Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.
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Light Magic
"Oh, hello there, disciple of mine."
"Um…" A soft voice was barely audible under the rugged shouts from the other side of the desk. Silent Magician peeked from blue-white locks and found his large red hat collapsing further onto his eyes. With a soft 'oof', he readjusted his hat. "Hello, great master."
And that was that. A chuckle left Dark Magician's throat and red burned Silent Magician's pale face. It'd been a total of two months since their first encounter. The time in between felt like millennia had passed. Time, as Silent Magician put it, seemed slower. No, that wasn't it. It exists. He was able to count the days between their last meeting, which was enough to put him in awe for quite a while. Although Master Yugi would often summon him in many games (Gods knew how the boy loved to duel), it was very rare for him to be set on the same field as Dark Magician. It'd only happened once.
And here they were, in card-form sitting next to each other as Master Yugi dueled Jou during free time in class. Silent Magician couldn't recall when Yugi deck had become mixed with Atem's. He supposed that with Dark Magician originally being Yugi's card, it would be switched around once in a while. A small frown settled across petite lips. There was no need for him when there was the Dark Magician.
"Nonsense," boomed his irritated superior. Dark Magician petted him affectionately and returned a frown. "The young master will continue to need you even when the earth falls in despair."
"That's not scheduled for another month," snorted Silent Magician as he writhed into his form. He sat cross legged in his card, wondering so lightly how Dark Magician was able to infiltrate his barriers once again. Dark Magician had proven twice to have the ability to visit cards. He wondered if it was a magician thing…or Dark Magician's own magic.
His superior shared another chuckle, and suddenly he hid a small smile. The great master's laughter was as contagious as it was the first time.
He shuddered with these emotions; emotions normally reserved for humans.
"It's true, isn't it? My monarch has a head for trouble. Your master isn't far from it, either." Dark Magician nodded and sat next to him casual.
With an illuminating twinkle, Silent Magician felt his body grow in size, signaling that Yugi's turn had ended and Jou had drawn another card. He blinked, sighing in his newfound voice as he stood up in preparation for Yugi's orders.
Dark Magician was scrutinizing him. Silent Magician struggled to hold back the crimson surfacing his apricot cheeks, but miserably failed. He turned to the superior, eyes darkening curiously. Glass eyes gazed back with lips open with awe.
"Yes?" Silent Magician murmured softly. He'd be lying to himself if he said he wasn't staring back. Dark Magician had beautiful, fair skin blanketing his softer features. Hair tumbled in purple locks, but with each glance Silent Magician would wonder if he was seeing dark locks instead of dusk, and much tanner skin. He loved them both, but by far he was lost in gorgeous glass blue eyes. They tinted in their own mystery, but shimmered with an amusement he'd never seen in a magician before. Isis, he pleaded. Let him stop staring, let him stop become so intoxicated by human emotions that seemed to sweep him off his feet.
"Nothing," Dark Magician replied curtly. Suddenly, this magician's eyebrows wriggled and he rested his staff next to Silent Magician's. "I suppose it isn't just 'nothing' is it? It could never be 'nothing'. Your magic, I mean."
His magic? While Dark Magician was a dark attribute, he was a light attribute. Silent Magician shifted between his feet, half listening to the hum of his master's voice as a trap card was being called upon and the other part of him curious to Dark Magician's words. Silence enveloped them once again; one magician troubled by the words spoken and the other gazing with an emotion Silent Magician wasn't familiar with.
It irked him; not being in control of what was going on. Dark Magician was his hero; who he aspired to be like one day. Many of the emotions that were born in Silent Magician's mind from the day he first made small talk with the other were overwhelming; over half of them he still did not understand. One feeling was clear to him: comfortable.
Dark Magician did not make him feel out of place; like he didn't belong. He liked that.
Silent Magician was broken from his thoughts as he found himself growing yet again, and he wasn't craning his neck as far as needed to see Dark Magician's face anymore. He a level four monster by now, most likely. He'd lost count once Dark Magician was summoned next to him.
Glass eyes observed this transformation. While the brush graced Silent Magician's features, he shifted between his feet and looked to the ground. "Stop staring at me," he mumbled shyly, "it makes me feel weird."
"Okay." Dark Magician stood up and stood parallel to him. Silent Magician waned in comparison, standing at least a head and a half shorter than the other. "Your special ability is amazing. It counters Slifer the Sky Dragon's."
He blushed a darker red. Silent Magician shuffled his feet and looked onward to the battle. Jou was ruffling his hair at something his master had done, and turned blue. "You're the Dark Magician, though," he sighed softly. "You have so many support cards in your arsenal that it's more of a surprise that you would be off the field more than off."
"Ah," Dark Magician said blithely, "duly noted. But it can't be helped; my being around longer than you. I was a gift from his grandfather."
Blue eyes lowered and sunk sadly. A gift from a family member was far better than being bought from a store. That was something he would never be able to compete with.
"But he speaks highly of you," said Dark Magician quietly. "When he first bought you it was his mission to find a card worthy of replacing me, even before my pharaoh. From the start, he planned on giving me, his prize to my best friend. Yugi would never buy a card he would feel wasn't worthy as a replacement. You're far better in his hands."
"I…" Silent Magician peered up, eyes widening and he bowed his head respectfully. "Thank you."
Dark Magician nodded. He peered up, eyes suddenly lighting up with excitement. "It seems the young master is winning the duel."
Silent Magician nodded. They continued watching the duel, occasionally commenting Yugi's strategy and Jou's clever and wildly lucky comebacks. A few times Silent Magician had been called upon to attack Jou directly or attack another monster. Dark Magician would smile quaintly, making Silent Magician feel as light as a feather. Once, Dark Magician commented that he hoped Yugi had 'that' card. When asked, Dark Magician only remarked how it'd be an honor to use with him. With a faint blush, their conversation ceased and he focused on the duel.
Silent Magician stumbled, growing thrice. He hadn't noticed his superior's intermittent glances or the glass eyes that would absorb themselves with each of his new features. At the same time, Dark Magician was unaware of the stares he was getting back. Although facing the new developments, Silent Magician found himself focused to the being at the corner of his eye.
Dark Magician had inched closer, being anything but subtle about it. Silent Magician felt the other's warm breath over his shoulder, like his superior was struggling seeing over his shoulder. Dark Magician didn't, of course. Even in his fully realized state, Silent Magician still faltered in height by a full head.
Soon, they'd become so close that Dark Magician's hand would occasionally bump his gauntlet. Silent Magician tensed, feeling the warmth with each nudge, but tried hard not to show it. He looked down while Dark Magician was still enticed by the battle, and stared at their hands. His fingers were long and slender; nimble and dainty. He snaked a hand around his staff, head tilting. Dark Magician's hands, on the other hand, were large. Firm, demanding, and clinching the darker staff with much ease.
He reached out to touch it; to hold it. Silent Magician's breathing slowed, and he desired to simply embrace it, to embrace Dark Magician. What was this feeling? It was the same one he saw glimmering in Dark Magician's mischievous eyes. His trembling fingers finally reached their destination, but his breathing faltered.
His hand went right through Dark Magician's. His eyes widened, hearing something break in his ear. The sound went unidentified, and he flexed each digit. The other failed to notice this newfound discovery and instead, Yugi had called Dark Magician to attack Little Warrior. When he returned, there was disappointment running across the taller's face.
Silent Magician cursed softly as he automatically stumbled back into his baby form. With some control, he managed to at least morph into his state of adolescence, the state he preferred the most. Glassy eyes held his gaze and he immediately looked down.
"It's a shame."
"I…I know," whispered Silent Magician. His eyes landed on his own gloved hand, and something in him just shattered. What was it, he asked. And why did it hurt so much? Dark Magician must have thought so lowly of him for yearning a touch. More even, for trying to violate Dark Magician's personal space. Isis, was he that stupid?
"I wanted him to use Polerimization or Magicians Unite." Dark Magician insisted. He tilted his head, eyebrows furrowing with sadness. "The way you glimmer when your special ability activates. We'd become one along with our powers and truly start a riot in this duel. I would put the whole deck in Sir Jou's hand just to see your beauty increase once more. It's…stimulating."
A fervent blush tingled Silent Magician's ears. He opened his mouth, ready to speak, but he couldn't say anything. Instead, he shuffled in his feet and stayed silent; an action that both magicians had seen him do so many times before. "How is your quest going? To fall in love with me?"
Silent Magician's voice was a little louder than usual. It'd kept all his self control to keep from stuttering like a hopeless idiot. That word, 'love' rolled out of his tongue so quaintly. He wondered dearly what it meant and if he would be able to assist Dark Magician in getting this 'love.'
"I'll leave that for you to find out for yourself." Dark Magician chuckled softly, closing off the only space between them before he stood close and parallel to the adolescent magician. "It takes time; like your growth."
"I see." Silent Magician nodded, not fully understanding the words, but he feared he'd offend the Dark Magician if he spoke otherwise. "I'll help you in any way you need, great master."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Warmth surrounded Silent Magician's hand. His fingers twitched instinctively as he felt the new warmth before he realized what was holding him: Dark Magician's hand. He gasped, surrendering to the new sensation. "It…" he murmured.
"Your hands are so delicate and slim you would think they'd call you the Silent Pianist instead of the Silent Magician," Dark Magician chuckled. He brought it up for further observation. "I think…it's one of the things I love the most about you."
"I…see…" Silent Magician murmured softly. He took in the sensation, wondering how Dark Magician had gotten so good at making him tingle like this.
"Grandpa, Other Me! I'm back!" Yugi shut the door of the game shop behind him and quickly kissed his grandfather on the cheek before shuffling upstairs. "Other Me? Where'd you go?" Amethyst eyes blinked in utter confusion as he looked through his room.
"Over here, aibou."
"Ah." Yugi stripped of his shoes and made his way to the kitchen where Atem was making a sandwich. He paused, a playful smirk crossing his lips. "Why Other Me, you can cook?"
"I'm the pharaoh who sealed away mankind's greatest evil and can summon all three Egyptian Gods, aibou." Atem arched an eyebrow, clearly offended by his light's choice of words. "Do you really think that cooking would be a hassle for me?"
"Yes," Yugi nodded brusquely before taking a knife and cutting half of Aibou's ham and cheese for himself. "Jou and I dueled today. He almost got the upper hand, but I finally beat him."
"Oh?" Atem nodded with great interest. He'd missed school that day because he was getting over his two-day cold. On his better days where he could actually drag himself out of bed like these, Atem had to fend for himself and make food on his own. "That's good. Are they coming later?"
"You and I'll be going to Burger World soon," grinned Yugi. "he promised to treat the whole gang to food if he loss. Maybe we can go to a movie afterwards, if you're feeling up to it."
"I suppose." Atem nodded in confirmation before finishing the rest of his sandwich. When he was done, Yugi was giving him an odd look. "Yes?"
"How come you slipped the Dark Magician in my deck, Other Me?" Yugi quickly added, "Not that I don't mind, but I lacked some support cards and almost lost him on the field."
"Oh?" He arched an eyebrow as Yugi revealed the deck of cards from his deckholder. Atem picked up the Dark Magician, who conveniently was on top, and then drew the card under it. He cast a suspicious frown before shaking it off. "It's been a while since you've dueled with him is all, Yugi. How about you duel with him in Kaiba's next tournament?"
"Really?" Yugi perked at the news and smiled. "You can use my Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician if you want, then. You can choose which ones, too."
"Then I'll lend you Dark Magician Girl too." Atem nodded in confirmation and gestured to his pair of leather pants and t-shirt. "I'm feeling better; I was thinking you and I could get a bite to eat, anyway. Why don't you go change and then we can meet up with Jou and the others?"
"Okay." Yugi stood at the tip of his toes, kissing Atem gently before scuttling off to their room.
Atem went back to staring at his Dark Magician, and the other card he'd drawn, Silent Magician. Their positions were changed again, Dark Magician with a hand reaching out to his left and Silent Magician with his arm stretched in front of him to his right. The once pharaoh arched an eyebrow, examining the cards gently. When he blinked, they returned to their usual battle stance. He slipped the Dark Magician in his deckholder before putting Silent Magician back in Yugi's deck on the table.
Maybe he was far too delirious to remember what he'd been doing last night. After all, there was no memory of Atem's involving slipping the Dark Magician in his lover's deck.
