Chapter Two: Hiding From Me
"What was that?"
Hanging somewhere between the realm of dreams and the waking world, Yami- san groggily asked, "Something wrong, aibou?"
"Dunno." Yugi admitted, frowning in confusion. "I just got a really weird vibe, that's all."
Disturbed by the uneasy quality of his boyfriend's voice, the Egyptian king exited his pleasant REM snooze to come back to reality. Propping his upper body up on his elbows, he rose halfway from their shared mattress. Without even covering his mouth, he let a tired yawn pass through his mouth. That single gesture would warrant a full-fledged lecture (Yugi never ceased to reprimand for such an act of bad manners), but he didn't give his action a second thought. The way his lover sounded right now...it reminded him of a small child sleeping in their own room for their first time ever.
/That's the emotion I sense.../ the ruler of the Nile realized, recalling how strange his significant other's tone had been, how it was so shaky and distraught that it sounded close to a frightened animal's whimper. /Fear. Yugi's scared of something and I don't know what it could be of. / Gnawing on the inside of his cheek, the ruby-eyed male tried to comprehend his lover's state of sudden restlessness. /What's gotten into him? Does he know something I don't, but should? /
"You sure nothing's bothering you?" the older individual tried again, hoping for a better response to his present question than last time.
"Like I said, I'm really not sure. Just a bit freaked out, I guess."
"Still scared of the dark?" the pharaoh jested, throwing his aibou a snide smirk.
"No." the younger person nearly spat, molding his expression into a disgruntled sight. He made such a terribly awkward face that his boyfriend couldn't help but laugh. For a moment, the haunted look left the petite adolescent's visage, and he found himself smiling in unison with his lover's chuckling. Folding his arms in front of his chest, the high school teen added, "No, but I know someone who is--"
"Joey, right?" guessed the master duelist, scratching the side of his neck.
"How'd you know?"
" 'Member that time when you and I crashed at his house after having six large pizzas and about a ton of Pocky sticks?"
Yugi's eyes widened at the vivid memory. "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed, snapping a thumb and forefinger together before pointing at his alter-ego. "We ate so much that we had trouble getting up the next afternoon!"
"Jou had most of our pizza and finished off the sodas there." complained the ruler of all duels good-naturedly, a nostalgic smile brightening his features. "All we got to drink was that nasty tap water."
"Hey," protested the shorter adolescent, mildly scolding his darker half at the same time, "I don't know about you, but water sounds pretty good to me after downing toppings thick with spicy Italian sausage and pepperoni."
"I'd rather die of dehydration than suck back some tasteless liquid." Yami- san declared, tossing his head in an attempt to remove his lengthy blond bangs from his eyes. "Settling for anything less than that just tends to--" As he exhaled, his golden tresses plopped down in his visage again, blocking his vision.
"Bring out the worst in you, I know." finished the younger male, permitting a light -hearted giggle to be vocalized. Reaching out to his boyfriend, Yugi tenderly tucked the fallen strands behind one of his aibou's ears. Patting the cool flesh of his alter-ego's cheek, the petite adolescent added, "Don't be so dramatic."
"All right, fine then." Yami-san responded, collapsing back onto their bed. "Just for you, I promise to be a good boy for the remainder of the night.
Lifting his arm, the young teen positioned the limb to where he could see his watch. Using his fingers, he pressed on one of the switches connected to the numerical device. A bright shade of teal flashed before the youthful duelist's eyes, allowing him to observe the digital display.
"That's only about five and a half hours from now." revealed the shorter individual, shaking his head.
"Which is a long time before dawn, you know."
"True, considering you probably can't last that long."
"Wha-oh, you're just impossible!" Yami-san shot back sullenly, his ruby eyes pouting.
"I know I am!" agreed Yugi, taking the opportunity to poke fun at his boyfriend. "Don't ya just love it?"
"Yes, I love you." replied the spirit of the puzzle, gazing fondly at his significant other.
Clasping hands with his sennen lover, Mutoh smiled affectionately. "I love you, too, my koibito." He whispered, returning his aibou's phrase with one of his own. Squeezing his best friend's limb, a rosy blush tinted his cheeks. After searching the depths of each other's sparkling orbs, Yugi withdrew his hand from the Egyptian king's grasp and playfully swatted his leg. "I went shopping today." The little teen informed his boyfriend, changing the topic of their conversation.
"Really?"
The boy nodded. "Yup, I just decided to pick up some daily essential and-"
"Bought cherry cola?"
Ignoring the fervent interruption, the petite adolescent continued on. "I got some chips, cookies, salad fixings-" The master duelist's expression soured at the mention of fresh vegetables. Everyone knew he was a regular junk food addict, a candy and soda monster that only craved high amounts of sugar. "some household cleaners, replaced a few kitchen appliances-"
"And picked up cherry soda?" Yami-san blurted once more, tortured by the suspense his hikari forced him to suffer.
"We also needed eggs, bread, breakfast condiments-"
"With sugary beverages, too?" inquired the millennium spirit hopefully, his ruby orbs shining with the enthusiasm of a child.
"Well, I did manage to pick up a few drinks along the way." Yugi revealed, releasing more tension into the air.
"And, and?" asked the ruler of the Nile hastily, barely able to contain his own excitement."
"Cherry cola happened to be on sale, so I-"
"Hell yes!" the spirit of the puzzle cried, rejoicing at the sweet news he heard. "Gods I love you, Yugi!"
"So does this mean you're up for some?"
"You mean right now?"
"Hey, you can wait 'til morning if you want to."
Vigorously shaking his head back and forth, the millennium spirit whined, "Do I have to?"
"I could run downstairs and bring it back here, if you'd like." offered the shorter individual, already knowing what the answer to his statement would be.
"Could you?" Yami-san pleaded, giving his aibou a Precious Moments eyes. "My throat's really dry, and I probably won't be able to sleep without any."
"Okay, Okay!" laughed the petite adolescent, swinging his legs over their mattress. Bounding out of his sleeping location, the young duelist headed for the door that led out into the hallway. Just as he was about to leave for the downstairs rooms, his lover's words held him back.
"Yugi-chan?"
"Yeah, Yami-san?"
"You all right now?"
Closing his large purple blue orbs, he nodded slowly. "I think so."
"You're either fine, or you're not."
"No, really." the small boy contradicted, straightening his frame in mock bravery. "I'm good."
Arching an eyebrow skeptically, the master card player asked, "Just "okay" or really, honestly fine?"
"Like I said, I'm fine." Giving his alter-ego a special smile, Yugi flashed him a peace sign. "See? Just peachy."
Yami-san's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he analyzed his boyfriend's face. At last, when he couldn't detect even a slight hint of mistruth in his aibou's expression, he backed off. "Okay, I believe you. Just don't make me worry like that ever again, promise?"
"I won't." promised the little angel, putting on quite an innocent performance. "I think even I'm up for something sugar loaded now."
"Yay, let's get hyper together, then." mumbled the Egyptian king, settling into a more comfortable resting position. "I'll be waiting here, so don't be too long."
Bowing slightly at the waist, the younger individual showed himself out. Alone in the bedroom, the ruler of the Nile stared up at the ceiling and sighed sadly.
/We've been together two years now, and he still doesn't trust me with the truth. / he thought to himself, upset by what had just transpired. /I mean, he knows he's blatantly lying to me, but I'm not even sure he understands why he's doing it. It's beyond me why he's acting this way. /
Just then, his lover stuck his head back in the door, a silly smirk plastered across his lips. "Hey, koibito," Yugi said, motioning with his fingers, "you should wipe the drool off your face now."
Glaring at his sennen sweetheart, the taller male scrubbed his chin with the back of his hand. "Thanks, Tenshi-ko." he grunted through gritted teeth, smearing the bodily fluid on part of their comforter.
"Don't mention it." replied the younger card player casually, saluting his koibito.
"Wait, Yugi-"
Before the master duelist could be heard, his boyfriend disappeared again into the corridor outside their private chambers.
Swallowing down a lump of eerie solidity in his throat, Yami-san asked himself, "Oh, Yugi-chan, what are you hiding from me?"
"What was that?"
Hanging somewhere between the realm of dreams and the waking world, Yami- san groggily asked, "Something wrong, aibou?"
"Dunno." Yugi admitted, frowning in confusion. "I just got a really weird vibe, that's all."
Disturbed by the uneasy quality of his boyfriend's voice, the Egyptian king exited his pleasant REM snooze to come back to reality. Propping his upper body up on his elbows, he rose halfway from their shared mattress. Without even covering his mouth, he let a tired yawn pass through his mouth. That single gesture would warrant a full-fledged lecture (Yugi never ceased to reprimand for such an act of bad manners), but he didn't give his action a second thought. The way his lover sounded right now...it reminded him of a small child sleeping in their own room for their first time ever.
/That's the emotion I sense.../ the ruler of the Nile realized, recalling how strange his significant other's tone had been, how it was so shaky and distraught that it sounded close to a frightened animal's whimper. /Fear. Yugi's scared of something and I don't know what it could be of. / Gnawing on the inside of his cheek, the ruby-eyed male tried to comprehend his lover's state of sudden restlessness. /What's gotten into him? Does he know something I don't, but should? /
"You sure nothing's bothering you?" the older individual tried again, hoping for a better response to his present question than last time.
"Like I said, I'm really not sure. Just a bit freaked out, I guess."
"Still scared of the dark?" the pharaoh jested, throwing his aibou a snide smirk.
"No." the younger person nearly spat, molding his expression into a disgruntled sight. He made such a terribly awkward face that his boyfriend couldn't help but laugh. For a moment, the haunted look left the petite adolescent's visage, and he found himself smiling in unison with his lover's chuckling. Folding his arms in front of his chest, the high school teen added, "No, but I know someone who is--"
"Joey, right?" guessed the master duelist, scratching the side of his neck.
"How'd you know?"
" 'Member that time when you and I crashed at his house after having six large pizzas and about a ton of Pocky sticks?"
Yugi's eyes widened at the vivid memory. "Oh, yeah!" he exclaimed, snapping a thumb and forefinger together before pointing at his alter-ego. "We ate so much that we had trouble getting up the next afternoon!"
"Jou had most of our pizza and finished off the sodas there." complained the ruler of all duels good-naturedly, a nostalgic smile brightening his features. "All we got to drink was that nasty tap water."
"Hey," protested the shorter adolescent, mildly scolding his darker half at the same time, "I don't know about you, but water sounds pretty good to me after downing toppings thick with spicy Italian sausage and pepperoni."
"I'd rather die of dehydration than suck back some tasteless liquid." Yami- san declared, tossing his head in an attempt to remove his lengthy blond bangs from his eyes. "Settling for anything less than that just tends to--" As he exhaled, his golden tresses plopped down in his visage again, blocking his vision.
"Bring out the worst in you, I know." finished the younger male, permitting a light -hearted giggle to be vocalized. Reaching out to his boyfriend, Yugi tenderly tucked the fallen strands behind one of his aibou's ears. Patting the cool flesh of his alter-ego's cheek, the petite adolescent added, "Don't be so dramatic."
"All right, fine then." Yami-san responded, collapsing back onto their bed. "Just for you, I promise to be a good boy for the remainder of the night.
Lifting his arm, the young teen positioned the limb to where he could see his watch. Using his fingers, he pressed on one of the switches connected to the numerical device. A bright shade of teal flashed before the youthful duelist's eyes, allowing him to observe the digital display.
"That's only about five and a half hours from now." revealed the shorter individual, shaking his head.
"Which is a long time before dawn, you know."
"True, considering you probably can't last that long."
"Wha-oh, you're just impossible!" Yami-san shot back sullenly, his ruby eyes pouting.
"I know I am!" agreed Yugi, taking the opportunity to poke fun at his boyfriend. "Don't ya just love it?"
"Yes, I love you." replied the spirit of the puzzle, gazing fondly at his significant other.
Clasping hands with his sennen lover, Mutoh smiled affectionately. "I love you, too, my koibito." He whispered, returning his aibou's phrase with one of his own. Squeezing his best friend's limb, a rosy blush tinted his cheeks. After searching the depths of each other's sparkling orbs, Yugi withdrew his hand from the Egyptian king's grasp and playfully swatted his leg. "I went shopping today." The little teen informed his boyfriend, changing the topic of their conversation.
"Really?"
The boy nodded. "Yup, I just decided to pick up some daily essential and-"
"Bought cherry cola?"
Ignoring the fervent interruption, the petite adolescent continued on. "I got some chips, cookies, salad fixings-" The master duelist's expression soured at the mention of fresh vegetables. Everyone knew he was a regular junk food addict, a candy and soda monster that only craved high amounts of sugar. "some household cleaners, replaced a few kitchen appliances-"
"And picked up cherry soda?" Yami-san blurted once more, tortured by the suspense his hikari forced him to suffer.
"We also needed eggs, bread, breakfast condiments-"
"With sugary beverages, too?" inquired the millennium spirit hopefully, his ruby orbs shining with the enthusiasm of a child.
"Well, I did manage to pick up a few drinks along the way." Yugi revealed, releasing more tension into the air.
"And, and?" asked the ruler of the Nile hastily, barely able to contain his own excitement."
"Cherry cola happened to be on sale, so I-"
"Hell yes!" the spirit of the puzzle cried, rejoicing at the sweet news he heard. "Gods I love you, Yugi!"
"So does this mean you're up for some?"
"You mean right now?"
"Hey, you can wait 'til morning if you want to."
Vigorously shaking his head back and forth, the millennium spirit whined, "Do I have to?"
"I could run downstairs and bring it back here, if you'd like." offered the shorter individual, already knowing what the answer to his statement would be.
"Could you?" Yami-san pleaded, giving his aibou a Precious Moments eyes. "My throat's really dry, and I probably won't be able to sleep without any."
"Okay, Okay!" laughed the petite adolescent, swinging his legs over their mattress. Bounding out of his sleeping location, the young duelist headed for the door that led out into the hallway. Just as he was about to leave for the downstairs rooms, his lover's words held him back.
"Yugi-chan?"
"Yeah, Yami-san?"
"You all right now?"
Closing his large purple blue orbs, he nodded slowly. "I think so."
"You're either fine, or you're not."
"No, really." the small boy contradicted, straightening his frame in mock bravery. "I'm good."
Arching an eyebrow skeptically, the master card player asked, "Just "okay" or really, honestly fine?"
"Like I said, I'm fine." Giving his alter-ego a special smile, Yugi flashed him a peace sign. "See? Just peachy."
Yami-san's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he analyzed his boyfriend's face. At last, when he couldn't detect even a slight hint of mistruth in his aibou's expression, he backed off. "Okay, I believe you. Just don't make me worry like that ever again, promise?"
"I won't." promised the little angel, putting on quite an innocent performance. "I think even I'm up for something sugar loaded now."
"Yay, let's get hyper together, then." mumbled the Egyptian king, settling into a more comfortable resting position. "I'll be waiting here, so don't be too long."
Bowing slightly at the waist, the younger individual showed himself out. Alone in the bedroom, the ruler of the Nile stared up at the ceiling and sighed sadly.
/We've been together two years now, and he still doesn't trust me with the truth. / he thought to himself, upset by what had just transpired. /I mean, he knows he's blatantly lying to me, but I'm not even sure he understands why he's doing it. It's beyond me why he's acting this way. /
Just then, his lover stuck his head back in the door, a silly smirk plastered across his lips. "Hey, koibito," Yugi said, motioning with his fingers, "you should wipe the drool off your face now."
Glaring at his sennen sweetheart, the taller male scrubbed his chin with the back of his hand. "Thanks, Tenshi-ko." he grunted through gritted teeth, smearing the bodily fluid on part of their comforter.
"Don't mention it." replied the younger card player casually, saluting his koibito.
"Wait, Yugi-"
Before the master duelist could be heard, his boyfriend disappeared again into the corridor outside their private chambers.
Swallowing down a lump of eerie solidity in his throat, Yami-san asked himself, "Oh, Yugi-chan, what are you hiding from me?"