Bangshipping (Kujaku Mai/Mutou Yugi)

. . .

"This is actual blasphemy. You cannot possibly be almost as tall as me."

Yugi just laughed a little sheepishly, his cheeks going a bit red as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was incredibly adorable, but there was something very conflicting about it because he was not exactly the baby-faced boy that she had known three years ago. It seemed almost wrongto have seen this timeskip in him, and yet...it was right, too.

Yugi was almost as tall as she was. The tip of his hair reached the top of her head, and she was in heels. His face had become leaner, his eyes sharper, and his shoulders had filled out a bit. Was that actual musclein his arms? It was hard to tell with the long sleeved shirt he was wearing but it hugged some of the curves, so they had to be there.

She punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"So what are you doing in this neck of the woods? Am I going to be seeing you in the dueling circuit today?"

"Sorry, not this time," Yugi said, ducking his head. "I didn't know you were going to be here! Maybe that's why Jonouchi chose this circuit."

He laughed, and Mai had to suppress a snicker.

"Well, he can't get enough of getting his ass kicked by me," she said. "No—sh. I don't want to hear you mention our win-loss record."

"I wasn't saying anything," Yugi said, but his eyes sparkled mischievously. "I'll cheer for both of you today."

"Both of us?" Mai teased. "Even if we go up against each other? You have to pick a side, Yugi."

"I can't pick a side between my friends," Yugi said. "And if I cheer for both of you, I won't be disappointed either way—I know you guys will show us a great duel if you get a match!"

Mai had to suppress some of the heart fluttering that came with Yugi saying "my friends" so casually including her. God. It had been three years and sometimes she still didn't really believe that she had friends.

She smiled, finding it coming a little softer and less teasing than before. Briefly, without thinking about it, she ruffled Yugi's bangs. He blinked with surprise, patting his bangs where she had touched him.

"I'm glad to see you, kiddo," she said.

Yugi blinked. And then he smiled, and despite the change in his face and body, it was the same open, pure, kind smile that she remembered from the first days she had known him.

"I'm glad to see you again too," he said.

It was nice to be wanted.

. . .

A/N: Cuties 3 Next is Bandageshipping (Yami Bakura x Ryo x Shizuka).