Usual reminder:

Italics are dreams, memories, thoughts, or emphasis. Bold is Malekos' speech or emphasis in thoughts.

I do now claim Yu-Gi-Oh as my own. I only own Jessica and Malekos.

Flames licked the air, filling the night sky with billowing smoke. Screams echoed and were drowned out by the raging fire as a family was burned alive, trapped inside the collapsing building with no way to escape. A child's anguished cries turned to a strangled scream as a smouldering pillar fell on top of her, searing her clothes and skin upon contact. Red eyes flashed amongst the flames and an explosion of shadows erupted like a bomb, dousing the fire instantly and leaving everything to become a black crisp in the aftermath.

A loud gasp erupted from Jessica's throat and she sat up, coughing from not being able to exhale as much air as she had just inhaled. It took a while for her coughing fit to die down into ragged gasps as she tried to catch her breath. She hadn't had that dream in a long time, and it left her quivering in her bed. She didn't want to be alone…

With that thought, she slid off the bed and stumbled to her door. She opened it and then stumbled over to Yugi's door, opening that one just as fast as she had opened hers. Thankfully none of the doors hit the wall so her entrance was mostly quiet except for her clumsy footsteps. She dropped beside Yugi's bed, and clutched at his blankets with her fists.

She could tell he was asleep due to the way he breathed, snoring quietly. She buried her face into his blanket and tried to focus on her breathing. She managed to stop trembling enough so that she could reach out to hold his hand while he slept. She didn't want to bother him with her troubles. He had so much more to worry about and she didn't want to add onto the pile.

Feeling the warmth of his hand, she was able to calm her breathing down further. She took slow breaths until her heart stopped pounding in her ears and slowed to a more healthy beat. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax against the side of the bed and dozed off once more.

"...ica….ssica….. Jessica!"

Yugi's voice echoed in her ears and she started to feel how her body was being jostled left and right. She blinked open her eyes and she lifted her head, seeing the confused yet worried look on Yugi's face as he stared down at her. Was that a blush on his cheeks?

Then she gasped as she snapped fully awake, realizing what had happened and where she was. She sputtered out an apology and got up to make a mad dash for her room, but she felt a tug on her wrist and the momentum sent her falling backwards onto the bed. She blinked up at Yugi as he stared down at her from where he sat on his bed, still holding her wrist.

"Jess, are you okay?" He asked, his voice full of concern. "I know you've been coming in here at night sometimes, I-I see you leave in the mornings… What's wrong?"

She knew she couldn't hide it anymore. Her face flushed red and she raised her free arm to drape across her face to shield it from view. She bit her lip and took a moment to calm her beating heart before sighing. "I… There are times I don't sleep well at night. I used to be able to handle it by myself, but ever since I started living with you and your grandpa… I started not wanting to be alone anymore. So… I-I come in here to calm down and end up falling asleep again…I'm sorry," she whispered at the end, not sure how he would react. It was silly. At her age she should be able to handle her own nightmares, right? She felt like that should've been normal, but then again she wasn't normal.

"Oh, Jess…" She felt his hand squeeze her wrist gently. "I didn't know… You can wake me up next time you have a nightmare, okay? I don't mind, really," he assured her. His voice was soft and soothing. It made her heart flutter and her face burn.

She slowly lowered her arm from her face, managing to give him a small smile. He returned it with a bigger one and she couldn't help it as her smile grew bigger as well. She slid her gaze over and glanced at his alarm clock. "Uh, Yugi, I think you're gonna be late."

With a gasp and a "oh no", Yugi hopped off his bed and rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. She shook her head and got up to leave his room so he could change in peace. She went to her own room and changed her clothes, brushing her hair as she listened to Yugi stumbling around as he rushed to grab everything he needed.

"See you later, Jess! Oh- and thank you for helping Yami out yesterday!"

She smirked, glad that he was using the spirit's new name like he agreed to do. "Yep! See you later," she called back, and she heard his footsteps retreat downstairs to the game shop and the door jingled faintly as he left.

After she was done getting ready for the day, she went to the kitchen for a much needed cup of water. She chugged it down greedily and then made herself some toast. After shoving it in her mouth, she made her way downstairs.

"G'morning, grandpa!" She greeted Solomon after she had managed to swallow her mouthful of toast, stepping off the last step. "Sorry I'm late. Overslept."

"Oh, it's alright!" He shooed her off to do her chores.

She grabbed the broom from the back room and headed outside to do the daily sweeping. As she swept the fresh leaves and dirt off the sidewalk, she thought about their promise and what she could have Yugi do for her. She leaned on the broom as she hummed in thought, glancing at the puffy clouds in the sky. He said he'd do anything, but what should I have him do?

What about a kiss?

Both his voice and the nonchalant way he asked such a question caught her off guard and she almost fell over. She cleared her throat as people walking stared and she started sweeping again to seem like less of an oddball. Are you trying to help me or kill me?

You know you want one eventually. And since you can't seem to think of anything else, then why not?

Her face flushed red and she paused to cover her face with her arm. What makes you think he even wants to kiss me?!

You needed help and I gave you a suggestion. There's plenty of areas you can pick from to have him kiss anyway.

That's true but…

I have such a stubborn host. Malekos groaned and retreated to the back of her mind once more. She pursed her lips at his comment and then continued sweeping, trying to calm her red face. She only went inside when she didn't feel hot in the face anymore.

She continued with her chores and tended to the shop with Solomon. The day went by like any normal day at the shop and she was honestly glad for it. It was peaceful and kept her at ease. She didn't have to worry about any sort of mishaps with Malekos happening.

As the sun set, they closed up the shop and did their evening cleaning of the shop. Afterward, Jessica headed upstairs to get some water and an apple and headed for her room. Yugi was late today, but she figured he was hanging out with his friends from school. She nibbled on her apple as she lay on her stomach on the bed, slowly kicking her legs in the air absentmindedly.

She stared out her window at the darkening sky before getting up. She was feeling a bit bored so she decided to get started on the dishes, a chore she and Yugi took turns doing. Tonight was her turn so she got the water started and tossed out her apple core. She hummed quietly to herself as she wiped each dish clean, rinsed them, and set them aside to dry.

It wasn't long before she heard Yugi come home, his footsteps echoing up the stairs. "I'm back," he announced, and she heard him head for his room.

"Welcome back," she called before she heard his door shut. She shook her head slightly and continued on the dishes. She was halfway done when she heard Yugi leave his room and come walking towards her. "How was your day?" She didn't even glance at him as she asked, rinsing off a bowl and setting it aside to dry.

"It was great! Joey and I signed up for the tournament today and got our duel disks," he told her, coming up beside her to help her with the dishes. She scooted over to give him room at the sink and counter and started handing him dishes that she cleaned so he could rinse and dry them.

"Got an early start, huh?" She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.

"The guy said he only had three duel disks left. I don't think we got the earliest start." He dried a cup and put it away in the cupboard. "There are going to be lots of people from all over joining Kaiba's tournament."

"Oh, so that's who invited you." When he nodded, she shook her head. "I didn't even think about the crowd that kind of event would attract." She gave a nonchalant shrug and took care to be cautious as she wiped a knife clean. She handed it over to Yugi and made sure he took it carefully as well.

"Yeah, it's pretty popular here in Domino City. Especially with Kaiba running it."

"I see." She finished handing over the cleaned dishes to Yugi and rinsed out the sink. After drying her hands she turned on him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I hope you didn't forget about our promise."

"Nope!" He finished putting the silverware away and turned to her with curious violet eyes. "Have you thought about what you wanted me to do?"

"Yep," she nodded, popping the 'p' at the end. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear. It wasn't a necessary action since they were alone in the kitchen anyway, but it made it more interesting. As she pulled away, she caught how red his face had turned as his eyes widened considerably.

She waited patiently as she gauged his reaction, wondering if he was going to do it or if she had asked for something that stepped over any boundaries they had between them. He seemed to mentally work up his nerves before leaning forward onto his toes and placing a quick peck on her left check. She blushed and before she could say anything he bolted towards his room, stumbling down the hall in the process.

As she heard his door shut, she pressed a hand to the spot he had kissed and felt her face grow hot. She crouched down and let out a soft strangled noise as her heart thumped in her chest and ears. I did it… He actually did it.

You're welcome. His voice held a teasing tone and she could just tell he was smirking.

Oh, shut up! She got up and speed-walked to her room, closing her door and flopping onto her bed as she buried her face in her pillow. Neither Yugi nor Jessica talked to each other for the rest of the night due to the awkwardness of what happened, but she didn't mind. She fell asleep without even realizing it.

The same nightmare plagued her mind that night, but this time she could smell it. Burning flesh and wood as everything caved in around the troubled child. It left her in a pool of sweat on her bed as she awoke with a jolt in the middle of the night, gasping for air as she felt like she couldn't take in enough to satisfy her constricting lungs. Her hands shook and she stumbled to her door, falling against the doorframe until she managed to pry her door open. Her legs felt like jelly and she couldn't think about anything except the flames as she stumbled into Yugi's room. So she crawled onto his bed and plopped down in the space between Yugi and the wall, quivering as she fisted the blanket in a tight hold beneath her. She still took in ragged gasps of air as she was unable to calm down.

Gentle arms wrapped around her back, making her flinch hard in shock at the sudden contact, and pulled her close. Her eyes widened as her face was now buried into Yugi's chest, who rubbed her back in slow soothing circles and shushed her softly. Telling her everything was going to be okay. Her tremors gradually subsided as his warmth enveloped her and she closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing. It took a while for her breathing to return to normal but when it did she felt herself slipping back into a dreamless slumber, soothed by the tired circles that Yugi still rubbed against her back.

A kiss was bound to happen sooner or later hehe~ Good job Malekos for the suggestion!

As always, leave a review about what you thought!