Bright green eyes stared at Yugi from across the living room.
Very bright green eyes. Yugi's drug addled mind wondered if maybe Ryuji wore contacts to make them so vivid. But he had just enough sense to keep himself from asking. People always asked him if he wore contacts to make his eyes purple, and then didn't believe him when he said it was their natural color.
He was kinda impressed by his personal assistant's style. He wore eyeliner just like he did, but Ryuji had drawn a line of black with cosmetics from his eye down his left cheek. He also wore a checkered head band that kept his curly black hair out of his face. And damn, was his hair black. It looked like it had been spun from liquid ink, it had a sheen so luxurious that Yugi actually felt envious.
When one frequently bleached their bangs, and dyed the ends of their hair, it tended to kill the quality of said hair. But he reminded himself that he preferred having loud flamboyant hair, rather than all black like Ryuji, and this was the price he had to pay.
"You like red?" he asked in an awkward attempt at conversation.
Ryuji blinked at him. He reached up and touched the lapel of his vermillion button down shirt. It matched the color of his headband, and was complimented nicely by his black slacks. "Yeah, I guess."
Yugi gave a rude snort before he could catch himself. "Sorry. The painkillers make me loopy."
"Would you like me to buy some groceries? Pick up a prescription? Tidy up your home?" Ryuji spared a look around the pristine looking apartment. Yugi must have been a neat freak because this place looked phenomenal, despite the clutter of games and toys on some of the shelves. Everything was dusted, and nothing looked out of place.
"I got my prescription already, and I can't cook right now anyway so groceries are moot." Yugi also glanced around the apartment. "And my apartment looks fine." He bit his tongue about why it looked fine. Ryuji probably wouldn't believe him if he said an extremely shy ghost was tidying his home. "Mom and Grandpa will be over in an hour to help me shower anyway," he added instead.
Ryuji's shoulders slumped. "So there's really nothing I can do to assist you?"
Guilt slammed Yugi right in the gut. Mokuba's words echoing back at him. He floundered mentally, trying to think of something for his personal assistant to assist with. "Uhh... you can call Ryou Bakura!"
A sudden icy chill shot into his chest from the puzzle on his neck. He adjusted the artifact so it wasn't so close to his skin.
"He wanted to know when I got out of the hospital, he says he's gonna come over to visit."
"Sure." Ryuji extracted a phone from his pocket and looked expectantly at Yugi.
Yugi parroted a number from his own contact's list, feeling good that he was able to think of something for Ryuji to do. Not that he couldn't have called Ryou himself.
Ryou Bakura had been completely freaked when he heard Yugi was in the hospital. He'd even visited briefly, practically smothering Yugi in concern.
He couldn't really blame Ryou though. Back in middle and high school nearly all of Ryou's friends had mysteriously fallen into comas and been hospitalized. They'd eventually recovered. All of them, all at once. Which was equally mysterious. But ever since, Ryou had become an absolute basket case whenever any of his current friends were hospitalized, no matter the reason.
Yugi recalled how he nearly had a panic attack when Honda had to have his appendix removed.
Speaking of Honda, Yugi asked Ryuji to call Jonouchi and Honda as well and let them know he was home. His two best friends were no doubt chomping at the bit to come visit. He wasn't sure how much company he could handle so soon out of the hospital, so he also asked Ryuji to stagger all the visits like appointments over the next few days. Today was his Mom and Grandpa's turn.
"Mr. Kaiba texted me. He wants to know how you are doing," said Ryuji once he was finished making calls and scheduling visits.
"Tell him he could have texted me himself. And if he wants to visit he'll have to make an appointment like everyone else." Yugi flopped his head back against the arm of the couch and shut his eyes. He wanted the room to stop shifting before his family arrived.
There were some messaging tones, and then Ryuji said, "he says he doesn't need an appointment to see you. That you'll clear your schedule for him whether you like it or not."
Yugi held up his hand, and stuck his middle finger up. "Take a picture of this and send it to him."
There was a synthetic sound of a camera flash, and whoosh of a message being sent.
Not ten seconds later Ryuji's phone chimed with a reply.
"He says to 'eat a dick.'"
Yugi laughed, and it hurt, but he couldn't help it. "I would, but I haven't had any offers lately."
"...should I tell him... that?"
"No!" He quickly amended, waving a hand in the air. "Do not tell him that. Gods, don't tell him that." He fought the heat in his cheeks at the thought of how Seto might respond to that. "Just ignore him."
Ryuji smiled for the first time since showing up at Yugi's apartment with the takeout Mokuba had ordered.
It was about twenty minutes later that Yugi's mom and grandfather showed up. Ryuji let them in, greeted them, introduced himself, then bid Yugi a farewell reminding him that he was only a phone call away, day or night.
"Hey, young man," greeted his grandfather, Sugoroku Mutou. "You're looking better today."
Yugi attempted to sit up on the couch a bit more, to greet his family.
His grandfather owned and operated a game shop called Kame Games, and his mother assisted in running the store when she wasn't working her day job. That day job tended to change over the years to suit whatever they needed. The shop shared a building with their house. It was the house Yugi had grown up in. Most of the living area was on the second floor.
He had no siblings, and his father had left when he was really young. So it had just been him, Mom and Grandpa, for as long as he could remember.
Today his Mom looked very tired. And his Grandpa looked... old. Yugi wondered if it was due to his accident.
"I'm feeling better, Grandpa." He plastered a bright and beaming smile on his features, and pointedly ignored the gentle swaying of the room. "They got me on some nice pain meds." Yes, very nice meds. The kind that made him want to curl up and pass out.
"Are you hungry? Have you eaten?" His Mom was already hovering around him.
"I'm fine, Mom. Ryuji brought me take out. It's in the kitchen if I get hungry."
"Your hair is filthy," she was running her fingers through his droopy mussed up hair, combing it as well and stroking the top of her son's head. "When was the last time you had a shower?"
"Well, that's actually one of the things I wanted to ask you for," Yugi explained.
Over an hour later his Mom and Grandpa were helping him into bed. He was freshly showered. All the grime and styling products washed from his hair. It now hung limp and damp around his head. His skin felt great, clean, warm, and he was ready to pass out when Grandpa tucked the comforter under his chin.
He felt exhausted. Yugi barely registered the kisses placed on his cheek and forehead before he drifted off to sleep.
00
"What's this?"
Golden eyes suddenly appeared beneath Yugi's bed.
"It's a white board," remarked Yugi's mom.
"Yes, but it's got questions all over it. Kind of like an interview?" Sugoroku was pondering curiously in his low gravelly voice.
Yami shifted restlessly in the shadows. The temptation to rush into the living room, snatch up the whiteboard, and clutch it jealously against his chest was near overwhelming. But he willed himself to stay put.
"It's probably something from one of his games, Dad. You know how they play tabletop RPGs with Ryou."
Sugoroku made a noise of agreement.
"I can't believe that man hit my son with a car. All because he was fired."
The conversation in the living room had moved away from the whiteboard and onto the events of the accident. Yami no longer cared. He tuned out the noise and slipped up the narrow space between the wall and the bed.
He looked over his unconscious and exhausted host, gazing softly at the injured male.
Yugi did look much better after having a shower. His chest was rising and falling rhythmically with every breath, and he looked... almost peaceful.
Which was a relief given the pain Yami felt from him all the time via their mind link. Everyday since the incident he felt Yugi's pain, even when it was clouded and masked with painkillers, it was still there. He refused to close off the link because it was a pain he needed to shoulder as well.
This was his fault.
Yami leaned on the bed, propping an elbow to rest his head in his palm. His own eyes were half-lidded as he watched over his host. His light. His other half.
A shadowed hand reached beneath the blankets to curl around Yugi's warm fingers. And for an hour, Yami just held his hand. All the while keeping an ear out for the family members in the living room.
They would depart eventually after they'd drank some tea and finished their talk.
0000
Yugi managed to traverse the apartment well enough using his crutches. He didn't bother making anything for breakfast. Instead, starting a pot of coffee, and heating up the takeout from the night before in the microwave.
It was upon realizing that he couldn't carry food and a big mug of coffee into the living room that posed the first obstacle. He would have to make two trips.
He let out a defeated moan and buried his head against the counter. Trying to work up the resolve to carry a steaming mug of coffee while using crutches, without spilling, and then make a second trip andsomehow balance a hot plate of food. This seemed like such an inane thing to call a Ryuji for, but right now it felt like a Herculean task.
A sudden rush of movement disturbed his hair, which he hadn't bothered to spike this morning.
Yugi snapped his head up, and barely caught a glimpse of a dark form disappearing into the living room. His eyes darted to the counter where his food and coffee had been only to find them absent.
Leaning on his crutches, he hastily hopped out into the living room after the shadowed figure.
He made it to the living room hoping upon hope to catch another glimpse of the shadow, only to find his food and drink placed neatly on the coffee table. A folded paper towel, and the whiteboard sitting just to the left of them.
"Thank you." He hopped to the couch, carefully lowered himself to the cushions, and propped the crutches against the arm. "Seriously, Yami. Thank you."
The ghost neither showed itself, nor moved anything to acknowledge Yugi's words.
Purple eyes drifted to focus on the whiteboard, and profound relief and elation bubbled up in his chest akin to a fizzy drink. Familiar red scrawl answered all of Yugi's latest questions, and there was even a question at the bottom for him.
Last night's reheated takeout, temporarily forgotten, Yugi scooped up the white board to read the responses.
Yami wasn't mad at him. Yami was still talking. A check of the Tic Tac Toe game. Yami had made a move, and they were stuck in predictable a draw.
He quickly scribbled out a brand new game on the same paper, and drew a purple X.
'Are you male or female? Or do you prefer neither?'
'I am male.'
A guy. He had a male roommate. Dead roommate. Ghostly incorporeal shadowy roommate. But it was a guy.
'What is your favorite color?'
'Purple.'
"Oh, did you want the purple marker then?" Yugi held up the dry-erase marker stupidly, as if offering it, but there wasn't anyone else in the room. Nothing happened. No answer, no movement. He deflated a little bit. "You can have it if you want. I can use blue."
Stillness.
"Purple is a pretty color. It's cool that it's your favorite." He was rambling at this point, trying to have a conversation that wouldn't happen. So Yugi focused his attention back on the questions.
'Do you like music?'
'Yes. It is nice.'
"I'll put on some music sometime," Yugi chirped. "Or I suppose you could too. I wouldn't mind. Just so long as it's not in the middle of the night while I'm asleep." He added the last part as a measure of caution. Yami had been polite so far. Well... sort of polite. He did sometimes do weird shit that scared Yugi, and he had an inkling Yami did it on purpose. But he hoped the ghost wouldn't blare music at the stroke of midnight or something.
'Why are you here?'
This question was for Yugi, it was written in red ink.
'I wanted to live on my own. In my own place. But it's not so bad having you as a roommate.'
He hoped that answer would be satisfactory, and not offend the ghost. Yugi didn't exactly want to move out. He could, and he could afford to break the lease and move. But he liked this apartment, and he honestly didn't mind sharing it with Yami. Just so long as he stayed as benevolent as he was now.
A knock on the door sent Yugi jumping in place and he winced at the pain. He glanced at his crutches, glanced at the door, glanced back at the crutches, and a steady pulsing of pain reminded him he still needed to take his pain medication.
"Come in!"
He couldn't remember who Ryuji scheduled to visit today, or maybe it was Ryuji. Or maybe it was Seto. Or it could have been his family stopping by again. Yugi uncapped his pill bottle, and popped some painkillers, washing it down with the coffee. Then scarfed down a couple bites of food, so the meds wouldn't hit an empty stomach.
The front door opened and Ryou was standing just outside loosening the ties on his shoes.
He smiled nervously at Yugi from the door.
"Hey! How are you doing? I'm so glad to see you home from the hosp-"
The door suddenly slammed shut, right in Ryou's face.
For a split second Yugi caught a glimpse of something long and black retracting from the corner of the door. In the blink of an eye it disappeared under the couch he was sitting on.
"Yami," he hissed. "That wasn't very nice! Ryou is my friend!"
The door opened again. This time tentatively, and Ryou poked his head in. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes!" Yugi sat up straight and forced a smile. "There was a draft and it made the door slam. Sorry about that Ryou. Please come in."
Ryou was smiling again, pushing open the door and kicking off his untied shoes. He placed them in the shoe shelf Yugi kept next to the door.
One of the throw pillows fell off the couch and onto the floor.
Yugi snapped his attention to it, and glared. "This is petty," he whispered. With discomfort, and more than a little pain he tried to bend down and grab the pillow.
Dark fingers reached out from under the couch and dragged the pillow underneath. Yugi punched the cushions in warning.
"Oh, your hair is unstyled today," Ryou exclaimed. Yugi sat back up and fixed another forced smile on his face. "Given the circumstance I understand, but it's a rare treat indeed to see your hair down."
"It was too much effort. And I'll be home all day anyway."
Ryou moved around the furniture and came to sit next to Yugi. He pulled a backpack off and placed it on the floor next to him.
Yugi glared fiercely at the space between the backpack and the underside of the couch.
"Are you feeling alright?"
He snapped his attention back to his white-haired friend. "Yeah! As well as I can be that is."
Ryou gave him a skeptical look. Concern flashing in his chocolate brown eyes. Ryou was another friend from highschool. He was British, taller than Yugi, but shorter than most of their other friends and he had a keen interest in tabletop RPGs and the occult. His hair was naturally white with no pigment at all, and he had the palest skin, a symptom of his albinism. His eyes would also twitch with subtle rapid movements on occasion, and he'd taken to wearing glasses as he got older due to complications caused by the albinism.
Today Ryou was dressed in a soft black angora sweater, blue jeans, and what looked to be an untucked white button down beneath the sweater. His socks were two different colors and styles today. Which was unusual, but Yugi didn't remark on it.
This made Yugi feel underdressed. He was still wearing his pajama pants, an old t-shirt, and no socks at all. The inverted pyramid of the millennium puzzle was hanging off his neck though. Radiating comfort like it always did.
"I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," Ryou cast a look around the apartment, drinking in the environment, appreciating the feel of the home. "This is a nice place. Do you like it? What's it like living on your own?"
"I love it," Yugi responded truthfully. He relaxed back against the sofa, snatching up his coffee as he did, so he could nurse off it. "And this place is great. Living alone is pretty good too."
An idea flittered across his mind, and it made an devious smile curl mentally. "Though I'm not actually alone~" he added with more than a little musical emphasis on the last word.
Ryou cocked his head to fix his friend with a look of interest. "Do you mean...?"
Yugi nodded behind his cup of coffee, and this time an actual smile curled his mouth.
Ryou spared the apartment another once over, but this time his gaze was searching, scrutinizing the interior with new awareness. "How do you know it's haunted?" This kind of thing was right up Ryou's alley. He loved ghosts and monsters, demons and magic. Horror movies, horror games, voodoo, demonology, if it was creepy and occultish then Ryou probably had his hand in it.
"Oh," Yugi sang, taking another sip from the coffee. "Things moving, strange shadows, glowing eyes, something trying to drag your backpack under my couch." His tone became severe and reprimanding at the end, and he glared down at the space beneath the couch.
Ryou snapped forward to look at his backpack as well, and noticed it was wedged halfway under the sofa.
"Oh dear," he hauled the backpack out, and into his lap. "You were serious."
"Dead serious."
"Is it," Ryou's tone dropped into a hushed tone, "malicious?"
"Only when he stacks my dishes like a poltergeist. For the most part he seems friendly. We've been communicating using that white board." Yugi used his mug to motion to the miniature marker board sitting on the coffee table, with all its colorful questions.
Ryou snagged the board, and studied it with intense fascination. "He talks using a whiteboard? You don't even need a Ouija board?"
"I wouldn't want one in my house."
"He asks you question back? Does he have a name? Did it die here? How long has it been dead?"
Yugi sputtered into his mug at the onslaught of inquiries. "I call him Yami, and he didn't have a name before that. He doesn't remember how old he is. And I haven't worked up the courage to ask how he died." His eyes fell to his lap. "It seems rude to ask."
An expression of meek apology crossed Ryou's features. "I suppose you are right. I'm sorry for being rude, Yami," he addressed the void beneath the couch when he said this. But nothing acknowledged him back. "He's not very social is he?"
Messy blonde bang swayed as Yugi shook his head. "I've been trying to coax him into showing himself for a little while now. No luck yet."
"Hmm," The white-haired male looked thoughtful. "Do you mind if I make myself some tea? I brought some Monster World stuff, and even planned a very very short hour-long campaign. If you are feeling up to it?"
"I would love to play!"
*Fwump!*
Both men started as something under the couch made a loud thump.
"You can play too, Yami. If you'd like." Ryou sounded unfazed as he extended the invitation to the apartment's ghost.
"He told me he likes games."
"Then he should love this one. It's like the game to end all games." Ryou suddenly clutched his chest when he said this, wincing a bit.
Yugi raised a brow in concern.
"I'm ok. Just some... heart burn." He bolted up from the couch and smiled, but it looked strained. He jerked his head while he spoke, in a usual tic that Yugi was accustomed to. "I'm going to make that tea now."
Purple eyes trailed Ryou as he left the room, then fixed a glare back on the couch. "Be nice to Ryou or we won't play Tik Tac Toe anymore."
Predictably, no response.
They played the Monster World campaign, which ended up taking two hours instead of one. In that time Yugi managed to finish his leftover take out, and had a second cup of coffee, courtesy of Ryou. Around lunch time Ryuji stopped by with more food. Yugi had made sure to text him to bring something for Ryou, and it just so happened to be Ryuji's lunch time as well. So the three of them passed about introductions and ate together.
As it turned out Ryuji was fascinated with Monster World, as well as with Ryou's custom dice collection, and the two caught on like a house on fire.
Which was just as well, because Yugi was feeling wiped. He felt content to simply recline into the sofa, listening to his friend and personal assistant discuss tabletop RPGs and dice.
He must have dozed off, because when his brain clicked back on and he opened his eyes again, Ryuji was crouching next to him gently tugging on his shoulder.
"I'm awake."
"You are now," Ryuji chuckled. "Ryou packed up and went home. He said to thank you for the tea, and the game."
Bleary eyes blinked away the fuzziness of sleep, and Yugi attempted to sit up and had to bite back pain. "He left without saying goodbye?"
"You were asleep."
"You could have woken me up."
Green eyes looked skeptical, but Ryuji didn't say anything. Instead he popped the cap off of Yugi's pain medication and handed him the bottle.
Yugi took them gratefully, extracting a pill, then traded the bottle for a glass of water that his assistant was offering. He took the meds, washing them down with the water.
"Tomorrow, your friends Jonouchi and Honda will be coming over."
"I'm looking forward to it," Yugi twisted with some effort and grabbed the remote off the end table. Turning on the tv and bringing up Netflix. "Those two are like a two-man comedy act."
"You don't want to go to bed?" his assistant inquired, straightening up from his crouch and stepping out of the way of the TV.
Yugi shook his head. He thumbed through several titles, looking but not actually seeing them. "Not yet. Sorry for falling asleep on you guys."
Shoulders shrugged noncommittally, as if to say Ryuji wasn't bothered at all by spending the afternoon talking RPGs with Ryou Bakura.
"You should play Monster World with us next time."
Ryuji coughed. He looked startled by this. Blinking dumbly down at his diminutive boss. "You do realize I'm on the clock whenever I'm here, right?"
"Seto can pay you to play Monster World, I won't mind," Yugi smiled smugly up at his assistant. "I'll text Ryou and ask when he's free to come over." He tossed down the remote and whipped out his phone. His thumbs furiously texting even while Ryuji's mouth opened and closed much like a fish's.
Finally it appeared he found his words, only to voice an objection, "Mutou-San, I'm supposed to be helping you while I'm here."
Yugi didn't even look up from his cell phone. "And you can help me beat Ryou's next campaign. He's says it's going to be tougher next time. How does Wednesdays and Fridays sound?"
"Mutou-San—"
"I might be your boss," he cut in. "but I'd prefer it if you called me Yugi. Besides, we're practically the same age, and let's be honest, the only reason I'm not an assistant too is because Seto likes me." When he said the last part his shoulders drooped and a wave of despondency settled over him like a wet blanket. He was reminded of the reason he'd been hit by a car, and nearly killed. "I don't deserve your respect." Someone tried to kill him. Tears were already stinging at the corners of his eyes, and Yugi had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep them back. He didn't deserve his position at all.
"That's bullshit!"
He flinched at the sudden exclamation.
"You are the 'King of Games.' The reigning champion of Duel Monsters in the country. Not to mention that you've made nationals in the Pokémon TCG, you defeated Seto Kaiba's Death-T event on National Television when you were sixteen, and you've competed head to head with Mokuba Kaiba in several national Capsule Monsters tournaments, and won more than once." Ryuji was huffing from the passion in this speech, fists balled at his sides. "There is no one in this company I respect more than you. And it was an honor to be assigned as your personal assistant. I came to work for Kaiba Corp in hopes that I could pitch a game, and have it funded. I'm not in a position to do that yet, but I don't regret for a second being made your assistant in the mean time."
Against his will, Yugi was actually crying now. Tears spitefully streaming down his cheeks no matter how hard he tried to blink them back. He hated it. So much. But at least he wasn't wearing any eyeliner today, and didn't have to worry about it running.
"I'd love to hear about your game sometime," he said around the choked feeling in his throat. "Maybe I could help you pitch it to Seto."
Ryuji pinned him with a hard look that would have had him recoiling if he wasn't recovering from a pelvic fracture. "I'm not going to take advantage of you while you are drugged up, injured, and in a state of self-loathing." He moved to sit on the couch, across from his boss, and twirled a lock of his inky black hair around his finger. "But I'd be honored to call you Yugi, from now on. And maybe I can show you my game when you aren't so low?"
Yugi dragged the neck of his t-shirt over his face. Mopping the tears away. When he looked up again it was with a lopsided, and still kinda watery smile. "I'd like that."
"Good." Ryuji returned the smile, and it was genuine. "So, I guess I should schedule Ryou Bakura for Wednesdays and Fridays then?"
Yugi felt his puzzle burn white hot, before suddenly turning ice cold and hanging off his neck like the weight of a brick. He placed a hand over the artifact, but paid it no mind.
"Book him for the entirety of both days."
Ryou has eyes problems, caused by his Albinism in this fic, and wears glasses as an adult. I researched Albinism and found that the mutation also causes a slew of sight problems. He also has a tic, of tilting, jerking, or shifting his head, as a method of counteracting the subtle but rapid jerking of his eyes that spring up on occasion. I like it when fictional characters have real human problems. If you don't like it, please see yourself out of this fic.
I'm updating today as a birthday present to me. Please enjoy the new chapter. and if you are enjoying the fic, please drop a review. It would really make my Birthday. Thanks!