(A/N: HELLO AGAIN! I'm sorry I haven't been really active these past... weeks? Months? Oh, God, I am SO ASHAMED, I SWEAR TO GOD D: I'm a horrible author. T-T ANYWAY!

First things first: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIRA IMOUTO-CHAN! THIS WAS MADE ESPECIALLY FOR YOU! I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT! I LOVE YAA! n.n You see, people, today's my dear imouto-chan's birthday! She asked me to do some few things for her, and this is one of those things! :D I mean, it's 5:22 AM and I'm here finishing this present XD so I honestly hope you like it, Kira! :3 Forgive me if it's so long, it came out longer than I intended it to and I'm LAZY to cut it and put it up in parts. SO! You get this XD

One quick note before we start: this fanfic is mainly based in one chapter from the manga Author's Pet - or Sakka, Dorei wo Kau - so I take no ownership over this. Yeah, I did my own twists and part of the story, but if you've read the manga, you'll probably recognize some -if not most- of the dialogue. Still hope you enjoy and review! :D

Second quick note: WARNING! YAOI LEMON AHEAD! THIS MEANS BOYXBOY SEX! SO IF YOU DON'T LIKE, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE! DX If you're still here cuz you enjoy these things like the pervs we all know we are, then please keep reading. n.n My second lemon, nothing less, but like I said, it's around 5 AM and this came out SO BAD AND RUSHED D: Again, still hope you enjoy and tell me what you think! :3

I do NOT own Yu-Gi-Oh! or it'd be even gayer than it is. Seriously, Kazuki Takahashi, YamixYugi is CANON throughout the series. Do not try to convince me otherwise. ON WITH THE FIC!)

Yami Atemu, 24 years old, was used to seeing cats and dogs on the streets on his way home from work. He felt bad for the poor animals, especially for the dogs. The cats, he knew, could take care of themselves. They went from place to place and left whenever they got what they wanted. A lot of cats had visited his house already. He'd pet them, give them some milk if the felines meowed or rubbed against his legs, and then they'd leave.

That night, though, on his way home, Yami found more than what he was used to. A cat ran from out of an alleyway and stopped in front of him. It wiggled its tail from side to side and meowed urgently.

"Hello, little buddy," Yami told the cat, who meowed in response. "What is it?" The cat bit slightly into the edge of his jeans.

"Meow!" it cried. "Meow!" It nudged Yami's foot and disappeared into the alleyway.

I guess it wants me to follow him, thought Yami, chasing behind the animal.

Much to his surprise, the cat was sitting next to an unconscious young man—maybe 17 or 18 years old—sprawled across a bunch of trash bags. He had bruises all over his face, arms, and he was bare-footed. Yami had a small argument with himself over what to do with this discovery. He could call the cops and have them take the kid. Or he could check if the guy had an ID and drop him at his place.

Or, there was the other option: he could take him to his own home and take care of him until he was healed enough.

Yet there was one little problem: Yami hated people.

He groaned to himself. "What a pain."

When Yugi Mutou woke up, he had no idea where he was. He only knew there was something pressing against his abdomen. He tried to sit up and found he was on a soft, comfy bed. There was a cat sitting on his belly with no sign of wanting to get up.

"What the…?"

"Oh, you're finally awake." Yugi turned his head to the right and saw a man, perhaps some few years older than himself, resting on a chair as he read a book, surrounded by cats. He was… quite good-looking—with those… beautiful crimson eyes that looked so much like his own amethyst orbs…

No! I'm not going through that road now! Yugi thought angrily. "W-where am I?" he asked.

"In a tropical island with fruit drinks," said the man. Yugi blinked at the use of sarcasm in such a bitter way. The man let out an exasperated sigh. "You're at my place, kiddo," he said.

"What happened?"

"You were passed out on the street, and this cat," the man petted one of the felines, which had a small bandage in one of its paws, "it took me to you." The cat meowed and jumped into Yugi's lap while the cat resting on his abdomen jumped down to the ground.

"Have you been taking care of me?" said Yugi.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" demanded the man. "Yes, I've been taking care of you."

Yugi looked down to his hands and arms, which were bandaged up to his elbows. Then he felt something on his face. Touching his cheek, he found a patch taped to his skin. "Wow," he said. "Thanks, you… you did a great job."

"Well, I am studying medicine," said the man. "And also veterinary medicine. So, thank you. I have to be prepared for when these little guys visit." He approached the cat resting on Yugi's lap. "This one, for example, always comes in with a wound. Who knows what he'd do if I didn't know how to wrap a bandage."

They stayed in silence for a long time, with Yugi staring at his bandaged arms and the man reading and petting the cats. He decided to make a move.

"U-um," he began shyly. "M-my name's Yugi," he said. The man raised his eyes from his book.

"I'm Yami," he said. Yami looked Yugi up and down, from head to toes. "You're not underage, are you?"

Ah, same old, same old. Yugi wasn't really tall, exactly, but he was tired of people thinking he was underage just because of his height. "N-no, I'm not! I'm 22 years old!" Yami didn't seem to care much for his age. Just the fact that he wasn't underage was probably enough.

"As soon as you're healed, you're out," said Yami, heading out of the room. The news took long to sink in Yugi's head.

"W-wait!" he cried, chasing behind Yami. "Please, let me stay! I-I got nowhere else to go!"

"That's not my problem," said the man.

"P-please, I-I'll do anything! I… I could be your housekeeper!" Yugi couldn't stop the words before they were out of his mouth. He couldn't return home, and he had no place to stay at. He was desperate. Besides, he could do pretty much everything a housekeeper was supposed to do. So why not?

Yami sighed in exasperation. "Alright," he said. "You won't start until you're healed, though. I don't want my housekeeper to make a mess out of things because he's wounded." Yugi nodded in agreement. He didn't want to make a mess and lose his only opportunity of a home and a job, either. "Now I'm gonna make some food, so you better go sit down before you faint." He nodded again and slowly made his way to the table in the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Yami came into the room with a plate of food and a gallon of milk. "Here you go," he said, pushing the plate to Yugi. Before the younger man could ask, Yami knelt down and poured the milk into various small bowls on the floor that Yugi hadn't seen until now. He noticed how the cats surrounded the bowls and began to drink.

He almost kicked me out, thought Yugi. But he's okay with all the cats…

This was going to be one bumpy ride.

Day after day, Yugi made noticeable recovery—since he didn't have his cheek patch anymore—and Yami was getting used to his presence. If it were about another person, he probably wouldn't be this patient. Yet there had been something about this poor boy passed out on a bunch of garbage bags… Because he could've damn well left him right where he'd found him! But here they were, and there was no turning back. Besides, Yugi was a very good housekeeper. He'd been sleeping in a sofa next to Yami's bed, and Yami didn't mind as much as he thought he would. Maybe he was getting used to have people around him instead of just the cats…

And it wasn't like Yugi complained or anything. Yami knew the sofa wasn't really as soft as a bed, but it was the only place where the kid could sleep.

"YAMI!" cried Yugi one night, hugging one of his pillows. "There are cats all over my sofa!" To make his point, Yugi pointed at all the felines resting comfortably on his sleeping place.

Yami—who was sitting down and reading on his bed—shrugged his shoulders. "Then sleep on the floor, Yugi."

Yugi almost fell in shock. "There's no way I'm sleeping on the floor!" Then he added in a tiny voice, "T-the sofa is hard enough…" Yami wanted to smirk. He found it amusing that Yugi was silently voicing his first complain.

"Fine," said Yami at last. To Yugi's surprise, he moved aside and patted the space next to him on his bed. "Here." Yugi felt his cheeks burning up with embarrassment. Why did he have to sleep on Yami's bed… right next to him? He turned to his sofa. Then again, those darn cats didn't seem to have any plans to move anytime soon, so what other option did he have? Lying down and making himself comfortable, Yugi couldn't help but smile.

"I hadn't slept in a real bed in a long time!" he cried joyfully. Yami had his eyes again glued to his book. Yugi turned so that he was staring at him. "What are you reading?"

"A book called Warriors," the crimson-eyed replied. "It's about cats."

"Figures," Yugi muttered under his breath, suppressing a smile. "Hey, uh, may I ask you something?"

This time, it was Yami who smiled. "Why am I not surprised? You're always asking questions." He laughed slightly and said, "Go ahead."

"Why don't you, you know, like people?" There was an uncomfortable silence following the question, but Yugi let him take his time. At last, Yami put down his book and turned to look down at Yugi.

"I've always cared about cats," he said, "even when I was a little boy. People in my neighborhood didn't like them; they thought the cats made too much of a mess. Not really the cats' fault—they were all stray and feral. But I didn't like the way people thought about them, and I began to wonder what humans would do if we were stray and feral, like all those poor cats on the streets."

"And did you find an answer?" interrupted Yugi. The crimson-eyed nodded.

"I came to the conclusion that we'd make much more of a mess than they do, so we've got no excuse to judge them. Sometimes animals are easier to be with than people."

The amethyst-eyed was left with no words. Who knew Yami felt such way? He'd been intrigued by his worry for cats ever since they'd begun to "live together," but he'd never gotten an answer until tonight.

"May I ask you something?" asked Yami, to which the boy nodded. "When I told you to leave, you said you had nowhere to go. What's the story behind that?"

Yugi bit his lip and nibbled on it for a while. This was the question he did not ever want to answer. It was a story he'd tried to forget—but with Yami staring at him with those strong and powerful crimson eyes of his… And then he'd also answered his questions… Yugi couldn't say no.

"When I was little, my parents died and left me in the care of an orphanage," he began. "Some years went by, and when I was 12, a happy Catholic couple adopted me and took me home. I lived a regular life; I went to school, I had some friends—in high school, I even fell in love."

"Let me guess," said Yami. "An unrequited love?"

"Something like that," Yugi agreed. "Once I was old enough to work, I took a job at a grocery store to take my mind off it. The thing is that…" He blushed at what he was going to speak next. It was a really embarrassing part of his life. "T-the person I liked went to that same store every day with their special one, so things went from bad to worse. Days later, I was fired because I didn't pay enough attention and messed up. I went from job to job, but in the end, I was always fired. I was too nervous that the person I liked would show up again—of course, I always came home at the same time so that my parents wouldn't suspect anything. When I accidentally came back earlier, they began to question me. They asked to know what was going on with me, why I'd lied to them, and I decided to be completely honest with them. I thought, heck, it's not like they're going to hate me."

"And what happened?" asked Yami, his book completely forgotten. He'd never wanted to know someone's life as badly as he wanted to know Yugi's. Indeed, what had happened?

"My parents kicked me out as soon as I was finished. Then I was beaten up and who knows how long it was till you found me," said the amethyst-eyed.

"Why were you kicked out? Who beat you up?" Yugi muttered something under his breath, pretending to bite his fingernails. His eyes began to strangely look red… "What? I-I didn't hear you," said the older man. The boy muttered a little louder this time, yet Yami could still not hear him. He was starting to get angry. "Yugi, I'm serious, why did they kick you out and who beat you up?"

"Because I told them I'm gay!" cried Yugi, gripping the edge of the bed sheet and using it to cover himself up to his forehead. "They said I wouldn't amount to anything in my life if I was a homo! They said no one would ever love me! So they kicked me out instead of putting up with a freaking gay son! A-and then some idiots got together and beat me up in that alleyway, I don't know why!" He was crying now. His voice broke down in sobs each time he yelled, and his body trembled slightly.

Yami didn't know what to do or say. He'd never been good at comforting people—honestly, how could he be good at it if he'd never bothered to comfort anyone? But Yugi needed it. Yugi needed a shoulder to cry on. Yami told him the only thing he could think of. "That's stupid."

The boy's body stopped trembling, his sobs along with it. "W-what?" he demanded, his voice muffled by the sheet.

"That's stupid," the crimson-eyed repeated. "I mean, they were your parents, right? Parents are supposed to love you no matter what. Being gay is not a reason for them to kick you out and leave you to your own in the streets. And those idiots should start getting a life. They got no right to go around beating up every single person they find."

Yugi uncovered his head and blinked at him. Yami was scratching his cheek and looking away, and—dare he say it—Yugi could see a hint of a blush on his skin. Like he was embarrassed or something. Then he figured that, if Yami hated people, chances were odd that he'd ever comforted anyone. So everything he'd told Yugi was to try and make him feel better, right? The boy couldn't help but giggle like a child at the thought.

"What's so funny?" questioned Yami, frowning slightly. "Look, I know that wasn't the best thing to say, but—"

"No, no," interrupted Yugi, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes. "Y-you're right. They were my parents." He wiped his nose and rubbed his tired-from-crying orbs. "I… I just hadn't thought that what they did wasn't right." Yami stopped frowning and gave him a shy smile.

"I-I'm glad you're feeling better," he said.

Yugi knew he shouldn't do what he was planning to do. It'd only stir up his emotions—his feelings towards Yami. He knew that what he felt wasn't love, yet that didn't mean his feelings for him weren't complicated. But he wanted to thank him for helping him. So in a moment of courage, Yugi took one of Yami's hands and squeezed it gently.

"Thanks," he muttered, sniffling. "You've got… no idea how good it feels to have that off my chest."

"I guess you just needed to talk to someone about it," said Yami, still smiling shyly. Much to Yugi's surprise, he returned the gentle hand squeeze. "Don't sweat it, okay? Besides, we're…" He massaged the back of his neck nervously. "We're… s-sorta friends, aren't we? I mean, with the whole living together issue, it's good that we're getting to know each other a little more, right?" Yugi nodded as they finally let go of each other's hands. Yami cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "Now, kiddo, tomorrow's gonna be a long day, so we better get sleeping."

"You're right," Yugi mused, turning around so that his back was to Yami. "Good night, Yami."

"Good night, Yugi."

With that, both young men lied down and closed their eyes, entering into their sweet worlds of dreams.

Days later, Yami was surprised to see Yugi looking at a newspaper, sitting in the kitchen table as he scratched the ears of an orange cat.

"What are you doing?" he asked the boy.

"I found some job ads on the newspaper," said Yugi.

Yami felt happy for Yugi—things seemed to be brightening up for him—but at the same time he felt an agonizing pain on his chest, like someone had stabbed his heart with a knife or something. His eyebrows knit together in a scowl. "You want to leave so bad already?"

"Eh?" Yugi stopped scratching the cat, which meowed in disagreement, and looked sadly up at his kinda 'landlord.' "What? No, no! I… I just…" He blushed embarrassedly while putting down the newspaper. "I-I thought I was starting to… y'know, to become a burden on you," he said. "S-so I decided to begin looking f-for a job…"

The crimson-eyed didn't believe his ears. Why did Yugi think he was becoming a burden? The amethyst-eyed stared at him like he was about to cry. Yami sighed, walked towards the boy, ruffled his hair, and pat his head.

"I'm leaving to work," said Yami. "Have some coffee ready for when I get home, will you? That is your job for now."

Without another word, he left the house as Yugi stared at his retreating back. He smiled to himself. "He's strange, that guy. He said he doesn't like people…" A small black cat nuzzled his leg until Yugi crouched and picked him up. "Your owner," he said to the feline, caressing his head, "is a really great guy, isn't he?"

His feelings for Yami were complicated.

Yesterday, he knew it wasn't love.

Today, he wasn't so sure anymore.

When Yami came back, he almost gasped at what he saw. Yugi was in the kitchen, finishing the food of them all: him, Yami, and the cats that were nuzzling Yami's legs.

"Welcome home," said Yugi.

"It's… it's… you just made it!" said Yami in awe, staring at the plate the boy put on his place in the table. "How did you know when I'd get home?"

"Instinct."

"Wow, that's amazing!" cried the crimson-eyed. Yugi realized he'd misunderstood, but he blushed in embarrassment.

"I mean the cats' instinct!" he yelled. "T-they start acting all happy when they feel you're gonna get back." Yami smiled and knelt down to scratch the ears of some of the felines at his legs. "H-hurry up and eat!" cried Yugi.

After a few bites, Yami didn't seem to have enjoyed any other food more than what he was eating right now. He gulped down his plate before his housekeeper was halfway done. "That was great!" he told Yugi. "You're a great cook!"

Yugi felt proud of himself. It was the first time someone ever complimented something he'd done, and coming from Yami… "Really? Heh…" He wiped his nose. "M-maybe I'll look for a job related to cooking…"

"Didn't we talk about it this morning?" asked Yami, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "For now, your job is to be my housekeeper. You don't have to worry about anything else."

"But what if you get…" Yugi covered his mouth with one of his hands. He hadn't thought about this. He hadn't wanted to think about this. It was something he didn't want to enter his mind. Tears sprouted from his eyes as he spoke. "Wh-what if you… g-get tired of me? T-then I'm going to have to start all over again! I'd rather be ready sooner than later!"

Yami's eyes widened in shock. Was that what Yugi thought: that Yami would get tired of him and kick him out like his parents had done? And now Yugi was crying probably at the mere thought of it. But why did he think that way? Yami wouldn't kick him out until he was sure the boy would be fine on his own. And even if he lasted another ten years, Yami didn't mind! He didn't mind having Yugi live with him, he didn't! He actually enjoyed being with Yugi!

Oh, God.

Had he just said that?

He didn't have any time to think about that. Right now, this boy—this poor, lonely boy he'd found on the streets—needed help. He needed comfort. So Yami did more than he'd ever learned to do: he stood up from his place, wrapped his arms around the boy's fragile frame, and pulled him into his chest.

Yugi was surprised by the sudden action. Didn't Yami hate people? But… if he'd gotten through the bother of giving him a hug…! So why resist it? Why not give in? Because his heart was racing like it was doing 360 degrees flips or something, that's why. This was only making it all worse. His feelings were starting to get out of the little box where he'd kept them hidden, and they were making a mess inside him.

T-this isn't love, he thought. This is concern, worry… maybe even pity. B-but not love. It is not love! I don't love him! He doesn't love me! I DON'T LOVE HIM!

Fooling himself was becoming harder than he'd thought. He loved this guy. He loved Yami so much more than the stupid, childish crush he'd had on that stupid guy who had ruined his life at the end. He loved Yami. He loved him. He loved him.

So he pushed him away. Yugi summoned all the strength he could gather and pushed Yami away.

"I'm fine now," he grumbled, wiping his eyes as he turned them to the ground. The crimson-eyed was astonished; had he done something wrong? Yugi wouldn't even meet his gaze. He'd just made the right thing, hadn't he? When someone's upset, you're supposed to embrace them, to make them sure you're there for them, aren't you?

"I'm going to bed."

"But today's time to change your bandages," replied Yami.

"It'll have to be tomorrow," said the boy, striding off to the room both of them shared. Yami just stared at him as he vanished into the bedroom.

Why had Yugi pushed him away, indeed?

That night, as Yami moved towards the bed where the amethyst-eyed was sleeping, lying on his right side, he found himself staring at the smaller figure quietly resting. He couldn't believe what was happening to him.

How long had it been since Yugi had moved in with him—two weeks? Three? A month, two months? He couldn't remember. Two, three weeks, a month, or two months ago, he hated people. He couldn't stand them, because people messed everything up. He'd once heard you were your own best friend, and he agreed. Even when Yugi had come into his life, he'd still hated people.

But as the days went by and he began to get used to another person's presence in his home, Yami had changed his point of view. Yugi was different than any guy or girl he'd ever seen, because he hadn't even met a lot of people in his life. He hadn't cared enough.

He cared now, though. He knew that at least he cared about Yugi. He cared so much he didn't want Yugi to leave him. He was unable to stop himself from caressing the boy's cheek and tracing all the way to his chin with his finger.

Stunned, Yami pulled his hand away. What in the world am I doing? Not pondering too much about that, he got to his side of the bed and lied on his left side, his and Yugi's backs facing each other's.

Unknown to him, Yugi wasn't asleep. He was quite awake, having felt every soft caress Yami had given him. He was blushing like crazy; probably his cheekbones were burning, too. He'd kept his eyes closed the whole time, waiting for what Yami would do, but he'd never imagined this outcome. Why had Yami done it? Didn't the crimson-eyed know how he made the boy feel?

As they both fell into the hands of the god of dreams, one single thought kept their minds alert, though neither knew it was the same thing the other was believing.

What should I do? Yugi wondered.

I didn't think… Yami continued, and then they both finished together:

That sleeping together like this would be so hard.


They didn't speak to each other the next morning. Yugi did breakfast like he did sometimes, Yami fed the cats pacing around the house, and they all ate. When he was done, the crimson-eyed took out some bandages, and without a word, Yugi knew it was really time to change his bandages. He had refused to do it yesterday because he was afraid of what reactions Yami's touch on his skin would provoke, especially after the awkward embrace. He'd recently discovered those reactions.

Yugi had to muster all his possible strength to keep his body still while Yami changed his bandages. It wasn't easy, not with those gentle, kind hands crawling across his flesh—those hands that had probably carried him from that dark alleyway to the comfortable bed where he was lying when he woke up. Oh, God… he'd been in Yami's arms more than once already? Was the world against him?

"Did I do something wrong?"

The boy looked up at Yami, who was staring at the arm he was bandaging, their eyes not meeting.

"W-what?" he asked.

"Did I do something wrong?" Yami repeated. "You haven't said a word since yesterday… you didn't let me change your bandages then, and you pushed me away when I was just trying to help you." Yugi blushed in shame. He couldn't tell Yami the reason why he'd been so harsh yesterday. What would the crimson-eyed think? He'd just kick him out right there on the spot and rid himself of all the trouble Yugi caused. "I know I'm not good at comforting people," continued Yami, "but if I did something you wouldn't like me to do, just tell me, and you'll never see me doing it again."

"Y-you didn't do anything wrong." The boy felt his heart throbbing and beating madly. Yami… he cared so much… Although he hated people, he cared for Yugi, didn't he?

"I have to go to work," said the crimson-eyed as he finished bandaging Yugi's arm. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," agreed the boy, staring at the man as he left.

"Oh, and Yugi?" Yami turned around and glanced deeply into amethyst eyes. "I hope we can finish this talk when I come home." Yugi searched for a sign of anger in Yami's crimson orbs, for a sign that Yami was going to tell him Your job here is over. Go away. Yet he found none. He only found concern and worry—and yes, he found care—drowning Yami's gorgeous features. When he said he wanted to talk to Yugi, he just meant he wanted them to sort this out and solve whatever issue they had.

Yugi felt his heart tearing apart in pieces. Yami was so kind… so, so kind… He deserved a lot more than a boy that couldn't live by himself—a boy that couldn't go through an honest conversation without breaking down. He didn't deserve Yami. He simply didn't.

The boy decided he'd leave him alone.

Literally, he would leave Yami alone.

Maybe he should've left a note. He should've left an apology, a thank-you note, something. But no. Yugi just took some of the clothes he considered as his—having been lent to him by Yami—put them in a bag, and walked out of the main door.

If I had stayed any longer, thought the amethyst-eyed, I would've made it all worse. It hurts me… but I don't want him to hate me for the rest of his life. He didn't even notice where he was going. The only thing he wanted was to get away from that place as soon as possible or he might chicken out and ruin his own life again. Yes, I'm running away, Yugi thought. I'm running away, like I did with—

The boy stopped short on his tracks. He realized he was running away like he had with his crush. Hadn't he tried to ignore it by working? And look how well that had turned out. Why was he running away again—because he was afraid? Yugi couldn't run from his fears forever, could he? No, of course he couldn't. He looked at a huge clock hanging from a building.

It was an hour until Yami returned. Perhaps he could go back before Yami came home…

Yugi turned on his heels and ran straight the way he'd come, calling Yami's name.

"Yami! Yami!" he cried, although he knew the crimson-eyed wouldn't hear him. "YAMI!"

"YUGI!"

The boy stopped almost immediately. Had he heard right? "YUGI!" Yes! He'd heard his name! As soon as he turned around this corner…

He'd find Yami. He found Yami—standing right there, in front of him, panting as much as he was. What was the man doing here? Wasn't he supposed to be working? Had he gotten out early? He wanted to ask—What are you doing here?—but Yami beat him to talk.

"Before now," the crimson-eyed began in short gasps, "I… I never really sought anyone. I never cared enough for someone to actually seek for them. Yet look at what you've made me do." Yami smiled at Yugi with such sweetness and kindness in the gesture that Yugi felt tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Yami had come looking for him…

In less than a second, the boy threw his arms around him, pulling them both much, much closer together than any physical contact they'd had. He was more than happy when Yami returned his embrace, running his hand through the amethyst-eyed's hair.

THIS is love, Yugi decided.

The boy was sitting down at the edge of the bed while Yami entered the room after having fed the cats. He closed the door behind him and approached Yugi, kneeling in front of him when he was as close.

"Yugi," he said, softly caressing his cheek. "Why did you leave?"

Yugi swallowed harshly and looked down. "I… I just… I didn't want you to hate me…"

"Hate you?" Yami moved his hand to Yugi's chin; he lifted it up to stare at beautiful amethyst eyes, which were starting to tear up. "Yugi, why in the world would I ever hate you?"

"B-because… because of what I feel for you," sobbed Yugi, the salty tears prickling down his skin. "I thought that… t-that if you knew, you'd hate me. I-I couldn't stand that!"

No, and Yami couldn't stand to see the boy cry. Neither could he stand the idea of hating Yugi. He'd never do that. Never. And so he told Yugi at the same time he cupped the boy's face between his hands, "I wouldn't hate you, Yugi. No matter what you did—no matter what you said."

That caught his attention. Yugi's eyes widened. "You wouldn't?" he asked in surprise. The crimson-eyed shook his head. Then he did something unbelievable: Yami slightly brought down the boy's face so that they were at eye-level and licked his tears—first he licked his left cheek; he went to the right one afterwards, kissing the tears that came out next, to which Yugi yelped, blushed and closed his eyes shut, his heart probably skipping more than one beat.

"W-what are you doing? W-why are you doing it?" he demanded, his eyes still closed.

Yami smiled slightly, a little embarrassed himself but still kissing the boy's face. "Isn't this what people do to comfort the one they love?"

Yugi had to suppress the girly grin he wanted to show as the man's lips ran across his skin. Yami loved him! Yami loved him as much as he loved Yami! "Y-yeah," he said. "I guess it is. You know? A-all those nights we… slept together…" The crimson-eyed stood up, his hands never leaving the amethyst-eyed's face.

"Yeah," Yami agreed. "I was also nervous."

He slowly began to lean down, little by little, his breath escaping from his parted lips, until he pressed his mouth to Yugi's in a chaste kiss.

It was better than either of them had ever imagined.

Yugi never wanted to be away from those sweet, hot lips in his life. As soon as they pulled apart, they kissed each other again, and again, and again, and they kept kissing each other for who knows how long. Yami was getting tired of standing up, so he began to crawl over Yugi, and the boy stepped back and lied down to give him more space.

Having the young man underneath him—at his mercy—Yami's courage and confidence boosted up. The next time he kissed Yugi, he ran his tongue over the other one's lips, earning mewls and moans in response while he straddled his waist. Yugi's cheeks burned bright red—Yami had his wrists pinned to the mattress so he couldn't freaking reach out to touch him—but he slightly opened his mouth and welcomed the foreign muscle into his moist, hot cavern. Their tongues met and danced together playfully, memorizing every little detail from each other.

Both of them broke their passionate kiss and stared at each other, panting crazily and blushing just as madly. They didn't need to say anything else: gazing into the other's eyes was more than enough.

Mere seconds later, Yugi was completely naked while Yami only had his boxers and jeans on. How they'd gotten out of their clothes so fast, they had no idea. They just knew they wanted this—and they wanted it so bad… Yami was nipping at Yugi's neck as both of his hands kept themselves busy with caressing the boy's chest and pumping his hard, wet organ.

"Nnh… aah!" cried Yugi in ecstasy at the touches. He clawed at Yami's back, arching his own spine every time the man bit his flesh.

"You like that?" Yami teased him, licking his skin. Yugi was so engulfed in his hurricane of pleasure that he was unable to even nod; but the look on his half-opened eyes when they weren't tight shut, the rapid breaths coming out from his parted lips, they way his hands desperately attempted to cling on to Yami made his feelings clear. The crimson-eyed decided to pleasure his now lover even more.

"W-what the…?" Yugi looked at Yami when he stopped feeling his tongue and teeth on his neck. The latter smiled tenderly at him. Then, without any warning, he leaned down and took the boy into his mouth.

"AAH!" moaned the amethyst-eyed, sinking his nails into his lover's back. "Oh, God…!" The warmth of Yami's mouth around him… he wanted to move, to squirm—the heat was becoming too overwhelming. He wouldn't last for long like this, and Yami wasn't having any mercy. He gripped Yugi's hips to stop him from bucking up, and he licked and sucked on the boy's organ like his very life depended on it; it was driving Yugi crazy. "I'm gonna…" he warned. "I'm gonna…!"

There was no need to continue. He had no time to before coming in Yami's mouth, gasping for the air he much needed right now. The man lapped his seed hungrily as though he was a starving cat satiating his thirst. Yugi blushed embarrassedly.

"I-I'm sorry," he muttered, though for what he was apologizing, he didn't know.

Yami took one of his hands, which palm was wrapped up in bandages, and pressed a soft kiss to it. "I love you," he said to the blushing boy underneath him. Yugi felt how his heart stopped beating and beat faster at the same time. Those three words… those simple three words he'd always longed to hear from the one who would return his feelings…

He took his hand back and used that same arm to cover his eyes, from which tears were raining down. Yami was about to ask what was wrong when the boy spoke.

"My parents," he began. "T-they told me no one would ever love me…" And then he broke into laughter—a beautiful, melodious laughter that Yami found adorable, and he realized the tears Yugi was shedding were happy tears. "I'd love to see their faces now, to tells them how wrong they were…" The crimson-eyed smiled again and kissed the boy's chest.

"Y-you know?" continued Yugi.

"Yes?" asked Yami, looking up at his gorgeous lover.

"I…" The boy chuckled, wiping the rest of his tears. "I wish I'd met you before. You would've been my first love."

Yami removed a bang of hair from the amethyst-eyed's face. "Maybe I wasn't your first," he said. "But I can be your last." He swiftly leaned in to kiss the boy's lips. "Isn't that just as special?"

Yugi nodded, grinning girlishly but not caring about it, and wrapped his arms around Yami again.

Yugi had never felt so scared in his life than the moment when Yami zipped down his jeans and began to prepare him for what was to come. He'd inserted three digits inside his entrance, one at a time, and he'd stretched him far enough for what would be next. Yet even that hurt more than anything the boy had ever felt. Moans and gasps hadn't stopped coming out from his mouth. How would… how would doing it feel? Good, painful, too much to stand?

"If it hurts you too much," said Yami, taking him away from his thoughts, "just tell me; I'll stop immediately, okay?"

But Yugi realized he wanted nothing more than to be connected with the crimson-eyed this way. So he gave a small signal as a positive. Yami nodded at him. The boy helped him spread his legs as wide as possible, and when Yugi was ready, the man's erection entered him.

It was probably the first time he screamed this much, Yugi thought. The pain… the pain was killing him. The pleasure… the pleasure was winning by far, burning up his insides and making his heart beat like it'd burst out right through his ribcage any minute. Yami waited for Yugi to adjust—he didn't want to hurt him—daring to move only when the boy told him it was okay.

"H-how does it feel for you?" groaned Yami, his arms embracing the smaller body.

"I-it… it's hard to explain," whimpered Yugi, tangling his hand in Yami's hair, drawing themselves closer to each other and grinding their hips together. The result was a hot, delicious friction that made them both moan loudly. "It hurts, b-but… it also f-feels good." Yami sighed slightly in relief. "I-I want you t-to move," said the boy. The crimson-eyed did what he was told and began to slowly move inside his lover.

Each thrust was received with a moan, a gasp, or a pleasured scream. Once, when Yami hit a certain spot that made him see stars dancing around his head, Yugi's ecstatic cry went an octave higher than regular. Yami took that as a good sign and aimed for that spot each time he thrust back in. The boy was going to come again, no doubt about it. Especially because Yami pressed their mouths together and intruded in between Yugi's lips, their tongues caressing each other like the lovers their owners were.

Not even two seconds later, Yugi came around Yami's organ, crying out the man's name as loud as he could. Yami soon followed, screaming Yugi's name at the top of his lungs. He collapsed above the body underneath him—both gasped for air and pecked each other's lips. The crimson-eyed, wanting to make their ending as passionate as the beginning, one more time asked for permission to enter Yugi's mouth. The boy didn't put up any fight and parted his lips to allow entrance. Yami slowly and seductively sucked on his tongue, making Yugi purr in pleasure.

When they broke apart, Yami pulled out from within Yugi and gave him one last peck on his sweet mouth, lying with Yugi's back to his chest. He wrapped his arms around the smaller figure and brought him closer into his chest. Yugi was about to fall asleep before he remembered Yami's beautiful confession and the fact that he hadn't said his. He would NOT sleep until the words were out of his system!

"Y-Yami?"

"Hm?" responded the man, dozing off.

"I love you." That definitely woke Yami up. He raised his head as Yugi turned back his to stare at each other. The boy was blushing slightly, like he was ashamed he hadn't said it before. But every trace of shame vanished when Yami smiled the smile only he could give Yugi,

"I love you too."

Yeah, thought the amethyst-eyed as they began to fall asleep. THIS is love.


Yugi scratched the ears of a small cat while staring at himself in the mirror. No trace of his wounds. His hair had grown a little longer. Maybe he should cut it… Just a bit, really. Why would he need so much hair, anyway? It seemed ridiculous.

"Yugi," Yami called out to him, taking his hand the moment he got out of their room. "Come on, you'll be late for work." He let go of his hand to caress the hair atop the boy's head, kissing it softly as he dragged him to the door so that both could leave for their respective jobs.

Well, Yugi thought with a smile, I guess I'll leave it like it is. After all, I have it so that he can pet it.