Peaches and Cream
"I realized I'm in love. It's always been right in front of me." - Richelle Mead, The Indigo Spell
Yugi watches the television in front of him with intensity, pixilated colors from the screen reflecting in his eyes. His hands feel moist and sweaty from holding the game controller, and his back is aching from being crouched in the same spot for many hours. The atmosphere in his room feels dry and humid from the excruciating summer heat that is overflowing the room. Stacks of books, notepads, and pencils lay scattered on the floor, on one corner of the room; his freshly out-of-the-laundry clothes that have yet to be folded and put away in the other. The abundant flowers and plants in the gardens outside have wilted, and the otherwise glossy lawns are shriveled and barren. The ticking of his clock was testing his patience, and the little fan that stood on top of his night table was doing very little to cool him off.
The tri-hair colored teen grabs his bottle, yanks the lid off and chugs the remaining water down. Even his drink is hot. It was freshly cold and out of the freezer in the morning, but now most of it is melted and it tastes awful. It is as if nothing would help him cope with the heat.
He picks up his controller and tries to keep up with the video game he's playing, but he feels a drop of sweat rolling down his back and it's enough to amplify the heat for him even more. He's not sure what level he is in the game or if he's saved his progress, but he doesn't care. He drops the controller, and his character on the television screen dies for about the fiftieth time in a row. He feels too dehydrated to even care anymore.
Suddenly, the door to his room opens and in comes Anzu, carrying two orange popsicles in her hand. She kneels down and sits next to him, giving him one while keeping the other. They sit there in mundane silence, eating their ice creams as quickly as possible before the heat gets to it first.
Anzu shoots quick glances at Yugi here and there to study him briefly, then immediately looks away whenever she suspects him turning his head. She licks her lips and tries to make it obvious that she's eating her popsicle. She hopes he doesn't notice her staring at him.
It's been exactly three years since the departure of Atem, and things between them have changed so tremendously that neither of them are sure what their relationship is anymore at this point. Not a week goes by that doesn't cause some sort of a shift between them, with the two either flirting or being physical with each other. It is all but easy, as Anzu finds herself constantly battling her feelings out for both Yugi's. And as days went by and thoughts of Atem slowly started disappearing out of the picture, her feelings for him dwindling, Anzu found herself in a predicament she never thought she'd be in; her feelings for the normal Yugi growing profoundly each day.
She never thought she would ever come to feel this way towards her best friend. Yet as time passes by, certain, little traits that went unnoticed seem so endearing and charming to her now. Her heart always skips a beat every time she sees him, much less spoke to him. Running through her thoughts constantly. Like a cupid's arrow through her heart.
He was only supposed to be the best friend who would be exactly just that. The nerdy, beta male best friend who she would never look at in a million years.
But he has grown so much emotionally and physically that her heart can't escape it. And all of a sudden he seems so much more handsome, captivating and masculine somehow. He seems to have much more of a backbone and isn't afraid to call people out either. His voice has grown deeper and he also seems to have grown a couple of inches taller now. And although he is still a lot shorter than she is, the difference was still huge. Confident, but still the same, kindhearted Yugi she knew way back in primary school. Still sweet and more sensitive than he ever was before.
And before she knew it, Anzu was in love.
Yugi...
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Yugi...
It had always been Yugi.
Even before Yami. Before the Millennium Puzzle. Before everything happened and he found his world crumbling down and suddenly he had to play the role of a hero. Long ago when they were still pre-teens, on a beach, during a vacation with their families. Roaming free around the open sand, playing with their beach ball and enjoying what the sun and the ocean waves had to offer. Blissfully unaware of the impending change that would befall them; the journey that lied ahead of them. Way back then, it was the same. But she didn't know what those feelings were back then.
She had felt something very deeply for him in her heart during that time, but because she was just a child, she didn't know what it was or what it meant. She denied it for so long. And then it went astray, and she found herself in a constant state of anxiety where she kept trying her hardest to preserve their friendship. Trying to convince herself that it was silly, or that it meant nothing, or that Yami was the only person who had won her heart. And then everything happened; from Death-T, to Battle City, to retrieving the pharoah's memory and his tragic passing. And then the aftermath of it all.
All of it...
And now it came to this.
Sparks.
At first, it started off as harmless, playful bantering. Then it slowly escalated into physical flirting, where they would playfully yet seductively touch elbows or cling onto each other. Sometimes roughhousing, or being silly. Some days Anzu would purposely come to school or meet up with them wearing revealing clothing that showed off a good portion of her cleavage just to get his attention. They would do foolish things to impress each other. Nobody could deny it, or un-see it. It was painfully obvious to all their friends, including Otogi and even Bakura.
And it all led up to this.
This moment.
This...
Ugh, so awkward.
Things really weren't the same between them anymore.
Anzu looks down at her lap, pressing her lips together. She tries not to make it seem apparent at first, but then it's getting harder for her to bottle her feelings up inside. And she finds herself fumbling with her hands, unsure of how to make it known to him.
But to Yugi, it is a battle long lost. He already internalized it long ago; that pursuing Anzu is pointless. His plan is to hold off his feelings and wait until they subside. No matter how long it takes.
But the former King of Games has no clue that Anzu reciprocates.
At least, not yet.
She plans to break it to him today somehow.
Suddenly, an idea plops in her head.
Being as straightforward as she possibly can, she leans and presses her lips on the side of his mouth. It is a tiny kiss right near his lips. A tease, but it evokes a reaction from Yugi where he embarrassingly blushes with the tip of his popsicle in his mouth.
It's nice to see that she's not shy at all, Yugi thinks to himself when she breaks off the kiss, blushing.
Anzu giggled. "Sorry."
His heart drums, and Yugi finds himself looking everywhere else but Anzu to calm his nerves. It seems like forever until one of them speaks again.
"I'm going to go get some fruits for us. Want some?"
Yugi nods. "Sure."
As soon as she leaves, he starts having a war with himself in his head.
C'mon Yugi, snap out of it, he thinks desperately to himself, staring desperately at the melting ice cream in his hand now. It's Atem that she's trying to seduce, not you.
Only Yami isn't technically here anymore.
But it's futile. Because he's painfully aware of her feelings for his other half, and he has forcefully convinced himself that the way Anzu was flirting with him in the past few months was because she sees him as his Yami instead.
In reality, he knows he shouldn't be feeling the green eyed monster swirling in his chest. Because he loves Yami, and loosing him was painful. He spent weeks - no, months - mourning over his death. Grieving. Wishing. Hoping -
But he loves Anzu too from the bottom of his heart. And losing her to Yami was just as hard for him.
Lost.
Pressure rapidly begins to fill his chest, and he feels lightweight. The memory of that day haunts him. Melancholy that had built up overtime consumes him. That day…
It was the duel that changed everything.
And then he was gone.
Empty.
Yugi recalls memories of being in his soul room when Atem was taking over, where he could still see and hear his darker half perfectly. Conversing with Anzu. Them laughing. Him sometimes being touchy-feely with her, even if it was just a light one on her arm. The sight always annoyed him somehow. It made him angry. He never had a chance with her like that at all.
Bitterness.
And then he's torn. Conflicted. Because he knows that Anzu's feelings are beyond her control, and that it's silly to feel this way. These are two people who he loves and cares about the most. He doesn't have to feel jealous.
Overwhelming.
And then he makes a stunning realization. That he probably wouldn't have gotten Anzu's attention at all if it hadn't been for his darker self.
'This is all because of you!' he remembers telling Atem once, long ago. Before he passed away. 'The only reason why anyone thinks I'm anything is because of you!'
All the friends he made, all the recognition he gained, the heart of the woman he loved - all of it.
Because of Atem.
He doesn't have time to sulk or wallow in self-pity because the door to his room creaks open and the brunette vixen walks inside, carrying a plate of strawberries for the two of them in one hand, and her melting popsicle in the other. She kneels down, sets the plate down, then settles herself next to him again. But despite the plate of strawberries sitting before them, neither of them help themselves. Their popsicles seem to be their main priority.
Beside him, Yugi hears Anzu slurping loudly on her popsicle. Slowly, and while taking bites out of his own, Yugi tilts his head and looks at her. They make eye contact. Anzu smirks, then begins to lick the shaft of her popsicle. She slips it in her mouth, and begins to skillfully suck the tip while maintaining eye contact. The girl grins when she realizes that she's made her friend turn red, and he looks so flustered that he can't speak.
The mental image was killing Yugi on the inside. He feels his already reddened cheeks warming up at the suggestive gesture, and his hormones aren't helping his judgment either. It is the typical urge of every teenage boy who has ever had certain desires for a woman. And Yugi has definitely fallen into that trap where he's had sexual fantasies about Anzu before, but seeing her coming onto him like that is foreign.
Yet, the Game King tries to make it seem normal by ignoring her antics. He nods, salivating the taste of the popsicle in his mouth. Trying to avoid eye contact with her as much as possible. "It's a good ice cream, huh?"
Anzu smirks at him, licking her popsicle. "Yeah, it almost feels like an orgasm in my mouth."
Yugi flushes, his cheeks burning up. He gulps. "Right. Like an orgasm."
Anzu giggles at his reaction. "You're cute."
He's not sure what to make of this, but says nothing and resumes eating his ice cream. He has a hunch on who she's really trying to seduce, and it certainly isn't him. But he hesitates, wondering if he should even bring it up with her.
It's a touchy subject. Especially for Yugi, given his prominent feelings towards her.
And yet, even though he knows he never had a chance with her; even though she has already expressed interest in someone else, the way she flirted with him today and in the past few weeks is questionable in his mind. A small part of him gave him a ray of hope that maybe... just maybe... she liked him that way?
He shakes his head. It couldn't possibly be true.
Instead, Yugi finishes his ice cream and throws the stick in the trash next to the TV stand. He decides to distract himself and picks up his console controller. He turns the game on. Once in a while glancing at Anzu from the corner of his eyes. She is sitting there and staring at him.
It makes him uneasy. As if she's waiting on him to say something.
Yugi knows he has to say it, but he doesn't. And he doesn't want to put Anzu in an awkward position or make her feel guilty about it either. It's an ongoing battle in his head. It eats at him persistently; almost as if it's begging to be asked.
'C'mon... just ask her already, damnit.'
"Is it even worth it though?"
'Ask her.'
"No."
'ASK HER!'
"IT'S NOT WORTH IT!"
Just as he's arguing with himself, he feels the girl scooting closer beside him. He doesn't question anything until Anzu starts rubbing his thigh.
He sighs. "This is about the other me, isn't it?" It's not the question he was going to ask, but it gets the conversation going.
Anzu pouts innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"The way you've been flirting with me all day."
"Yugi…"
"The only reason you're acting like this is because you like my other half."
Anzu gives him a surprising look. She was hoping Yugi wouldn't know about that.
How he found out is a mystery to her.
"You could tell?"
"How can I not? It was written all over your face," Yugi says, almost in defeat. "Everyone knew."
Anzu observes him for a bit, studying his posture. She bites her bottom lip and for a moment it's silent between them.
"Why the jealous reaction, then?"
The former King of Games hesitates, but when he blushes it makes his answer apparent. A smirk slowly appears on Anzu's face. It seems like what she hunched at for years was true. Even just from when they were friends.
"Yugi…"
Yugi tries to avoid letting Anzu see his face by pretending he's concentrating on his video game, his eyes locked on the screen. "What?" he mutters almost hesitantly.
"You know…" Anzu says, leaning to press her head against his shoulder to comfort him. "It's true that I had a crush on Yami, but it was a long time ago."
Yugi says nothing. He has a feeling that she is probably just trying to humor him. How could she not? He is only the beta male best friend. The kind who girls won't even give a second glance at.
He knows it all too well.
"I mean it was one of my many stupid crushes that went away. It didn't mean anything."
"Oh," Yugi mumbles, then looks down at his lap. "But… I'm not him. I - "
"I know."
"So then... why are you trying to flirt with me?"
Anzu smiles bashfully, brushing her loose hair strands behind her ear. A visible blush appears on her cheeks. "Because I really like you."
Okay. That completely scratches the question he was going to ask, but at least it is out in the open now.
Hesitantly, Yugi looks up at her; a perplexing glance he gives her when they make eye contact. He tries to figure her out, looking for any sign that might explain her feelings in question.
He knows that her feelings for his other half are more prominent than anything. Even now. And he has this suspicion; this crushing intuition that the feelings in question linger on. That maybe Anzu misses Yami so much that she is casting her feelings onto him.
He wonders who her confession is really directed to, and he's not convinced.
"I don't believe you."
Anzu immediately bursts into laughter. "What?! Oh come on, now!"
"When you look at me you see Yami, not me," Yugi insists, looking back at the television screen. He refuses to believe her feelings were true. "To me it just sounds like you're confused."
Anzu can't believe what she is hearing. She opens her mouth; half in shock, half in hilarity. "What?!"
Yugi adds nothing, feeling somewhat guilty for having said that. He feels something twisting in his stomach, but tries to ignore it. He pretends he's playing his video game by pressing random buttons on his controller, but Anzu suddenly raising her tone of voice at him usually meant that she wouldn't allow him to live it down.
"I just told you I liked you, and now you're blowing me off and assuming things?" Anzu laughs sarcastically. She crosses her arms, showing that she isn't impressed. "Wow. How romantic of you."
Yugi sighs. "I'm not blowing you off, I'm simply stating the fact."
"I think I know my own feelings better than you do, thanks," Anzu states somewhat defensively. And with that, she gets up, storms out of the room, and shuts the door tightly behind her. It only takes one second for her to open the door again. "Way to kill the romantic mood," she declares in annoyance, then closes the door aggressively for the second time.
Yugi closes his eyes and rubs them. He sighs in frustration, wishing he hadn't said anything.
He didn't mean it bitterly. All he wants is her happiness, even if it wasn't necessarily with him.
But it pains him. Because he loves her so much and the thought of her being with anyone else tears his already mending heart.
He knows he doesn't have a choice. He has to eventually learn to get over Anzu someway or another. 'It's a part of life,' he'd continuously remind himself while trying to erase any doubts. Anzu already likes his other half, and he has to respect that.
Then again, Anzu has a tendency to go on for hours ignoring him if she is mad at him. This frequent pattern of behavior is always prominent whenever they find themselves arguing or having disagreements in their friendship. Anzu would go on for hours, sometimes even a day, giving him the cold shoulder until she would finally come to her senses. They'd eventually come to talk normally again by the end of the day.
Yugi sighs, the pain in his stomach getting worse. Feeling bad for what he said to Anzu. If only he didn't love her as much as he did. Maybe then, it wouldn't hurt so much.
He only hopes that she isn't completely angry at him right now.
Anzu is finishing up making desert and starts placing them in a large plate. Deciding to cook as an outlet to blow off some steam was a productive decision, and after a while of spending in the kitchen, she feels better.
She moves to start rinsing plates and other cooking utensils, one by one placing them in the dishwasher after she is done. She pauses and stretches her back for a bit, being eternally grateful for the fan she had installed in her kitchen. It was a great investment, and one that made her kitchen way more bearable to work in, especially in the summer.
Anzu has a love/hate relationship with cooking. Being the feminist that she was, particularly in the earlier stages of her life as a teenager, she undeniably rejected the notion of preparing a meal for a man, or ever stepping foot in the kitchen. To her, the idea was extremely sexist and repulsive. Catering to a man was most definitely not something she ever saw herself doing.
It changed when she graduated highschool, got a part time job and moved out of her parents house. Her plan was to save up to go study dance in America. And living by herself, Anzu found that she didn't have a choice but to learn how to cook if she wanted to stay healthy. In time, and with much deliberation and experimenting with different recipes, she grew fond of the activity. It was relaxing, but she found that it gave her a solitary pastime where she could think and reflect about her life or her childhood memories.
Once Anzu finishes decorating the dessert, she places it in a decorative manner on the plate, picks it up and carries it towards the family room, where her friend looks busy playing his video game. She smiles weakly at the sight, paces forward then gently knocks on the top of the TV to get his attention.
Yugi only looks up at her in acknowledgement, then back. "Hey."
The brunette-haired vixen kneels down, setting the plate full of desert on the floor. She takes her seat next to Yugi. "Did you beat the boss level yet?"
"No, I died twice," he sighs. "I almost have it down though."
Anzu only smiles in response, then scoots closer to him. She points at the plate of a traditional, summertime desert that she had prepared, consisting of delicious sliced peaches with whipped cream on top.
"I made some peaches and cream for us. Have some."
"Thank you," Yugi mutters as he takes his own bowl. They sit there and and eat in silence for a while before Anzu laughs.
"What?"
"You've got some cream on your nose."
Yugi's face turns slightly pink at her when Anzu rubs her finger on his flesh to dab the excess off. When she slips it in her mouth to eat it, he blushes.
Instead, he turns the game off and eats his delicious pastry, trying his hardest not to give into Anzu's pretty smile. His avoidance doesn't help his case, as she eventually moves behind him and wraps her arms around his neck. "Have you forgiven me yet?"
Yugi looks down in shame. "I was never mad at you."
Anzu grins. "Oh you weren't? Then why were you acting defensive earlier?"
The tri-haired teen frowns. "I'm sorry. I was just… frustrated." He really was. Why, oh why did love have to be complicated?
"No worries," Anzu mumbles, kissing his earlobe. "Cutie."
Yugi's attempts to try to focus on eating, but to no avail. Then Anzu cups his chin, which inevitably forces him to make eye contact with her. He hears his heart skip a beat.
This is the woman who has captured his heart from day one.
The love of his life.
His face is so hot by this point, that any attempt to try and break contact is pretty much doomed to fail. Especially when the girl whom he loves and cares about so much is touching him in such an affectionate way. It makes him swoon. Unable to form words. He is completely in awe of her. Speechless.
She's so incredible…
Thump.
His eyes move down in embarrassment.
"What?"
"I'm not confused, you know. I know that you're not him," Anzu mutters in a gentle tone of voice, trying to make her stance clear. "I'm not some emotionally distraught teenager anymore."
Yugi doesn't attempt to look up. His eyes are fixated on the plate of desert spread out before him, his fingers twirling around his own cup of peaches and cream. As if he is waiting for her to say more.
"You two have always been two separate people," Anzu says, and when she says it, it calms him.
The boy says nothing. He doesn't have an answer for that, and probably can't form one just yet. Instead, he keeps quiet and just listens to her.
"When I was flirting just now, it had nothing to do with him. I was trying to flirt with you, not him," Anzu insisted. "He's technically not even here anymore."
Yugi simply nods. Outside, he can hear the wind howling, the tree branches swaying against the window. The weather seems to have gone from extremely hot, to mildly cool. A breeze swirls inside, and instantly he feels cooler.
A crippling silence fills the air. And at this point, Yugi isn't sure what to say.
He wants to give Anzu the benefit of the doubt, but his doubt makes it impossible to tell her what he's really feeling. He's terrified.
Then, his crush moves so that she's sitting in front of him. She smiles, leans forward, fondly brushing his bangs aside. "You still haven't given me your response yet, Mr. Grumpy Bear."
"My response to what?"
"To my confession," Anzu says, and leans so close to his face that he feels himself getting nervous. "That I like, like you."
Thump. Thump. Thump.
He can feel his heart beating like a drum, and it drives him crazy. Enticing him.
This can't possibly be happening right now.
'Like' was one thing. 'Like, like' was something else entirely.
And then -
"Do you really like me that way?"
Anzu nods, blushing. "Yeah."
"I like you too," Yugi admits, bashfully. "I've liked you for a long time, actually…" he mutters the last bit instead of saying it outright, but he says it with such genuineness because it's true, and has been true for several years. It comes from the bottom of his heart.
"Cool. I could sort of tell, actually."
"You could?"
"Yeah."
Silence.
"So… are we like a couple now, or something?"
But Yugi is shy. He doesn't look up at her. "I guess so."
"You 'guess so'?" Anzu laughs. "What kind of half-hearted answer is that?" she crosses her arms. "It almost sounds like you don't even want to go out with me."
"No!" Yugi exclaims suddenly, as if who in their right mind would reject being Anzu's boyfriend. "It's not that. It's just…"
"It's just what?"
Yugi tries to articulate himself so he doesn't end up offending her. He purses his lips, twiddling around with his cup handle to channel his anxiety. He lets out a sigh, his red face making his apprehensiveness apparent.
"It… just feels kind of surreal, thats all."
"I think its because you just don't want to believe it," Anzu suggests. "Because apparently, to you, I'm always going to have a crush on Atem."
"Do you, still?"
Anzu pauses to really think about that. Initially, her feelings towards the Darker Yugi were powerful, a reminiscence of a love she had felt only once before. But time and time again, she realizes how impossible it was. The impracticability of the situation; the fact that he would regain his memories and would soon pass on into the afterlife made it painful for her.
But now it's been so long since he passed that any trace of fond memories she had cherished with him soon became a thing of the past.
"I did have feelings for him at first. Now I'm not so sure," Anzu says contemplatively, stirring a spoon in her bowl of peaches and cream. "Then again, it's been a really long time since he passed." She takes one bite of her desert, and takes a moment to swallow before she speaks. "I never got closure. I never really told him how I felt."
There's a pause, and Yugi's not sure if it's the heat, or the intense swirling in the pit of his stomach that's taking a turn on him. But it makes him uneasy. And he's not sure what to believe, or that if her confession holds value.
He takes a moment to digest what she just said. Trying to decipher the meaning of it all.
"But even if I did, I don't think he would have felt the same. It's always like that."
"So then, how can you be so sure that you love me?" Yugi questions her with a tone of voice so neurotic that he doesn't want to believe it was true. He doesn't want to believe that her feelings for him were actually for Atem. "That you're not just projecting your feelings for him onto me?"
Anzu sighs. Her cheeks turn slightly pink. "Because it wasn't just Atem whom I was growing feelings for," she says in the most hypnotizing way that catches him off-guard. "And in the end, I realized… that my feelings for you was stronger."
No...
She leans over once more and with her fingers, her fingers playing with his bangs. Her eyes watering. "You've always been there. Even before Atem... you were there."
Thump.
"And you make everything okay. You always do," Anzu mutters softly, beaming at him. "No matter what."
This...
She moves her fingers gently to start caressing his forehead. "Do you remember when we went to the beach when we were kids?"
Yugi could only nod.
"I felt something for you back then, and at the time, I didn't know what it was or what it meant. But now I do."
This can't be...
At this point, Yugi is dumfounded. His pupils dilate. "Even before the Puzzle, you... "
Anzu's cheeks turns pink at his reaction.
"I... I don't know what to say."
He almost doesn't want to believe that this was happening.
It feels so surreal. He was in love with this girl for far way too long. To think she feels the same is exasperating. A dream that was once far away from reality.
But then she leans over and gives him a tender kiss on the cheek, and he's left with the amorous feeling he gets when she leaves him breathless. Because to him, no woman will ever be as beautiful as Anzu. Nobody else could ever compare.
There's a chill in the air, but Yugi doesn't notice because the girl is touching him now. Her hands are pressed against both sides of his face, her breath prickling on his skin as she leans forward. Their foreheads touch. And for that moment, Yugi feels immobilized. Butterflies roam in his stomach. The intoxication overwhelms him. Like fireworks exploding in the night sky, and suddenly everything feels so right and nothing else in the world matters.
"The person who I wanted to be with all along… was you. It's always been you."
Yugi breathes, his tummy prickling from the sudden shift of his relationship with the girl. "And… you're confident when you say that?"
"Uh huh," Anzu mutters affectionately, poking his nose. "Are you?"
"Am I, what?"
"I mean, are you confident about your feelings towards me?"
He suddenly bolts back, wondering why she would even ask that. "Of course I am! I've always…" he hesitates, suddenly getting shy. He lowers his tone of voice, trying hard not to sound so overexcited due to Anzu's reciprocation. He's never fully admitted this in front of her. "I… " he stutters, his blushing face making his feelings visible. Like a book. "I've… always loved you," he admits, then sheepishly looks down at his lap. It's out in the open now, and that scares him a little bit, but at least now he's not unsure about her feelings anymore.
Anzu smiles at him. Her smile is so contagious that Yugi can't help but find her extremely beautiful. But then she leans over again and presses her lips against his, and it's over. He's all hers. The longevity of it feels so real and so warm; and such a thing is worth more than all the magic, and all the powerful cards, and all the millennium items in the world. And it enthralls him. It pulls him into her embrace, and he melts knowing that the moment he's sharing with her was everything he ever dreamed of. That he loves this girl so much and wants nothing more than to be with her for the rest of his life.
It is their first kiss, and a magical one at that. Awkward, as most first kisses are, yet all the more alluring.
They shyly but tenderly move their lips against the other, then slowly break apart. Anzu presses her hand on Yugi's chest. Their foreheads touch once more. Breathless. Electrifying in every conceivable way. Warm.
Exhilarating.
Yugi nuzzles his head between the crook of her neck and shoulders, wrapping his arms around her waist. Anzu's is around his chest. They pull against each other, and Yugi finds himself sneaking kisses on her neck here and there. Anzu reciprocates the gesture. They kiss again. Her strawberry-scented shampoo rubs off on his shirt, but Yugi doesn't mind at all. He relishes it. As if time has stopped and it's just the two of them moving through time.
There's always been a level of attraction between the two, but because of circumstances, they couldn't be together.
But now, the timing is perfect.
Moments later, they find themselves snuggled up in each other's arms; Yugi is lying on the sofa, his head against the headrest with Anzu occupying the space beside him. Hand on Yugi's chest, and her head snuggled comfortably against his neck. She feels her now boyfriend's hand on her waist, and instantly she feels safe. Like she's home.
They lie on the couch, enjoying each other's company. Their bowls of peaches and cream remains on the floor, now empty and with only tiny scraps of it left. Right next to each other. In the same spot where they confessed their feelings moments earlier.
Only the sound of the clock and the fan can be heard in the room.
"Sometimes... I feel inadequate," the former King of Games says. It's a random conversation starter, but it reveals his deepest secret. Something he wants to start trusting Anzu with.
"Oh Yugi," Anzu places her hand on his cheek. "Please don't be so hard on yourself."
"I'm normally not," Yugi says. "If it's one thing I've learned from the other me, is confidence." He looks up at the ceiling, almost like he doesn't want to look at her while he's admitting this. "But then sometimes, I have moments where I think… that the only reason why anyone thinks I'm anything is because of my Yami." He pauses. "Before the Millennium Puzzle, I was nothing."
But Anzu wasn't one to give up. More than anything, she hated seeing the people she cared about being discouraged and believing the worst about themselves. She leans up to make eye contact with her beau, looming over top of him.
"Remember when you stood up to protect Jonouchi and Honda? That was before you got the Millennium Puzzle, wasn't it?"
Yugi opens his mouth, then stops. He completely forgot about that. It was so, so long ago, and the vivid memory that he had of it was anything but endearing. He remembered the bullying, his puzzle being thrown away into the pool. How right after he saved Jonouchi's life, he recovered it. How it inevitably started their friendship.
"You have your own strength that's unique from Atem's," Anzu says, poking his nose. "Don't ever lose sight of that."
It takes him a moment, but eventually Yugi comes to his senses. He doesn't know how she does it. The way she always defends him, continually sticks by him, and sees the potential in him that others tend to overlook.
He doesn't know why, but he's grateful.
"Thank you."
Anzu smiles and cups her boyfriend's chin. She kisses him on the lips, as if she's replying, 'You're welcome, honey.' This is Yugi. Her sweet and precious Yugi who she loves and cares about so much. He turns red. Because up until moments ago, their relationship had moved into a completely new direction, and he still feels a bit shy about it.
"Lets go on our first date tomorrow."
"I'd love that," Yugi says. And when he gives into her smile, all is right in the world.
A/N: It's been so long since I've written my babies~ my first Peachshipping one-shot in years! Thank you kindly to my beta-reader who did such marvellous work helping me check for grammar and spelling errors. :'3 Thoughts and comments are appreciated!
- Mandy