chapter 2 ryden is real

The shower at Yugi's camp was a little pop up tent that pumped lukewarm water through a hose with a shower head attached. The water pressure sucked and it turned cold halfway through but it was the best g*d d*mn shower Manjoume had ever had. He felt like he was washing away weeks worth of dirt and grime, even though Daitokuji had said they'd stayed in a village just a few days ago.

He turned the water off and turned to look in the dirty mirror that stood in the corner of the tent. He wiped away some of the grime that covered it, wondering if none of the guys here cared about how they looked, and then realizing they probably didn't. There weren't many people you needed to impress at an archeological dig site - not when all archeologists were such NERDS. Except Yugi. He was cool.

Anyway, speaking of impressed, Manjoume was impressed. At what he saw in the mirror, I mean. Judai looked good. Months of adventuring without a break did good things for your body, apparently, and Manjoume swallowed thickly.

He missed Judai, even if he didn't admit it. And now he was able to look at his body, touch it, and all he could think was that he just wanted to talk to him-

"What are you doing?"

Manjoume yelped when Yubel's voice interrupted his thoughts and grabbed the towel he'd brought to the shower, wrapping it around him. Yubel raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you staring at Judai?" They asked.

"Why are you staring at me?" Manjoume snapped back, his cheeks flushed.

"I wanted to know what was taking you so long," Yubel said. They seemed unfazed by Manjoume's accusation, which made him feel even more stupid in being so embarrassed. "And it turns out you were just being a creep. Hurry up and get dressed."

"You know, this is technically my body," Manjoume muttered. He was trying to keep his voice down, not wanting to attract any attention, even if the area for bathing was a short walk away from the main camp.

"I will not allow you to defile Judai's body with your eyes."

Manjoume rolled his eyes.

"You know Judai is my boyfriend, right?" He said, a little childishly. It had been a long day, he was in a bad mood despite the considerably favourable change in his circumstances, and he was feeling a little vindictive. "I'm more familiar with his body than you can even imagine."

Yubel didn't reply, just glared back, and then floated backwards out of the tent. Manjoume felt that it was a small victory, but a hollow one, because there wasn't much truth in what he'd said. Judai was his boyfriend, sure, but that other stuff…

"Judai?" Yugi called from outside the tent, and Manjoume jumped. How long had he been there? "Are you about done?"

"Yeah," Manjoume said, clearing his throat. "I'm uh, just coming. Sorry for taking so long."

"It's fine," Yugi said, "Come back to camp. I'm making dinner."

Dinner was stew that came out of a battered tin and was heated over a little gas-powered cooker, but to Manjoume, it tasted amazing. Even someone with such a refined palette as his could appreciate some shitty campfire stew when they were this hungry. He sat next to Yugi in a fresh pair of clothes borrowed from one of the other people on the dig (Yugi had insisted - there was no point showering just to get changed into dirty clothes, he said) and wolfed it down.

As he finished eating, he realised that Yugi was watching him. He wiped away some of the sauce at the corner of his mouth and, feeling a little self-conscious, asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong with me," Yugi said, carefully. "I'm just… worried about you."

Manjoume did his best to smile. Knowing Judai's stupid face, he probably looked ridiculous. "Worried about me? Why?"

Yugi leaned forward to poke at the fire in front of them, frowning slightly. The silence that hung between them was deeply uncomfortable.

"It's just… I know you spend a lot of time alone, Judai. It can't be good for you."

I wish I was alone, Manjoume thought, thinking of his three constant companions.

"I mean… I don't spend half as much time away from home as you do, and I get lonely," Yugi said. "I miss my grandpa, and I miss my friends. Don't you find it hard?"

"I like travelling," Manjoume said woodenly.

"Is… I mean, this is none of my business, but… is Manjoume okay with it?"

Yugi sounded overly sympathetic, like he pitied him. Poor Manjoume, all alone in Japan while Judai went adventuring! It pissed Manjoume off, and his reply came out a little harsher than he meant it to.

"What does Manjoume care what I do," he snapped. And then, remembering Yugi's offer from earlier and trying to soften his tone, he said, "But I'd like to call him. If that's okay."

Yugi nodded and stood up, still not looking convinced at Manjoume was okay, which was understandable because Manjoume was definitely not okay. He came back a few moments later with a large, chunky phone - what was it they called them, satellite phones? Yugi needed to get with the times. They had cell phones now, for goodness sake - and after Yugi had explained how to work it, Manjoume punched in Japan's country code along with his phone number.

The dial tone rung for what felt like forever, though Yugi assured him it was just because the phone took a while to get through to other countries. After what felt like forever, there was a couple of clicks and a voice spoke on the other end.

"Hey!"

It was his own voice, that was for sure, but so cheerful that it just didn't sound like him. He grimaced, turned away from Yugi, and said, "Hey, Manjoume."

There was silence at the end of the line, and then: "Who's this?"

"It's me," Manjoume hissed through gritted teeth. "Judai."

"Oh my god!" Judai shouted, and then he laughed, "Is that really what I sound like?" And then, before Manjoume could snap something back at him, "Where are you calling from? I thought I was in China-"

"I am in China," Manjoume said. He glanced over to Yugi, who didn't seem to be paying attention, but Manjoume couldn't be sure he wasn't eavesdropping while he read over the notes he had in his hands. "I met up with Yugi."

"Yugi!" Judai sounded excited. "Yeah, last time I heard from him he said he might be in the region, but… wow, you met him just like that? What a coincidence."

Manjoume bit his tongue, not asking how Yugi got to reply to Judai when he just had to sit at home and wait from postcard to postcard.

"Anyway, how've you been?" Judai said. "I can't believe we swapped again, wow. What are the chances?"

"You say that like it's an accident or something," Manjoume seethed. "Listen, you and I both know there's only one person who could do…" He glanced to Yugi in time to see him looking away, embarrassed of being caught listening in. "This." He finished.

"Yeah, I thought it might be Saiou," Judai mused. "But I've not talked to him in so long- I wonder what made him do it?"

Manjoume squirmed a little, suddenly remembering all of the times he'd POURED HIS HEART OUT to Saiou via snail mail. Letters full of I just wish we could talk about it and He doesn't know how this feels for me… SO embarrassing! Manjoume would die if Judai ever found out he'd written those kind of things.

"Maybe I should call Sai-" Judai began. Manjoume interrupted him.

"No!" Sitting across the fire from him, Yugi jumped when Manjoume yelled, and he mouthed 'sorry' to him before picking up his conversation with Judai, speaking quickly. "Listen Ju- Manjoume. I just need to get home, and then maybe we can work everything out."

"Hm," Judai said, chewing noisily on the other end all of a sudden. What the hell? Manjoume was stuck in the middle of nowhere and he was EATING SOMETHING DELICIOUS, PROBABLY CRACKERS FROM THE SOUND OF IT?

"Okay," Judai said, after a disgusting swallowing sound. "I can get you a plane ticket, you'd just have to pick it up at the airport… I can use your card, right?"

Manjoume sighed. "How else are you going to buy it? With the four yen in your bank account?"

"Manjoume! You're a riot!" Judai said, laughing. "I don't have a bank account."

"Oh my god," Manjoume ground out, wondering why he was surprised. "Okay, whatever, use my card, just don't go crazy. But how the hell am I supposed to get to the airport?"

Judai was quiet, clearly not wanting to suggest he just walk. To Manjoume's surprise, Yugi was the one who broke the silence.

"I'll have one of my team drive you there tomorrow," he said. "We have to go into town to get supplies anyway, and Weifang airport is only an hour away from there."

Manjoume hated asking a favour like that, but he was so relieved Yugi had offered that he just gave a tired, grateful, "Thanks."

"So Yugi's going to get you there? I'll book a ticket- oh, Yubel can help you with the Chinese, if you need to ask for help or anything…"

Like Yubel would help me with anything, Manjoume thought, but he didn't say it out loud. Yubel could be close by, and he didn't feel like arguing about it, neither with them or Judai.

There was clicking and the sound of infuriatingly slow typing on the other end.

"Okay, you're booked for a flight tomorrow at six - collect your tickets a few hours before it, okay?" Judai said, and Manjoume bit back I know how to take a fucking plane, Judai. "Man, I'm jealous! I haven't flown in years!"

"Given the circumstances, I'm not exactly excited," Manjoume said.

"I guess you wouldn't be," Judai replied. "But Manjoume?"

"What."

"I'm excited to see you."

Manjoume didn't answer, and for once, Judai was quiet. For all Judai's faults, for how annoying he was, he at least understood now when Manjoume needed time.

"Yeah," Manjoume said quietly, "I want to see you too."

"Shave my beard so I can kiss you at the airport."

"Get lost, you stupid slacker."

Judai laughed.