Chapter 10

Yusei let out a groan just after he had sat himself down on his bed, book in hand. Atem looked up from his place at one of the desks and had to stop himself from laughing. They had gone into Vale Hospital that morning, and now Yusei's shoulder was stitched up and bandaged properly (not that Atem's attempt had been all that bad). Only thing was, now Yusei's right arm was in a sling in order to get him to stop moving his shoulder. That meant though, that he was now one handed, so the book he was currently holding would be a bit difficult to read. Yusei could see his partner trying to contain his amusement, and he dropped the book to glare at Atem.

"Say a word and I will cut your tongue out."

Atem then started to chuckle, unable to hold it in, "I wasn't going to say anything."

Yusei stopped glaring at his partner to look around in annoyance. "What am I supposed to do? I can't train, I can't read, I can't play video games..." he looked at his shoulder again. "Usually I can always hear when Grimm are coming, how did I miss the Nevermore?"

Atem turned around in his chair, homework completely forgotten, "Actually," he said, "How did you know where all the Grimm were?" The way Yusei had known they were coming and from what direction had completely baffled Atem.

Yusei shrugged with his good shoulder, "Faunus sometimes get certain attributes from the animals they resemble. Leopards have excellent hearing, and so do I." When Atem thought on it, he did realise that there were numerous occasions where Yusei had been able to hear things that nobody else could, and that certainly explained it. Yusei then cast his gaze to the side, "That's also why I have good speed and agility, and probably why I'm great at climbing trees; it's pretty much in my blood. I get it all from these stupid marks."

Atem had his arm propped up on the back of the chair, but now he dropped it down, "Oh come on, Yusei. They're not stupid."

Yusei shook his head, "You don't want to know the half of it." The tone of his voice suggested he wasn't going to continue on the topic, so Atem turned his gaze back over his work, trying to think of something else.

"I know what'll cheer you up," he then said, standing from the chair. "Follow me." Yusei quirked an eyebrow, but stood none the less, and followed his partner out the door. It was as they were walking down the hall that he realised it was exactly a week ago when they'd done the exact same thing, only Atem had lead him to the roof...

The memory of last Saturday seemed to hit him like a smack in the face. A handful of emotions had run through him in a matter of minutes, and Yusei hadn't known how to deal with it all. He never knew how to deal with emotions. He always either shut down or lashed out and exhausted himself. As they turned a corner and he took a good guess at where they were going, he remembered part of their conversation from after lights out.

"Yusei," Atem had said, "Don't think that you have to keep everything to yourself anymore." He could hear the rest of the sentence, left unspoken. 'Because you have me now.'

The man had stayed quiet for a moment, before briefly closing his eyes. "Same goes for you."

He still had a severe feeling of unease in his gut, but he knew he could trust Atem. No matter how many times he had thought similar, something about his partner had him thinking that all that had happened in the last week was for the better-or so he told himself. It had to be. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking due to the feeling that the man's smile gave him.

They soon reached the music room and Atem all but bounded over to the piano, with Yusei trailing behind to lean against it.

"I've been practicing another song," Atem told him, playing a few chords to warm up his hands. Once he found the right keys, he began to play. It was a very pretty song, and Atem's right hand played the simply melody, with his left climbing up and down the keys in a smooth rhythm. He could remember when his mother had placed the sheet music in front of him, years ago, with a grin on her face. It was one of her favourites, and Atem could feel the slightest pull of homesickness as he played through it. It then grew a little more complex, and Yusei watched on with the slightest of smiles as Atem began to play what sounded like a chorus.

Yusei eyebrows suddenly disappeared under his hair, I've heard this song before.

Atem continued to play, and just like last time Yusei's eyes were fixed on his hands, moving with such grace and assurance. It was almost like staring into a fire, how the flames would catch his gaze and he would find it almost impossible to look away from the inferno. Now that flame burned in Atem's eyes as he played, pouring memories and passions into the keys below his fingers, and Yusei found his gaze wandering to those bright eyes, the strong jawline, those careful hands.

Atem then played the chorus an octave higher, as the bass line thinned out, and Atem looked up at his partner for the briefest moment. Yusei didn't know what it was about Atem playing the piano, but it gave him such an odd yet comfortable feeling. His shoulder was still sore, and the sling was bugging him, but as he stood by the piano, watching Atem play with a smile on his face, he found himself mirroring that smile, feeling more content than he had in, well, a week. He let a silent sigh escape his lips as he enjoyed the song, wishing that he'd had the chance to learn such a talent. Then again, if he could play the piano as well as Atem, he wouldn't be admiring the man as much as he was now.

The music echoed off the walls and down the hall, as the last chorus began, and Yusei smiled even more when Atem hit every note perfectly. It was a variation of the original chorus, with many notes added, and it sounded incredibly beautiful. Atem was pretty much grinning now, so happy that he was playing close to perfectly. The song slowed down slightly as it came close to its end, and as Atem played the last notes, he looked up and saw a familiar look in Yusei's eyes. It was that look that made him want to keep playing, just like last time. Those eyes that said 'you have my utmost attention and adoration'. Atem almost laughed at himself, maybe he overdid that thought a little.

Yusei was still smiling when he spoke, "You've been practicing," he said.

Atem grinned and nodded, "I have, but that's the first time I've been able to play it all the way through."

Yusei nodded. I know, he thought, I heard you play it last time.

...

The toothbrush clattered to the bathroom floor, and Yusei cursed, glaring at it. "God damn it." Placing down the tube of toothpaste, he moved to pick it up, when a voice spoke from behind him.

"You right there?" Atem asked, a smirk on the edge of his lips. Yusei hated that smirk so much. Actually he hated it about as much as he hated only having one arm, which also happened to be the reason for that smirk.

"I'm fine," Yusei said, picking up his toothbrush. He wasn't going to be dubbed completely useless just because of his shoulder. He moved to try again, only managing to bump his toothbrush out of the way once more. He could call himself ambidextrous while fighting, but anything else? Not even close.

Atem smiled, stepping forward to stand beside his partner, and picked up the toothbrush. "Allow me," he said, holding his hand out. Yusei tried to scowl at him, really disliking the idea of Atem having to help him, before he gave in, and handed over the toothpaste. It was only a few seconds later when Atem handed back his toothbrush, now topped with the mint scented substance.

"I hate you," was all Yusei said as he moved to brush his teeth, looking straight into the mirror to avoid looking at his partner. He had been trying to hide the slight flush that had covered his cheeks, but looking in a mirror didn't help that at all. Atem either didn't notice, or decided that he'd teased his partner enough for one day, and walked out of the bathroom. There was about half an hour until lights out, so he stripped his shirt off, dumping it with the pile of clothes in the corner he still needed to wash.

A moment later, Yusei walked out of the bathroom, and stopped. Staring at his shirtless room mate, two things came to mind, both of which sent a flood of heat to his cheeks. Oh crap.

Atem raised an eyebrow upon noticing his partner staring at him, "Everything alright?" he asked.

Yusei rid his mind of the first thought, which was not unlike the events that happened a week ago (before he ran away that was), and looked to the side, letting out an audible groan. "I'm...gonna need some help getting my jacket off."

Atem tried not to smirk as he lifted a hand to gesture, "Come here."

Despite how amusing the situation was though, as Atem stood in front of his partner and helped him strip off the jacket, he could feel his heart start to beat faster. Ever since he figured out that he'd had feelings for Yusei, Atem knew that he wouldn't be able to just get over it in a few weeks. No, this was going to last a little while, and if he was going to be this close to the man, it was going to be a lot harder to handle than he thought.

...

It was the next day when they finally ran into team JACK again (they may or may not have been trying to avoid them to save answering questions). They were just about to enter the library when the team was leaving, though Jack and Kiryu seemed to be in some sort of a rush, so didn't stop to talk.

"Yusei," Aki drew in a breath, "What happened to you?"

The man looked down at his arm that still sat in the sling. He'd needed Atem's help again this morning to get his jacket back on, and while it was a good excuse to be close to his partner, it was also very wounding to his pride and otherwise hated every moment of it. He shrugged with his good shoulder, "Just an altercation with a Nevermore, nothing too bad."

Crow shook his head, "And I always thought you were so agile," he joked.

Atem could see the question in Crow's eyes when the red head turned to look at him, and he shook his head ever so slightly, trying to indicate to him. Don't ask.

Yusei shook his head, "Not when it sneaks up on me."

Aki then smiled at him, "Well as long as you're alright," she playfully punched his other shoulder, and he laughed.

Atem then cleared his throat, "Why don't you guys go ahead? I just want to chat to Crow for a moment."

Aki decided to head back into the library with Yusei, while Atem and Crow stayed outside, and as soon as they were out of ear shot, Crow practically jumped on the man. "So what's the deal? You guys are good again?" he asked.

Atem looked over Crow's shoulder to where the library door was falling shut. "Yeah," he replied, "Pretty much."

Crow raised an eyebrow at him, "What do you mean 'pretty much'?"

Atem sighed, "It's not quite the same as it used to be, but he's talking to me, so that's all that matters at the moment." It seemed that Yusei had still been keeping his distance a bit, or at least trying to, despite the fact that he needed Atem's help because of his shoulder. Sure, they were getting along like they were before, but there wasn't the same closeness they had had. Part of that was because Atem had taken a slight step back, mainly from embarrassment about his bold move on Yusei's birthday. The same vibe seemed to be coming from Yusei as well, though. Only thing was, Atem didn't know if it was for the same reason or a new one entirely.

Crow was beyond interested now, "So what happened?"

Atem hesitated. Crow wanted to know the turn of events that lead to Yusei talking to him again, but Atem couldn't even hint to the answer. He'd promised Yusei that he wouldn't tell anyone-even team JACK, and he would not break that promise.

Crow saw his hesitation, and remembered the information Atem had told him at their last meeting, "You two aren't secretly dating now, are you?" his eyes were huge with excitement, and Atem instantly threw up his palms.

"No no no, that's not-" god he hated how easily the thought made his face heat up, "That's not what it is." He gave his friend a stern look as Crow grinned at him. "If we were dating though, Yusei wouldn't be keeping his distance like he is."

Crow folded his arms, "Then what is it?"

Atem shook his head, "I can't tell you right now, it's...it's complicated."

Crow threw his hands into the air, "So is every teenage drama. Let me know when you're actually dating."

Atem was biting the inside of his cheek; these comments weren't doing him good. "Look, that's not going to happen, alright? Considering he basically legged it after I kissed him, I doubt he's interested." Crow raised an eyebrow, and Atem sighed, "Please, just drop it, and I'll fill you in when I actually know what's going on."

Atem moved to walk to the library door, and Crow turned around, "You mean you don't know what's going on?"

Atem paused at the door, looking over his shoulder, "Not really, no."

...

The next few weeks flew by as Yusei's shoulder healed, and he could not have been happier when he ditched the sling and was able to move it to a certain degree. He couldn't completely lift his arm up, but it was enough to not need Atem's help with everything. It had not only been embarrassing to be so useless, but also frustrating because whatever it was that had been coursing through his chest in the last few weeks had suddenly doubled because of it all. He'd tried to keep his distance, but it wasn't working very well, and he could tell it was bothering Atem. Funny thing was though, it was bothering him, too.

It was also during the time in which his shoulder had been healing, that Yusei had had a lot of time to think, and mull over a lot of things, and it was while he had been doing this, that he discovered he had been a complete douche bag. So, on one Wednesday afternoon, he decided to fix that.

Atem had stayed back in Weapons and Combat to talk to Ushio, and so Yusei sat on his bed, twiddling his thumbs nervously while he waited for his partner to return. He had no idea how he was going to do this, and half of him knew that he was probably going to back out, so the minute that Atem walked into their room, he stood up and blurted the words before he could stop himself.

"Atem, I need to talk to you."

The man in question closed the door and dumped his books on the desk, before giving his full attention to Yusei, standing by the door. "Go ahead."

Yusei looked to the floor as he mustered up the right words, "I uh...I wanted to say sorry."

Atem raised his eyebrows, "For what?"

Yusei gave him a look of surprise, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "For being such an asshole. I know I took two giant steps back from you after my Birthday, and that was because I was terrified." He stood there with his hands by his side in soft fists, and Atem watched as he tried to turn thoughts into words. "But I didn't once think of what affect that would have had on you."

Atem's eyes seemed to widen in the slightest amount, as understanding flowed through him. It was like being shown a whole banquet and told you could only eat dinner rolls. Being given a taste of something and then have it torn away, one of the cruelest things Atem could think of.

He didn't think Yusei would actually have brought it up, because it was the only source of discomfort between them. He shook his head, trying to wave it off, "Yusei, it's fine-"

Yusei held up a hand, "No, it isn't. I never thought of what I was doing to you, because I was so wrapped up in my own paranoia." He sighed then, turning to look out the window so that he didn't have to look at Atem. "You did notice that...that I didn't pull away instantly, didn't you?"

Atem could feel his face heating up again, remembering how Yusei had returned the kiss, if only for a few seconds. He swallowed with some effort, eyes darting to the desk as he answered. "I did."

Yusei forced himself to look at crimson orbs, "That's because I didn't want to. I wanted to stay right there with you, but then it all hit me and I freaked out." He sighed again, obviously struggling at coming up with the right words. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm so sorry for leading you on like that, only to run away and fuck everything up."

Atem was still trying to process what Yusei had just said, as hope began to unravel from his chest.

Yusei continued, "But I-uh..." he looks as nervous as I always am, Atem thought. Yusei's mind was frantically trying to think of words. I've never done this before, he thought awkwardly. "If you're, I mean, if you still..."

The pieces suddenly clicked together in Atem's head, and he quickly jumped in, "Have feelings for you?" Yusei had been looking at his hands, and his head snapped up when Atem had finished his sentence. "Give me your hand," Atem suddenly demanded.

Slightly confused, Yusei stepped forwards, lifting up his hand. Atem grabbed his palm and surprisingly, pressed it against his own chest. Yusei blinked at him, he could feel Atem's steady heartbeat through the fabric of his shirt. "Now take a step closer," he murmured.

Yusei swallowed, and stepped forwards again. They were so close that he could feel Atem's breath on his chin, and the heartbeat beneath his hand had sped up. Atem's eyes never left his, as blazing crimson held his gaze. "That's what you do to me."

Yusei could feel his own heartbeat pounding in his chest, as Atem dropped his hand back to his side. Yusei however, kept his hand where it was, palm pressed flat against Atem's chest, and then used his other arm to reach for the man's hand. He managed to find it quite easily, though his eyes were still fixed on that gaze, and brought it up to rest on his own chest, just under the edge of his jacket. Atem could feel the pounding of his heart, just as fast as his own, and he began to smile.

Despite all of the things that were running through his head at that moment, Atem loved the fact that Yusei had been able to convey a message so well through that gesture without the need for words. He doubted Yusei would be able to form a coherent sentence at the moment, either, considering his attempt from before.

Yusei hadn't let go of his hand, though, he held it there within his own, and slowly reached up with his other hand, to brush along Atem's collarbone, as eyes ducked to stare at parted lips. Atem could feel Yusei's breath ghost over his skin as he moved closer, and sometime after Yusei's hand had run along a jawline, the taller man had closed the gap between them, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.

All of the feelings that Atem had been trying to ignore the last few weeks were suddenly ignited, and he reached out to grab Yusei's waist, trying to pull him closer. After having that little taste on the rooftop and then having it torn away, he could feel his desire trying to burst from his chest. He gripped the sides of Yusei's shirt, having pulled him so close their chests were pressed together, and wasn't sure if it was his own heartbeat or Yusei's that he could feel, but neither did he care. He wanted this to last, to hold on for as long as could, for fear that it could still be pulled away from him at any moment.

Yusei could feel Atem's paranoia in the urgency of his touch, so he deepened the kiss, slowly moving them forwards until Atem felt the door against his back. I won't run away this time. His hand had moved to tangle up in Atem's hair as their lips moved together, soft sighs escaping between them every time they parted. Yusei was nowhere close to new at this sort of thing, but he'd never had an experience quite like this either.

Atem was sure that he was beginning to feel dizzy, though logic tried to tell him it was from lack of air rather than the sensations coursing through his chest. When they finally broke apart, they stayed as they were, holding the other as if to keep them from running away. Yusei's chest was rising and falling with the rate of his pounding heart, and he barely realised he had been smiling the whole time. He briefly closed his eyes, resting his forehead against Atem's.

"I am so sorry," he breathed. "Does this make up for me being a douche?" If I hadn't been an idiot, he thought to himself, this would have happened weeks ago.

Atem smiled up at him, "I think so." He was still being mindful of Yusei's shoulder, and just as he looked up at it to see if it was giving Yusei any grief, a thought struck him. Yusei had pulled back ever so slightly, and Atem looked straight at striking blue orbs. "Can...can I see?" he asked.

Yusei looked confused for a moment, before he realised what Atem meant. He hesitated for only a moment, before nodding, stepping back from his partner. Atem watched on as Yusei peeled his jacket off, revealing the pattern down his arms (the only of his marks that Atem had seen so far). Yusei then pulled off his gloves, which had covered the markings on the back of his hands and forearms, and finally, he turned around to remove his shirt.

Atem's lips parted as he stared at Yusei's back, now completely exposed. The rosettes ran all the way down his back, wrapping around his waist and hips, over his shoulders, up the back of his neck, and disappeared under the waistband of his jeans. "Wow," he breathed, reaching a hand out to gently run over the markings. Yusei had flinched ever so slightly, before quickly relaxing under Atem's touch. "They...they don't even look like tattoos..." he breathed. "They're a part of you."

He could see a few scars littering Yusei's back, also, and took them all in, one by one. There was one on his lower back, small and thick, as if he had been thrown into something sharp, and a group of thinner scars covering a shoulder blade, as well as the remains of the Nevermore attack, just sticking out over his shoulder.

He knew that every scar would have a story behind it, but Atem wasn't sure if he wanted to know what they were. Slowly, he moved around to face his partner, who's shirt was still hanging off the end of his arms, covering his stomach. Atem noticed how the rosette's appeared from under the hair on his neck, ran down his chest and wrapped around his arms. Yusei was almost completely covered in them, and Atem remembered the very first day when they had met, how he had noticed that the only skin he could see on Yusei were his face and fingertips. What Atem saw in front of him explained that they were the only places not covered in the marks, and therefore must have been incredibly hard to hide. The man had managed to hide them from him for a decent amount of time though, but Atem had been incredibly confused as to why he was always covered head to toe.

"This is incredible," he murmured, taking in the Leopard Faunus before him. How could anyone hate a race so much when they were this fascinating? Atem almost laughed at himself for sounding like his Father, but also feeling a little guilty for thinking Yusei's marks were simply fascinating. No, they were much more than that.

He then noticed something peaking out from beneath the man's shirt, and Atem moved to pull it away from Yusei-who seemed to not want to let go of the shirt at first-revealing his abdomen. As soon as Atem's eyes laid on what he had spotted, he drew in a quick breath. "Yusei..." the man cast his gaze away as Atem spoke. "How did...?"

There was a long and jagged scar running from his waist to his abdomen, thick and menacing on his skin. It cut through a handful of his rosette's, leaving only the white of the scar in their place. Atem could barely believe what he was looking at. Sure, Yusei had a handful of scars, as did he, but this one looked as if someone had tried to rip his insides out.

He looked back up at Yusei, who had a somewhat troubled look on his face. His only reply was, "That's why I'm so paranoid about people seeing my marks."

Atem knew there must have been one hell of a story behind it, but he also knew he would not hear it today. "Why were you trying to hide it from me?" he asked instead.

Yusei moved to put his shirt back on, "Because I knew you would get upset over it."

Atem would have moved to argue that he wasn't getting upset over it, but he stopped. He already knew that it was written all over his face. Just the idea that someone would do such a thing-it sent a chill down his spine. Just after Yusei pulled his shirt back on, Atem reached out to pull the man to him. Yusei happily accepted the hug, sighing into Atem's hair as the shorter man rested his chin on Yusei's shoulder.

"I won't allow anyone to hurt you again," Atem murmured, "I promise."