A/N: I'm so glad that some people were actually interested in this story. I was a little apprehensive about posting a non-magic AU but it seems that you guys are willing to stick with me and for that, you do have my thanks! For anyone who is unfamiliar with my posting schedule, it's once a week on Friday, and believe me when I say I do my absolute best to stick with that - I don't think I've missed a Friday yet. Enjoy!
The train station was bustling with people by the time that Yuugi, his grandfather and his three friends arrived. Jou was fairly humming with excitement while Ryou and Malik just seemed to be tired, which made sense considering how early it was. Yuugi was a little sleepy but, admittedly, he was feeling more excited than anything else. He had been to Angel City before, as his grandfather had a few good friends who they'd gone to visit with in the past, but this would be his first time going without Sugoroku. And it was certainly the first time he was going with the intent to meet someone. On television.
"Good god, what am I doing?" he muttered with a shake of his head, any excitement rapidly draining away to be replaced by a frisson of nerves. The one saving grace about this morning was that Anzu had an early morning class and couldn't make it.
"Yuugi?" Sugoroku's hand fell on his shoulder and he twisted around to meet his grandfather's concerned gaze. "If you want to change your mind, now is the time. There's nothing wrong with deciding that you would rather pursue dating in a more… traditional way. I'm sure the show would understand." He arched an eyebrow. He'd been uncertain about the show from day one, but like always, he had tried his best to be supportive in whatever his grandson wanted to do.
"No, Jii-chan, I'm going to go. I said I would and I will. Besides, we've already checked our luggage." He attempted a smile, though it came out as more of a grimace than anything.
Sugoroku studied him for a moment longer before smiling. "Alright, you know best. Here, I got this for you." He pressed a small wooden box into Yuugi's hands.
"A present? You didn't have to – Jii-chan!" A mortified flush spread quickly, turning Yuugi's face a stunning shade of pink. There were things in the box that he didn't even want to know existed, much less that his grandfather had gone out and bought with them for the sole purpose of Yuugi using them. "What… where on earth did you get this stuff?"
"You just have to know where to look," said Sugoroku, deeply amused as his flustered grandson shoved the box into his backpack. He doubted that Yuugi would ever open the box again, but every last cent was completely worth it just for the chance to see the look of utter embarrassment on Yuugi's face. "I know that you're not going into this expecting the relationship to end up going anywhere, but I thought that it would be helpful if you were ready for anything." He grinned. "Just don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Is there anything you wouldn't do?" Yuugi muttered, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. Thank god Ryou, Malik and Jou weren't paying attention. Jou and Malik in particular would never let him hear the end of it if they saw what was in the box.
"Not really," Sugoroku said modestly, not bothering to go into a full explanation of all the fun he'd gotten into during his youth. "You'd better get on the train, Yuugi, or you'll miss it. Don't forget to call me as soon as you get there and make sure you exercise caution in whatever you choose to do."
The pink flamed back into Yuugi's face at the extra meaning that was deliberately pushed into those last few words. "Goodbye, Jii-chan," he said through gritted teeth, giving the man one last hug that lasted for about two seconds before he all but ran in the opposite direction. Sugoroku's laughter followed him as he hurried through the gate and over to where Ryou was waiting for him beside the metal detector. His friend raised a curious eyebrow as Yuugi approached.
"Something wrong?" he asked with a faint smile.
"No," Yuugi said sulkily, throwing his bag down on the counter and hoping to god that what his grandfather had given him wouldn't show up on the screen. Because if it did, he was going to have to kill the man, and he was pretty sure that his excuse – however valid it might be – probably wouldn't hold up in court.
Ryou raised an eyebrow but seemed to realize that pushing the issue wasn't a good idea. They collected their bags on the other side and walked out onto the platform, where Jou and Malik were waiting. The train was just pulling into the station and once the other passengers had gotten off, they got on, finding four seats together towards the back. Yuugi sat down next to the window with Jou beside him and Ryou across from him, with Malik beside Ryou. Malik curled up and went to sleep against Ryou immediately, who just gave a sigh and bore the weight with his normal good grace. Jou pulled some of his duel monsters cards out of his pocket and began shuffling through them, trying to see if he could guess which card was going to come up as the train pulled out of the station. After a while, he turned to Yuugi and held them out.
"Pick a card," he instructed.
"Jou – "
"Come on, Yuugi, pick a card!"
Yuugi sighed and took a card reluctantly. He wasn't surprised to see that it was Jou's favorite card, the Red Eyes Black Dragon. "Alright, what now?"
"I'm going to see if I can guess what it is." Jou stared at the back of the card intently. The train slowed and came to a stop to let more passengers on and off, and his head snapped up, all thoughts of the game forgotten. "Are we there yet?"
"No, Jou. It will be a while yet," Ryou replied, pulling a book out of his bag. Unlike Jou and Malik, he had no real reason to be going to Angel City. He didn't relish the thought of being on television (actually, the idea was somewhat horrifying) and he had been abroad so many times that traveling had lost its excitement. He would have much preferred to have spent the next few months at home, earning some badly needed extra money. But when Yuugi had asked, it had been impossible to say no. Ryou studied his friend over top his book, noting the weary lines written across Yuugi's face. The shorter boy was stressed out already and it was only going to get worse.
Malik shifted next to him and poked an elbow into Ryou's side. "Stop moving," he mumbled.
"I'm not going to stop turning the pages of my book just for you, Malik," Ryou said with exasperation. Malik was so not a morning person and having to get up at 5:00am just to catch the train had apparently nearly done him in.
The blond just mumbled something sleepily as his phone beeped. Since he made no effort to get it out of his pocket, Ryou finally sighed and reached over to fetch it. He tilted the screen to read it and saw that it was from Isis. "Isis wants you to know that if you do anything in Angel City to make her or the rest of your family look bad, she's going to kill you."
"So I've heard," Malik muttered, a slow smirk spreading across his face. Isis hadn't been too pleased when Yuugi had asked him to come along; she much preferred to keep her little brother at home where she could watch him. There had been a few occasions where Malik had gotten himself into a little bit of trouble, nothing too serious, but enough to make her want to keep him under lock and key. Malik, on the other hand, had promised to behave, but whether or not he would actually follow through was a whole different story.
"You better be careful, Malik. I've seen Isis angry before. It's not a pretty sight," said Jou, giving up on and taking the card back. He slipped it back into his deck and glanced at Yuugi with a wicked grin. "So, what do you think your co-star will look like, Yuugi? Do you think she'll be blonde, brunette, or maybe a redhead?"
"Does it matter?" Yuugi asked wearily, shoving a blond bang out of his eyes.
"Well, yeah. This'll be a lot easier if you're sexually attracted to each other."
Yuugi flushed and shot his friend an annoyed look. "I'm not sure what you're expecting to happen, Jou, but I'm certainly not having sex on national television. Or inferring that I'm going to be having sex. And besides, it won't matter. I doubt that anyone who is interested in those kinds of things is going to be on the show in the first place, much less that they'll be interested in someone like me."
Jou just stared at him, eyes narrowed. "So… you're hoping for a blonde, then."
"Jou!"
"What? It's not against the rules to hope for someone hot. Personally, if I were you…" Jou pushed back against his seat like he was trying to recline. Unfortunately, the chair wouldn't go back, and all he really succeeded in doing was pissing off the woman behind him when the movement jostled her forward and she spilled her drink down her front. Undeterred by the vivid swearing coming from behind him, Jou put his feet up against the bottom of Malik's chair and smiled dreamily. "I'd be hoping for a really smoking blonde. Long hair, big eyes… preferably blue or green… and a really fantastic body. Bonus if she likes wearing tight things to show it off."
Ryou shook his head and fought back an amused smile. "I hardly doubt someone who looks like that would need to be on a dating show, Jou."
"You never know! Look at Yuugi. He's going on a dating show."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuugi demanded.
"You're adorable, Yuugi, and you know it, even if you pretend that it pisses you off. You have big eyes that are purple, no less, and you're short but you're not too small. It helps that you know how to wear clothes that show off your best assets." He looked at Yuugi's baggy jeans and t-shirt and made a face. "Well, sometimes you do. And your hair gives you a bit of height, too. Plus it's three different colors so you wouldn't clash with anyone." He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Well, maybe a redhead, since you've got those violet tips."
There was a vein throbbing above Yuugi's left eye. Why the hell had he agreed to bring his friends along again? Or better yet, why hadn't he just done the intelligent thing and turned the stupid show down in the first place instead of accepting their offer? "Call me adorable one more time, Jounouchi Katsuya, and I'm tearing up the ticket that will get you home."
The taller blond grinned, recognizing the tone that meant he was close to pushing his best friend past the breaking point. Torturing Yuugi really shouldn't be as much fun as it was. "I'm just saying, I think that if you knew how to put yourself out there you wouldn't need to be going on this show, either."
"I don't need to be on the show," Yuugi said tersely, rolling his eyes. "Anzu sent my name in."
"You could have turned it down."
"I could also push you off of the train, and since I'm sure you'd like me to exercise some self-restraint in that area, please quit while you're ahead!" He pointedly turned his whole body away so that his back was facing Jou. One of the few perks of being small was that he could curl up into the chair without it being overly uncomfortable, as long as he tucked his knees in against his chest. He stared resolutely out the window.
Jou winked at Ryou, who hid his grin in his book, and returned to shuffling his cards. Project Divert Yuugi From Being Nervous By Pissing Him Off was a success. Sometimes being the best friend meant having to be the bad guy, but fortunately Jou was just the man for the job. He stayed quiet after that, watching as first Ryou drifted off, his head gradually coming to rest on top of Malik's, and then Yuugi, who slumped forward so that his forehead ended up cushioned against the glass of the window. Even though it was early, Jou wasn't that tired, and he'd always had a hard time falling asleep in public, anyway. He remained awake during the rest of the journey, entering into a tranquil state of calmness that most people probably wouldn't have believed he knew about, much less could achieve.
The train pulled into the station a couple of hours later and he stood up, throwing his arms over his head in a stretch, before pulling his cell phone. He sent a quick text to his sister to let her know that they had arrived before he leaned over and poked Yuugi in the shoulder. It only took a couple of more pokes before Yuugi opened an eye and growled at him. Jou merely smirked and woke Ryou and Malik up in a similar manner. Their side of the train was facing the station, and he paused, staring in curious amusement at the sight of a man carrying a white sign with the word "MUTOU" written across it in capital, block-shaped letters.
"Think that's for us?" he asked, pulling their overnight bags down from the overhead compartment.
Yuugi made a strangled sound in his throat that may or may not have been a yes and stood up shakily, reluctantly picking up his backpack and slinging it over his shoulder. This was it. This was it. There would be no turning back once he got off of the train. Thank god there were no cameras at the station, because he was pretty sure he was going to throw up. He took a deep breath and followed his friends outside, looking hesitantly in the direction of the man patiently waiting for them. A long, sleek-looking limp had been pulled up to the curb beside him and Yuugi could see someone else in the driver's seat. His stomach twisted.
"Maybe…" he began.
"Hey!" Ignoring whatever Yuugi had been about to say, Malik marched over to the man. "You're waiting for us? Good. You can go get our luggage. It's all under Mutou."
"Are you Mutou Yuugi-san?" The man asked, surveying Malik with a cool look.
"No, I am," Yuugi said, biting his lip. "These are my friends, Jounouchi Katsuya, Ishtar Malik and Bakura Ryou." He pointed to each of them in turn and then pulled the envelope containing his letter from the show out of his pocket. The man took it and skimmed the contents before asking for I.D. Yuugi handed over his wallet, which contained his driver's license, and waited patiently while the man carefully scrutinized the picture. Honestly, Yuugi thought crossly, did he really think that just anyone would actually want to steal a ride? Anyone who was sane would be running in the opposite direction.
"Very well. Please get in the car, Mutou-san, and I will take care of your bags." The man opened the back door and stood aside while the four of them climbed in. Malik immediately began investigating the different options the car had to offer, from the separate heating and cooling unit, to the little window that kept them from the driver, to the little mini-fridge that had been well stocked with almost every kind of drink imaginable.
"No alcohol," he observed, sounding disappointed.
"Of course not. For all they know, some of us might be underage," Ryou told him. "Besides, you promised Isis that you would behave yourself, Malik. Don't tell me you're going to go back on your word already."
Malik pouted and leaned back, crossing his arms. "Having a drink isn't breaking my promise," he said defensively. "I just don't want this trip to be boring, that's all."
"How about we get to the hotel before we decide whether it will be boring?" Ryou slid past him and opened the mini-fridge again, perusing the contents. He finally select four bottles of juice, two orange, one apple and a grape, before closing the door and passing them out. Yuugi accepted the bottle of apple juice reluctantly, his expression thoughtful as he twisted the cap off and took a long drink of the tart liquid.
"Do you guys really think I can do this?" he asked softly, running his fingers along the label.
"Yuugi." Jou reached out and slid an arm around his shoulders. "All joking and teasing aside, I honestly don't think you give yourself enough credit. What happened with Anzu was rough, yeah, but you can't let it keep you from ever trying to go out with anyone. And don't try to tell me that you haven't had offers. What about that from our class? Shimane?"
"Or that girl who worked for your grandfather for a while," Malik chimed in. "She was head over heels for you, Yuugi, and I know that you noticed. But you just kept pretending that you were oblivious and after a while she gave up." He shook his head, mildly aggravated at the thought. "What a waste."
"The point is," Ryou said gently, "is that this is a way for you to see that relationships aren't all bad. I'm not expecting you to go in there and fall in love, Yuugi. I don't think anyone is, except for the producers of the show, and since they're the ones who came up with the idea I don't think you can really trust in what they think. But you might be able to have some fun, and in the end, even if you just walk away with more experience and a better idea of what you want in someone than you had before, there's nothing wrong with that."
"But what if they don't like me?" Yuugi's voice came out very small, and his fingers tightened around his bottle. The flash of anxiety in his eyes wasn't faked.
Ryou sighed. Out of their group, he felt that he could best understand where Yuugi was coming from. Jou and Malik had never had the problem of being self-conscious about their appearances; Jou was a tall, blond demigod and Malik could be sex on two legs when he wanted to be. It was sometimes difficult to be around the two of them without letting insecurity take over. Ryou had been teased for a long time about being too "girly", which was what happened when you were below average height (he couldn't really think of himself as short when Yuugi was around), slender and pale with longer hair, and he knew that Yuugi had suffered more than his fair share of comments, too. Things like that didn't just disappear, much as Ryou would have liked them to.
"If she doesn't like you, then you just accept that and move on," he said quietly, trying not to think about how much experience he had in that area. Yuugi was fortunate, in a way. He didn't have as much to go on. Ryou never would have had the guts to accept the invitation to be on the show no matter who had sent his name.
"Thanks Ryou," Yuugi said, giving him a small, understanding smile. "Actually, I wanted to thank all of you. I know it was kind of a pain coming here with me."
"What are you talking about? A free trip and a chance to see Shizuka almost every day for a month and a half?" Jou beamed and threw himself backwards against the couch, nearly causing Malik to drop his bottle of grape juice. The shorter blond glared at him and gave him a slap upside the head that made Jou yelp.
Yuugi laughed. "I guess when you look at it that way, it doesn't sound quite so bad," he said with a chuckle.
Though he was smiling as well, Ryou couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. He never would have said as much to Yuugi, and he made sure to keep all of his anxiety hidden, but he was worried that his friend was going to come away from this with yet another negative experience that might turn him off dating altogether this time around. Yuugi was not innocent, far from it, but he could be a little naïve sometimes. Ryou just prayed that whoever they had chosen to pair Yuugi up with would be someone that was understanding and careful when it came to his friend's heart, or otherwise, this might end in disaster.
YY
Silence.
Complete and utter silence.
Jou's jaw was hanging down so low that it was frankly amazing he hadn't dislocated it yet.
The woman waiting for the four of them on the front steps of the hotel was, to put it simply, gorgeous. She had long, golden blonde hair that had been artfully curled to hang in a stylish waterfall around her shoulders. Her generous breasts were contained by a white tank top underneath a violet cardigan, which concealed just enough cleavage to keep the line between classy and slutty from being crossed. Slender hips had been enclosed by the tightest, shortest violet skirt that any of them had ever seen, and it only seemed to help that her long legs were accentuated by a pair of three-inch white heels. Kohl-lined violet eyes peered into the limo as the car glided up to the curb, and then a manicured hand reached out and opened the door.
"Mutou Yuugi?" The woman asked. Her voice was low and husky. Jou made a whimpering sound when she flashed them a brilliant smile.
"Y-yes, that's m-me," Yuugi stuttered.
"Great! I've been waiting for you for the past twenty minutes. We're a little behind schedule so if you could hurry up and get out of the car…" She took a step backwards and Jou practically climbed over Malik in his haste to be the first one out. Malik rolled his eyes and got out next, and Yuugi and Ryou exchanged amused looks as they followed.
"I'm Yuugi," said Yuugi as Ryou placed a calming hand on Jou's arm.
"It's wonderful to meet you." She shook Yuugi's hand enthusiastically, causing her breasts to bounce a little. Jou nearly passed out. It was possible that he actually began to drool. Malik surreptitiously slipped his cell phone out of his pocket and started to film the minor convulsions caused when the woman straightened up, thrusting her shoulders back and her chest out.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Yuugi asked. "Are you my co-star?"
She laughed. "No, no, I'm Kujaku Mai, one of the producers for the show," she explained, whipping a pair of dark sunglasses out of her purse and sliding them over her eyes.
"Yes!" Jou hissed, practically knocking Yuugi over in his rush to thrust his hand into Mai's face. "Jounouchi Katsuya. Pleasure to meet you."
Mai arched an eyebrow and looked down at Jou's hand for a moment before she grasped it. Her grip was stronger than he had been expecting. "I assume you're one of the friends," she said, releasing his hand quickly and turning back to Yuugi. "We were beginning to wonder if you would get here in time. Like I said, we're a little behind schedule so if you could come with me…" She spun on her heel and walked up the stairs. Jou darted after her and it wasn't hard to guess where his eyes were trained.
The hotel was expensive; Yuugi could tell that just from the lobby. Everything was top of the line and he didn't see a single person wearing an outfit that would have cost less than a couple hundred dollars. He paused briefly in the doorway, wishing that he'd worn something fancier than just a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and then had to hurry to keep up with Mai's long strides as she walked across the room towards the elevator. She hit the button and stepped inside, gesturing for the four of them to enter.
"We've reserved the top floor for the crew and the eight of you," Mai explained, hitting the button for the 14th floor. "You have two rooms allotted for you four so you're going to have to share." She pulled four keycards out of her pocket and handed them to Yuugi. "Do not lose these. They're your key to everything in the hotel, including whatever food you want from the restaurant or room service, and if you lose it then you're going to have to spring for a new one. I don't think I need to tell you how much it would cost." She smirked. "Now, your luggage has been brought up to the rooms already so you can decide who sleeps where later. Your co-star's room is at the other end of the floor and we ask that you don't try to get a sneak peek no matter how curious you are. We want the first meeting to be on film and it has to be completely genuine."
"And when will that be?" Malik asked curiously.
"At dinner," she replied. "We've reserved the hotel's restaurant for 7:00pm. Make sure you're down there for a quarter to just in case and please wear what's been left for you." She studied each boy thoughtfully and then nodded. "In the case that your outfits don't fit, you can call me and I'll have something else taken up to you. Make-up will be by at 5:00pm. Be ready."
"Make-up?" Jou snapped out of his daze and gave her a horrified stare. Her response was a wicked smile.
"Of course. If you went on television looking like you do, you'd be so pale that people would think you're a corpse. You want to preserve this lovely tan, don't you?" She reached out and drew a single finger down Jou's slightly tanned arm. Jou choked a little. "Don't worry. I've warned them to go easy on the make-up. We want you to look natural, not like you've been made up to go out on the town. Fortunately your looks are pretty distinctive…" Once again, she looked them over and this time gave a satisfied nod. "There shouldn't be too much problem. I think this could work out nicely."
The elevator doors swung open and Mai stepped out, turning right. She went all the way down the hall to the very end, where she took a keycard back from Yuugi and swished it through the reader. When the light on the door flashed green, she pushed the door open and flipped the light on. Yuugi's jaw dropped. The room was enormous, easily twice the size of his bedroom back home, and had two king-sized beds in the middle. There was a balcony on the far side of the room that looked out over the town and the sea beyond. A kitchenette with a refridgerator, microwave and coffee maker was to the right of them, and a door that presumably led to the bathroom was to the left. Dazed, he stepped forward and touched one of the comforters, inwardly marveling at the soft, plush texture.
"We're staying here?" he said, throat suddenly dry.
"That's right. Now, one last thing…" Mai reached into her purse and pulled out a cell phone, which she gave to Yuugi. It was sleek and modern, with a small purple eye symbol on the back.
"I already have a cell phone," said Yuugi.
"Yes, I know, but this one has several numbers pre-programmed into it, including my number and that of a driver," she explained. "Don't worry about the cost; it's been fully paid for and includes an excellent texting plan, though we're expecting you to not abuse it and you'll be returning it before you leave. You're getting the same perks as your co-star." Something strange flickered across her face when she said that, but it was gone too fast for Yuugi to identify it. "The show unexpectedly received a bigger budget than they were expecting. Consider it a bonus and make sure you don't lose that, either, or they'll have both our asses."
"Okay, thanks." He flipped it open and watched as it powered up immediately. Sure enough, when he entered the Contacts List, there were several numbers already inside, including one for Kujaku Mai. He made a mental note to keep the phone far away from Jounouchi. He doubted that Mai would be thrilled to have several texts from Jou asking for dates.
"There's some documentation on the table that you'll have to read over and sign. Essentially it prevents you from giving details about the show before it has aired, including the outcome, and restricts you from doing anything illegal or that might reflect badly on us." She paused and eyed each of them individually. "All of you will be required to sign papers stating that we're allowed to use anything we catch on camera, so I suggest you compose yourselves accordingly. You wouldn't be the first people who forgot themselves and I can assure you that the editing crew is rarely generous when it comes to cuttings things out." A beeping sound came from her purse and she pulled out a Blackberry. "I'll leave you to it, but stay in your rooms for today. Don't explore the hotel until after the initial meeting."
"Thanks," Yuugi said again, though he wasn't sure that Mai was actually listening to him. She was already halfway out the door by the time that he realized she was finished giving them instructions. He closed the door behind her and looked down at the cell phone in his hands. A nervous exhalation caught in his throat as he turned back around. They had the whole afternoon stretching ahead of them, empty and endless, and he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to keep himself from jumping out the window before 6:45pm rolled around. "Alright, who's sleeping where?"
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