Hello, everyone. I'm bringing you a new chapter. Chapter by chapter, you'll start understanding how this story is different from What the Hell. Chapter 3 gives you hints of what is to follow.
I'd like to thank my dear Demon Lionka as well as Julia and Kathy for their wonderful feedback. Your comments encourage me to write. Also, I'd like to thank all of you who took the time to read the story. As always, feel free to message me or leave a review. I always reply to both.
Chapter 3:
Yuugi was a bit tense. Joey wasn't the best driver, but he was usually quite careful, especially when Yuugi was in the car. Speed wasn't the problem. Joey never speeded. His problem was mostly that he would panic and push the break a bit too sharply whenever something would make a sudden appearance. Yuugi thought that was because of their parents' death. Joey would always say that you could never be too careful. Still, Yuugi had to admit that this was a bit too sharp even for Joey.
"Why didn't you wake me up today?" Joey asked, bringing him back to the present. "I'd have driven you. The temperature dropped during the night."
That was the classic Joey way to say he was worried about his younger brother, especially since his health was still quite delicate. "Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm that stupid?" Yuugi faked a shocked expression and a gasp. "You aren't a morning person and last night you came home so late from work. Why would I wake you up when the bus could get the job done with little to no effort? The bus wouldn't be searching for its socks for ten whole minutes or complain about breakfast." Yuugi's melodic laughter filled the car. "I'm surprised you came to pick me up, to be honest. It's your day off. I thought you'd been sleeping all day today." A soft smiled crossed his lips, knowing Joey's job left him exhausted.
"It was your last exam, pal. We need to celebrate!" Joey's joy was contagious. "I bet you haven't eaten." Yuugi protested that he had half a sandwich and a cup of coffee, but his protest was dismissed since according to Joey that wasn't considered proper breakfast. "Pancakes! We should have pancakes!" Joey exclaimed with too much innocence for that to be an impulsive thought.
Atem was silent but amused taking in the exchange between the two boys. He wondered if Joey had woken up early and driven all the way to the university just to have pancakes with Yuugi. Pancakes were definitely great but he didn't know if he would ever drive all the way across the town just for their sake. Then again so many things had changed for Atem the last years that he couldn't really remember if his old self would have done that or not.
Yuugi surprised him by turning to him and including him in the conversation. "I understand you're tired and, of course, we've just met, but I'm wondering if you'd like to join us." Yuugi articulated his suggestion as careful as possible, giving Atem the chance to say no without offending anyone. He didn't want to be too forward or assuming, especially after what had happened in the university cafeteria.
"Yuugi makes the best pancakes." Joey offered, helpfully. Even with Atem in the mix and the need to keep an eye on him, Joey wouldn't lose his real objective; homemade pancakes. "You don't want to pass on this opportunity." Then, he cleverly added, "Also, if we wanted to kidnap and ransom for you or kill you, we wouldn't have to lure you with food. You're already in my car and all it took was offering you a ride and Yuugi smiling at you."
Atem raised an eyebrow at the implication while Yuugi was busy trying to understand if Joey was joking or not. The older tricolor haired boy decided the safest option was to ignore the blonde's comment, entirely. Therefore, he turned his attention to the boy sitting by his side.
"I'm sure you aren't out to get me. No one would pay ransom for me anyway," he half joked, even though it wasn't entirely true, "and excuse my boldness but you don't strike me as the murderous type." It was so easy conversing with Yuugi, joking and being himself. "The problem is, I don't even know your last name."
Yuugi slightly blushed. It was true. Atem had introduced himself to Joey offering his full name but in the bus Yuugi had just given him his first name. "Mutou." Seeing Atem's questioning look, he elaborated. "I'm Yuugi Mutou."
Atem took a good look at the intriguing boy by his side. His knowing eyes took in the boy's wide eyes and his blonde bangs. Yes, he could see the resemblance. "You're Solomon Mutou's grandson." Atem put two and two together. Yuugi's grandfather knew Professor Hopkins because they were old colleagues. "My condolences about your parents." He added, remembering how Solomon Mutou had retired early after his son and daughter in law's sudden death.
Atem's parents had taken him to one of Solomon's lectures when he was fourteen. They were great fans of his work. The old man had been quite enthusiastic talking about Egypt and Atem found himself at the edge of his seat, drinking in each word of his. When the lecture was over, the Sennen family had approached the archaeologist with great excitement. Atem's father had talked with the man for a while, discussing things that back then were unknown to the boy. Then, Solomon had noticed him. His eyes had widen taking in the boy and Atem had a feeling this time it wasn't because of his crimson eyes, but the man had recovered quickly, explaining to him that he had a grandson who was also interested in archaeology and Atem reminded him of him. The older tricolor haired boy could now see what the old archaeologist meant. Unfortunately, that was the night Solomon received the call about Yuugi's parents. Atem would never forget how quickly the man's skin turned pale and his kind eyes became misty with tears. He quickly excused himself and left. The young boy had spent the night wondering why the man had left like that until his parents explained to him in the morning about the tragedy that had befallen the Mutou family.
"Thank you," Yuugi whispered, not surprised Atem knew his grandfather or about his parents. Solomon Mutou was well known in the archaeological community. "Grandpa is happy to be back in active research, as he calls it. Mostly meaning he can go to excavations, even though he can't do all the things he could do when he was younger. He doesn't say it, but I believe raising two teenage boys drove him crazy." Yuugi laughed.
"You can barely call your years as a teenager crazy. You were so well-behaved. It was always me who got in trouble, often dragging you in, too." Joey joined Yuugi, laughing too. "I think grandpa's hair turned grey because of me."
Atem looked quite surprised hearing Joey calling Solomon Mutou grandpa and seeing how the old man raised both of them. Joey had mentioned they lived together but how could they be related? Other than the blond hair, there was nothing indicating they were related. Could they be cousins? Atem had a pair of cousins who looked nothing like him after all. And hadn't Joey introduced himself as Wheeler?
"Joey is my brother." Yuugi clarified, seeing Atem's question in the boy's eyes.
"Adopted brother." Joey offered.
"Brother." Yuugi's voice was forceful and put an end to the conversation about their relationship.
Silence followed Yuugi's word. It was fine by Atem. He needed some time to think. He slowly went through what he knew about Yuugi so far. The young boy was an archaeology student as he was. From their conversation after the exam, he had deducted that the other boy was almost a year younger than him. He had missed a semester due to hospitalization and he got easily sick. If that was because of his hospitalization or Yuugi had a sensitive heath in general wasn't mentioned. Yuugi had lost his parents when he was thirteen and his grandfather retired in order to take care of him. He had an adopted brother called Joey. Atem didn't know how Joey had come to the family but now he understood the dynamics of the duo better. Both boys thought of each other as blood siblings. Yuugi had voiced it while Joey's actions, now seen as defensive and protective, made it obvious. Joey and Yuugi lived together and Yuugi's grandfather was gone to his work as an archaeologist.
All these were important information that added to the ones Atem had gathered by simply observing the boy. Yuugi was soft spoken, shy yet also passionate about the things and people he loved. He wasn't timid. He simply didn't like arguing for the sake of arguing. He was also kind and had a smile that could light up a room. His eyes were so deep that Atem kept trying to avoid them, afraid he would be drown in them. He briefly wondered if everyone who met Yuugi for the first time felt the same way, but he dismissed that thought. Surprisingly, he didn't like the idea. He persuaded himself the reason why he couldn't meet Yuugi's eyes was that he had suspicions about his appearance in his life. He persuaded himself he felt guilty because the reason why he would accept Yuugi's invitation was to investigate him further. Everything had changed in a moment; the moment he had learnt Yuugi's last name.
That reminded him that he hadn't answered Yuugi and Joey's invitation for pancakes. So he used his best smile and said, "I'd love to come over, if the invitation still stands. Pancakes sound great."
Atem couldn't refuse, even if he wanted. He definitely enjoyed Yuugi's company, a little bit too much if he wanted to be honest with himself, but he kept telling himself investigating Yuugi was the reason he had accepted. He kept telling himself that even when Yuugi smiled brightly making his heart skip a beat. No. It wasn't because of Yuugi's smile. It was because the day's events were too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence and Atem had to gather as much information as possible before he decided what he would do next.
As they drove to Yuugi's place, he took out his cellphone and text messaged one of his roommates. "Will be late. Have to investigate something."
He quickly pressed the send button and turned his attention to his surroundings. They were back in town. Atem didn't think he had been in that part of Domino before. Yuugi's place seemed to be in a good neighborhood, one of those where people cared both about their gardens and their neighbors, if the chatting people by the hedges were any indication. It was quite different than what Atem knew or the places he had lived; in his parents' neighborhood people only cared about gossips while in his neighborhood everyone cared about their business, never wanting anything to do with the people living by their side. However, what really surprised Atem wasn't the lively neighborhood but the fact Joey stopped his car in front of a game shop.
"Do you live above a game shop?" Atem had to ask to make sure. After all, it wasn't as if he met a person who lived above a game shop every day.
Yuugi nodded and unlocked the door, letting him in, while Joey parked the car. "It used to be my mother's little shop. She was a painter and she had most of her paintings here for people to look and buy. Once upon a time it was a crafts shop that my great grandparents managed. Mom always joked that dad gave her the shop because our house had no more room for her paintings." He smiled fondly remembering his parents. "When they passed away, grandpa turned it into a game shop. We have the usual stuff you can find anywhere such as Uno decks, lego, etc. but you can also find board and card games here from all over the world and that's what usually attracts our customers. You can't find such games anywhere else in Japan. Of course there is the internet, but most people enjoy asking us about what kind of game would work better for them." Yuugi walked further in the shop, showing Atem some of the rarest games they sold. "Grandpa has connections almost everywhere and opening a game shop had always been his retirement plan. It just happened some years earlier than what he expected."
"And now that he's back to working as an archaeologist?" Atem asked, as his eyes took in the games on the displays.
"Oh, for Ra's sake, don't let him hear you saying that! Even though officially he retired, he didn't stop being an archaeologist or working on his field. He did research and even attended lectures and meetings. I think he was working on a book or research paper because he'd often stay up late working in his office, and he would collect all these rare books." Yuugi chuckled thinking of his grandpa's tactics. "But to answer your question, I still work the shop with some help from Joey and my friend, Ryou. We open three times a week so it's easy for us to manage our schedules."
"That's quite smart." Atem commented, taking in some games with interest. He had never seen them before but they seemed like his cup of tea and he would definitely love to own them. If only he could afford them. "Is this something you decided to try recently?" Had they changed the shop's schedule when Yuugi's grandfather went back to his old job? Did Yuugi consider working the shop as a hobby?
"Nah. That's how the arrangement always was." Joey answered joining them. "It was Yuugi's idea really. He told grandpa that a store that sells things you can't find just anywhere may attract more people if it opens only specific days." He grinned. "Grandpa liked the idea since it gave him free time to be with us and work on his papers. We tried it for a while and it did seem to work so we kept it this way."
"Mom did that with her shop, too. She did like the idea of getting some money out of her work but she mostly enjoyed painting. So, some of her paintings were for sale but she only worked the shop twice a week." Yuugi explained, as if it wasn't a great deal. Atem still thought it was quite smart, especially since Yuugi had come up with that idea when he was only thirteen and after having just lost his parents.
The three boys moved upstairs, into a cozy living room cluttered with personal things. After taking turns in the bathroom to freshen up, they decided to gather in the kitchen since that's where Yuugi would be. Yuugi guessed that Atem didn't want to be left alone with Joey for more than what was necessary. The two boys took a seat on the kitchen table as Yuugi heated the pan and started making the mixture. They made small talk about the shop while the pan sang, as Joey joked, and Yuugi worked on the pancakes. Soon a full platter of round pancakes was ready.
"I think you made enough to feed an army." Atem teased, bemused. There were at least twenty thick pancakes there, more than enough for three people.
"I made enough for us to get a good taste of them without being worried Joey may grab them from our plates or we may lose a finger while trying to get an extra." Yuugi corrected him, chuckling at his expression.
"No one steals from me." Atem challenged, a grin making his eyes bright like rubies. Still, Yuugi thought that his voice had a sharp edge as if he meant it as more than a playful remark.
"Is that a challenge, pretty boy?" Joey joked, or Yuugi hoped he was joking. He noticed that Joey's stance was a bit tenser than it was seconds ago.
"Boys, boys." Yuugi chastised them. "There are enough pancakes for everyone." He made sure he had the other's attention before he continued. "In fact," his voice lowered, becoming so soft that the other two boys instinctively leaned closer to hear him, "if you don't play nice, you'll be both kicked out of my kitchen, empty-handed."
Shocked gasps followed his words as both boys behaved. The aroma of the freshly baked pancakes had them drooling. Yuugi served them some pancakes leaving the platter close to them so they could refill their plates whenever they wanted and then added on the table some bowls of butter, marmalade, and even melted chocolate chips, as well as a bottle of syrup.
As they ate, Yuugi would steal glances towards his new friend, once in a while. Atem was focused on his pancakes, clearly enjoying them, once again giving the impression he hadn't had a good meal in a while. His posture was guarded but that was mostly because he was on the lookout for any attempts of having his pancakes stolen. On the other hand, Joey seemed to have completely forgotten Atem as he had already finished his pancakes and was in the process of refilling his plate.
"They were tasty. "Atem sighed satisfied, pushing his plate away. He had a soft smile on content and he didn't mind anymore that Joey was still eating. He had six pancakes and he was more than full for the first time in weeks. "My compliments to the chef."
"Is there a better compliment than seeing your empty plates?" Yuugi replied, his voice full of glee. "Or almost empty. Joey, I assure you the plates aren't eatable." He chuckled as the blonde pouted; the last pancake having disappeared in his mouth.
As he moved to take some of the bowls and plates to the sink, Atem immediately shot up and helped him. The older tri-color haired boy noticed that Joey didn't move from his seat. With the amount of pancakes he had eaten, probably they would have to roll him to the living room. Noticing what Atem was doing, Yuugi gently pushed the boy toward the other room. Guests didn't do the dishes. Joey, getting the hint, moved to the living room, too.
"This is an impressive collection of artifacts." Atem marveled, seeing how the living room was decorated with various artifacts from all around the world. He softly touched a grave mask from Ancient Egypt and a Greek coin with a small owl on it. "And this gorgeous painting!" His eyes widen as he took in a huge painting of the ocean. The colors were so lively and natural that Atem could almost taste the salt on the tip of his tongue. It created a longing for the sea that he had never felt since he didn't even know how to swim. He wondered if the painter felt that longing too and he could feel it through the artwork.
"Mom painted it." Joey proudly said. "It was a gift to Yuugi's dad, Haru. He loved the ocean so much. He always said that it reminded him of the day he met mother."
"Dad was so sure mom was a mermaid that became a human to be with him." Yuugi grinned, his eyes taking in the painting. "She loved swimming so much and was such a natural that when I was a child, I thought he was telling the truth."
Atem mulled over the new information, trying to understand how Joey had come to the family. He didn't want to jump to any hurried conclusions so he asked Joey if Yuugi and he shared a mother. Joey didn't seem to mind the question. He explained to him how he was adopted at the age of ten and how he had taken to calling Yuugi's mother mom but he and Haru had agreed that the word dad should stay reserved for Joey's real dad even though he was dead. It didn't change anything anyway. Joey felt Haru was a father figure much like his father was and Haru knew it, too. Haru was proud of both of his boys and he often showed it to them.
"They must have been great people." Atem whispered, his hands clutching the armchair he had taken a seat on. He really wished he could say the same about his parents.
But he didn't want to think about his parents. He didn't want to think of how their words and actions had made him leave his house and the lie he used to call his life. Still, thinking about them reminded him of the fact his visit to the Mutou household was more than a social call. He had to find out more about Yuugi and most importantly his grandfather and his research. He knew the easiest way would have been to see Solomon's study but he didn't know how he could do that with Joey around. He knew he could get Yuugi to show him the study, but he had a feeling the blonde was suspicious of him.
It was then that the phone rang. Joey was closer to it so he picked it up. "Hey, gramps." He greeted him, playing with the phone. "How is the excavation going?" The boy nodded as he heard what the old man answered. "Yes, Yuugi is home. He finished his exams today. Let me get him for you, but don't hang up after you two are done. I'd like to discuss something with you. No, no," he grinned sheepishly, shaking his head, "I'm not in trouble, I swear. I'd just want ya to get me something for one of my friends." Before his grandpa could say anything else about how much of a troublemaker he was, he passed the phone to his brother. "Yug' is here."
Yuugi picked the phone, throwing an apologetic look towards Atem. The other tricolor haired boy smiled at him, whispering that it was totally fine. Yuugi spent some minutes talking to his grandfather about his exams, clearly indicating with his voice and words how much he missed the old man, and then excused himself saying he had his friend over and it was rude of him being on the phone for that long. He gave the phone back to Joey who moved to his old room to talk with their grandfather not wanting to bother the other two boys, or so he said.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Joey moved the phone close to his mouth. "There is a development. Yuugi met someone today, and we are currently having him over. Are you familiar with the last name 'Sennen'? I swear I've heard it before but I can't remember where." The blonde wasn't that surprised to hear that his grandfather was familiar with the last name but he almost dropped the phone when the man asked him if Yuugi's friend looked a lot like Yuugi. "How do you know?!" The old man didn't seem to be in the mood to explain things which frustrated Joey. He started pacing his room until his grandfather informed him he was returning home the following day. That placated him a bit. "Should I scare him away? I don't trust him." He once again nodded at the phone as if his grandfather could see him.
For several minutes, the man talked to him, telling him what to do until he would be home the following day. When Joey hang up the phone, he could feel the beginning of a headache. He rubbed his temple, desperately trying to relax. After a while, he was ready to join the other boys. What Joey didn't know though, when he left the room, was that someone had overhead his side of the phone call, turning his suspicion into finality.
So, this is it. Now you all know that something is going on there. Atem and Joey seem to have some kind of secret. Does Yuugi know too? What is Atem investigating? If you can even call this an investigation since clearly Yuugi's presence doesn't let him think straight. Let me know what you think!