Chapter Thirteen:
Joey let himself into his apartment and shut the door. The apartment was quiet and dark, the only light coming in through the half-open curtains on the living room window. Joey walked across the entrance foyer to the front closet and shucked his jacket, hanging it up. Closing the closet door, he sighed and let his head thunk against his forearm against the closet door.
That had been one crazy situation. Yugi had all but assaulted him, out of control and not thinking clearly. Joey had never had any idea being pregnant could do that to someone, but he'd been truthful; Yugi wasn't to blame. It had not been cheating.
At least not in his case.
Joey sighed and lifted his head, turning around and leaning back against the closet door. He'd hid it as best as he could, but the truth was, kissing Yugi had really affected him. Even now he could still taste Yugi on his lips. He'd only just lost the erection.
Joey pushed away from the door, then walked down the hall to the bedroom, opening the door. It was dark in there, lights off, the curtains pulled across the window, and humid. Yami lay in bed on his side, facing the wall, the covers pulled up to his shoulders. Joey stood in the doorway for a minute, smiling fondly at Yami's back before he walked across the room and eased into bed. He leaned across and gently kissed Yami's cheek.
Yami's brow furrowed. His voice was scratchy and weak. "Joey, do you have to move so much?"
Joey sighed and eased back, sitting up. "Sorry."
He got out of bed and left the room, closing the door again. The air in the room had been almost overwhelming humid and stale and truth be told, it stank. It wasn't Yami's fault, but the room smelled of fever sweat and sickness. He'd been running a fever off and on for a week and kept the door shut and window curtains pulled all day. He was also difficult to deal with. Being sick made him cranky, short-tempered, and intolerant of Joey's presence. Joey had been forced to leave the room on more than one occasion for Yami snapping at him about moving or making noises. Or to leave the house itself when his playing the tv or music or laughing at something made Yami yell. Joey had not been kidding when he'd told Yugi that Yami was driving him nuts.
Joey shook his head. Best not to think about that. He'd done what he'd had to do.
Resigned, Joey walked down the hall to the linen closet and grabbed a blanket and pillow. He'd spend the night on the couch. Again.
As Joey sat on the couch, watching some dumb program he cared nothing about with the sound so low he could barely hear it, munching on chips and swigging soda, he felt sort of ashamed of himself. Here he was feeling sorry for himself when Yugi was pregnant and spazzing out over a wicked cocktail of hormones and Yami was burrowed under a mountain of covers in the bedroom, absolutely miserable. He could hear him coughing just then.
Well, that wasn't going to do. Joey set down the soda can, left the bag of chips on the couch, and went into the kitchen. He hunted down a can of soup and heated it up on the stove, then ventured back into the bedroom, knocking softly.
"Yami?"
His lover stirred, rolling over a little, blinking groggily in the semi-darkness. Joey walked over and settled down on the bed, holding out the soup bowl. Yami looked down at it, then up at him, and smiled a little. He pushed himself up against the headboard, accepting the soup.
"Thank you, Joey."
Joey smiled, leaning forward on his arm to press a kiss to his forehead, ignoring the humid dampness. He lay there on his elbow while Yami sipped the soup. When he was done, he took the bowl back.
"I'm going to spend the night on the couch again, okay?"
Yami frowned slightly. He still looked pretty bad. Pale, dark circles under his half-lidded eyes, which were glassy with fever, cheeks flushed. But despite the frown, he nodded and said "okay" in his scratchy, weak voice.
Joey smiled crookedly, kissed Yami on the cheek, then slid off the bed and left the room. He put the bowl and spoon in the sink, then settled down on the couch with a sigh. He was doing his best to control his temper, and the feeling of hurt. Yami was sick, after all.
Though he was rather mean about it.
Joey sighed and let his head fall back against the couch back, closing his eyes. He knew that some people just couldn't handle being sick. He'd probably be the same way himself if it weren't for the fact that he'd grown up with a father who's idea of parenting was throwing beer bottles until Joey learned to fend for himself. Whenever he had gotten sick, he'd just wait until the old man had passed out drunk, steal from his wallet, hitch a bus ride to the store, and buy himself some medicine. Ever since then, he'd never let being sick make him dependent, not even now.
Joey dozed off in that uncomfortable position before he even realized he was falling asleep.
Yugi stood in front of him, wearing blue boxers and a black sleeveless shirt. Joey stood up, vaguely aware that he hadn't been actually sitting on anything. The area around them seemed amorphous. Once sort of resembling his living room, then Yugi's at the Shop, again appearing as nothing but grayish blurs before becoming something else entirely.
Yugi himself was constant, but a little fuzzy around the edges, like an old-timey movie trick to make the heroine prettier or the scene more meaningful.
"Yug'?" Joey asked. "What are you doing here?" Though there wasn't really a 'here.'
Yugi smiled, but said nothing. Joey became aware of the fact that Yugi's stomach was quite round, showing his condition plainly. He was very pregnant and Joey couldn't remember if he'd been like that a moment ago.
"Wow, Yug'," Joey said, his voice echoing a little. "Maybe you should be sitting down."
Instead, Yugi walked forward, moving with more ease than he should have been able to until he was right in front of him. His hands came up and rested on Joey's biceps and Joey put his arms around him.
"Kiss me again, Joey," Yugi murmured.
Joey bent down and claimed his mouth. One of Yugi's hands slid up until it fisted in his hair. His lips parted and his tongue teased Joey's, drawing a moan from him. Abruptly they were tilting and they landed in a broad, soft bed Joey had never seen before. Joey lifted his head, looking around at the shifting surroundings, feeling dimly unsettled.
"Where are we?" he asked.
Yugi's hand came up, turning his face back to his.
"Pay attention," he admonished.
He drew his mouth back to his. Joey kissed him back hungrily, laying against him, inching his hand from his hip upward over his stomach, which felt no different than usual to him, though it should have. Yugi moaned against his mouth, the sound exciting.
Joey became aware of something pressing against his back. They were standing against the wall, Yugi pressed tight up against him and nipping at his jaw. He lifted his head and smiled up at him. Blonde streaks flickered in his black hair and his violet eyes flashed scarlet.
"Yami?" Joey asked dazedly.
"Don't be silly," Yugi said. His crimson eyes glittered as he smiled. "He doesn't know about us, remember?"
"Us?" Joey felt lost in a fog. "There's no us…"
"Of course there is." Yugi rolled his violet eyes. "Did you forget?" He stood on his toes, his breath washing against Joey's lips. "This?"
Joey closed his eyes as Yugi closed the distance between them. But even as a warm, wet tongue caressed his bottom lip, he felt something warm and wet wash over his shoes. He broke the kiss and looked down, realizing that Yugi's water had broke.
"Ah, Yug'," Joey smiled, more embarrassed than disgusted. "Um, I think you should get to the hospital."
Yugi blinked without looking down. His face was chalk white. Joey looked down again. The wetness gushing over their shoes was red.
"Yug'?"
Yugi stepped back slowly from him. His white face held a look of confusion, but he didn't look down. Joey saw his water had not broken- there was no place for it to go. The red was flowing from his stomach. There was a gaping gash in his belly where it protruded from under his black tank top.
"Yugi!"
Joey reached for him, but Yugi was still stepping backward with that same confused expression and Joey couldn't seem to catch up. He lunged for him, but his fingers closed on air.
"Yugi!"
Yugi abruptly came against something white. Joey looked down at him as he lay against the hospital bed. The doctor in green scrubs, mask, and cap held a bloody butcher's knife in one gloved hand. The faceless nurse smoothed Yugi's hair back, telling him it was going to be okay.
A rapid beeping in the background became a steady drone.
"We've lost him," the doctor said tonelessly, setting the butcher's knife down on a tray.
"No! Yug'! YUGI!"
Yugi's eyes fixed on the ceiling, the confused expression frozen forever on his dead, chalky white face.
Joey shot up, gasping. He looked around and saw that he was in his living room, lit by the still-on TV. His face was wet with sweat and his shirt clung to him. The remote had fallen off the couch onto the floor when he'd sat up. It was full dark now, the only glow coming from the TV.
Joey sighed and pushed his damp bangs off his forehead. He picked the remote up off the floor and turned off the TV, plunging the room into pitch black. He stayed sitting up, staring into the darkness. It hit home just how worried he really was for his little best friend, the guy he'd strove for years to protect, even though it was almost always Yugi protecting him.
Joey shook his head, letting his head fall back again, but staring up at the dark ceiling above him, unwilling to sleep and risk having that nightmare again.
He could only hope it would stay only a nightmare.
….
Joey glanced up when he heard a soft rustling. Yami stood by the hallway, wrapped up in the throw blanket from the bay window in the bedroom he often curled up in, his feet encased in the fuzzy white house slippers Joey had gotten for him one Christmas. He still looked pale and wan, but he was out of the bedroom.
"Hey!" Joey greeted enthusiastically. "You're up!"
He hurriedly sat up properly, scooting over so Yami could join him on the couch. Yami sat down heavily, sniffled, then offered a tired smile.
"Are you feeling better?" Joey asked anxiously. It had been two days since the incident with Yugi and Joey hadn't seen Yami except to ferry him some food and water.
"I feel a great deal better," Yami said, and indeed his voice was much the same as usual. His face was no longer flushed and his eyes no longer fever-glassy, though he remained pale and very tired-looking.
"Great!"
Yami smiled again, then leaned against him, resting his head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry I was such a pain, mrwt," he said.
"You weren't a pain."
Yami snorted, then sniffled. "You have been living out here on the couch for the last few days."
"Yeah, well, I didn't want to bother you."
"You have been very kind to me, Joey."
"'Course I have, Yami, I love you."
Yami lifted his head and smiled, pressing a kiss to his jaw, all that he could reach. His lips were dry, but warm. "I love you, too. And now that I'm feeling better, maybe you can come back to spending nights in the bedroom. I don't think the living room can handle you anymore."
Joey looked around guiltily at the stacks of dirty dishes on the side table, coffee table, and even the floor. A half-empty bag of chips lay open and getting stale on the couch on Yami's other side and the crust of a sandwich was pretty much a culture dish now. A half-dozen candy wrappers, an empty bag of Cheetos, and eight or ten soda cans lay strewn about. A pile of unopened newspapers, which was Yami's thing to read, lay on the floor beside the armchair and Joey's bedclothes were bunched up all over the couch. Truth be told, Yami was the reason the house didn't look like a disaster zone on a regular basis. Joey had never outgrown that.
"I'll clean up. Are you hungry at all?"
"Yes, actually. I can make something."
"Nah, not til you feel like your old self. I was going to make some Hamburger Helper. Sound good to you, or is that too greasy?"
"It sounds fine."
"Yeah? What's left that's bothering you?"
"Headache, sore throat. That's about all, thankfully."
Joey smiled, resting the back of his hand against Yami's forehead. He didn't feel feverish to him any longer. Maybe it finally had broken and Yami was on the fast track to being back to normal. That would be good.
"Okay. You should tell Yug', he's been worried about you."
Joey got up and headed in the kitchen to start on browning some hamburger. While it was frying, he cleaned up the trash in the living room and hauled his impromptu bedclothes to the washer and stuffed them in. After adding the rest of the ingredients to the burger and letting it sizzle on low heat, he went into their bedroom, opened the curtains and window, stripped and remade the bed, then switched the laundry to wash the bedclothes from the bedroom. When he came back out, Yami, despite what he'd said, was in the kitchen, doing the dishes. Joey rolled his eyes with a smile and went to finish their dinner.
"Aibou is glad I'm feeling better," Yami said after a moment. "He says his appointment for the next checkup is tomorrow at three if we still want to go."
"Yeah, I do. Are you going to feel good enough to go?"
"I believe so. I think it's over."
"Good. Hey, whatever happened with him and Mokuba, do you know?"
"Nothing, as far as I know. I haven't asked, though Aibou said he told Mokuba that he'll just stay at his parents' for a while. I don't know if Mokuba ever replied, but of course Aibou is still at the game shop."
"I ought to go over there and have a word with Mokuba," Joey muttered. When Yugi had told them why he was staying over at the game shop when he spent more than half his time at the mansion, Joey had been pissed. Mokuba had never been a friend of his, even when he hadn't been a murderous little snot following his brother around like some creepy Manson disciple, and to hear the way he'd been treating Yugi had really made him want to let the kid have it. Yugi had talked him out of it, but he still would like nothing better than to tear into younger Kaiba. The only thing better would be to tear into the older Kaiba, which he couldn't do because Yugi had somehow defied everything right with the world and fallen for him. "I really want to let him have a piece of my mind."
"So do I," Yami admitted. "But Aibou would not appreciate it."
Joey grinned. "You could always threaten to send him to the Shadow Realm if he doesn't straighten up and that you'll send him there anyway if he tells Yug'."
Yami laughed a little. "I'm afraid Aibou might read it from my mind at some point."
"What's that mean? I thought you guys could hide stuff from each other."
"We can, if we're conscious about keeping the secret. But even now we're bonded pretty closely and I might accidentally think about it while he is… within earshot as it were."
"Oh." Well, that was a little unsettling. Imagine not being able to keep your thoughts to yourself.
"Oh, I can keep him out if I want to, and him me. But, like muttering to yourself and being overheard when you didn't expect to be, Yugi and I can accidentally let each other hear our thoughts when we don't mean to. He is not constantly hearing my mind."
Joey smiled. Sometimes it seemed like Yami could read *his* mind.
Joey finished making dinner while Yami finished up the dishes. They sat down to eat, discussing Joey's job, the upcoming doctor's appointment, and how well Yami really felt. Joey wanted to know, in so many terms, because he really didn't want Yami to push himself into being healthy when he really wasn't, but Yami assured him that though he was still felt blah and achy, he no longer felt sick. Joey was grateful to hear it, in more ways than one.
That night, Joey was quite happy to crawl into bed with Yami as normal. He settled back against the pillows and was glad to pull Yami into his arms when his lover turned into him. He pressed his palm to Yami's forehead, but his fever seemed well and truly gone. Yami smiled.
"Maybe you should be a nurse instead of a DJ," he said.
"Mhm. Nurse Wheeler. Like Kaiba doesn't give me crap enough."
Yami sighed, resting his head against his chest. "Maybe you shouldn't care so much about what Kaiba thinks."
"Can't help it, the guy gets under my skin like a splinter. And, hey, Mr. Shadow Games, you don't exactly let what he says roll off your back either."
"True. Thank you, Joey, for being so nice to me when I was doing my best not to earn it."
"You were kind of a jerk."
Yami lifted his head quickly and Joey kissed him. He felt Yami smile grudgingly against his mouth and he happily turned it into a real kiss, softly nipping at Yami's lips.
A flash of kissing Yugi made him jerk back. Yami looked up at him in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. You should probably get some sleep, though, you know. You probably didn't really get that much real rest being sick all the time."
Yami nodded and laid his head down on his chest again. Joey rubbed his arm lightly, gently kissing the top of his head. He and Yugi had done nothing wrong. He knew that. He knew it. But that didn't mean he didn't worry that he'd make a mistake. And it certainly didn't mean he didn't feel guilty about it.
….
Joey smiled at Yugi as the smaller climbed into the car. He turned around in the driver's seat to talk to him. "Hiya, Yug'. How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Yugi said. "Thanks for driving me."
"No problem. You sure you don't mind us coming along?"
"No. And I already let Kuribayashi and Anna know you're coming."
"They didn't have a problem with it?"
"No. They know who you are, and that you know."
Joey thought Yugi was being a little reserved and he wondered if he still felt guilty about their kiss. Maybe they ought to tell Yami after all. Surely, Yami would reassure Yugi, too, that it wasn't his fault. Not Kaiba, though. He'd probably be nasty about it, not least of which because it was Joey that Yugi had kissed. Still, Joey didn't want to mention it, either. Whatever the excuse, they'd still kissed. It was better Yami didn't know.
Joey drove the three of them to the clinic while Yugi and Yami chatted, aloud so it wouldn't seem like Joey was driving a couple of mannequins. Yugi still seemed a bit hesitant with Yami, too, and Joey wondered if Yami noticed. He also wondered if Yugi would slip up with that mind-reading thing that Yami had explained in the kitchen yesterday. He hoped not, as it would be much better to confess than for Yami to find out.
The clinic was a nice, unassuming building with a small sign out front. The three of them got out of the car and headed inside. While they walked, Joey found himself glancing at Yugi's midsection. The weather had cooled considerably for late September and Yugi was wearing a bulky black sweatshirt and a pair of blue jeans that completely hid whatever bulge he had, but Joey remembered the nightmare and the red pooling around their shoes.
"What's the matter, Joey?" Yami asked.
"Nah, nothing."
The receptionist at the desk greeted them warmly, but though she seemed to be unsurprised by Yugi's presence, she clearly kept staring at him. While they sat down in the waiting room after signing in, Joey asked Yugi about it.
"She wonders why I'm here," Yugi said. "A lot of checkups when I seem fine. Anna told me Kuribayashi told her I'm a hypochondriac and I keep insisting on more visits."
Joey laughed and Yami smiled.
"So, Aibou, have you thought about names any more?" Yami asked, too softly for the receptionist to hear.
"Yeah. A lot, probably too much. But nothing seems right."
"Well, you still have time," Joey said.
"Hello, Yugi."
The person who had appeared was a very pretty woman about in her mid-thirties. Yugi smiled at her and got to his feet, so this must have been Anna.
"That was fast," Joey said, getting up as well. "Hi, I'm Joey, and this is Yami."
"Pleased to meet you both. If you'll come this way, we'll get set up."
They followed her down the hall to a small clinical examination room. It had the ultrasound on which they'd be able to see Yugi's baby in person. Joey stared at it a moment, having some mixed feelings. It was one thing for Yugi to tell them he was pregnant, and even to see the increasing weight, but to see the actual kid on an ultrasound was a whole different thing. It was going to be really weird, at least.
"Okay, Yugi, you know the drill," Anna said. "I'll be right back with Kentaro. You two can have a seat," she added to Joey and Yami before leaving the room.
Joey and Yami sat down in the pair of plastic chairs that were identical to the ones in the waiting room. Yugi started to lift his shirt, then hesitated and blushed.
"Um… I'm supposed to get down to my boxers so she can use the machine."
"No problem, Yug'."
"There is no need to be modest, Aibou, we understand."
Yugi hesitated another second, then pulled his sweatshirt up over his head. He laid it down on the examination table, then got out of his jeans. He picked up one of those flimsy hospital gowns off the table and pulled it on. Once he had, he hopped up onto the table and sat there, hands in his lap.
They chatted while they waited, and despite earlier, Yugi seemed his normal self. They didn't have long to wait, and the doctor and Anna came into the room, which was pretty crowded with five people.
"Good afternoon, Yugi," Dr. Kuribayashi said. "And friends."
"Hi, Doc," Joey said.
"How are you feeling today, Yugi?"
"Good."
"Have you been taking the vitamins?" Anna asked.
"Yes, every day."
"Good. So, you two are wanting to see the ultrasound in person?" she asked, turning to Joey and Yami.
"Yes."
"Yeah, we believe him, it's just, kinda wanna see firsthand, you know?"
"Of course. Okay, Yugi, let's get this started with."
Yugi laid back on the examination table and pulled up the hospital gown. Anna wheeled the machine over and sat down on a stool, picking up what looked kind of like a grey ketchup bottle. From where he was sitting, Joey could see just how much Yugi's stomach was beginning to protrude now. When clothes, it would be all but invisible, but exposed, his stomach stuck out about as far as if he had swallowed a softball. For someone who had always had a flat stomach, this was a drastic change. Yugi would have to tell Kaiba practically the minute he came home, because he'd notice this change the moment he got a good look at Yugi.
Anna squeezed some clear, slimy-looking gel on Yugi's stomach before putting the bottle back. She picked up the wand of the machine and smeared it through the gel beginning to run it lightly along Yugi's stomach.
"There it is," Anna said.
On the screen, the baby had appeared. Looking a lot like a miniature doll, the baby was in profile on the screen, curled up in a ball. Joey could see every detail of the tiny hands, little ears, and even the tiny face.
"It's sucking its thumb!" Yugi exclaimed happily, a big smile on his face.
"Yep, looks like it," Anna said. She moved the wand around a little. "Looks pretty healthy to me."
Joey glanced at Yami and Yami looked back at him. He could tell the sight affected him just as much as it did Joey. This was a real live baby, in Yugi.
Yugi was a father.
tbc…
A/N: Sorry about the long wait. Had issues, a lot of them. Enjoy the chapter, thanks for the reviews!
