Alone Together

12: Hiding from Them

"I hope he at least likes bacon..." Ryou said as he closed the door to his apartment. He felt bad for waling Mariku up, even though he had tried to be as quiet as possible.
But, he still felt bad that Mariku probably didn't even want or like such a breakfast. Ryou blamed himself; he should've asked first.

He made his way down the hallway and down the stairs. After he left the building, he began to head down to the drugstore, which was the other place he worked. Ryou didn't enjoy working there nearly as much as he did at the bookshop, but it put food on the table and a roof over his head.

"Good morning~!" Ryou chimed to the woman he was switching shifts with. She looked like she hadn't had her coffee, so she wore a scowl and had bags under her eyes as she grabbed her stuff and pushed past him to leave.

Even after the scornful greeting, Ryou got a box of supplies and other necessities and got right to stacking.

It was okay for him not to pay too much attention to the customers at this hour. Like Mariku said, it was much early for it. Ryou could do just about whatever he liked, just as long as it wasn't something he shouldn't be doing.

Ryou began to move aside the mess on the shelves and put things into their proper place. This was basically what he did until around noon, which is where the next guy came in for his shift, and Ryou could get lunch and go home.

He had just finished putting away some kind of mineral water in the refrigerator aisle when the bell rang as the door opened.

Before Ryou could greet the new customers, he heard voices he would rather not hear as he remembered how small the world seemed to be.

"...physically impossible for a man to get pregnant." Bakura told someone as he walked in. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

The other man frowned and groaned. "But I feel nauseous and my head hurts. Don't you think it's a bit suspicious, especially after we...well, last night?"

Ryou didn't recognize the second voice, but the first one he knew and when he heard it, he looked around and hid behind one of the shelves, hoping not to be seen.

"Marik, first of all, even you were pregnant, which you're not," Bakura took a small basket by the door and began walking toward the items. "It wouldn't even happen that fast. Second, those are symptoms of a hangover."
Bakura took some stuff from the pharmacy section, like ibuprofen and other medicines.

The two were uncomfortably close to Ryou's hiding spot, and luckily they've failed to spot him so far. Still, Ryou quietly moved from his spot and to the other side of the store.

"You're not a doctor, Bakura!" Marik spoke up and held his forehead. "This morning, I'm sure I felt a baby kick!"

"Marik, you drank a lot." Bakura went to the fridge in the back. "Again, a baby would not kick you unless you've been pregnant for months!"

Ryou stifled his laughter from behind another isle.

"Well, then what do you think it was?"

"I think you got really drunk last night, and this morning, from your hangover, you threw up. You are a grown man, and you are NOT. PREGNANT."

Ryou began to panic when he saw Marik walk closer to his aisle. He looked up, seeing he was in the aisle with diapers, bottles, and pregnancy tests.

"Marik! You're not serious!"

"Bakura, as the father of my child, I think you should be a little more supportive!"

Ryou's heart sunk and he tried to see where he could go without being seen.
The canned soup aisle was within a good distance to dart to. So, quickly, he sprinted over when Bakura frowned and said, "Marik, you're NOT pregnant. I used a condom, calm down."

"Oh. Okay then."

Bakura sighed and Ryou wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Now, is there anything else you need? We've got the medicine. Tell me now."

Marik tapped his chin. "You know what I haven't had in a while?"

Ryou began to sweat. Don't say soup. Don't say soup. Don't say soup.

"Soup."

Damn it!

Ryou heard their footsteps get closer, but he couldn't tell where they were coming from, so he made a wild guess and bolted toward the refrigerators.

"Hey, wasn't Melvin at the party last night?" Marik said as he observed a can of soup.

"Weren't you drunk out of your mind? How do you remember that?"

"I don't know."

Bakura shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, he was. I think he was the one at the door."

Marik looked up and put the can back. "That's...wow. How do you think he took it?"

"I don't know. I can't exactly call him." he gazed at the chips. "I don't think he'd answer, if I could."

Marik just nodded, taking the soup. "Okay, I'm ready to leave."

"Actually, I think you're still too hungover to experience the rush of stealing something. Today we can pay for it. Maybe next time."

Ryou panicked and rushed for the register, knowing that the next guy wouldn't come for his shift in another few hours, so he had to act fast.

There was a window right beside the register, so Ryou opened the blinds right up and stood in the light. 

Sure enough, when the two approached the register, the shielded their eyes from the light.

Ryou tried his hardest to turn invisible. "Did you find everything okay?"

Bakura squinted, recognized him, and looked right back down. "Erm..." he winced. "Yeah."

Ryou quickly scanned their items, bagged them, and gave them their receipt after taking their pay.

Marik looked up while squinting too. "Hey, Bakura...remember? This is the guy who looks like you!"

Bakura nervously laughed. "Yeah...I guess he does."

Ryou pressed his lips into a fake smile, handing them their bag. "Have a good one."

Bakura just nodded before grabbing Marik's arm, yanking him out of that store and that awkward encounter.

Ryou leaned onto the counter and let his face fall into his hands. "Look at that," he said, half smiling. "Maybe I'm not invisible, but at least I can turn into a stranger."