Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor its characters. I also do not profit from this work of fiction.

A/N: Hola! Welcome to a new chapter of The Aftermath! Lately I've been rather busy writing a challenge fic, so the updates for this and Misfits In Love have been delayed more than usual. However, I managed to put down the challenge fic long enough to get this chapter ready! I hope y'all enjoy. Thank you for your patience! Feel free to follow me on Twitter (uglybuffet) for writing updates, line excerpts, life tidbits, and more!

Summary: After his initial failure to talk to Atemu about his mother, Yuugi gathers his courage to try again.

Warning: Sex Mention

Chapter 21: "We Need To Talk"

From Atemu:

Hey, sorry I missed you. See you
tomorrow?

.

To Atemu:

Not sure. Got a big order. I'll let you
know.

.

"You're a coward, Yuugi Mutou," Yuugi said softly as he looked up from his phone to gaze into the foggy bathroom mirror. Fresh out of the shower and dressed for bed, Yuugi set his phone down on the counter and grabbed his toothbrush from its cup. It was past nine o'clock, and Yuugi was home in the safety of his bathroom. His text was not a lie, he really did have a tall order to fill … next week. He had skipped seeing Atemu entirely, pretending he was too busy to see him when he returned just before closing. His charade had not gone unnoticed and both Jounouchi and Juudai had commented on his actions.

.

"Atemu's back," Juudai said as he walked into the kitchen where Yuugi was determinedly cleaning out an oven. He paused a couple of feet away, a smile on his face. "Gonna go see him? Maybe smooch a little?" Juudai teased and Yuugi barely glanced at him, focusing harder on his cleaning as a lump of dread formed in his stomach.

"I'm a little busy here, Juudai," Yuugi said, moving further into the oven to avoid eye contact.

"Cleaning can totally wait," Juudai said, "come on. He's so excited to see you, it's been forever." He shuffled closer and a laugh left his lips. "You should see his face, he's a total puppy."

"I can't, Juudai," Yuugi said, pausing, "I have a lot to do –"

"Well, I can do this," Juudai said with a shrug, moving forward to take Yuugi's sponge, "you go see Atemu –"

"No," Yuugi said, cutting him off as he moved his sponge out of reach. He took a breath, reaffirming his resolve as he continued to scrub. "There's a very specific way to do this," he fibbed, gloved hand clenching on the sponge, "tell Atemu I'm sorry."

"Oh," Juudai uncertainly, standing straight and failing to grasp Yuugi's drift, "I mean, you could just take thirty seconds. That stove isn't going anywhere –"

"Juudai, please," Yuugi said, intending to sound stern and drastically failing as the plea in his voice slipped through. He winced, closing his eyes and praying Juudai had not noticed.

"Okay," Juudai said, and the good humor vanished from his tone, "sorry. I'll tell Atemu you're busy." He left and Yuugi waited until he heard the kitchen door swing shut to let out the desolate sigh trapped in his chest. He dropped the sponge, hand trembling and heart aching.

.

Placing the rinsed toothbrush back in the cup, Yuugi took a long look at the lone brush. A few days ago when he had come home riding the high from his date outside the store, he had dared to imagine a second one someday resting beside it, but he swept the thought away with a shake of his head. He ignored the flimsy hope that the second toothbrush could have been Atemu's. That was no longer a possibility for him. Atemu's mother had seen to that. Taking a deep breath, Yuugi wiped his face dry with his towel and left the bathroom. Jounouchi's earlier words came to him then.

.

Moving back onto his heels, Yuugi pulled the yellow rubber gloves from his hands and sighed heavily. He dropped them onto the oven door, mind preoccupied. The kitchen door swung open and his heart skipped a beat, head whipping around to see Jounouchi walk in. Immediately, he relaxed, relieved it had not been Juudai, or worse still, Atemu ignoring his wishes and barging in unannounced to see him.

"Alright," Jounouchi said, eyes narrowed and arms crossed, "what the hell's gotten into you?"

"What are you talking about, Jounouchi?" Yuugi asked, refusing to meet his gaze. He grabbed the gloves and slipped them back on, ready to bury himself back into his work. He had only just taken up the sponge when it was pulled from his grip. Jounouchi stood, eyes narrowed on him as he tossed the sponge aside onto the counter. It was more than clear that Jounouchi would not be putting up with his usual evasive techniques. There would be no escape from this conversation.

"You don't get to ignore me like you did with Juudai," Jounouchi said firmly, shaking a finger at him and confirming his suspicions, "I'm not a teenager, Yuugi, and we've known each other way too long to bullshit like this." He leaned back, resting against the counter and waiting for Yuugi to give up his ploy. After a moment of hesitation, Yuugi sighed and stood, pulling off the gloves once more. He set them on the counter and glanced around to the kitchen door. "They've all gone home and I already locked the door," Jounouchi said and Yuugi turned back to him, mouth twisted into a grimace.

"I don't want to talk –" Yuugi began to say when Jounouchi waved a hand at him.

"You never do," Jounouchi interrupted, "but last I knew, you had taken a step forward." He motioned towards the front. "Why did I have to send Atemu away? I thought you liked him."

"I do like him," Yuugi protested and Jounouchi raised his hands, confused.

"Then what the hell?" he asked.

"His mom came by," Yuugi said and Jounouchi nodded.

"Yeah, I saw you sitting with her," he said, "didn't ask because I figured you'd tell me if it was something bad. Was it?"

"Yeah," Yuugi admitted and Jounouchi frowned. "She came to tell me that I can't be with Atemu," he said and Jounouchi snorted, amused.

"You're kidding, right?" Jounouchi said, "Where does she get off on telling you what to do for a son she apparently threw away – isn't Atemu eighteen? He can make his own damn decisions."

"She's been having him followed," Yuugi said quietly and Jounouchi's eyes widened, eyebrows rising high on his forehead with disbelief. "Yeah," Yuugi said, raising his eyebrows knowingly, "I know, right? She showed me pictures – she has one where Atemu and I are kissing!"

"Damn," Jounouchi muttered, "that's creepy."

"And she threatened..." Yuugi trailed off and Jounouchi frowned, suddenly serious.

"She threatened you?" he asked, alert, "What did –"

"No," Yuugi said, "not me directly." He shrugged helplessly, arms lifting and gesturing to their surroundings. "She made it seem like she would try and take this away," he said.

"The bakery?" Jounouchi said, motioning between them, "Our bakery?" He scoffed, hands clenching. "Oh, I'd like to see her try and take this away from us," he said challengingly, "who is she that she can even say something like that?"

It was then that Yuugi pulled his phone from his pocket. He clicked through to his browser and brought up a tab, holding it out. Jounouchi took the phone, confused.

"Her name is Adira Muuran," Yuugi said, "I googled her. She's married to the best criminal defense lawyer in the state." He sighed. "People like that," Yuugi said slowly, "they don't make empty threats, do they?"

"What could they even do?" Jounouchi said, breezily scrolling through the webpage and grimacing. "We haven't committed any crimes," he said, shrugging as he handed the phone back, "I'm calling bull." But even with Jounouchi's certainty, Yuugi wavered, arms crossing against his chest protectively.

"What if it's not a bluff and I call it?" Yuugi asked, brow creased and Jounouchi stared at him, firm.

"Yuugi," Jounouchi said, "the thing about you and me?" He pointed at each of them, eyebrow raised. "We're gamblers and you're the best damn gambler I know. What's your gut telling you – is she bluffing?"

For a moment, Yuugi was quiet, brow furrowed as he recalled his conversation with Adira Muuran. His stomach twisted with dread and he sighed.

"I'm not sure," he said, "I think she meant her threat, but … there's something else there that I can't quite figure out … maybe she was bluffing. Something's bothering me, though."

"What is it?" Jounouchi asked.

"She said she's been keeping tabs on Atemu since he ran away," Yuugi said with a frown. "But that was four years ago, according to her – she just let Atemu be homeless for all that time? Atemu said she kicked him out. If he's telling the truth, and my gut tells me he is, she should be in jail for neglect or something." Yuugi waved his hands around, bewildered, and Jounouchi nodded, his expression concerned. "This whole thing is really suspicious to me," Yuugi said, "that she actually admitted that kind of thing to me? I don't know what to think."

"Well, one thing to do then," Jounouchi said, shrugging. "Call her bluff. She's got no business trying to come between you and Atemu" – abruptly, he waved his hands, face pinched with disbelief – "whatever's happened between them, you gotta talk to Atemu about this. She's his mother and I'm sure he'd like to know what's going on." He reached out both arms, placing his hands on Yuugi's shoulders and squeezing. "Talk to him," Jounouchi said, "get your answers, and don't let this woman get in the way of something good." He smiled wistfully, letting go and sighing. "I've never seen you as happy as when Atemu's texting you," Jounouchi said gently, "your whole face lights up like your birthday came early. It's been a really long time since I've seen you like that, you sure you want to throw that away?"

.

"I don't," Yuugi said aloud to his mirror, "I really, really don't." On the counter, his phone buzzed and Yuugi picked it up, chewing on his lip as he checked the reply Atemu had sent him.

.

From Atemu:

Okay. Let me know.

.

Taking a deep breath, Yuugi squared his shoulders and typed out his reply.

.

To Atemu:

I have something to tell you. Free
tomorrow?

x x x

To Yuugi:

Of course. I'll come in with Juudai.

.

"I'm so glad I'm here right now," Juudai said as he swiped a piping hot cookie from the cooling rack in the middle of Atemu's kitchen table. He hissed as it burned his fingers, and quickly passed it into his other hand. "Hot, hot, hot!" he yelped, tossing it back and forth from hand to hand, until Yuusei reached over and caught it in midair, placing it back onto the cooling rack without a word. "Hey," Juudai said, put out, "I was gonna eat that."

"They're not yours to eat," Atemu reprimanded, lifting his eyes from his phone to frown at Juudai.

"I don't think you should do this," Yuusei said and Atemu looked at him, setting his phone down with confusion.

It was a quarter to ten in the evening, and the three friends were sitting around Atemu's table with a rack of cooling double-chocolate cookies at the center, baking supplies surrounding it. Juudai, who was in the middle of taking back his pilfered cookie, stilled, and he looked at Yuusei with the same mild bewilderment decorating Atemu's features.

"What, cookies?" Atemu asked, laughing, "No harm ever came from baking cookies, Yuusei."

Juudai bit into the cookie, his eyes watering in pain a second later, mouth opening in a gasp. Wordlessly, Yuusei grabbed his glass of water and handed it to Juudai, his eyes on Atemu. Juudai eagerly took the glass, swirling the water into his mouth and swallowing it all with a relieved sigh.

"Serves you right," Atemu said to him and Juudai smiled back without regret.

"I'm not talking about the cookies," Yuusei said as Juudai waited impatiently for the rest of the cookie to cool down, blowing on it to speed up the process. He was watching them talk, his eyes darting back and forth as though he were watching an intense tennis match.

"Then what are you talking about?" Atemu asked lowly, brow furrowed.

"Yuugi," Yuusei said.

"Yuugi?" Atemu said incredulously.

"I don't think you should keep putting in effort on someone who's only half-in," Yuusei elaborated and Juudai became abnormally still, his eyes widening as he looked at Yuusei. "He's clearly not as attached to you as you are to him."

"Clearly," Atemu said, and his expression flattened into obscure offense, "and you would know this, how?"

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Yuusei said and Atemu scoffed.

"Yuusei," he sighed, shaking his head and face clearing into something more lighthearted and amused. He smiled and said, "You're being dramatic."

"When have I ever been dramatic?" Yuusei rebutted and Atemu opened his mouth to retort, but his words halted. He frowned, thinking. "Exactly," Yuusei said and Atemu shook his head.

"That's besides the point," Atemu said and Yuusei looked at him, expectant. "The point is," Atemu pressed, "that everything's going fine and there's nothing to worry about, in fact" – he took his phone up and pulled up Yuugi's messages – "he wants to see me tomorrow." He held out the phone, pointedly so, and grimaced when Yuusei did not take it. "Just look," he urged, and Yuusei finally obliged, taking the device and looking down at the screen. "See?" Atemu said with a tight smile, "Nothing to worry about."

Atemu's smile did not reach his eyes, his expression failing to inspire confidence, and that told Yuusei more than his words would. Reading through the messages, Yuusei could see why Atemu had adopted such a constipated look. He set the phone down on the counter and nodded to himself.

"Alright," Yuusei said, "I'll go with you."

"That's right – wait, what?"

"We can sleep over," Yuusei said and Juudai perked up, interested.

"A sleepover?" Juudai said excitedly, "Dude, yes – wait, I have to call my mom and check if she needs anything first." He whipped out his phone and grabbed his cookie before he left the kitchen to make the call. Atemu stared after him, dumbfounded.

"Wait," he repeated, looking thrown for a loop, "what?"

x x x

Sitting on his bed in a brown, long-sleeved shirt and green plaid, flannel pants, Atemu stared at the wall, frowning to himself. Behind him, Juudai was pulling on a borrowed blue shirt and pair of red sleeping pants. Yuusei laid beside Atemu, eyes pointedly fixed on the cottage cheese ceiling and shirtless with a pair of Atemu's drawstring, grey sweatpants. Atemu opened his mouth, ready to speak, but quickly shut it, brow furrowing even further. After a moment, Juudai sighed.

"Damn, Atemu," Juudai said, "your pants make me feel tiny."

"Are you calling me fat?" Atemu asked. He tried turning around, only to be promptly kneed in the ribs by Yuusei. He glowered at Yuusei who continued to stare up, and turned back to the wall, crossing his arms.

"He's got a bigger butt than you, Juudai," Yuusei said and Juudai snorted a laugh while Atemu turned his head to raise a questioning eyebrow at Yuusei. "Just an observation," Yuusei said, "I'm not checking you out. In addition to that, it wouldn't hurt if you laid off the junk food."

"Yeah, you wish you could have this," Atemu scoffed and Juudai laughed even louder.

"No one wants that," Yuusei rebutted and Atemu bristled indignantly. Yuusei smirked at him and shrugged as Juudai climbed onto the bed, pulling in his legs to sit cross-legged.

"Except for Yuugi," Juudai said and Atemu relaxed, nodding, "and me, once, in a dream when we'd just met and I didn't know you." Atemu's eyebrows shot up at that, but before he could say a single word, Yuusei kneed him again. Offended, Atemu scowled at him.

"I didn't even do anything," Atemu protested as Juudai reached out to pat Yuusei's head in comfort. Atemu rubbed his side, annoyed. "I'm choosing to ignore that second part because Yuusei will probably hit me again," Atemu said placidly and Yuusei nodded without remorse, "but I'm really okay with that first part." He smiled to himself, content. "Yuugi's the one I'm trying to impress anyway," Atemu laughed, "if no one ever finds me attractive again in my life, that would be totally okay as long as Yuugi does."

"You're such a romantic, Atemu," Juudai replied and Atemu turned around eyeing both of his friends.

"Yeah," he said skeptically, "remind me how you both managed to convince me into not kicking your asses out?"

"You let us stay," Yuusei said, "because you actually love us and you're lonely here."

"I'm not lonely," Atemu denied, "Bakura comes over all the time."

"Is he really here if he's drunk?" Juudai asked the air around him, a thoughtful hand at his chin, and Atemu felt his shoulders slump.

"Not really," Atemu quietly answered him.

"Still not going to AA?" Yuusei asked and Atemu shook his head with a sigh.

"He won't go," he said, "and I don't know what to say to make him go – he doesn't even do it for Malik."

"Well, constantly kicking him out obviously isn't working," Juudai piped up, "maybe he just needs a heart to heart?"

"A heart to heart?" Atemu echoed, eyebrow rising high on his brow, "Are you kidding me? He'll actually stab me this time if I try that."

"As amusing as that sounds," Yuusei said, "maybe it's better if you don't get stabbed." Beside him, Juudai frowned.

"No," Juudai said, shaking his head, "it could work! Speaking from the heart is always a good idea. I do it all the time – that's how I got you, Yuusei." Juudai smiled, extending a leg and nudging Yuusei's side with his toes. Yuusei turned his head to look at him, a small smile at the corner of his lips. Without a word, he laid a hand on Juudai's calf and rubbed the skin there with his thumb.

"Please don't start making out on my bed," Atemu begged.

"No promises," Juudai replied and Atemu groaned, exasperated.

x x x

On Saturday morning, Atemu and Juudai came into Yuugi's shop arguing, an untroubled Yuusei trailing behind them.

"You're insane – that's what it is!" Juudai was yelling as the front door opened, and Yuugi looked around from where he was setting down chairs, his heart in his throat. His eyes skipped over Juudai and went straight to Atemu, a longing sigh stolen from his lungs without warning. Today, Atemu wore dark-wash jeans and a form-fitting, olive-green t-shirt with a v-shaped neck that brought inappropriate memories to mind. Gulping dryly, Yuugi cleared his throat, ridding himself of the images of Atemu's gorgeous body. Just as Juudai cleared the doorway, he called to Yuugi, looking exasperated and incredulous all at once. "Yuugi!" he called far too loudly in the serene quiet of the morning, "Talk some sense into your boy – um, your friend."

Setting down another chair, Yuugi raised a solitary eyebrow at Juudai who grinned sheepishly. Behind him, Yuusei's shoulders lifted as he breathed a sigh before letting them fall silently.

"What's going on?" Yuugi asked. His gaze went to Atemu who smiled at him, and Yuugi's cheeks instantly lit up with pleasure. He looked away, embarrassed as Atemu's eyes practically sparkled. Yuugi had almost forgotten the way it felt to have his brain turn to mush at the sight of a pretty smile. But with Atemu's gorgeous one, he had no trouble remembering the buzzing, swooning feeling. He gripped the chair in his hands, grounding himself as his stomach flipped with Atemu's proximity. Slowly, he took the chair off the table and set it down, his hands trembling.

In answer to his question, Juudai swung out an arm to point at Atemu, nearly striking him in the nose. Instinctively, Atemu stepped back, barely avoiding his finger with a wary look. Once he was at a safe distance from Juudai's accusing finger, he rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Please ignore him, Yuugi," Atemu said tiredly, "he's just upset –"

"Atemu says he's still not going to prom!" Juudai shouted, unable to contain himself. "And you're damn right I'm upset!" he continued, "It's the last party we'll go to while we're still in high school!"

"Prom again?" Yuugi said as Jounouchi exited the kitchen where several heavenly scents were flowing out in wonderful waves.

"You're not going to your prom, Atemu?" Jounouchi inquired as he leaned on the counter with crossed arms, nodding his head at Juudai and Yuusei in turn. "Hey, guys," he greeted.

"Boss-man!" Juudai cheered and Jounouchi smiled at him. "Boss-man," Juudai repeated, "Atemu's not going to prom. Tell him he's wrong and he should regret his life choices!"

"Juudai," Yuusei spoke up, "maybe we should talk about this later?"

"Why?" Juudai asked him, utterly confused.

"It's not a big deal," Atemu said then, "it's just a dance."

"If you don't want to go," Yuugi input, "then I don't think you should have to."

Shocked, Juudai stared at Yuugi before disappointment pulled his face into a frown.

"But it's our last dance," Juudai whined quietly and Yuusei moved to his side, nudging him in comfort and wrapping an arm loosely about his waist.

"You're just saying that because of what happened at our prom," Jounouchi said dismissively. Yuugi's head whipped around so fast, his head spun. When he could finally focus, he glared daggers at Jounouchi who only smiled cheekily at him.

"Jounouchi, don't you dare," Yuugi threatened lowly.

"What happened at your guys' prom?" Juudai asked innocently and even Yuusei appeared interested by the rise of his eyebrows.

"Boy am I glad you asked!" Jounouchi said cheerfully and Yuugi made a loud hushing noise, waving at him to be quiet.

"Say one more word," Yuugi said, "and I will bury you." But even as Yuugi glared at his friend, Jounouchi smiled, staring directly at him as he spoke.

"Well," Jounouchi said, "prom is when –"

"Jounouchi!" Yuugi cried, betrayal in his expression.

"–Yuugi lost his virginity!" Jounouchi finished with a wide shit-eating grin.

"Jounouchi's still a virgin!" Yuugi screeched. Surprise crossed his features then and he winced in guilt. Jounouchi stared at him, gaping and horrified.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!" Jounouchi said indignantly and Yuugi bristled, frowning at him.

"So did you!" he retorted.

"You lost your virginity at prom?" Juudai grinned before turning a sly smile to Yuusei and Atemu in turn. "See?" he said, "Told you guys!"

"You're still a virgin?" Atemu said to Jounouchi, bewildered.

"Virginity is a social construct!" Jounouchi said and when they all only stared at him, he huffed. "I'm waiting for the right person, alright?" he said defensively, "That a crime?"

"Nope," Juudai replied with a shrug, "Yuusei and I are waiting for the right time, so I getcha." Jounouchi turned a look to Yuusei who nodded in agreement.

"Well," Jounouchi said stiltedly, "that's nice." He nodded and silence fell. Slowly, they all turned to look at Yuugi who was determinedly moving chairs into their proper places, fidgeting nervously.

"So," Atemu said, eyebrows wagging, "what happened?"

Yuugi whirled around, cheeks a bright scarlet and incredulity stark on his face.

"I'm not talking about this!" Yuugi said defiantly, "Especially not to you – this is weird!"

"But I am!" Jounouchi happily intervened, "See, Yuugi over here was tired of being a virgin –"

"Jounouchi, I swear to god!" Yuugi interrupted, embarrassed.

"Then you tell the story!" Jounouchi insisted, crossing his arms, and Yuugi groaned, covering his face for several seconds before sighing and letting his hands fall to his hips. He stood awkwardly, looking at Atemu's smiling and interested face, before dropping his gaze and shrugging.

"Fine," Yuugi grumbled, taking a deep breath and sighing it out. He cleared his throat and said, "I was really dumb, young, and the art students spiked the punch – it was a bad experience all around, okay?" He did not look at anyone and Jounouchi scoffed, turning to the three teenagers and grinning.

"Get this," he said, "apparently, the guy was exceptionally bad. Three-thrusts-and-done kind of bad –"

"Please stop," Yuugi muttered, burying his red face into his hands.

"That's unfortunate," Yuusei commented.

A strangled noise left Yuugi's mouth and he quickly walked away, to the back and through the kitchen doors. Jounouchi followed, laughing.

"Come on, Yuugi," he said, "I'm just messing with you, come back out –"

"That wasn't cool, Jounouchi," Yuugi said quietly, "my sex life is private – it's supposed to be up to me to tell people those things and you swore you wouldn't tell!" He shook his head, visibly upset. "How could you do that to me? Put me on the spot like that?"

Taken aback, Jounouchi's smile faded and he frowned, quiet.

"Gee," he said, "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I didn't think you'd be so upset."

"It's my life," Yuugi said, "of course I'm upset."

"I'm really sorry, Yuugi," Jounouchi said, deflating, and Yuugi shook his head, sighing.

"I forgive you," he said, "just listen to me next time when I'm telling you not to out me."

"Yeah, I will," Jounouchi promised, a regretful grimace on his expression. He moved forward tentatively and Yuugi met him halfway, reaching out a hand and clasping Jounouchi's before pulling him into a hug. "Don't punish Atemu just because I was an ass," Jounouchi said, "go out there. Soon as you left, he made this face like someone had kicked him."

A nervous laugh left Yuugi then and he moved back, hands coming up to run through his hair.

"Oh, god," Yuugi groaned, "I'm not looking forward to this."

"You'll be alright," Jounouchi said, patting Yuugi on the back, "you're doing the right thing by talking to him."

"Yeah," Yuugi sighed, "okay."

x x x

"Could we talk?" Yuugi said to Atemu when he came out of the kitchen. His eyes went to Yuusei who stood stoically, his royal-blue gaze narrowed onto him. Yuugi was slightly offended. In his adult life, he had never been so intimidated by a teenager. The last time he had felt cowed by teenagers was when he had been one. Biting the inside of his cheek, Yuugi looked away from Yuusei and quietly added, "Privately."

"Sure," Atemu replied, a gentle look in his eyes as Yuugi exited from behind the counter and joined him. Without a word, Yuugi led Atemu to a booth, as far from Yuusei as he could go without being obvious. Juudai was grinning at them obliviously, his apron on and making his way to the coffee machine. He began to set it up, getting out the coffee beans and plugging in the grinder. As they sat down in the booth, Yuugi finally noticed the container in Atemu's arms.

"What's this?" Yuugi asked, confused at the Tupperware. He fidgeted, more than aware of Yuusei's watchful gaze from the counter where Juudai was chatting happily at him.

"Well," Atemu said, anxious as he gently pushed the box towards Yuugi. He met Yuugi's eyes, a smile stealing onto his lips that made Yuugi's heart skip a happy beat. With an excited glimmer in his eye, Atemu looked back down and opened the container, fidgeting with the cover. "I made cookies for you," he said softly and Yuugi blinked in surprise, "double-chocolate. Uh, for you." He laughed nervously, meeting Yuugi's gaze with embarrassment. It was endearing, watching Atemu be so flustered. No matter how many times he witnessed it, Atemu's inability to hide his excitement made Yuugi's heart warm, and Yuusei was suddenly pushed from his mind's awareness, leaving him with that pleasant feeling that made his toes curl, buzzing with content. He smiled at Atemu, waiting for him to go on. "I already said that," Atemu said with another laugh, "I'm a little nervous. You make me nervous. Not in a bad way." He paused, shrugging self-consciously. "I just keep wanting to impress you," he admitted quietly.

Oh, Yuugi thought, flush with pleasure, and as he looked into those adoring violet-red orbs, he grew abnormally still. He gazed with wonder at Atemu's tender smile and his glittering eyes, breath hitching in his chest. Yuugi never thought he would ever be on the receiving end of such genuine emotion. After Siegfried, it had been hard to imagine anyone caring about him like Atemu did. When Atemu looked away in embarrassment, Yuugi's heart gave an extra-hard thud. Captivated, Yuugi watched Atemu laugh self-consciously as he looked down at the chocolate cookies, lifting the plastic and presenting the array of treats to him. Absently, Yuugi took one, his insides warm and fuzzy with powerful affection that made his very chest ache.

"Obviously," Atemu said, "they're not as good as yours." He shrugged and his head tilted to the side, golden bangs sweeping across his brown cheek. Yuugi had half a mind to brush them away from Atemu's face, to feel Atemu's smooth skin underneath his fingertips. "But I made them for you," Atemu said gently, "and people always say it's the thought that counts." He chuckled and Yuugi smiled at the sound, his stomach flipping with happiness. If he could, Yuugi would keep that sound with him for the rest of his life. Waking up to Atemu's laugh, falling asleep to it, hearing it during the day, being the cause of that gorgeous laugh – Yuugi wanted that with a longing ache that startled him into realization.

Oh, my god, Yuugi thought with abject horror as he gazed into Atemu's devoted violet-red eyes, I'm in love with you.

"Taste?" Atemu said and Yuugi jumped.

"Huh?" he said and Atemu laughed, the sound echoing in the chambers of Yuugi's heart.

"You don't have to," Atemu said quickly, "you probably don't even like chocolate – I really should have asked, but I wanted to surprise you."

"No, I love y – it," Yuugi's eyes widened at his slip as his brain restarted from the stall of his shock, "chocolate. I love chocolate." He forced a smile and shoved the entire cookie into his mouth before he could say anything else. His eyes watered and he pretended to wipe at his brow as he brushed the wetness away. "It's good," he said thickly and Atemu beamed at him, utterly happy.

"I'm glad," Atemu said and his smile dimmed, brow creasing with worry. "So," he said uneasily, "what did you want to talk about?"

A lump formed in Yuugi's throat then, and he tried to swallow past it, his heart beating fast. When he achieved getting the cookie down, Yuugi gathered the container into his arms and covered the rest. Desperately, he tried to regain control of his haywire emotions with mechanical movement, his heart beating harshly with anguish and intense bitterness as Atemu's mother came to the forefront of his mind. He took a deep breath, his throat and mouth drier than the Sahara.

And he panicked.

"Nothing," Yuugi replied, shaking his head and smiling, "nothing at all."

It was then that Rebecca walked in, looking around and frowning when she noticed Atemu.

"Sorry I'm late," she said to the room at large, though her eyes surreptitiously swept over to Yuugi and Atemu in their booth. "Did I miss anything?"

A/N: Do not ask for updates. Thank you. (Be sure to check out my other fics!)