I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the end. I'll proofread later, I'm tired. Enjoy!

Yugi knew that the only way he could see Yami and Atem alone without Jaden was to ask Joey to babysit. So he had no choice but to ask.

It wouldn't be an easy task. They hadn't spoken at all since last weekend. Yugi didn't reach out to Joey nor did Joey try to reconcile things either. It left a bitter taste in Yugi's mouth but part of him couldn't blame Joey. From the outside looking in, the whole situation was weird.

Imagine your best friend getting pregnant from a one night stand, and then having your best friend follow around his one night stand like a puppy. At least, that's what Yugi theorized that it looked to Joey.

He didn't have time to contemplate it now. After work, he picked up Jaden from school and made his way over to his friend's apartment.

"And maybe uncle Joey can play Super Mario on his Wii U again," he said to Jaden, trying to distract him from finding out why he was sporadically dropping him off to his place on a school night.

"I've already beaten him. Twice," Jaden retorted. "He won't let me play Mortal Kombat or let me watch movies with him. The ones under his bed he's already spanked me for because they said they were his special videos."

Yugi facepalmed. Leave it up to Joey to keep his porn laying around to where his child could find it.

"Daddy, why can't I go with you to see Yami and Mr. Ishmael? I wanna see them too! I only see Mr. Ishmael at school and we can't talk about cool stuff 'cuz all he wants to talk about is school. It's so dumb."

"He's your teacher," Yugi deadpanned.

"So? He was supposed to be just your friend but you always act like a girl around him."

"I do not do such a thing."

"Daddy, I notice everything. I notice how you look at Mr. Yami too. Like you used to look at daddy."

"Don't be insane."

"I am your child."

"I have an idea," Yugi said. "Let's play the quiet game. Daddy can't hear himself think."

Jaden crossed his arms and huffed. "If you didn't wanna talk, you shoulda just said so."

Yugi rolled his eyes, but didn't reply. He had just pulled up to Joey's apartment complex in Baldwin Park. Only three miles from downtown Domino, Baldwin Park was home to rich cultural attractions, as well as a growing business district. Traffic could sometimes be an issue around Baldwin Park. Within the quiet, winding streets of the Baldwin Park area, caution was encouraged because of the playing children and those on the walking and biking paths. However, navigating out and around Baldwin Park was tricky since traffic from downtown Domino and local shopping and restaurant tended to congest the narrow streets. Fortunately, three of Domino's major highways were in close proximity.

Jaden didn't even wait for Yugi to turn his car off before he sped off to Joey's apartment door. In a matter of seconds, he heard Jaden running his mouth to whoever opened the door.

"—and he won't let me go with him!" is what Yugi heard Jaden say once he approached the door.

Joey stood leaning against the door frame wearing an Ecko Unltd circle short sleeve t-shirt and Levi's straight leg jeans. He smiled at Jaden as he continued his tirade but once Yugi came walking up, his smile quickly turned into a frown.

"Yugi."

"Joey."

And that's all that was said for about two minutes.

"Daddy? Uncle Joey? Is something wrong?" Jaden asked, standing between the two of them, looking back and forth at their uncomfortable faces.

"Nah, everything's good kiddo," Joey answered him, picking Jaden up under his arms and scooping him around his hip. "Isn't that right daddy?"

Yugi wanted to slap that look off Joey's face. He feigned a smile to him and then to Jaden.

"Daddy wants me to come over here so he can spend time with Yami and Mr. Ishmael." Jaden's chestnut eyes saddened and looked towards the ground. "He won't even let me see them."

"I told you, some other time," Yugi rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look Joey —"

Joey held up a dismissive hand. "Say no more, I getcha."

"Do you now?"

"Yep. Why fight it? No matter what anyone says, yer gonna continue to see those guys."

Yugi shrugged in a 'oh well' type of manner. But he didn't want to argue anymore. "Look Joey, I didn't come here to fight. I came here to bury the hatchet. I don't like when we're not on good terms. And it would be foolish of us to throw away our friendship over something stupid."

"Yeh, I get ya," Joey nodded. "But try to see it from my point of view. I ain't sayin don't do your thing. Hey yer a grown ass man. But you tend to get into relationships way too soon because you latch on to the person so quickly. It's not healthy to have all types of people come in and out of yer life because it affects Jaden. And like I said at Kaiba's party, I don't like hearing Jaden crying on the phone because of what these guys have done to you. I ain't tryin to go through that again."

Yugi felt bad about that. He didn't realize how much his actions were affecting other people. Well, he did but part of him didn't really care. Being so caught up in Atem and especially Yami made it hard to think straight. But he knew he had to change his mindset and make things right again.

"Aww don't be like that uncle Joey. Daddy just loves Yami and Mr. Ishmael. And sometimes love makes you act silly. Right daddy?"

"Love? Erm, no." Certainly Yugi grew a fondness for Atem and even Yami —as irritating as he was, but love? Absolutely not. "There hasn't been enough time for me to love them, Jay. Maybe down the road if things go well."

"That's not what love is silly," Jaden giggled. "You can't choose who you love. It's something that takes you over." He nuzzled his nose into Joey's neck. Joey welcomed the snuggle. "When I met uncle Joey, I loved him. I didn't know why, but I did. And I barely even knew him back then. But I knew he was a good person because he always played games with me and helped me with my homework. And," Jaden snickered, "He helped me play some good pranks on you daddy."

Joey chuckled and tried to hide it behind a balled fist. Yugi rolled his eyes and tugged at a piece of his hair. The brat had a point. He hated to admit it, but he had a point. Love wasn't something you could control. He knew he felt something for Yami and Atem, and Yugi wasn't sure if he could call it love but it was…something.

"I'm not tryin to tell ya what to do with yer life, Yug. I'm not here for that," Joey said, "But I am here to say that no matter how yer feeling, you need to think about how yer actions affect this pipsqueak over here." He signaled his chin towards Jaden. "This kid is like a sponge. He absorbs everything."

"Like Spongebob," Jaden squeaked and howled when Joey began to tickle him. "Stop it uncle Joey! I'm not wearing diapers."

"And I'm in no mood to change them," the blond retorted. He put Jaden down and signaled for the kid to go inside. Jaden knew that meant that the conversation was was about to get serious.

There was about a few seconds of awkward silence before Yugi spoke. "Listen, about last weekend—"

Joey raised his hand and cut him off. "Forget about it. Things were hectic anyways and I guess everyone was going kinda crazy."

Yugi sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. "Yeah."

"All of that aside though, I'm gonna be serious here, and don't kill me for asking this, but…. What do you see in that guy, Yug? I mean, all I've seen is that he's a mean drunk who can't handle his liquor. He's not nice or polite, doesn't say thank you, he's sloppy and disorganized, just a straight up—

"I get it, I get it," Yugi interrupted, feeling the aggravation pooling in his stomach. "He's no role model. I guess I'm just a sucker for assholes."

Joey tried to hide his snicker, but failed.

"And besides," Yugi took out his phone to check the time. "He says he wants to meet up and talk with Atem and I."

Joey cocked an eyebrow. "About what?"

"Hell if I know."

"So is this how it's always going to be? You dropping your kid off while you go on some wild sexual adventure?"

"Excuse me?"

Joey raised his palms in defense. "I'm just sayin, Yug. You ditch all of us whenever one of them wants to see you. Jaden's noticed it and so has Tea and Mokuba. We all kinda think you're losing it."

Yugi's eyes widened twice their size. "Losing it?"

"It's the same way you acted with Alister. Dude gave you some dick, you went crazy and got all clingy on the guy, then he knocks you up and ditches you. That was seven years ago. Now look at you. You're in the same situation again."

"It's not the same—"

"How is it not?" Joey interrupted. "You meet some guy, hell, two guys, ya start fucking them immediately and yer pregnant again. One of the guys is a basket case and the other one acts like fucking James Bond. Sure they're nice on the eyes, but that Yami fella is bound to give you a grey hair or two. I'm not tryin' to pass judgment pal, but you should be careful who you bring around Jaden."

"I hardly ever do, and when I do, it's with everyone else," Yugi grumbled, rolling his eyes. "I get what you're saying, I shouldn't have slept with them so quickly, but shit happens Joey. It happened and I don't regret it. Quite frankly, I'm sick of you guys and everyone else telling me who I should and shouldn't be with. When have any of you actually sat down and had a conversation with Atem or Yami? And in case you didn't know, Atem is Jaden's teacher. That's how I met him. Yami was delivering a pizza that we ordered when we were in his classroom. So who knows, maybe it was fate. It doesn't matter. What matters now is, we can't change the past, and I wouldn't want to…" Yugi realized he was rambling at that point and he didn't even know what he saying half of the time, but everything just seemed to come out like word vomit anyways. Joey stared bewildered and confused, but he seemed to be listening. "I've fucked up a lot and I probably will in the future. But I can't help how I feel. These guys are going to be around for a very long time and Atem has made it abundantly clear to me…" Yugi swallowed hard when he remembered that scorching memory. Atem made sure to drive the point hard with a soft flick of his tongue to his ear. Yugi shook the memory as quickly as it came.

"What, is he holding a gun to your head Yugi? If not, I don't see how them staying around is gonna benefit you or Jaden."

"Well Yami has to stay around regardless. He's the father of my kid…"

Yugi didn't know why he had to point out the obvious to Joey, but he just put that out there in case he forgot somehow.

"Yeh, I get dat, but what's the deal with Atem, other that being Jaden's teacher? Is the dick that good?"

Yugi's face went pale. "We've only had sex once. Jaden is crazy about him, and he's sticking around to be supportive and help me deal with Yami."

"The guy's an adult, Yug. I'm sure he can handle himself."

"Joey, you just don't get it." Yugi was growing tired. Not only from working all day but also from this conversation. It was getting redundant and judging from the orange and red sunset over the horizon indicated that they'd been talking longer than Yugi had anticipated.

"What's there to get? Yer having a fling with two dudes man, it's not rocket science."

"If it was just a fling, I wouldn't be seeing them continuously like I am. Now, I came over here to ask you if you could watch Jaden for a few hours while I go talk to them. You don't have to agree with what I'm doing, but I'm grown, and I'll do what I want regardless. Tell Tea, Mokuba and whoever else to just get over it."

"Like I said, I couldn't care less what ya do," Joey replied, then he pointed towards his open door. "But there's someone in there that does."

"I get it already," Yugi whined. "I'm a big fuck up. I fall in love with the wrong people. Sue me."

"Will you at least stop pinning your kid at me every other week? Make some kind of schedule, man."

"Fine, I will. But for now, I gotta go."

After saying his goodbyes grudgingly, Yugi turned on his heel and returned to his car. That didn't go as well as planned but it could've been worse. Perhaps Joey was still pissed and Yugi was too for that matter, the wounds were still fresh and maybe they needed a little more time to cool off. Yugi was fine with that. There were more pressing matters at hand.

Yami felt as ease being here.

For some reason, being around a plethora of buried caskets and tombstones brought him more peace than the rest of the world. The gentle cascading wisps of air percolating through his hair and skin calmed his spirits. The billowing trees swayed to and fro in sync with the whispering winds, covering their protective shade over the fallen loved ones. The quiet was so serene and tranquil. It was the best place for Yami to meditate and reflect on everything that was going on in his life. There was nothing to interrupt his rumination and mental escape. The aura of the crypt fed off Yami's vibes and rewarded him with a harmony that couldn't be matched. It brought an unparalleled balance that Yami wouldn't find anywhere else.

Yami was wearing a black Nike tank top, full zip hoodie and basketball shorts. For shoes, he settled for black and white Nike comfort slide sandals. He had to admit that the secret bonus that Yugi gave him when he got hired helped him immensely, which was why he could buy this Nike gear. As much as Yami hated to admit, Yugi helped him out more times than he was willing to acknowledge. That's because the little shit took every opportunity to throw it in his face how much he's done for him. Yami wasn't above being appreciative, but not when the other person was being a jackass about it.

He decided to tell Yugi that when he showed up. Ever since they met, they hadn't gotten along unless they were having sex, and Yami didn't want that kind of monkey on his back. Whether or not he was the father of Yugi's child, he would still have to deal with him at work on a daily basis, so Yami was hoping that after this, everything would get settled.

Yami decided to suppress his thoughts until Yugi showed up. He didn't want the thought of him to ruin the peaceful ambience around him.

He was standing in front of the familiar headstones of Mai and Alexis. Since the last time Yami was here, he wasn't completely alone to gather and organize his thoughts. Yugi had made sure of that. Whether he knew it or not, Yami was in a rare state of mind that he didn't like to visit very often and one that he didn't like to disclose. Part of him still held on to regret for telling Yugi so effortlessly about his dark and melancholy past when he couldn't even tell his own best friend about it. Yami wanted to kick himself for letting someone in prematurely, sooner than he was comfortable with. And now he was possibly stuck with someone who could very easily annoy him for the rest of his life.

"If you keep frowning so much, your face is gonna get stuck like that."

Yami's heart spiked and he turned around towards the voice behind him. Atem was standing there with his hands inside the pockets of his dark hollow slim fit jeans. He was wearing a navy blue oxford shirt that was so fit and snug around the contour of his shapely muscles. His dark eyes were chilling enough to make Yami shrink a little, and they seemed to be boring a hole right through his head.

Atem looked threatening enough, that was for sure. If it weren't for the fact that he was a teacher, Yami would have assumed him to be a hit man in another life.

"Cute," he finally replied, after collecting himself. "Did your little students tell you that nonsense?"

"Maybe they did," Atem shrugged, withdrawing out a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. He blew the smoke away from Yami. "Or maybe they didn't."

"I wouldn't ever paint you as a smoker," said Yami, observantly.

Atem looked down at the cig and frowned before pulling. "Not something I'm proud of."

"I see…" well at least the conversation was starting out smoothly enough. "When did you start?"

Atem pulled a few more drags before answering. "I hardly even remember."

Yami hummed quietly. This guy was being ambiguous. Whether or not he was aware of it, Yami wasn't sure. But for some reason, he found Atem way more intriguing and interesting than Yugi. It was a wonder he didn't notice it before.

"So you risk your health over something that you're 'not sure you remember'." It was more of a statement than a question, but Yami was trying to probe and Atem knew it.

"It calms my nerves." Atem flicked the butt towards the ground and Yami scowled when he reached into his pocket for another cigarette. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed Yami looking at him in disgust. "Does it bother you?"

"No," Yami answered quickly. "If you wanna smoke yourself into a heart attack, that's your business."

"You sound concerned," Atem grinned, which in turn brought goose bumps to Yami's forearm. He didn't realize the guy had such a good-looking smile.

Yami sucked in his teeth, shoved his hands in his pockets and turned his attention elsewhere. "Hardly."

"Don't worry, this is my last one. I know Yugi hates cigarette smoke too."

Yami rolled his eyes. "I never said I hated it."

"But it's evident that you don't enjoy it."

"I guess so…" Yami kicked the small pebbles near his feet. Atem was so calm, and his voiced flowed like an elegant river. He never raised his voice or overreacted. He was smooth like coffee. Totally the opposite of Yugi and Yami quickly found himself curious. And even that was going too far.

He stayed silent and drew his eyes down towards the headstones again. Yami was careful not to show how he was feeling on his face, but there was a furnace in his soul. Whenever he laid eyes on Alexis' tomb, sadness reared its overwhelming blanket over Yami's heart. His stomach twisted as thoughts and questions plagued him. He wondered how Alexis would look. What color her hair would be; If it would've been as long and cascading as Mai's. Would her eyes be captivating and beautiful like her mothers? Yami's mind sunk deeper into himself, trying to fabricate an image of what Alexis would look like. He imagined that she would be lovely if she took after Mai. It wasn't to say Yami was bad looking; Far from it. Perhaps she was a perfect and equal blend of both her mother and father.

Sadly, Yami wouldn't ever be able to find out, and that fact alone ate away at him for years like a cancer.

"You alright over there?"

Yami was so lost inside his head that he forgot Atem was standing next to him. Yami turned his head slowly, meeting his gaze. Atem stared with such intensity, yet his eyes showed compassion and patience. Yami hated that. He didn't need anyone 'feeling' anything like that towards him.

"Yeah, everything's peachy."

"Yugi should be arriving here, shortly. He just sent me a text saying he'll be a little late."

Well, that was partially good. Let the little shit take as much time as he needed. Yami liked hanging out with Atem better anyways (not that he'd ever admit it).

"In the meantime, I'd like to know why you called us here of all places."

Yami watched in bewilderment as Atem took out his third cigarette. Was the guy that addicted to nicotine?

"To talk," Yami answered, twisting his face at Atem, who seemed to be enjoying himself. "How can you smoke that disgusting shit?"

Atem pulled a long drag, humming to himself as he puckered his lips and slowly let the smoke depart from his lips. "Did you not hear me earlier?"

Yami scoffed. "You seem to be enjoying yourself just fine."

"At least it doesn't leave me with a hangover in the morning."

Yami lifted his eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're no different than me, Yami. I cope with cigarettes. You cope with alcohol. We're both trying to escape something."

Yami crossed his arms, broadening his chest. "I'm not running from anything."

"No?" Atem pulled another drag. "Not even that night at the party? You were drunk the whole time. Couldn't even enjoy yourself."

Yami didn't answer him. He didn't like the direction this conversation was going but part of him knew it was coming.

"I usually don't drink that much. I was just having an off night."

"Why is that?"

Yami waved a dismissive hand back and forth. "Just some bullshit."

Atem knew it was anything but bullshit. Yami had a huge weight on his shoulders and he didn't want to talk about what it was. Atem sensed that much. He knew Yami was harboring a lot inside of him and there was so much going on in his head. Atem knew that alcoholics drank themselves sick to cope with emotional problems that they didn't want to face. But to think that Yami was an alcoholic may have been jumping the gun just a little. It was just an inkling.

"So what about you, Atem? What are you running from?"

Atem paused before placing the cig in his mouth. He perched an eyebrow at Yami, who was now smirking, feeling proud of himself that he was able to make Atem falter, even a little bit.

He chuckled darkly before speaking. For some reason, his laugh stimulated Yami's senses and he and brewed a growing fondness inside.

"I don't run. I adjust."

"Adjust?"

"Yes." Atem took his last drag before discarding the butt. "When things change, I change with them."

There he was, being vague again. It was a challenge but for some reason, it didn't bug Yami as much as it would have if he were speaking to Yugi.

"So you're saying you weren't a smoker before?"

"No. Only started two years ago."

"What? I thought you said you didn't remember."

"I don't," Atem drawled. "I remember the approximation. The exact date and time, I can't recollect..."

Yami didn't want to probe so he said nothing further.

"My parents went through a terrible divorce," Atem continued, noting the curiosity on Yami's face. "They were my adoptive parents, but they raised me from childhood."

"So that caused you to turn to cigarettes?"

"Not at first, but eventually." Atem craved a fourth, but he swallowed it down. "What my mom did afterwards really lit the fuse."

"And what was that?"

Atem sighed. He was going to need another cigarette. "I was around twelve or thirteen when I first started to notice it. It was so low key, I didn't even know it was happening under my own nose, but it was. My mom and dad were having problems like any other married couple does. But soon, their fights were keeping me up all night and I'd be late to school every other day. My grades were slipping. My attitude started to change. I was getting into trouble. My mom was slowly losing her mind and my dad didn't seem to care."

That didn't sound too unusual. In fact, to Yami, the story was damn near identical to his. "So what happened?"

The craving nearly knocked Atem over as he reached into his shirt pocket and picked out another cigarette from his pack of Newports. "It was the weirdest thing. One day I come home from school, tired as hell of course, and my mom greets me at the door—something she hadn't done in years—and she gives me the biggest hug. Now, I'm assuming since she's in a good mood that it meant that she and my dad had reconciled. But it wasn't the case."

Yami couldn't even believe that he was actually standing here listening to this story. He didn't know what piqued his curiosity but the more Atem spoke, the more he wanted him to speak.

"What was the case?" he asked.

Atem took a long drag, filling himself with the toxic essence and keeping it in for a little while longer. "I don't even think I was supposed to see it. But late one Friday night, I went to go use the restroom. My room was at the far left end of the hall and my parents' is in the middle. As soon as I open the door, I almost got knocked down back into my room. A man was in a hurry trying to leave from my parent's room and out of the door."

"Maybe it was your dad," Yami suggested.

Atem shook his head sadly. "He was out of town on business."

The world stood still after he said that. Yami's face was incredulous, while Atem continue to pull and drag on his cancer stick as if it were a normal conversation.

"Each day, my mom just kept getting happier and happier. She would began cooking breakfast every morning for me, packing me delicious lunches and taking my friends and me to the arcade every weekend."

"That's a good thing…right?" Yami asked.

"At the time it was," said Atem. "I got my mother back. She was the same sweet woman she was when I was a child. She was there for me again. But every other week, I would wake up at the same time each night and see a different man leave her room. It became almost routine. My father would leave for business for a week, and my mother would have a new visitor while my father was gone." Atem took his last drag before tossing the last of it. "I lost count after ten."

"Holy shit," Yami murmured. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Atem didn't look quite as stoic as he did when he first arrived. The cigarettes hardly did anything to help alleviate his stress as they usually did, although they did help a bit, but on this night, it just made him feel like crap. Yami noticed the stress lines forming across Atem's forehead and he wondered if they'd always been there or if talking about his parents bring them on.

"Did your pops ever find out?"

"Yeah, and he went berserk. That was basically the beginning of the end for my parents. He demanded a divorce and my mother couldn't care less. I was with them in the courtroom during their hearing. My mother was so happy about the divorce that she even brought one of her lovers to the hearing one day."

Yami took it back. This shit was worse than what he'd ever been through.

"Two years ago, my mother announced that she was getting married to one of her lovers. That's the reason I started smoking. I didn't want to deal with that again, so I moved out. Unfortunately, all the stress from my mother's infidelity and parents' divorce took a toll on me, so I smoked my worries away."

"I would've never pictured you as a stressed out dude. You hide it so well."

Atem suppressed a laugh. "That I do."

Something came over Yami, and he didn't know what, but took a few steps closer to Atem, and looked over at him. Atem returned the curious look, but said nothing. Their shoulders touched and although Atem was about an inch taller, he regarded Yami and Yami realized that. It had only been about forty-five minutes, but Yami felt a weird affection for the man. He had been through some shit, but still managed to be a nice guy. Why couldn't Yami be that way?

"Does it hurt?" Yami asked.

Atem furrowed his eyebrows. "Does what hurt?"

"Keeping all that shit in."

"Like I said," Atem's low voice rumbled through their skin contact. Yami actually felt the vibration. "I don't run. I adjust."

"You could find a better way to adjust," Yami muttered, scowling at the cigarette butts strewn around them.

"And what do you suggest? Alcohol?"

Yami's face flared up in a deep scarlet. Atem smirked and Yami turned his head away.

"Go fly a kite for all I care," he mumbled. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. For the first time ever Yami actually wished Yugi was there with them, even if to irritate him with his constant nagging.

"Are you annoyed with me?" Atem asked him. "You're telling me to find a healthier way to cope with my problems, when you can't even do the same?"

"That's because our problems aren't the same," Yami said. "I drink because I like to drink. You smoke to cope with your fucked up past."

Atem turned to face Yami. It caught Yami off guard and he slightly jumped before composing himself again and crossing his arms, looking at Atem as if he were a challenge.

"I have a feeling you're lying to me," Atem told him. "You're entitled to keep whatever you have hidden to yourself, but don't act like I'm the only one who has problems here. I knew when I first met you that you were a miserable person and you show it every time I'm with you. Even Yugi can sense it. You can sit here and psychoanalyze me all you want, but we all know you're the most screwed up person out of all of us."

And with that, Atem took out his fifth cigarette.

Yami didn't want to acknowledge that. Atem's words stung and hit close to home, and it pissed him off. Kicking the dirt, Yami stalked off toward the entrance of the crypt, and was nearly blinded by a pair of white illuminating lights in front of the gate. Yami shielded his eyes with his forehead and backed away a couple of steps. Atem spun around on his heel as well and placed a hand on the small of Yami's back, as the guy almost stepped on his toes from not watching where he was going.

Yami stiffened but didn't pull away. The touch wasn't as distracting as it should've been, if it weren't for the sudden intrusion.

The lights disappeared as quickly as they showed up. Yugi opened the door and saw the two familiar figures standing near the gated entrance.

Atem was delighted and relieved. Yami was slightly irked and indifferent.

"Hey guys!" Yugi exclaimed, approaching them breathlessly. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's no problem," Atem assured him, poking Yami with his elbow. "Yami and I here had a good time bonding."

"Bonding? With him?" Yugi teased. He walked closer to the two and made an ugly face. "Dude, you stink!"

"Blame the ashtray over here," Yami retorted wryly. "He's smoked five cigarettes since we've been here."

"What? Atem, I didn't know you smoked!" said Yugi, incredulous. "You know that stuff's bad for you."

"Yes, I'm aware little one," Atem replied darkly. "It's something I'm trying to lick."

Yami rolled his eyes at the obvious undertone, pointed when Atem winked at Yugi seductively. Yugi's face paled, feeling the blood to his head rush its way down south.

"I'd like to get through one session without you two hitting on each other," Yami muttered bitterly. "I swear if I wasn't around, you'd be fucking like rabbits."

"Who said we don't when you're not?" Atem purred. He walked behind Yugi and Yugi felt his stomach drop when Atem wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "I mean, how can you resist something like this?"

Yugi's face burned down to his neck and chest. Atem's breath tickled his ears and he struggled to find his calm center. "He's just being silly."

"You're so cute when you're modest."

Yugi squeaked and blushed an even deeper and more embarrassing shade of crimson. "Stop it."

Atem lowered himself until his face was at the same level with Yugi's. He felt the warmth of Yugi's blush near his skin and rubbed his cheek against it. He felt Yugi's shoulders stiffen, but Atem squeezed them with those talented hands, and Yugi melted into the embrace.

"I think you're just jealous," Atem directed to Yami, rubbing Yugi's arms up and down, so arousing that it nearly knocked Yugi against his chest.

Yami huffed and crossed his arms. "Jealous of what? Being molested all the time?"

"I think he's deprived," Atem said to Yugi. "He's been neglected for so long, that he doesn't know how to react when someone actually likes him."

Yugi nodded his head. "I agree."

"Of course you agree," Yami sneered. "You guys are like two peas in a damn pod. Ya can't get enough of each other."

"So you are jealous."

"I am not."

"Is that why you told us to come out here? So you can talk shit about our relationship?" Yugi asked. "I mean, I could've saved myself the trip."

"Yeah Yami, what was the deal with that text message? You tell us to come out here, and when we get here, you just snap at us like a turtle."

Yami rolled his eyes. That wasn't why he called them out here, obviously. Considering how he was, it was just hard to put something like that out there. He needed a little bit of help.

"He's bipolar," Yugi concluded after Yami didn't respond. "One minute he likes you, the next, he looks at you like you're trash."

"That's because you are trash."

"Then why invite me here, huh? You douchebag!" Yugi yelled so loudly, Atem had to move his head away from his because of the pitch of his voice.

"Because ever since I've met you, you've been a giant thorn in my ass, Yugi. You did one thing for me, and yeah it was a cool thing, but all you've done is throw it in my face. And in front of my best friend even. Yeah, that's right Duke told it to you straight—we are best friends—and you sat there and acted like you were hot shit just because you got me a job like that's some big fucking feat. Well, it's not. I made a small fucking joke and as usual, you took it up the ass. Well I'm here to tell you that you need to get over yourself. I'm a grown ass man, and I don't need someone chasing after me like a lost little puppy. If this kid is mine, then fine, I'll take care of it, but I don't appreciate you trying to barge into my life and playing fucking Dr. Phil and trying to decipher and categorize me on some DSM chart. Just fucking quit it. I'm not a science experiment. Back the hell off."

There was a piercing silence after that. Yami turned on his heel and walked back over towards the headstones of Mai and his baby Alexis. Atem looked uncomfortable. He looked over at Yugi and was taken aback when he saw a tear descending down his cheek, then another one. His eyes were bloodshot red, and his face was a flurry of red and white flushes. His chest felt as heavy, as if someone was standing on it. Yugi couldn't gather anything to say. His voice had vanished. His throat felt as though it would collapse in his neck. He felt a whirl of emotions, some of which he couldn't identify. He almost had the notion to run up to Yami and rip him apart, but his legs refused to move.

Yami on the other hand, felt very good about himself for the first time in years. Smugness overtaking him, he looked down at the plaques of his lost loved ones. He needed to find some semblance of order again before Yugi came over and ruined it.

He dare not look over his shoulder. Yami already knew Atem was trying to console Yugi and stop him from getting into Yami's face spewing venom. Because Yami was used to that by now.

Atem stood next to Yugi, letting their arms touch but he didn't wrap his around Yugi's shoulder as he usually would. The gesture told Yugi that he was there, but he wasn't going to prod into what he was thinking.

Yugi hiccupped and sniffled for a few more minutes before wiping his nose with the back of his hand. He turned towards his car and walked away.

Atem went after him. He walked a little bit more briskly so he could get in front of Yugi to cut him off. He held his shoulders. "Where are you going?"

"To get the pizza."

Atem was dumbfounded. "What?"

Yugi sniffled. "Pizza. I bought pizza."

"Really? And you're just now telling me?"

"Yeah. Drinks too."

"You need help taking them out?"

Yugi didn't answer him. Instead, he walked somberly over to the back seat of his car. Atem watched in mild perplexity as Yugi pulled out two large boxes of pizza from the vehicle. He placed it on the hood, and after closing the door, Yugi headed towards the trunk and revealed what appeared to be a small, square shaped table.

Atem quickly ran towards Yugi's car to help carry the pizzas. Yugi didn't decline so Atem guessed he needed the help. Looking over, Atem saw that Yugi's face was unreadable, as if he was trying to mask his reaction to what Yami had just said to him.

"Are you okay?" Atem asked him quietly. He briefly looked over yonder towards Yami, who still had his back turned towards them, looking down at the same headstones he was looking at earlier before Yugi showed up.

Yugi eyebrows dipped inward. "You saw what just happened."

"I know Yugi, but…try not to take it too hard."

"It's too late for that. I don't even wanna talk to him anymore. Let's just eat and get out of here. Yami made us come down here for nothing."

Atem didn't want to think that. But it was starting to look that way.

He followed Yugi back inside the gate once the doors were closed. It was starting to get dark and the temperature was dropping to a somewhat comfortable chill, but Yugi could've used a sweater. He unfolded the four table legs and set them up vertically. When he was done, Atem set the pizza boxes on top.

"I think you forgot chairs," Atem said to Yugi timidly.

"In the trunk," Yugi muttered.

Atem felt really bad. Yugi was so dejected. As headstrong as he was, he knew Yugi had a soft spot for Yami and the guy pretty much just told him to fuck off. Then again, Yugi hadn't been the easiest person to get along with either, as far as Yami was concerned.

When Yugi returned with the folding chairs, they sat down and ate. Luckily, the pizzas were still relatively warm. Yugi and Atem sat across from each other, eating in silence. Atem looked up occasionally stealing glances from Yugi, but Yugi was barely eating his food. He picked at the sausages a few times and took small bites, but that was pretty much it. He looked pitiful.

Atem frowned. "Did he hurt your feelings that badly?"

Yugi, who was sitting lax in his seat, sat upward. "He's an idiot."

"Okay, I'll admit that he can be bullheaded at times, but try to see it from his point of view."

"No thanks."

"Yugi," Atem said sternly. "All he was saying was that you needed to give him some space to figure everything out—which is what I was saying before as well. I know you mean good, but some people don't like to be smothered. Yami's a lone ranger. He doesn't like people telling him what to do. And he certainly doesn't enjoy people reading him the riot act."

"Whatever," Yugi grumbled, waving a dismissive hand and taking a bite of his pizza. "I don't even care anymore."

There was a few minutes of a painful silence. Atem noticed that not once, Yugi looked over to see what Yami was doing. Atem did however, and shockingly, Yami was still standing in the same spot he was before, looking down at those same headstones.

"He seems preoccupied anyway," Atem said out loud, more to himself than Yugi.

"Because he's looking at the grave of his dead girlfriend."

"What?" Atem wasn't sure if he heard that correctly.

"That grave is of his old girlfriend Mai." Yugi swallowed his food before speaking again. "Actually, I don't even know what she was to him. But Yami cared about her a lot."

"Hmmmm." That was certainly something Atem knew nothing about but would've been nice to have knowledge of. Leave it to Yami to leave out such important information.

"So that's why he brought us here…"

"I'm sorry?"

"This is a place that Yami holds special to him. He wanted to show us a piece of his life that he doesn't really tell anyone else about."

Yugi shook his head. "Then why wouldn't he say that right off the bat?"

"Has Yami ever really made his intentions known as soon as you saw him?"

"No…" Yugi mused, "Not really I guess."

"You two have to stop fighting long enough for him to show us that," Atem told him. "Maybe that's what he was trying to do."

"He insults me as soon as he sees me! How is that trying to 'show me anything'?"

"Maybe a confrontation from you is what he expects."

Yugi exhaled, feeling frustration creeping in. "I'm not going to be going back and forth with this. It's getting old."

"I agree. I grow tired of this nonsense as well."

The two continued to eat. In the near distance, Yami's legs were growing tired and achy from standing up so long. He was in another place mentally for so long that he forgot where he was. His mind was taking him places that he rarely visited and he kind of enjoyed it. Being in this place always brought him back to peaceful and not so peaceful times. It wasn't always easy visiting these graves, especially when it first happened. The pain of losing these two twisted and tore at his heart and spirit. Yami thought at one point, he couldn't live without these two. They held his heart in ways no one else could. Mai was difficult to deal with at times and feisty, but all in all, she was a sweet person with a good heart. She had flaws and made mistakes like everyone else, but no matter what, Yami always thought she was a perfect specimen.

Then it dawned on him….

He turned around and saw Yugi and Atem sitting down at a table eating—was that pizza?

That asshole had some nerve to bring some pizza and not invite him to come sit down to eat? Yami would show him. He was about to turn this party up.

He brazenly walked toward the duo and situated himself perpendicular to them. Yugi was about to grab another slice of pizza and his hand was in mid air but abruptly stopped once Yami sat down. Yugi scowled and shot a look at Atem as if to say, "do something about this before I do!"

Atem nodded and then turned his attention to Yami. "I take it you're hungry."

"Just a little bit."

"Help yourself."

Sure, help yourself even though I bought the damn pizza.

Atem seemed to have read the thoughts on Yugi's face, but he winked at him, as if to say everything was fine. He was so annoyingly optimistic and Yugi both loved and hated that about him. Atem was so frustratingly good at keeping a level head. If only Yugi could adopt that behavior…

The three sat quietly eating their dinner. Yami seemed to be in his own world again while he ate, and Yugi and Atem exchanged glances ranking from curious to downright disgust. Yugi was confused as all hell and Atem didn't seem too stirred; if Yugi didn't know any better, he would've thought Atem was amused by the whole damn thing.

"How'd you know I liked pineapple?" Yami suddenly woke up from his mental vacation and asked Yugi.

The younger man gulped and looked down. "I didn't."

"Hm." Yami took another slice and swallowed it as if he'd never eat again.

Yugi pursed his lips to the side. What was up with this guy? He looked at Atem, looking for some kind of affirmation, but all he got back was an expression that was just as perplexed.

Atem decided to speak up and be the voice of reason, as usual. "I'm just going to go ahead and suggest that if we're going to be hanging out like this, you two should probably learn to get along," Atem declared. "If you're going to continue fighting like children, then count me out. I get enough of that at my job."

Yugi threw him a scandalized look. He definitely didn't want to lose Atem because he and Yami couldn't stop arguing. For the first time in thirty minutes, he looked over at Yami and scowled when he continued eating as if Atem hadn't even said anything.

"I agree. I'm done arguing," Yugi said flatly, tossing his half eaten crust back in the box. "It's not worth the trouble anymore."

Yami said nothing. But Yugi could see a very discreet smirk on the side of his mouth.

"Is something funny?" he asked.

Yami shook his head. "Nope. Can't a guy smile while he's enjoying his pizza?"

"I guess…"

A few seconds of more silence passed. Yugi's eyes slit and he once again glanced over at Atem. He just got a shrug in return.

"You have some sauce on your face there…"

"What—" Before Yugi could react, Yami took his thumb and brushed the side of his mouth, a little too sensually. Yugi's cheeks blushed furiously with crimson and he sputtered when Yami licked the tomato sauce from his finger. Yugi's heart beat in his ears. He couldn't understand this foreign sensation and he couldn't suppress it. What in the world just happened?

And all Atem could do was shake his head and hum to himself.

If Yugi wasn't in such shock, he would reach over the table and smack the man, but Yami had just thrown him into a whirlwind of confusion and disarray. He'd literally gone from insulting and yelling at him, to grazing and caressing his face like it was nothing. Why the hell was Yami constantly switching? Was the guy bipolar?

Yugi couldn't do anything but sit there and watch Yami lick his finger and pass him a wink when he was done. He felt a weight down under that took his breath away. With his mouth agape and eyes wide open, Yugi darted his eyes towards Atem, careful not to move any other part of his body. Atem returned a look as if to say 'I'm just as confused as you are.'

This Yami was something else.

Atem cleared his throat to break the awkward silence. Yugi took in a deep breath after realizing he'd forgotten to breathe. Yami playfully took a single sausage from a slice of pizza that was still in the box.

Atem smacked his hand. "Other people have to use that, crazy."

Yami stuck out his tongue. "Fuck you."

Atem chuckled darkly. "Don't threaten me with a good time.

Yami blushed. Yugi covered his mouth to hide his smile. It was subtle but Yami saw it anyways and shot him a hard glare, but Yugi immediately turned his head down towards the box and grabbed the last slice of pizza before Yami could notice him grinning. Yugi took a quick glance at Atem and smiled even more when he winked at him. Now it was Yugi's turn to blush.

"You couldn't even handle it the first time…"

Atem was about to light yet another cigarette and was halfway to the stick with the lighter when he paused. His eyes dilated a scarier shade of his former ruby red and he quirked an eyebrow at Yami. "I wasn't the one moaning like a bitch."

"Neither was I. That was Yugi."

Atem coughed harder than he should have on the cigarette smoke. Yami's smiled seemed to be glued on his face. Yugi was horrified.

"Fuck both of you," he squeaked.

"Right now?"

"Atem stop it!"

Yami couldn't hold it in anymore. He laughed so hard, his head and stomach hurt. Atem continued to choke on his cigarette. Yugi snorted and snatched the cancer stick from him.

"Quit smoking this shit. I'd like to see you live past fifty."

Yami composed himself. "At this rate, he won't make it past thirty."

Atem scowled. "I am thirty."

"I better call the morgue then because you should already be dead. Yugi, we may have a ghost on our hands."

"A ghost that you happily let stick his dick inside of you."

Yugi spit out his soda so hard, it came out of his nose. The mist landed on Atem's face but he too busy laughing to notice. Yami could've gotten mad, but his mood has improved considerably, so he let Atem have that. He just better not get used to it.

"Plus," Yugi giggled after gathering himself, "He's a pretty sexy ghost if you ask me."

"Atem could be covered in baby shit and you'd still think he was hot."

"Fuck off, Yami."

"Mmm, talk that shit baby, it turns me on."

Yugi gasped. "Shut up! Weirdo…"

Well at least they were getting along for once. Atem quieted a bit while he let Yugi and Yami go back and forth with their banter and—were they flirting? Hell yes, they were definitely flirting, and judging from the blush on Yugi's face, Yami was putting the charm on heavy. And Atem didn't even think Yami realized it.

"So what was your deal earlier?" Yami asked Yugi. "Why were you being a spaz?"

Yugi glared at him. "Why were you being an asshole?"

"I was drunk."

"Jesus Christ."

"What?"

"Idiot! You were on the clock. Do you have any idea how much trouble you'd get in if you got caught? Kaiba would have my ass…."

"I didn't and that's all that matters," Yami replied with an air of cockiness.

Yugi rolled his eyes. "Well don't do it again."

"You my daddy or something?"

Yugi winked at him. "I could be."

Yami sputtered. Score one for Yugi.

"So is that why you didn't come back to the restaurant? You were drunk?"

"That, and I knew Yugi didn't want none of this ass whuppin."

"You wouldn't dare," Yugi snapped. "I'm carrying your kid."

Yami rolled his eyes and sighed. "Not this again."

"What's the problem Yami? I mean, we didn't use a condom and I'm pretty sure you didn't pull out. I'm pretty sure you unloaded a truck load inside me."

Yami made a face. "Please don't talk about cum while I'm eating."

Yugi crossed his arms. "Fair enough. But why don't you like talking about this Yami? I'm not trying to argue, I'm genuinely curious. Is it because of Mai? Do I remind you of her somewhat?"

The discomfort on Yami's face came and left so quickly, it was barely noticeable but Yugi saw it. He knew this was a delicate subject, but they just couldn't keep skirting past it like it meant nothing because Yugi knew that Yami held on this issue for dear life and avoided talking about it like it gave him an STD if he were to discuss it. If they were going to be a couple—or whatever arrangement they agreed on, they had to get past this and move on. Yugi was tired this roadblock and quite frankly he was sure Atem was too.

"Maybe…I mean…you're cute like she was…I mean…I dunno..."

Yami was stumbling over his words so much it was adorable. Yugi felt something inside him soften, and a sudden urge to protect and comfort Yami surged his body because he knew how hard this still must have been even four years later.

"You kinda…make me feel some type of way…. I guess. Fuck, I don't know what I'm saying…"

"Awww," Atem teased. "Someone has a crush."

Yami shot him a death glare. "Shut the fuck up."

Yugi internally gushed. Yami had more or less admitted that he liked him. He didn't want to act like an immature schoolgirl, but that's honestly what he wanted from day one.

"So what do you like about me Yami?" Yugi mocked, batting his lashes. "Is it my eyes? My lips? My sense of humor?"

"None of the above," Yami grumbled. He stood up and stretched. "Don't get cocky on me. You're still a little shit."

"Yeah, sure." Yugi grinned like a cheshire cat. "It's my ass isn't it?"

"For fuck's sake…"

Atem busted into laughter. Yugi joined him as they collected the empty pizza boxes, and folded the chairs and tables. Yami mumbled irritably under his breath as he walked out of the gate towards Yugi's car.

"Score another one for me!" After saying his goodbyes to Atem, Yugi skipped happily to the driver's side of the car. Yami was sitting in the passenger's seat resting his elbow on the door handle and pouting—the guy was actually pouting and Yugi wished he had a camera to capture this rare moment.

When Yugi closed the door, he tried cupping his thumb and index fingers across Yami's chin. He got his hand smacked for his effort.

"You're so cute when you're mad."

"Shut up and take me home," Yami barked.

"Your wish is my command."

Yugi snickered to himself as he drove off from the gravesite. It was hard, but he was finally relieved he got through to Yami. Hopefully it would get better from here. In a peaceful silence, they drove through the dark streets of Domino City.

When Yugi wasn't looking, Yami would steal quick glances at him and smile. He'd never admit it, but despite the teasing at his expense, he secretly liked the attention. He wasn't sure what would happen after this but Yami let himself think it was safe to assume that this wouldn't be a repeat of four years ago.

If anyone hasn't noticed, I posted a brand new poll with new Mobiumshipping stories. Choose one that sounds the most appealing to you. Pretty please :) thanks for reading!