The next morning, Yami was awoken by piercing shards of soft light filtering through the blinds. The night before flitted through his mind, and half of him was sure that it was all a dream. The other half, who's intel was vague and rather foggy, took up a different front. His heart seemed to ache slightly, as he realised just how much he hoped that that softer side of himself was right, and how only now did he notice how fragile it was. If it were to be destroyed, how much would he have to sacrifice to rebuild it? Days? Maybe even years? He did not know.
All through breakfast, Yami remained distant, caught in a reverie built with thoughts of dusk and a warmth so lovely, that made him feel so safe, and that wasn't his own.
It was only when Yugi acknowledged aloud Yami's absence the previous night, that he was forced to return to the world.
"You weren't here last night," said Yugi, clearly ready to chastise. Yami flinched at his mild rebuke, but forced himself to stay sharp. He wasn't sure, that is, if last night was in fact a memory, whether Tea would rather be with him when they told the others. Deciding to play it safe, he replied indifferently, "Yes. I was engaged in affairs of a rather demanding nature. I apologise for my incivility."
Yugi's face softened slightly, and his eyebrows untangled themselves. Yami felt a pang about lying to him. His guilt was well-deserved. How indecent he was, lying to his best-friend.
"I just worry, you know." Yugi murmured quietly.
"Need I remind you that you are younger than I am? Isn't that my job?" Yami replied with a smile. Yugi shrugged. "They say the younger, in some cases, are the most responsible."
"You are wise," muttered Yami. Oh, Yugi didn't know just how wise he was.
Their trip to school was rather enjoyable, mostly because Yami was able to use the simple outdoor distractions as means to distance himself once more. He had decided that, due to his previously undiscovered tendency to open doors that would have done more good locked tight, at least until they all met up with Tea, he wouldn't utter a word. The car was moving fast enough for the wind to scrape up a loud choir, but he put the radio on for good measure.
To Yami's relief and dismay, as they approached the school building, he saw Duke, Tristan, Serenity and Tea, closely followed by Joey and Mai, the latter of whom also seemed to be engaging in affairs of a rather disabling nature. When they pulled up, and Yami had silenced the sleek purr of the engine, he grinned to himself as he heard Yugi's sudden, and rather awkwardly concealed, intake of breath.
They both got out of the car and started greeting the others, Yami nonchalantly, showing a rather exaggerated enthusiasm when Tristan announced they were going out that night, and a levelled amount of amusement when Joey and Mai broke apart, flushed in the face, apparently only just noticing their arrival. However, after a few minutes of polite conversation, Yami turned to Tea, took her by the hand, muttered a hasty "we'll be right back" to the others and began pulling her up to the school building. He found a rather dishevelled looking bench near the art block and they both sat down.
"First of all," Yami began, blushing slightly as Tea smiled at him, slightly flustered but looking as beautiful as ever, "Last night actually happened, didn't it?"
Tea chuckled and place the side of her hand to his cheek. He smiled into it.
"Of course it did."
With those four words, Yami's feelings of doubt were erased, to be replaced by a happiness so intense, a complacency so wholesome, that he gave her a dazzling smile.
"Secondly, we do need to tell the others." Tea's hand fell onto her lap and she sighed.
"I know, and I was up all night thinking of ways to do it," Yami looked up hopefully, "But I have nothing." He sighed as well.
"Neither do I. I say we just walk up to them. No need to make this a more complicated situation, that it, much more complicated than it already is."
She nodded and they both stood up, and took one more deep look into each others eyes. This last moment gave both Yami and Tea more consolation than words ever could have. Yami took her hand once more and they began walking slowly back towards their friends. Each step they took felt like a feeble attempt to prolong the inevitable, but their efforts were wasted. Soon enough, too soon, seven pairs of curious eyes fell upon them, all of which narrowed as they found Yami and Tea's entwined fingers and analysed their looks of hope and their lips, which were pulled up into guilty smiles. It dawned on everyone exactly what was happening and, all at once, they burst into questions. Mai and Serenity were beaming and clutching their hearts and Joey, Tristan and Duke patted Yami on the back, laughing. Yami, although relieved at their acceptance, searched for Yugi's pair, much like his own, of violet eyes. He found them almost at once, and was not surprised to find them trained on him, narrowed, but not in an accusatory fashion. It was almost disbelief. Yami tried to put everything he could into his gaze; that he was sorry he had lied to him, the guilt he felt for not coming to him first, for asking him, as he had been unsure of his feelings for Tea. He tried to put all these feelings in his heart, also, as even though they were no longer, Yugi and himself had been linked in the past. They still shared this bond, and on occasion, Yami could feel what Yugi felt if Yugi's feelings were intense enough. Maybe, at this moment, Yugi was receiving all the things he couldn't say.
He was.
The violet eyes softened, and grew lighter. Silence between two people was exchanged, before Yugi's face was lit by his typically youthful smile, as though to say, 'go for it!'.
Yami's heart swelled, his smile turned into a grin, into which he poured his gratitude, and which he gave to everyone.
Tea let go of his hand, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, and when to speak with Mai and Serenity. Yami walked over and pulled Yugi into a brotherly hug, while Joey, Tristan and Duke persisted in chanting and guffawing at Yami's look of playful annoyance.
"Anyway," said Tristan, when the celebrations had died down and they were walking to class, having parted with the girls and Yugi.
"We were all planning on eating in tonight, maybe watching some movies. Are you in?"
Yami nodded.
He had never felt as happy as he did right now, remembering the feel of Tea's hand in his, the smiles thrown back and forth throughout the group and the look on Yugi's face, the face of whom he had been dreading, because it was his acceptance that mattered to him most of all.
The first two chapters, I know, were not the most exciting. I assure you however, that it will get more interesting. There will definitely be a lot more dialogue, and more Tea/Yami cute moments, and there will actually be a plot, haha. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my writing, and remember to R&R- the latter of which if you deem it worthy. Thank you!
P.S. I may not be able to get the next chapter up straight away, as I do have exams coming up and I am ill-prepared.
