Hello, everyone. I'm so sorry. For some reason I thought I had updated the story less than a week ago but I was wrong. Still, I'm happy I can finally upload this. It's one of my favorite chapters so far. I hope you will enjoy it too!

As always, I want to thank everyone who takes time out of their lives to read this story and leave a review/comment, and of course I want to thank my Bakura, Julia and Kathy.

I also want to write a line here and say "Bakura, you're so stubborn!"

Thank you for your time. Now, enjoy chapter 7.

Chapter 7

The Dice was filled with people when the tricolor haired boy with the glowing amethyst eyes entered the nightclub. The music was loud, pulsing through the walls like a living heart and Yuugi instantly felt his own heart syncing its beat with it. He slowly went down the stairs looking at the décor; green tinted glass and dark green outlined dices were everywhere. The owner of the bar, Duke Devlin, was well known for his love of dice games that had led him to create his own game, Dungeon Dice Monsters. It was a relatively new game with complicated rules that was slowly catching up with gamers, and the tricolor haired boy thought it was quite fascinating. Yuugi had heard of The Dice but hadn't been there before since he rarely visited any bars or clubs. Still, he liked the atmosphere of that one and the music playing as well. He recognized the song that was playing when he entered as a remix of a game soundtrack.

As he reached the last step, he looked around wondering how he would find Atem in the crowd. It was still early by any college student's standards but the place was packed. After all, most students were done with their exams and it was a Friday night. He checked himself and was relieved to see he didn't seem out of place. His dark jeans and dark purple shirt didn't stand out as much as his hairstyle did, but people gave me appreciative looks instead of odd ones.

Joey joined him at the end of the stairs wearing a simple white t-shirt beneath his dusky green jacket, and a pair of ripped jeans. The bouncer didn't bat an eyelash when Yuugi had tried to enter the nightclub, surprising the young boy who was used to carrying his ID with him in case he had to prove his age, but he gave Joey some trouble until Yuugi made it apparent they were together. The blonde was still fuming about it. Yuugi wanted to laugh.

"Why did we have to meet him in a nightclub, I don't get." Joey complained for the thousandth time that night. As far as nightclubs were concerned, this wasn't a bad one, but still there was too much noise and too many people. It wasn't the best place to talk so probably the boy had something shady in his mind.

Yuugi tried to stifle his laughter as he reminded his brother for the thousandth time that Atem had invited just him and it was Joey's idea to tag along. "You know, I am nineteen, and this is a well-known nightclub. I'm sure nothing will happen to me. It's filled with students who want to celebrate the end of the semester and the beginning of the holidays, not with criminals." His amethyst eyes continued scanning the crowd until he thought he spotted someone familiar but then the crowd shifted and he lost him. Not that Malik would be there, but Yuugi was almost sure he saw someone who looked like him. "You can't always be there to protect me, Joey." He had to speak loudly to be heard but his voice still conveyed the gratefulness he felt towards his brother. It could be overbearing having an older overprotective brother but Yuugi knew why Joey was that way and he wouldn't change his brother for the world.

He slowly made his way towards the bar thinking that his best chance of finding Atem or being found by Atem was if he stayed where the alcohol was. He would need to get a drink, anyway. He sat on an empty stool and was about to order when his eyes met a pair of crimson balls full of amusement.

"So you found me." Atem casually stated as if he and Yuugi had been playing a game of hide-and-seek.

"You forgot to mention you are the bartender, you know." Yuugi remarked in the same tone. "I guess you were working here until late the morning we met." It totally made sense all of the sudden.

Atem confirmed it, adding there was a party going on that day and those tended to be wild even midweek. "What should I get you?" He asked with a seductive smile.

Yuugi forgot how to breathe for a moment but he reminded himself it was part of a bartender's job to be inviting and approachable. "I don't drink much. What's your recommendation?" he played along, his smile alluring enough to be suggestive but also playful enough to pass as a tease.

Atem felt thrilled seeing Yuugi trusting him even with such a little thing. It also confirmed Yuugi wasn't part of any scheme his grandfather and brother had going. Not that Atem would risk his job by drugging the boy, but he could easily get the boy drunk or even slip something in his drink especially if the other boy didn't even know how his drink was supposed to taste. Of course, Atem did want Yuugi relaxed enough to talk, but getting advantage of him was by no means part of his plan.

"Leave it to me." The crimson eyed bartender exclaimed knowing exactly what kind of drink he would make him. He had never made the drink before but he knew how to. Elated, he started turning to find the ingredients he needed. Then his eyes narrowed spotting Joey fast approaching. "Ah, your brother is here." The disappointment was apparent in his voice.

Yuugi gave him a sheepish smile. "He tends to be quite overprotective. I'm sorry. He means no harm. He does it with all my new friends, if it makes you feel any better."

It was true. Joey always insisted to meet his new friends, but up to that moment he had been fine with them. Yuugi was still perplexed by the fact Joey seemed to be so guarded around Atem.

On the other hand, Atem was sure Joey was more than his overprotective self this time but he didn't say it aloud. Instead he said, "It's like having a dog, I guess."

That was the sentence Joey heard when he finally caught up with his brother. Yuugi had managed to slip away in the crowd, effectively getting lost from his eyes. "Who's having a dog?" He took a stool by his brother giving him the eye. "You weren't supposed to leave me behind."

"I knew you'd catch up with me. You are taller. "

"Everyone in here is taller than you. That makes it easy to lose you."

"As if!" Yuugi looked more entertained than annoyed by Joey's jokes and protectiveness.

"What will you drink?" Atem's tone was indifferent as he interrupted whatever Joey was about to say. He had decided to treat Joey like any other annoying customer so he would bring him his drink and then ignore him.

"A beer." Joey ordered, barely acknowledging the man. "Do you want a beer, Yug'?"

"Nope." Yuugi was quite cheerful in the midst of the two boy's silent battle of dominance. He knew the best strategy was to pretend nothing was going on. "Atem is choosing for me tonight. The barman knows best." There was a hint of a smile in his voice that touched the crimson eyed boy. "I'm curious to see what it will be."

So playful, Atem thought as he placed Joey's beer on the counter and then started preparing a cocktail for Yuugi. Deliberately he had his back turned on both boys as he did so, not wanting Yuugi to know what he was having. Soon, the younger boy had a purple drink in a chilled glass in front of him.

"It's called purple rain." Atem informed him, waiting for Yuugi's reaction. He didn't need to say aloud that it reminded him of the other boy's eyes.

The boy's eyes sparkled under the dimmed lights of the nightclub as he took in the drink but Atem thought he caught a glimpse of surprise in them. Yuugi tried his drink and smiled with appreciation. "My compliments. This both looks and tastes good."

Atem was quite pleased by the compliment but soon he had to excuse himself to serve a group of giggling girls that openly ogled him. Even though, he tried to hide his disgust and put on his business smile, it wasn't anything close to the one he had given Yuugi. He felt relieved when he returned to the company of the other two boys. Even Joey was better than a bunch of college girls with enough alcohol in their system to think any guy was theirs for the taking. Not that men were any better. Their waitress, Minako, spent half her night serving drinks and the other half rejecting guys who thought buying her a drink would secure a place in her bed. It was part of the reason why she often thought of quitting the nightclub and taking a morning job.

"I know you said that you don't drink but can you guess what's in it?" Atem asked, continuing to ignore Joey. It was much easier to do than usual with Yuugi in front of him.

Yuugi took another sip of his drink, closing his eyes. He felt the flavors as the alcohol burnt the tip of his tongue. "I believe its base is vodka. Joey had me try it once." He played with his cocktail umbrella, as his mind tried to come up with the right flavors. "Lemon or something similar is there too, but that's all I get. There is definitely something sweet there that balances the lemon flavor, but I don't know what."

"You're right. It's vodka and lemonade but there's also blue Curacao and the purple color comes from grenadine. The sweetness you detect comes from it, too." The crimson eyes boy placed some chips in front of the boy. "If this is your second time drinking vodka, take it easy. It's not really strong but it may give you a kick."

Joey took in the exchange but didn't feel the need to be part of it. He drank his beer looking around, his ears attentive to the discussion between the two boys. As long as Atem worked behind the counter, those two wouldn't be able to do or discuss much. So Joey would allow Atem to enjoy Yuugi's company and keep pretending they were alone. Discussing drinks and how it felt working in a nightclub didn't make it on the list of dangerous topics. Not to mention, Atem had got some respect points by giving Yuugi those chips. The drink was not strong enough to get him drunk and pacing himself would give his body enough time to relax into it.

Suddenly Joey spotted someone looking towards them and was out of his stool as if he was hit by lightning. As a group of college students moved, he was sure he had spotted a familiar face that wasn't supposed to be there. Caught between investigating and staying to keep an eye on Yuugi, Joey kept looking at the woman sitting in a booth across the bar. She didn't acknowledge him but the blonde was sure she had seen him.

Yuugi didn't seem to notice Joey's odd behavior but Atem raised an eyebrow. Ignoring the crimson eyed boy, Joey grabbed his beer, threw some money on the counter and slowly made his way towards the booth. He pretended to stop and ask her permission before slipping on the seat by her side, and if she was annoyed by that, she didn't show it.

"Your brother seems to have found a friend." Atem commented, taking a sip of his lemonade. Seeing Yuugi's questioning look, he explained he couldn't spend the night drinking alcohol but he still had to drink something other than coffee.

Remembering Joey's friend, the younger boy turned his eyes towards the direction Atem had pointed. He was surprised to find his brother in the company of a bombshell blond woman with long wavy hair and lilac eyes, dressed in a dark purple satin corset and black leather skinny trousers. It wasn't that the woman was so beautiful that got Yuugi's attention, but that she was no stranger.

The boy blinked twice, wondering if he was seeing things. "That's my cousin, Mai."

Atem looked genuinely surprised. "Does your whole family come with you when you have a date, or am I getting the special treatment?" Atem's voice was guarded but his lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile. If he wanted to be angry at anyone, that wasn't Yuugi. Honestly, after seeing Joey there, it was starting to be amusing seeing another family member being there as well.

Yuugi didn't know what to make of Mai's appearance in the bar. He was almost sure Joey hadn't invited her. As far as they knew, Mai was in Tokyo working as the PR of some upscale club. What did she want there, especially that particular night? Could it a coincidence or some kind of business trip?

"No. I think not even Joey knew she was here." Then Yuugi's mind turned the tape back. Atem had mentioned the word date. "I didn't know this was a date." He tried to stop himself from sitting straighter or indicating in any way that he was affected by what Atem had said. Probably the boy was messing with his head, trying to break the ice with humor.

It brought home a question Yuugi wasn't sure he had an answer for. Did he want that to be considered a date? He was definitely attracted to the crimson eyed bartender but Yuugi didn't approach his relationships simply based on attraction. He barely knew the boy and yet Yuugi felt so comfortable around him as if he had known him for years. Still, he couldn't ignore the fact Atem was a mysterious young man full of secrets, and Yuugi wasn't the kind of guy who would simply date someone because he was good-looking or seductive. He needed more time to get to know him and a chance to understand why being around him felt as easy as breathing.

Atem had similar thoughts. He hadn't meant to call the night a date. It had simply slipped. It wasn't a date. It definitely wasn't. He had wanted Yuugi there to get to know him better but he wasn't planning to date him. No matter how attractive Yuugi was, no matter how easy it felt conversing with him, Atem wasn't interested in dating him. He simply wanted to know as much as possible about what his grandfather and brother had in store for him and his friends and then they would take their separate ways. Or maybe they could stay friends. Just maybe.

Annoyed by the way his heart clenched when he thought of never seeing Yuugi again, Atem's voice was cold when he answered. "Of course it's not a date."

The crimson eyed boy could have slapped him and it would have hurt less. Still, the amethyst eyed boy managed to compose himself, take another sip of his drink and give a reply. "Of course not." He was pleased to find that his voice was steady.

He slowly turned his stool towards his brother, allowing himself to create some distance between him and Atem. He noticed that Joey was busy talking to Mai, though he often stole glances towards him. Since having Joey there at that specific moment would make things worse, he gave his brother a reassuring smile, took a breath and turned to face the bartender again.

Joey kept his eyes on Yuugi a bit longer wondering what he was thinking. He knew that the boy had recognized their cousin and was probably as curious as he was about her appearance there but since he didn't approach them, the blonde turned his attention back to the woman by his side.

"Don't you think being here is suspicious?" He laid back on his booth, pretending to be relaxed. He caught a couple of guys giving him the evil eye for having the courage to approach Mai and grinned playing his part. "Yuugi noticed you."

Mai gave him the hint of a smile as she sipped her cocktail. "He wouldn't have if you hadn't approached me. He seemed quite preoccupied." She tapped her polished nails on her tight, stealing a glance towards her younger cousin. The boy was once again facing his friend, but there was something different to the way he held himself. If only Mai could understand why. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

Her voice was accusatory and Joey didn't like it. He sat up straight, no longer pretending this was a relaxed conversation. "What wasn't supposed to happen? You sound like grandpa. Did he send you here? I said I'd keep Yuugi safe!"

Joey was already on edge and he didn't need Mai's involvement to get his nerves even more tangled. His grandfather arrival hadn't been as soothing as he had expected it to be. When they managed to slip away from an excited Yuugi who wanted to know all about his grandpa's sudden visit as well as his excavation trip, Solomon had also said something along those lines. Then he had changed his tune telling him that he should follow Yuugi next time he would meet Atem but not do or say anything suspicious. He made it seem like Atem wasn't a danger to Yuugi but Joey knew there was more to the story and he wanted to find out what it was.

The young woman's eyes softened as she took in her adoptive cousin. He was a good guy and he would do everything to protect his brother but he still didn't understand how much was on stake there. She kept tapping her fingers on her tight wondering how much she could reveal to him.

"He'll break Yuugi's heart." She ended up saying. It wasn't what she had wanted to say but she had noticed someone close to the booth looking at them and she didn't want to risk being overheard. "Maybe you should leave for now. I am supposed to be here for business."

"Business, huh?" The boy chuckled, paying no attention to Mai's dismissal. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of someone looking at him, but when he turned to face him, no one was in that spot. "This is a busy place."

He knew Mai had seen something, too. "Yes, it is. Good for business, not that good to talk." Suddenly, she snapped to attention. "Joey…" she hissed, pointing with her chin towards the bar. Someone was approaching the boys.

Atem had taken a deep breath, managing to calm down. It wasn't fair lashing out to Yuugi but the effect the boy had on him wasn't one he liked. He was already angry at himself for letting the word date slip. He was glad Yuugi had reacted with humor instead of disgust but still he didn't want to even consider the possibility of getting closer to the boy. If his heart wanted to play games with him, he would make sure he was the winner. No pair of amethyst eyes would change that.

However, that wasn't the direction he wanted their night to take. He had allowed himself to be distracted and now he was in a disadvantageous position. To make things worse, Yuugi took out his wallet and pushed a crisped bill his way causing the crimson eyed boy to look at him alarmed. "What's this for?"

"For my drink." Yuugi's voice was as steady as it could be but his eyes under proper light would have told an interesting story about his feelings. "It's getting late. I think I should head home."

Atem tried to protest. "Your drink is on me. I invited you here." Not caring about what his boss would say, he ignored a half drunk girl trying to get his attention to have a refill. She could catch one of the waitresses if she was that desperate.

Yuugi didn't reach for the money. "It's not a date, Atem. I'm buying my own drink." His voice had an edge that made him understand Yuugi was serious about it. "And don't bother with change either. I believe it's customary to tip your server when their services are satisfactory. I enjoyed the drink."

He was ready to slip out of his stool when Atem grabbed his hand. The younger boy pulled his hand, but the older boy's hold was strong. Atem's hand was cold from handling the bottles and shakers but that wasn't what bothered Yuugi. He didn't want the other boy to make him stay. He needed to leave because staying would mean he allowed the crimson eyed bartender to play with his heart, and he definitely didn't.

Even though the way Atem held his hand didn't hurt him, Yuugi asked him to release him. "Don't go." The young man's voice was caught between a demand and a plea, but Yuugi wasn't a pushover and he wouldn't just stay because Atem said so. "I didn't mean to offend you." He sounded sincere and yet he didn't get it.

"I'm not offended, but I don't understand why I'm here, Atem. What do you want from me?" Yuugi felt suddenly tired. Trying to hold himself together was much harder with Atem so close.

Surprised by his question, Atem released his hold on him, but Yuugi didn't move at first. He waited for Atem to say something, but the older boy had gone silent. Sighing, he turned to leave and came face to face with another boy. Startled, he tilted the stool he was on and was about to fall, but two strong arms kept him up. Their owner was so close to Yuugi that he could almost feel his heartbeat.

"Be careful, cutie."

Yuugi wasn't sure if what sent shivers down his spine was the young man's deep voice or the almost inaudible growling sound that came from behind the counter. Whatever it was, as Yuugi caught sight of his brother approaching, he knew the night was far from being over.

Truly, this is one of my favorite chapters. Whenever I read it, I feel as if someone else wrote it XD I rarely go to nightclubs but I'd definitely check The Dice, especially if Atem was the bartender. This chapter has some good dialogue lines between Yuugi and Atem and whoever is into puppyshipping knows what that dog comment means. Julia, here is Mai. You wanted her to be part of this story xD And yes, Duke owns this club. You were right. I wonder who has been lurking around the nightclub all this time. Also, now I think Julia and Kathy, you know why my Bakura keeps saying Atem is digging a nice hole for himself. "Of course it's not a date." Well, done Atem!