A/N: I'm not dead! Yay! Well, that could be an overstatement, as my grandparents arrived on Thanksgiving and are staying until Christmas. Although they're fun to do stuff with, they tend to try to send you on a guilt trip without much tact if you don't spend enough time doing jigsaw puzzles with them. Oh, well. This chapter feels kind of choppy to me, but I felt that I needed to get in some interaction time between Yugi and Yami before I move on to the really fluffy stuff. Now, on to Chapter 4!

Come Save Me

Chapter 4

"Did you know that Hatshepsut was the first woman to have ruling power in the ancient world?" Yugi asked as he skimmed through his history book. He had been reading off various "did-you-knows" for the past twenty minutes as he scribbled down a few notes while Yami clicked through a search about Egypt on his computer.

"Mmm," was the only response Yugi got, as Yami was concentrating on the screen in front of him. Yugi had to keep himself from giggling. He thought himself the luckiest kid on Earth at the moment; he was in Yami's apartment sitting on Yami's couch and was able to stare at the gorgeous boy for as long as he wanted.

It didn't seem possible for someone this incredibly hot to be in the same grade as Yugi. Thus, his mind was brought back to all the rumors he had heard about Yami getting held back. He had heard that Yami was nineteen, but he wasn't really sure.

Yugi bit his lip, wondering if he should ask the question or not. It did seem a trifle rude to him, but the curiosity was beginning to make him fidget. Well, it wouldn't be as intrusive as asking Yami what had happened to his parents, would it? He finally sighed, deciding there was no other way to find out, and sat up.

"Um, Yami?"

Bright crimson eyes looked over from the computer screen to stare into brilliant lavender.

"Yes?"

"Um, I was wondering, 'cause I didn't know and I wasn't sure, exactly how old are you?"

Yugi immediately blushed after asking the question, chiding himself for asking such a stupid question. But Yami just smiled.

"I'm seventeen, just like most juniors in high school. You heard the rumors, didn't you?"

Yugi just nodded as his blush deepened. He was about to say he was sorry for asking such a stupid question when Yami's laugh stopped his nervous rambling. He was absolutely mesmerized by that rich, vibrant laugh, and the irresistibly drool-worthy appearance that it gave the crimson-eyed boy.

"If you want to know where all those rumors come from, there was a big fight by my school in the eighth grade before I moved here. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and everyone in the vicinity got suspended. Somebody must've said something to someone at our high school about me being in that fight, and well, there you go."

Yugi found himself immensely relieved that all the rumors about Yami being a hot-headed bully weren't true, and he looked back down at his textbook.

"Did you know that the first person to make an incision on the pharaoh's body during the mummification process would have rocks thrown at them for defiling the pharaoh?"

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Yugi sighed, laying his head down on the table. He watched other groups of kids at other tables eat together, talking or helping each other with homework. Yugi couldn't truthfully say that he wasn't jealous, especially of the "eating" part. He hadn't expected his uncle to actually be up before him that morning, and Yugi had dashed the front door as quickly as possible as soon as he realized that his uncle was awake and in the kitchen. Thus, he hadn't been able to make his own lunch, and also had no money to buy a school lunch.

The violet-eyed boy jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he spun around, almost falling off his seat. Yugi was half-expecting some bully to be there, though they usually didn't bother him at lunch, but instead Yami was looking down at him with a lunch tray in his hands.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Yugi just numbly shook his head, and Yami sat down next to him. The taller boy surveyed Yugi for a moment, then asked, "Where's your lunch? Aren't you going to eat?"

Yugi lay his head down on the table again before he replied, "Apparently not. I didn't have time to make my own lunch, and I don't have any money to buy one."

His stomach growled loudly again, and Yugi groaned as he buried his face in his arms, which were serving as a makeshift pillow on the table. He looked up when he felt Yami tap him on the shoulder, and saw that Yami had pushed his tray over towards him.

"You like French fries, right?"

A smile played across Yugi's lips as he picked up one of the French fries. "If I didn't before, I do now."

Being friends with Yami was turning out to be better than Yugi could have ever imagined. He might actually have to thank that old, droning teacher for pairing them together on the project. Yugi's mind froze as something suddenly occurred to him. What happened when the project was over? Would everything go back to the way it was?

The thought made Yugi unintentionally look over at his history partner, who had been watching Yugi as they both ate. Yami smiled slightly, and Yugi smiled back. If things did change back after the project, Yugi decided, then he had better enjoy this while he could.

And enjoy it he did. Not only did they meet after school, but they ended up eating lunch together every day from then on, and sat next to each other in class. Nothing seemed to change otherwise; the rest of the student body hardly noticed either of the boys in the first place, and this was no different. If some bully or snoopy gossip did get a bit too close, though, Yami would just glare and they would scurry off.

It was after a week of such activities that Yami began to notice something odd. The first time it happened was when Yugi had leaned over to click on something on the computer Yami was sitting at. Yugi's arm had brushed his just slightly, and Yami had to suppress a shiver at the contact.

He started to notice that whenever Yugi was close to him or made contact with him in any way, a warm tingling sensation worked its way up his spine. It felt wonderful, but it also confused him at the same time. His mind kept jumping to wild conclusions, and he kept telling himself that he did like Yugi but not in that way.

That just ended up confusing Yami even more, because when he got down to it as he lay on his bed around 10:30 at night staring at his ceiling, he had to admit that the boy was quite attractive. Pale, petal-soft skin, a crown of crimson and black hair, jagged blonde bangs that adorned his head like a halo, bright and shimmering lavender eyes, sweet, full lips…

"Wait a minute!" Yami said out loud, sitting up on his bed. If he was thinking about Yugi in that way, then did he like Yugi that way? The crimson-eyed boy flopped back down on his bed with a sigh, trying to reason with himself. It didn't work. All he could think about was the beautiful mental image he kept of Yugi, and, deciding that he would think more on it in the morning, fell asleep.

A/N: The plot thickens! Not really… Anyways, once again, thanks to all the people who reviewed, it's one of my greater sources of inspiration. Hopefully I'll be able to get in some more work on this fic and my other Ryou/Bakura fic, although things are just going to keep speeding up in school until Christmas vacation. Blecch, I still have to do my history paper… Please review!