Thanks to all my reviewers!

Sweet Escape

Yugi was started awake by Malik shaking and whimpering. Yugi gently stroked Malik’s cheek and his eyes shot open. Malik creamed and rolled out of bed and scurried to the corner cowering. Malik’s face was buried under his folded arms, covering the back of his skull.

Yami ran up the stairs and burst into the room. “Yugi, was that you?”

Yugi crept over to Malik placing a timid hand on the shaking boy. “Malik, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Malik opened his bruised eye and relaxed a little.

“Did you have a good sleep, Malik?” Yami asked.

Yugi turned to Yami. “Obviously not, Yami! He’s shaking and…Malik…Your P.j.’s are red! You’re bleeding again.”

Malik blushed. “I’m so sorry. I ruined them, didn’t I?”

Yugi helped Malik off of his knees and into the bathroom.

“We’ll get you cleaned up ad you can return home,” Yami said.

Malik’s eyes widened. “I can’t go home! He’ll slit my throat! You can’t let me go home, Yami!”

“Maik, you get cleaned up. I’ll talk to Yami.” Malik limped and shook as he entered the bathroom. Yugi shut thee door and turned to his yami.

“We can’t let him go home, yami! You heard what Marik did to him! How can I let him go back to his house knowing that he will be beaten, raped, or maybe even killed?”

“We have no business interfering, Aibou. That domestic problem is for Marik and Malik alone. We don’t get involved in Ryou and Bakura’s relationship.”

“Yeah, exactly, and that is the problem! Ryou told m that one night he knocked on our door damn near unconscious and you turned him away!”

“Yeah, but he went home and never came back. He and Bakura must have worked it out because he never came back.”

Yugi rubbed his forehead. “No, he didn’t come back because he knew this as his only place of refuge and YOU TURNED HIM AWAY!”

“It’s none of our concern, Yugi. If we always come to their rescue, then they will never work things out.”

Yugi heard the bath running and a sob come from the bathroom.

“Yami, we cannot turn away from Malik. Ryou and Bakura have not changed. Marik will kill Malik. I can’t let that happen!”

Yami crossed his arms. “Are you saying all this because you slept with Malik? That you actually care for him?”

Yugi gripped onto the doorknob to the bathroom. “I do care about Malik! That’s not the only reason I slept with him!”

“Just because you screwed him senseless doesn’t man you have to get so emotional over him, aibou.”

Yugi narrowed his eyes. “End of discussion,” he said angrily and shut the door behind him as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Yami banged on the door. “I WANT BREAKFAST!”

Yugi growled. “Make your own God-damned breakfast1” Yugi found Malik in the bath sobbing into his hands.

Yugi kneeled by the bathtub, filled with crimson-colored water. Malik looked up at Yugi sadly. “I have to go home, don’t I?”

“No, Malik, and I’m tired of being talked to the way Yami talks to me! He doesn’t care about me or my friends! I’m not staying here anymore!”

Malik nuzzled into Yugi’s chest. “Are you saying we run away?”

Yugi nodded. Malik gripped onto Yugi as the water surrounded his injuries. A whimper of pain came from Malik’s throat as the warm water hit his abused body.

Yugi took a washcloth and lathered it with Peaches and Cream soap. Malik took Yugi’s wrist. “I don’t want you to see me like this, Yugi. You won’t like what you see.”

Yugi kissed his forehead. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

Malik rested his head against Yugi as Yugi washed his chest. A moan f pleasure came from Malik as the warm washcloth gently rubbed his bruises. Yugi kissed Malik gently on the lips as he washed his belly and kipped below the water level. Yugi gently rubbed Malik as he washed him. Malik slowly began thrusting into the washcloth that was cleaning him. Yugi could feel the blond boy’s arousal hardening in his hands.

Malik looked Yugi in the eye. “Please…Yugi..I need you to touch me.”

“But….I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Please,” Malik whimpered. “Take my pain away, Yugi.”

Yugi wrapped the wet washcloth around Malik and stroked hm. Malik lifted his head and kissed the smaller boy’s lips. Malik opened his legs wider as Yugi cleaned and rubbed the base of his hardened arousal. Malik leaned back on his hands and raised his hips into the welcoming, warm washcloth-covered hand. A whimper of desperation and need entered Yugi’s eager mouth. Heavy pants escaped him as Malik felt his release quickly approaching.

“Yugi….I love you…..for you……Yugi!” Malik’s head flew back moaning and his hips lifted up. He buried his arousal into the cloth and coated the cloth with his white, hot release. Yugi smiled and stroked Malik’s cheek again.

“I love you, Malik Ishtar.”

Malik looked down as Yugi removed the seed-covered washcloth from the water. Yugi put the washcloth in the sink and grabbed a clean one from the closet. Yugi drained the water and filled it with clean water for the dirty job ahead. He lathered up the washcloth again. He washed Malik’s back covered in welts.

“Malik….I will try not to harm you. This won’t hurt.”

Malik feigned a smile. “I’ve been through this too many times to know that is a lie.”

Yugi bit his lip and cupped Malik’s cheek in his hand. They locked gazes as Yugi’s washcloth sneaked under the water. Malik didn’t turn from his gaze with Yugi as the cloth came in contact with a surface that was rocky and stained with red.

Malik pulled Yugi into a kiss and creamed in agony as he dried blood was washed away.

Yugi’s tears fell into the dark red water. Malik continued to scream into Yugi to shield his cries from the yami downstairs.

Yugi removed the washcloth and drained the water. He wrapped a dry towel around Malik and gave him clean clothes.

Maliik sat on the cushioned toilet seat and looked Yugi in the eyes.

“Do you really want to run away with me?”

Yugi nodded seriously. “Yes, but not just us. There’s someone else who needs to come with us.”

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

Yugi and Malik approached a white house with a white picket fence. Beautiful flowers lined the house and concrete path. The windows were clean but the curtains were drawn.

Yugi and Malik knocked on the door. A moment later, a loud bang was heard against the door. Yugi knew Bakura had thrown Ryou against the door violently.

Ryou opened the door timidly using the door post for support. His left hand was rubbing his side and he was visibly shaking. A new bruise appeared on Ryou’s face since the day before.

“Oh….Yugi….Malik…..Good…Good day, isn’t it?”

Inside the house was dark, cold, and the floor was covered in empty chip and pretzel bags.

“Ryou, we want to know if you can come down to the store with us.”

Ryou looked behind the door and Bakura appeared. “Why do you want to take him?”

“Oh…Hi, Bakura. Umm…we need to go do some shopping for snacks. We wondered if Ryou would like to come with us to get anything you need.” Yugi hoped his little lie would work.

Bakura took the Millennium Ring from Ryou’s neck roughly. “I’ll hold onto this. The last thing I need is for you to lose this! Go get twenty dollars from your wallet and get me some nachos and salsa, some nacho cheese, pretzel rods—you never know when we’re going to need pretzel rods. Oh…get some licorice rope. And get some soda, too!”

Ryou ran to get some money. “May I buy myself a candy bar today, Bakura?”

Bakura laughed. “You want something and you aren’t assuming the position for asking me permission?”

Ryou kneeled before Bakura and bent over touching his forehead to the ground. Ryou moved his hair over, exposing his neck to his yami. “May I please buy myself a candy bar, master?”

Bakura growled. “No!” Bakura slammed his foot down on the exposed flesh on the back of Ryou’s neck. A whimper of pain escaped him. “That will teach you to ask properly the first time! Now go!”

Ryou staggered up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Thank you for my punishment, master,” Ryou said looking at the ground.

“Get out of my sight, hikari,” Bakura growled shoving Ryou out of the door and slamming it behind him.

Ryou folded his arms, clutching his sides as they walked down the block. “I don’t know how much I can take,” Ryou said gritting his teeth.

Yugi, Malik, and Ryou turned the corner and stopped.

Yugi turned to Ryou. “We’re to going down to the store. We’re going to run away.”

Ryou’s eyes widened and leaned against a building for support. “What?”

Malik took Yugi’s hand. “We’re finally going to be free from our yamis! See? I don’t have the Millennium Rod!”

Yugi opened his jacket. “See? I left the puzzle at my house.”

“Where can we run? Our yamis will find us.”

Yugi looked around on the busy streets. “I’m sure we can find some kind of shelter. We have your twenty dollars, Ryou, to start out with. I found some money hidden by my grandfather.”

“Won’t he be upset with you gone, Yugi?” Ryou asked seriously.

Yugi sighed. “I can’t live with Yami anymore. I can’t stand how he treats you and Malik! I had it!”

Malik turned to Yugi. “So, how much do we have?”

“Fifty bucks total.”

Ryou bit his lip. “What do we do when the money runs out?”

Malik and Yugi exchanged worried glances. “We’ll discuss that later. In the meantime, we should get as far away from our neighborhood as possible.”

Ryou nodded. “Ok. Finally……Freedom.”