Chapter 10:

When Yugi awakened, the first thing he noticed was that he was not alone in his bed.

He jumped clumsily and fell with a hard thud on the ground, alerting his guest who peered down at him from the edge of the bed with concerned red eyes. Almost instantly there was a knock on his door, and Yugi brought a shaking hand to his bare chest to steady his heartbeat.

"Yugi? You alright in there?" Grandpa asked from the hallway. "Yugi?"

Yami pulled him back to his feet quietly. "Y-yeah, I'm okay, Grandpa, sorry!" He waited until he heard his grandfather's footsteps echo down the stairs before turning his attention to his Yami with a questioning glare. "God, Yami, you nearly gave me a heart attack," he whispered, glancing at his alarm clock on the nightstand. "It's barely 6:30. What are you doing here?" He took in Yami's dark clothing and the messy state of his hair. "Have you been here all night?"

Yami rubbed his eyes drowsily as a yawn escaped past his lips. "A good part of it." At that, Yugi sat next to him and intertwined their fingers, wide eyes lit with worry.

"I thought you were sleeping at your place last night after you…you know. Did something happen? Why didn't you wake me up when you got here?"

"No, Little One, everything is alright. I just…missed you, and I didn't want to disturb you. You seemed fatigued." He thumbed Yugi's hand in his own and half-smiled. "You needed rest." Yugi cuddled up to Yami's side, feeling substantially better than he had the day before. It was amazing what a good night's rest could do. He still had a bit of time before he had to start getting dressed for school, and at the moment all he wanted was a bit of affection from his one and only.

"So…any luck last night?" he asked awkwardly, somewhat dreading the answer. He wanted the creep off the streets for sure, but not sure he wanted to know what fate had in store for him when/if Yami got his hands on him.

"No, dead end, but I will," Yami assured him, the slightest bit of some emotion in his voice. Yugi looked up into rose red eyes ablaze with love. He couldn't help but lean upwards to plant the sweetest of kisses on his lips.

Caught off-guard, Yami moaned into the kiss, immediately pulling his little one more comfortably in his arms, now so Yugi was straddling his lap. Red hot desire shot down the length of his body as he fisted Yugi's hair and pushed his tongue into his mouth desperately. This time it was Yugi who mewled, submitting fully and relaxing his body so that Yami could do with him as he wished. Yami's mouth darted from his own to flower soft, agonizingly-slow kisses to his jaw and down his neck. Yugi gripped Yami's shoulder for dear life, feeling slightly faint from the rush of emotions and pleasure shooting down his spine at even the gentlest of affections. Yami smelled of the night air and the slightest bit of morning musk, and it was triggering wave after wave of bliss through his body.

All good things must come to an end unfortunately as Yugi's alarm clock began to buzz and whine, instantly ceasing the pair's movements. Yami growled, resting his forehead against Yugi's as his eyes slipped close. The two were panting heavily, their foreheads slick with sweat. Yugi brought an effective fist down on the clock to silence it.

"School," he breathed out, grateful that he didn't need to explain himself as Yami nodded silently. He let Yugi slide from his lap and stood, regaining his composure slightly.

"I need to head home for my uniform and things. I'll meet you back here to walk with you." He kissed the top of Yugi's head, and, with a quick look around to make sure no one would see him, hopped down gracefully from the window and circled around the shop towards his apartment. As soon as he stepped around the corner, he was met with surprised raisin purple eyes. Yugi's grandfather was sweeping the front of the shop. He looked Yami up and down and back up again, before humming as if the questions he wanted to ask were not worth the headaches they would surely stir. He continued his sweeping as Yami awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other.

"Long night, Yami?"

"Yes, sir."

"Yugi okay?"

"Yes, sir."

The older man laughed at Yami's nervousness. "There's no need for you to walk all the way back to the city, Yami. Go on up and use our shower, and you've probably got as many clothes here as Yugi does. I'm sure I can find one of your school uniforms in the laundry room somewhere or another." He waved Yami away as if he was dismissing an annoying thought. Yami hesitated before nodding uneasily, knowing that if any blood could pump through his veins, his face would be as red as a tomato.

Yugi checked his watch for the third time. If he and Yami didn't leave within the next ten minutes, they would definitely be late for school. He was quite surprised—albeit mortified—when a red Yami had returned minutes after retreating out his window, mumbling how Yugi's grandfather had caught him and sent him back inside to get ready for school. Yugi was sure a lecture was probably coming his way after he dressed for school and descended to stairs towards the shop portion of their home; however, none came. Grandpa acted as if nothing had happened, as if his boyfriend hadn't just been discovered leaving Yugi's room early in the morning. Yugi wondered vaguely if Grandpa was truly in the dark about all of this or if he just wanted Yugi to think he was. He tucked that thought away for another time. At any rate, he was waiting downstairs for Yami to get out of the shower and change into the clean uniform he had found in the laundry room so that they could leave.

"Yugi!" Grandpa called suddenly from the gameshop. "You have a visitor!"

A visitor? This early? Weird, Yugi thought, though he made his way towards the shop anyway. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the last person on Earth he wanted to talk to at the moment. Joey leaned down on the counter casually, a coy smirk on his face as Yugi came into view. Grandpa stood with a hand on his hip as if surveying the situation, looking back and forth between the pair. Yugi didn't blame him for his behavior. It was rare that Yugi ever mentioned any friends at all besides Yami, and if he ever did, it was never a person like the smug, overconfident Joey. Yugi nodded towards the older man—a silent gesture to let him know he was fine. Grandpa nodded back and returned outside to continue his sweeping and tidying before the store opened. Yugi approached the counter carefully.

"What are you doing here, Joey?"

"Just thought I'd come by and walk ya' to school, partner," Joey replied, the smirk widening. He obviously was enjoying getting under Yugi's skin. It was definitely working.

"Don't call me that. As soon as this project is done, we will go our separate ways, Joey."

Joey stood straighter, inching slightly closer. "Don't be like dat, Yug'. I know I'm a—what was it Lee said?—an 'acquired taste.' Yeah, dat's it. You'll get used to me, I'm sure."

Yugi's heart skipped a beat. "How did you know I talked to Mr. Lee? Have…have you been following me?" He took a step backwards. He took the silence for a yes. "Leave, Joey," he demanded, pleased with the command in his own voice. Joey rolled his eyes and scooted even closer and took Yugi's hand in his own.

"Is that what you really want, Yugi?" he asked, now close enough for his breath to tickle Yugi's face. Yugi glared upwards, intending to give him a piece of his mind, but was silenced when he looked into beautiful brown eyes. No, no, no, not this again. Yugi tore his gaze away, but Joey tilted his chin back up forcefully. "Is it?"

"N-no," Yugi whispered, now fully entranced. Joey hummed huskily.

"What do you want, Yug'?"

"You."

Joey sealed the deal with a harsh, bruising kiss on Yugi's lips, and Yugi once again felt the life draining from him. His eyes rolled to the back of his skull as his knees buckled, but Joey caught him effortlessly. He was about to succumb to sweet unconsciousness when he heard Yami's voice call his name angrily from the stairway. The fog lifted ever-so-slightly from his mind, just enough for him to realize the compromising position he had found himself in—being held in Joey's arms like a limp rag doll locked in a heated kiss. Yami looked back and forth between the two of them, his eyes full of a hurt so deep that Yugi would have died a thousand times to never see again. Something between a strangled sob and enraged cry tumbled out of his mouth before he turned and rushed past the two out the door.