"Alright! I actually won!" Joey shouted gleefully as his monster attacked Yami directly and brought his Life Points down to zero. The two boys were in Yugi's bedroom. Joey had come over earlier and they had played several games of Duel Monsters. By some miracle Joey had beat the King of Games.
"So it would seem…." Yami said, trying to hold back his frustration at losing. He never lost, it was unheard of.
"Wow, it's so amazing! I won!" Joey was still squealing happily. He wrapped an arm around Yami's small shoulders. "Ya think this means I'm a good duelist?"
"Joey, I never said that you were not…" Yami felt uncomfortable at how close Joey was to him and tried to move away from his arm.
Joey wasn't taking the hint at all and moved even closer. He hadn't realized how good Yami smelt until he got this close; in fact, it was the closest he'd ever gotten to the smaller boy. Yami had an aloof sort of personality that made people keep their distance from him. He leaned in closer, not realizing that he had pinned his friend down on the bed until he said something.
"Um, Joey?" Yami was getting very uncomfortable with the close contact now. It was just too intimate, and it reminded him too much of- "Joey, get off me, now," Yami commanded.
Joey still wasn't listening; he seemed to be lost in his own little world. Then he did something completely unexpected; he leaned down even closer, and gave Yami a kiss directly on the lips. Yami's body went ridged in shock, his violet eyes widening. He abruptly pushed up hard with both hands, throwing the larger boy off him. Then he was out the door. Joey could hear him run down the stairs and the door slam as he ran outside of the Kame Game Shop.
"Wait, Yami, stop, I didn-" but he was already out of earshot. Joey stood up, looking out the window. It was then that he saw that Yami had run outside with no coat, a sleeveless shirt, and stocking feet.
He didn't know why he had suddenly done that. It was just that, when he got that close to the boy, he saw just how beautiful he was and his body reacted without asking his brain first. And now Yami had gone and ran off. "Oh shit, it's supposed to get really cold tonight and snow too." The blonde put on his coat and followed the spiky-haired youth outside.
It was just starting to snow, great fluffy white flakes drifting silently down to alight on the frozen ground of Domino City. The snow helped Joey in tracking Yami as it made his small sock footprints show up on the ground. But just as quickly it was covering them up as more snow fell. A wind kicked up as well and blew the white crystals everywhere. Joey was soon lost, he had no idea which way his friend had gone, or where he himself was. This was all his fault, if he hadn't have been stupid enough to kiss the boy, he wouldn't have been upset enough to run away into what was now steadily turning into a blizzard.
A bark rang out through the swirling white maze of snow and the form of a man and a dog appeared. Joey had to squint, but he soon made the forms out to be his friend Tristan and his dog, Blankey. "What are you doing out here in a blizzard, Joey?"
"I coulds ask you the same thing," Joey shot back at him. He patted Blankey on the head and she wagged her tail and nosed his pocket, looking for treats. "Sorry, girl, I don't have any."
"I was taking Blankey on a walk before it started snowing. I was hoping to get back before it started, but I didn't." The brunet tugged on his dog's leash to keep her from sniffing Joey.
"Well, I'm looking for Yami, he ran off." He didn't explain at all about why he had run off. How would Tristan react if he knew?
"Well, I can help you find him. Blankey might even be able to sniff him out." He started in a random direction, both of them where lost. "Why'd he run off anyway?"
Joey scratched the back of his head. "He um, was upset. Woulds you believe that I actually beat him in a game of Duel Monsters?" Better to say that then what had really upset him.
"Uh, seriously, you beat Yami at a game?" It really was hard to believe.
"Yup!" Joey said proudly, momentarily forgetting what had happened afterwards. He found himself wanting to kiss him again, and more, but it was obvious that the other boy wanted nothing to do with him.
The two friends wandered the dark, snowy streets of Domino fruitlessly. They happened to go by Téa's house and she somehow spotted them out the window and went outside. "Hi, guys, what are you doing out in this weather?" She was wearing a fluffy pink coat yet was still wearing her school uniform so her legs were bare; not the smartest thing to do in a snow storm.
"Looking for Yami, he's apparently upset about losing a game to this numbskull here," Tristan explained, pointing at Joey.
"Hey!" Joey complained.
Téa joined them and they continued the search. But no matter where they looked there was no sign of their friend. Joey was getting really worried now. It was no more than 20 degrees Fahrenheit (-6.7 degrees Celsius) out and steadily dropping in temperature. And Yami had no coat, and exposed skin. He'd freeze to death if they didn't find him soon.
"Hey, guys, it's getting late. You two go on home, I'll look for him on my own." It was his fault that this had happened; it was his responsibility to find Yami.
"You sure, Joey?" Téa didn't want to admit it, but with her exposed legs she was freezing.
"Yeah, just leave it to me. I'll find him, I promise."
"Well, okay. See you at school tomorrow." Reluctantly, his two friends and the dog left him and he was on his own to find Yami. He wondered aimlessly for some time until he came to the not-so-nice part of town, which was the part of town that the apartment he shared with his dad was. In fact, he was only a few blocks from his home. He was almost tempted to go there, to warm up. But no way was he going to leave Yami out here to freeze to death.
By pure luck he happened to look down an alley and spotted a small form curled up in a ball by some trash cans. He was wary to come closer, it might just be a homeless person waiting to rob him, but he did anyway. Sure enough, it was Yami, curled up in a tight ball, absolutely still. He was hugging himself tightly so it was obvious that he had been shivering, but now he wasn't. He was deathly still, pale as a sheet.
"Yami!" Joey ran over, plopping down on his knees, and pulled the boy to his chest. He quickly checked to see if he was still alive and breathed a sigh of relief when he found that he was. His breathing and heartbeat were faint, but still there.
Joey pulled his own coat off and wrapped it around Yami, zipping it up and tying the sleeves around his tiny form, keeping his bare arms tucked inside. Then he picked him up gently in his arms and walked as fast as he could, without risking tripping and dropping him to his apartment.
Once inside he silently crept past his father, who was zonked out on the couch, empty beer cans thrown all over the floor and one in his hand. He was indecisive about what to do next. He of course needed to warm Yami up, but which was the fastest way. He was now standing outside the bathroom. Of course, a hot bath would warm him up real fast.
He went inside and shut the door behind him, setting Yami on the floor while he started the water running. While the tub was filling he took Yami's clothes off. Once he had his shirt off, he stopped and stared. He was just so pale. He wanted to…he ran both his hands over his smooth skin, marveling at it. No, no he shouldn't. He pulled back, blushing. When he finally got the courage up he unbuckled the small boy's belt and pulled that off along with his jeans.
He tried not to look, but he couldn't help it. But what caught his attention first were the dark marks on both of Yami's thighs. He blinked, not quite sure what to make of them. Were they a rash? He touched them and as he poked around he realized that they were in fact bruises, and they looked like they had been caused by a large pair of hands as they were in that shape.
What could have happened here? Curiosity got the better of him and he pulled off Yami's briefs, tossing them to land with his other clothes. His hips also had bruises on them. He carefully flipped him over and found them on his behind as well. This didn't look good at all. He couldn't think that it was possible to accidently get bruises like this. Someone must have done this to him.
Joey clenched his fists, his anger stirred at whoever would do this. But this wasn't the time for that; he needed to get Yami warmed up. He picked him up gingerly, trying not to touch him anywhere too intimate, and set him in the hot bath water.
Yami's reaction was almost instant. He let out a cry and shot straight upward from the sudden shock of the hot water when he had been so cold. Joey caught him before he hurt himself. "Whoa there."
Yami blinked, now fully awake; he looked around the room, a very confused expression on his face. "What?" was all he managed to squeak out, his voice cracking. He looked down at Joey's hands that were touching him, and at the water in the tub. "Put me down." This time his voice was more authoritative, but he still sounded tired and out of sorts.
Joey did as he was told, slipping him into the hot water. Yami let out a small gasp at the temperature change, but soon relaxed and went limp, finally warming up. He was still and silent for a time, eyes closed. "What…happened?" He didn't recall anything that had happened after he had lied down, thinking that he'd die there in the blizzard; frozen to death.
His eyes snapped open, watching Joey. Joey was staring back; he hadn't taken his eyes off of Yami this whole time. Joey blushed and looked away. "You were freezing, so I took you home and put you in a bath." That much was obvious. What Yami really wanted to know was what he had done to him while he was naked and unconscious, completely vulnerable. It was apparent that he had seen the bruises; there was no way he hadn't.
"I'll um, get you a towel." Even though there was one hanging there right on the wall, Joey couldn't stand how awkward this was getting and had to get out of there. He came back a few minutes later with one in hand, slightly calmer. He was itching to ask about the bruises, but it was just so…embarrassing. He couldn't bring himself to do it.
Yami was warmed up now, his skin turned a red hue from the heat. Joey helped him out of the tub, despite his protests that he could do it himself. Joey could see that he was still quite weak after his ordeal, but was too proud to admit it.
Joey led him to his room then left him there to go get his clothes from the bathroom floor. He didn't want to have to explain to his dad why they were there. When he came back, plopping the pile of clothing and the Millennium Puzzle down on his desk, he saw that Yami had rid himself of the towel and crawled into his bed, curled up in a tight ball with the blankets pulled up around his slight shoulders, fast asleep already.
Joey stood awkwardly in his room, the cold air finally getting the better of him so that he changed into his night wear and crawled in next to Yami. The smaller boy stirred at his arrival but didn't wake up. Joey's heart started to race when Yami, still asleep, snuggled up to his chest, seeking warmth. He had to use every ounce of self-control in him to keep from taking advantage of him then and there. He was asleep; he had no idea what he was doing. Plus, he had rejected him earlier, so why would it be any different now? He kicked himself for being stupid enough to let himself fall for his best friend.
But with Yami this close…it was only natural to wrap his arms around him, keeping him warm and safe. Joey placed his hands on the small of the shorter boy's back, only now realizing that he was still naked. He blushed, forcing down his urges. He had to get a hold of himself.