A Bowl of Cherries
by Black Cherry Bomb

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Chapter 25

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Yami hadn't shown up at school at all today, but that didn't mean he hadn't been on Yugi's mind. Oh he was a prized tenant of Yugi's heart.

But it had felt lonely going to Health Ed, listening to the teacher drone on about doing what you love and choosing the career of your dreams, yet trying to reach a balance between security and passion. Or something along those lines. And yes, for some reason, the career orientation aspect of his high school education had been lumped together with contraception and ethics in the one class. Health Ed really was a clusterflip of everything and anything that didn't fit in the major disciplines, like English, Math, Phys Ed, etc...

Yugi wished he could skip on these classes; his career was already decided in advance. Not that he complained about it, no. He was pretty happy knowing that unlike the majority of his classmates, he had something to go to upon graduation.

Besides he'd dreamed since childhood of manning the shop, of being behind the counter and handling both the money that brought food to his and his grandfather's table AND the games that he so loved. It was a pretty realistic setup and a dreamy one as well. A lot of the younger patrons often professed their envy and desire to open up a game shop just like Yugi's grandpa had. Of course Yugi encouraged them, but at the same time he was also aware that a city can only accommodate so many game shops, and that competition was always lurking at the horizon - what if Kaiba Corporation decided to open some retail outlets? What if some kind of franchise brand from another city decided to settle in Domino, ejecting the Kame Game Shop from the entrepreneurial race with some better planned business tactics?

In the era of hypermarkets, depersonalized brand names and internet commerce, mom and pop shops like the one the Mutou's operated were a rarity, an endangered species, something to be proud of.

"Yugi?"

He looked left and right, looking for the sound of the voice. It was the teacher, asking him a question.

"I'm sorry- I'm afraid I wasn't listening," Yugi said earnestly. The teacher was so caught by the honesty in his voice that a chuckle spilled from her lips, and his classmates were so caught with the unintentional brashness of his statement that they had a good laugh.

Not at his expense.

Not against him, but with him. A number of faces turned to look at him, all surprised smiles and 'I had no idea you had it in you, little man'.

And this, somehow, gave Yugi a boost of confidence. He'd come out in the open to his best guy friends yesterday; he'd boldly accepted (was coerced into, but it wasn't like he was going to complain about that) a date with his most massive crush to date, and he'd manage to be honest with his best girlfriend AND mend the broken remains of their friendship after having had a major fight over said massive crush.

Plus he had a nice, a little boring but still comfortable relationship with his Grandpa, he had a career to aspire to after he graduated, and well...

Things were going pretty good for Yugi, actually.

The rest of the class went on without incident. While personality tests and education levels weren't anything he would ever have any use for, Yugi took solace in the fact that he wasn't losing his time; he was taking notes for Yami.

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The chess club was, interestingly enough, in the very same classroom he'd had Health Ed in earlier this morning.

"Hello," he said to no one in particular. Most heads remained focused on their own games, yet two guys and a girl with too much acne turned to give Yugi a curious glance over. Who was this mysterious creature entering their realm?

"Do you want to pick whites," Weevil asked from behind his back without showing any hint that he was actually asking a question.

"Er... hello Weevil," Yugi replied, still a bit taken aback by the strange boy's chronic allergy to casual greetings.

How come everyone was already playing? Yugi was far from being late. He'd even hurried up just to make sure he would be not only on time, but in advance. He didn't want his first and only appearance at the Chess Club to give him a bad reputation. Yugi was a gamer at heart, after all, and he understood the importance of not making your partner wait.

"I can go easy on you if you want," Weevil said matter of factly, already having taken a seat in front of a nice looking chess set.

Now Yugi didn't know whether his feathers had been ruffled by the comment, but he couldn't help himself when he refused to sit down, pointedly took his time to look at his surroundings, and ask Weevil in a somewhat puzzled voice: "Aren't you going to introduce me to everyone first?"

"After their games maybe. But then we'll be playing. Maybe after everyone's done playing. But then some of them will be going straight home and you won't get to meet them. If you can remember their faces I can name them for you once we're done."

"Er..." Yugi did not know what to make of this offer. Of these... instructions? So he simply sat down in front of Weevil, ready to meet his two player fate. "Okay, erm, I guess I still remember the rules. It'll take me a few games to get in the groove of things but hopefully I'll be a worthy opponent before the end of the session," he offered nicely, being the polite young man he always was.

"No doubt you'll be a little rusty, but I think I'll still have some fun doing the teaching," Weevil said matter of factly, not once making eye contact with Yugi. He was engrossed in placing his pieces, making sure they were perfectly centered and facing one another. Yugi couldn't tell whether he was used to doing this or whether he was simply extra nervous that he had a new friend come and play with him.

Although by the looks of it - a rapid headcount told Yugi that the chess club was far more popular than he'd thought, and that they weren't all ugly looking outcasts; there were some pretty ordinary looking kids. And quite a number of girls, as well. If the boys in this room were smart enough to stop chasing after the popular girls they wouldn't need to worry about celibacy.

Playing chess with Weevil was something else.

To be quite honest with himself Yugi had expected the game to be as unsteady as the platinum blue boy's mannerisms; but it seemed like when he played he was another person. Another Weevil. He'd taken his glasses off, and Yugi couldn't help but notice a few freckles, and really lovely, pale blue eyes hiding behind those conservative cropped bangs. Surely he was the kind whose ungrateful physique would shed in time with adulthood. But that was assuming he'd grow a lovely personality to go with any kind of new look.

Come to think of it, it wasn't that Weevil was a bad person. He was just... Extremely weird. Or perhaps he thought everyone else was extremely weird. Was that why he related to insects so well? Yugi had seen his picture in the newspaper a few years ago, showcasing him as a young hobbyist with an impressive collection of local butterflies (Yugi knew he loved the roaches best, but pretty things make better newspaper stories). Even today his collection was rumored to be impressive.

They were just beginning their third game and Yugi hadn't won the two previous ones. He appreciated the fact that despite his earlier offer, Weevil was not going easy on him. It would have been a mistake; Yugi wouldn't have appreciated to be treated with what he perceived was pity. To him gaming was about doing one's best, and while playing ruthlessly to one's advantage wasn't necessary when playing an opponent of lower skill level, 'giving one a chance' was disrespect, plain and simple. You always had to assume the opponent had something up their sleeve, or that they were a fast learner.

And well, apparently Weevil was on Yugi's wavelength for that, as well.

The other pleasant thing about the chess club was the silence. Now that he wasn't confronted to the strenuous task of communicating with fellow human beings, Weevil looked more peaceful, more relaxed. It was as if though this room, this group of disconnected people, this time of the week erased the seemingly permanent worry wrinkles on his forehead. He looked patient and contemplative when Yugi took time to decide on a move.

Which, oddly enough, only made Yugi want to pierce the mystery that was Weevil Underwood, rather than to bring the mechanisms of chess back to his memory. It sort of made sense that he be thinking that, in more ways than one. First off, pleasing Weevil, as strange as it sounded, was the very reason Yugi was here. Not chess. He was here to put a smile on that strange kid's face and really - Yugi wasn't one yet who knew how to say no. Weevil could've asked him to go dig a dumpster for rare roaches and Yugi would have said yes. At least playing chess was gaming, and gaming was something that was close to his heart.

Second, Yugi had grown to rationalize over time that his own sexual preference probably was at the heart of certain of his behaviours. While he wasn't attracted to Weevil per se, it probably made sense to assume that being a gay male, Yugi would naturally be drawn to observe the other men around him. Not that he intended to get all flirty and all. But maybe - maybe he was growing some primal instincts, some kind of radar that was always ready to look for potential mates. Like a primate. It wasn't a bad thing to compare oneself to a primate; they were intelligent creatures after all, weren't they?

Yugi won the third match, surprising both himself and Weevil. It was refreshing to see some real emotion on the boy's face. He was always so guarded, so careful, so distrusting of his surroundings; Yugi wouldn't boast about that to anyone of course, but he found some pride in the fact that he was able to make the boy feel at ease. It certainly looked like no small feat.

"Best two of three, you won, Weevil," he announced cheerfully, yet making sure to keep his voice low so as not to distract the other players. "I think I should go back home to my grandfather. I'm supposed to be the one who cooks on Thursdays." This wasn't exactly true; owing to his age, his grandfather's diet was regulated both in schedule and content. Yugi had already announced that he'd be coming home from school an hour later than usual, and because his grandfather's stomach couldn't wait, he'd already cooked, the day before, some pasta and low-sodium sauce to be refrigerated and reheated when needed.

Weevil seemed, oddly enough, at a loss for words. Yugi gave him a warm smile, founding the odd nerd suddenly quite endearing, his bright blue eyes suddenly looking quite lost without his cherished, unappealing frames.

Yugi didn't want to start a conversation, or let himself be convinced into another game, but he didn't want to leave Weevil like that, either.

"You look good without the glasses," he slipped before walking away. He hoped the compliment would soften the blow of rejection.

Assuming he'd understand that by leaving early Yugi meant to convey that he had no intention of showing up at the chess club again.

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