Yugi definitely reminded Yami of a puppy as he stared at the bacon, egg, and rice dinner he'd prepared for the boy. When Yami completed his own plate, he handed Yugi a fork. "Dig in," he told the boy, doing the same himself. He looked up after a while. Yugi was now watching Yami. "Is something wrong?" Yami asked.

Yugi shook his head. "Thank you," he whispered.

When Yami finished, he glanced over at Yugi's plate. The boy was still halfway through, taking his time. Satisfied Yugi would be fine, Yami stood, dumping his dishes in the sink before heading for his study.

"Where are you going?"

Over his shoulder, Yami said, "To my study. I'll leave the door open - we can see each other, let me know if you need anything."

True to his word, Yami left the door open as he sat, flicking on his lamp. Opening his laptop, Yami started scrolling through his documents. He selected one, opening it up and reading it.

Partway through Yugi called out from the kitchen, "Yami?... Do I wash our dishes?"

Yami looked up, waving. "Nah," he replied, "just leave them. I'll make sure to wash them all later."

He heard silence for a long minute before the clatter of the dishes being placed into the sink. Then Yugi poked his head into the study. "You have a lot of books," the boy noticed, seeing the shelves lining the walls.

Leaning back, Yami smiled. "Do you like reading?" he asked.

Yugi looked around. "Kind of," the boy said. "What are you doing?"

Yami gestured. "Come here," he said. When Yugi came over, Yami pointed to the screen. "I'm an editor," he said.

Yugi stared at the story on the screen, "Really?" the boy asked. He sounded disbelieving.

Laughing, Yami nodded. "I am. Most writers write without bothering with the really small details, such as spelling or sometimes grammar. I'm cheap, so I get business."

Yugi frowned, glancing at Yami. "But… spelling is… so simple."

Yami laughed again. "I know! But don't tell them, or I'll lose my job. Well, one of them, anyway. I have a few others, but none as fun as this one."

Yugi smiled slightly.

Happy to see this, Yami was silent for a moment before adding, "My schedule's clear tomorrow. Do you want to shop with me?"

The boy glanced at him, his smile fading. "I… uh…"

Yami frowned before realizing. "Oh. Hm. How about tomorrow night, then?"

Yugi smiled, but this time the action was sad. "Thank you," the boy said, "for believing me."

Yami grinned. "No problem," he replied, standing. Leaving his laptop he went out into the hall, opening another door. He looked back.

"Do you want to sleep with me, or do you want your own bed?" Yami asked.

Yugi looked nervous. Finally the boy offered, "Um… I can sleep on the couch or something." Yugi's eyes went to the living room.

Yami suppressed a sigh, saying firmly, "No, it's fine. I only do that when I have guests over. They always complain it's narrow, I don't want to do that to you."

Yugi hesitated before asking, "Can I sleep with you, then?" Yami nodded. "Of course. Now let's see… food is covered, somewhere to sleep, we'll go shopping tomorrow…" he muttered to himself. He glanced around the house, then gave up. "If you need something, let me know. I've never had little siblings or anything so I might forget a few things." Yugi chuckled softly.

Then Yami clapped his hands, accidentally startling Yugi. "I forgot!" he said. "I have to meet up with my friends in an hour!"

Yugi checked the clock before asking, "Um… what were you guys going to do, that takes place around midnight?"

Ruffling the boy's hair Yami laughed. "It's a birthday party. Anzu was born at 1 am tomorrow, so we're celebrating then."

He hurriedly started washing the dishes. "Do you want to come?" Yami asked Yugi, who had followed. "My friends are good people, promise."

Yugi smiled. "Sure," he agreed softly.

Yami was pleased to see Yugi wasn't being as nervous as before. He hoped Yugi could trust him… and that he could trust Yugi, Yami reminded himself. The world wasn't a friendly place.

"Who are they?"

Yami glanced back at Yugi, drying the last plate. "They're Anzu and Jounouchi," he said happily. "They can be loud and obnoxious… but they're friendly, don't worry. It's lucky Anzu was born at 1 - I get to introduce you to them!"

Yugi laughed along with the teenager.

Yami grabbed a bag tucked into the corner before motioning to Yugi. "C'mon, let's go!