"Do you really just want a few t-shirts and pants, mou hitori no boku?"
"We came into the wrong store if you want me to buy more leather and cuffs."
"We could switch shops if you–"
"These are fine. The shirts are on sale, and I can buy five pairs of pants here for the price of one at that last place."
"What's that matter? You don't have to just buy stuff from one store. Even if they were kind of expensive, I know you liked those boots you tried on… And besides, I'm the one paying today, remember?"
"That's why it matters, aibou. I told you, you don't need to pay for my things. I have enough money– and your shoes work just fine, as long as you're still willing to share them. I just need enough clothes that your mother isn't forced to wash your whole closet in two weeks."
"I want to buy them. And you've spent so much on me lately, I know that's why you're watching the price tags. Let me return the favor if you're short."
"That's not–"
"Hey guys, you done in here yet?"
Atem's frown and efforts to find a proper counterargument toppled into nothing as he and his partner turned to see Jounouchi hovering in the shop's doorway, just outside of the entrance, a double dip cone of green ice cream held up before him. It already had a big bite in its side, and he gave the gaping hole another reckless chomp before adding, "Bakura finished buying that stuff he wanted, and I've run out of coins."
"Sorry, Jounouchi-kun," Yuugi apologized, grinning at their friend as Atem added the last pair of pants he had been looking at to the hefty pile in his arms. "Are Honda-kun and Anzu-chan back from the supermarket?"
"Yeah, and Honda's complaining that his bags are heavy." Jounouchi snorted, pausing to lick at a bit of ice cream that had melted onto his hand, before it could drip down onto the floor. "Serves him right for buying so much food."
"All the same, if he's getting tired, we should get going," Atem allowed, earning a soft frown from his partner.
"But you still haven't tried on anything."
"They have a return policy here. I can see if they fit back home and return any duds." Atem shrugged, only to pause when Yuugi's expression dropped subtly.
What–
"You gonna just be a minute, then?"
"Yeah," Yuugi replied, pasting on a smile as he turned back to Jounouchi– ignoring Atem's curious scrutiny in the bargain. "We'll pay for these and be right out."
"Cool, cool. I'll get out of here before some staff notices me eating in the shop."
"Don't jinx yourself," Yuugi teased, grinning at his best friend's retreating back until he disappeared into the crowd of the underground mall's hallway… leaving him to turn and look right at his other self.
And his suspicious smirk.
"–What?"
Atem shook his head at the hilarious grimace that crossed his partner's face, shuffling his clothes about in his arms before turning and weaving his way deeper into the store, towards the cashier counter at the back. "Just wondering why you're so disappointed I won't try on anything here."
It was like he could hear his partner's cheeks heat, given nothing more to go by than the catch in his step.
"…Who says that's why I'm upset? Or that I am upset, for that matter?"
"I think you just confirmed that yourself." Atem tilted his head to look back as he tossed the warm jab, and indeed, Yuugi's face was a touch pinker than was natural. But, rather than self-conscious or flustered, he looked… hopeful. There was an oddly earnest, questioning light to his gaze that Atem had never seen a week ago, but was quickly becoming familiar with– falling in love with. He met it with an open softening of his own smirk, his tone fond as he joked,"If you want me to model for you that badly, I can try them on as soon as we get home."
Rather than balk or burn at the assertion, Yuugi… grinned right back at him. "That a promise?"
–Atem wasn't aware he had stopped walking until Yuugi stopped, stalling right before he ran into his back.
Even then, Atem could barely register the fact around the slow awareness of… what he had already known, really. And yet, the blatant acknowledgement left his brain empty. Even as a grin curled across his face and he arched his brows inquiringly high, the breath caught in Atem's throat drifted down through his chest and belly, catching an electric charge somewhere along the way and sending weak, delightful little shocks through his nerves as he asked a silent question of his partner.
Yuugi answered with a duck of his head that wasn't shy at all, the wry pull of his smile sending another spark through Atem's gut as his partner shifted closer– and stole the clothes from his numb arms. "I can take care of these. You go ahead. I'll meet you back with the others."
"Aa…" Atem watched him sidestep around him without protest, the scratch of their covered shoulders bumping just prompting him to turn and watch Yuugi approach the counter… his fingers rubbing together with the abstract desire for contact as he mused in a blank silence.
He turned to go, no real thoughts in his head, fixated on the odd sensations in his gut and heart, feeling no impulse to question or label.
He only thought to frown when he was already out in the hallway, standing in a low traffic corner he and his friends had picked out as their meeting spot.
Yuugi was paying for his clothes.
"Something wrong, Atem-kun? You stopped mid-sentence."
Atem blinked back into focus and found Anzu frowning at him– her eyes catching on his face in a faintly dazed way making him impulsively push his glasses up his nose. "No, sorry. You said that you think we can all make it to Domino Park this weekend?"
"That's right." Anzu smiled, face warm and pleased with the confirmation as she dodged Atem's thoughtful gaze, focusing on opening a water bottle she snatched out of her shopping bag. "Otogi-kun confirmed he would be free, too, so it'd be such a waste to miss the chance."
"Yes," Bakura agreed, smiling as he drew the group's attention. "It feels like we haven't seen you all week."
"Close enough," Atem agreed, frowning faintly, but adding nothing further. He knew well enough that it was difficult for most of his friends to make time to see him, and that they were doing so anyways for his sake. Because time was limited… and he didn't get to see them as often as Yuugi.
Perhaps he should have found a way to enroll as a temporary transfer student, after all.
During the school week, the others had classes and lunches and walks to and from school to spend time together. But, unless it was the weekend and homework was shockingly light, or they studied together, many of them had obligations that kept them from hanging out in the evenings.
Usually Honda and Jounouchi were the exception to that rule… but, even there?
"Didn't you say the other day that Otogi offered you a job?" Atem asked Jounouchi– earning a hard glower and a scoff in return.
"Don't remind me," he snapped, biting into his ice cream again– only to come up grimacing in pain a second later, clutching the side of his head. "Aa, damnit."
"Brain freeze, Jounouchi-kun?"
A smile tugged through Atem's frown as he turned his head and saw the approaching speaker. "I made him eat his ice cream too fast."
"And how did you do that?" Yuugi asked as he joined them, keeping a checking attention on his best friend even as Atem slipped over to his side and plucked a few of the clothing bags from his hand.
A knuckle tapped his in the exchange, and Atem smiled, even as he turned to face their friends, and an amusedly snorting Honda.
"Jounouchi's just mad because it turned out Otogi didn't want him to be a waiter. He's hired him to be a mascot."
" Waiter and mascot. And he offered to hire me," Jounouchi insisted, his words slowly rising out of a hiss as he relaxed, his glare the only thing that remained harsh as he focused on the ground between them. "I never said I'd take it. They're not even open yet, so why should I rush to agree to that?"
"There's nothing wrong with being a mascot," Anzu tried to assure, only to blink blankly with the rest of them as Bakura jumped in.
"Yes, I'm sure you'd do a wonderful job at it, Jounouchi-kun. And the Otogis will probably be great employers."
"…You do remember that they burned down their last business on opening day, right?"
"Anyways," Yuugi jumped in before Bakura could comment, cutting through the frown that had started to form on Atem's face at the mere mention of that day– and when the displaced king looked to his partner, he saw that Yuugi's smile was strained, covering his efforts to toss away the unexpectedly jarred memories. "Does anyone want to go somewhere else?"
"Oh," Jounouchi jerked upright, excitement overtaking his pain and frustration. "Let's go back to the arcade! I didn't get to actually play with you guys."
"Jounouchi. Bags," Honda cut in before Atem or Yuugi could answer, meeting the blond glare for glare as he shifted a bag up indicatively, the shape of a gallon of milk clearly outlined in the bottom. "Anzu and I can't go in there, remember?"
"I guess I can't check out that computer sale, then, either," Bakura sighed, prompting Honda's expression to soften.
"Sorry, man. We would have waited if we knew you wanted to still shop and stick together."
"We thought this trip was just for food, and for you to buy paints while Atem-kun found some clothes," Anzu added on, matching Honda's apologetic look with a smile– until Jounouchi huffed impatiently.
"Right, right, but I still want to at least check out the capsule machines."
"Oh, did they refill the CapMon machine?" Yuugi perked up at the mere idea, and when Jounouchi hooted a confirmation, he earned matching beams from Yuugi and Atem alike.
"You know it! And the machines are in front of the arcade, so there shouldn't be any issue with you guys and your food! I just need one of you to lend me some change."
"Switch that to break some change, and I might be able to help you."
"…You got enough 100¥ coins for a 1000 bill?"
"…Seriously?"
"What? It's the only money I've got left!"
As Anzu sighed and pulled out her coin purse, Atem started shifting through his pockets, wondering at what currency he had on him– until a quiet, "Mou hitori no boku?" brought his eyes back up.
Yuugi was staring at him, a tentative smile tugging at his mouth– but the uncertainty beneath doused Atem's initial impulse to return the look. "Are you just getting pants and shirts? You don't want anything to go with them?" Atem's focus ticked low again as his partner raised and waved his wrist, indicating the leather band that enveloped it. "I know you're just trying to save the washer and Mama, but we could still get you some accessories or jewelry or something. I know a couple places with good prices. Or you can keep borrowing mine, if that was what you were thinking."
Atem grinned, letting his eyes catch and cradle Yuugi's for a long nothing of a second… before shaking his head. "No, thank you, aibou. I don't think that will be necessary." Sweet as the offer was, and the echo of what they'd left behind in that clothing store mingled with the generosity of it, painting Atem's gaze warm, especially as his partner fell into it and mirrored the sentiment… until the loop was broken by Yuugi asking–
"Why's that?"
…Atem frowned.
It was only a faint crease in the brow, but still, as their friends shifted to leave, and move for the arcade, Atem's mouth fell into a flat line, and he felt his partner's shock and confusion as he turned away, trailing behind them, "I had another thought," as explanation.
When Yuugi found his feet and rushed after him– them, Jounouchi was already tossing back questions of desired prizes, and Honda was seeking assistance in carrying food.
The answer– even the question itself, was lost to the walk.
"Well?"
Yuugi swerved in his chair, grimacing as the impulsive move made the metal Hanayama puzzle pieces fall apart in his hands.
Damn, he'd been so close that time.
His irritation faded quickly, though, as he turned and took in Atem.
He was standing in the middle of the bedroom, palms turned out in an prompting manner, a faint smile on his face as he waited for Yuugi's response, comfortable and expectant. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd changed that evening and asked for Yuugi's input. Even his efforts to seek that input had streamlined into a simple, one word prompt, the trust that he would get nothing but a positive response from his partner clear at a single look.
And he was right.
Yuugi took one look at the newest outfit… and got stuck.
Stared at his boyfriend in his new dark slacks and scoop-necked grey tee… and slowly smiled, chest bubbling with an appreciation that probably showed full tilt across his face.
And Atem instantly grinned, eyes fond, satisfied, and– uncertain. Like a cat that had successfully caught a mouse and had no idea what to do with it.
It was a breathless sort of look that Yuugi was rapidly growing familiar with, and he shook back a laugh at his own expense as he nodded. "Yeah, that's a good one."
"Pants and shirt both?"
"Yup."
"Good," Atem breathed out, letting his hands drop as he moved to the bed, towards the pile of clothes dropped on the covers. And Yuugi instantly tensed, flushing with the suspicion that he was about to change again, prompting the silent debate he'd had every other time Atem had changed that night.
Should he not look?
…It was stupid, really. They'd changed in front of each other numerous times in the last few weeks. Had to with the room sharing and all.
But.
Half the time, they didn't actually, because they took their clothes in to the bath at night. And in the morning, the focus was on dragging themselves out of bed and downstairs as fast as possible, not on stopping to gawk at one another's skin.
They had never mixed the action with such a direct look at me before.
And, though Atem hadn't slipped out to the bathroom with the huge pile, he hadn't invited Yuugi to look! Or… okay, the very idea of him even doing that was ludicrous, and made Yuugi's throat close up, but the fact remained that he hadn't said anything, and every time he tore his shirt off, Yuugi leaned towards discretion and turned back towards his desk.
Face red.
Struggling with a metal link puzzle he could have assembled in seconds if he wasn't… hyper-aware of the sound of fabric moving behind him.
…Point was, he'd looked away before, and he should probably just keep doing that.
And he was about to when he realized Atem wasn't actually changing. He just put his glasses back on… and knelt down at the side of the bed.
Yuugi tossed his puzzle onto his neglected textbook, beside the real Puzzle, and pushed forward in his chair, frowning. "You should probably… change before you go crawling under there."
"It's fine, I'm keeping these pants anyways," Atem dismissed, glancing his way… and arching a brow. "You alright, aibou?"
"–I'm fine," Yuugi shook his head, dismissed his own fluster and the faint smile on his boyfriend's face, staying focused on the bed's underside. "What are you doing, though?"
"Aa." He could hear Atem's mood shift, the amusement dissipating as he bent down again, and strained… pulling something out from beneath the mattress.
That duffel bag…
He had expected it, but still Yuugi frowned to see it, pushing himself off of his chair to sit cross-legged on the floor across from Atem, the bag between them. "What do you need this out for?" He had assumed they wouldn't even be bringing that thing out into the light of day again until… well, until July 24th.
Until Egypt.
It was just opening a Pandora's Box to mess with the contents of that bag more than they needed to– and Yuugi was sure by the look on his face that Atem agreed wholeheartedly.
And yet, he said, "I wanted something out of it," unzipping it.
Yuugi's back went tense with the sound, but instantly relaxed in a tossed shock when opening the bag revealed not gold metal, but purple cloth.
Oh.
Atem scooped out the vibrant bundle, zipped up the bag, and swept it aside with an arm, all in one, smooth second. But Yuugi could only distantly appreciate the gesture when he was so focused on that cape, folded up and dropped between their knees.
It was lumpy.
And, while the memory of Atem originally packing the article away was nothing but a distracted blur, lost to when they first ran from the museum and rushed to tuck away any evidence of what happened, lest they color his family's reaction before they could present things as they liked, Yuugi could guess what was inside.
A hesitant hand crept to the bundle, Yuugi gently worrying the soft, cool fabric between finger and thumb as he waited for Atem to prove him right by revealing the contents.
…Yuugi frowned, and looked up.
Atem was just… staring, expression blank save for a faint furrow between his eyes. It left him looking thoughtful, or just… troubled.
But what Yuugi saw was hesitation.
"…You alright?"
Atem didn't jerk or jolt at the break of the silence. He was too clearly conscious of his company for some shock like that. But he did breathe in deeply and shake his head once, a determined glean touching his frown. "I want to be. These are supposed to be mine, after all. I shouldn't treat them like something I shouldn't touch."
"Yeah." Yuugi nodded, pulling his hand away as Atem took an edge himself and began to unfold the cape– revealing the crisp fabric and gold beneath.
Atem's gold.
"You were– thinking of wearing this?"
"Not all of it," Atem half-confirmed, instantly pulling out the white and blue linen to set it aside, beside his left knee. "Or even most of it. All I bought were pants, for instance, so the ankle pieces are instantly impractical."
"Oh, I could always lend you some shorts." Yuugi grinned, eyes sliding up to make sure Atem was mirroring the humor before adding, "You have really nice calves, after all. It'd be a waste not to show them off."
"Do I now?" Atem slid his eyes up to Yuugi's with a grin, gaze tickled, and pleased, and… buzzing uncertainty again.
Yuugi dropped his smile to the gold again, before his throat could close up. "Yup."
"Hmm… Still, I doubt your summer shorts would be a good fit with gold braces covering half of my legs."
"Probably not."
The teasing truths faded naturally into silence as Atem straightened the pieces out so they were all visible, not jumbled together in a tight pile, and started picking out the pieces he should obviously just store away again: the ankle braces, the golden belt, wide chest collar and the curious half mantle that had kept his cape off of his left shoulder when he had worn the whole ensemble.
And Yuugi just watched, slowly raising his legs to hug his knees and rest his chin on his arm… his eyes catching curiously over each piece in turn.
It was really kind of crazy, when he considered it. Either the things in front of him were conjured figments of an evil demon's machinations, somehow solidified to linger and glimmer and stay long after those machinations went wrong… or, they were gold. Jewels and jewelry, ancient and royal and his. Atem's. Dragged three thousand years out of the past into Yuugi's bedroom.
And either option seemed so… impossible.
And he saw that same disbelief in his other self's eyes as he carefully, uncertainly picked up that crown… slid a slow thumb across the eye as he stared down into it.
As Yuugi stared at him, wondering what it was for him. What it meant to Atem, to hold that gold.
He didn't know… because, looking at Atem? It looked like he didn't know what to think, either.
He just looked at it for a while… and then set it aside in the pile to be tucked back away again, a tired sort of peace on his face.
And Yuugi couldn't look at it. Dodged his eyes in favor of the remaining pieces… unfolding one arm to gingerly edge one wrist cuff upright with a fingertip, so that he could see the filigree work and black stonework along its side.
It felt natural enough, that was for sure. Honestly not unlike the Puzzle and its box, resting on the desk behind him.
Which… was odd. One would think something tinged in magic would be different somehow. Stand out.
But then, wasn't all of this magic in some way?
Wasn't… his other self, too?
"Aibou?" His finger jolted back as Yuugi looked up, blinked sunspots from his eyes at the soft smile on Atem's face. His other self had stopped, leaned back from the pile to watch him… the only thing in his hands the one piece of jewelry in the pile that was not gold, or ancient.
The cartouche, the symbols that held his name emblazoned by magic upon the silver.
"It's fine. You can touch them if you like. There's nothing wrong with it."
…Yuugi snorted, grinning as tension he hadn't been conscious of seeped out of his shoulders. "Right. Thanks."
"Mhmn."
And so, as Atem considered each of the remaining, more promising pieces, he handed those he decided to keep out directly to his partner, to hold and finger and inspect as he liked. The cuffs he'd just been looking at, the two braces that would fit over Atem's arms, the small handful of rings… They all felt as natural as he would have expected. All real, and solid as the metal they were.
Enduring.
It was a strange comfort, that discovery.
Yuugi had put down all but the last – the single ring that was not smooth gold – and was fingering the curious blue stone set in it when Atem spoke up, tugging him out of his soft wonder.
"Aibou."
He looked up– and blinked at the object being held out to him.
It was his leather collar. The one Atem had been wearing.
A short glance up showed it had been replaced by a band of gold, the face above it smiling faintly. "How do I look?"
…Yuugi smiled back, pressing back the strange, soggy weight that set in his chest at the quietly majestic sight. "Like a king."
Atem's brows rose– and then slowly dropped, a strained echo of his smile rising back into place as they stared at each other, saying nothing for a breath. Nothing in words, the air filled instead by the warmth, and the knowledge, they both shared with a look.
Yuugi swallowed, pressing down the tension of it as he put down the blue-stoned ring and accepted the collar, buckling it around his neck, finding something of a comfort in its tight contact– while in front of him, Atem slid the cartouche over his head.
The movement jolted a thought through Yuugi's head, and he stalled with a frown as he looked down, focusing on the golden collar on his neck. "You know, you shouldn't keep the Puzzle on the chain if you're going to wear that. The metal will probably scratch up the gold."
Atem went still with the suggestion, stalling mid-reach for the last bits of gold as he looked taken aback at his partner– his other hand reaching slowly up to his neck to prod at the edge. "I hadn't thought about that." And from the sound of it, he was already regretting giving up the leather collar.
And Yuugi bit his lip to see it, wondered if he should just offer it back… and tossed the question aside for later, looking down for something to distract him with, and– "Are you going to keep those, too?"
Atem looked down, and picked up the items. The only pieces left on the cape.
The earrings, and the clips that went with them.
His fingers slid delicately along the lines of blue in the broad, heavy pieces, considering them for a long breath before– "No, I don't think so." He set them aside, beside the crown and the clothes and the rest, keeping only the thin gold ear clips as he settled back with a half-smirk. "I doubt your mother would appreciate me wearing something so… showy."
…Yuugi snorted, grinning as he gathered up the rings at his knee and handed them to his other self, teasing as he slid the gold onto his fingers. "There's not much point in worrying about that. She's given up saying much about my clothes, since– well. Since you."
Atem looked up, followed his pointed gaze to the desk… and shared his smirk as he caught his focus on the Puzzle. "Noted. Still, they'd likely look out of place with my glasses and clothes. I can just wear these," he said, sliding the clips over the back of his ears, above the holes in his lobes. "And look for something else, perhaps. I've dodged a need for anything else, there wouldn't be anything wrong with one pair of new earrings."
…A grin slapped across Yuugi's face, possibility sparking across his mind and leaving him light as he shifted his legs and leaned forward on his hands– earning an intrigued glance from his other self before he even spoke. "In that case, let me pick them out."
Atem blinked, giving a slow, baffled head shake as he eyed him, bemusement and amusement warring in his fond glance. "I really do have money left, aibou. Whatever you may think, I didn't spend it all on you."
In that case, either Atem was a shockingly good bargain buyer, or Jii-chan was paying him way more than Yuugi.
Either way, Yuugi shook his head, grinning stubbornly. "Yeah, but I want to get you something."
Atem's expression melted, but did not waver. "You got me these clothes, remember?"
"Yeah, but you picked those out. This would be a proper gift."
"I see…" Atem shifted his hands to the carpet, and leaned forward. Mirrored Yuugi's position with a smirk, until they were near nose-to-nose. "And what if I don't like them?"
Yuugi's brow rose, then dropped low, his eyes narrowing over an accusing grin. "Are you questioning my taste, mou hitori no boku?"
"Just posing the question, aibou. It's always possible."
"Well, in that case, I'd just take them back and find you something else." Yuugi leaned forward, heard it as Atem sucked in a breath when their noses actually tapped, his chest full of the warm tension of it. Neither blinked, though. Or stopped smiling. "I'm bound to get it right eventually."
"Mhmm… and what if I decide I could never reject a gift from you?" Atem posed, tilting his head just a bit… just enough to graze the side of his nose against Yuugi's, sitting back only after he extracted a shiver from him. When Atem slid back into sight, it was with a twinkling smirk. "That I love it, just because it's from you?"
…Yuugi swallowed, pushing determinedly through the sudden glee fogging up his head, and– "You wouldn't break a promise like that."
…
Atem sat back fully, frowning at him. "I never promised anything like that."
"Yeah, not yet." Breathing deeply, Yuugi grinned as his pulse stopped fluttering so violently, leaving room for him to think. And play. "I haven't asked you yet."
Atem stared at him, trying to piece together his meaning… but he must have, eventually. Guessed, or read it in Yuugi's eyes. For eventually, he snorted, grinning expectantly, lovingly at his partner, and– "I see… and what sort of promise are we talking about?"
Yuugi grinned… reaching down to gently fold up the cape and push it, and everything else out of the way.
Atem didn't protest, just watched with curious, intrigued eyes… that blanked with visible, breathless shock as Yuugi slid into the cleared space, knee-to-knee with him, close enough that leaning wasn't even required. All he had to do now to touch his other self was reach out, and he could grasp his bare arm. Squeeze it, run an affection thumb over the soft give of flesh as he smiled up into a face rightly, and properly thrown. Flushed. "Atem? If I get you some earrings, or any gift at all, and you don't like it, will you promise to be honest with me about it? So that I can find something you will enjoy, and feel secure that if you accept something from me, you actually, truly like it?"
…Atem was caught.
And he knew it.
And he sniffed into a wide, delighted grin for it, shaking his head as his gaze screamed adoration, the look filling Yuugi up until he felt he would float away with it. "Yes," Atem allowed, relaxing easily into the concession as he smiled back at him. "I promise."
"Good," Yuugi breathed back… allowing himself to bask into the sweetness of it… before he broke out in a grin, letting his hand slide down to his wrist as he proclaimed, "And now, you can't go back on it."
"I suppose not," Atem conceded– but with a smirk that caught Yuugi's eye, told him this was far from over. Made his grin quirk wider as Atem twisted his hand up, catching his fingers and playing over them as he 'mused' aloud. "Of course, I'd also have a hard time disliking any gift that came from you, so matter what it looked like–"
"If you on a purely aesthetic level do not like something I give you," Yuugi interrupted as he trapped those fingers right back, holding them still. Glared playfully into Atem's shit-eating grin. "Then that absolutely counts as you not liking it."
"Hmm… perhaps we should agree to disagree."
"Nope. You just suggested the possibility yourself that you wouldn't like the earrings, even if they did come from me. You can't fall back on that now."
"But what if I–"
Someone knocked.
They both jumped, the mischief shocked from their faces as they both looked to the door, hands still locked… but the door was locked, and after a quick try of the knob, the person knocked again.
"Yuugi-kun? Atem-kun? Are you in there?"
"…Yeah!" Yuugi chirped, looking to Atem– earning a faint shrug back before they let go, Yuugi rising and moving for the door, his hand flexing with the lost contact.
He opened up to find a curious-eyed, but otherwise relaxed mother on the other side.
"Is it time for dinner, Mama?"
"No, not yet," she answered, shifting her attention from Yuugi to the boy behind him– blinking in faint surprise once she spotted him. "Is that a new shirt, Atem-kun?"
"Aa." Yuugi turned to see Atem stuffing the cape back into the duffel, the only gold left on the floor the pieces he had decided to keep out. "We went shopping at the mall today."
"Ah yes, Otou-san said you had gone out after your shift."
"He was trying on the clothes we bought," Yuugi interjected, jumping in– only to inwardly grimace at his own offered explanation. If his mother wasn't going to make anything of the locked door, why was he bringing it up?!
She still didn't seem to notice anything though, thankfully, her expression still mild as she nodded. "I can see that. That shirt looks nice on you, Atem-kun."
"…Thank you."
"It would look better without all of that jewelry, though."
"Hn."
"Did you need anything, Mama?" Yuugi cut in, trying to drag her attention back to him. And this time he succeeded, earning an oddly distracted glance, and slow nod from his mother.
"Oh, yes. I was going to ask, you don't have any plans for tomorrow after school, do you?"
"Oh. No, I don't think so. Do you need me to help Jii-chan and Atem in the shop or something?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I need you. I want us to go to the underground mall tomorrow."
…Yuugi opened his mouth to reply… and shut it again, frowning.
What?
"With me?"
"Yes, that's what I said."
"But… what for?"
His mother's mouth went thin, impatience starting to fan across her expression. "Is there something odd about me wanting to go shopping with you?"
"Uh, well," Yuugi fumbled, trying to come up with some answer that would make his mother stop frowning at him… and coming up with nothing but a shrug. "K-kinda?"
…His mother huffed, shooting him a weary, tired sort of look before turning to go. "Just meet me at the station after school tomorrow. And come down in half an hour. Dinner should be ready by then."
"Ah, alright…" His mom didn't linger to hear his answer, and soon enough Yuugi was staring at an empty hallway… He turned around, and found Atem frowning, the same uncertain, wary confusion he felt staring back at him.
"What was that about?"
Yuugi could only shrug.
"You're late."
Yuugi jerked about, his shoulders relaxing under the straps of his backpack as he noticed his mother just behind him. He hadn't noticed her a moment ago, but she must have been among the crowd near the station square lottery stand– since there were a couple tickets visible in her hand. "Sorry, I got… wait, did you give me a time to be here?"
"No, but this station is only a five minute walk from your school. Shouldn't you have made it here twenty minutes ago?"
"Jounouchi-kun wanted to talk to me after class."
"Talk, or play?"
"…Did you want to go down to the mall?"
His mother huffed, clearly not pleased or impressed by the weak dodge. But, apparently she didn't consider it worth picking at, since she turned for the stairs leading to the underground without a counter. "Come on, let's go. But, honestly, I'm surprised Jounouchi-kun didn't come along with you."
Yuugi rushed to keep up, falling right behind her as the crowd closed in around them, forcing him to wait until they came out in the hall belowground and he had space to walk side-by-side with her again to answer. "I got the feeling that you wanted to be alone today, since you didn't ask Atem to come. So, I told him it was just us."
"…Thank you, Yuugi-kun. I appreciate that."
"Yeah, well…" Yuugi shuffled his bag's weight in a needless fidget, eyeing his mother's back… before shaking his head, tossing his suspicions and fears aside for the time being. "He actually decided to go to our place. To keep Atem company after his shift, and wait for me to get back."
"Good. Then he can have dinner with them. There should be enough for three."
Yuugi stalled as he registered the implications of that, then rushed double-time to catch up, dodging a couple of rushing bodies as they reached the long underground lane of shops and restaurants and entertainment places– the crowds even thicker amid the afternoon rush.
"Are we going to be out that long?"
"Yes, I suspect so. We'll find somewhere to eat first, assuming you're hungry enough already, and then we can go shopping." Yuugi didn't directly answer, or protest. He just looked at his mother out of the corner of his eye as they walked… And, while she eventually noticed Yuugi's silence and eyed him back for it, she misinterpreted it, hiking up of her purse strap as she faced forward. "I know you probably want to get back to your friends, Yuugi-kun, but they will be fine on their own. I left dinner ready for heating, so they shouldn't starve or burn anything. And, maybe between Jounouchi-kun and Atem-kun, they can keep Otou-san out of trouble until we get home."
"I really don't think Jii-chan would do anything to cause trouble, Mama."
"I can't believe you've never played Poker before!"
"Well, I haven't, okay?!" Atem grinned at the table he was polishing as, across the game shop, Jounouchi snapped at a scoffing Sugoroku.
"Jounouchi-kun, my grandson's told me a number of times that you favor Lady Luck in your play style, and you haven't gone out of your way to master one of the most basic of luck-based games?"
Grabbing the glass polish to spray his dried out rag, Atem eyed the two in the shop with him– Sugoroku tapping a deck of playing cards on the countertop as Jounouchi glowered at him with a mix of irritation and self-conscious doubt stamped on his face.
"I just haven't had a chance before! Nobody I ever ran into played, or bothered to show me how. All the guys I knew growing up gambled with other stuff…" And suddenly, Jounouchi turned to him. "Hey, Atem? Do you know how to play Poker?"
"Yes." Atem set aside the bottle, smiling reassuringly at his deflated friend before focusing on the glass again. "But that's only because Jii-chan showed aibou."
"Ho ho, that's right. Yuugi's had the rules of that game down since he was five! Although, I wouldn't call him a master at it."
Atem's hand stilled, his gaze sliding sharply to his partner's grandfather, even as his head stayed down.
But Sugoroku was still focused on Jounouchi, who was frowning at him with torn consideration. "So, Yuugi knows the game? He never mentioned it to me before."
"He probably wouldn't have, unless you had some money to burn. I taught my boy that games like Poker are pointless unless you're willing to put your money where your mouth is."
A gamble wasn't a gamble unless it came with a prize and a risk: an old sentiment that bounced up from the dust of Atem's mind, before he tossed it back to focus on the glass again. Keen as he may be on the topic, the faster he worked, the sooner he could move on and actually play with his friend, who had come over specifically to see him.
Maybe when he was finished, if Jounouchi really wanted to learn the game, Atem could show him how to–
"Why don't we have a go at it?"
Atem stalled. Stood up completely to stare at Sugoroku, his shock a perfect mirror of Jounouchi's.
"You'd teach me how to play Poker?"
"Why not? It's slow in here tonight, and we're closing in half-an-hour, anyways. Atem!" Sugoroku shot him a grin, tossing the card pack in the air only to catch it again. "You mind watching the store and closing up while I explain the rules to Jounouchi-kun?"
"…No, that should be fine–" he started, his eyes narrowing as Sugoroku cut him off right before he could get out a but.
"Great! Come on, lad. We can use the kitchen table. I could use an excuse to get off my feet."
"Oh… Alright. Guess I'll see you inside, Atem!"
"Guess so," Atem echoed, watching his grandfather and friend disappear through the shop's back door… sighing as he turned back to the table.
He hoped Jounouchi didn't have much pocket change on him.
"Didn't you say that brand was too expensive?"
"It is," Mama sighed, turning a second teaspoon of cream over into her coffee before lifting the cup out of its saucer, taking a sip with an unpleasant expression that had nothing to do with the taste. "It's all Atem-kun's fault, you know. He grabbed Blue Mountain at the store a few weeks ago, and now I'm hooked again. And Otou-san isn't any help at all, refusing to switch back to Toraja even if I do. I can't have it in the house if only I have to avoid it."
"But you do like it better, right?"
"That isn't the only consideration, Yuugi-kun."
"…Atem said he likes it, too."
"Did he?"
Yuugi smiled in answer, seeing his mother's frown slide into a neutral consideration… a faint hint of relief rising up in his chest when his hesitant mention of Atem brought no alarming reaction from his mother.
No, it was noticing him staring that made Mama frown again, and narrow her eyes with impatience. "Why are you talking to me? Did you finish your readings?"
Yuugi grimaced, straightening in his seat. "No."
"Then focus. At this rate, the shop will close before you're done."
"Yes, ma'am."
He sighed, breaking eye contact with his irked mother to pick up his highlighter, tackling his textbook again.
They were at a shockingly free table in an underground cafe.
They hadn't even made it into the restaurant.
Normally, Yuugi would have been far more circumspect about bringing up school with Mama. But damn if she hadn't caught him off-guard. He had been so wary, so focused on what this trip could be about, so worried that he and Atem had screwed up somehow and been caught in the hallway or the family room or left the door unlocked and not noticed someone walk in… that when Mama asked whether or not he had homework back in line at a steak place, he had gone and said yes.
And when she turned and looked at him point blank, no blinking, and asked him what it was, he had panicked.
And told the truth.
Hearing he had a civics test in class tomorrow that he had yet to study for, she snapped at him, marched right out of the restaurant, grabbed a sandwich out of a vending machine for him to eat, then sat him and his book bag down in at the closest table– which happened to be in that cafe.
The sandwich and a high tip bribe to the waiter were long gone, and Mama had given into the impulse to buy something from the cafe itself, ordering Yuugi a melon soda he had had refilled twice already while she nursed a coffee.
She was still drinking it when Yuugi's attention drifted from a blurring passage about government functions, and discovered her peering at him over the rim of the cup.
"…Are you not bored?"
"Frankly? Yes. I did not expect to need a book tonight. I've actually been trying to read your textbook upside down… and getting farther than you, apparently, since I got to the bottom of the page a minute ago."
Yuugi shifted in his seat, frowning down at the book as he moved his elbow off of the next page. "Then, shouldn't we just go? We're not going to shop now, right? And I can read at home just fine, and you won't have to just stare at me all night."
"Jounouchi-kun is there, remember?"
"Yeah, and he has the same test I do."
"I've been in the house when you two study, Yuugi-kun. There are quite a few cards involved and very little reading."
Yuugi huffed, tossing himself back in his seat as he glowered directly at his mother. "We won't play, okay? We'll even stay in the living room if you want. And if Atem decides to stay with us, I'll tell him we have to focus." Not that Atem ever distracted him from his studies, anyways… unless Yuugi himself sought distraction from him.
However common that might be.
"Really though, Mama, what's this about? You haven't been this involved in my studies in years, save to tell me to do them."
"Yes, I know." She sighed, putting down her cup as she focused not on him, but on the book, not a hint of the weight Yuugi feared in her expression despite her seriousness. "And I am beginning to regret that. Your study habits are atrocious."
Yuugi grimaced, turning back to the book to dodge her eyes. "I know I don't study enough–"
"No, I mean the way you read."
"I'm slow, I know–"
"No, I mean you started from the beginning of the chapter."
…
Yuugi looked back up and stared blank-faced at his mother.
His expression made her impatience erupt with a huff, and she pulled the book out from right under his arms, making him shuffle to put his hands to the table as she turned the book, flipping through the pages and pointing at a passage. "You should always check the summary at the end of the chapter before you start, any headings and highlighted terms, and maybe the graphs if there are any."
Yuugi looked at the short paragraph under his mother's finger… then back up at her. "Wouldn't I just take longer if I read that twice?"
Rather than sigh or snap at him, his mother shook her head, expression ebbing into simple avid emphasis as she put the book back in front of him. "No. Knowing what the chapter is about means you don't have to guess what the author is getting at, and you can rush through the main sections when you already comprehend the point, and don't have to pause and try to puzzle out the context of the points."
Yuugi's attention remained on his mother, even as she ignored his silent stares to flip back to the beginning of the chapter. "And you can usually skip the introduction. It just repeats the summary in a more roundabout way, see?" Yuugi finally looked down at the direct prompting, the first three whole pages, which he had struggled to get through, visible beneath his mother's finger before she moved on to the next section. "And if you practice at skimming a paragraph before reading it, you can piece out what you can skip. Like all of this about the fishermen of Nagaragawa? Unless there are going to be essay questions on the test, just getting the basic facts is enough. Fishermen, Nagawara, civil servants– get the key points, get your shorthand notes in order, and move on. Just refer to your notes for later study… Yuugi-kun, are you even taking notes?"
She was frowning again, clearly on the edge of a proper snap.
But Yuugi didn't even grimace, his eyes wide as he finally found his voice only to spit out, "Why are you so good at this?"
The irritation was whipped from his mother's face in an instant, replaced with a… a floundering nothing, really, until she shook her head and looked to the book. "These are just basic study skills. Don't overstate it."
"No way! This is all super smart. I never heard any of this from any of my teachers. They just tell me to read everything front to back until I have it memorized. And I can never do it right."
"Of course they do. It's what they're told to emphasize. But only a few people can learn that way, and it's not practical."
"Well, I didn't know."
"Well, now you do." The emphasis was sharp, but there was no frown or furrow to his mother's expression as she looked at him. Only a simple consideration. "Do you have any note cards?"
"Yes."
"Good. Then get them out. I'll show you how to make sum-up outlines– though you won't have much time to use them if you're taking the test tomorrow."
"That's fine!" Yuugi unzipped his bag, grinning as he sifted through loose supplies. "I'll just know for later."
"Alright, then hurry up. I won't need to anything but the dishes tonight, so if you finish fast enough, we can go to the arcade."
Yuugi stalled, note cards in hand, to stare at her. "…Seriously?"
"Yes. If you stay focused and finish quickly."
"Right." Yuugi quirked another grin at her, then looked back down at his book… his expression sliding into a faint, but focused determination as he picked up a pencil and wrote the chapter title on the top of a notecard.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother smiling as she drank her coffee.
"Oh, come on!"
Atem's mouth quirked with a smile as he strolled into the kitchen, the exclamations he had been hearing all throughout the shop lock up and walk into the house finally morphing into clear words when he was in sight of the kitchen– and the pair sitting at its table.
"Having trouble, Jounouchi-kun?"
The only answer was an agonized groan muffled by the tabletop, while over Jounouchi's dropped head Sugoroku chuckled goodnaturedly, sweeping a small pile of change into his hand. "Oh, he's got the basic rules down. We just have to work on when to fold and when to raise."
"Like hell we do." Jounouchi finally pulled his face from the wood, only to shoot Sugoroku a pained grimace. "I can't spend anymore money learning your lessons!"
"Probably wise," Atem praised, going to the fridge for a water bottle as he spoke. "The most important skill to pick up in Poker is to know when you have a good chance to win, and when you don't, and to fold when you are clearly at a disadvantage. There are ways to learn without spending all of your money."
The silence at his back tickled Atem's senses, and he was frowning when he turned around– and saw the constipated look on Jounouchi's face.
"…You already kept going too long, didn't you?"
"I'm out of cash." Jounouchi's expression was as empty as his voice.
And it lit the fire in Atem's as he narrowed his eyes on Sugoroku. "How much money did you take from him?"
Sugoroku shot him a placating look that bounced right off of Atem's awareness, straightening the bills and coins in his hand. "I haven't counted, but if we go by what I bet myself, ignoring raises and folds mixing it up… about three-thousand yen?"
"Three–" Atem pulled a chair out from the table, throwing himself down in the seat as he slapped his water bottle down on the table unopened. "How did you manage that in half an hour?! We always play with a fifty yen limit!"
"Well, we started out with that," Sugoroku calmly tried to explain, only for Jounouchi to interrupt with a miserable defense.
"It was my choice. I got frustrated when I lost a few hands in a row. I wanted to win it all back at once."
"That doesn't mean Jii-chan had to agree to it," Atem insisted, keeping an unaccepting glare set on Sugoroku– that the older man met, sharp look for sharp look.
"Calm down, Atem-kun. I made certain he understood the game before we started any bets. He decided to break the limit himself."
"That doesn't mean it was a fair game. He just tried it for the first time, and you've played for decades. And you would never break a limit with aibou!"
Sugoroku let out an unexpected laugh, grinning at him, the tension seemingly broken for him– if not Atem. "I thought you shared all of Yuugi's memories, but you don't remember when I first taught him the game and he threw away a month's allowance by getting impatient? You must remember something of it, since you nearly quoted me word-for-word there, 'don't push when you're at a disadvantage.'"
Atem… actually did recall that, now that it was mentioned.
But rather than answer, he scowled. "That was different." A month's allowance meant no treats or new games for a while, not a whole wallet's worth of food money lost!
But he couldn't say so. Not with Jounouchi frowning at him like that, or Sugoroku shaking his head, unawares. "I don't see how. But anyways, thanks for playing, Jounouchi-kun! I'll be happy to give you tips for next time, if you want to play again."
"Heh, thanks." Jounouchi tried to smile, and failed miserably.
Atem looked grimly from him to Sugoroku, then focused hard on the older man. "Deal me in."
Sugoroku's grin faded away, replaced by surprise. "What?"
"I want to play. Deal me in."
"Uh, Atem?" Jounouchi looked uncertainly from one 'Mutou' to the other, clearly wary. "I don't have any money to play anymore."
"Then just me and Jii-chan, fine."
Rather than question his insisting tone or protest, Sugoroku just considered him, as though trying to weigh him by sight alone. "Certainly, if you like. But wouldn't you rather eat first? Jounouchi-kun and I already had dinner."
"I'm not hungry. I just want to play." He narrowed his eyes, each word a hard thud. "Without limits."
Jounouchi opened his mouth as if to cut in, but no sound came out as Sugoroku raised a brow at him. "Oh? You won't say anything about me taking advantage of you, will you?"
"Of course not. This is my choice."
"I see…" After a long, calculating moment… a grin broke across Sugoroku's sharp gaze, leaving him shrugging and smiling as he reached for the cards. "Alright, then. I've never had a chance to play cards with royalty before. This should be fun."
"Uh," Jounouchi leaned towards Atem to mumble in his ear, gaze caught on the shuffling cards. "Are you sure about this?"
Atem's mouth went flat, waiting, perfectly still until the cards were completely dealt before picking up his hand. "Absolutely."
"What exactly is the attraction of this?"
The judgement behind the question was more than obvious, but there was something about his mother's baffled tone and stare as she looked into the bright, flashing game, that made Yuugi pinch his lips, lest he let out a snort. "The prizes, of course. If you win, you get whatever you manage to grab." A sharp given, of course, and Yuugi was sure, even if his mother had never frequented arcades in her life, she had to know what a UFO Catcher crane game was. And after she had scoffed at the pointlessness of the shooters and the racing games and stared at him horrified at the idea of a rhythm game, he thought she might appreciate that a player could at least walk away from a crane game with something earned beyond a high score that someone else could come along and erase in five minutes.
Not that he needed her to like any of the games. She'd said from the beginning that she was happy to wait in the cafe while he played, but since she had sat around waiting on him all evening, he wanted to find at least something there she might enjoy.
But she just shook her head, turning to him with an unconvinced frown. "You could buy any of these prizes for a few hundred yen, couldn't you? You'll waste at least twice that trying to get anything out of these machines with a claw that flimsy."
"Not if you have a little luck and know what you're doing. And what to look for," Yuugi claimed, grinning the wider when his mother's gaze only grew more skeptical. Instead of answering, he took a couple of coins out of his pocket and starting up the game. "There was a machine with Sonic dolls closer to the door, for instance, and I might like those prizes better, but the game was just refilled and looks too tightly packed. I'll never be able to grab anything. And this one here just has generic animals, but I should be able to get a heap of stuff out of it."
"But this looks just as full as the other games here. And those claws still look too flimsy."
"Yeah, but the prizes are little and piled on top of each other, and there's some right up near the chute. I don't even have to pick one up to win."
"Why?"
"Look." Taking a moment to position the crane, Yuugi pushed the button… and grinned as it went down right where he wanted, not directly on top of any specific plush, but right in the back of the little mound, prompting the whole pile to shift and fall over.
"Oh!" His mother jumped a little as not one, but seven round, palm-sized plush animals of all sorts and colors fell into the chute.
Yuugi fished them out with a grin. "That's called the avalanche method. If it were one bigger doll in the same position, you could also tip it over by hitting it in the back– and if there's one you really want further inside the game, there are ways to prod it along to the chute… but yeah, that can take hundreds of yen to do right."
He looked warily at his mother at the admittance, wondering if she would ask just how much money he'd spent discovering that fact… but she was staring at the toys in his hand.
He followed her intrigued gaze to one in particular… and grinned, holding it out. "Here."
Her brows shot up, and she sniffed into a smile. "I don't need a toy, Yuugi-kun."
"Come on! I got two of this one. Just take it."
"Honestly," she shook her head, but she was still smiling as she took the round black and white panda, squeezing it once… then sticking it in her purse. "Fine, but I still think the whole game is too gimmicky. I'd get frustrated just trying to master something like that."
"Hmm. Then, you'd find a game that's easier to pick up more fun?"
"I didn't say that, but I suppose."
"Huh." Yuugi looked around… his focus catching on another UFO Catcher that held no toys or candy, but a bunch of round capsules with accessories in them– jewelry and watches and keychains glittering back at him from beyond the glass. He stared for a long moment… then headed towards it, grinning as he spoke over his shoulder. "Then, give me a minute. I can show you something a lot simpler when I'm done."
"You don't have to find something for me to play, Yuugi-kun."
"Come on, I like the challenge!"
Atem threw down his hand, and Jounouchi choked as he saw the spread.
A royal flush in spades.
The chances of it were unbelievable.
Near impossible.
Took an insane amount of good luck.
And Atem just grit his teeth, cutting back the scream gathering in his throat.
"Ah! Looks like my intuition was right, eh?" Sugoroku said, smiling as he pushed the pot towards him.
The tiny, measly pot of two hundred yen, all Atem's.
Sugoroku had folded at the first bet.
If Atem didn't know that Sugoroku, for all of his trickster ways, was an honorable player, he would think he had a mirror somewhere. Or a camera. Or had picked up the powers of the Millennium Eye without having to push the Item into his bloody socket. Because they had been playing for a while, and Atem's luck had been near perfect… and Sugoroku kept folding, over and over, on every one of Atem's good draws.
Atem had all of the winning hands, and yet somehow he had lost 500 yen.
Sugoroku chuckled as Jounouchi shook his head and got up, mumbling about getting some chips. The older man asked as he re-dealed the cards, "Would you like to stop and have some food, too?"
Atem watched the cards falling face down before him. Knew in the gut he always trusted that he should stop. That he should walk away while he had lost only a little.
He picked up the cards.
"This is gambling."
"Oh, come on, Mama. You know that's illegal! These are just medal games."
"And how is this 'put a coin in and see how many you randomly get back' thing not gambling?"
"Not a coin. Medal." Yuugi shook the plastic cup of silver coin-shaped medals he had bought from a nearby dispenser, emphasizing that it was not money before taking one out and putting it in the slot at the top of the machine.
He grinned as it fell onto the moving shelves below, prompting a domino effect as it pushed dozens of other medals around until a few at the very front of the shelf fell into a chute– and into the tray in front of him. "See? I got back medals. No money. And you see that button there?" Yuugi pointed at the large red button on the side of the machine until his mother eyed it with a frown. "That controls the shelf inside the game– the one that moves the medals around, so that you can try and time dropping a medal in with where the shelf is. If it works, you can make more fall out when you play. So, there is some skill to it, but it's a lot more straightforward than a UFO Catcher."
"A lot more like gambling." She narrowed her eyes back on the moving medals… focusing in on the assembled tall pile of medals towards the front that looked like a– "What is that?"
"Oh, that's the tower. It's pretty far back right now, but if we can push it forward with other medals and it hits the glass, it will collapse and we'll get all of the medals in it. "
"So, it's a jackpot."
"Well, it… sort of, yeah."
"Uh-huh."
Yuugi sighed, turning and frowning up at his mother… before getting up and offering the seat when she inevitably won the contest of stares. "Mama, I swear, it's legal. Just, give it a try, alright?"
His mother gave the stool a less than impressed look, frowned at Yuugi again… and finally sighed herself, flopping down and putting out an expectant hand for the cup. "This subterfuge is beyond obvious, Yuugi-kun. Legal or not, it's clearly still the spirit of gambling. Just because it's dodging the law doesn't mean it isn't wrong."
Yuugi didn't say anything as he handed over the cup, his thoughts too caught on how… did she not know about Jii-chan joining his old gambling friends most Wednesdays to play Pachinko? Or that he taught Yuugi years ago how to play–
"How many of these am I supposed to put in?"
"O-oh, as many as you want. There's no catch to it. You could just push them all through at once if it was a good strategy–" Yuugi flinched, pinching his lips together as his mother dropped medal after medal into the slot as fast as she could get them between her thumb and forefinger. "That… probably isn't a good way to do it, though, Mama."
"Why not? You said they can all go in at once."
"Yes, but if you don't move the slot to change where they fall in, they'll all just fall on top of each other and pile up in the back without pushing any medals forward to–"
He stopped talking as the shelf moved and the newly gathered pile of medals cascaded over the side, causing an avalanche.
And knocking the tower over.
"No way!"
"…I won?" Mama stared blank-faced at the overflowing tray of medals, some of them falling into her lap as she gathered herself and looked up at Yuugi. "Yuugi-kun! I won!"
"Haha, congrats, Mama!"
"How much is this worth?!"
"Huh? We can count the medals if you like, but–"
"No, no, I mean how much money do you usually get for knocking over a tower like that?"
"…Nothing." Yuugi blinked, surprised to see the faint elation on his mother's face give way to confused frustration. "We're not playing for money."
"What?"
"You don't get any money for this. All you get are the medals."
"…"
"That's what makes it legal. If you win, you can save the medals and play again later without having to buy more, but you're just doing it for the fun of it."
…Mama turned, glowering hard at the medal tray as she insisted, "How is this fun?"
Yuugi shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pocket, expression and mood caught oddly between disappointment and amusement. "You looked like you were having fun for a second there. And, well, a lot of people like coin pusher games."
"…So, it's called a coin pusher, is it?"
"…Well…"
"Never mind," Mama sighed, tossing the medals that fell onto her lap back into the tray before standing up. "Do you play these sorts of games a lot? With your friends, or Atem-kun?"
"No, we focus on other games. This usually costs too much." He shrugged at his mother's sudden flat look, grinning again when he swore he saw faint amusement behind her eyes, too. "And there's also not much skill involved."
"So, it's not your sort of game."
"Nah, we all prefer more of a challenge. Although, I bet if he liked to play, Atem would be really good at it. He's extremely lucky, after all."
"Ah, you were just bluffing, eh? Heh heh, too bad, Atem-kun."
"Seriously?" Jounouchi breathed, the gut-punched airiness of his words giving voice to the silence that rang in Atem's mind as he watched Sugoroku gather up the pot.
And the last of his money.
His pockets were empty and he had nothing left on him.
…He slowly stood from the table, hands flat on the wood as he pinned Sugoroku with a burning look. "Don't. Move."
He turned and ran out of the room, only to come back in a minute or so later with a few crumpled bills in hand.
Sugoroku blinked at the money tossed before him. "…You had to go upstairs for more cash?"
"I didn't bring much to the store," Atem breezed, sitting down with a smirk he found somewhere back on the stairs.
But Jounouchi looked as wrung out as ever, shaking his head before hissing in Atem's ear. "Is that all the money you have?"
"Deal, Jii-chan."
"Dude, come on! How are you still thinking this can go well?"
"It's fine, Jounouchi-kun." Atem broke his gaze with Sugoroku just long enough to shoot his friend a reassuring smile– ignoring how Jounouchi just kept grimacing as he focused back on his opponent. "Go ahead. Deal."
Sugoroku, who had done nothing throughout the exchange save smile faintly, shrugged. And began dealing. "Suit yourself."
Jounouchi let out a choked groan as Atem picked up his cards.
"Did you have fun tonight?"
"Yeah, I did." Yuugi grinned against the backdrop of his bag jingly against his back, heavy with the weight of medals and toys and various other UFO catcher prizes. He and his mother strolled leisurely down the street that led from the station to their home, a faint breeze breaking up the summer night humidity as he admitted, "Even homework wasn't too bad in the end."
"Good. Make sure you stay on top of your studies from now on."
"Right…" Yuugi eyed his mother as they walked, the silence edging into his mind as he took in her relaxed, untroubled expression.
It would be so easy not to say anything at all. Smarter, really.
But… he couldn't help it. "Hey, Mama?"
"Yes?"
"Why'd we go out tonight?" His mother skipped a glance his direction with the question, but there was nothing more behind her gaze as he hesitantly added, "I mean, it was fun, yeah. But we didn't really do any of the things you meant to do, right? We didn't even buy anything in the end."
"No, we needed to focus on your readings."
"Yeah, but even when I was done, we went to the arcade instead of shopping like you said."
"You did well, and I wanted to encourage that. And I can always go back later to shop. You don't have to go with me."
"Right… But, if you didn't need me, and you didn't have to buy anything tonight, why'd you insist on going?"
He had suspected a reason, even dreaded it, and the thought that he might be pushing her bring it up after all was enough to make him want to gulp and drop it completely… but he just had to know. If she knew, then–
But, his mother just shook her head, her smile nothing but tired as she asked, "Yuugi-kun, when do we ever sit down and talk outside of the kitchen, just the two of us?"
He stared with the question… his feet slowing and finally stalling as he tried to think of an answer, and came up with nothing.
…Shit.
It was a good thing his tongue was too heavy with shock for him to speak, or he might have repeated the curse out loud– and earned a lecture instead of a head shake and a soft look. "One day, you aren't going to have any homework at all. And I won't be in charge of how clean your room is, and there won't be any reason for us to sit down or do things together, unless we make a point of it. And I want us to still know how to talk to each other when that time comes."
Yuugi opened his mouth, but– but nothing came out. And his mother looked like she was ready to laugh at his floundering look, to smooth over his struggle. But the shame of having her so wrong in all of this, and hiding stuff when she just wanted to spend time with him, and she was right, and– "You can always tell me if my room's messy. I don't mind."
The mindless, tripping assurance calmed the laughter from his mother's smile, and she just looked at him fondly for a moment… reaching out to ruffle his hair just when he began to relax. "You better not make it necessary."
Yuugi instantly reached up to straighten his spikes as his mother walked away, huffing a begrudgingly pleased, "Yes, ma'am."
"Is that it, then? Want to go again?"
Atem didn't answer. Just stared utterly dead-eyed at the table as Sugoroku gathered up last bet.
As Jounouchi shook beside him, his eyes wide and shot as he mumbled to himself. "How did I even get back into this game? How did I find another 1000 yen in my pocket and thing 'yeah, playing more is a good idea?!'"
"Come now," Sugoroku soothed, trying and failing to make contact with the shaken blond. "You just saw Atem-kun using the last of his money, and you wanted to help somehow."
Atem still didn't say anything. Or look up. Lips tight and eyes glued to the tabletop as he screamed self-admonishments in his head.
Until Sugoroku spoke up again.
"Just try to learn from this, both of you. On top of playing when your better judgement said to stop and walk away, you both have more tells than a tot caught with his hand in the cookie jar."
Atem blinked. Burst to life as he looked up with sparking eyes. "What tells?"
Sugoroku just smiled, shaking his head as he straightened his winnings into organized piles and folded bills. "Now, why would I tell you that? I'd like to play with you again some time. And not only would that be silly for my sake, but it's always better to try and figure out your own tells, and leave an opponent uncertain what you're unaware of and what you're playing up consciously."
…That was a fair point, actually. Making an opponent question his self-awareness could be a helpful layer of subterfuge.
Except, Atem was fairly confident he had a good poker face already! He'd managed to bluff his way through quite a few victories in the past, after all, both serious and friendly. And yet Sugoroku had seen right through his every play, as though his thoughts were written on his face!
He knew the older Mutou was a master gambler himself, but still.
Atem stared hard at the man's smiling face, seeking some explanation… until Sugoroku pulled out his wallet, tucking the money away. "Well, it's been fun, boys, but I should turn in. Us old men need to go to bed early, you know. Atem-kun, make sure you get some food before you go to bed, you hear?"
Atem didn't answer, and neither did Jounouchi. They just watched the Sugoroku stroll out of the kitchen… the blond's head flopping back onto the table the moment they were alone.
"Aaaah, how did we get mixed up in this, Atem?!"
Atem didn't answer.
Jounouchi wouldn't like the truth.
And neither did he.
So he just grimaced as Jounouchi bemoaned their loss, waiting for his own silent, mirroring uproar to pass… when they heard a door open.
"Tadaima!"
Atem turned his head in sync with Jounouchi at the sound of Yuugi's voice, moving to rise– when a scream stopped them where they sat.
"Give those boys back their money, you con artist!"
They both flinched and dropped back in their seats.
A moment later, Yuugi stepped into the kitchen, a twisted half-smile on his face as he greeted them and sat down at the table– to the backdrop of his mother screaming. "We caught Jii-chan counting bills in the hallway… rough night?"
Atem's rising grin dropped into another flat nothing, his gaze drifting towards the stove. "I'd rather not talk about it."
Jounouchi echoed the thought with a strangled harrumph… then looked nervously beyond Yuugi to the door. "She is getting our money back, right Yuugi?"
Yuugi grinned awkwardly in answer, shrugging… reaching for the cards that had been left behind on the table. "You guys want to play Daifugo?"
Jounouchi's answer was to groan and drop his head back to the table.
Atem kept scowling at the stove.
"Seriously? You challenged Jii-chan again? Already?"
"Just a few hands over lunch."
"Seriously?"
"I had to at least try, aibou. It's the principle of the thing."
"And how much money did the 'principle of the thing' lose you?"
"Nothing, actually."
"What? It– you won?"
"Partially. We re-established the bet limit, and I took your other advice, too. We each won two hands, so we came out even in the end."
"Haha, well, I'm glad you agreed not to go crazy with it."
"I assure you, if we hadn't gone back to the shop, I would have won more in the end."
"Just remember not to make eye contact with Jii-chan when you play until you catch your tells. Chances are they're in your expression, and not some gesture or twitch you'd be more conscious of."
"Like scratching my lip."
"Yup."
"Like Jounouchi-kun."
"Yup."
"I'll remember. And thanks for the advice in the first place."
"Course!"
"Hmm… but, aibou?"
"Yeah?"
"Why are we here?"
"What do you mean?" Yuugi asked, grinning as he looked up from the complicated remote he was messing with to face Atem.
Who sat beside him in the booth.
In their private room.
At a karaoke box.
They'd met up near the school gate earlier that afternoon, and the second Atem heard Yuugi's test that day had gone well, he'd insisted they go somewhere special to celebrate– Yuugi's choice, Atem's treat.
And Yuugi chose this.
A karaoke box.
And while he'd gone along with it, Atem had been shooting Yuugi dubious looks ever since he suggested it, and they only grew longer and more pronounced after they got their rented space and Yuugi actually picked up the remote and tried to set up the music.
Yuugi had pretended not to notice, but finally called out, he mirrored Atem's expectant look right back at him… until his other self shook his head. "You hate karaoke."
"I don't hate it."
"Well, you certainly don't like it enough to pick it over the arcade or a card shop."
"You want to go to a card shop instead?"
"No, this is your choice. And we've already paid. I just don't know what we're doing here."
"Singing, what else?"
"Honestly?" Atem sat back, resting one arm on his knee as his other hand played with one of his earrings– the fake gold studs in the Z-shape of a Tetris piece that Yuugi had gifted him last night, won from a UFO Catcher. "I thought you might just be looking for somewhere we could be alone."
–Yuugi's brain froze over.
Thawed again as Atem met his eye, and he saw the uncertain hope beneath that wry smirk.
…Yuugi was suddenly very conscious of Atem's knee brushing against his thigh.
He choked on his own breath, feeling his cheeks heat as he coughed, struggling to gather himself as he looked from screen to– boyfriend. "I mean, that wasn't what I…" The faint wash of discouragement on Atem's face just made his face burn hotter, and he shook his head sharply. "I mean, we'll be in here a while," but the doors also didn't lock and their time there was timed and there might be security cameras and it really wasn't as private as Atem seemed to think–
But that didn't stop his stomach from somersaulting when Atem subtly lit up, and Yuugi was grinning rather dopeily as he insisted, "But, I really did want to come here and sing a while."
"Alright." Apparently emboldened, Atem straightened his legs to shift in his seat, facing Yuugi more directly as he insisted, "Why?"
–Yuugi huffed, shoulders relaxing as he jerked a wave at the room about them. "Look, you know Anzu-chan and Otogi-kun like these places, and lots of people do, and I'm tired of cringing every time someone suggests we do this. And I know I'm just avoiding it because of Sozoji-kun…" Atem grimaced with perfect understanding at the name, but Yuugi just shook his head, smiling. "I just want to see what it's like when we're not being forced to listen to someone like that. I want to see if we can find it fun when it's at least just us."
Atem tilted his head, considering his partner with hooded eyes… and a faint smile that told Yuugi his answer long before he turned to the screen. "Sing."
"Yeah."
"The two of us. Singing."
"Well, it doesn't look like there's anybody else here."
Atem snorted, turning back to Yuugi with an open grin. "Alright, I'm game."
"Awesome!" Yuugi turned and started scrolling through the selection screen, before he could stop and think about what they were doing himself. Before he could balk. "What songs do we even know?"
"Don't they have a popular songs list we could work with?"
"Probably… oh, here it is!"
A minute or two later found them blaring a heavy beat rock song over the speakers, a microphone in each of their hands… as they stared at each other, the screen flashing unsung lyrics.
"Well?"
"This was your idea, aibou. Shouldn't you start us off?"
"But you picked the song!"
"Yes, for you."
"Oh, come on," Yuugi huffed, rolling his eyes– grinning right back at Atem as he nudged him lightly in the arm. "I know you're a good singer."
"When have you ever heard me sing?"
"Last Christmas, when we had Anzu-chan's concert songs stuck in our heads."
"I sang those in your head. It's a lot easier to hold a note when I'm using you as a soundboard."
"It was still your voice singing."
"Yes, and you sang out loud perfectly well. So you should be fine."
"Yes, but we're both– why don't we just both sing it?"
"Over each other?"
"Yeah! We can shield each other by drowning each other out."
"Heh."
"Oh, come on."
Atem didn't fight it, shaking his head as Yuugi restarted the song– and started belting words right in his face.
A jerk back, a drowned out laugh, and Atem looked to the screen, yelling the song into his mike right along with him.
They were horrible.
Completely out of sync, since neither of them knew the song that well.
It didn't matter, though. They didn't need to get it right, and tripping over each verse only to pick up the beat on the chorus brought no self-consciousness, once that they were into it. There was no room for stage fright or feared impressions when it was just the two of them. Whatever Atem's claims, there were no surprises. They already knew each other's voices perfectly well, and even if they hadn't, Yuugi wouldn't have worried. Atem's smile and lingering look when he actually managed to hit a note right was as much a given to Yuugi as breathing.
That didn't stop his chest from swelling, though, to hear his other self outside of his own head. To see him so thoughtless, beaming and singing and tapping his hand on a knee to match the beat.
Yuugi grabbed that hand when the song ended, using the one still free to pick the next song without thinking.
It was some American classic, but he barely heard the fast opening notes as Atem looked at him, smile taking on a new light as he squeezed his hand… leaning in to say, "You take this one."
Yuugi snorted, not moving back an inch. "I don't know enough English for this."
"Neither do I, but you picked it."
"Then I guess neither of us can sing it."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
Yuugi opened his mouth… then shut it, face splitting in a grin as he put down his microphone, stood up, and offered his other hand.
Atem's expression cleared as he quirked a brow, but Yuugi shrugged, answering not with words, but a look, hopeful and self-conscious at once as he stared down at him.
Atem answered by melting, gaze lingering as he reached up– and slipped the Puzzle's cord over his head.
The new braided leather cord – bought on the way to the karaoke box that day – shone black against the gold as Atem left the Item behind on the seat and rose to meet his partner.
Yuugi felt his other self's arms catch around his neck and back, making him trip face first into his chest as their feet tangled and Atem laughed.
Yuugi's grimace at the pressure on his nose shifted into a smile as he righted himself and they looked at each other– Yuugi reclaiming Atem's hand to prompt him to turn– twirl on a foot as he nearly toppled over with laughter.
There was no grace to it, or style. They had no idea what they were doing, and they didn't even continually move. They just had fun, bobbing heads and twirling on feet and falling into each other, snorting and laughing at their own tripping failures until the song ended.
Yuugi let go of him just long enough to hit play on the next song.
A slow ballad.
They went still, listening for a few beats before registering that the simple piano definitely didn't match the mood they had just fallen into.
And Yuugi considered trying again, hitting buttons until something fast came on again… but he got caught in Atem's smile mid-thought.
In the mixed levity and warmth in his eyes.
Yuugi's heartbeat steadied.
He smiled. "I don't know this one, either."
"I think it's another English one."
"Then I'm not singing it."
"Me neither."
Yuugi shrugged… stared at Atem until he was sure he was never going to look away.
And stepped closer.
Arms that had tensed with the uncertainty of the music locked loosely around Atem's hips, and Yuugi leaned close. So close that the old chain around his own neck – secured into a shorter, double strand necklace with some repurposed Hanayama links – dug into his chest, tangling up with Atem's cartouche.
Arms fell heavy on his hips as Atem met him. Watched him from behind his lenses with warm, steady eyes, from a breath away.
And… they did nothing.
Just breathed.
Yuugi didn't know how to turn or twirl or dance about without knocking that precious contact loose, so it wasn't worth it.
It wasn't worth disturbing what sang in Atem's eyes, or looking away from it.
So he just leaned onto one foot, then the other, shifting slightly… faint tips of the hips and the arms that never disturbed their chests or heads.
Never drew them apart.
And Atem mirrored him perfectly, smiling.