Disclaimer: This is all fiction, and I do not own anything.
Chapter One:
"Oh God! Yes! Deeper! Deeper!"
Atemu fisted his hands and shut his eyes as he took a deep breath. He felt his muscles painfully flex as he tried to stop himself from screaming out. He was on the edge. He just couldn't take it anymore.
"Yes! You're so good! Ah! Hit that spot again!"
That was it. He was done. Opening his eyes, Atemu took another deep breath before he started to bang on the door as loudly as he could. The young man satisfyingly smirked as the sounds of moans and pants ceased on the other side of the door.
"Joey, come out this instant!"
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Atemu gritted his teeth together as he heard Joey grunt deep in his throat. He really didn't want to know what Joey meant by coming. There were a few moments of silence, then the sounds of clothes rustling and finally the door slowly opened and Joey's blonde hair popped out.
"Hey man! Couldn't you wait for a few seconds? I'm kind of, you know, busy."
"I can tell." Atemu calmly replied as he glared at Joey's grinning face. He was this close to chewing his best friend's throat.
"I'm sure it can wait."
"No, it can't." Atemu crossed his arms and kept on glaring. No, there was no way he was going to let Joey get away with this again; not anymore. He had just reached his limit.
"Ok then, give me a minute. I'm not decent." Joey flashed his friend a brilliant smile before disappearing behind the wooden door. There was a minute of uncomfortable silence before Joey's head popped up again.
"You can join us if you want." The blonde quickly shut the door as Atemu launched to attack.
Trudging back to their sorry excuse of a living room, Atemu deeply sighed as he leaned tiredly against the wall. Why did he have to tolerate such suffering? He knew Joey wasn't doing this on purpose, but it didn't mean that it didn't have to hurt.
Atemu watched with narrowed eyes as the bedroom door opened with a loud moan and then that pretty blonde woman Atemu seemed to see painfully often walked out. What was her name again? Mary? Mai? It didn't really matter. Atemu was determined on not seeing her ever again; even if he had to tie Joey up and force it into Joey's pea-sized brain that he couldn't do this in their house. Heart pounding loudly in his chest, the young man watched as Joey leaned in, gave the pretty girl a sweet kiss on the lips and softly whispered something in her ear. The girl giggled, winked at Joey, and was out of the house in a heartbeat. Thank God.
Atemu watched as Joey walked toward him with a mock angry expression on his face. Were it any other time, Atemu would have laughed at that pathetic attempt of angry expression, but not today. There was only so much he could take. It was either Joey stopping this or Atemu moving out. Period.
"Man! You're such a party-pooper! You know I can't let my customers leave dissatisfied. Are you happy now? She didn't give me any money!"
"You don't look dissatisfied." Atemu heatedly replied as he stared down at his feet. Joey's customers had always been a sensitive subject for him. The last thing he wanted was his friend noticing the jealousy in his eyes. Then he would be royally fucked.
"Why should I? She's such a pretty girl." Joey moved in closer and gave Atemu a seductive wink. "Don't tell this to anybody, but boy, is she dominant! She just-"
"I'm not interested in knowing about whatever you do in bed!" Atemu spat the words out and watched regrettably as Joey raised two perfect eyebrows. Damn it! Joey finding out about his dirty little secret wasn't what he had in mind. No, he wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
"We need to talk." Atemu pointed toward the leather sofa, and watched as Joey rolled his eyes and hopped on it with ease. After living with the blonde man for two years, Atemu had come to know him quite well. He knew how much Joey hated serious talking. In fact, he hated anything serious. Joey wanted everything to be fun, and how much Atemu wished to be like him sometimes. He wished he could pretend that life was a big fucking joke as well, but he knew better than that.
"You need to stop doing this." Atemu calmly stated as he stood in front of Joey. The tall blonde only snorted in reply and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table.
"And by this you mean? Oh, I need to stop having fun? Yeah, you're pretty good at destroying all the fun I have." Joey bitterly replied as he lit a cigarette skillfully. He blew the offending white smoke out as he stared back at Atemu with raised eyebrows, awaiting, daring Atemu to answer back.
"Having fun? Whoring yourself out for money isn't having fun in my dictionary!"
"Well, it is in mine. So, you know…" Joey put the cigarette in the ashtray and took another cigarette out of the pack. He looked irritated, but Atemu wasn't going to feel guilty about it. It was nothing compared to the suffering Atemu was going through.
"And this is our house; meaning we share it together; meaning you can't do whatever you please!"
"Fine. I'll do it when you're not home. Will that be okay?"
"No, it won't!" Atemu was this close to spilling the truth out. 'I just don't want others to touch you. I just don't want you to fall in love with someone else.' Atemu wanted to scream out, but he kept his mouth shut. There was a few seconds of uncomfortable silence before Atemu cleared his throat.
"Either you stop this, or I'll move out." Atemu anxiously awaited a reply. Joey had better take this seriously.
"Move out?" Joey loudly snorted, "Where to, shall I ask? You wanna sleep in parks? 'Cause as far as I know, your pockets are as empty as mine are!"
"I'd rather sleep in parks than see you sleeping with fucking countless people!" Atemu kneeled on the floor and angrily banged his fists on the coffee table. He watched as Joey put the cigarette in the ashtray and refused to reply.
"Why are you doing this, Joey?" Atemu finally whispered in a broken voice. He already knew he was defeated again.
"You fucking know why!" Joey angrily replied as he stood up and kicked the coffee table with his foot. "I'm doing this so we can pay the fucking rent! I'm doing this so you can get your fucking wish!"
"You're doing this because you fucking love it!" Atemu gasped and closed his mouth in shock. He hadn't really meant to say that. He could feel the guilt painfully squeezing his heart. He watched Joey's brown eyes flicker with hurt and loudly swallowed.
"Fuck man. That was a cruel thing to say." Joey quietly answered as he sat down on the sofa.
"What you're doing to me is cruel, too!" No, Atemu wasn't going to back down. Enough was enough. He wasn't going tolerate this anymore.
"Well, your majesty, I'm not gonna stop so you might as well get used to it." Joey tetchily replied as he walked out of the living room. Atemu followed closely behind. Grabbing the blonde's arm, he forcefully turned the taller boy around.
"I'm not kidding, Joey. I'll move out for real. I'm not gonna watch you fall into pieces. I'm not gonna let you throw your life away just like that!"
"What the fuck are you talking about? I don't have any life. My dad's an alcoholic in jail. I haven't seen my mom since I was fucking five. Oh! And I'm a college drop out. The least I can do is make some money so you can have a life. And might I add, I don't like the way you're thanking me!"
"You're neither my dad, nor my protector. I can stand on my own feet."
"Can you really?" Joey glared and Atemu glared back. The clock was ticking loudly in the background but nobody was ready to talk. With a defeated sigh, Atemu let go of the arm and angrily yanked the door open.
"You know what? I'm fucking done with this."
"Go to hell, Atemu!" Atemu loudly slammed the door shut as he ran down the steps. Yeah, the conversation ended the way it always did.
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Yugi sighed happily as he stared at the empty pool with bright eyes. He couldn't believe that he was finally here. Ryou kept on insisting that it was pure luck that he had made it to the top ten swimmers, but Yugi wanted to believe that it was fate. It wasn't a gold medal fever or swimming itself that had made Yugi choose this typical sport. It was all about the object of his affection, his beautiful idol, who was standing at the other side of the pool, adjusting his black Speedo.
The moment the young boy had heard that Atemu Ramses was going to be the new swimming coach; swimming had become his number one priority. He really wasn't good at it, it was just his luck - or as he liked to call it, fate - that four good swimmers couldn't make it to the race, and now he was here, standing at the pool where Atemu always practiced, acting dually as the coach. If it wasn't destiny, then Yugi didn't know what it was.
Walking toward the young coach, Yugi nervously took a deep breath before feigning a cough. The coach, who was busy toying with his Swedish goggles, looked up with a distant look on his face.
"Yes?"
"Hi, I'm Yugi Motou. You, uh, you're supposed to be my coach." Yugi nervously stated as he scratched the back of his neck. He definitely hadn't left a good first impression.
"Hmm, Yugi Motou? Let me check the list." Yugi watched with bright eyes as Atemu looked at the list with narrowed eyes. Good god, how ensnaring those eyes were! Yugi mentally slapped himself as he tried to focus on the floor and not on that beautiful boy standing few inches away from him.
"Ah yes! You are qualified for the 100 m freestyle. You're quite early though." His coach gave him a small smile and Yugi loudly swallowed. Would it be wrong if he gave his coach a friendly hug?
"Well, you can warm up your body till the others arrive." Yugi nodded as he followed Atemu, trying not to think about his coach, but the swimming itself. He had to impress Atemu today.
"How long have you been swimming?" Atemu asked as he started his warm up routine, gesturing for Yugi to do the same.
"Well, coach-"
"Call me Atemu, please" Yugi gave him a big grin as he happily nodded.
"Not long. My friend told me that there was a swimming race and I thought that maybe I should participate, seeing that I'm not good at any other sports because of you know, my height."
"And how old are you?"
Yugi scratched the back of his neck as he averted his eyes from Atemu's. He had secretly hoped he wouldn't ask this particular question.
"Seventeen, but I'm going to be eighteen soon!" By soon, Yugi meant nine more months to come.
"Seventeen is good. You have plenty of time to improve." Well, it wasn't the response Yugi had expected to hear. If Atemu said seventeen was good, then it was undoubtedly good.
"Ok then, let's get in the pool." Yugi quietly nodded as he jumped in. The water was cold and Yugi shivered. Adjusting his goggles, he looked at his coach and watched as the young man did the same and put on his swimming cap outside the water. It was just coincidence that Yugi's Speedo, goggles and cap were identical to Atemu's.
"Let's start from the basics. You know the flutter kick, correct?" Yugi quickly nodded his head.
"Good, I just want you to go the 25 meters. No arm movements, no turns, got it?" Yugi nodded again.
"Great, let's see what you got." The 25 meters took longer than he had expected and he found himself breathing hard as he surfaced. He just hoped he had done everything right. Looking at the edge of the pool, he looked at Atemu's eyes and gulped. They didn't look quite friendly.
"It was okay, but it can get better. I want you to swim four hundred meters, no arm movements, and no turns. Steve's going to correct your flaws." The coach motioned at the tall boy standing in front of him.
"Let's see the rest of the team, and teach them what happens when they're late for practice." He didn't look happy as he moved toward the group of teenagers doing warm ups at a corner. One thing Yugi had learned today was that there was no kidding with coach Ramses when it came to swimming.
"What are you waiting for, boy? Start!" Yugi looked at Steve who was standing at the edge with hands on his hips and sighed in a defeated manner. Damn him and his stupid crush!
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Yugi hissed in pain as he sat down on one of the blue seats and watched as the five members of the adult swimming team, including Atemu, jumped in the pool. Man, was this Atemu strong! Yugi's muscles were screaming out from pain and Atemu was swimming as if he hadn't been teaching ten impossible boys two hours ago.
Running his hands through his wet hair, he watched as Atemu swam back and forth like a fish. He didn't seem quite focused today though. Yugi could judge from the fact that Seto would touch the wall sooner than him all the time.
Yugi had to go home. There were loads of homework he had to, but he didn't feel like leaving yet. What seemed like a stupid crush a few weeks ago had become something quite serious now. Yugi could even say it had become an obsession. He really couldn't help it. He had come to love a lot of people in his teenage years, but Atemu wasn't like them. He really wanted Atemu; he couldn't help but think about him at nights, at school, forming plans, hoping, praying that a miracle would happen and Atemu would feel the same way.
Yugi snorted and mockingly shook his head. Too many gay movies had messed his mind up. There was no way in hell he could openly admit that he was gay. Hell. He really didn't know if he was gay. Sure, he had imagined kissing some of his classmates and Atemu a few times, but that was it. Did it mean that he was gay? It wasn't like he had any experience, but he had butterflies in his stomach when he saw Atemu. What did that mean?
"Why haven't you gone home, yet?" Yugi looked up to see Atemu standing in front of him while drops of water fell from his body. The boy blinked a few times before taking a look at his watch and gasping in shock. Had an hour passed already?
"Oh, I, I'm waiting for my dad." He didn't want to lie, but it just came out, and now he had no other choice but to stick to it.
"Why don't you call him? It's quite late."
"He might have forgotten. I'll just go home. It's no problem."
"No, wait right here, ok? I'm gonna take a shower. I'll be right back." Yugi watched with raised eyebrows as Atemu disappeared from sight. Could this mean that Atemu cared about him? He could already feel the butterflies rising again in his stomach.
"Oh man, where did he disappear again?" Yugi looked up to see the blonde man, Atemu's friend, standing at the doorway with hands on his hips. He saw the man often. He always was there when Atemu finished his practice. Could it mean that they were something more than friends? Yugi sincerely hoped not. The blonde man didn't look gay. Did gay people look gay? Ah, he was thinking rubbish again.
"Ok Yugi, let's-" Atemu stopped mid-sentence as he spotted his blonde friend. He was quiet for a few seconds before moving toward his friend and nodding his head. He didn't look happy to see him there.
"There you are! You're always the last person to get out of the pool. Not that I complain. At least I don't have to tolerate the ice cube."
"I don't know what you don't like about Seto." Atemu calmly stated as he picked up his black bag from the floor.
"What is there to like? Mr. kneel and kiss my toe! I hate that man! I bet he's not gonna make it to the Olympics!" Atemu slowly shook his head as he turned his head around and gestured at him to follow them. Yugi happily obliged. The blonde man looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"And this is?"
"This is Yugi Motou. He's my new student." Atemu introduced him as he patted him on the back.
"Hi, how are you doing?" Yugi politely extended his hand and winced in pain as the blonde man grabbed it and firmly shook it. His muscles still hurt from all the swimming.
"I'm Joey, and I'm sorry that you have Atemu as a coach."
"Shut up, Joey! I'm a very good coach." Atemu punched Joey's arm and gave him one of his infamous glares. Joey seemed unfazed by it. He must have gotten used to it by now.
"You bet you are. Look at the kid! He looks beat!" Yugi wasn't going to argue with that. He could lay down right there and fall asleep in a second.
"That's what swimming is about!" Atemu angrily replied as he took Yugi's hand and moved toward the almost empty street. Yugi could swear that his heart stopped beating for a second. Atemu's skin was the softest he had touched in his lifetime.
"It's not safe for you to go home alone. I'm gonna take a taxi for you. You go straight home and call me the second you get there, got it?" Yugi nodded and watched as Atemu took out a pen from his bag, wrote his number on Yugi's palm and gave him a pat on the shoulder.
"Take care," Yugi waited as Atemu took a taxi, paid the driver and asked Yugi to get in. Yugi quickly obliged and stared at those encompassing eyes with a small smile on his lips. How sweet could a man get?
"Bye Atemu, thank you!"
"Don't forget to call." Atemu waited until the taxi disappeared from sight and then made his way toward Joey. The blonde man was looking at him with raised eyebrows and a smirk on his lips.
"What a responsible coach!"
"Shut up, Joey. I'm not in the mood." The young coach replied exhaustedly as he walked down the familiar street. He knew what was awaiting them at home: another rich woman in Joey's bed.
"Look Atemu, I'm sorry, ok? But it's not like we have any other choice. We have to pay the rent somehow, and you know that I can't find a decent job."
"I know, Joey." Atemu really didn't want to start this conversation again.
"Hey, don't get like that!"
"Like what?" Atemu didn't bother to look at Joey.
"Don't go in the I-don't-care mood. I hate it." Atemu wanted to snap that it was all because he cared too much, but he kept his mouth shut. There were so many things he could never say to his best friend.
"Here's the deal, Atemu. I won't bring them home anymore. Happy now?" Atemu wanted to say no, but he was too tired to reply.
"Yeah."
"Don't worry though. You can give me a call whenever you feel like joining in. You know I'll never say no to you, bro." Atemu gave Joey a weak smile as he stared ahead. He felt like dying, just because he was in love with his ignorant best friend.
To be continued…
Passive: please leave a review on your way out.
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