Walking down the quiet street, Yami checked his phone. Having just graduated high school, Yami was rather tall, but also nimble, as he balanced groceries bags in his arms while checking his phone. As usual, Jounouchi and Anzu were arguing back and forth. He couldn't even tell what they were arguing about anymore. Sighing, Yami looked up to make sure he wasn't running into anything.

Something shifted in the alley to his right. Yami glanced over, seeing a huddled boy. He couldn't tell due to how dark it was, but he figured the kid was pretty young.

Yami said without thinking, "Hey, are you okay?"

He waited.

And waited.

Until at least fifteen minutes had passed. He really should just walk away… but the boy he'd spoken to looked so young. Too young to be alone in an alley at night. Then again, the boy could be bait for gangs to pounce on stupid people like himself…

Shaking the thought away, Yami prompted, "Seriously, are you okay?"

Now the boy glanced up, then looked around. Yami wondered if the boy thought he was talking to someone else.

This was confirmed when the boy asked curiously, "Are you… um, talking to me?"

Yami withheld a sigh. Definitely a mistake. What did he expect he could do for this kid? Take him in if he was homeless?

"I am," Yami responded.

Surprise flashed over the boy's face, followed by something that vanished too quickly for Yami to identify.

"I'm fine," the boy responded, now smiling softly.

Yami knew this was the time to go. Just a quick 'oh that's fine then' and then he could leave this all behind. But… this boy really was young. And cute, now that he'd gotten a better look.

"Are you sure?" Yami blurted out without thinking. The boy tilted his head curiously.

"Yes…" he said slowly, "unless you're willing to feed me, in which case, I'm starving."

Yami laughed nervously. What he was about to say was crazy. But he was fairly certain that if no one bothersome found out, it'd work just fine. "I can do one better. Would you like to live with me?"

The boy's expression was blank. Yami was starting to think the kid thought he was stupid when the boy said, "You're… not playing with me, are you?"

He blinked, seeing hope in the boy's eyes. "No," he said firmly.

Standing the boy stumbled over to him, reminding Yami of a puppy. "Please," the boy said desperately, reaching out to grab Yami's arm. "Please."

Yami laughed softly, letting the boy cling to him as they walked home. "So what's your name?" he asked. "I'm Yami."

The boy hesitated. Yami could tell he still didn't fully trust him - the kid's eyes were darting around, his attention split between Yami and their surroundings. After a moment the boy replied, "Call me Yugi…" Yami smiled. The boy had a nice name.

Suddenly he stopped. "We're home," he announced.

Yugi looked up after a quick glance around them. They stood in front of a row of houses. "...which one?" Yugi asked finally.

Yami pointed to a small house. It was pretty nondescript, but it was presentable. He checked Yugi's reaction, but the boy was busy looking around them again. Suppressing a chuckle, Yami unlocked the house.

He held the handle for a moment, keeping the door closed. "Are you allergic to anything?" he asked Yugi. Completely straight-faced, Yugi replied, "I'm allergic to sunlight… and sunscreen." Yami stared at the boy. Yugi stared back, before adding quietly, "I'm not joking. I swear it, Yami."

Yami hesitated briefly before saying, "Well… I'll believe you for now. No other allergies?"

Yugi shook his head.

Nodding, Yami opened the door, letting Yugi in before locking it again.

"Do you live alone?" Yugi asked, glancing at the locked door.

"I do," Yami answered, taking in the groceries to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he began his daily game of Tetris with the cold foods.

Yugi sat beside him, watching him silently. "Yami," he said, after a while.

Yami glanced at him, pausing. "Yeah?" he prompted.

The boy looked down at the floor. "How long will you let me stay?"

Resuming his game of Tetris, Yami thought about it. When he finished, he stood, folding up the paper bag. "As long as I can," he replied, helping Yugi up. "Hopefully, until you're fed up with me and leave." He turned away from Yugi.

Holding up a packet of frozen bacon Yami asked, "Do you like this?" When no response came, Yami looked back. Yugi was staring at the bacon with a look akin to longing and awe. Smiling, Yami dumped the contents onto the pan, separating them carefully. Heating up the stove, he let the pan sit while he pulled out some eggs. "Scrambled or easy-over?"

Yugi's look of awe had transformed into something like worship. "Um… can we have… rice too?" the boy asked, his stare now turning to the rice-cooker tucked into the corner.

Yami grinned wider. "Yeah," he said.

"Can I have my egg easy-over?" Yugi asked.

Deftly cracking the eggs in a cup, Yami flipped the bacon before prepping another pan.

"Sure," he told the kid.