New chapter, y'all. I hope you enjoy it! I look forward to your comments and reviews, as always.

I do now own Yu-Gi-Oh.

~ jehbel

Joey huffed for about the fiftieth time, seemingly without noticing, his eyes glazed with disinterest as he flicked through the TV stations. News, news, news. God, all these channels and nothing good to watch! With disgust, he turned the TV off and laid his head back against the white leather sofa. With a grimace, he realised that he was really just waiting for Seto to get home. The brunette had promised to be home by 7pm, any minute now, but he had worked overtime on so many occasions that Joey knew better than to hold him to that.

Speaking of holding him… Joey smirked a little to himself and imagined how their night might turn out. It was a Friday afternoon, and he had no school the next day; life was good! With a contented sigh, the blonde sank further into his little daydream, a little smile flickering across his face.

Suddenly, with an almighty crash, the front door flew open.

With a yelp, Joey leapt to his feet, ready to defend, or at least run to a room with a lock. He was surprised to see Kaiba striding through the house, his expression thunderous. Catching a glimpse of Joey standing uncertainly in the TV room, the brunette spun on one heel and stormed toward him, pointing at his boyfriend in a dramatic way that would have been almost comical, if it wasn't paired with Kaiba's trademark icy glare and a look of utmost rage.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me, Wheeler?!" Roared Kaiba, making Joey jump and scramble to put the couch between them. Kaiba looked almost ready to spit hot oil.

"Why didn't I tell you what?! What the hell is wrong with you?" Joey cried, circling around the couch to keep its bulk between him and the enraged brunette.

"About YUGI, you imbecile! Imagine, I'm at work, in the middle of giving a speech about our upcoming VR technology plans, when suddenly every monkey in the house is firing questions at me about the fucking Mr. Precious King of Games quitting Duel Monsters! I looked like a fucking idiot, I had no idea! So why didn't you tell me Yugi had quit?! Fuck! That totally ruined our big announcement, it's going to impact stocks, the upcoming tournament… Jesus Christ I wish you'd given me a heads up, Joey!" Kaiba clutched his hair in extreme frustration, kicking the couch before slumping onto the soft material. "Fuck. I'm so angry right now."

A gargled sound to his left made Kaiba glare up at Joey with annoyance; the look dissipated as he took in the expression on his boyfriend's face, however. Joey's eyes were wide with shock, his mouth agape. "Wh- what did you say? Yugi quit Duel Monsters? Yugi? Quit? Duel… What?!" Blindly, Joey stumbled around the couch, coming to a stop in front of Kaiba. Leaning forward, Joey put his hands on either side of Seto's shoulders, looking into the bright blue eyes with his own deadly serious amber orbs. "Seto- did you just tell me that Yugi has quit Duel Monsters?"

Kaiba gave an impatient tsk. "Yes, genius, that's what I just said. Although I realise now that you obviously weren't aware of this. So, I guess, sorry, about calling you an imbecile." He grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and stood up, forcing Joey to back up. "I thought you of all people would know about it. That little punk has totally ruined any chance we had of securing early press coverage of the VR technology in the lead up to the Duelling Season. I hope he has a damned good excuse for quitting." Shrugging his shoulders angrily, Kaiba stooped to pick up his briefcase where he had dropped it, striding out of the room as rapidly as he had entered. Clearly there would be no break from work for him that night.

Joey stood alone in the TV room, breathing deeply to calm himself. His overwhelming feeling was one of having been betrayed. Why didn't Yug' tell me he was quitting? Why didn't he talk to me about it? What has made him do this? With sudden decisiveness, Joey grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. I'll go ask him myself then, if he ain't willing to come to me!

Joey hammered on Yugi's bedroom door, having raced past his Grandpa with a cursory greeting and up the flight of stairs in a maddened rush. He had run all the possibilities over in his mind on the way over, trying to piece together what possible reason could make Yugi quit the game he loved so dearly. If had been only a few months prior, Joey would have understood; Yugi had been in a dark place and Yami's departure had badly affected the small teen's ability to duel. However, Yugi had been so much happier lately that Joey was sure that it was another reason behind his best friend's sudden departure from professional Duelling.

Joey waited, breathing deeply to slow his heart rate, but the door remained resolutely shut. Joey knocked again insistently, half expecting Yugi to ignore him or shout at him to go away; but with a sudden yank that had the blonde stepping back in surprise, the door was opened and Joey found himself staring down into the familiar purple eyes he knew so well.

Yugi peered out like an owl, seemingly nervously at first, but as soon as he realised it was Joey standing before him, he pulled the door open fully with a cry of delight. "Joey! Hey! I didn't expect you over this afternoon! Come in!" He grabbed one of Joey's free hands and yanked the taller teen into his room with surprising enthusiasm. Joey was slightly thrown off balance; he had expected Yugi to be in tears, or angry, or perhaps even guilt-ridden over having neglected to tell him about the surprise announcement. He did not expect Yugi to be his usual cheerful, bouncy self. Eyeing his small friend warily, Joey decided that Yugi was not putting on an act- he was sure he'd notice if he were- but was indeed genuinely happy to see Joey.

"Er- heya, Yug'. I uh, heard the big news! What's with that, Man? You leavin' Duel Monsters for good?" Joey decided to jump straight into it and get to the bottom of this. "Why didn't ya tell me though? It was a hell of a surprise hearin' it from Kaiba!"

Yugi had the decency to look slightly abashed, but he was nowhere near as contrite as Joey had expected. "I'm sorry Joey, it was a rather fast decision, and I was going to call you this afternoon anyway! I guess the news travelled fast, huh?" Yugi gave a light laugh, turning back to the pile of books, cards and figurines amassed on top of his bed. Several large cardboard boxes littered the floor; some were already taped shut, with " Equipment" neatly printed in Yugi's polite handwriting across the top. Joey followed his short friend over to the bed, watching as Yugi neatly rolled up a Feral Imp poster, snapping a rubber band around the paper to keep it from springing open. That done, he placed it gently upright in the closest cardboard box, where several other similarly rolled up posters were already waiting. Looking about the room, Joey noticed that the walls were the barest he had ever seen them; there were faintly darker rectangular patches on the walls where the posters had clearly been placed for so long that the rest of the paint had faded around them. With a sinking feeling, Joey realised that up until now he had not taken the news of Yugi's departure from Duel Monsters seriously; but looking about the dismally empty room now, the blonde realised that his small friend was serious. Joey gulped around the dry lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat, and turned back to the teen, his eyes confused and worried.

"Yug'- why?" Yugi paused in his packing and looked up at Joey seriously. At least he's not laughing it off; he knows this is a big deal, Joey thought. "Can ya at least tell me why you're leaving? You love Duel Monsters!"

Yugi winced slightly, pushing the poster he was holding into the cardboard box with slightly more force than was necessary. "No, Joey, you're wrong. I don't love Duel Monsters. I love my Grandpa, I love my friends, I love.. James. Duel Monsters is just a game, and sometimes, in order to be happy, you have to grow up and stop playing games." He faced Joey with his hands on his hips in uncharacteristic seriousness, staring into his best friend's eyes; his own seemed to be trying to send a message that Joey did not understand.

Joey blinked several times, digesting this. He didn't believe a word of it. But something Yugi had said had caught his attention, and with insight that he didn't usually possess, Joey asked, "Yug', please promise me you aren't quittin' just because someone told you to quit? Did… did James ask you to quit? For him? Are you doing this to be with James?" Yugi's eyes widened slightly as Joey spoke, the only indication that perhaps the blonde had hit close to home. With utter sincerity that Joey immediately distrusted, Yugi cried, "of course not Joe! James isn't like that! I chose to quit because I wanted to, end of story, okay!?"

Joey shook his head, unwilling to drop the subject; however, a feeling of dread was growing in his stomach. Do I really want to get into this with Yug'? Just drop it man! He says he's fine! But, almost out of his own control, Joey felt his mouth open again, and he asked, "fine, Yug' maybe you chose to quit, but tell me, how does James feel about that? I'm bettin' he knew about your decision, right? Was he upset? Did he try to talk you out of it, like all your friends will?" Yugi crossed his arms defensively across his chest and chewed on his lip furiously, a scowl marring his usually babyish face. A silence stretched out between the two teens; Joey refused to break it, waiting instead for Yugi to answer his questions. Finally, with an angry huff, Yugi uncrossed his arms, spinning on his heel to face his cluttered bed, dismissing Joey in the process. "James supports the decisions I choose to make, because he supports me. Unlike some people who just want to bully me." His reply was petulant and childish, and immediately made Joey bridle with anger. Before he could stop himself, Joey snapped back, "I'll support you when you start making decisions for the right reasons, and not because you're tryin' to be someone you're not. This ain't you, Yugi!"

Yugi didn't turn as he continued to sort items into boxes. With horror, Joey watched as Yugi snatched his precious duelling deck from his bedside table and stuffed it into the now full cardboard box with utter certainty. Then, looking up to meet Joey's eyes, Yugi said with anger and a little sadness, "I don't understand why you're so angry, Joey. You should be happy for me- I'm moving on, like you said I could, with James. He's just what I need." His mouth twisted slightly and he looked close to tears, but he grimly continued. "I mean, even if I'm quitting Duel Monsters to be with James, who cares? He makes me happy, and I don't think duelling makes me happy any more. So get off my back!" With sudden anger, Yugi threw an action figure to the floor ignoring it as it broke into pieces. "Maybe if you concentrated on your own duelling technique instead of obsessing pathetically over what I'm doing, you'd be a better duellist!"

Joey gasped, his face flushing with a combination of embarrassment and rage. "How dare you!" He spat in reply. "I'm not the one being pathetic! I'm just trying to help you! Maybe if you stopped trying so desperately to forget about Yami, you'd see that you're acting like a total idiot! He'd be so embarrassed of this display you're putting on!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Joey knew he had gone too far. The blood drained from Yugi's face and the small teen wavered where he stood, his eyes widening and glazing over with tears. Joey cursed and took a step toward Yugi, but stopped when his friend took a step backward in response, his hands flying up as though to ward Joey away. "Yug'- I'm sorry. I was mad-"

"I- I think you should leave now, Joey." Yugi's voice was high and thin, on the verge of tears. In contrast, his face was blank and calm, as though he were talking of an abstract idea or thought rather than to his blonde friend who was standing before him. "I have somewhere else I need to be this afternoon, so I think you should go now".

"Yugi, talk to me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean what I said, really!" Joey cried desperately, trying to salvage the situation. What a terrible mess he'd made of this!

"Joey. Leave. Now." Yugi spoke each word flatly, as though it were almost too much effort just to say this much to his friend. His face was deadpan but for a solitary tear that escaped to slide down his small face. Yugi made no effort to wipe it away but instead stared blankly at the wall to the side of Joey, looking in his direction but decidedly not at the blonde. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

There was nothing else for it; Joey left, backing slowly out of the room, refusing to turn his back on Yugi, his amber eyes locked on the small figure standing by the bed. As he closed the door to his best friend's room, Joey said quietly, "I'll be back later, Yug'. I'm coming back, and we're gonna talk, properly. I… I'm sorry for what I said, man." Yugi did not acknowledge his words in any way, but remained standing where Joey had left him.

\So weak. Pitiful… an embarrassment.

The words his Yami had thought, so long ago, swirled about in Yugi's mind. An embarrassment. I'm an embarrassment. I'm weak and pitiful and I embarrassed him. Yugi curled in on himself, wrapping his arms around his knees and drawing them up almost underneath his chin. The tears came hot and fast; he did not bother to wipe them away. Joey feels the same way. Do they all feel the same way? Am I an embarrassment to all of them? He gasped, the sound loud and harsh in his empty room, startling him even in the depths of his woe. Lifting his head off the floor, Yugi peered about his darkening room with eyes red and swollen from crying. Whimpering to himself, Yugi looked at the deep orange light slowly fading from his room; it was late afternoon, and Joey said he would be back. What if he brought them all? What if they all sat around and stared at him, so pitiful and weak on the floor?

With a sudden panic, Yugi scrambled into a sitting position. "No!" He croaked, his hands flying about the floor, searching for his phone that he knew to be somewhere nearby. The light was rapidly deepening, the shadows in his room stretching, melding, becoming the uniform deepness of night. They might turn up at any time. He didn't want to see them. He didn't want to speak with them. Yugi began to sob with panic, no longer within the realm of reasonable thinking. He was sure that at any moment, Joey would return, and something terrible would happen. It was with a half gasp, half groan of relief, that Yugi's small fingers finally brushed the item of his salvation; his mobile. Now that he had it in hand, Yugi began to shake and heave great ragged gasps. The tears were back, almost blinding him as he pressed the speed dial number and listened to the whirring dial tone. He whispered frantic nonsense words as he listened to the dial tone, almost insane with panic. What if he doesn't pick up? Oh Gods, what if he doesn't answer? Yugi began to rock backward and forward, squeezing his eyes shut, forcing yet more tears down his cheeks.

Click. "Yugi?" The warm voice down the phone. Safety. He had answered. He wasn't embarrassed by him. The relief of hearing his voice had an electric effect on Yugi; he began to sob and wail down the phone, trying desperately to speak, trying desperately to convey his sheer panic.

"Yugi! What's wrong? Talk to me!" James cried frantically as he realised that Yugi was in almost hysterics on the other end. "What have they done to you?"

Yugi groaned, his heart frayed and desperate. "J-James… I'm soh-sorry! I'm pathetic! An em-em-embarrassment! They- he… left me!" It was all Yugi could manage before he gave up, curling back on the floor, the phone clutched to ear but the words James was shouting went unheard. Yugi could feel himself sinking, blacking out. He almost welcomed the oblivion. Dimly, he could hear the tinny sound of James' voice on the phone; he had not hung up. Quietly, not at all sure whether he was talking to James, to himself, or to Yami, Yugi whispered in a voice feather-light, "he left me. He left me. He let me release him. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Help me, please, help meee…"

The phone drooped, loosened in his grip, and dropped gently on the floor by the small teen's head.

With a muffled groan, Yugi raised his head. His eyes cracked open, slowly, the bright light in the room searing his pupils after the blissful darkness he had sunk into. His face felt gritty and stiff. Where- where am I? His first thought was that of utter bafflement. This wasn't his room. Why wasn't he in his room?

Suddenly, the fight he'd had with Joey came thundering back to his memory, along with the overwhelming feeling of shame, anger and humiliation. Yugi sat up abruptly with a gasp at the thought, a hand flying to his forehead to rub uselessly at the point where a headache was blooming.

"Hey, it's alright." A soothing voice over Yugi's shoulder made him jump, and he whipped his head around, coming face to face with James. With sudden realisation, Yugi noticed that he had obviously been sleeping in James' bed, laying in the other teen's lap, by the looks of it. Yugi flushed pinkly and James chuckled at his reaction, drawing the smaller boy back so that he was sitting upright, leaning back against James' chest. Yugi's heart was pounding, partly due to his proximity to James and partly as a result of the disturbing memories of his fight still flashing vividly across his mind. James' arms wrapped protectively across Yugi's middle, and the taller teen leaned in to rest his chin against Yugi's shoulder. Quietly, as he was close to the smaller boy's ear, James murmured, "I was so frightened when you called me last night! By the time I got to your house you had basically passed out; I had to carry you down the stairs! Are you okay now, Yugi? Do you want to talk about what happened?"

Yugi shook his head a little to clear it, his mind sifting through the events of the previous day. The horrible things he had said to Joey, the horrible things his best friend had shot back with… what a mess. His panic at Joey's threat to come back later that had spurred him on to calling James…

"Did Joey come back? When did you come and get me?" Yugi blurted out. He felt James' arms tighten around his waist, and the taller teen was quiet for a time before he answered gravely. "By the time I had arrived at your house, you were basically unconscious. I shook you awake and you asked me to help you, so I took you downstairs. Your Grandpa wanted to call the hospital, or one of your friends, but you yelled and cried and refused. In the end we agreed that you could come and stay at my house for a few days; it was the only option that calmed you down. I didn't… uh, I didn't see Joey at all."

Yugi digested this information; he wasn't sure whether he was relieved or disappointed that Joey had not ended up returning. All he was certain of though, was that once again, James had saved him. Twisting to face the brunette, Yugi flung his arms around James' neck and buried his face against his chest. "Thank you for coming to get me, James; I'm sorry I was acting so crazy." James gave a quiet chuckle and squeezed Yugi tightly. "Nothing to be sorry about, Yugi. We all have our bad days. I'll do anything in my power to make sure nothing ever upsets you that much again."

Remarkably, Yugi was still able to shed tears; at James' kind words, the small teen began to tremble, his breath coming in little sobs as he clutched James. The taller boy gave a quiet exclamation of dismay at Yugi's reaction, rubbing his boyfriend's back in soothing, rhythmic movements and making small hushing noises. Finally, Yugi was able to reclaim control, pulling back to wipe his eyes with the back of his shaking hand. He was embarrassed; James must think of him as a total crybaby by now!

Long fingers stretched out to tilt Yugi's chin up so that the small teen was looking into James' face. Rather than the embarrassment, disgust or even mocking expression that Yugi expected, James was a mask of seriousness, his eyes boring into Yugi's with intensity he had not seen before. Leaning forward, until their foreheads were almost touching, James whispered, "trust me, Yugi. I can help you to forget all about him." Yugi peered into the familiar purple eyes he adored, and murmured back, "who? Joey?"

James shook his head slightly in reply, his long hair sliding over his shoulders to pool on the bed between them. "No, I mean the one who hurt you so badly. You never talk about him… except for last night."

Yugi stared with horror at James. I talked about Yami? Oh Gods! I'm so ashamed! His cheeks paled. Before he could answer however, the other boy leaned in and kissed him gently on the mouth, pulling Yugi in closer into a tight embrace. Yugi melted, his heart stuttering wildly, but not unpleasantly.

When they pulled apart, James raised his hand to cradle Yugi's small face in his palm. "Trust me?" he repeated quietly. "Let me be the one who looks after you. Let me help you forget."

The nearness of those purple eyes. So serious and so comforting. Yugi nodded. "Yes." James smiled with faint humour and wrapped his Yugi up in another crushing hug, pulling them both back down onto the bed into a laying position. "Good. And now, go back to sleep! It's way too early to be up!"

Yugi giggled wearily. He couldn't agree more.

Some time, much later, Yugi snored peacefully on the bed, curled up like a kitten. His large eyes had faint shadows under them; James wondered how long it had been since the small teen had slept soundly all night. Clearly, he had been treated badly by his so-called friends.

James leaned back against the bedhead, recalling the horrible night they had both endured. He knew the image of Yugi shaking and crying in his arms would stay with him for a long time.

With grim humour, James thought back to the moment James had bundled the distraught Yugi into his car, after the decision had been made to allow the small boy to stay at his boyfriend's house for a while. As James had leaned in to enter the vehicle, he had heard a familiar voice shout Yugi's name. James had turned toward the source of the voice, watching as Joey raced toward them, one arm raised in a gesture trying to grab their attention. Clearly, he wanted to speak with Yugi.

James had stared, hesitated. Then, decisively, he had turned and climbed into the car, ignoring the frantically waving blonde, and pulled out smoothly into the traffic.

With a faint smile, James rested his hand on Yugi's eclectic hair, closing his own eyes tiredly. Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow, I'll begin to take Yugi back.