Yay, two chapters in one day, just like I used to. Haha. Don't forget to review guys! I appreciate it! ^.^

-Mystie

Chapter 3:

In Yami's opinion, the first day back to school was going by painfully slow. Then again, every school day seemed to pass by sluggishly. He was over five millennia old, for Ra's sake, and he had repeated high school more times in more places that he could count for appearance's sake. There was little that any of these instructors could teach him that he didn't already know from years of repetitive schoolwork. He had read Shakespeare in more than eight languages in places all over the globe, memorized every arithmetical equation necessary, and stomached down so many government-mandated lunches that he had grown tired of the monotony. Besides, every inch of him craved Yugi. The summer had been fantastic—they'd made love more times than he could count—but now he had grown so accustomed to being around him that it was almost painful to be so far from his little one. Well, at least he was done repeating high school after this year. Yugi would graduate the following year, and then they were free to do whatever they wished. If Yugi wanted to continue with school, Yami would follow him. If he wanted to move away and travel the world, Yami would be right beside him.

This calculus class was exhausting—the teacher was already trying to give a lecture to no avail. No one was paying much attention. The students' brains were still on summer mode, and trying to mix in mathematical algorithms was trying to mix oil with water. Yami felt sorry for the new teacher. He would learn that the first day was for introductions and relaxation soon enough. Yami glanced at the clock hanging above the whiteboard. Three minutes until lunch. Three minutes until he saw Yugi. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably, suppressing a groan. Three minutes too long. He wondered if Yugi was as impatient as he was, if he was watching the time wind down, too. Finally, the bell rang and Yami quickly packed up his things and headed out the door. Unfortunately, he was further from Yugi this year, so he walk-ran towards the junior building. This would be the longest break he would get with Yugi until upperclassman study hall seventh period, when the juniors and seniors all squeezed into the library to "study." The building came into sight, and Yami opened the door quickly. Most students had already cleared out for lunch, and the hall was almost silent save for one familiar voice and one that wasn't quite as used to. Yami narrowed his eyes. It wasn't as if Yugi wasn't social; in fact, ever since the two of them had become close, Yugi's confidence had started to blossom, and he would often talk to others casually now instead of trying to avoid them. What bothered him was who the voice belonged to.

Yami had never personally met Joey Wheeler, though his reputation preceded him. He was not exactly thought highly of by any form of authority, often getting into trouble with the law and the teachers. He was no Ushio, but he was some kind of bully, and Yami knew kids like him would prey on someone as sweet as Yugi. Even if he had been ignorant of Joey's character, something about the blonde had put him off the previous night. He acted odd, just staring at the two of them as they played Duel Monsters by the window. Yami had felt…something. He didn't know what it was or what it meant, but something about the kid had made the hair on the back of his neck stand. Maybe familiarity? Not likely. But something. The feeling had disappeared before he could identify it. He didn't like him. He certainly didn't trust him. Now he was around the one person in this world Yami cared for, and Yami would have none of it.

He turned the corner that led to Yugi's locker, peeking at the pair. All seemed fine at first; the two of them chatted coolly, though Yami could see that Yugi was a bit nervous. Perhaps he got the same off-putting feeling about Joey that Yami did. As the conversation continued, Yami began to wonder if maybe his overprotectiveness had simply clouded his judgment, and that Joey was just a normal douchebag and not a threat.

That was until he saw Joey make a move on Yugi.

He almost had Yugi pressed against the lockers, and Yugi seemed frozen, entranced even. It was as if he couldn't move from fear. Yami's eyes widened. Who the hell did this kid think he was? Yami himself felt frozen from shock, but quickly got over it, darting towards the pair instantly.

"What in the fuck do you think you're doing?" he demanded. His voice almost cracked from the sheer anger pumping through his veins. He felt Yugi lean against him slightly. Joey's snarky responses did little to slacken Yami's rage. He ordered that Joey never come around Yugi again, and stared him down until he exited the building. When they were alone, he released a shaky breath. That kid was really pushing all the right buttons to get himself beat down, and had it not been for their location, Yami might have given in to his fury. He exhaled deeply to calm himself and turned to Yugi. His eyes were dazed and unfocused, and he gripped his head as if in pain. "Yugi? Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" he asked quickly, fearing that he had gotten to Yugi too late. Yugi shook his head, both in response to the question and to clear his clouded mind. His amethyst eyes finally focused on Yami.

"I'm fine, Yami…what happened?"

"That creep can't take a hint, obviously. I should have ripped his head off," Yami growled. He took Yugi's hand and headed towards the courtyard. Yugi let Yami lead, still a bit confused by the whole situation. They reached the yard and picked a spot by the fountains, sitting on the crisp grass. Yugi shrugged his jacket off. It had gotten rather warm. Other students sat sporadically around the courtyard enjoying their lunches. Yami pulled Yugi into his lap, hugging him close. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Just have a little headache, I think," Yugi replied with a smile. "I can't believe that happened. Joey was acting really weird."

"Indeed," Yami agreed, biting his lower lip. That could have been a lot worse than it actually had been. "Yugi, I want you to stay away from him. Promise me."

"Yami, it's not a big deal, really," Yugi assured him.

"Promise me. Something about that kid…I don't like it." Yami shook his head. "I don't trust him around you, and he obviously has no respect for me."

"He's just a flirt," Yugi said, dismissing the thought. Though he had been surprised by Joey's actions, he hadn't hurt him or anything. "Trust me, Yami, please? I'm okay."

Yami sighed. He had no proof that Joey meant Yugi any harm, just that he was an oversexed teenager who obviously had a thing for Yugi. That didn't make the feeling go away, though. Nonetheless, Yami had to show that he trusted Yugi, even if his judgment could be a bit biased at times. He nodded firmly, dropping the subject. He wouldn't let the actions of a hormonal teen ruin his lunch with Yugi. Yugi pulled out sandwiches for them both from his backpack, and Yami smiled. No matter how many times he had reminded Yugi that it was unnecessary for him to eat human food, Yugi still insisted, packing him a sandwich or something similar everyday. They enjoyed lunch in peace, Yami sneaking in kisses to Yugi's neck or temple between conversations. It wasn't long before the situation with Joey disappeared to the back of his mind.

The next two periods after lunch flew by, and Yugi couldn't have been happier that this day was coming to an end. He tucked his ordeal with Joey in the back of his head. He hadn't seen him since, after all. He knew Yami was still disturbed by the whole thing, but Yugi truly felt that it was nothing more than a typical attempt at PDA that went bad. Joey wasn't a bad guy. He was just…well…a guy. Still, when the bell released him from chemistry to study hall, he scurried to the library, just in case. He was unprepared for the amount of students crowded in the large building, most of them chatting away instead of getting any kind of work done. All of their hushed whispers creating a dull roar within the library, and Yugi scanned the throngs of people for any sign of Yami. It was basically impossible for him to see past all of the students who were quite taller than him, and he struggled to spot the unique mane of hair he and Yami possessed. It was no use. Besides, he had gotten to the library rather fast. It was likely that Yami wasn't even there yet. He found an empty table in a corner near the entrance, hoping that when Yami arrived, he would see him. To pass time, he reached into his backpack and grabbed a deck of Duel Monsters cards, flipping through them. He had recently added a few new spell cards and traps to his collection, and he enjoyed browsing through them. He almost jumped when two hands were placed in front of his eyes from behind and warm breath was on his neck.

"Guess who?" Yugi felt his heart skip a beat. He figured Yami had slipped in and caught him off-guard, but this voice definitely didn't belong to him. The accent was hard to miss.

"J-Joey?" The hands were removed, and Yugi turned and was met with golden brown eyes and a smirk. "What are you doing here?"

Joey helped himself to a seat and scooted next to Yugi. He took a quick glance around. "Your overprotective boyfriend ain't here?"

"He's on his way…is there something you wanted, Joey?" Yugi asked. He didn't mean to sound rude, but this was a bit uncomfortable. He had dismissed the situation in the hall earlier, yet here he was again. This time, Yami was nowhere in sight.

"I told'ja, Yug', I just wanna get to know ya," Joey replied with a smile, his chin resting in his palm.

"Like…as friends?" Yugi asked, trying to thwart his attempts.

"Hmm," Joey hummed, "somethin' like that. Why don't you take a walk with me to the park tonight? We can get to know each other plenty."

Alarms rang in Yugi's head. "I don't know if that's a good idea actually."

"Aw, c'mon, Yug'," Joey lifted his hand to push a bang out of Yugi's face, then forced his face towards his own. "What could happen?" Once again, Yugi found himself staring at darkened eyes, and once again, his head drummed loudly in his ears. He was unable to look away. Joey's eyes had gone from a bronze-y brown to the color of mud, and were still blackening. Yugi's peripheral vision disappeared, and all he could see was Joey. Was he even breathing? He wasn't sure. "Come with me, Yugi."

"I'll…come with you," Yugi found himself saying. No, no, no, take it back! But he couldn't. Joey's smile deepened mischievously.

"I'll see you at eight."

Bad Joey. No means no! haha, let me know what you think!

-Mystie