CHAPTER SEVEN

A warm breath fluttered against his cheek, hesitantly, affectionately. Then, a pair of gentle lips grazed his skin, such a foreign yet welcomed feeling. His eyes weren't open, but he could feel the ruby eyes, so full of longing and sorrow, gazing upon his face.

"My heart belongs to you, Yuugi. Please don't break it."

Yuugi stirred in his sleep. That was some nice dream he just had. He reached up to touch his cheek, but found something in the palm of his hand. His eyes snapped open. It was another piece of chocolate from Yami. He blushed and looked around the room, relieved but somewhat disappointed to find only his grandfather, sitting at the edge of his bed.

"Oh, Yuugi, you're awake," the old man said, looking concerned. "How do you feel?"

Yuugi shifted around under the covers. He felt… naked? Suddenly, his memories of this afternoon came flooding back into his head. Did his grandfather know there had been a girl in his room? Had Yami told him? He looked around, relieved to find his discarded clothes nowhere in sight. "I'm okay," he replied. He grinned sheepishly. "A little thirsty, though."

His grandfather smiled lovingly and gave him a kiss on the forehead before heading downstairs to bring him water. Yuugi took advantage of this and rushed to his closet, pulling on a random shirt and buttoning his pants, before dashing back under the covers, just in time to see Grandpa coming through the door.

Yuugi sat up on the bed and drained the cup the moment he received it, the water refreshing his senses. "What happen, Grandpa?" he asked. "Did I faint again?"

Grandpa nodded. "Yami was here with you when I arrived. He said you came upstairs and didn't come back down, so he and Mai got worried and came to check up on you."

"Mai was here?"

"Well, not when I got home," Grandpa replied. "But Yami says she was a big help. We'll have to thank her later."

Yuugi nodded, his eyes landing on the leather jacket next to his pillow. Had Yami seen it? Could he somehow have figured out Yuugi's obsession? He closed his eyes, trying to imagine Yami's expression, but he couldn't. What did he really know about the mysterious boy? And what did Yami think of him now, after finding out what happened between him and Miho? Suddenly, a thought hit him in the face. Could Yami have really kissed him on the cheek this afternoon, or was it only in his fantasies? He hoped it was only a dream, but he secretly knew he couldn't suppress his true desires. As long as Yami didn't love him back, everything would be okay. He could fantasize all he wanted…

"Are you okay, Yuugi? You seem a bit out of it."

"Oh!" Yuugi shook his head, pulling his grandfather into a warm hug, the chocolate candy from Yami still gripped tightly in his hand. "I'm fine, Grandpa. Really. You shouldn't worry so much about me. I'll be fine. I promise."

For a moment, Grandpa seemed doubtful, but he returned the embrace, anyway.

- - -

- (17:55) twiddles thumbs and continues playing solitaire on counter

- (17:58) starts to hum in a sweet beautiful soprano and stops abruptly, glances in my direction and blushes

- (18:03) wins third game of solitaire and cleans up cards

- (18:05) fingers twitch, glances in my direction

- (18:08) stands on stool and reaches—

"Yuugi! Watch out!" Yami gasped, as a large plastic box from the top shelf came tumbling down onto the boy. He slammed his notebook shut and rushed over to the stool as Yuugi quickly lost his balance, falling over the edge of the stool into his arms, unharmed. The box landed, spilling its contents all over the floor.

Yuugi sighed in relief as a pair of strong arms encircled his waist, bringing him to his feet. It took him a while to realize who the arms belonged to. "Yami?" he cried, spinning around so their chests were pressed tightly together. He took a step back, immediately regretting so as the warmth disappeared. "Th-Thanks…"

There were no customers in the shop today, only the two of them. And Grandpa was busy making dinner in the kitchen.

Yami shrugged casually. "No problem. What were you reaching for, anyway?"

"Those," Yuugi whispered, pointing to the scattered action figures and stuffed animals on the floor, blushing furiously. "I haven't touched them in a while. I thought they might feel…" His voice trailed off.

Deciding not to probe further, Yami bent over and began to pick up the toys, lovingly dusting them off before placing them gently into the box. If they meant so much to Yuugi, he may as well treat them the same way Yuugi would.

Yuugi helped him, and soon, everything was back in the box, much neater than it had been a few minutes ago.

"Thank you," Yuugi said, staring at the contents in the box, a mix of emotions crossing his features. He hung his head in guilt. "I'm sorry. I should never have taken them down in the first place."

"It's all right," Yami replied with a small smile. He could picture Yuugi sitting in bed, hugging all his stuffed animals at once because he didn't want any of them to feel left out, telling them the day's events. Then, he would either laugh or cry after he was finished, tell them all how much he loved them, and perhaps read them a storybook. "It's always nice to have some extra friends sitting around."

His heart melted as Yuugi's face broke into a genuine smile. Reluctantly, he made his way to his side of the counter, pulling out his math homework. Staring at Yuugi was getting him nowhere.

Yuugi looked around nervously. Why were there no customers today? During Yami's work hours, there were always crowds of customers at the counter. It was too quiet. He slowly rotated his hand around, noting to himself how pale he was growing. Desperately, he wanted to open his box of toys and take them all out, but something told him he didn't want Yami to think of him as a small child.

"Hey, math whiz," Yami muttered from behind, almost scaring the poor boy out of his pants. "Could you help me with today's math homework? I don't understand these functions."

Yuugi gulped, leaning forward into the counter, too nervous to turn around completely. Yami was a bit too close for comfort. He could almost feel the heat Yami gave off. "Sure, I'll try." That is, if I can concentrate around you… "Which ones do you need help with?"

Yami refused to budge as he placed his binder on the counter, looking over Yuugi's shoulder. "That one," he said, snaking his arm around Yuugi's shoulder and pointing at an outrageously long equation with the tip of his pencil. "I'm not sure how to graph it."

Was Yami flirting with him? Yuugi felt his cheeks burning as he tried to focus on the equation. "Um…" Oh, god. I can't think! Say something! You know how to do these problems! He could smell the familiar scent of the cologne Yami was wearing, filling his mind with inappropriate thoughts. No, he wouldn't pass out now. He couldn't… This was so embarrassing!

"Are you all right, Yuugi?"

Yuugi tried to respond, but his throat was too tight, so he nodded instead.

"Am I too close?" Yami asked, reading Yuugi's mind. "I'm sorry."

To Yuugi's relief, and disappointment, he took a step back. They gazed at each other uneasily before Yuugi proceeded to explain the math problem step by step, pausing patiently whenever Yami had a question.

Grandpa's head appeared at the kitchen door. "Yuugi! Time for dinner! How about a day off for you tomorrow, Yami? You been working for about a month now. I think you need a little break. I'll even pay you for the hours."

"Thank you, sir," Yami said. He couldn't refuse, or else he may seem a bit too enthusiastic toward his work. And perhaps he could take the time to relax and be like a normal student for once. He glanced at Yuugi, who was staring uncomfortably at his shoes, rocking back in forth. Was Yuugi afraid of him, or was it something else? Probably afraid. If only I could show him how I would never hurt him in any way…

He muttered a good-bye and headed home.

- - -

Note: Erm… short chapter, I know, but I promise the next will be longer. Yuugi goes to Yami's apartment and meets Bastet! Whee! I figured if they were going to get together sooner or later, why not speed things up a bit? Sorry for making Yuugi sound like a whore, but that's part of the story. Can't tell you more than that. Hehehe.

Yami: Gah. Yuugi is mine. Not a whore.

Lanlan: Well, then, it's your job to make him un-whorish.

Yami: *leads Yuugi into the next room* Oh, trust me. After tonight, he will never want anyone else on him again.

Yuugi: *giggles madly*

Okay, a little too much information there. Anyway, please review! And happy holidays! =]