Yugi eyed the man on the other side of the door. "Jounochi?"
Jounochi rubbed his red, puffed-up eyes with the back of his hand. His bandaged hand held a small suitcase. "Hey Yugi," he sighed. "Can I stay on your couch for a few nights?"
Yugi blinked, startled. "Jounochi...I...what happened?"
"Me and Seto...Kaiba and I...we're...some things happened, so I guess I..."
"Yugi? Who's here?" Ryou asked, walking up behind him. "Hey, Jounochi- kun. What's wrong?"
"Can I stay here for...for a couple days?"
"Yes, of course, come on in." He took Jounochi's bag. "I'll take this to the guest room. Yugi, why don't you get him something to drink...?"
Yugi took Jounochi by the elbow and led him in. "You okay, Jou?"
"Fine," he mumbled. "Seto and I...we got in a fight, and I'm waiting for...him to cool off..."
Yugi led him to the couch. "Well, okay. Here, sit down...would you like something to drink?"
"Um...got a beer or something?"
Yugi scratched at the back of his neck. "Um...Bakura might...yeah, let me go ask him."
Jounochi looked down at his hand, tightly bandaged to prevent infection and stop the bleeding. ~Seto still cares. He's got to. It's just...temporary. I'll call him tomorrow and everything...will...be fine...just fine...~
Yugi came back, Bakura in tow. "Why should I give any to that mutt?" he muttered, but pulled out a glass and made Jou a Kaloha and cream. "Here." He set it down on the coffee table. He crossed his arms. "Did Kaiba kick the puppy out?"
Jou shrugged. "It was just a fight. We're fine."
Yugi sat down next to Jou and took his hand. "You sure, Jou? We're just concerned."
"Speak for yourself," Bakura mumbled.
"It was just a fight. Trust me."
"Even so, Jou, you've never fought with him enough for you to leave..."
"Maybe you should leave him alone," Ryou murmured, leaning on the back of the couch.
Jou picked up the glass in a shaky hand, taking a sip. "C-can I be excused?" he whispered.
"Yes, of course. If you need anything, just...ask..."
Jou nodded at his best friend and stood up, avoiding eye-contact with any of them.
Bakura sat down on the couch hard, shaking his head. "The baka dumped him," he muttered darkly.
Ryou took his husband's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Yugi, do you think...?"
Yugi looked up at Ryou, giving him a small smile. "I think it's just what Jounochi said it was; a fight."
Bakura shook at the two married idiots. "Don't be stupid. His hand's bandaged and he's been crying. It's more than just a fight. Mutt wouldn't ever leave Kaiba no matter how mad they got at each other. Jounochi had blind faith and obedience, just a like a dog. It takes a dog a lot to make him leave."
Yugi shook his head. "Jounochi would tell me. I know he would."
Ryou kissed Yugi softly. "I'm going to work," he murmured.
Yugi nodded and ran his hand through his hair, sighing. Once Ryou was gone, Yugi asked Bakura softly, "Do you really think he kicked him out?"
"Of course I do. Ask Yami, he'll tell you. You're both too hopeful that their relationship will work."
"What do you mean by that?"
Bakura sighed and mumbled darkly as he went over to the breadbox, that lacked bread. Casting aside a few trinkets, he pulled out a newspaper clipping. He walked back to Yugi and handed it to him. "From when they had their anniversary last year. Kaiba no baka was embarrassed and took the insults to heart. Wasn't he extremely sullen afterwards? He's embarrassed to be married to a man."
Yugi scanned the article. It was an opinion piece about how scandalous it was that Kaiba was a gay man, yet still successful. "But how do you know he's embarrassed?"
"Notice a lack of footage of them together that past year? Just ask Yami."
"Why do you want me to ask Yami so damn bad? Isn't he you're, like, sworn enemy?"
"He'll never get his memories back, you know," Bakura switched subjects. "He's driving himself crazy over it. It's better he didn't, in all reality. Too many... It's better he lives life from now on."
"Bakura...?"
"Yes, Yugi?"
"Did he ever kill someone?"
"Of course he did, mortal. Everyone killed back then. He was the sonabitch who punished my activities by sucking me into the damn Ring. I was a thief, that's what I did. Being a thief was perfectly fine back then. So I lied a bit on my earnings so I wouldn't pay taxes. He didn't need anything more from me. I already gave him all I had," he muttered.
"Bakura?"
"Yes?"
"How well did you know him...?"
"Well enough, Yugi," he muttered, staring off into space. "Leave me alone for now."
Yugi nodded, and stood up. He made his way to Yami's room. "Yami?" he called softly, knocking.
"Yes Yugi?" came his voice, soft.
"We need to open up the shop."
Yami opened the door a crack and peered out. "Yugi? Is Jounochi here?"
"Yes...what's wrong, Yami?"
"I just..." He sighed, opening the door wide enough to let Yugi in. "I want to talk to you."
Yugi walked into the tight space that had once been a walk-in closet. Yami had wanted his room that small. It was dark, gloomy, with a simple futon, shelves with clothes and a few trinkets, and nothing else. It was drawn upon in scattered hieroglyphs, making the room appear like an Egyptian tomb. "Yami..." Yugi breathed, staring at the walls. "What are you doing...?"
Yami brought Yugi close to him, petting his hair softly. "Yugi...I've been searching our Soul Room. I am so confused. I wish...I wish I knew..."
"Bakura--"
"I hate that Tomb Robber!" His voice echoed faintly, giving the room a bigger feel than it really was.
Yugi broke from Yami. "I have to go open shop," he said softly.
Yami nodded, running a finger over a hieroglyph. "I'll be down later," he murmured.
Jounochi rubbed his red, puffed-up eyes with the back of his hand. His bandaged hand held a small suitcase. "Hey Yugi," he sighed. "Can I stay on your couch for a few nights?"
Yugi blinked, startled. "Jounochi...I...what happened?"
"Me and Seto...Kaiba and I...we're...some things happened, so I guess I..."
"Yugi? Who's here?" Ryou asked, walking up behind him. "Hey, Jounochi- kun. What's wrong?"
"Can I stay here for...for a couple days?"
"Yes, of course, come on in." He took Jounochi's bag. "I'll take this to the guest room. Yugi, why don't you get him something to drink...?"
Yugi took Jounochi by the elbow and led him in. "You okay, Jou?"
"Fine," he mumbled. "Seto and I...we got in a fight, and I'm waiting for...him to cool off..."
Yugi led him to the couch. "Well, okay. Here, sit down...would you like something to drink?"
"Um...got a beer or something?"
Yugi scratched at the back of his neck. "Um...Bakura might...yeah, let me go ask him."
Jounochi looked down at his hand, tightly bandaged to prevent infection and stop the bleeding. ~Seto still cares. He's got to. It's just...temporary. I'll call him tomorrow and everything...will...be fine...just fine...~
Yugi came back, Bakura in tow. "Why should I give any to that mutt?" he muttered, but pulled out a glass and made Jou a Kaloha and cream. "Here." He set it down on the coffee table. He crossed his arms. "Did Kaiba kick the puppy out?"
Jou shrugged. "It was just a fight. We're fine."
Yugi sat down next to Jou and took his hand. "You sure, Jou? We're just concerned."
"Speak for yourself," Bakura mumbled.
"It was just a fight. Trust me."
"Even so, Jou, you've never fought with him enough for you to leave..."
"Maybe you should leave him alone," Ryou murmured, leaning on the back of the couch.
Jou picked up the glass in a shaky hand, taking a sip. "C-can I be excused?" he whispered.
"Yes, of course. If you need anything, just...ask..."
Jou nodded at his best friend and stood up, avoiding eye-contact with any of them.
Bakura sat down on the couch hard, shaking his head. "The baka dumped him," he muttered darkly.
Ryou took his husband's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "Yugi, do you think...?"
Yugi looked up at Ryou, giving him a small smile. "I think it's just what Jounochi said it was; a fight."
Bakura shook at the two married idiots. "Don't be stupid. His hand's bandaged and he's been crying. It's more than just a fight. Mutt wouldn't ever leave Kaiba no matter how mad they got at each other. Jounochi had blind faith and obedience, just a like a dog. It takes a dog a lot to make him leave."
Yugi shook his head. "Jounochi would tell me. I know he would."
Ryou kissed Yugi softly. "I'm going to work," he murmured.
Yugi nodded and ran his hand through his hair, sighing. Once Ryou was gone, Yugi asked Bakura softly, "Do you really think he kicked him out?"
"Of course I do. Ask Yami, he'll tell you. You're both too hopeful that their relationship will work."
"What do you mean by that?"
Bakura sighed and mumbled darkly as he went over to the breadbox, that lacked bread. Casting aside a few trinkets, he pulled out a newspaper clipping. He walked back to Yugi and handed it to him. "From when they had their anniversary last year. Kaiba no baka was embarrassed and took the insults to heart. Wasn't he extremely sullen afterwards? He's embarrassed to be married to a man."
Yugi scanned the article. It was an opinion piece about how scandalous it was that Kaiba was a gay man, yet still successful. "But how do you know he's embarrassed?"
"Notice a lack of footage of them together that past year? Just ask Yami."
"Why do you want me to ask Yami so damn bad? Isn't he you're, like, sworn enemy?"
"He'll never get his memories back, you know," Bakura switched subjects. "He's driving himself crazy over it. It's better he didn't, in all reality. Too many... It's better he lives life from now on."
"Bakura...?"
"Yes, Yugi?"
"Did he ever kill someone?"
"Of course he did, mortal. Everyone killed back then. He was the sonabitch who punished my activities by sucking me into the damn Ring. I was a thief, that's what I did. Being a thief was perfectly fine back then. So I lied a bit on my earnings so I wouldn't pay taxes. He didn't need anything more from me. I already gave him all I had," he muttered.
"Bakura?"
"Yes?"
"How well did you know him...?"
"Well enough, Yugi," he muttered, staring off into space. "Leave me alone for now."
Yugi nodded, and stood up. He made his way to Yami's room. "Yami?" he called softly, knocking.
"Yes Yugi?" came his voice, soft.
"We need to open up the shop."
Yami opened the door a crack and peered out. "Yugi? Is Jounochi here?"
"Yes...what's wrong, Yami?"
"I just..." He sighed, opening the door wide enough to let Yugi in. "I want to talk to you."
Yugi walked into the tight space that had once been a walk-in closet. Yami had wanted his room that small. It was dark, gloomy, with a simple futon, shelves with clothes and a few trinkets, and nothing else. It was drawn upon in scattered hieroglyphs, making the room appear like an Egyptian tomb. "Yami..." Yugi breathed, staring at the walls. "What are you doing...?"
Yami brought Yugi close to him, petting his hair softly. "Yugi...I've been searching our Soul Room. I am so confused. I wish...I wish I knew..."
"Bakura--"
"I hate that Tomb Robber!" His voice echoed faintly, giving the room a bigger feel than it really was.
Yugi broke from Yami. "I have to go open shop," he said softly.
Yami nodded, running a finger over a hieroglyph. "I'll be down later," he murmured.
