Atem tossed his bag on to his bed after a quick shout of greetings when he ran in to the house. Yugi was off with Mokubah for the evening which let Atem have time to be with his friends, however it was far from peaceful.

Fuck right it wasn't peaceful! That woman, I swear! What the hell is she thinking? He really did wonder if she thought at all as he crossed over to his bed and plopped on it next to his school bag.

As if propelled by the sudden heavy sigh, he fell back on to his bed and his ceiling was in his line sight. His gut twisted and shifted inside of him as he thought over the new setup in the classroom. Why did he care was a question he had no clue. If it was any other person would he be so conflicted?

No, you wouldn't so, why bother with that question? The little voice in his piped up. You wouldn't give a rat's ass about anyone else in class, shit you'd be pleased with the funeral they signed up for! It went on and Atem knew this was true. He would have taken the gift without any hesitation. And yet here you are, languishing over this like Romeo over Juliet or something…just infinitely stupider. He really was trying to make excuses for something that he was too afraid to face. Nope, not facing it right now. I fucked up on the roof and she went and did this bullshit cause she's just…I don't know, she's just her. He sighed once more and closed his eyes to try and clear his thoughts.

"Atem?" A familiar gravely male voice beckoned for him as his room door creaked open.

"Yeah gramps?" He sighed once more. Didn't she say something about sighing shortening my life? Who else would say something so weird to a stranger! He snorted a little as the mattress dipped a little next to him.

"Are you alright? You seem…off."

"Yeah…just school stuff. It's dumb." He waved off.

"Well, why not talk to your old man about it? Maybe it'll help you out. You've been livelier than you have been in a long time…to see you slipping back, well let's just say we like having you back in the family and if listening will help I can at least do that." Sugoroku gently pat his grandson's knee and waited for a moment. With no real reaction, his shoulders dropped a little. "Well, if you ever need me…I'm here for you. We all are." He shook Atem's knee lightly and carefully shifted his weight to get back up on his feet.

"What do you do when you just don't get someone?" The sudden question was blurted out and Sugoroku stopped and looked at his grandson. Atem was still on his back with an arm over his closed eyes.

"What do you mean?" He sat back on the mattress, a small smile hidden by his mustache.

"There's this new kid in school…and since day one it's just been one fucking annoying rollercoaster! Caring for strangers, talking back, and not even understanding basic shit like lunch and breaks in the class! I get it, home schooled or whatever but why would you be nice to someone who was an utter ass to you? Is this some sort of mind fuck?"

"From the sounds of it, your new classmate is simply big hearted…what's wrong with that?"

"Without wanting anything back? Just constantly taking shit like it's just supposed to be?" Atem turned to look at his grandfather as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"Some people are just that, big hearted. Your grandmother was like that you know?" He chuckled softly at the memory of his dearly departed. "I used to say a burglar didn't even have to bother sneaking in…waltz right in and ask, she would have gladly just given whatever is wanted."

"What did you do? How did you get her to stop that?"

"Stop that? Not at all my boy! It was warm and inviting…it was everything I wanted that I didn't even know. Being a muscle headed man, it was awkward and annoying at first, but slowly it just became something more. It was who she was and I never wanted her to change. At first, yes, I tried. I won't paint myself as a saint, I did it all and failed every time. When I got tired of trying and failing, she was there with the same warmth and I saw it for the first time as warmth instead of trouble or a nuisance. Your new classmate has that warmth, you'll come to see it on your own. When you do, you'll finally be able to see why and what to do."

"That's just more trouble!" He groaned loudly in detest, dropping his head back before plopping back on to hi mattress.

"I thought the same thing, in due time you'll see more than the face value. You just need to take the first step towards the warmth. Why not try trading shoes and walking a mile? I'm sure there is a lot you aren't thinking about since you're looking at it from your eyes."

My eyes…huh…is that what I'm missing? He wondered. "I don't know…sounds like more of a hassle than I would put in with anyone else."

"Isn't the fact you're up here thrown off more than enough to tell you that this person is more than just anyone else?" Sugoroku chuckled and pat Atem's leg once more. "Don't go rushing in, think about it and observe. Take it from my experience, you'll wind up in more trouble with blind charging. Now, get changed and washed up. Your mother has dinner ready and we're waiting for you."

"Yeah…thanks gramps." Atem smiled, sitting up and helping his grandfather off the bed.

"Anytime for my grandsons, anytime. There is wisdom in this old noggin!" He grinned.

"Yeah, wisdom and perverted old geezer thoughts." Atem scoffed.

"Oh, look at that! Your mom is calling-coming! See you downstairs!" Sugoroku ran out of the room, Atem laughing at the scramble to avoid being caught. He certainly had a lot to think about though, his mind a little clearer thanks to his grandfather.

Who knew even that old geezer could get his head out of a porn mag long enough for good advice? He chuckled as he got to changing his clothes and washing up for dinner. He would give it more thought tomorrow.