The Fifth Wheel

Series: Yu-Gi-Oh!

Characters: Yugi, Yami, Joey, Tristan, and Téa

Warnings: Angst, Boy's Love

Pairings: Dragonshipping and Supportshipping

Summary: A little drabble about how Yugi feels when his friends start pairing up with each other and the world around him seems to be changing while he stays the same.

Yugi felt so lonely and left out. Téa, Tristan, Joey, and Yami had all gone out on a double date together; Téa and Tristan together and Joey and Yami together. They had left Yugi all alone back at home. What hurt the most though was that Yami hadn't even asked Yugi's permission before taking his body and going out. He'd even taken the Puzzle off and left it on Yugi's bed. Now Yugi was stuck there, all alone in the Pharaoh's soul chamber surrounded by nothing but cold stone walls and hieroglyphics that he couldn't read. It was really cruel of Yami to do this to him.

Now that the gang was all eighteen things had changed a lot. Téa and Tristan had moved into an apartment together and were planning on getting married as soon as they got the money. And as soon as Joey had turned eighteen, on his birthday even, he had moved to an apartment as well to get away from his dad. It meant that he had to work all the time to get the money for the rent, but he said that it was worth it because he got away from his abusive father.

Yugi was still living with his grandpa at his game shop. He felt really left out of everything his friends were doing now. Time had seemed to stand still for him. He was still short, still had a baby face, and still played a lot of games. The others weren't much interested in playing games anymore. And when Téa and Tristan started going out he didn't see much of them anymore. It didn't come as much of a shock to Yugi that Yami was gay. But what was surprising was that he had a crush on Joey.

It really did hurt; his long time crush, Téa, picking Tristan over him, and his soul partner picking his best friend. He felt so very lonely. He almost wished that Yami had gone to the Spirit World two years ago instead of deciding to stay here with his friends. But that wasn't very nice of him to think. He liked having Yami around, but everyone around him was changing, and he didn't like it. It was 1998, he was eighteen, and he had no idea what he was going to do with his life.

It was Joey's day off, so Téa, Tristan, Joey, and Yami had decided to all go on a double date to the movies. Téa had wanted to see a romance, Tristan had, of course, wanted to see a super hero movie, Joey had wanted to see a super violent chain saw massacre, and Yami hadn't cared so they compromised and were watching a comedy. It was about a family of talking beavers who went to the city to build a dam.

Yami was feeling sick to his stomach. It might just be that the popcorn Joey kept feeding him had gone bad, or the extra butter that Joey wanted on it was rancid, but he was pretty sure it was because he was feeling very guilty for leaving Yugi back at the house. He had thought about asking him to come, but it was a date, you don't really ask your friends to come along on dates with you. But the way this one was going was more like the four of them were just hanging out.

Finally Yami couldn't stand how horrible he was feeling and he stood up. "What's ya doing, Yami?" Joey whispered at him.

"Going to the bathroom," Yami answered. He really did need to go, so it wasn't a lie.

"Oh, I'll come with you." He made to rise.

"I'm not a girl; I don't need an entourage to go pee."

Téa shot him a glare. "I resent that."

Yami ignored her and left to go find the bathroom. He found it and used it. Then he left the theater. The theater was only a few blocks from the game shop so it didn't take him long to get back there. He opened the door and was about to go upstairs when Yugi's grandpa stopped him. "You sure are home early from hanging out with your friends, Yugi." The shop was closed so he was going through the inventory.

After all this time Yugi's grandfather still didn't know the difference between his grandson and the Pharaoh, so Yami just pretended to be him. "Oh, yes, I don't feel very well." His stomach felt even worse now and he really wanted to go talk to Yugi and maybe get rid of this nagging guilt. He was surprised that he hadn't thrown up yet.

Once upstairs he sat on Yugi's unmade bed and picked up the Millennium Puzzle from where he had left it. He slipped it over his head and around his neck, a soft jiggle coming from the chain attached to it. "Yugi," he said quietly, "Are you in there?"

There was no reply. Yami was fearful that Yugi was so angry with him that he had blocked himself off completely. Yami let out a deep breath to calm himself. He went inside of the Puzzle, letting his soulless body fall motionless to Yugi's bed. If anyone saw it they'd think it was dead, or in a deep coma. The body was still breathing, and all the bodily functions were still going on, it just couldn't wake up without a soul.

Once inside Yami looked around for Yugi. First he looked in Yugi's side of the Puzzle, a room full of toys and games. He wasn't there, so he went to his own room, which was cold, dark, and empty. He found Yugi there, tracing a hand absently along an engraving of Horus, a god with the head of a falcon who was the son of Osiris and Isis. Osiris was the first Pharaoh of Egypt, and the god of the dead, and Isis was Osiris's sister, and his wife.

Yami silently sat down next to the boy. Yugi looked so depressed; he was staring at the floor, a blank look on his face. He glanced up, sensing someone was there. He jumped a little when he saw that Yami was suddenly there.

"You're a real bastard, you know," Yugi said, giving his soul partner a death glare.

"I know, but can you forgive me? I am really very sorry." He was, he just wasn't sure that he could be forgiven. He had pretty much stolen Yugi's body.

"How can I forgive you? You keep doing this to me! You leave me at home while you go off with your boyfriend. It's not fair! It's my body. Nothing is fair. Sometimes I wish you would just die!" Yugi choked back a sob. He had finally said it. Said what he had been thinking for months. If Yami wasn't here he could have his body back. But when he had finished the Millennium Puzzle his one wish had been to have friends. And his wish had been granted. But now Yami was taking all his friends from him.

"Yugi, I'm already dead. I've been dead for five millennia." It still hurt to have Yugi tell him to die. He had been thinking that it was unfair to Yugi that he was using his body so much of late. He wished he could have his own body. But that was impossible, right?

What Yami said made Yugi think. Yami really had been dead for a long time. Having Yugi's body to possess was like a second life to him; a life that Yugi was denying him. "Why, why don't I just die then? Huh? Then you can have my body and none of this will be a problem anymore!" He started to cry, his little body shaking.

Yami pulled Yugi's head to his chest and stroked his crazy, tri-colored hair. "Yugi, if you died, I'd die. I don't think either of us wants the other dead, right?"

Yugi sniffed, wiping his eyes and nose on Yami's shirt. "You're right, I don't want you to die, and I don't want to die either." He took a deep breath. "It's just, that I hate that everything, everyone, is changing. I don't want it to change. I want it to be like the old days; the gang hanging out and having fun, playing Duel Monsters and saving the world from villains. Everything's different now, and I feel like I've been left behind, in the dust, forgotten." He had finally come out and said what he was really thinking.

Yami pulled Yugi closer, flattening his hair and thinking. "I know that's it scary, having everything change, but they're nothing that can be done about it. We can't stop the world from changing."

"But I don't like it. I feel so lost and alone. Everyone has someone else, but me." He pulled back from Yami, looking him in the eye.

"You have me, I'll always be here; forever your friend." Yami looked down at the boy who was now in his lap. "You don't have a crush on me, do you? If you do just come out and say it."

Yugi thought about it. He did have strong feelings for the Pharaoh, but he didn't really think that he had a crush on him. He was more like a really close older brother. "Nah, you're more like my big bro."

"Technically I'm younger than you."

"How does that logic work? You're over five thousand years old!"

"I was fifteen when I died, so I'm younger then you. I haven't really aged after I died. Confusing, yes."

"What I find confusing is you falling for Joey. He's cool and all, but why him of all people?"

"I like his smile."

Yugi blinked. "Is that all?" Now he was really confused.

"Yes, but I also love how thoughtful he is. You'd think he wouldn't be, sometimes he's downright rude, but he's really quite sweet. On our anniversary he went out of his way to bring me flowers and a huge chocolate heart." A rare smile touched Yami's lips, making him appear much younger than he usually did.

"So that's where that thing came from. The other day Tristan was over with his dog and I had to keep her from eating it." Yugi shifted on Yami's lap. "If we're brothers, isn't it kinda weird that I'm sitting on your lap?"

"As Kaiba would say, screw the rules! Who cares, no one can see us anyway. Though you are sitting on my balls," Yami added as an afterthought.

"Oops," Yugi made to move.

"Nah, I don't care." Yami pulled him back down and started to tickle him. Yugi was reduced to a giggle fit and was soon begging for mercy.

They were quiet for a moment then Yugi asked, "So when did you confess to Joey? Or did he?" It made him think back to how things were changing, but his curiosity got the better of him. He felt like a nosey teenage girl asking, but he really did want to know.

"Oh it was ever so romantic," Yami rolled his eyes to emphasize his sarcasm. "It was one of those days that I wanted to listen to the History lecture, it was about Egypt, and you didn't so I had control of your body. After school Joey dragged me off to Burger World because Téa had told him that they were having buy one get one free burgers. I had had my eye on him for some time, but I didn't know if he would return my feelings so I hadn't gotten up the guts to tell him. I finally built up the courage and just blurted it out." Yami grinned. "You should have seen his face; he had ketchup on his chin and a pickle sticking out of his mouth. I thought he was going to faint, he turned so white, and nearly choked on his burger."

"It sounds like you shocked him pretty bad. What happened next?" Yugi was smirking at the image of Joey eating his burger.

"Well, he asked me to repeat what I had said, and I did. This time Téa was nearby and she heard. The look on her face was pretty amusing too. I don't think she ever expected to hear anyone, let alone me, confess to Joey of all people."

"And?" Yugi prompted. Yami was finally getting to the good part.

"And so I grabbed him and kissed him, in Burger World, in front of about fourteen people." He had been pretty embarrassed about that part, but he had just kinda did it without thinking.

"What was Joey's reaction?" Yugi could think of several different things he might have done.

"First he froze, looking like a deer stuck in headlights, and then he returned my kiss. I was frankly surprised that he did. I expected him to freak out and run out of the restaurant, but he didn't, and we've been going out ever since." He was still smiling, remembering the event.

Yugi was smiling too. The story had been pretty amusing, but it also made him feel kinda sad, he didn't have anyone like Yami had Joey. "You two, you haven't had sex with him, have you? With my body." The thought suddenly struck him and he wasn't sure that he liked it.

"No, not yet. We've only kissed and held hands so far." Yami was a little surprised that Yugi had asked the question. "What do I say if he asks?"

"Um, well…I don't know. It is my body, but you do have some right to it too. This is all just a little too much to take in right now." He lay his head down on Yami's shoulder.

"We'll deal with that when we come to it. Right now I think I need to spend some more time with you. It's not right for you to be alone all the time." He tickled Yugi's ribs again and got a fist in the chest for his efforts.

Quite suddenly the whole room shook and the two boys were sent falling towards the wall. "What the hell?" Yugi shouted, grabbing Yami's arm.

"I think someone's out there, picking up the Puzzle. It's probably Joey. I'll go take care of this." He stood up.

Yugi, who was on the floor, grabbed his leg. "But you just said you'd spend more time with me!" It seemed that Yami was just going to leave him again.

"I did, and I will. I'll be right back. I just need to tell Joey that I'm busy." He left the Puzzle and was back in physical form in Yugi's body.

"Thank god! I thought yous were dead!" Joey, who had picked up Yami and was still holding him, exclaimed. "Why'd ya leave like dat? I got worried when you didn't come backs and I searched all over the theater for you. When I couldn't find you I came here. And founds you all zonked out."

"Joey, please put me down." Yami was feeling quite undignified up in the air.

Joey set him on the bed, sitting next to him. "So what's happened? Is something wrong?"

"Joey, I haven't been spending nearly enough time with Yugi. He's really lonely, he feels that we've all abandoned him. And tonight, well tonight I went out without asking his permission for his body first, and I felt really, really guilty. So I came back here to make it up to him." Yami glanced at his taller boyfriend, afraid that he'd be angry.

"Why's didn't you mention that before? I'm perfectly cool with you spending time with Yug. Heck, I needs to spend more times with him. The poor little guy deserves some fun time with his pals." He wrapped an arm around Yami's waist. "Hey, how's about next Sunday we's all, and I mean alls of us, go hang out somewhere's?"

"That'd be great." Yami wrapped an arm in return around Joey. "But right now I need to go back to Yugi. I promised him that I'd come right back."

"Okay, have fun you two." Joey gave Yami a kiss on the forehead before he slipped back inside the Puzzle.

The End