Written for Encourageshipping (DM Spiritshipping) Week 2016

Atem was very hungry.

And the only food in sight was the cake that Yuugi had made for Anzu's graduation party, taunting Atem from within its plastic carrier. He knew he shouldn't even think of touching it, but hunger was a powerful drive. Not for the first time, he brushed the lid of the carrier with his hand, almost giving in to the temptation to remove it, then snatching his hand away with a slight bit of guilt. He let out a sigh of frustration. If only Yuugi would come back soon.

Yuugi had gone to get more food for the party, leaving Atem alone in the apartment in case anyone turned up early. This meant, unfortunately, that Atem couldn't leave even to grab a snack from a nearby vendor. His only options were the cake, and whatever Anzu had in her apartment. Which wasn't much. He had checked every cabinet and closet, the fridge and the freezer, and hadn't found a single thing that could be eaten without preparation. It made sense, he supposed, since Anzu was going to move out soon, she wouldn't want to have too much food on hand.

There was some fish in the fridge that wouldn't take too much trouble to fry. He could always pay Anzu back for it if he needed to. The only problem was that he had been expressly forbidden from using a stove, or anything that might result in an open flame, especially if it wasn't in his own place. He mulled the idea over. Between using the stove and taking a piece of Yuugi's cake, he was sure that the cake was the worse option. He could also continue to wait it out, but his stomach protested the idea with a loud growl.

Making up his mind, Atem slid off the chair he had been perched on, and walked over to the kitchen. He took the fish out of the fridge and grabbed some oil and seasonings from the cupboard. He easily found a spatula and pan, grateful that Anzu was reasonably well organized, unlike Yuugi's family, who stored things wherever they fit, without the slightest hint of organization or reliability. He set the pan on the stove and poured some oil in it. Yuugi would have said it was a bit too much, but Atem didn't think so. He unceremoniously dumped the fish in, then dumped some seasonings on top of it, not caring enough to rub it in properly, and turned on the burner.

Atem knew he wasn't the best cook, and a few previous events had proved that in flaming messes. So he was going to try to be extra careful, and keep a close eye on everything. The last thing he needed was to start a fire in Anzu's apartment. He held to this for a while, as he turned the fish over in the pan a few times. But his hunger distracted him, and his mind started to wander, snapping back to reality as he noticed a small flame in the pan.

It was only a small flame, he decided, and nothing much to worry about. It'd cook the fish faster, right? So he poked at it a little, enjoying watching it lick over the surface of the fish. He always loved watching fire – it was beautiful and dangerous, and moved in a way that nothing else did. This was why he often got carried away while cooking…

The flame surged, and Atem grinned, forgetting his cooking as he prodded the fire. His grin quickly faded as a loud beeping noise cut through the sizzle of the fish.

"Shit," was the only thing he said before a blast of water hit him from above.

Yuugi panted as he lugged the groceries up the stairs to Anzu's apartment. Things had taken much longer than he'd expected – the store was crowded, the lines were long, and the payment machines were malfunctioning. It was hard to put Yuugi in a bad mood, but he certainly was a bit irritated even before he opened the door to find a drenched and miserable Atem trying fruitlessly to rehang waterlogged decorations.

"What did you do?!"

"I know I'm not supposed to cook without supervision, but I was really hungry," Atem said as he grabbed another celery stick from the vegetable platter that Yuugi had bought. "I thought it would be fine if I was careful…and it was that or the cake." Yuugi shot up in alarm.

"The cake! Is the cake…?"

"It's fine, it's still in its carrier. It didn't get wet." Atem grabbed a carrot and ate it, then apologized again, "I'm really sorry about this, partner. I know you put a lot of effort into this for Anzu. It's my fault that the decorations got ruined."

"What do I do with the decorations?" asked Yuugi unhappily. "They look terrible now, but I don't want to throw them all away."

Atem hated to see Yuugi upset. Even more so when it was his fault. He wished Yuugi would yell at him, because he knew he deserved it. But instead of blaming Atem for everything that had gone wrong, Yuugi sat and fretted about how to best fix it. It only made Atem feel guiltier.

Atem heard the key turn in the door's lock, and turned to see Anzu, back from graduation practice, opening the door. She stopped suddenly as she took in the state of the apartment.

"Who flooded my apartment?" she asked.

"I set off the fire alarm. It's all my fault, I'm sorry. I'll pay for the damages, and I'll replace your pan and the fish too." Atem said. Anzu sighed.

"You were cooking? Yuugi, why'd you let him do that?" she asked, shaking her head at them.

"I didn't. I was out getting food for the party," Yuugi said, slumping in his chair. "Now all the decorations that I put up are ruined. I'm sorry."

"It's my fault, partner, you shouldn't apologize on my behalf…"

"Ah, you two can be such children sometimes! But I love you anyway," Anzu said, giving the boys a slight smile. "There's nothing we can do now, and we don't need decorations for the party anyway. But, Atem, you're not allowed to cook in my house ever again." Anzu's eyes glinted at him with the stern warning. "And I'll hold you to repayment."

Atem nodded.

"We should probably clean these up," Anzu said, gesturing at the ruined decorations. "It'd look better without them at this point." She started picking one up to throw in the trash.

"Ah, no, Anzu, you shouldn't have to clean up! The party is for you, and this mess isn't your fault! I'll do it," Yuugi said.

"It's not your fault, either, partner. It's mine, I'll take care of all this," Atem said, standing up.

"No, it's fine, I'll do it…"

"Idiots. It'll go faster if we all clean up. Guests will probably arrive soon," Anzu said, slightly exasperated as she threw the decoration in her hand into the trash.

Atem didn't bother protesting. Even if it was only his fault, Anzu and Yuugi weren't going to accept that. He'd find a way to make it up to them later.