To start off, a warning: the authoress' notes for this are going to be much longer, basically because I am announcing a contest. If you have no interest in it whatsoever, just skip to the story.
Hello everyone! Yes, I know it's been a while since I last posted anything – I'm really sorry about that. My excuse this time? It took me an entire month to clean my room. ^_^; Anyway, I decided to tackle an AU story, which is why you'll see this chapter is labeled 'Part I' – to establish characters and their relationships (which we usually already know about in usual fanfiction), there's so much more to write…but most of you already knew that, so I'll just shut up now….
This story is dedicated to all the wonderful people who reviewed my last one-shot, since it's been a month since I last updated:
Mercedes
Cherry
MMW
Wolfspeaker
Junko the Lost
Hikari no Yami
yami13
Princess Strawberry
Riyu
Ko-chan
iczer6
Li
Mittens2200
Mikomi Rae
rox
The Chaotic Ones
Hermione06
…O_O…Ra, I had no idea that so many people reviewed my last story on here! Wow, thanks everyone! I know a few of you asked me to review your own stories, and I promise I will – internet usage is rationed to the extreme at my house, so between that and my faulty memory, you may have to wait a little longer until I get to it, sorry!
And while you're all still here, reading this stuff…CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT!!
OK, here's the deal: I have a full-fledged Y/Y fic I am currently working on. It's titled 'Destinies of the Past' – however, now that I'm nearing the end, I've realized that the title isn't very good, and isn't really related to the story like it should be. SO, what I'm looking for from all you folks is an awesome new title for the story – that's it! The winner will get to choose one of the following:
a.) Fanart for story of choice
b.) Supporting part in a one-shot fic (Y/Y, of course!!! ^_^_^)
c.) A "free commission" of a one-shot.
I've already gotten a few submissions, so be sure to let me know what your ideas are! Once I've gotten them all, I'll post the results and winner with the second part of this story, 'k? Enjoy the show! --MnY
Disclaimer: Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or it's characters. 'Chivetta's' is the name of a catering service where I live, but I am simply borrowing its name because I am stupid and uncreative. Oh, and I don't own 'Lord of the Dance' either. ^_^;
…Just so everyone knows, the restaurant is a 'T.G.I.Friday' sort of place (which I don't own either) – I should have put a lot more description about the place in, but there's already so much here that I don't want to. ^_^;;;; Heck, now that I've read the entire thing over again, it needs a major re-haul. *rolls eyes* Oh well – with me, it's inevitable. *sigh*
[blah blah blah] – thinking
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Part I – Ordinary Day
"Hi! Welcome to Chivetta's! How may I help you?"
"Uh, yeah, we'd like a table fa two."
"Smoking or non?"
"Non, thanks."
"Right this way!"
The all-too-perky brunette turned away from her two guests, and like ducklings in tow they followed her through the crowded, yet somewhat peaceful restaurant as she showed the teens to their seats. "Our specials today are the Barbecue Chicken Parmesan and the Vegetable Noodle soup," she recited as both males sat down in the booth, one on each side. "Is there anything I can get yous while you're waiting?"
The blonde teen that had sat down made a slight face before replying, "Nah, thanks."
"Ok! Your server will be right with yous!" With a smile and a wink, the hostess left the table, leaving Joey to groan and put a hand to his head as he looked over at his companion, who was studying the menu carefully.
"Ugh, man, I can't stand it! Sure, I know I use slang, but come on! 'Yous'? Whateva happened ta proper grammar, eh Yami?"
Instead of replying verbally, the spiky-haired teen merely 'hmm'ed in reply. Joey frowned slightly as he pushed his own menu out of the way and pulled Yami's down from in front of his face, staring into his crimson eyes with concern.
"Yami, you've got ta let go of this, man. Tha more you get worked up over that Shizo guy, tha more it's gonna bother ya."
The leather-clad teen blinked, furrowing his brow a little. "What do you mean, Joey?"
"It's like this, Yami," he started, leaning back in his seat as he crossed his arms and legs, his voice still serious (or as serious as it could get, in Joey's case). "You kinda liked Shizo. Ok. You asked him out. No go. So? You move on. Trust me on dis one – this isn't the end of tha world. Besides, you can do a lot better than that sleezeball. I mean, come on! The guy is a pot head for cryin' out loud!"
"Really?" Yami asked, his eyes slightly wide from surprise.
"Yeah – saw him over on the opposite side of tha school tha other day, getting' all knocked up. What? You didn't know?" he asked as he shed his green over-shirt to reveal the slightly wrinkled white T-shirt he wore.
The other shook his head quickly, his blonde bangs swaying back and forth as he did so. "No, Joey – I only knew him from class; I wasn't aware that he was that kind of person."
"Jeez, man, ya gotta look out for yourself! Good thing you've got ol' Joey here to watch out for you all tha time!" The lanky blonde grinned as he struck an over-dramatic pose, not unlike something out of Lord of the Dance. "Yeah! Super Joey saves the day again!"
For the first time that week, Yami smiled as he watched Joey go through his superhero routine amusedly. Quite contrary to Joey's last statement, it was usually always Yami that was getting his friend out of not-so-favorable predicaments – whether it was helping him worm his way out of detention, vouching for him when he was past curfew (Joey's mom always had a soft spot for Yami), or helping his friend out whenever he got into a fight, Yami was always there to back Joey up. So it was slightly ironic that here Joey was, a self-proclaimed hero for the day. Still, Joey's encouraging words meant a lot to him – he was mostly over the Shizo incident from a few days before, but knowing that Joey was still right there behind him helped erase any remaining negative feelings.
"Thanks, Joey," he said, interrupting the blonde in the middle of his improvised superhero song. Blinking, Joey stared for a few seconds with wide amber eyes before laughing a little.
"Yeah yeah, whateva," he said, waving it off.
The two waited patiently for their server to come, though Joey being a little less patient than Yami, complaining that he hadn't had anything to eat since four o'clock, which was less than an hour ago. As they sat there, Yami took a look around the restaurant, absent-mindedly adjusting a studded bracelet around his wrist. It was one of those places that loved to tack up anything even remotely antique-ish up on the walls and ceiling. The teen winced as he spotted an early electric guitar sitting above a window across from him – it would have served a much better purpose had it not had five or six nails driven through it to keep it there. He found himself running a hand through his spiky red-and-black hair, letting his crimson eyes wander. While he pondered exactly where big restaurant chains like this got all of these objects to decorate with, a kind, cheerful voice broke through his thoughts. Yami glanced up, startled, as their waiter stood at the front of the table in a green-striped, short-sleeve dress shirt and black pants, a small notepad at the ready.
"Hi! My name is Yugi; how are you two doing?"
"Eh, doin' alright – thanks for askin'," replied Joey, slightly surprised by the friendliness of their server. "How 'bout you?"
The teen, Yugi, smiled as he replied, "Oh, I suppose it's going as well as can be, thanks. What can I get you?"
"Ehhhh, I'll have the Chicken Teriyaki."
Nodding, Yugi took down the order on his notepad. "And for you?" he asked, turning to the person sitting to his right as he continued scribbling.
Instead of ordering, Yami couldn't help but sit and stare for a few moments at their server, hardly aware that Yugi had spoken. Was this some sort of trick? At first glance, the two of them could have been long lost brothers, but Yami was sure that he didn't have any missing relatives. Of course, they weren't exactly twins, either; though both of them sported a tri-color hairstyle, Yugi's own seemed a little more calm and softer in appearance. In addition, Yugi was a bit shorter than himself, and had what seemed to Yami to be the most beautiful eyes in the world – a deep amethyst color. As he continued analyzing this strange likeness, his train of thought was interrupted once again – this time, by Joey.
"Hey man," he said, knocking him on the shoulder lightly. "You gonna order or not?"
"Hmm? Oh, sorry," he said quickly, grabbing a menu and folding it up. "I'll have the same." He watched as Yugi changed the order from one to two, then looked up with a smile.
"Ok, I'll have that right out to you as soon as it's ready. Anything else?" he asked, turning to Yami. Seeing the teen shake his head dumbly, Yugi couldn't help but take a step forward to get a better look at him. "Uh, excuse me, but do I know you from somewhere?" he asked, also noticing the uncanny likeness between the customer and himself. Unable to speak, Yami shook his head again. Shrugging, Yugi turned to look at both of them.
"Well, if you have any questions, please let me know – see ya!" With that, the teen turned around and went to go put the order in, Yami's eyes following him the entire way.
[Wow,] was all Yami could think of as he watched Yugi depart. Feeling a tapping on his shoulder, the crimson-eyed teen reluctantly shifted his gaze from their server, who had just disappeared into the kitchen, to the figure sitting across from him, nearly ready to burst with laughter.
"What?" Yami asked, blinking as Joey started chuckling. "What's so funny?"
Joey couldn't contain it any longer. Without warning, the blonde teen let out a mighty roar of laughter – never had he seen Yami so shocked in his life, not until their server came by; the expression on his face was priceless! After a few minutes, Joey calmed down enough to look at Yami as the other stared at him perplexed, an eyebrow raised in a curious fashion. Suddenly feeling the stares from the rest of the customers in the restaurant – it had gotten very quiet after Joey's outburst – the slightly eccentric teen flushed a little with embarrassment. "Uh, yeah, sorry about dat, folks," he apologized to the other bystanders as he stood up. "Emmm…continya wit whatever you were doin' – situation's unda control now." As the surrounding conversations slowly picked up once again, he shot a sheepish grin at his best friend as he sat back down on the red vinyl booth seat, unsuccessfully attempting to hide his head from the many stares around him. After a sigh and a smile, the lanky blonde finally remembered to respond to Yami's original question, as the other sat there wide eyed but waiting patiently.
"Man! I'm surprised ya didn't fall dead on the spot, Yami! I mean, really – that was kinda freaky, dontcha think? Who'd've thought there'd be anotha one of ya runnin' around these parts?" he explained, gesturing to the last place Yugi had been seen in the restaurant.
"I don't know, Joey. Though I have to agree with you, he's very…intriguing."
The two sat in silence for a moment, as a sly grin graced the blonde's face. "Heh hehhh…."
"What?"
"I know that look."
"What are you talking about?" Yami asked, a little annoyed – he was trying to spot that Yugi kid again, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"You like him, don't you?"
"WHA?" Yami exclaimed, his cheeks turning slightly red.
"Come on, Yami – you may be calm and controlled most of the time, but when it comes to love I can read you like a children's book."
The said person turned away from him, gazing out the window while trying to hide his embarrassment. "I don't know what you're talking about, Joey. I think this whole 'superhero' thing has gone to your head." He shrugged before looking back at his friend. "Besides, it's like you said – if someone who looked almost exactly like you suddenly showed up, wouldn't you want to get to know him too?"
"Yeah, I suppose."
As the two friends began chatting aimlessly about school and life at home, Yami pretended to look around the restaurant some more, hoping to get a glimpse of their server again. He knew it was weird to be acting like this, but Yami couldn't help but feel a strong attraction to the teen. It was different from any of his previous interests, this feeling. Though he had just met him, Yugi seemed special – not only was he very beautiful, but very kind and polite as well - something that Yami was surprised to encounter in his rough-and-tumble life.
Suddenly, as if in answer to his thoughts, the server returned with a tray and two plates full of food.
"Ok, here you go," Yugi stated as he grabbed a plate and put it down in front of Joey. After serving Yami as well, the teen stood there a little longer as Joey took a bite. "How is it? Is there anything wrong?"
Grinning with a mouth stuffed with chicken, the blonde wagged his head 'no' to indicate that it was fine.
"Well then, enjoy!" he said, smiling as turned to depart. As he did, he glanced at Yami. Their eyes meeting momentarily, Yugi left for the kitchens again while Yami continued watching, poking his head out from the safety of the booth to see where the teen had gone. Feeling another poke on his shoulder, Yami sighed slightly before turning around to face Joey.
"He' Yami – ya ganna eat that?" the blonde managed to get out through a mouthful of food.
Seeing that Joey was two bites away from finishing the meal that had been served only seconds before, Yami quickly picked up a fork and began eating at his own pace. However, soon finding that he couldn't eat with Joey staring at his half-finished dinner voraciously, he put down his fork, pushing the plate towards his friend as the other eagerly attacked it. As Yami watched Joey licking all the sauce off the plate, Yugi suddenly returned – a small, black tray in one hand, and a sundae in the other.
"Here you go," he said as he placed both items on the table – the ice cream in front of Yami, and the check in front of Joey.
Yami looked up and, finally finding the ability to speak again, stated, "I didn't order this," as he pointed at the dessert in front of him.
Yugi smiled slightly. "I know – its, uh, complementary." Seeing Yami raise an eyebrow in skepticism, Yugi brought his head down to talk quietly, a hand on the left side of his face. "Your friend here seems to enjoy eating so much, I was afraid you'd leave here without actually having anything yourself."
Smiling, Yami whispered a 'thank you' while Joey began ranting and raving about the price of dinner. Nodding with a knowing look, Yugi straightened as he pushed a rolled-up sleeve farther up his arm.
"Thank you very much, and we hope to see you again sometime!" he stated to the both of them before departing; the manager was beginning to yell at the spiky-haired server about overstaying one's visit with individual customers. Again, Yami watched as the teen trotted off, this time his smile still plastered to his face. Noting that it was suddenly quiet again, Yami turned to see Joey leaning over his side of the table. He had grabbed an extra spoon, and was just about to devour a scoop of ice cream the size of Rhode Island when he noticed Yami staring at him. Unable to hide the evidence, the teen stared back at his friend with the ever-so-common 'deer-in-the-headlights' look, slightly panicked.
"Uhhhhh…." Joey started, trying to stall while he thought up an explanation. He didn't have to, as Yami calmly grabbed the spoon from his own clutches with a warning look while he pulled the dish of ice cream a little closer to himself.
"Awwww, come on, buddy! Don't you wanna share with yer best pal Joey?" he pleaded.
"No."
"Hey!" he started angrily.
"Excuse me, but who decided I wasn't eating my dinner fast enough?" Yami asked, staring at his friend as he held up his spoon to point at him.
"Oh! Uh, yeah, I guess ya have a point there. Hey, but where'dya get that, anyway? It isn't on the check here – not to say I'd want it to be," Joey added as he looked dishearteningly at the small slip of paper in front of him.
Smirking, Yami replied, "Birds of a feather stick together," as he nodded towards his look-alike, now serving a family of four across the room. Looking to see who Yami was referring to, he turned back to grin at his friend, asking the one question that would cause the leather-clad teen to choke on his ice cream, as well as earn Joey a short beating once they had left the safety of the restaurant.
"So, d'ya mind if I stop by to watch while you and the look-alike are getting it on tonight?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Ugh, forget it – whoever said drawing pictures of buildings was essential to our education needs to be checked for drug abuse,] Yami thought as he stared at the many structures towering above him. Essays and math problems, he could handle – but now, the teen was just about ready to go crazy from staring at all the white, dull buildings around him. Sighing, he looked through his sketchpad, wishing for the thousandth time that day that Joey was there, rather than visiting his aunt who lived a few hundred miles away. The assignment was to draw ten different structures, and Yami only had 5 finished. As numerous cars passed him by, he sat down on a nearby bench, taking a break as he leaned back to look at everything around him. It was a busy place, but a little more widespread in area – it felt more like an extremely built-up suburb than a city. As the teen continued to look around, his eyes suddenly spotted a multi-colored, one-story building, which stuck out among the rest of the architecture. It was Chivetta's, the place that he and Joey had gone to eat only 3 days before. [And where Yugi works, too,] his mind added, as he remembered the kind and stunning waiter that had served them. Hearing his stomach growl softly, Yami took a look at his watch. [One o'clock, and only halfway done with this project – I guess a little lunch couldn't hurt.] Standing up, he began walking over to the restaurant, his heart jumping a little. [Who knows – maybe I'll get to see Yugi again.]
As soon as Yami entered the restaurant, however, the teen began to have his doubts. The place was much more crowded and noisy compared to the last time he was there – he could barely hear the bell ring as he opened the front door, walking up to the podium where people lined up to be seated. As he was about to wonder where the host or hostess was, a girl suddenly popped out of nowhere, a sickeningly sweet smile pasted to her face as she batted her big blue eyes at the newest arrival.
"Hi! Welcome to Chivetta's! How may I help you?"
Yami mentally rolled his eyes. [Dear Ra, it's that stupid brunette again.] He suddenly thought of leaving, as the girl continued to wink and flirt with him in her all-too-short skirt, but the thought of possibly running into Yugi again rooted him to the spot.
"Well, I'd like to eat here, please – if that isn't too much trouble," he stated sarcastically, practically yelling over the din that was already present in the restaurant.
"That's fine with me!" she remarked with a small giggle. "Smoking or non?"
"Non," Yami replied as he took a good look at her nametag. [Anzu. Ok – must remember never to run into this 'Anzu' ever again.]
"Right this way!"
Yami followed as the hostess weaved in between customers and servers alike, leading him over to a table for two next to a long panel of windows. Placing a menu in front of him as he pulled out his chair and sat down, she began to recite the items of the day yet again.
"Our specials today are the Barbecue Chicken Parmesan and the Vegetable Noodle soup. Is there anything I can get you while you're waiting?"
Yami stared at her for a second, perplexed. [Is she on autopilot or something? Those are the same specials from last time.] Instead, he simply replied, "No thank you."
"Ok! Your server will be right with you!" With yet another smile and a wink, the hostess left the table. Without Joey present, it was now Yami's turn to groan. [This was a bad idea, Yami,] he told himself rather bitterly. [Not only is it crowded and noisy, but this whole restaurant seems to be stuck in some sort of weird time loop.] He looked over at the hostess with disgust as she repeated the entire ordeal with yet another young man who had just walked through the door. Another groan, louder this time, and Yami let his head fall over to hit himself on the table, suddenly extremely tired and frustrated.
[Ow…. Ok, that was stupid,] he thought as he picked himself up, wincing while rubbing his forehead gingerly. Suddenly, wide crimson eyes flew open as Yami's ears perked to attention, somehow managing to pick out a friendly tenor voice from the rest of the yelling and bickering going on at other tables.
"Well, thank you very much – we hope to see you again soon!"
Yami turned his head sharply in the direction of the speaker. There, only a few tables away with his back turned to him, was Yugi, the waiter from before. The leather-clad teen watched from where he sat, smiling slightly as Yugi stopped to help another customer. The boy looked ready to faint from all the business and running around, but it had failed to damper his spirits as he met each customer with a friendly greeting. Yami shook his head – how could one person be so calm and cheerful with all this commotion? He continued to watch as the server began to make his way over to Yami's table, waiting to see if Yugi might recognize him.
Busy writing another order down on his small notepad, Yugi barely looked up until he reached the place where Yami was seated. Letting out a quick sigh as he brushed a golden bang out of his face, he smiled brightly as he looked up to greet his next customer, placing the notepad back in his pocket.
"Hi! My name is Yugi, and-"
The shorter teen stopped mid-sentence as he noticed whom he was talking to. Remembering him as the customer from a few days ago, Yugi's expression brightened into a true smile as he greeted Yami like an old friend.
"Well, hey! Good to see you again! How are you doing?" he asked excitedly, staring at Yami.
Yami's smile widened. "Not too bad, I suppose," he said, shrugging. He was a bit surprised at how easily the words came flowing out of his mouth – he was usually very distant or sarcastic with most people, save perhaps Joey and a few other close friends. But for some reason Yugi's charming nature was disarming – so much, in fact, that he found himself introducing himself to the teen before he knew it.
"Hi – my name's Yami," he said calmly, offering a handshake out to Yugi. Smiling even more, the young server grasped his hand appreciatively.
"Nice to meet you – again."
Yami laughed lightly. "Yes, same here." Hesitatingly, he let go of Yugi's hand as the server reached back into his pocket to retrieve his notebook.
"Well, Yami, what will you be having today?"
Blinking, the taller teen suddenly realized that he hadn't given it much thought. All he had really thought about on his way here was seeing Yugi again, and now that they had introduced themselves, he felt a little uncomfortable about sending the teen off to fetch him some food. Improvising quickly, he asked, "Well, what do you think I should have?"
Yugi chuckled. "Doesn't matter to me, Yami – just as long as you don't go about ordering a whole roasted chicken – I don't know if the cooks could handle that, let alone myself."
"Oh, great – that just what I was planning on having, too," Yami replied with a wink. "Though, I suppose if Joey were here again, then you would have something to worry about."
"Oh, is that the other person that was with you last time?"
"Yeah – better watch out for him if he ever comes in here alone," Yami warned, giving the teen a knowing look. "He has a bottomless pit for a stomach – fact, I don't know how his mom manages to keep him sated all the time. But really, he's a good guy – he just gets a little overexcited sometimes."
Yugi laughed knowingly. "I know what you mean. Though, most of the examples I've come across can't seem to keep the weight off, unlike your friend Joey." He gestured over to one particularly wide table, where a large customer (to put it nicely) seemed to have ordered a 7-course meal. Three more servers appeared from the kitchen, placing plates upon plates of food before him while the man drooled onto the napkin he had tucked into his shirt. Seeing Yami shudder a little, Yugi laughed even more as he flipped to a new page in his notepad. "So really – what'll it be?"
Waving his hand indifferently, he handed Yugi the menu. "Soup is fine – whatever you'd recommend."
"That's all?" Yugi asked, trying to see if he could coax anything else out of him. "Just soup?"
"Yeah – if it's not too much trouble."
"No, not at all," Yugi replied as he jotted a reminder down on a fresh page. "It shouldn't take too long – I'll be back in a few minutes, 'k?"
Nodding, Yami watched as Yugi walked away, first to another table to take their order, then to the kitchen once again. As the teen disappeared from sight, Yami looked down at his own hand, recalling the friendly handshake between them. Yugi's skin was so soft and warm; it reminded him of the petals of the most delicate flowers. [I wonder what it must be like to kiss him – woah, wait a minute, what am I thinking?] he asked himself, stunned. [I just met this guy! It was just a handshake, and already I'm getting these ideas? Damn hormones.]
Luckily for Yami, Yugi returned before he could continue his personal mental analysis. Quickly serving the tables around him, the teen finally made his way back to Yami, placing a large bowl of soup in front of him. Pushing another golden bang out of his face tiredly, Yugi stood there, exhausted but cheerful nonetheless. "How is it?" he inquired as Yami took an experimental spoonful. Nodding with approval, Yami finished swallowing before speaking up, hoping Yugi might stay a little longer.
"You look tired – why don't you have a seat?" Yami asked, gesturing to the empty chair across from him. Yugi blinked, looking at him briefly as if he'd never been asked such a question before. "Well…" he trailed off, looking around at his other customers. Seeing that they all seemed to be eating contently, Yugi shrugged as he pulled out the chair, beaming at Yami with gratitude as he sat down.
"Thanks – it's been a long day."
"I can see that - when did you start working today?" Yami continued between mouthfuls, only taking his eyes off the spiky-haired teen when necessary so he didn't accidentally spill hot soup all over himself.
"Since we opened – 7:30 am."
"Oh? And when do you get off?"
"Around 10 p.m."
Yami's eyes widened with surprise. "Did you just say 10 p.m.?" he asked incredulously. Seeing Yugi nod, he shook his head. "Jeez, how do you do it?"
The server merely shrugged. "I usually don't help open, but today we were short-handed for some reason. But hey, money's always a good thing, isn't it?"
"What about school and classes?" Yami replied as he quirked an eyebrow. "How can you possibly manage to balance both?"
"Well, that's easy – I'm not in school." Yugi sighed as he saw Yami's blank expression.
"See, I live with my grandpa," he began, folding his hands on the table. "I was going to school for a while, until a few years ago he contracted a severe and potentially deadly virus. He was treated, and everything was fine – until he was released from the hospital; that's when the bills started showing up. Grandpa's crippled now, and can't do any work besides busy stuff around the house, and the insurance company never covered all the expenses. So, I went out and got a job."
Yami lowered his eyes, apologetically. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. Instead of being upset, though, Yugi still smiled.
"Heh – don't apologize! You didn't know; that's why you asked. Besides, I'm still managing to keep pace – I've never been more glad for on-line and night classes."
Yami looked back up, a seriousness in his eyes. "Do you have any days off this week?"
Yugi nodded. "Thursday, yeah. Why?"
"You can come to school with me that day if you want," he replied, trying to look nonchalant about it. "You know, like a visitor or something. That is, if you're not busy doing other things."
Yugi beamed. "That sounds awesome, Yami! Are you sure that it wouldn't be a problem?"
"Nah – your grandfather just needs to write you a note, so I can show the principal that you have permission to be there, and that you're not some sort of escapee from prison or something." His heart fluttered inside his chest as he heard Yugi's melodious laughter.
"Yeah, I can get a note. Are you sure it's all right with you? I mean, you hardly even know me!" Yugi asked, still chuckling a little.
[Yeah, but I'd love to get to know you better, Yugi, I really would.] "Yeah, it's fine – don't worry about it, Yugi," he replied, waving it off.
Yugi continued to smile as he looked around briefly, finally spotting the notepad sitting next to Yami. "Can I see that?" he inquired, pointing to the book as Yami looked up.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Yami quickly grabbed the notepad, though he handed it over a little hesitatingly. "There's not much in there – just a couple of drawings for an assignment, and none of them are worth looking at."
"Are you kidding?" Yugi asked incredulously as he opened the spiral-bound sketchbook and turned the page to the first drawing. "These are wonderful!"
Yami grinned skeptically. "Ok, what are you on, and where can I get some?"
"No, seriously Yami, these are great! I wish I had this sort of talent for drawing; you're awesome!" the other exclaimed as he continued flipping through the pages, looking at every sketch. Yami continued grinning, though a little sheepishly this time. He still didn't believe that his work was very good, but Yugi's praise was more than enough to keep him happy for the rest of the day. As he started thinking again about the boy sitting across from him, and admiring his features, Yami became distracted by a couple of small noises from somewhere in the restaurant.
Hearing some slight giggling to his left, Yami turned slightly towards the source. Across the aisle and slightly ahead of him was a booth with four excited girls staring back at the two of them, whispering and laughing happily. Raising an eyebrow, he watched them curiously as the blonde was scribbling furiously in a notebook, while the brown-haired girl sitting next to her seemed to be looking for something in her bag. A third kept changing her gaze between him and the sketchpad in front of her, also scribbling, and the fourth, who looked to be the last girl's twin, seemed to be the only sane one, as she was simply sitting there, eating her meal. Slightly confused as to what seemed to have caught Yami's curiosity, Yugi turned around to see as well, earning another squeal of delight from the table for some strange, odd reason. Smiling, Yugi turned back to Yami, waving it off.
"Heh, don't worry about them – they're harmless."
"You know them?" Yami asked, a little nervous from their behavior.
"Well, not exactly," he started, smiling as he put down the notebook, "but they stop by every so often. Weird? Yes, but at least they don't chase customers away."
"Speaking of annoying girls…" Yami began, leaning over to whisper to Yugi confidentially. "Um, you wouldn't happen to know if there was another entrance in here, like a side door or something?"
Yugi chuckled, whispering as well. "You mean, so you can avoid being mobbed by Anzu?"
"How'd you guess," the taller teen remarked sarcastically.
"You wouldn't believe how many times I've been asked that question," Yugi sighed, shaking his head. "Anyway, there's a door on the other side of the building that you can use, though you might not be served right away since it's really not an official entrance. But our regulars use it pretty often, so I don't see why you can't either. You could also try coming during her break hours, but you'd have to ask her what those are yourself – and judging from the look on your face," Yugi continued, smiling amusedly at the sick expression Yami wore, "you don't want to go anywhere near her, so that's out of the question."
There was a slight pause in the conversation now, as Yami debated whether to ask Yugi his next question or not. [Oh, hell – just go with it.]
"Hey, by the way," he started, trying to remain calm, "do you ever go on break?"
Yugi looked at Yami, a little perplexed. "Yeah, sure – why?"
Yami shrugged. "Well, I was just wondering if you'd like to hang out then." Yami had to hold himself still as Yugi's face lit up, his sparkling eyes dancing with happiness at the offer – it made him very beautiful.
"Yeah, sure, that sounds awesome! When do you get out of classes?"
"About two o'clock."
"2:30, then! My boss is usually flexible with break hours; as long as someone's on to serve, it should be fine."
"Yugi Muoto, get back to work!" a harsh voice came yelling through the crowd, causing the shorter teen to wince lightly. Yami had a sudden impulse to go punch the guy that was bothering the two of them, but upon noticing that the person happened to be the manager of the restaurant, he figured it wouldn't be a good idea to get Yugi fired.
"I guess that's my cue. See you around!" Yugi said to Yami quickly before getting up, eager to get back to work and calm his supervisor down. However, his chair had other ideas – as Yugi went to leave, his feet suddenly got tangled up in the legs of the chair, effectively tripping him as he started falling towards the floor, face first.
Quick as a flash, Yami got up from his seat, catching Yugi before he got a face full of wood paneling. Only half-aware of what he had just done, Yami blinked as he looked down at the shorter teen; his arms held Yugi securely around the boy's middle, while his head was somewhat propped against Yami's chest. The taller of the two fought to keep a rising blush down as Yugi used his arms for balance while he managed to stand up properly. Now on two legs and away from anything he could trip over, he looked up to thank Yami, only to stop for some unknown reason. Ignoring the strange behavior, Yami took the opportunity to get a better look at the amethyst-eyed beauty in his arms.
Who knew that such handsome features even existed? Yugi's skin was pale and petal soft, his hair gleaming in the sunlight. But it was his eyes that held Yami's attention most of all, those deep, never-ending pools of sparkling violet. [If a person's eyes are indeed the windows to the soul, then Yugi must have the soul of an angel,] he thought with wonder. Still only half aware, the teen leaned his head down, asking quietly, "Yugi, are you ok?" Yugi nodded slightly, barely making out the words 'Thank you' as the other moved a little bit closer.
Suddenly, the moment was broken by a bright flash of light and a flurry of giggles. Both of them confused, the two boys looked over to see the four girls from before, staring back at them. Apparently the brunette had found what she was looking for earlier, as she held a camera in her hand, eagerly pointed at them. As the three remaining girls 'awww'ed with delight, Yami could feel himself blushing again from embarrassment. Unfortunately, this only seemed to gain him more attention as the spectators resumed their giggling and picture taking, while some of the other customers turned away from their dinners to see what was going on. Letting go of Yugi quickly, Yami began coughing uncontrollably. Blinking, the server resumed his usual attitude as he inquired half-jokingly, "Hey Yami, are you ok? Don't die on me now; you'll drive all the customers away!"
Finishing up a cough, Yami nodded quietly. The entire situation had made him slightly nervous, causing his throat to constrict. But seeing Yugi's concern for him made him forget everything as he smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Ok. Well, I need to go now," Yugi started, a hint of emotion in his voice which Yami couldn't make out. "See you later though, right?"
Yami nodded. "Of course."
"Great! See you around, then!"
Yami stood still as he watched Yugi retreating back into the kitchen, a smile still gracing his face.
[See you around.]
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…ok, ok, I couldn't resist…those four girls at the table? All fanfiction writers. Starting with the first one, the order is Wolfspeaker, myself (Merodi no Yami), Ko-chan, and Ya-chan. Of course, Ya-chan is Ko-chan's yami, and doesn't have a separate account on ff.net, but she's still really cool. Hey, it's fun to be an insane fan-girl every once in a while, don't'cha think? ^_^;