Written for Encourageshipping (DM Spiritshipping) Week 2016

"Do you want to go on a date tonight, other me?" Yuugi asked. Atem turned to look at him.

"Tonight? I don't know about that, partner. It's opening night for Anzu, it doesn't seem right that just the two of us go out when it's such an important night for her." Atem frowned. He would have thought that Yuugi of all people would have thought of that.

"Well…" Yuugi started, and gave Atem a slightly mischievous grin. "I was thinking you might like to go to opening night…" Atem leapt out of his chair.

"You got tickets? How?! I couldn't find them anywhere, they were sold out almost from the beginning!"

"Front-row!" said Yuugi happily, "and as for how I got them, that's a secret!" He winked at Atem, and handed a ticket to him.

"You can't keep secrets from me, partner. Come on, tell me how you got these," Atem said, waving the ticket at Yuugi. He was trying to run through how Yuugi could have possibly gotten the tickets, and neither legal nor illegal methods seemed an adequate explanation. As far as Atem was concerned, obtaining tickets to the opening night of the hottest show of the year, let alone front-row tickets, was absolutely impossible, even if you were dating one of the star dancers. "Does Anzu know?"

"Nope! It'll be a surprise!"

"We should get going soon, then. We'll want to get to our seats early, the place is sold out and will be absolutely packed," Atem said. Yuugi nodded.

"I want to pick up a bouquet for Anzu before we get there, too. The ones they sell there are very expensive; it'd be better to get something from a shop along the way," Yuugi said.

"Okay," Atem said. "Give me a minute and I'll be ready to go." He walked over to the closet and pulled out his jacket and put it on. He pulled out Yuugi's and handed it to him. "Don't forget this; it's cold out there."

"I'll be fine, other me," Yuugi said, "it's not that cold out." Atem stubbornly continued to hold out the jacket. Yuugi sighed and took it.

But, really, partner, how did you get those tickets? Atem thought to Yuugi as the latter was purchasing flowers. A small smile appeared on Yuugi's face as he counted out the money.

I already told you, I'm not telling! It's a secret! Yuugi replied with a tone of amusement. Atem crossed his arms. He could tell Yuugi was enjoying keeping it from him as long as he could. As far as he was concerned, that was a challenge. And Atem never could resist a challenge.

"I'll get the answer out of you somehow," Atem said as they left the shop together, Yuugi holding the bouquet of flowers loosely against his chest, so as not to crush them. Yuugi only smiled and said nothing. They continued walking to the theatre in comfortable silence, as Atem considered the best strategy to convince Yuugi to share his secret. Yuugi was particularly weak to seduction, as it tended to make him incredibly flustered and lose concentration. Of course, Atem was abysmal at seduction, and even basic flirting, really; so he discarded that option quickly.

People were generally more vulnerable when not awake or not fully awake, so perhaps he could try to coax an answer out of Yuugi just before he fell asleep or just after he woke up, or he could even wander into Yuugi's dreams and look for an answer there. However, Yuugi would probably expect him to try that, and would be on guard for it.

The best option, Atem finally concluded, was to enlist Anzu's help in persuading Yuugi. She would certainly be curious about the tickets as well, and if they worked together, it would be much harder for Yuugi to resist.

"Look, there's already a line to get in," Yuugi said as they approached the theatre. The line stretched and snaked around the building and along the sidewalk. Atem shrugged.

"I guess we'll just have to wait."

Atem sat comfortably in his seat next to Yuugi. He checked the time; there were only a few minutes before the show was supposed to start. He and Yuugi had been playing a guessing game to pass the time, but Yuugi had just laughed off Atem's attempts to get him to reveal how he got the tickets. Now the lights had dimmed and they sat in quiet anticipation.

An announcer came out on stage and introduced the production to the audience, adding that he hoped they all enjoyed it, and quickly left the stage. A moment passed, and the curtain opened to a brightly lit stage. Despite the bright lights, Atem spotted Anzu quickly. He knew that she saw him and Yuugi as soon as he met her eyes, which widened slightly, but otherwise she gave no indication of her surprise.

Atem kept focused on Anzu as the performance went on. Other dancers whirled around her, but he hardly paid them a glance. Anzu danced and glided across the stage with an illusion of effortlessness. An illusion, Atem knew, because Anzu had worked very hard for this, training and dancing and moving at the crack of dawn each morning. He had seen her practice her steps in the apartment, furniture pushed to the sides of the room so she had room to move. And it had all paid off. Every motion was well-executed; every moment told a story. Anzu twisted and spun, was lifted high into the air by another dancer, and moved with such fluidity and gracefulness that it was mesmerizing. It was hard to imagine that the human body was capable of such.

She's amazing, Yuugi said silently, a tone of awe in his thoughts. Atem knew that, like him, Yuugi had not taken his eyes off Anzu as long as she was on stage.

Yeah, she really is.

Atem and Yuugi hung outside the theatre in the cold night air, watching the remaining crowds exit the building. They were waiting for Anzu to change and gather her things so that they could walk back home together. Yuugi still held the flowers in his hands, refusing Atem's invitation to take them for a while.

"It might take a bit – the director might want to discuss the performance with them," Atem said, breath visible in the chilly air. Yuugi nodded, shivering a little despite his jacket. Atem frowned and took his hands out of his pockets, and placed them over Yuugi's, which were clasped around the bouquet. "We should have brought gloves," Atem said.

"I suppose. I'm fine, though. You don't need to worry about me, other me," Yuugi said. He glanced off towards the theatre. "Look! There's Anzu!"

Anzu had evidently spotted the pair of them, and was quickly approaching them. She stopped just short of them and smiled widely.

"I didn't expect you two to be here! The director told us that the show sold out so quickly, he couldn't believe it! I'm so glad you were able to make it. How'd you get tickets?"

"I've been asking partner that all evening. He still won't tell me."

"What's the big secret, Yuugi? Come on, you can tell us!" Anzu laughed. Yuugi smiled, and handed Anzu the flowers, which she gladly accepted, kissing him on the cheek, at which Yuugi flushed.

"I'm not telling, that's why it's a secret!"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you, partner?"

"Of course!"

"You can't keep the answer from us forever, you know," Atem said teasingly, "so you might as well tell us now."

"Nope!"

"It's late, guys. We should get heading home," Anzu said.

"Yeah…"

The three of them started walking home. Yuugi complimented Anzu on the performance, and she eagerly chatted about it with him as they walked. Atem walked beside them, listening to their discussion without participating himself, except to offer some praise of his own for Anzu. The matter of the tickets was dropped for the time being.

Atem would get the answer out of Yuugi tomorrow.