"M/N!" Quattro was opposite his lover, staring at him with heartbroken crimson eyes, "Why?! Why did you betray me?!"
M/N flinched. Betray. It was a word that cut deep.
"Forget him, M/N," He felt his older brother, Reginald, or Nash, place his hand on his shoulder, "We have more important things to do than play with this fool."
"And you too, Reginald!" Quattro turned his attention to M/N's brother, "You dragged M/N and Rio into this! Why are you doing this?! You aren't Barians!"
"We are Barians, Quattro," Nash said, struggling to control his anger as his grip on M/N's shoulder tightened, "And we are enemies."
Quattro growled, and activated his Duel Disk.
"Then duel me!"
"M/N, stay out of this."
"Nash-"
"No!" Quattro turned to M/N, and his gaze softened a little, "You'll be duelling too, M/N."
M/N sighed. As he activated his Barian Battle Morph, he thought back to the first time he had met the crimson-eyed Arclight.
M/N was patiently waiting outside the operating theatre. His older sister, Rio, had almost died in a burning warehouse, and was currently in surgery. His brother, Reginald, had gone to the bathroom, probably to cry without looking weak in front of his younger brother.
M/N looked to his side to see a young male a few years older than him leaning against the wall. His right eye was bandaged, and he was staring at the ground, looking incredibly regretful.
"Hey, kid."
M/N looked up with a frown. Who was he calling a kid?
"What are you looking at?"
M/N narrowed his E/C eyes into a glare.
"Certainly not you."
The male scoffed. He got up off the wall and put a hand on his hip.
"You're a brat, aren't you?"
"And you're a bitch."
They had a strange, but rather intense, staring match for a few moments, before the teen burst out laughing. He reached out his hand, a slight trace of a blush on his tanned cheeks.
"The name's Quattro."
M/N stared at the outstretched hand for a few seconds, before chuckling and accepting Quattro's hand.
"I'm M/N."
Quattro clutched his side and gasped for air. Nash's last attack had injured him badly. He looked at M/N, hoping to see any trace of the boy he loved, but he saw nothing. Only an emotionless mask on the Barian's face.
"M/N? Please..." Quattro stopped for air, "I miss you..."
"What were you thinking?!" M/N whispered angrily. Quattro shrugged, swinging his legs from his perch on M/N's window frame.
"I wanted to see you."
"And you chose this method?! Reginald will freak if he sees you!"
Quattro shrugged again.
"So? He cheated."
M/N sighed, his shoulders sagging in exhaustion.
"Quattro, both you and I know very well that's not true."
Quattro averted his gaze. He hated it when M/N stared at him with those sad eyes. It made his heart clench in his chest.
"Ah, why do you have to be so cute?!" Quattro snapped suddenly, pulling M/N into a tight hug. The younger male blushed brightly, and tried to struggle away from the embrace.
"C-Cute?! Quattro, I-"
The light in the hallway was switched on.
"M/N, are you okay?"
Quattro cursed under his breath and jumped off the window frame, landing on his feet, and started sprinting away from the apartment.
The door to M/N's room flew open and Reginald ran in, looking worried. M/N smiled at him, closing the window.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Reginald. Don't worry about me."
"One more turn..." Quattro muttered, looking up at Disaster Leo, "And I can finish both of them off..."
He looked up and met M/N's dull gaze.
"You hear that, M/N?! I'm going to free both you and your brother!"
"You can't free us from destiny, Quattro..."
M/N pressed his face into his knees. He could hear Reginald in the other room, strumming his guitar violently. He knew what Quattro had done.
He heard a light knocking on the window.
"Hey," The quiet voice was muffled by the sheet of glass, "Can I come in?"
He raised his hand as the music in the other room got louder as Reginald got angrier. He got off the bed and opened the window, but would not move to let the scarlet-eyed male in.
Quattro sighed.
"M/N, I'm so sorry."
"No, you're not!" M/N fumed quietly as Reginald's guitar playing softened a little, "Reginald told me what you did. He told me what you said! How could you?! She's my sister!"
"I didn't know!"
"Oh, really? And you think that makes it all better?" The bass playing slowed to a standstill, and Reginald called out.
"M/N?"
"Yeah?"
"Never mind...I thought I heard you talking to someone." The music started up again, louder this time as Reginald continued to blame both Quattro and himself.
"Do you have any idea what this is doing to my brother?!"
Quattro scowled.
"I can't say I do. Look, M/N, I was in that fire too. I would have never have activated that card if I had known. I cannot say it was a mistake, but I can't say I did it on purpose either."
M/N looked away. Quattro sighed softly, and reached out, taking M/N's chin with his hand, and turning his head around. He leaned in and pressed their lips together. M/N's eyes widened, and he slowly leaned in to Quattro's fragile kiss.
"Just...I love you, okay?" Quattro looked away, his cheeks burning with a bright blush. M/N stared at him, and smirked.
"I love you too, you big oaf."
M/N and Nash stared as Quattro's defeated body dissolved into particles and left for Barian World. Nash rested his hand on M/N's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, M/N."
"Don't be," M/N shied away from his brother's touch, "He was just another necessary sacrifice."
Nash watched his younger brother teleport away, most likely to grieve alone.
"M/N, what have I turned you into?"