Woooh! Spring Break 2012! You know what that means!

Sage:…You're gonna spend a whole week in your room reading and writing fanfiction?

Yup!

Sage:….You need to get a life.

T.T I know!

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"I'm so sorry, Yugi, baby, I don't know what came over me!" Jack said, nearly crying. He'd become a great actor over the years. He almost had himself convinced. He was on his knees, holding a quiet Yugi in his arms.

Yugi had dried tears on his face, his eyes bloodshot. His newest prize was a broken lip, blood slowly falling down his chin. Yugi sat on the floor, being held by the man who, just a few moments ago, had punched him. It had been such a shock to him, especially after Jack had promised he would never hurt him again.

But, yet, here he was. Crying over what he had done. Yugi didn't know how to take it. Was Jack really sorry for what he had done? He sounded like it, and Yugi wanted to believe him.

Yugi flinched slightly when Jack moved a lock of his hair and pushed it behind his ear.

"Yugi, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to baby, honest!"

"B-but…" Yugi said softly, afraid, "but you did it…"

"I know, Yugi. I've just been so angry lately, what with my work and school, and just life. I took it out on you, and I'm sorry. I can never forgive myself!" Inside, Jack was laughing. He could see it in Yugi's eyes. The younger boy was believing him. And it was only a matter of time before Yugi accepted the 'apology' and the duo went on with their normal lives.

It was bright daylight, noon, and the sun shone through the windows. The heavy noise of traffic could be heard easily.

"Yugi…please say something."

"I-I…" Yugi stuttered, finding himself fighting new tears threatening to fall.

"I'll be more careful with my anger. I promise."

Yugi took a shaky breath and swallowed a lump in his throat. "I forgive you Jack." He turned around and looked at the blonde man. "I know you would never hurt me on purpose.'"

"I wouldn't. I love you, Yugi."

"…I love you, Jack."

To Yugi, the words felt strange on his tongue. He did love Jack. He loved him with all his heart. Jack was tall, funny, smart. Strong. Easily angered. But, that was the point of love, wasn't it? To get passed a person's flaws, to see who a person is despite their flaws? He loved Jack.

And he knew that Jack loved him too.

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Yami walked with Yugi to a small restaurant nearby. Yami felt all sorts of emotions rushing through him at the idea that he was finally going to get his date with Yugi. The boy had bailed him out of jail and now he was going to lunch with him.

The restaurant they chose was a small burger place, but it was quiet, which was something Yami appreciated. They had sat down at a table and a waitress had taken their order. As they waited for their food, they began to talk.

"So," Yami said, preparing to ask a question he had for many moments, "how do your friends feel about you dropping the charges?"

Yugi was quiet and began to chew on his lip. "They don't know about it."

Yami raised an eyebrow. "They don't?"

Yugi shook his head. "Anzu gave me the day off and Joey's at work…I figured this was probably the only chance I could get to do the right thing."

Yami was impressed by the boy's stealth. He didn't think Yugi had it in him to defy his friend's wishes. It seemed he cared a little too much about their opinion to do otherwise. But, Yami was also thankful for it. If Yugi hadn't come, then he would most likely still be in jail. His asshole cousin wasn't going to bail him out anytime soon, so there was no saying how long Yami would've been kept there.

"I guess I should apologize for them." Yugi said quietly. "It's uncalled for. Joey shouldn't have yelled at you the other night, and Anzu didn't need to call the police."

"Why are they so protective of you?" Yami asked, leaning forward slightly. Protectiveness like that didn't just fall from the sky. Something had to have happened for the duo to take such precautions with Yugi.

Yugi fiddled with the straw of his drink for a moment. Yami noticed his eyes seemed to get dull and quiet once more. He suddenly felt guilty. He had crossed into private territory. It wasn't any of his business why Joey and Anzu were so protective over their smaller friend. It was something that had happened between the three of them, and Yami was still a stranger, no matter how much he wished he wasn't.

"I'm sorry." Yami said, hanging his head. "It's none of my business."

He saw Yugi give a small smile and his eyes rose and met Yami's. "They mean well, they really do. I don't blame them, or hate them for it. But sometimes I wish they would have more faith in me. I wish they would trust me to be with other people by myself."

"What do you mean?"

"They've already explained. They have no problem with me. It's everyone else they seem to have a bone to pick with."

The waitress came and brought their food, interrupting their conversation for a moment. Yugi thanked her and when she left he turned back to Yami.

"What about your memory?" Yami asked, hoping he wasn't making Yugi uncomfortable. It seemed like another personal question, but wasn't that the point of a date? To get to know each other?

"I was in an accident about a year ago." Yugi explained quietly. "It's just new memories that I lose. I can remember everything that happened before the accident, it's just new memories that seem to evade me."

Yugi peered past Yami slightly, looking out the window. He saw the dozens of people walking the streets of Domino City. He enjoyed seeing their faces, even though they were strangers. Every few seconds his eyes would go from Yami back to the window, but he always turned his attention back to Yami. He didn't want to be rude, and honestly, he wanted to get to know the older man too. Yugi enjoyed looking into his deep, almost crimson eyes. For some reason, he felt safe looking into those eyes.

"I can't imagine how hard that must be." Yami said. "What's it like when you forget something?"

"It's like having just a…blank in my mind. If I forget something, it's just a blank void. I might remember some of what happened before, or what happened after, but the middle is always gone."

Yami watched the small boy. He couldn't believe that just a few days ago he saw this kid almost let himself be killed. He could see the sadness in his eyes, but he still couldn't imagine why it would be so bad as to think of suicide. His friends loved him; that was obvious. There was something being kept from him. It had to have something to do with that accident Yugi spoke of earlier.

There was something to that accident that explained everything. But, once again, it wasn't any of his business. Yami was sure the topic would come up later, and soon he would know everything about Yugi, just like he wanted to. But for now he would just have to wait and be patient and allow Yugi to set the pace.

"Joey's going to be furious when he finds out about this date." Yugi said.

"What's he got against you meeting new people?" Yami asked, keeping his eyes on the beautiful boy in front of him.

"Like I said. He just doesn't trust them."

"Sounds like a lonely way to live. Just automatically not trusting strangers. He doesn't even get to know them."

"It's just how he was raised." Yugi shrugged, taking a bit of his burger. "He's a real good guy. Don't get fooled by his abrasiveness. He can be a real puppy dog."

"Sounds like you really know him."

Yugi smiled. "I've known him practically my whole life. Anzu too."

"Yeah…" Yami trailed off, remembering the feeling of the knife being pressed against his skin. For a moment he thought he felt blood running down his neck.

"She didn't scare you too bad, did she?" Yugi said, his voice showing worry.

"She's…" Yami paused, chewing on his lip. He looked up at Yugi and saw the curious look in the boy's eyes. He let out a small laugh and shook his head. "She's feisty."

"She scares you, doesn't she?"

"…Yes."

Yugi began to laugh and Yami smiled. He had a pretty laugh. "Yeah," Yugi said, "she can have that effect on people. But she's really nice once you get to know her."

Yugi's eyes went up to the window and saw the people walking outside. The traffic had subsided some, so there weren't as many people out walking as before.

"So," Yami said, stirring his straw around the circumference of his drink, "have you been on many dates?"

Yugi froze and began to choke on his drink. He coughed some and looked back up at Yami. "Uh…what did you say? Were you asking about my other…relationships?"

"I'm sorry, is it too personal?" Damn it! Why couldn't he do anything right? Now Yugi probably thought he was some crazy, intrusive stalker.

Yugi shook his head and tried to regain his composure. He took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down. "Uh, no. It's fine. It's just…there's really no story there." Yugi lied. He didn't want Yami knowing about his relationship with Jack. He was actually having a good time hanging out with the older man. He didn't want to scare him off, or make things awkward.

"You've never been on a date before?" Yami couldn't imagine why. Yugi was attractive, funny; he really made for good company. He found it hard to believe that he had been the first to see this in the younger boy.

"I've been on a date here and there before." Yugi said quietly, trying not to let anything he didn't want said slip out. "But they never really went anywhere. A lot of the times, I never heard from him again after the dinner, or the movie."

"Oh…" Yami hadn't expected things to get awkward like this. He wanted to make Yugi feel comfortable, but it seemed like he was doing a poor job of it right now. Yami sighed and stirred his straw around his drink, occasionally picking it up and trying to push the ice cubes down to the bottom.

"What about you?" Yugi asked, acting unfazed, as though it didn't hurt him to talk about his past relationships. "How have your past dates been?"

Yami shrugged. "There's no story there either."

"I told you mine. It's only fair that you tell me yours." Yugi said, leaning forward.

"Well," Yami said, feeling embarrassed as he thought about his past relationships, "I've never really had a boyfriend, in such words."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked. "Unsupportive parents?"

"No." Yami shook his head. "When I told them I was gay, they were very supportive. They had no problems at all. But they told me that it didn't change anything." Seeing the confused look on Yugi's face, Yami was quick to step in and finish his story. "I still was supposed to abstain from sex until I was married, and found the perfect person."

"I take it that didn't go so well?"

"I was eighteen and a stupid, hormonal teenager. My parents ended walking in on me having sex with a male prostitute."

"Ouch." Yugi grimaced. "How did your parents react?"

"As you would expect. They were angry and upset. I couldn't stand to see them like that, knowing I betrayed their trust and caused that. So, I managed to get a job with my cousin at his business and moved out. It's an okay job, but the pay is good, so I supposed I'd be making an asshole of myself by complaining. What about you and your job?"

"Oh, I've been working at the diner for nearly three years now. I like it. I mean, it's not the best job, but it pays the bills." He smiled weakly and shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.

Yami couldn't help but imagine the condition of Yugi's apartment. It had been small, and dark, and dusty. Not to mention the side of town it was in. Nothing good ever came onto the news about the Red Light Zone. It wasn't called that because of its street lights. Rather, it was symbolic of something else red, and shiny…

"What about school?" Yami asked, furrowing his brows. Yugi was still school aged, he knew that. This kid should be earning an education, so he could get a better job, and move to a better apartment.

"I-I'm a dropout." Yugi said, ashamed and hung his head. "With all the bills piling up, Joey and I couldn't afford for us to go to school…we were missing hours to make money."

Yugi and Joey seemed to be having a hard time just making a living. Then a thought came to Yami: why was Yugi living with Joey? Why wasn't he living with his parents? "What about your parents, why aren't you living with them?"

Yugi sighed at the thought of his parents. He looked up through the window again and froze. There was a man outside, staring at him, glaring. His hair was brown and his nose was crooked, but it was his eyes that caught Yugi's attention. They were a sparkling blue. He'd recognize those eyes anywhere.

"Jack." Yugi whispered, swallowing a lump in his throat. He hadn't seen Jack in nearly a year. Not since the incident. He didn't think he'd ever see Jack again, but now, staring at him through the glass, Yugi felt his heart rate increasing. He was terrified.

"Yugi?" Yami asked after the silence. He saw something change in the boy's eyes and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. Yami saw that his attention was focused on the window behind him and he turned around, but there was no one there. "Yugi, is everything alright?"

"I'm sorry, Yami." Yugi said, standing up. "But I have to go." He felt tears pricking at his eyes and he didn't want anyone to see them. He just wanted to go home and lock himself in his room.

"Wait, Yugi!"

"I had a great time, I really did. But I need to get home before Joey does. Can't have him knowing I went on a date with you, can we?" Yugi tried to smile, but found himself unable too. He was just too fearful.

"Umm…okay." Yami said, unsure of what to do.

"If there's ever a time when you want to meet again…you know where to find me."

"What about your boss? What we will we do to make sure she doesn't see us?"

"Anzu tends to take Sundays off so she can catch up with her studies…"

"So, I'll see you Sunday then?"

"Sure, but please, let me go now. Joey will be home any minute—"

"Do you want a ride?"

Yugi shook his head. "I'm fine walking." In reality, Yugi just wanted some time alone, to clear his head. He knew the way home from here, so walking wasn't a problem. "Bye Yami. Thanks for a good time."

Yugi turned around and ran out of the restaurant, squeezing by other customers, before running out the door. Yami watched him through the window, smiling. That had gone better than expected. Yugi had even agreed to a second date. Maybe not in such words, but he didn't tell Yami to piss off and go to hell. As far as Yami was concerned, the lunch date had gone great. He got out of prison, and had a date with the boy he'd been thinking of for the past few days. Not necessarily the way he planned things to go, but at least it wasn't boring.

Yami smiled. Things seemed to be looking good for him and Yugi.

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Another chapter down. I hope you like this chapter; I've been finding I'm not so good at writing romance. Or fluff.

Sage: Or anything.

Yeah…well, till next time! Please review!