a barrier. "I think you should go."

"Already? But we've just met." He held Ryou's hands on top of his ladder. "Tell me more about you. You never told me what kind of fun you were talking about."

"Why are you harassing me at my work?"

"Because." Melvin shrugged. "You're cute."

Ryou felt his face getting warmer. He thinks...I'm cute?
No one ever told Ryou he was cute before. No one ever directly complimented his looks.

He observed his face closely—were those veins? They sprawled across his face in a way that he thought would make him look ugly, but his eyes were like a sunset, and his smile was like a song.

Melvin's bronze fingers brushed against Ryou's cheek, moving a stray hair from his face. "Trying to hide?"

Ryou clutched the ladder, shielding himself if it were necessary. "I'm trying to stop a disaster from happening."

At this, Melvin only laughed and tilted his head to the side. Sure, this wasn't Bakura, but he had to admit to himself that this kid was downright adorable, with his pink little cheeks and his round, chocolatey eyes.
Changing the subject, he said, "You never told me why this was a bad idea."

Ryou took a good look at his face. He could definitely say that he hadn't seen anyone like this man before. He puffed out his chest, trying to put on a braver face, but Melvin only cooed at him.
Sighing and shrinking down, he said, "...you're wasting your time. I'm sure there are plenty a bloke who would go mad at the slightest gesture toward their asses. But not me."

"Oh?" Melvin got in Ryou's face, close enough to feel his breath. His skin was clear, his eyes were like marbles. "I appreciate your confidence in my game."

"You're welcome." Ryou turned away from the gesture, only to feel Melvin's hands on his shoulders.

"I think I'm gonna stick to you, though. I like your attitude."

Ryou groaned. "Please go away."

"No."

"I don't know you all too well." Ryou said, turning his head so Melvin's nose wouldn't touch his own. "And you don't know me. Trust me—if all you want is a body to fondle then I'm not the one for you. Don't disappoint yourself, and don't put me through that."

Melvin was so close to Ryou that he was practically breathing down his neck. Into his ear he whispered, making Ryou shudder again, "You don't know me, you don't know what I want."

Ryou didn't think he'd consider caving to this strange man. His efforts were remarkable, and he was quite persistent. But Ryou knew the way things would end up if he tried to make something work that wasn't meant to be, if he tried to fight the odds.

He hated that he could appreciate someone wanting to be with him so badly, even if the context was less than ideal.

"You wanted to play a joke on me. It's not funny."

"Ryou!"

Ryou turned and saw his manager at the end of the aisle. He gulped while Melvin backed away, losing his seductive expression. He sidestepped out of the way.

Finally free, Ryou stood up straighter to face his manager, who wasn't looking too happy.

"What do you think you're doing?"
She didn't give Ryou a chance to answer, which worked out because he had no idea what to say.
"The workplace is not somewhere to be having sex with your boyfriend!"

"Um..." Ryou's face grew hotter. "He's not..."

Melvin snickered. "Yeah, Ryou," he let the name roll on his tongue. "No having sex at work."

Victimized, Ryou hid behind his hair. His ridicule and disrespect cancelled out any potential chance he considered giving this strange man.

"I'm sorry." He murmured. "It won't happen again."

His manager nodded after a huff. "It better not. I know you know better."

Ryou hung in head in silent shame and humiliation as she walked away. After she was gone, he turned to Melvin and said, "I don't know who you are, but please don't get me fired. I'm not interested in your flirting or your games, so please leave me alone."

"Why didn't you rat me out?"

Ryou raised a brow. "What?"

"You could've gotten me in trouble," he leaned to Ryou, no seductiveness in his tone anymore. "Why didn't you?"

"I don't know," he said. "I thought if I was nice to you, you would be nice too."

Melvin's disbelief was written on every wrinkle in his scrunched up face. "Shut up, no you didn't."

"I have to get back to work, I have to put food on my table." He gestured for him to shoo. "Unless you need a book suggestion, I can't get you anything you want."

Chuckling, Melvin approached Ryou once again and brushed his fingers against his cheek. "It was nice meeting you, Creampuff."
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of Melvin looking directly into Ryou's eyes, he began to walk away.

When he was out of Ryou's sight, Ryou sighed and bent over to pick up the books he'd dropped. Yet, he was unaware that Melvin was peering behind one of the shelves, watching him and his ass with suspicious and curious eyes.

"He called me creepy and perverted," He muttered to himself, snickering. "My middle names."