Author's Notes: Two chapters in two days. Not bad. The next one's going to take a bit longer...
The story includes yaoi (no lemons, though) which is a boy/boy relationship. If you don't like that kind of thing, then don't read it. Also implications of physical abuse.
The entire story is written in Seto's POV.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of it's characters, unfortunately.
Chapter Two:
I knew it was you. I didn't even need to take a second look to know that it was none other than Jounouchi Katsuya curled up in a little wet ball on the bench next to mine. One look at those dirty clothes and messy mop of blonde hair – anyone would know.
Yes, even someone like me, who hadn't even really met you.
I wanted to say something to you, but I couldn't let my guard down. I couldn't show you the real person I am… Not yet.
So I hid. I hid behind my icy glare, my tough exterior, and my reputation. I'm sure you did the same, but at this point, you just wanted someone to be there. You wanted someone to talk to, someone to encourage you, and someone to love you. It was too hard to fake it, so you gave up and let that someone in. I was lucky, Katsuya. That someone was me.
I stood and wiped off my shirt. It was all for show, there was nothing on it. I walked over to you and spoke.
"Mutt?"
Even though you knew it was me, I still surprised you. You didn't say anything back, but you looked up at me for just a moment and that was all I needed to see. I felt a pang of guilt for calling you 'mutt'.
You were a mess.
Your eyes were red, presumably from crying. You looked like you hadn't slept in weeks. Your lip was swollen with a deep cut on the left side. Once you knew it was me, you put your head in your hands and sighed. It was, unmistakably, a sigh of defeat. Maybe you thought I was going to laugh at you. Maybe you thought I was going to make fun of you. Maybe you thought I was going to leave you there, by yourself again.
I wouldn't do any of those things. Instead, I took a seat next to you and gently put my hand on your back, absentmindedly making small circles with my thumb while wondering what in God's name happened to you.
My guard was down. I wasn't trying to impress you, or make you feel inferior. I wanted to help you. I tried to find the right words – but there were no words that could describe how I felt at that moment. I'd never felt that way about anyone. Sure, I felt sorry for you, but it was more than sympathy that was tugging at my heart.
"Jounouchi, what happened?"
You didn't waste any time lying or making up excuses. You'd done that long enough. You inhaled deeply and turned to face me. I don't know what you were looking for in my eyes – maybe some kind of sign that it was okay to confide in me – whatever it was, you found it."A lot."
Your voice was soft, almost a whisper. I moved my hand up to your face, brushing your soft blonde hair away from your eyes. I moved closer to you. "I know."
Our rock-hard exteriors crumbled.
I traced the outline of your bottom lip lightly with my finger. Before I reached your cut, I put my hand under your chin and lifted your head up slightly. "You can talk to me."
And you did.
You told me about your past. You told me about your father, a careless drunk who occasionally hit you. That's where you got your scars, and your bruised lip. You told me that the only fights you ever got into weren't those on the streets, they were in your own home, against your father. You told me about your sister, Shizuka, and how much you love her. You told me about your friends and how much they mean to you. You told me why you were sitting on the park bench here by yourself, and why you weren't at summer camp with all your friends. You told me that money was tight and there was hardly enough for food, let alone summer camp. You told me even if money wasn't tight, your father wouldn't send you to summer camp. You shared all of that and so much more, Katsuya. Beyond those things, you shared your feelings with me, and that's more than I could ever ask of you.
I told you everything, too. I told you all the things I'd kept hidden from the world for so long, and it felt great. We spent all night sitting on that park bench, talking about… Everything. At certain points we'd stop talking and I'd just hold you, resting my head on your shoulder and breathing in your scent, mixed with the rain. It was the most incredible feeling I could ever imagine.
We were still talking when the sun came up. Actually, Katsuya, we were laughing together when the sun came up. We were laughing like we'd known each other forever, when in reality, we'd just met that night.
Life wasn't filled with pain or loneliness for either of us anymore. We were safe from both of those things, because we had each other. It wasn't about the abuse you took from your father anymore. It was about you and me.
We watched the sunrise together. We watched the brilliant orange hues mix with pink and purple, chasing away the darkness and bringing a new morning, a new beginning… A fresh start.
To be continued...