These Feelings

Big Bad Wolf

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the characters

***

Katsuya stood up quickly, almost knocking the table over. Malik looked up at him, and saw how angry he was. Katsuya's teeth were pushed together, a scowl on his face. It looked like he was going to kill someone.

"Katsuya, w-what's wrong?" Malik asked, shaking a little. Katsuya glared at him, before realising his actions and relaxing his expression. "Sorry," he muttered.

He quickly turned around and made his way to the door to the hallway, but Malik was persistent and began chasing after him.

"Katsuya!" Malik cried out. He probably seemed like a desperate kitten to Katsuya.

Malik reached his arm out and grabbed Katsuya by his jacket. He must have thought it to be someone else, because he spun around quickly, pinning Malik to the hallway wall.

Malik's eyes were shut due to the fear of being practically thrown to the wall. When he opened his eyes, Katsuya looked shocked, fearful even. Slowly, he let Malik go, clearly upset and unnerved about something.

"Just...please don't follow me," Katsuya begged. Malik looked at him, both sad and confused, before watching as Katsuya walked down the hall. This time Malik didn't follow him.

***

Malik, being the nervous yet curious person he was, decided it would be good to follow Katsuya after school and find out what made him so upset.

"I feel like such a stalker. Or maybe it's just because I'm usually alone."

The woods behind the school were a dangerous place to be, though they made for a good hiding spot. Malik used to hide there when he was little, running away from the school bullies, so he knew some good places to hide. Perhaps that was also the reason Malik was upset Bakura was asking Katsuya to meet him.

Malik knew that Bakura was no good. The things he had done would shock anyone, not to mention he hung around with some shady characters.

So, in order to protect his new friend, Malik his in the bushes waiting to see what would happen. He had asked to go to the bathroom a few minutes before the bell rang, in order to get to the woods before Bakura and Katsuya.

When the bell first rang, Malik saw a few students leave. Most were walking away from the woods, with a few walking left or right of it.

Malik peered out, not being able to make out the albino or blonde anywhere. Had they already been here early?

Malik's thoughts were disturbed by the sound of someone running over from the oval. Katsuya appeared, wearing shorts and a loose t-shirt. Malik struggled to keep his eyes on Katsuya's face, but they had developed a knack for drifting down to his legs.

Bakura turned the corner from the side of the school building, walking towards Katsuya. Lucky for Malik, neither had noticed his presence.

"I almost thought you wouldn't show, Mutt. I could've sworn you would be snogging your new toy in the janitors closet," Bakura said, obviously trying to get Katsuya worked up. Malik felt his cheeks warm at the thought of himself and Katsuya in a closet together.

"Shut up! You know I'm not gay, though I can't say the same for you."

The smirk that was previously present on Bakura's lips faded, replaced by a scowl.

"Don't turn this onto me, Mutt. You know why I'm here."

Katsuya balled his hands into fists, looking down at the ground. "Yeah, I do. But you know that I can't give you what you want. No way in hell," he said trying to seem confident. Bakura simply smirked, and even Malik could tell he was hiding his fear.

Bakura took a step towards Katsuya, making him flinch a little. His smile grew wider with each step he took towards the blonde. Malik watched on with excitement and confusion. What did Bakura want from Katsuya?

Katsuya himself saw the situation coming before it had even happened. Bakura pulled his fist back, bringing it back around and hitting Katsuya in the face with a large 'crack'. Both Malik and Katsuya widened their eyes in shock.

Before Malik was aware of his reaction, he had sprung from the shrub he was hidden in and stood in front of Bakura. He stretched his arms out in a protective manner, trying to shield Katsuya.

Bakura's initial reaction was surprise, followed by what seemed to be excitement. His lips turned into a cruel grin, and Bakura reached out to grab Malik by his arms. His grip seemed too strong to be human, and Malik winced as Bakura pulled him away from Katsuya.

"Couldn't do it, huh? You liar! You dumb mutt! Your lucky I'm only taking what is rightfully mine!" Bakura spat at Katsuya. The blonde was now lying down on the grass, face swelled up a little. His mouth was open in surprise, and he quickly stood up again.

Before he could recover, Bakura delivered a strong kick to Katsuya's stomach. He yelled out in pain, but leaped onto the albino and straddled him, punching him in the face. Malik tried to run over and break the two boys up, but was knocked off of his feet when Katsuya pulled his arm back, accidentally hitting Malik.

He hadn't noticed his accidental punch to Malik, so Katsuya continued to beat at Bakura's face. Bakura flipped them over so that he was on top and proceeded to do the same as Katsuya had just done.

While the two fought, each trying to gain an advantage over the other, Malik stood up and ran towards Bakura. He wrapped his arms around Bakura's neck and tried to pull him away from Katsuya, though instead of helping he seemed to make the situation much worse.

Bakura, who was furious at this point, climbed off Katsuya and pounced on Malik, locking him in a chokehold. Katsuya was covered in bruises and bleeding in some places, yet still tried to get up and fight.

Malik pulled his head back and then forward in a sharp motion, clashing heads with Bakura. The albino screamed out, and Malik winced a little at the pain. The grip around Malik's neck loosened, and he slipped out.

Katsuya was ready to end the fight now, and swung his arm at Bakura with all his remaining strength. As his fist made contact, Bakura howled in agony and fell to the ground. Malik had fallen down as well as he tried to catch his breath.

While Bakura was down, Katsuya stumbled over and picked him up by the collar of his shirt, nearly tearing the fabric. Bakura struggled to stand up, grabbing desperately at Katsuya's hand.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Katsuya was silenced by Bakura's knee colliding with his stomach. He immediately let go of Bakura's shirt, dropping to his knees. Bakura collected himself, before standing and towering over both Katsuya and Malik. The smirk on his face was malicious.

"If you ever try something like this again, I won't go easy on you, Mutt."

He pulled his foot back to kick Katsuya while he was lying down, but Malik pulled himself up and stood in front of Bakura, arms held out by his sides in a protective manner. Bakura stopped his foot, and slowly returned it to its original place. He grabbed Malik's hair, pulling him close to Bakura's face.

"If you ever mess with me, you will regret it. Is that clear?"

Malik nodded. Bakura smiled, before pushing Malik away from him, causing him to fall beside Katsuya. Malik cried out as he fell, the air being pushed from his lungs as his body hit the ground.

With that, Bakura began walking across the grass and towards the town. Katsuya lay there, taking in the events that had happened. As he looked over at Malik, he noticed he was shivering and curled up in a ball.

Katsuya pulled himself over to Malik and sat up. He pulled Malik's head onto his lap, and stroked his hair slowly, hesitant at first.

Malik wasn't sure if he should be afraid or surprised. Tears slowly fell from his eyes, and his head and neck ached. Malik smiled softly, closing his eyes and enjoying Katsuya's fingers running through his sandy blonde hair.

"I'm sorry," Katsuya whispered. He was confused not only about why Malik had protected someone like him, but also as to why Malik was in the bushes in the first place. He leaned back, now staring at the sky.

"Thank you," Katsuya said softly. "Thank you for protecting me."