A/N: Day 3: Soulmate AU

So this idea has been kicking around my mind longer than I knew about AU-gust, but I never sat down to write it. I'm using a lot of these AUs as ways to experiment with ways of storytelling and writing that I have not yet tried, so I'm interested in hearing your thoughts if you've got a moment!

Snap.

Harsh lights seared, burning Yugi's eyes right before he screwed them shut. He swallowing down naseua as he waited for the world to stop spinning beyond his eyelids. Whatever this device was doing did not agree with him at a fundamental level. After he felt like the worst had passed, he cautiously opened an eye. At the same time, his heart fell.

He was so longer sitting on the floor of the dormitory with Atem. Instead he found himself seated on the ground outside a cubicle nestled in a bustling office space. All of the small five by five foot cubicles around him were occupied, people murmuring into headsets as they typed commands swiftly on their keyboards. As casually as his adrenaline wired body would allow, Yugi stood up and looked around to see if anyone had noticed him appear. Thankfully, all of the office workers seemed engrossed in their tasks. Breathing a small sigh of relief when he realized that no one had paid him any mind, Yugi sat down in the vacant office chair beside him while he tried to figure out his next move.

His brow furrowed as he stared at the black glossy band around his wrist. This was by far the strangest dream he had ever had… if it was even a dream. Yugi shook his head, this all should be dream but something about that explanation still did not sit right. He stared at the Kaiba Corp. device on his wrist. It had remained firmly there despite where he had ended up. Could it be the cause of this? Is this device somehow warping reality, pulling him this way and that on a whim. Or was there a reason why? Yugi sighed again. At least this time, there were no fire breathing dragons threatening to eat him or Erlenmeyer flasks. He was someplace new. It looked modern and familiar…

"Could I be home this time?" Yugi whispered to himself as a spark of hope ignited. It sure seemed like modern times! The computer on the desk next to him seemed very familiar to what he was used to working with. It was very possible. Now to see if that was the —

"What are you going on about this time, Muto?" a gruff voice sounded from behind him.

"Ah!" Yugi nearly leapt out of his chair. He swiveled around to see a bearded middle aged man glaring at him from behind a set of glasses.

"If I catch you day dreaming again, Muto, you'll be out of here before you know it!"

"Uh, y-yes sir! It won't happen again!" Yugi squeaked out the words reflexively. With a grunt and a mutter about work ethic, his new boss left him be.

This seems like an IT help center. Yugi thought to himself. And for once, people seem to know me… what is going on?

Yugi grabbed the headset as he started trying to wrap his mind around this strange situation. He was now someplace where he definitely exists. However, here he had a job in IT support. It could still be a dream. If this was not a dream, then he was in a world that looked and felt like his, but decidedly not so. Could this be his future? It was certainly possible… and if this was indeed his future, then he should really try not to mess up too much here, for his future self's sake.

Yugi sat up suddenly in his chair, dread dripping cold down his spine. His future self must be around here somewhere, and it could be catastrophic if he were to encounter him. Beyond confusing everyone as to how one IT worker somehow cloned himself, it could potentially cause a rift in time and space like in the movies. Oh no.

A few minutes passed, but the other Yugi did not arrive. He found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. He could either try to leave and potentially get this future Yugi fired or he could play along with the situation as best he could. He was good with computers… he could figure this out, right?

Yugi spent the next five minutes trying to figure out the log into his computer. With two tries left on his password, he finally got it. Marshmell0n. It was a relief that even though somethings may change, some remain exactly the same. Smiling, Yugi clicked onto the server IT help program and held his breath as he checked a few of the tickets on the docket. He grinned widely. What are the chances that he would be offering IT support on a program he actually knew! Maybe he could bluff his way through this long enough to hopefully save his future self from termination.

"Yugi, what the hell are ya doing here?"

This time, the loud voice from behind him fully knocked him out of his chair. From his perch on the floor, Yugi stared up as he saw a familiar mess of blond hair. It can't be…

"Joey!"

"Joey? No one's called me that since I was ten. You know I go by Joseph." Eyes narrowed at him, an almost distrustful glint flaring across those pupils.

"Oh.. Oh yeah! I was just trying out a new nickname!" Yugi got to his feet, painting what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face. "You know, since we work together and all!"

The eyes remained narrowed for a fraction longer, but the man's features eased up. "You're a funny guy, Yugi. I thought you were taking a personal day today. Why the hell are ya here?"

Yugi blinked. Quick. He needed to think of something quick. "I, uh, did not need to take it anymore, so I thought I'd come in and work."

Joseph seemed to buy this answer, but the second it left Yugi's mouth, he nearly had a heart attack. This was his chance to be able to get out of here, and now several people knew that he was here to work! He wanted to smack his head against the nearest desk. Ahh, if he was going to be able to navigate what this device was trying to send his way, he would need to make better decisions than that!

"Well, as your supervisor, I'd suggest ya get back to work or else it's coming out of your pay… Yuge." The nickname fell off the man's tongue a little awkwardly, but it made Yugi smile nonetheless. It also made him realize something. His best friend since high school would not be like this if he really was in the future. Joey… or rather, Joseph, acted like they barely knew each other. He was too tense and all too formal. This had to be a dream or something… again. Yugi's shoulders drooped.

"Well, are ya going start?" A hand was jabbed none to gracefully at his cubicle. Yugi nodded as he got back into his chair.

Now that his supervisor had left and Yugi had squarely planted himself in this pickle, he looked at the time. 9:02 am. Well, here goes nothing.

After stumbling through figuring how to take a case from the growing list of people waiting for IT help, Yugi started his first call. Thankfully, it was a woman with a very basic problem that Yugi knew the solution to right away. She gave a very appreciative goodbye at the end of the call and Yugi cut the line. There, that was not so bad! Time for the next call.

That next one did not go as well. Thankfully, he had worked at that electronics store during his second year of college or else he would not have had a ghost of a chance. Between searching through the manual and using his own experience from his work, Yugi was eventually able to come up with a solution before the customer got too incensed. Yugi continued plugging away at the list which never seemed to get any smaller. With a small shake of his head, he wondered how people could continue working like this when it seemed like no progress was being made. It was disheartening and made him swear that if he ever made it home, he would never take a job in a call center like this. However, at 10:44 am, Yugi found a glimmer of hope in the oddest place.

"Hello, this is Yugi, registered tech troubleshooter." He winced slightly as he read from the horribly cheesy canned script. "How can I make your day better?"

"Hello. I am having some trouble with your software. I just downloaded it this morning and it keeps freezing."

Yugi stopped mid click on the folder labeled 'software troubleshoot'. He released his mouse, his hand hovering above his mouse in anticipation. That voice. It seemed so familiar, yet foreign. A vague sensation prickled at the back of his mind. Who was it? Was it some one he knew?

"Uh, hello? Are you still there? Did we disconnect?" the voice in his ear said again.

"Oh, no! I'm still here. Sorry, technical difficulties." Yugi chuckled lightly. To his surprise, he heard a chuckle come from the other end.

"Is that not what you're here for? To think, technical support having technical difficulties…" He sounded rich and deep, like your first cup of coffee in the morning. It was almost just as warm too. The voice tickled the back of Yugi's mind, but he could not place it. There was a hint of an accent he could not place. "You would think, but no, we often need our own technical support, unfortunately."

That laugh sounded again, and Yugi could not help his own little giggle in response. "Ah, but that's enough about my own embarrassing and ironic need for technical support. How can I help you today… er…?"

"Yami."

"Yami." Yugi murmured thoughtfully into the microphone, his spirits falling a notch. He did not recognize the name, and he was starting to doubt the familiarity of the voice. Oh well, might as well help Yami out. "So, what software were you having problems with?"

Yugi went through the usual algorithm for this particular piece of software. After receiving the error code, he tried instructing Yami on the initial fixes that he could find online. To his displeasure, the software was still malfunctioning. Next, they tried a full reinstall of the software, but that did not seem to resolve the problem. Yugi scratched at the back of his neck as he silently planned out his next plan of attack should attempt number four fail.

"Hmm… it appears to have worked for a few seconds, but then it froze again." Yami relayed. He thankfully sounded more pensive than anything. It was a refreshing change from the various states of customer anger that Yugi had been plagued with all morning. Nothing seemed to rattle this client. His voice was steady and assured despite the situation and Yugi's increasingly obvious bumbling.

"Do you have any other ideas?"

Yugi froze. While he was supposed to be thinking of the next idea, he had instead been focused on that voice. That voice. Why? "I, uh, actually… wait, can you remind me of something? What were the specifications of the computer you are using."

A couple clicks and the voice relayed specifications on CPU, GPU, hard drive, RAM…

RAM.

"You said you are running only six gigabytes of RAM… can you pull up your task manager for me when you're running the software?"

A hum. Several faint clicks. Then another hum, this time almost bitter in its tone.

"Ninety eight percent."

"Is that what your RAM is running at right now?"

"Yes…" His sigh conveyed more than that word ever could.

"That may not be enough RAM to run our software smoothly with other processes running in the background."

"Ah, I see." The voice was low, but not displeased. He had gotten his answer.

"I'm sorry, sir." What compelled Yugi to apologize surprised both men on the line.

"Oh, it is not your fault. And please, call me Yami. I'm much too young to be called 'sir'."

Silence hung on the line. He scratched at his forearm through his button down shirt. Usually he would have jumped at the chance to end the call and move on. The more you keep the client on the line, the more you risk them taking up even more of your time. Yugi could not afford that, he was barely able to fumble his way through most of the fixes so far and he had a queue building. Despite everything saying that he should start to end the call, there was something holding him there. He could not just yet.

Unfortunately, the process was started whether he liked it or not.

"Thank you very much for your help… Yugi." A hesitation. That voice saying his name made him feel strange. Light and heavy. Vertiginous and grounded. It caused his heart to hammer.

"You're, uh, welcome. Is there anything else?"

"No, that's all for now." Despite its meaning, the phrase did not really feel like a dismissal.

"Alright then. I hope you have a good day."

"Goodbye."

The line died, and for a moment, Yugi went cold. He removed his headset, placing it gently down on the desk. His thoughts swirled as Yugi stared blankly at his screen. Yami… Yami… A beep. His computer rudely made its presence known. His surroundings came back into focus, the murmurs of the other technical support agents, the clicks of keyboards and mice finally registering again. With a couple of blinks and a distracted mumble, Yugi put on his headset and clicked onto the next call.

As the day went on, Yugi became more comfortable with his work. Thankfully everything was algorithmic and there were a handful of common problems that kept arising again and again. Maybe he would be able to fake his way through like the Yugi of this world would. He just needed to survive today, then he could try to regroup and figure out how to get back home.

Yugi sighed as he took another sip of his coffee. 2:19 pm. Just a few more hours. He set his mug down as he clicked on the next call.

"Hello, this is Yugi, registered tech troubleshooter. How can I make your day better?"

"Oh… are…" The even cadence of a rich voice filled Yugi's ears. He froze, not daring to move a muscle for fear it would break the connection. Oh? Oh.

"You're the man I was speaking with before." A statement said in shock.

"What are the chances…" Yugi murmured.

"What are the chances, indeed."

A beat of silence connected the two across the line. "So Yami, was it?" Yugi feigned his doubt of recollection, even though he was sure he had remembered correctly. He received a confirmatory hum. "I thought I helped fix your problem earlier… I'm sorry, but was there something wrong with my solution?"

"No, not at all! I actually was just setting up my new laptop and wanted to, uh, make sure I installed my program correctly."

Even though he had only really talked with this client for a half hour in the past, he could sense that there was something a bit different about this call than when they were connected the first time. An interesting comment said in a curious tone. There was no way he just spent the last couple of hours buying a new laptop just because his old one could not run a particular program. Yugi debated asking that obvious question, but instead decided to play along.

"Alright. It's the same one from last time right?"

"Yes."

Yugi led him through the steps of installing the program and putting in the license, even though he knew that the client must already know this. They continued to chat amicably in between Yugi's instructions and suggestions. Something prompted him to go on, extending the formal, yet pleasant exchange with the voice that somehow put him on edge and at ease at the same time.

"And so now you just click, and your preferences should be saved for your future documents."

"Ah, thank you."

Silence hung across the line again as Yugi scratched at his arm. This was the third small question that Yami had volleyed his way. He had run out of technical issues about five minutes earlier, yet here they were still on the call. Yugi did not mind. In fact, he could not deny that a small part of him wanted to stay on too.

"Alright," The silence was finally filled by Yugi, feeling it stretch too long. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Yami?"

A beat. "No. I believe that is all."

"Well, I hope you have a great day."

"You as well."

The call disconnected. With a hum, Yugi rubbed the side of his face. Once again, just as the line went dead, he went cold. He felt strange, his thoughts like gears grinding against their pairs, not coming quite into alignment. That voice was so familiar, but how? Why? He did not know a Yami. In fact, he did not seem to know anyone in this strange warped world except for Joey, who did strangely did not recognize him. Wrapping his mind around what was going on was almost certainly going to give him a headache. So instead of pondering this mystery, he signed onto another call. Then another and another after that.

It was 4:47 pm before Yugi finally registered the time. His shift would be up soon. He'd have time to fit in one more call before he signed off and was finally able to leave and ponder his next move. Wearily, he clicked onto his last call.

"Hello, this is Yugi, registered tech troubleshooter. How can I make your day better?"

"I can't believe it… Yugi…"

Yugi's breath caught. Warm and rich, familiar yet foreign, but most of all confusing.

"Yami?"

"Yes."

"I… I, ah. What is going on?"

Yugi heard a deep breath on the other end of the line. "I am so very sorry to bother you, and I hope I'm not coming across as prying or too forward but there's something going on that I cannot describe. I cannot explain it. I don't know how exactly to ask this… but do I know you?"

Yugi blinked and scratched at his forearm through his sleeve. "I don't know, but I was wondering the same thing."

A beat. "You were?"

"Yes, you sound so familiar. I can't put my finger on it. But your name… I don't know a Yami."

"Ah, well, I go by Yami but that's not my given name."

The room started to spin and his scratching intensified. "What is your name?" He breathed.

"My name is Atem."

Yugi's eyes went wide and he suppressed a yelp. His arm ignited, a golden light shining through the borrowed button down shirt from his forearm.

"What…" Yugi whispered as he rolled up the sleeve. A golden eye was now adorned upon his wrist, its lines fashioned out of a nebulous radiance. After a moment, the sear faded and the mark subdued. When the golden light had finally died out completely, he was left with a white mark of the same symbol. Yugi blinked at the eye. It did not blink back.

"You… it's you. I've found you." The voice from the headset murmured in awe. "My soulmate."

Soulmate? Yugi caught on the word. 'My soulmate'…

Yugi stared at the marking as he was consumed by a cacophony of emotions he could not define. A once subconscious desire was spurred to the forefront by this unexpected revelation. Is that what this means? That Atem… is my soulmate? How could this be possible?

"Yugi?"

Yugi did not respond. Could not respond. He was frozen in place, his heart hammering sickeningly in his chest. A fever dream. This must be a fever dream. Soulmates…

"Yugi… are you still there?"

The room started to spin. A new fear gripped Yugi's mind. It was happening again. The blue light filled his vision as he stumbled over his words.

"Atem, I —"

Snap.