The Magicians' Realm Chapter 38: Midnight Confessions, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

Chapter 38, everybody! "In my midnight confessions…when I tell the whole world that I love you…."

We also get a reference to how my parents met, how Hobbes describes love to Calvin in one Sunday strip, my general opinion on the efficacy of hormones, and Dr. Phil's description of how emotions work. Such fun!

And re-watching Shane Acker's 9—ho-lee cow.

Angiembabe, thanks for the review! Yes, the old goats! That's the power of magic—and maybe Pine-Sol. True—she thinks she's right and everyone's wrong, which isn't exactly right, but she doesn't know it yet. Wait, did that make any sense? *~* Good question! And probably….No, Greg is for all points and purposes pretty normal-looking (think Thomas Gibson). The hair comes from Jenna's side of the family, but doesn't manifest in the women (think Yugi's mother in the manga), and her father kept his hair trimmed and under a hat or bandanna for most of his life. Eh, he has suspicions, but it's been a while since the pictures have been looked at, so….Maybe. :)

Fromtheashtrees, thanks for the review! Ah, yes, but it makes good writing—or so I've been deluding myself. Of course, it brings up plenty of resolutions I'm going to have to find and figure out later, but….Yes, I suppose it's a bit tame next to names like 'Yami' and 'Hephaestus.' Yes…there may be a reason most of my social interactions are online now….Eh….Yes, he should—but Batman is the sort to keep a stash of kryptonite around (and Word recognizes that—how…). Mmm, I prefer Batman's villains over Batman (and yet I can't get into Gotham…)—I prefer DC villains and Marvel heroes, but not DC heroes and Marvel villains. Something's wrong with me….

FicReader, thanks for the review! Hey, no worries—real life comes first. :) Hope you had a good vacation! Oh good, so it's not just me….Ooh, I made you gasp? That's a good thing, I think….Most likely….Well, it's Yami Montgau's timeline that resembles the 1950s, while Teana's resembles the 1930s…I've never actually bothered to ask them what year they're in, but as life expectancies are longer in their world, I think it's safe to say that their eras progress slower than ours do. I'm going to have to ask them….

References:

Original characters + setting © Kineil D. Wicks (myself, not the girl in the story)

Yami wandered through the house, reflecting upon his predicament. As he did so, he waved the lights out—no one else was up, anyway.

Well, almost no one, he noted upon passing through the solarium.

He crossed over and sat down on the settee next to Kineil, who was busy glaring out at the lawn as she slouched in her seat.

"Uh, hi," Yami tried.

"Please don't tell me you're going to try to make awkward small talk—that is the precise reason I never told you," Kineil snapped.

"Sorry—it's just been…a day."

"So I've noticed."

Awkward silence occurred.

"Why did you never say anything?" Yami asked.

"Because I figured if it was supposed to happen, it would," Kineil said. "And I was worried that if it wasn't supposed to happen, we'd be right where we are now—awkwardly sitting next to each other with no idea how to progress."

"This is annoying," Yami agreed.

"Yes. So let's agree that it stemmed from a crush that I got over before anything happened, and that you are an absolute idiot who couldn't handle romance if it punched you in the face."

"Do I have to agree to the second?"

"Yes. You suck at this."

"I do," Yami agreed, sliding down in his seat. "How come this level of awkwardness doesn't seem to happen in the books or shows?"

"Because it's boring," Kineil said. "And that's annoying. It's better to drop a dragon or other big problem into the mix instead of dealing with such idiocy page after page—even the writer gets annoyed when the characters can't solve their own problems."

"I would have ended up on the cutting room floor by now."

"You would have."

"So what do I do?"

"Stop being stupid."

"I would, but I seem doomed from the start."

"Ah, so he realizes it finally. Give her a week—maybe her monthly curse is upon her."

"I'm fairly certain she doesn't turn into a werewolf."

"Not that one—the other one, you know, the one that I get and need to go murder something, that time of the month where the boys barricade themselves in their room?"

"Oh. Oh," Yami noised. "That one. That's a thing?"

"For most women. There are those who don't get the curse every month, but Mother Nature finds a different way to ruin them."

"I've decided my life was easier before hormones."

"Everyone's life was easier before hormones. Hormones are part of the curse enacted by the Fall—I'm sure of it."

"So you think that's the root of my problem?"

"No. I think the root of your problem is that you fell in love with a girl who is afraid to be in love. At least, in that way."

"Why? What's so scary about love?"

"It's like having a sunburn, and then inviting someone to touch it. It hurts when someone touches it, unless that person's careful. And people just aren't careful."

Yami pondered that for a few moments. "So what do I do? Approach her with Aloe Vera?"

"Try Vaseline—it works a lot better, in my experience."

"With love?"

"With sunburns. I can't help you in the love department. I couldn't even help myself."

"You'll find someone someday."

"Oh great—now you're trying to play the love doctor."

"It's true—someday, you will literally run into someone who you love…that way. The romantic way, not the sibling way, or the friend way, or the I-think-I-have-a-crush way."

"Oi."

"Sorry. Give me a few days, and I'll be fine."

"If you live that long."

"Cheers."

"And what makes you think love works that way?"

"Because that's how it happened to me."

"You literally ran into her. Yes, I recall that story. In case you haven't noticed, it wasn't love at first sight."

"It was for me."

"Love doesn't work that way."

"How does it work, pray tell?"

"You'll meet—your friends probably introduce you—and you start talking about this and that, and you know you have to leave soon, but you're enjoying the conversation too much and the person's company too much, and then all of a sudden you look up and you have to be at your morning job in thirty minutes, and you realize you've literally talked through the night with this person."

"That's love?"

"Verbally speaking. From the medical standpoint, the sight of the person causes your heart to dislodge and fall into your stomach, splashing your innards, soaking everything and short-circuiting routes, causing wooziness and disorientation, and then your brain stem shorts, disengaging everything and making you babble like a cretin until she leaves."

"I don't babble like a cretin."

"You have been—it's like your brain took a holiday."

"It didn't take a holiday—I let it wander and it didn't come back."

"How is that an improvement?"

"I don't know."

"And what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. What's that Betty Everett says? 'It's in his kiss'?"

"I see a restraining order in your future."

"I need professional help."

"You do. And I need to get paid for this level of advice."

"Does living here rent-free count?"

"This requires extra. There was nothing mentioned about having to be of service emotionally."

"I'm sorry I was so dense."

"You should be."

"You'll forgive me though, right?"

"I might."

"Right. What do I do?"

"You go to bed and stare at the ceiling."

Yami sighed; yes, that's probably what he would do if he went to his room.

"I think I'll stay here," Yami said finally. "The view is better. And so is the company."

"Suck-up," Kineil said.

Yami couldn't help but smirk. "Thanks for your friendship, Kineil."

"Yeah, yeah, don't make it mushy."

Yami laughed and left it at that.