Sorry for the irregular updates, guys. Hopefully I'm back to my usual weekly gig.
Enjoy.
Chapter 11
DIVING IN
It was another hot day, on the brink of being unbearable. The light hoodie Yugi usually wore over his t-shirts had started to become uncomfortable halfway through the day. He shifted a little closer now to the aggravatingly small opening of the window in the classroom.
This particular tutorial, his last class of the week, had crawled along. The heat seemed to act like some sticky viscous syrup trickling through the day, dragging time down to an agonizingly slow pace. Yugi had watched in despair as the minute hand ticked an eternal path, seemingly going nowhere. It was definitely an effective form of torture, Yugi thought.
"Duuuke, could you please help me with this?"
The student's query cut through Yugi's sluggish thoughts. He watched as their maths tutor, Duke, reluctantly pulled away from the window against which he'd been wilting and made his way to the student.
Yugi kept the smile off his face. The smile that usually tried to creep across his features whenever he became overly aware of the students' need for Duke's attention. Pretty much every tutorial was the same, with the majority of the class vying for Duke's services. The only one who seemed immune besides Yugi was a short kid who sat in the back of the room, a few feet away from Yugi.
Maybe lack of height meant you were less susceptible to Duke's charms, Yugi thought wryly, crossing his ankles.
He half-heartedly scribbled an equation down, keeping one eye on the clock. He shifted again in his seat, uncrossed his ankles, and stifled a sigh. His squirming seemed to catch the attention of his short neighbour. He was sitting stiffly in his seat himself, but it wasn't due to the heat, Yugi knew. He'd seen the boy often around campus, in maths lectures and the library. The boy seemed to carry himself with a rigid bearing that was as stiff and formal as his clothes, his demeanour as unyielding as the perfectly straight fringe of his bowl cut.
Now, in the heat of the tutorial room, he blinked owlishly at Yugi, the circular rims of his glasses glinting golden in the sunlight.
Yugi tried a smile, which began to slip off uncertainly as the other boy only continued to stare blankly at him.
Yugi shot another glance at the clock. Approximately two minutes seemed to have passed. Of course time would choose to crawl today of all days. The day he'd agreed to see Atem about the flat. The day he'd agreed to let Joey accompany him on his errand. Something which he wasn't exactly eager to face. As much as Yugi loved his friend he couldn't deny the fact that tact wasn't exactly Joey's forte. He could only hope that nothing truly humiliating would come to pass.
He glanced at the clock again. Still two minutes left to go.
All right, that's it.
He dropped his pencil and began shuffling his papers together. He couldn't sit there another second and pretend to be doing work. Half the class had spent most of the tutorial draped lazily across their tables. If the tutor himself couldn't bother to hide his lack of enthusiasm for tutoring on this hot day, Yugi thought as dragged his bag out from under the table, he didn't see why he had to keep up the act himself.
There was a discreet cough to his right.
Yugi turned and blinked to see his unsmiling neighbour hovering by his right elbow.
"Oh...hi," Yugi couldn't hep smiling, despite the meagre reaction his last attempt at friendliness had inspired.
"How are you finding the matrices?" It was an abrupt question and there was still no smile.
"Oh...um, they're ok," Yugi replied, unable to keep the spurt of puzzlement he felt out of his voice. He slid his books into his bags and stood up. "I find them a little trickier than the last topic, though."
"There's nothing tricky about them. It's all very straightforward if you keep the formula in mind." The boy's voice was high and squeaky, bordering almost on the unpleasant.
Yugi zipped his bag closed and blinked across at his classmate. "Um, yeah, ok." He noticed it was one of the few times that he didn't have to look up at whoever was talking to him.
The other boy pushed his glasses up his nose and peered at Yugi. "I mean," he continued, his tone a little softer, "I have more trouble with the last topic we did."
"Well, different people find different things difficult, I guess," Yugi said and gave another reassuring smile. The awkwardness the other boy carried with him seemed to make Yugi smile a lot, as if that might somehow ease the atmosphere.
"Mm." He nodded, his silvery-blue hair catching the sunlight. "So, why don't we help each other out?"
Yugi blinked. "You mean study together?"
"Yes. It could be useful as I know what you don't, and . . . vice versa."
Yugi bit back a smile at the obvious reluctance with which the second half of the statement was delivered. Instead, he nodded. "Yeah, ok."
The other boy blinked. "Really?" His voice leaped, hitching on a scratchy high note.
"Sure, why not. It would definitely be helpful." Yugi swung his bag onto the shoulder. "I've got to run now, though, but how about we meet up after the next maths lecture?"
Seeing the other kid nod, Yugi was just about to rush off when something stopped him, and he turned.
"Oh! Uh, what's your name?"
"Weavil," the boy stated, sticking out a hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Weavil," Yugi beamed, shaking the hand. "I'm Yugi."
"I know." Another blink behind the glasses.
Yugi found the other boy's abruptness both startling and amusing. "Ah, ok. Well I guess I'll see you at the next lecture then."
Yugi gave one last smile before speeding off. There were exactly thirty seconds left for him to rush to the corner cafeteria where he'd said he'd meet Joey. Punctuality wasn't something his slapdash friend usually gave significance to but Yugi had a feeling that this time would be one of the few exceptions.
Sure enough, Yugi could see his friend's tall, gangly form propped up against the glass display case housing the cafe's frosted desserts.
Yugi went up and tugged on Joey's sleeve.
"Yugi. Which of these babies look good to you?"
Yugi threw a distracted glance at the desserts. "I don't know – they all do, I guess."
"That's the problem, man! I've been standin' here for the past five minutes, tryin' to decide on the double choc-chip brownie, the raspberry tart or the pecan pie. It's been torture!"
"Um, Joe," Yugi frowned at his watch, "I don't think we're gonna have time to pick a dessert, not if we want to get to Atem's place by two."
"Seriously?"
Yugi nodded apologetically.
"That's fine." Joey's jaw lost its slackness. "Mr. Atem can feed me himself. C'mon, Yugi, let's go!"
And he strode off, dragging a very worried looking Yugi behind him.
"So, this is it, huh?'
Yugi and Joey craned their necks – Yugi, a little more so than his much taller friend – to take in the stark, grey complex shimmering in the afternoon sun.
"Yup."
"Yug!" Joey clapped him on the back, looking impressed. "You forgot to mention how sweet it was!"
Yugi shrugged. He'd been a little too occupied with other things, though it wasn't something he'd admit aloud. Not even to himself, let alone Joey.
They rode the elevator to the seventh floor, Joey muttering under his breath about people trying to use their wealth to impress others while Yugi pretended not to hear him. It seemed as if Joey was clutching at every possible fault he could hold against Atem. Yugi's stomach roiled at the thought everything Joey might do and say once Atem opened the door.
Should I say something?
Yugi inhaled and turned towards Joey.
"Listen Joey, could you just –"
Joey looked down at him, eyebrows raised expectantly. "Just what?"
"Just," Yugi gazed at his sneakers, then looked back up. "Just don't be too rude to him? Please?"
"Yug! What makes you think I'm gonna be rude to him?"
Yugi's expression was flat.
Joey stared him down for at least three seconds before breaking, and turning away, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Fine, fine, I won't be rude. But I'm not going to hold back if I've got questions, Yug."
"I wouldn't delude myself," Yugi muttered out of the side of his mouth.
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" Yugi called over his shoulder, leading his friend out of the elevator and down the hall.
He stopped in front of Atem's door and took another deep breath. Then giving Joey a nervous smile, he raised his fist and knocked.
The man who opened the door wasn't Atem. This man was much taller - taller even than Joey - with brown hair that fell almost into his eyes, and a grey suit that sat in cleanly moulded lines over his long-limbed form. His blue eyes were cold and flat, and Yugi had the distinct impression that he and Joey were unwanted.
"Um . . . hi," he ventured, glad that his voice wasn't squeaking. "I'm Yugi. I'm here to see Atem."
The man blinked.
Hm . . .he looks kinda familiar.
"About the flat? Is he here?"
Blue eyes continued to stare him down and Yugi had to fight the urge to shuffle his feet. He didn't know who this man was, but he wasn't going to let him intimidate him for no reason. Yugi gulped surreptitiously and stared back.
"Hey, pal! My friend asked you a question, didn't he?" Joey, never one to stay silent for too long, had obviously decided to take the situation into his own hands. "So, how's about answerin' him instead of starin' at him like some demented moron?"
Yugi bit back a wince. Joey never did anything by halves after all. But something was telling Yugi that that this wasn't a man to be playing games with.
The brown-haired man flicked his gaze to Joey, his eyes narrowing to angry slits. "And what are you, his guard dog?" His voice was gravelly and dripping with contempt.
Yugi felt his own eyes widen as they landed on his friend's face.
Joey's usually clear pallor had taken on a startling shade of red, and his fingers were fisting at his sides. Yugi could see the nerves sticking out from where he was.
Never a good sign.
There was probably about a millisecond before his friend combusted. Yugi grabbed Joey's elbow in a tight grip and gave it one tug of warning.
"Listen, we didn't come to make trouble," Yugi told the other man, not caring that he was still glowering at Joey. "As I said before, I'm just here to see Atem about the flat. He told me to drop by today, but if he isn't here, that's fine. We'll be on our way. Please let him know that we-"
"Ah, Yugi. You're here."
Yugi turned to see Atem coming towards them, wearing a small smile, and sliding his phone into his back pocket.
"And I see you've met my friend. I was on a call, so he was nice enough to greet you for me."
A strangled sound escaped Joey and Yugi's fingers around his elbow tightened automatically.
The tall man was still eyeing them silently, though his arms were now crossed and he'd exchanged the look of contempt for one of boredom instead.
Atem smoothly shoved his friend out of the way and opened the door wider.
"Come in, won't you?" He smiled down at Yugi, all politeness.
Yugi quickly pulled off his shoes with his feet, and moved past Atem, Joey close behind.
The apartment looked different in the day light, thought Yugi, more spacious and inviting. The carpet, bristly and cool under his thin socks, was a light speckled brown, the colour of a sandy beach in the height of summer. Yugi suddenly had an overwhelming urge to stretch out on it, so he shoved his hands into his pockets instead.
His eyes roamed. Everything in the apartment seemed to be in varying shades of brown, all warm and soothing, from the deep chocolate of the coffee table to the light mocha of the curtains. Yugi found it calmed him, and realized he wouldn't mind calling this place 'home' for the rest of the year.
His eyes travelled the perimeter of the room and came to rest on the one reason why he would mind.
And that reason was staring at him with a keen, watchful gaze.
"Did you find the place all right?" There was something in the man's tone that Yugi couldn't pinpoint, and which seemed to irritate him.
"Ah, yes. It wasn't too hard, the bus stop's only a few blocks away, actually."
"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Atem replied politely.
Atem was being too polite Yugi realized. He'd always been polite before, but this time his manner was much cooler – as cool as he'd been right after Yugi had agreed to his offer of moving in.
It was disappointing.
There was a sound like someone clearing their throat from behind, and Yugi realized that he'd forgotten Atem's friend. He also realized, with some shame, that he'd forgotten his own friend, too.
"Ah, Yugi, let me introduce you to Seto Kaiba. Seto, this is Yugi."
Kaiba! As in KaibaCorp!
Yugi couldn't hold back the look of surprise. No wonder the man had looked familiar. He hoped Joey had realized who it was as well. He hoped that was the reason why his friend was choosing to remain silent, and not simply choosing to fume silently.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Mr. Kaiba." Yugi stuck out his hand.
Kaiba eyed Yugi's hand, lifted a supercilious eyebrow, and then finally stretched out his own to take Yugi's. "My pleasure," he stated, though his flat tone suggested the complete opposite.
There was a snort from Joey.
Kaiba turned slowly on the spot to face Joey. "And you are?"
Yugi could only be glad that Kaiba didn't make any references to his guard dog comment earlier. Though there was still plenty of time for that, he thought miserably.
Joey snapped into a rigid line. "I'm Joey Wheeler!" He had a defiant set to his jaw.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?"
God, Joey, don't take the bait, please do-
"You would be if you knew what was good for you!"
Yugi felt his eyes close in horror. He wondered if Kaiba knew Joey was an employee in his company. He doubted it. Joey's position wasn't one of the top ones – far from it - but all the same, Yugi couldn't help being nervous.
And from the way Joey's eyes were burning, Yugi didn't think his nervousness was unwarranted.
"Well, look at me, I'm shaking in my boots." Kaiba leered.
What the hell was Kaiba doing? In his professional suit and tie, he didn't seem like someone who would stoop to petty comments, and yet there he was, baiting Joey.
Yugi felt a tug on his elbow and turned.
Atem was smiling down at him. "Let's leave them to it, shall we?"
"Uh...I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Yugi looked back worriedly over his shoulder.
"Don't worry," Atem murmured, looking over Yugi's head, "Kaiba's bark is worse than his bite."
"And Joey's bite is worse than his bark . . .sometimes," Yugi said, furrowing his brow at the other man. "And I'm afraid this might be one of those times."
Atem chuckled. "Then I'm sure they'll balance each other out. Now come on, you and I have business to settle."
Atem led him into the kitchen area. It led straight from the lounge, open-plan style, so they could still see Joey and Kaiba facing off. The contract was laid out on the speckled grey counter, a pen lying neatly next to it.
"All right, Yugi. Everything's on there, just as we discussed over the phone. You can have a quick read-through if you want, of course," Atem assured him, pushing the stapled sheets towards Yugi.
"Ok, thanks." Yugi pulled the sheet closer and let his eyes skim over, acutely aware of Atem, who turned away to fiddle with the cupboards.
"Do you want a drink while you read?"
Yugi looked up to see Atem twisting around, the cupboard behind him yawning open to display an assortment of mugs and cups. It was a surreal moment, the strangeness of being around Atem contrasting with the familiarity that Yugi felt was linked with kitchens. He had a flash of the future when, in a week's time, he might be sharing a drink with Atem with the easy familiarity of flatmates.
"Yugi?"
Yugi blinked. "Ah, no, I'm good. Thanks, though."
Atem gave another small smile, and murmured "All right" before turning around to fix his own drink.
Yugi focused on the words in front of him. It was all there. Everything was as they had discussed. He would be paying relatively the same amount he had been while living with Rex (whenever Rex had actually managed to pay his half). He picked up the pen and scribbled his signature on the bottom, watching the ink leak out to form his name. He stared at the curls and dives of the letters, the realization that he was going to be living with Atem seeping into him as fast as the ink seeped into the paper.
"Regretting it?"
Yugi's head snapped up.
Atem was watching him intently, hips propped against the counter, holding a mug of something against his abdomen.
"Of course not. Why would you think that?" Yugi hadn't meant to ask the question, but it slipped out without his permission.
Atem took a sip of his drink before answering. "The look on your face after you signed the contract." His expression was neutral, a shade away from indifference, but there was a quietness to his words that hinted at something else.
"No. Not at all. Of course not."
Atem's lips twisted into a small and, it seemed to Yugi, a disbelieving smile.
"It's true! You don't have to smile like that!" He felt flustered in his haste to reassure this man.
Atem chuckled, long and deeply, the rich sound bubbling from his lips and pulling a smile onto Yugi's face as well.
"God, Yugi, you're so . . ." Atem shook his head, still laughing.
Yugi waited, aware that he was smiling sappily. He couldn't quite absorb the fact that here he was, in this man's kitchen, laughing together as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Mm . . ." Atem straightened, clearing his throat. "Well, everything's all right then?" He nodded at the sheet lying on the counter.
"Um, yeah." Yugi fought to keep the frown of confusion off his face. "It's fine."
"All right," Atem said briskly, shoving off the counter, and pulling something out of his pocket. "Well, then, here's your key." He held out a key ring to Yugi. It had a single blue key dangling on it.
As Yugi moved around the counter to reach for the key, he caught sight of Kaiba's tall form leaning against the archway to the kitchen.
"So, you'll be moving in on Saturday then?" Atem asked, politely reaffirming.
Yugi took the key and slipped into his own pocket and nodded. He turned to pass through the archway, but as Kaiba was still there, he felt reluctant to do so.
"So, Yugi, how old are you?" Kaiba questioned.
"Um, eighteen."
Kaiba nodded. "And you're at school?"
Maybe the other man was aiming for polite curiosity but it looked to Yugi a lot more like superior contempt. He felt something flare in his chest.
"Uni. I'm at uni," he said firmly.
"I see. Higher education. Admirable."
Yugi tried not to let his eyes narrow. He could see why Joey had been so quick to react. There was something inherent in the man's tone that hinted at mockery.
"I highly doubt Yugi wants to listen to your views on education, Seto," Atem's voice murmured above Yugi's head. "I'm sure he has other places to be." He guided Yugi through the archway, a hand hovering near Yugi's back. Atem wasn't exactly touching him; nonetheless Yugi was aware of the small source of warmth at his back.
"Well, Yugi, thank you for being so prompt. I really appreciate it."
"Yeah . . . no problem," he threw a glance at Atem behind him, feeling far too much like an animal being herded. Yugi was certain he didn't like the feeling, and he fought the urge to brush off the man's arm.
"Ready, Yug?" Joey looked as displeased as Yugi felt, with his arms crossed, and brow wrinkled. Yugi could practically see the remnants of smoke that must have streamed out of his ears during his exchange with Kaiba.
"And it was nice to - meet - your friend." The intonation Atem gave to the word 'meet' described aptly the lack of exchange between the two. Joey's plans seemed to have been completely foiled. Not that it mattered. The man seemed all too eager to be rid of them.
Atem opened his door and stretched out an arm, looking very much like the maitre'd of a restaurant.
Except instead of welcoming us, he's practically throwing us out.
"I look forward to Saturday, Yugi," Atem smiled, as Yugi and Joey slipped through the door after stepping into their shoes.
Yugi had a strong desire to ask Atem if he was lying. He bit his lip, swallowing down the words, and glanced back to see the door close on Atem's blank face.
Yugi stared at the brown of the door. Moments before he'd thought all the brown soothing. Now it seemed bitter, drab.
"Well, that was annoying," Joey grumbled.
"Yeah . . ." Why had Atem been so abrupt?
"Why the hell did that Kaiba jerk have to be there, anyway?!" Joey's strangled question broke through Yugi's reverie.
"Oh, um, yeah, I don't know." He blinked, and then slid a sly grin in Joey's direction. "Maybe he was there for the same reason that you were."
Joey glared.
"Hmm," Yugi assumed a deeply thoughtful expression, "why were you there again? I forget." He tapped a finger against his chin, eyes glinting wickedly at Joey. "But I guess that's all right, 'cos you obviously forgot, too, huh?"
An indignant hand swung out at him, and Yugi jumped out of the way, laughter bursting out of him.
"How was I supposed to know that that jerk would be there?" Joey muttered under his breath, the frown sitting on his brow making him look like a petulant child.
Yugi couldn't help chuckling. "Oh, Joey," he sighed, throwing one last glance at Atem's door. "Let's go."
And he pulled at his friend's sleeve, leading him down the hall, pretending that the bubble of disappointment in his stomach was only his imagination and nothing more.
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