A/N: Atem is such a douche. I'm sorry guys. That's just how he's coming out.

Summary: He wore his heart on his sleeve because his chest was too full.

Sleeves

Yugi sat in homeroom, contemplating Atem. The events of the previous weekend at left him high and dry. Figuratively anyway. He'd returned to the game shop soaked and sad.

"He said no." Tea wrapped her arms around him, not minding the rain, and made him go shower. She fixed coffee and they didn't talk about it. They closed the shop and watched Spanish television, replacing the dialog with their own and dissolving into fits of laughter, choking on creamy coffee. Tea only said one thing: "He just doesn't know, Yugi. He'll figure it out."

Sitting there in class, he watched the taller boy enter. They made brief eye contact and then looked away from one another. Atem was frustrated. His pride was wounded and he didn't want to look at Yugi. He didn't want to see him because he had ruined his plans. Ruined the way things were supposed to be. Tea caught his eye and fixed him with a steady gaze that caught him off guard. He felt dizzy for a moment and when he concentrated on her again, she was deep in conversation with Joey, Tristan, and Yugi, who was showing them a new card game the shop had gotten in. Sitting down, Atem felt the weight of the situation on his shoulders and concentrated on writing down the week's homework.

Tea and Yugi had silently agreed to not mention the weekend's events to anyone, opting instead to keep them to themselves. And it was better that way, because Yugi had a feeling that had he revealed what had happened a strange judgment would have been handed to him by Joey and Tristan. A strange, when did you know you felt that way and why sort of reasoning that would have tripped him up and left him alone and more confused. Joey would have hated Atem. Tristan would have wanted to hit him. He didn't need them to fight his battles for him anymore.

Not this kind, anyway.

Their homeroom teacher listlessly took roll and forced them to sit through morning announcements. They were handed a small flyer on the upcoming winter formal. Yugi shoved it in his backpack like he did with most other homeroom papers -- not out of spite for the dance, but because papers and flyers didn't interest him or get his attention. He figured he'd go with Tea again, like last year. But she was older now, it seemed. He could already see the eyes of the more acceptable boys flashing her way. If there wasn't her, then there was no one.

"I'd appreciate it if the talking could be kept to a dull roar, please." The teacher looked up and then scowled as she said this, sending a small hush over the classroom. Joey muttered something about her being a dumb bitch and Tea shushed him harshly.

"Whatever. Listen, I say we skip this whole winter formal thing and go to my place and do something ourselves."

"We go every year."

"Yeah, but who wants to do the same thing every single year?" Tea sighed and shook her head. She adored tradition, abhorred deviation. Joey was erratic and despised repetition. Tristan could have cared less. Yugi felt eyes on him and when he looked up, Atem's gaze flickered away to some distant point on the ceiling of the classroom. Ignoring this, and upon hearing the bell, Yugi gathered his books and pretended Atem wasn't there as he and Tristan headed to their biology class and left Joey and Tea behind at english.

"I'm kind not into this whole dance thing," Tristan muttered.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. I don't really like...asking people." Yugi nodded, understanding.

"You don't have to go."

"I know, but I don't want to go to Joey's house either. His dad's a creep." Yugi sighed, still understanding where Tristan was coming from. "I think I'll just sit this one out."

"You could go stag." Tristan nodded as they entered class.

"Who are you asking?"

"Probably Tea again. Or just go stag myself. It's more fun that way, I think."

"S'pose, yeah." With Tristan's worries weighing in on Yugi's own mind, he went about his day, wondering what it was about these sort of things -- dances. Why they made people so insecure or nervous. How it could turn someone as determined and strong-willed as Tristan into a depressed lonely mess. He sighed as he reached his locker at the end of the day, trading in various books and pulling out what he needed. He slammed it, annoyed.

"You okay?" Atem's voice rang in his ears like an unwelcome alarm.

"You care...because?"

"Just that you seem frustrated."

"Right. I forgot how sensitive you were to my emotions. Sorry. I'll remember that next time I'm upset about something." Atem frowned and walked next to Yugi as they left the school. "Are you going to follow me home now, too?" Atem shook his head and pulled his bag up. "Then what do you want?"

"I don't know. Just to talk I guess." Yugi stopped and stared. "What?"

"You followed me to the grocery store. And the park. And you came to my house-"

"Where you were-"

"I wasn't doing anything. My point is that you have had a thousand and one chances to 'talk' to me, and you decide to do it now? After I asked you? What, did I hurt your feelings? Did you want to ask me first?" Atem's silence told all. "Wow. Wow, I mean, that is just...wow. Okay. Well, you have a good day."

"Yugi!"

"I don't want to talk to you, okay? I laid it all out for you. I told you how I felt. I asked you. And you said no. So please forgive me if I just can't seem to take your 'advances' seriously anymore." Atem was speechless. He watched as Yugi stalked off, and decided not to follow. He knew his boundaries, where he could and couldn't cross. Yugi had done all that.

He'd worn his heart on his sleeve and Atem at ripped it off.

Honesty just wasn't his forte.