Chapter 11 The Alpha's new clothes

Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh

Atem and Yami playfully chased each other through the woods as they headed back to Domino and Yami found herself actually enjoying her time with Atem for the first time since waking up on top of the mountain after the full moon. It was actually kind of strange not being angry with him.

The two raced down the massive hill before coming to a stop beside the river. Atem walked over to Yami before briefly transforming and slipping the duffel bag off her and around his own shoulders. "You swim across the river. I'm going to take the boulders so your bag doesn't get wet. I'll meet you on the other side." Atem said before transforming back into his wolf form and darting further downstream.

Yami was actually smiling as she jumped into the river and slowly made her way across. She was officially going to be listing 'doggy paddling' as another work in progress although, when compared with hunting Yami figured she could call herself a doggy paddling expert. However, that didn't mean it was of a surprise that Atem was already on the opposite bank by the time Yami managed to swim across the river.

Atem lightly bumped his head against Yami's after she climbed out of the river. "You seem to be getting the hang of swimming." Atem said.

Yami snorted, "No, you can admit it. I'm terrible at it. I'm a much better swimmer in my human form." Yami replied.

Atem chuckled, "Well, I guess I'll have to take your word for it." Atem replied as the two trotted side by side through the woods and towards Yami's grandfather's house. "So, my beautiful mate, what do you have planned for us to do?" Atem asked.

Yami sighed, "Well, like I said. First stop is my grandfather's house. Then the next stop is the mall. You will need clothes. And shoes. Shoes are the first priority. And then...I honestly don't know. There are a ton of things that we could go and do together." Yami said.

Atem was quiet for a moment before he asked, "If you were on an outing like this with a human male, what would you be doing?" Atem asked.

Yami snorted, "You mean like on a date?" Yami asked.

Atem nodded, "Yes, I suppose that would be correct." Atem said.

"Well, to be honest. I don't know. I never went on a date with a guy before. I mean, I know everyone says they go out to dinner and then to the movies together." Yami said.

"Then we should most certainly do that as well." Atem declared.

Yami snorted, "You want us to go out on a date?" Yami asked.

"Yes. I do. I also want us to do whatever it is you want to do today. But, yes. I want to take my mate out on a human date." Atem said.

If Yami had been in her human form she would have been blushing right now. In reality she had never been asked out on a date before, unless you count the time that creep Duke had been hitting on her in the food court and to be honest Yami really didn't. Going out an a real date with Atem, that could be really nice.

"Okay, if you're asking me out on a date then I guess my answer will be yes." Yami replied.

"Excellent." Atem replied before he came to a stop beside the back door to Yami's grandfather's house and immediately shifting back into his human form before turning to Yami and wrapping his arms around her. Yami allowed her eyes to drift shut as she just nuzzled into Atem's muscular chest allowing Atem to draw her human side back out again. Deep down she knew that she needed to figure out how to shift on her own and stop relying on Atem to shift for her but...that was definitely going to be a problem for future Yami to worry about.

Atem chuckled, his hand lightly stroking along Yami's back, "As much as I am enjoying having you resting in my arms I believe you had a lot that you wanted to accomplish today." Atem said drawing Yami back to the present and she pulled away from Atem blushing before she lifted up the doormat and pulled out the spare key and stuck it into the lock.

"Right. I just have to grab some money and then we can be on our way." Yami said as she headed into the kitchen. Her grandfather always left a few of his credit cards in the kitchen for Yami to grab and use if she needed to. She had never abused the privilege so he hadn't cared what she used the money for. She grabbed two of her grandfather's credit cards and shoved them into her pocket before darting back up the stairs and into her bedroom to grab her purse.

Yami paused as she glanced over at her red stained bed sheets and winced. Yeah, that would just be a wonderful sight for her grandfather to see if he came back home. Or for Mai to see if she came into Yami's bedroom. Yami quickly stripped the bed, shoving the dirty linens into her hamper and headed into the linen closet grabbing her spare set and changing the bed. Once Yami was satisfied that the bed was good she picked up her purse and slipped her grandfather's credit cards into her wallet and slung her purse over her shoulder before heading back down the stairs.

"Alright Atem, are you ready to go?" Yami asked.

Atem nodded, "I am. Lead the way." Atem said.

Yami grabbed a hold of Atem's hand and led him out of her grandfather's house and down to the bus stop. "We have to take the bus to the mall since its way too far for us to walk to from here." Yami said.

Atem nodded as he took a seat down on the bench, "That's fine." He replied tugging lightly on their joined hands so Yami joined him on the bench before he released her hand and slung his arm around her shoulders and Yami lightly rested her head on Atem's shoulder and for a moment the two just sat their in a comfortable silence.

"How badly are those shoes hurting your feet?" Yami asked.

"They are most definitely uncomfortable but I have been in more pain before. I can tolerate it for however long you need me to." Atem said.

Yami snorted, "I still can't believe that you never really wear shoes. How can you possibly not have shoes? Wouldn't you get frost bite or something in the winter?" Yami asked.

Atem shrugged, "Wolves don't need shoes. As you have been told many times I am almost never in my human form. And I'm not. Before you joined the pack it had probably been almost two years since I had last assumed my human form...and then it was only briefly." Atem said.

"Which explains your lack of suitable clothing." Yami replied with a sigh.

"Something which you have vowed to address. It is why you said we are going to this mall that you mentioned, is it not?" Atem replied.

Yami snorted, "You really are absolutely clueless about humans. Aren't you?" Yami asked.

Atem shrugged, "I was never curious about them when I was growing up. Humans were a separate entity from us and I never wanted to really embrace that side of me. To me it had felt like embracing the human side would have been taking something away from who I truly was. I never begrudged those who wanted to explore human settlements." Atem said.

"But, you have a problem with Ishizu insisting on living and working as a normal human." Yami pointed out.

Atem sighed, "There is a distinct difference between visiting a human settlement for a short time. Trying something new and then coming back home after you've had your adventure, as opposed to repressing a part of who you are. Ishizu ignores the wolf within her. She cannot hunt, she can barely scent anything, contributes nothing to our pack, and to be perfectly honest hates the wolf within her. Her dream is to find a way to permanently silence the wolf which is such a huge part of who we are. Now, if she had made that choice just for herself that would be one thing. But, she also made that choice for Mahad and the spineless, ball less wolf that Mahad is he lets her! He has let her take away what is a core part of who Mahad is. He has let her convince him to deny that part of himself, to ignore it. And yes, seeing that does make me angry. Because what Ishizu has done is wrong. And if I'm perfectly honest I think my father never should have consented to allowing Mahad to bite her in the first place." Atem said.

Yami bit her lip, "You know, I've never really thought about it like that before. I just..."

"You were completely focused on getting back to your old life and never stopped to realize that the life you used to lead has been forever changed and that it would be truly impossible for you to return to your old life." Atem said.

"Maybe in part. But I can still have part of my old life back. Like see my grandfather. And if its possible I would really like to be able to finish school."Yami said.

Atem sighed, "We'll have to talk to Seto about you finishing school. I'm sure there has to be a way to get around you not actually attending school to be able to finish." Atem said.

By this point the bus had pulled up to the bus stop and Yami got to her feet, her hand once more slipping into Atem's as she led him up onto the bus, paying for two bus fares before they took an open seat at the back of the bus. Atem, once again slipped his arm around Yami, holding her about as close to his side as he could manage without actually pulling her onto his lap.

"Is something the matter Atem?" Yami asked.

Atem snorted, "I just don't like the way some of these men look at you." Atem muttered.

Yami just chuckled, "Just ignore them Atem. They're harmless." Yami said.

"That's easy for you to say." Atem muttered darkly before adding, "But don't worry I will ignore them, other than making absolutely certain they know that you are mine." Atem declared.

Yami rolled her eyes, "Whatever floats your boat Atem." Yami replied resting her head on his shoulder as her eyes drifted around the bus to see who exactly it was that had Atem so on edge. She saw Tristan Taylor was sitting a few seats up, waggling his eyebrows at her not unlike he had done a million times. But, Tristan was harmless. A chauvinistic pig sure, but a harmless one. All talk. Her and Mai had at one point mused if Tristan would even know what to do with a girl if he ever managed to find one that would give him the time of day.

It didn't take the bus too long to reach the mall and Yami quickly rose to her feet, her hand once more slipping into Atem's as she tugged him off the bus.

"Yo Yami!"

Yami paused briefly to glance over her shoulder. Tristan had followed them off the bus. "Can I help you with something?" Yami asked. Atem had slipped her arms around her waist so that she was standing back to chest with him and his chin was resting on Yami's shoulder as he glared at Tristan.

"It's been a while since I've seen you around. But seriously whose the guy?" Tristan asked.

Yami snorted, "This happens to be my boyfriend. Now buzz off Tristan before my boyfriend teaches you some respect. And I have a feeling that he won't be as gentle with his reminders as my grandfather." Yami replied.

Tristan just rolled his eyes before walking past the pair and heading into the mall. Atem's narrow blood red eyes tracking every move Tristan made. "I do not like him." Atem growled, his voice so low that only Yami was able to hear him.

Yami chuckled, "Don't worry. I don't care for him either. Now come on, we need to get you some new shoes and some new clothes before he head out." Yami said.

Atem didn't release Yami immediately but rather pressed a kiss to the side of her neck which made Yami shudder. Yami felt Atem smirk from where his lips were still resting against her skin. "Atem, behave." Yami groaned.

Atem sighed but he did finally release her. "Fine. I will behave. Now, lets go and do the shopping that you have planned for us." Atem said.

Yami nodded before she once again took Atem's hand. She tried to tell herself that she was only grabbing his hand so that he didn't get lost in the mall but she knew that was a lie. She was holding his hand because she wanted to hold his hand. Even if she couldn't begin to explain a single reason that she would want to hold Atem's hand.

Yami led the way through the mall heading right to a favorite shoe store of hers. She dragged Atem over to the mens section before pushing him down onto one of the many benches before she crouched down and tugged off Atem's sandal which was actually leaving red marks on Atem's foot form where it was digging into his skin. Yami set the sandal aside before picking up the Brannock Device. "Stand up straight so I can figure out what size shoe you wear." Yami hissed.

Atem said nothing as he stood straight up while Yami fiddled with the device. Atem, it looked like was a size 10 shoe. "Okay, it looks like you need a size 10." Yami said as she set the Brannock Device back aside and got back to her feet.

Atem chuckled, "And I'm assuming that means something to you." Atem said.

Yami resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Yes, that means something to me. Now sit here and take off your other sandal. I'll be right back with some shoes for you to try on." Yami said.

Atem chuckled once more as he sat back down and tugged off his other sandal. Yami shook her head almost fondly as she wandered down the aisle glancing at the different types of mens shoes. She had only shopped for mens shoes once in her life and that was two years ago when her grandfather had said he wanted a new pair of loafers for Christmas. It had taken her all of five minutes to walk in, grab a pair and pay for them. On the bright side, men shoes seemed to be a lot more simple than women's shoes. They had sneakers, dress shoes, sandals, boots, work boots and loafers that all looked pretty similar to one another if not very slight different variations of colors (black, brown, grey, or the occasional navy or white).

The problem was that even if they were so simple why was Yami suddenly feeling overwhelmed. Atem had NOTHING! Hell, less than five minutes ago he didn't even know what his shoe size was or even WHAT a shoe size was. He wouldn't have the slightest idea of what kind of shoes he liked.

"Well, I guess he'll need sneakers. And dress shoes. And sandals. And he'll need a pair of boots for the winter. And would hiking boots be better than sneakers for being in the woods?" Yami muttered to herself as she gazed up and down the different aisles. Grandpa, I promise that once you are back home I swear I will pay you back for this because I have a sinking suspicion that this is going to end up being a very expensive trip to the mall. Yami mentally vowed.

"Okay, sneakers first." Yami whispered. A part of her did recognize that she was being ridiculous. This was more than likely going to be a one time thing and Atem would never set foot in Domino ever again which meant that buying all these different shoes was more than likely going to be a waste of money. But, Yami was hopeful that maybe...just maybe he might decide to make the trip again and if he did then he would most definitely need shoes. And given how talented Yami had proven to be at sewing she certainly had no hopes on learning how to make Atem a decent pair of shoes. Maybe with time she might be able to make him a shirt or something but more than likely she'd never be able to make him a pair of shoes.

Yami glanced at the different types of sneakers before she grabbed a pair of plain black sketchers off the shelf. Black you can wear with practically everything. So, those should work. And as an added bonus they were slip on sneakers so Atem wouldn't have to worry about tying them. Yami froze oh my god...does Atem even KNOW how to tie his shoes? Yami thought to herself. God she hoped he did because that would definitely be an embarrassing thing to try and teach him how to do.

Now, since she had found him a pair of sneakers Yami then moved onto sandals. It was summer time and everyone was wearing sandals right now. She grabbed a simple pair of brown leather sandals off the shelf. They were slip ons and again, something that could easily be worn with almost anything.

Two down, three to go. Yami thought to herself as she made her way back down the aisle, walking past Atem. She dropped the two boxes of shoes next to him before heading into the next aisle. Dress shoes. Yami sighed. Well, technically Atem didn't own any dress clothes but maybe she'd buy him a pair of dress slacks and a nice dress shirt. He was the one who decided that he wanted to take her out on a date tonight. And when you went on a date you dressed up. It was kind of the thing you did. And part of dressing up was wearing dress shoes.

Yami quickly grabbed a pair of simple black dress shoes off the shelf. To her all the different dress shoes looked practically the same. They were black, they were somewhat shiny and they would pass as dress shoes. Which, in this case was going to be good enough. Yami then headed down by the boots. She found her eyes drifting to a pair of leather black boots with what looked like metal studs embedded along the seams. The boots came to a pointed toe and Yami blushed as she glanced away. The boots were stylish without a doubt and Yami couldn't help picturing Atem wearing them along with a pair of dark wash jeans or god forbid a pair of leather pants.

Yami shook her head. God she was being absolutely ridiculous. Atem was not a doll she could just dress up however she pleased. Even if the boots did look really sharp. Yami bit her lip before she reached out and grabbed the boots off the shelf. Maybe when Atem tried them on he wouldn't like them or would look terrible in them and then she could just put them back.

Yami then quickly walked further down the aisle, grabbing a pair of brown hiking boots off the shelf while hardly looking at them. Maybe it might be a good idea to come back for winter boots closer to winter. Yami mused to herself before she turned and headed back to Atem, although not without stopping up by the front and grabbing a bag of socks. Socks were required for all of them with the exception of the sandals. She paid for the bag of socks muttering to the cashier that her boyfriend was an idiot and hadn't brought a pair with him to try on shoes. The cashier had laughed as she rung them up said she hated it when her husband did the same thing, like they hadn't planned on going shoe shopping when they'd left.

Yami walked back over to rejoin Atem who was still sitting on the bench exactly where she had left him.

"Did you find everything that you were looking for?" Atem asked.

Yami ripped open the bag of socks and tossed a pair at Atem, "Put those on so we can try on these shoes." Yami ordered.

Atem frowned, "Why do I need to try on the shoes? I think that thing you stuck my foot in told you which shoes I would need." Atem said.

Yami rolled her eyes, "Yes, they told me what size to look for. But every shoe is slightly different and you need to try them on to make sure they fit properly and that they don't hurt your feet. Some shoe brands run narrow, others run wide, some a little bigger others smaller." Yami explained.

Atem sighed, "If you say so." Atem conceded as he pulled on the pair of socks Yami had given him, "So, does it matter which pair of shoes I try on first?" Atem asked.

Yami shook her head, "No, it doesn't. You need to try them all on so I can see if I need to get you a different pair instead." Yami said.

Atem opened the box of sneakers first and pulled out he shoe before tugging it quickly onto his left foot, before putting on the right shoe. "They appear to fit." Atem said.

Yami sighed before she dropped back down onto her knees, "Stand up." Yami commanded. Atem did and Yami lightly pressed on the end of his shoe, checking to see where she could feel Atem's toes. They were down by the end of the shoe but she didn't think they were too close to the end. "Atem, can you walk down to the end of the aisle and then come back for me?" Yami asked.

Atem nodded, "Of course." Atem said before doing exactly as Yami asked. Yami watched as Atem walked down the aisle before coming back. She had to mentally force herself to look at Atem's feet because much to her embarrassment at one point her eyes had been locked on Atem's ass while he walked.

Atem then came to a stop beside the bench. "They seem adequate to me." Atem said evenly.

Yami sighed as she straightened up, "Did they hurt your feet while you were walking?" Yami asked.

Atem shook his head, "Walking with them on certainly felt different, but they did not hurt my feet no. Not like the sandals did." Atem said.

Yami nodded, "And what about your heel? Did you heel slide up and down while you walked?" Yami asked.

Atem shook his head, "No, it didn't." Atem said.

Yami nodded once again, "Good. That means they fit." Yami said, "Now I need you to take them off and try on the rest of the shoes." Yami said.

Atem chuckled as he sat back down and tugged off the sneakers before putting them back into the box and grabbing the pair of dress shoes and pulling them onto his feet. Yami was very relieved to see that Atem did in fact know how to tie his own shoes. And Yami once again checked to see where Atem's toes were.

All of the shoes fit and much to Yami's embarrassment even the metal studded boots she had picked out fit Atem and the did look good on him. Which led to Yami spending over 400.00 buying all five pairs of shoes.

Yami had Atem change out of his sandals and into the new pair of sneakers she'd bought him before they left store once again hand in hand. "Now where are we off to next my dear?" Atem purred in Yami's ear.

Yami shuddered. "Ummm, well, next we need to get you some new clothes to go with your new shoes." Yami said.

Atem nodded, "Very well, then lead the way." Atem replied.

Yami led Atem into the first clothing store that she saw for men. She'd never been in this particular store before but figured she'd at least be able to get some decent clothes for him. It just so happened that this was a store that sold men's dress clothes. Sadly, there wasn't a device she could just grab that would tell her what size Atem was which meant it was going to be a lot more trial and error than shoe shopping had been. And even with knowing Atem's size it had still taken them over an hour to get his shoes. It was already creeping up on noon, which meant that other than shopping her and Atem weren't really going to have time to do much of anything.

Then again, if Yami really thought about it, other than lounging by the pool hanging out at the mall was more than likely how Yami and Mai would have preferred to spend their day anyway. So, in that sense Atem was getting to see what Yami would have normally done on a given day.

"So, where should we begin beloved?" Atem asked.

Yami bit her lip, "Ummm, trying to figure out what size you are." Yami said slowly before she made her way over to one of the clothing wracks that held some mens polo shirts. Yami's eyes drifted over to Atem before flicking back over the polo shirts as she tried to guesstimate what his size would be before she grabbed a medium polo shirt off the wrack as well as large. He was more than likely one or the other. He was too muscular to be a small. And he definitely wasn't an extra large.

"Okay, now Atem I want you to go into the changing room over there and try on these shirts. After you try on each one come out and show me so I hopefully figure out what size you are." Yami said.

Atem chuckled, "As you command." Atem replied.

Yami rolled her eyes, "What? Are you saying you like me being the one whose in charge for a change?" Yami whispered.

Atem shook his head fondly, "It is definitely a different experience. I'm okay with it to a degree, but that doesn't mean later I won't have quite the desire to demonstrate my dominance." Atem said. Yami flushed a brilliant shade of red before she started to push Atem in the direction of the changing room.

"Go change! Now you pervert." Yami hissed. She could not believe Atem had just said that. Talk about embarrassing.

Atem just gave Yami a leering looking, one of those looks that seemed to convey to be continued before he turned into the fitting room carrying the two polo shirts. Yami had nothing better to do than wait. It didn't take Atem more than a couple of minutes to change into the first polo shirt. It took a lot of Yami's self control not to laugh. Atem looked ridiculous in his deerhide pants wearing a polo shirt not to mention the color shirt Atem was wearing looked downright terrible on him. But, Yami reminded herself they were only using this to determine what Atem's size was.

It appeared that Atem had tried on the larger size first. And the shirt did in fact fit him but it was a bit on the looser side. She thought that the medium, although not doubt a touch less comfortable, would actually look better on him. "Go try on the other one." Yami said.

Atem said nothing before stalking back into the fitting room while Yami's eyes drifted over to a rack containing dress pants...and froze. Shit! Yami thought. How the hell was she supposed to have Atem try on pants if Atem didn't own any underwear? That was just gross. Yami glanced out the front of the store if she had to guess she could probably buy a package of boxers in the store across the hall. Nothing fancy just something so Atem could try on clothes.

"Atem?" Yami called out.

"Yes." Atem replied as he came striding back out of the fitting room. The medium shirt definitely did fit him better, showcasing quite nicely Atem's toned chest.

Yami nodded, "Okay, that shirt looks like its the right size. Now, go change back into the t-shirt you were wearing. I have to go and grab something really quick before you can start trying on pants." Yami said.

Yami darted into the store and headed straight to a wrack where she saw some mens boxers hanging. They would work. She grabbed a medium pair off the shelf before running upfront to pay for them. The cashier bagged them up for her before Yami sprinted back into the store where Atem was, thankfully, still waiting patiently.

"Okay, now we can work on figuring out what size pants you need." Yami said.

Atem quirked an amused brow, "And what did you need to rush off and buy that was so important?" Atem asked.

"Underwear. You can't try on pants without having a pair of underwear on." Yami said flatly.

"Ah. Of course." Atem said with a slight roll of his eyes.

"Now, stand still while I hold these up to you to try and figure out what length you need. Yami said before she grabbed a pair of dress slacks off the shelf and held the up to Atem. They were way too long. Yami tried to measure the waist as well and again, they seemed to be too big for Atem. So, Yami grabbed another pair and thus the process continued until Yami had finally found a pair that she thought would fit. A 34 x 32 pair.

"Okay, go and try these on. With the underwear." Yami hissed.

Atem accepted the pants and underwear before he headed into the changing room. Yami sighed, shopping could definitely be exhausting. But, it needed to be done. Again, it didn't take long for Atem to change and Yami nodded when she looked at the pants on Atem. They fit. Excellent, now she at least knew what sizes Atem needed.

Now, onto the main event finding him clothes. Yami wandered over to a black pair of dress slacks and flicked through the wrack until she found a pair in Atem's size and draped them over her arm before heading over to the section with dress shirts and her eyes were immediately drawn to a blood red silk dress shirt the exact color of Atem's eyes. Her eyes flicked over to Atem before drifting back to the shirt and picked it up. Atem will look good wearing this. Yami mused before she grabbed a plain black tie off the table a short distance away. And then, just for a laugh she grabbed a black sports coat. Atem would more than likely NEVER wear it but it would be nice to have him try it on.

"Come on. Back into the dressing room." Yami hissed as she pushed the clothes into Atem's arms. "Put these on and then come back out here. I'll help you do the tie." Yami said. Her grandfather, sadly, could not tie a tie to save his life which meant Yami had had to learn on the few rare occasions they had needed to go somewhere formal. Thank god for Youtube or I never would have figured it out.

Atem came back out of the dressing room a few minutes later and for a moment Yami was just frozen. Atem looked good. No, that was an understatement he looked amazing. Hot. Fine. Red was definitely his color, not to say he didn't look great in black too. Atem walked up to the still frozen, and much to her embarrassment, drooling Yami.

"Like something you see?" Atem whispered drawing Yami back to the present. She flushed in embarrassment before turning her attention onto the tie Atem was still carrying in his hand.

"Yeah. These clothes look great on you." Yami said as she flipped the collar of Atem's dress shirt up and slid the tie around his neck and began to tie a Windsor knot. Once she was satisfied with the tie she folded the collar back down and tucked the tie into Atem's sports coat and stood back.

If anything Atem looked even hotter. Who would have thought I have a thing for a guy wearing dress clothes. Yami mused.

"We are getting that. All of it." Yami declared as her gaze swept up and down Atem's body once more. Yes, they were definitely buying all of that. "Now, go change but keep the underwear on. We still have other stores we need to go to and you'll need to try on more clothes." Yami said.

Atem chuckled but headed back to the changing room. Yami shook her head. She needed to get a grip on herself. Atem was just a guy. A guy she happened to have slept with, true, but still just a guy. He should not be having this much of an effect on her. Problem was he was. And there was no denying that she found him attractive. Something picking out clothes like that did NOT help.

Atem came back quickly enough and Yami paid for the outfit. She also snagged a monogram tie click with the letter A on it for the cashier to ring up and they headed once more out of the store.

"How much more shopping do we need to do?" Atem asked.

Yami frowned, "Why?" She had actually been having fun and to be perfectly honest would be sort of disappointed if they stopped before they had gotten Atem everything he needed which still included casual clothing. Shorts, jeans, t-shirts those kinds of things.

"Well for one thing you need to eat something here soon. We've been out and about for quite awhile and we have not eaten yet." Atem said.

Yami sighed, "We can always head up to the food court to get a bite to eat if you want. Its on the next floor." Yami said.

Atem also nodded towards their bags. "And also if we get too much more then we will certainly struggle to carry all of this." Atem said frowning before adding, "I won't be able to hold your hand."

Yami blushed, "Well, we do still need to buy a couple of more things but you do have a point. I'll need to see if all of this can fit into one of my suitcase bags at home." Yami replied as she led the way on the hunt for a store selling casual men's clothing. "Now, this shouldn't take as long since we at least know what size clothing you need." As her grandfather once said 'it shouldn't take too long' were famous last words that ranked right up there with 'I know what I'm doing'.

Atem gave Yami a bit of a pointed look and she slipped her hand back into Atem's. "Come on, hopefully this might be the last store we need to head into and then you should be pretty much set." Yami said.

Atem sighed, "Very well, if you say so." Atem replied evenly.

Yami continued to tug Atem through the mall her eyes scanning the different stores as they passed looking for a store that would have what she was looking for. Her eyes briefly drifted over to Atem. A part of her still really could not believe that Atem was here with her right now, willing to spend hours being dragged around the crowded shopping mall trying on countless clothes that no doubt in his mind he had no intention of ever wearing again. But yet, that's exactly what he was doing and he hadn't voiced a single complaint.

Yami frowned. No that wasn't true although she wasn't sure what Atem had said could even qualify as a complaint. He had requested that they stop and get something to eat. Or more specifically he had said that Yami needed to eat. And then he had complained about all the bags they were carrying around. Not because they were heavy or because he was getting tired. No, he had complained because if they had gotten too many more bags then he would no longer be able to hold Yami's hand.

Up ahead Yami saw a clothing store that she thought would work and she tugged on Atem's hand leading him in that direction. Atem followed her once again with no complaint as they entered the store. Yami immediately headed over the shorts and grabbed two or three pairs in Atem's size. Two pairs of jean shorts in different washes and a pair of board shorts. Before she headed over to the jeans section. She grabbed a dark wash denim pair of boot cut jeans and a nice pair of black jeans. For some reason she seemed to prefer darker colors on Atem. They just looked better with his dark skin tone.

She made her way through the store, snagging a black tank top that she thought would look very...if she would admit it...sexy on Atem and set it in her growing pile of clothes. Her blush deepened when she spotted a pair of black leather pants. Technically speaking Atem did not need a pair of black leather pants. Then again, technically speaking you could argue he didn't need most of the clothes she was holding. And not unlike the boots she had grabbed earlier she found herself picking up the pair of pants and draping them over her arm before moving onto the t-shirts. She grabbed a couple of different t-shirts that she thought were amusing. Her favorite one said: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Except Bears. Bears will just kill you.

Yami glanced down at the small pile that was hanging from her arm. She was getting a bit carried away and she knew it. "Come on Atem, let's go and try these on." Yami said before she led him into the dressing room and unlike in the previous store Yami did not wait outside for Atem to change.

She carefully hung all the clothing she had grabbed up on the hook in the changing room before she turned to Atem, who closed and locked the door before she kissed him. Hard. Atem's arms slipped around Yami's body pulling her close as he returned the kiss almost hungrily. Atem pressing her body against the wall of the changing room as he deepened the kiss making Yami groan as it felt like a fire was beginning to burn beneath her skin.

It took more self control than Yami would have cared to admit to pull away. Atem rested his forehead against Yami's own. "Do I want to know what that was for my mate? Not that I'm complaining, merely curious." Atem whispered.

Yami sighed, "I just wanted to thank you. You've been absolutely great today. About everything. Most guys can't stand shopping and we've been doing this for hours and not once have you complained. Like I said...I wanted to tell you how much I appreciated what you're doing and I couldn't think of what to say. So, I kissed you." Yami said.

Atem chuckled before he pressed his lips to Yami's once more. This kiss was almost soft, sweet and slow and somehow it still managed to make Yami's toes curl as Atem leisurely slipped his tongue back into Yami's mouth. Yami's arms slipped around Atem's powerful shoulders at the pair just continued to kiss before Atem finally pulled away leaving Yami breathless. "If me spending the day with you like this makes you happy then I am more than willing to do so. Now, as much as I regret to bring this up I should probably try on these clothes you picked out for me before we end up finding another use for this changing room." Atem growled.

Yami gulped. "Right. You need to try on these clothes." Yami said.

Atem just smirked before he pulled away from Yami and tugged off the t-shirt he'd been wearing and his pants as well. The way his eyes were locked with Yami's as he pulled his pants off implied he was almost flirting with her and she couldn't help but flush. They must have the heat cranked up in here or something. Yami thought to herself as Atem stripped himself down to the pair of boxers he was wearing.

"Now, what would you like to see me try on first?" Atem asked.

Yami reached almost blindly behind her grabbing at the stack of clothes before her hands closed on the pair of leather pants and she tossed them at Atem. "Put those on." Yami said, as her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red.

Atem smirked and kept his gaze locked on Yami as he tugged on the skin-tight pair of black pants that hugged every curve in Atem's muscular legs. As Atem pulled the pants up and zipped them Yami almost forgot how to breath. Atem's smirk broadened. "I take it you like seeing me in these." Atem purred.

Yami nodded slowly as she continued to stare at the pants for some reason she couldn't' seem to get her brain to work enough to form any words. Atem it seemed was amused by her reaction because he reached past her and grabbed the black muscle shirt and pulled it over his head. "So, how do I look dear?" Atem asked. The look on his face clearly telling Yami Atem already knew the answer to his own question. He looked damn good.

"Good. You look good. Now take them off. We're buying those." Yami said as she finally managed to force her brain back into gear.

Atem chuckled before he stripped once more and grabbed another pair, this time a pair of shorts and one of the t-shirts. Just as Yami was expecting everything she had picked out fit him and they headed over towards the check out counter. Yami snagged a metal studded belt that matched the pair of boots she'd gotten Atem earlier and added it to their pile.

Yami felt her eyebrow raise in surprise as she glanced at the time on the clock behind the counter. There was no way it was already after 4 in the afternoon. Where had all of the time gone?

"Is something the matter?" Atem asked, frowning in Yami's direction.

Yami sighed, "I didn't realize it was already this late. Looks like we're going to have to skip the food court all together if you want us to have a dinner date. Its already practically dinner time." Yami said.

Atem sighed, "Very well. Then let us purchase this then catch the bus back to your grandfather's house. Then we can change and go out on our date." Atem said.

"Right." Yami said, once again feeling her cheeks heating up. She had no idea why the thought of going out with Atem on a date on a real date like the ones on television or in romance novels made her so nervous. No, nervous wasn't the right word for it. She was excited.

Finally it was there turn to check out and Yami internally winced as her grandfather's credit card took another size able hit. This had been an insanely expensive trip to the mall but when her mind supplied her with some mental pictures of some of the things she had gotten for Atem she couldn't argue that the stuff they had gotten wasn't worth the money.

Atem shifted the bags around in his hand until he was able to carry them still in one hand and have a free hand to hold Yami's own hand. "Well, then let us be on our way so we can get to dinner sooner rather than later. As I said you need to eat Yami." Atem said.

Yami nodded, "Right. I know and we will." Yami agreed as they headed back to the bus stop.

"So, what does one typically wear on a date?" Atem asked as they waited for the bus to arrive.

Yami shrugged, "I guess it would be something they would think their partner would like. Plus something that would be appropriate for where they were going." Yami said, she paused a moment before adding, "You could probably wear practically anything that we got today. It's totally up to you."

Atem nodded before standing up as the bus pulled up. "I will keep that in mind dearest." Atem said before they boarded the bus, with Yami once again paying for both of their bus fares.

As they took a seat near the back of the bus with their many shopping bags resting by their feet Yami leaned her head against Atem's shoulder while he draped his arm around hers shoulders. Somehow the two of them had survived a trip to the mall.

Now all she had to do was survive a date with Atem. That shouldn't be too difficult should it?