Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh!

A/N: Holy crap, I figured I'd be writing a strange one for this pairing, but I had no idea I was even capable of writing something this confusing and…disturbing to my own mind. Um…I swear I'm not on any drugs!

Written for the Dungeonshipping round of Compy's contest: Duke X Pegasus. Uh, yeah…

Warning: Implied…yaoi(?), between Duke and Pegasus, but…not really…? I don't even know what to call it anymore! But, if you don't think you'll like it, please don't read it. It's my first attempt into something quite like…this, and I would rather not receive any flames over it.

Effeminate Illusions

To say Duke was excited would be the understatement of the century, or at least the last few years of his life. He had been waiting for this moment ever since he had heard of the tournament at Duelist Kingdom, eagerly anticipating the approval for the game he had put so much time into.

It was finally here!

The dice player reclined in the seat of the personal jet sent especially for him and heaved a sigh of relief. While there was still a nagging guilt at the attack on Yugi's career, he was too caught up in the realization of his dream-come-true to care much. There was just this one last finalization of plans before he would become an international name. He chuckled at the thought of instant fame, visualizing himself beating off even more rabid fans after the official announcement of Dungeon Dice Monsters.

A voice sounded over the intercom, warning him to buckle up and straighten his seat before the landing. The plane jostled only slightly as it touched down on the private runway, and Duke took time to fix his flight-mussed appearance before stepping foot outside of the aircraft. It was a good thing too, he decided, as he was greeted by a bright red suit immediately upon exiting.

"Hello, Dukey-boy!" an over-enthusiastic voice oozed over the dying engine.

Duke found himself smiling as his heart pounded, and he held out a hand to the older man. "It's good to see you again, Mr. Pegasus."

Pegasus tsked at the words, gently wiggling his forefinger back and forth. "Now now, Dukey-boy. You and I are business partners now; no need for such formalities. Pegasus will do nicely."

Caught slightly off-guard, Duke took a moment to compose himself. "Of course. Thank you, Pegasus."

"No problem at all. Now, let's go get that contract written up," he responded, leading the way to a black limousine with tinted windows. The younger boy crawled carefully inside, gawking at the size of it, not to mention the stereo system, television, mini-refrigerator, bench-style seats… "Just think, Dukey, someday you might have a car like this, and so much more. Exciting, isn't it?" Pegasus chuckled, snapping Duke from his thoughts as he plopped into one of the spacious seats.

"Yeah…" he agreed, breathless with the mere prospect. Pegasus laughed again, obviously humored by his response. Duke felt his ears flush in embarrassment. "Sorry," he added hastily. "It's just a lot to take in."

Once again, Pegasus waved away Duke's apology. "I used to be where you are right now. Your reactions are quite understandable, believe me."

Still blushing, Duke chose to stare out the window at the wilderness passing by as Pegasus' phone rang. By the one-sided conversation he was overhearing, Pegasus was having someone set up the formal parts of the contract, ensuring that the meeting would be brief and easy on both parties. Although he remained silent for the rest of the car ride, he could barely contain his excitement and the yelps of joy threatening to break free from his throat.

--

For the second time, Duke was led to a grand room lit by chandeliers and the massive window across from the door he had entered through. Pegasus was already sitting at the table with a glass of wine by the time he stopped staring and hastily approached him and pulled out a chair.

"Now, Dukey-boy, here's what we have arranged. Industrial Illusions will agree to fund and spread Dungeon Dice Monsters worldwide. In return, we ask for fifteen percent of all profit for royalties. After all, you are using our image and monsters. If, for some reason, your game does not become as popular as we have foreseen, we will have a meeting to determine your future with our company. It is nothing personal, merely business. You understand, correct?" Pegasus reaffirmed, pushing forward the documents for Duke's examination.

He read every word and clause carefully, searching for any traps that Pegasus might use to his advantage, relieved when he found none. It really was the most straightforward contract any business partner could hope for. Pegasus was taking another sip by the time Duke pushed the papers forward and asked for the pen to sign them. A quick swish of the pen and the deal was done.

Pegasus held out his hand to his newest associate. "I'm glad to be doing business with you, Mr. Devlin."

"Thank you for taking a chance on me Mr. Pegasus," Duke responded in kind, shaking the other's hand.

"Why not?" Pegasus chuckled. "Now, let's celebrate! It's already too late to send another flight out tonight. You might as well let yourself relax while you can, Dukey-boy!" he encouraged, holding out a glass and pouring even more wine into it.

Duke's already round eyes widened even further. "But, I'm underage. I couldn't possibly…"

"You might be underage in Japan, but we aren't in Japan right now. It's my island, and I'm saying it's alright for you to drink. Enjoy it!" he cheered flamboyantly.

Duke had the distinct impression that Pegasus might already be a little tipsy.

Still, he hesitantly accepted the glass and took a sip, letting it rest on his tongue. The flavor was richer than he had anticipated, and he was taken by surprise as the taste of (it couldn't be…) chocolate stood out. The longer he let it sit, he could swear he tasted cherries as well. It was good! He couldn't stop himself from swallowing a bit more. He could easily see how one could become addicted to the stuff.

As time passed and Duke felt himself grow at ease with the alcohol flooding his system, he staggered to his feet, looking at a portrait hanging on the wall. "Hey, Pegasus…" he started with the words coming out slightly slurred. "Who's that?"

Pegasus shifted until he was standing as well, slinging an arm around Duke's shoulders. "Cecilia. She was my wife," he admitted.

"Aw, I'm sorry, man. Bad divorce?" he inquired, the wine making him bolder and less refined than he otherwise would have been.

"Oh no, she died just shortly after we were married," the elder responded, oddly without any traces of grief in his voice.

Duke was suddenly grateful that Pegasus appeared to be a very happy drunk.

"You know…" Pegasus trailed off, invading Duke's personal bubble quite severely as he examined him closely. "You're almost as pretty as she was," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Yeah…" Duke agreed. Wait…what?! "Hey, wait a minute! I'm a guy!"

"I was only saying that you happen to be quite lovely for a man, Dukey-boy. I am most decidedly straight, although…I can't seem to stop imagining you as a woman…" he mused, missing the shock and horror that was dawning on Duke's slightly less-inebriated face.

And shocked Duke was. He couldn't believe this…this...prima-donna had the audacity to call him pretty! He decided to say so, after taking another drink. "Me? I'm the effeminate one? You practically wrote the book on womanly appearances! Long straight hair, custom clothes…You just scream 'flamboyantly gay' with that ensemble! In fact, right now, you look exactly like a female to me!"

Pegasus "tsked" him again. "Ah, but did I not just say I am interested in women? It's not my fault you choose to wear your hair tied back and put on eye-liner. I dress metro-sexually. You seem to pride yourself on a feminine appearance."

"No, I don't…It just seems to attract a lot more women than your getup probably does. It's a masculine sort of feminine. Yours is just plain feminine…feminine."

"Your so-called masculine femininity is precisely why I have no problem seeing you as a woman, you see? You've taken the pretty boy approach, just this side of girlish."

Around this point, Duke's drunken state appeared to catch up and pass Pegasus' own. He was only partly aware of what he was saying, but wasn't about to stop now. He shrugged out from under Pegasus' arm, stumbling over his own feet and sloshing his wine.

"So…you imagine me as a woman…and I'm picturing you as a woman…we're both women...? Isn't that just the same as if we were both men? Wait, we are both m-men! So why are we women? And are you coming onto me by making such comments about my appearance?" he slurred, giggling and somehow entangling even himself in his own twisted logic. "Wouldn't one…one of us have to be a man in order to make anything work?" he asked, mind automatically taking an unwanted jump towards some strange relationship-type aspect. It had to be the alcohol talking.

"I suppose so, Dukey-girl." Pegasus laughed, thoroughly enjoying Duke's confusion as well as the crazy conversation he had managed to initiate while screwing with the dice player's mind.

Duke frowned as his head lolled back and forth making him a bit woozy. "Wh-who says I have to be…be the girl…?"

"Hmm…that would be me. And as I am currently your employer, what I say goes," he hummed, satisfied with his response.

"Oh…O-okay then…"

Pegasus sighed as he noticed signs of Duke just about to lose consciousness, namely the dangerous backwards tilt of his body. He walked over to the drunken boy, placing Duke's arm over his neck and lamenting his inability to hold alcohol. "I also say it's about time for you to go to bed."

He wasn't expecting Duke to flail at the words and scream, "What?! I n-never do things like that on the first date!" Duke was apparently worse off than Pegasus had realized, and he had to practically drag him kicking and screaming to a guest bedroom.

"I'm not going to do that to you! I just don't want you passing out and hurting yourself!" Pegasus explained. "Besides, we're both men no matter how effeminate you look," he added, placing all emphasis on Duke.

"I thought I was a girl now…"

"No…just go to sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. Well, probably not…but at least you'll be yourself!" the elder said cheerily. He led Duke over to the bedroom door, failing to turn away before seeing the other boy pout. "What do you need now?" he sighed, massaging his forehead against a forming headache.

Duke's lip jutted out even further. "You aren't going to kiss me goodnight?" he whined like the girl he thought he was, effectively proving that Duke's soul was temporarily no longer inhabiting his body.

"Sorry, Dukey-girl. I'm afraid I don't kiss on the first date either," Pegasus covered smoothly, guiding the inebriated teenager to bed before leaving for his own. He shook his head making a mental note to NEVER give Duke alcohol again.

--

Duke awoke that morning to a headache the likes of which he had never felt before, which is why he was exceptionally glad Pegasus wasn't saying much to him at all. Of course, he couldn't understand why the older man was throwing such strange looks his way, or why he was holding his wine glass as far away from Duke as he could without appearing awkward. Any and all memories from the night before were cloudy or not there at all.

Eventually, after the nice breakfast Pegasus had the staff prepare for him, Duke found himself back in the limousine, a much quieter affair than the first time. In a relatively short amount of time, Duke was just about to board the private jet.

He turned around, unwilling to let his memories be forever plagued by a blank space for one night. "Pegasus, what happened last night?" he asked, almost scared to receive an answer.

Pegasus smiled a surprisingly Mona Lisa-esque grin. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, Dukey-girl."

It was simply amazing how sudden understanding could make Duke feel like he'd been hit with a ton of bricks.

--