New chapter is here! I hope you enjoy it.
I sketched the character design for James in boredom one day, so if anybody is interested in seeing what he looks like, let me know and I can show you.
Also, shoutout to LittleMe100, who consistently sends me good vibes and comments on my chapters. Knowing you get some enjoyment out of the things that fall from my head makes me very happy :)
~Jehbel
Yugi sat on the high brick wall, beating his heels in a rhythmic pattern against the cold grey concrete. Beside him, James leaned back on the edge, almost as tall as Yugi sitting atop the wall. James was staring out over the water; they had wandered down to the waterline, chatting about anything and everything, ignoring the bitingly cold winds. Now, they stood in a peaceful silence, although on Yugi's part it was a silence accompanied by the jangle of nerves and busy thoughts. From the corner of his eye, Yugi watched James. The taller teen's long hair whipped about him; he kept it extremely long, well past the small of his back, and loosely tied halfway down. His large eyes swept the choppy waters, watching as ducks and geese paddled about and filtered the water with hungry beaks for bread or other morsels.
Yugi bundled his long scarf tighter to his body, shivering slightly in the frigid air. He allowed his thoughts to drift as he watched the long tendrils of James' hair float in the wind; Tristan's cousin had been in town for a little over two weeks now, and had come to visit Yugi most afternoons. He also sat near the shorter teen in classes they shared and seemed an enthusiastic companion. Despite the attention however, Yugi was confused; James was full of compliments and could act quite flirty with Yugi whenever they were alone together, but acted normally around their friends. And so, Yugi was unsure if James had a romantic interest in him, or whether he just saw him as a friend. Yugi did not even know if he wanted James to like him that way; at present he was simply enjoying the companionship that the other teen offered. It was difficult to ignore his strong personality and he kept Yugi from dwelling on darker matters. Yugi had come to rely on and deeply appreciate James' company.
Suddenly the other teen's voice jolted Yugi from his reverie. "Your friends don't really like me, do they?"
Yugi jumped a little as James spoke, turning to look at the taller boy's profile. "What do you mean? Of course they all really like you!"
James turned to glance at Yugi, momentarily mesmerizing the smaller teen with his striking eyes. "Not all of them though, Yugi. Ryou doesn't like me, does he?"
Yugi frowned slightly. It was true that while the rest of the gang had accepted James into their group with friendly grace, Bakura had taken one glance at the brunette and refused to speak to him. Indeed, his immediate and irrational hatred of James was so strong that his own feelings had impacted even how Ryou reacted; the white-haired teen struggled to converse normally with James and often was taken over by Bakura who forced him to leave the room if James was present. Yugi did not know why Bakura felt this way, but he was not too concerned; Bakura was unpredictable and hostile at the best of times. He did however feel slightly sorry for Ryou who was being manipulated against his natural personality.
Bundling his small hands deeper into his jacket pockets, Yugi looked up, choosing his words carefully. The group had decided against telling James about Bakura and Yami just yet as it was a difficult concept for outsiders to comprehend. "I suppose it's true that Ryou isn't totally on board yet. But, he'll come around. The rest of the gang really like you!" Yugi huffed out a little cloud of breath, watching as it steamed slightly in the cool air. Beside him, he felt more than heard as James shifted. Looking down, he was startled to see that James was now standing directly in front of him, his purple eyes locking Yugi in place like a startled bird. James quirked a smile at Yugi, moving closer to the smaller teen. Yugi felt his cheeks flush slightly at the proximity and was glad this face was already pink from the cold air.
"And what about you, Yugi? Do you 'really like me'?" James gave a little grin as Yugi silently opened his mouth and wriggled where he sat. Looking down at his lap, Yugi clasped his hands in front of him, shaking his head to clear it. "Well, yeah, sure I do James! You're fun and nice to me. I like hanging out with you!" He toyed with a thread on his glove, heart beating a little faster than normal.
James gave a little chuckle, moving closer again. "I knew you were inexperienced, Yugi, but you can be kind of oblivious sometimes, you know that?" Reaching out a hand, James gently clasped one of Yugi's long blonde bangs, tugging it slightly. With a small gasp, Yugi's eyes snapped up to meet James'. "Listen, Yugi- are you interested in maybe going out with me? To be clear, I mean dating, not just going somewhere together." He grinned as Yugi pulled an expression at his words, and tugged on the long blonde hair again.
Yugi flushed, his emotions a chaotic mix, difficult to understand and differentiate. He supposed that he was pleased; it was nice to feel wanted for a change. He was not sure if he felt romantic toward James yet or not, but he figured that between normal people, it was a process that could take some time to develop fully. But James was popular, and interesting, and something about his appearance drew Yugi's eyes like nobody else. Looking up, his eyes met the arresting purple of James', and his thoughts stuttered to a halt. Instead, he just nodded.
A wide grin split James' face, and he moved to embrace Yugi, who was trembling from a mixture of cold and nerves. "I'm so glad," James murmured into Yugi's wild hair as he hugged the shorter teen. Yugi's eyes were wide and unblinking as he hugged James back, his emotions a mixture of excitement and terror.
"I'm so glad."
"I'm so glad."
Yugi looked up into Yami's eyes as his partner smiled gently down at him. Yugi had run to Yami in a frenzy of excitement, bursting through the door of his cabin. "Yami! Yami! I just saw Joey and Kaiba KISSING! Like, actually kissing!"
His soul partner had been standing by the glass doors, staring out over the ocean. Yugi could see his face reflected dimly in the glass, large amethyst eyes locked on his own. Yami had turned, his face tender and full of love, it had seemed to the hopeful Yugi. Reaching forward, he had gently wrapped his fingers around one of Yugi's long blonde locks, twisting the hair through his fingers, over and over, in a hypnotic rhythm, being careful not to pull it. Smiling down, Yami's eyes twinkled with a faint triumph.
"I'm so glad, Yugi. Those two deserve happiness. Did they know you were peeping at them, though?" His smile was gently teasing. Yugi flushed slightly, puffing himself up with humorous indignation.
"No, they didn't know, but I didn't watch for very long! I ran off as soon as I realised what they were doing, promise! But aren't you proud? It's because of you they are finally together now, I think."
Yami smiled faintly, shaking his head in gentle negation. "No, I believe those two would have found their way to each other regardless. A connection as deep as that-" here, his large eyes met Yugi's unflinchingly- "cannot be refuted or broken so easily." Yugi flushed further in response, grinning up at his taller companion.
"In any case, thank you, Yami- you're a true friend."
Yugi pulled back from James' embrace, startled by the vivid memory. That happened back during the cruise! That was so long ago now. The familiar ache followed moments later, causing Yugi to physically flinch. James immediately moved back with an apologetic noise. "Sorry, Yugi, I've gone and embarrassed you. I was just really happy you said yes, is all."
Yugi barely heard him, focused as he was on suppressing the surge of emotions. With an angry internal grimace, he slammed down on the memory, forcing himself to ignore it. Looking up into James' oddly familiar eyes, Yugi smiled grimly.
"I'm fine, James, I didn't mean to push you away." Reaching forward with slightly trembling hands, Yugi grasped the collar of James' jacket with his own gloved fingers.
With a determined twist to his mouth, Yugi pulled James back into an embrace.
"I'm just fine."