Yugi swung into the empty parking spot, making the car come to a jerky stop. He slammed his car into park and cut the ignition, breathing in the silence.

Unbelievable. It was just unbelievable that he could have his Counter for nearly fourteen years and it still be blank, whereas someone who just got it yesterday only had mere hours to go before they found their true love. It was just unfair and wrong and stupid. Just stupid. Never before had Yugi felt so certain that the Counter was absolutely pointless for him than he did in that moment. Every frustration he'd had in the past came back all at once and overwhelmed him.

"A blank Counter is worse than not having a Counter at all." He seethed under his breath, getting out of his car. He smacked the door shut behind him and jammed his keys into his back pocket. He made his way to the entrance of the store with heavy, purposeful steps. Since the Counter truly a waste of his mental prowess, since his was so damn useless - what was the harm in having some fun? If Jou could do it, so could Yugi.

"Hey!" He yelled from near the store exit. The cashier from before spun around, wide eyed. "What time do you get off?"

"What?" The man asked, shock etched across his face.

"What?" Yugi repeated, placing a hand on his hip. "Do you want me to repeat it?"

"Yes - through the loudspeaker, if you don't mind." A strange smirk was appearing at the corners of the other's mouth.

"Har har." Yugi narrowed his eyes, thinking that maybe this was a bad idea, after all. He could see a future in the curl of that mouth, and he wasn't completely sure it was a good one. "Be funny all you want, but believe me when I tell you that this is your one and only shot. So make it count."

"Now." The cashier said quickly, flipping his lane light off. All hints of his devious look from before were gone at Yugi's threat. "Now. I get off right now." He tore off his apron and stuffed it under the register. "Let's go."

"Okay then." Yugi said, abruptly turning and walking back out of the store, the man hot on his heels. Yugi unlocked the doors of his car and ducked into it.

"My name is Atem." The cashier said, offering his hand as he slid into the passenger seat.

"Yugi Mutou." Yugi replied curtly, ignoring the offer. He thrust the car into reverse and pulled out of the lot.

"What do you do?" Atem asked, sounding oddly formal. "For a living?"

"I'm an orthodontist."

"No way - a dentist?" He whistled. "Neat."

"Where are we heading?" Yugi asked.

"Um, well my place is only five minutes away—"

"Great." Yugi interrupted, twisting the steering wheel.


"Here is my humble abode." Atem said with great flourish as they got out of Yugi's car and stepped up to one of the town houses in the city. "I live with a couple of friends - but they're out." He added as he unlocked the door. Yugi walked over the threshold, looking around at the place. It wasn't messy, but it wasn't exactly tidy either. Papers and knickknacks littered the surfaces, but it seemed that everything was in it's place. An odd system of order in the jumble.

"Where's your room?"

"Right down the hall." Atem answered, leading the way.

"Listen, just for starters," Yugi began as he stepped into the small room, watching as Atem set his keys next to an empty beer bottle on his desk. "I don't want to know how old you are. I don't want to know your hobbies. This is a one time only thing. Got it?"

"Sure. Got it." Atem said, nodding seriously.

There was a long expanse of silence. Several times, Yugi opened his mouth to say something, but only caught his tongue. Now that he was here - in a strangers bedroom - he was running out of steam. He wasn't even sure how to be unavailable to someone he was about to have sex with. In his past relationships, sex was a meaningful thing - but this wouldn't be. How did it work? Did they just...do it? What about kissing?

"Maybe this was a bad idea." He finally muttered; he should've asked Jou how to get over the awkward stage of a one-night stand.

"No, no." Atem stepped over to Yugi. "No, this is a great idea. It's right along up there with...Jeez, I don't know - gravity and nuclear fusion and all that kind of stuff. It's a really, really good idea."

Yugi leaned back against the wall.
"Are you always like this? So...suave?"

"Oh, you better believe it. I make all the guys swoon. " Atem gave a slight laugh stood right in front of Yugi. "But seriously? It's just - I don't even know. I can't seem to get my brain working when your near me. You're really—"

"Shut up." Yugi said, twisting his fingers into the material of Atem's shirt.

"Yeah, okay." Atem pressed his body against Yugi's. "That's something I can do."

"Evidence to the contrary." Yugi teased, jutting his chin. Atem curled his hand around the back of Yugi's head and pulled him in close, lips parting, but Yugi's eyes followed the Counter on Atem's wrist. He turned his head to the side to keep it in sight. "...four months, huh?" He muttered.

Atem blinked, perplexed.
"Oh...yeah."

Four months. The numbers weighed heavily against Yugi's mind. Now that he had seen the Counter and been reminded about Atem's future, he couldn't focus on anything else. As much as Yugi was attracted to the man in front of him - as badly as he wanted to throw caution into the wind and ride the pony home (so to say) - Yugi just couldn't do it. Couldn't jump into bed with a stranger and leave after the deed was done. Especially not with someone so close to the day they found true love. He just wasn't brave enough.

"You enjoy that time, Atem." Yugi finally said, pressing his hand to the other's cheek. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I need to go." Yugi ducked under Atem's extended arm.

"No, stay." Atem said, quickly understanding and grabbing hold of Yugi's hand. "Please."

"I'm sorry. I thought I could, but I...I can't do it." Yugi pulled his arm away.

He'd enjoyed what little time he'd spent with Atem but, like many things in Yugi's life, it wasn't meant to be. Yugi slipped out of the room and out through the front door as quickly as he could. If he had looked up and saw Atem's eyes once more, he was sure he would have ran back to the room with him. And that scared Yugi.


Jou leaned back in his office chair, watching as an old man slowly made his way past the reception desk, wearing nothing but a thin nightgown. The elder was one wrong shuffle away from flashing the other residents, and though Jou knew it was his job to help the old man back to his room, he was content to simply watch as the old man made his way down the hall. He found it very hard to believe that one day he'd be that old, too. But, of course, time didn't mean a damn thing to Jou. He had stopped caring about time long ago.

Grabbing the phone sitting on his desk, he pushed in the numbers he knew by heart.

"I'm fine." Yugi answered after the first ring, sounding stuffy.

Jou's heart ached for his brother, who had come home last night quite sullen in comparison to the loud way he'd left it.
"Did I ask?" Jou questioned, being tough for him.

"Hank?" An old lady asked, peering at Jou through thick glasses. "Is that you, Hank?"

Jou placed a hand over the receiver and looked at the woman.
"It sure isn't, Gladys." He said with a strained, pleasant smile.

"Oh...my mistake." She muttered, pressing her shaking fingers to her cheek.

"So, in all seriousness; how are you?" Jou asked, back in the conversation with Yugi.

"I'm fine." Yugi said. Jou raised an eyebrow, not believing it for one second. As witnessed last night, Yugi had a strange habit of bottling things up and lying about his true feelings (especially when he was hurt). And Yugi also had a habit of exploding once there was too much to fit into said bottle.

As if sensing his disbelief, Yugi added, "Really, Jou. And mom found me a date for tomorrow night. One of her friends' grandson."

Jou clicked his tongue. "She is unstoppable." He reminded himself to talk to his mother later about meddling in Yugi's affairs - again. "And when I hear 'grandson' I think of someone super young—"

"Hank!" Gladys suddenly trilled. "Answer your mother, Hank!"

"Yeah, I'm still not your son, Gladys. Okay?" Jou snapped.

"Oh, sorry..." Gladys said, looking confused.

"I wish I had never gotten the Counter." Jou now said to Yugi. "It's done nothing but make me unhappy. You, too. Why were we so stupid and eager to get one? What fourteen year olds want to find their 'one true love', anyway? Isn't that the point where young, strapping men like ourselves go off to nail anything that moves?"

There was a snort, then Yugi coughed to cover it up.
"Romeo and Juliet were only fourteen or so when they first met."

"And look how well they ended." Jou said. "Oh, yes. A wonderful example of true love."

"Is that you, Hank?" Gladys asked. Jou slowly turned his head and stared at the lady, irritated.

"Hold on a moment, Yugi." He said with great calmness before setting down the phone. He sat up straight and smiled his best winning grin. "You bet, mom." He said to Gladys. "And I have great news! I'm gay."

Gladys' face fell.
"You're...?"

"Gay." Jou repeated, nodding. "Gay as the day is long. Plus, my boyfriend?" He looked around and spoke softly. "He's black."

Gladys took in a deep breath, clutching her chest.
"Oh, Hank! No...this is not how you were raised!"

"You can't help love, mom." Jou shrugged. "It's just how I am."

"That's not funny." A voice said, and Jou looked over to see the head doctor standing outside his office door. Heart beat rising into his throat, Jou picked up the phone and whispered, "I'll call you back." before hanging up. Then to the doctor, he said, "It was...a little funny. She won't remember."

The doctor walked up to the desk. "It might feel like you have all the time in the world, but it will be you in here faster than you realize." Disapproval laced every word. Then he gently took the elder woman's arm. "Come with me, dear. Your son is still living in New York, remember? Let's get you to your room. It's this way."

"Oh, that's right. I'm gettign so forgetful these days." Gladys said cheerfully.

Jou watched them walk away, feeling really guilty.

"In the service, we had a name for men like that." Another resident said, getting up from a lounge chair near the corner of the lobby.

"Pricks?" Jou guessed.

"Nope. Cocksuckers."

"Oh, better." Jou shook his head. "How's it hanging, Dutch?"

"Down to my knees, sonny Jim." He answered, limping along with his cane. "You keep your head up."