Rated for language, violence, and mild sexual references.
Disclaimer: If you recognize any names, terms, or concepts, that's because they are not mine.
CHAPTER 2 - Acquaintances and Anxiety
It seemed like Harry had only just fallen asleep when he was awoken by knocking at the front door. He grumbled and looked about fuzzily, casting a quick Tempus charm for the time and blinking confusedly when the number read 12:27. A second round of knocking prompted him to drag himself out of bed. He shook his head and muffled a yawn on the way to the door. A quick glance through the peephole revealed fluffy white hair, and Harry opened the door.
"Good afternoon, Harry-san," Ryou smiled. The smile slipped, however, when he took in Harry's dark, gummy eyes and rumpled clothes. "Oh, I didn't wake you, did I?" he exclaimed.
"No, it's fine, I needed to get up anyway. Just a long day yesterday, is all. Did you need something?" Harry asked.
"Ah, I guess I just wanted to see if you were alright? You left rather quickly yesterday, I hope we didn't upset you or anything." Ryou looked very worried about that last point, and Harry found himself wondering if it was really possible for anyone to be so worried about a stranger. Down, paranoia, he grumbled to himself.
"Er, no, I'm fine really. I just…don't really handle crowds that well. And then your friends and your cousin and stuff… It's not that you weren't really friendly!" He assured quickly when Ryou started to look dejected. "I'm just not great with a lot of people or strangers," he continued, quickly growing embarrassed. "I. Um. It's a minor social anxiety disorder, recently cropped up. Ran out of medication for it, so yesterday wasn't a great day," Harry finished in a mumble, beyond mortified. Fuck. Why did I tell him all that? 'S not like it's any of his business, probably doesn't give a shit, and now I just sound pathetic and unhinged.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry we made you uncomfortable," Ryou cried, distressed. "I was going to invite you out to lunch with a few friends, but if you'd prefer to have the day to yourself–"
"Lunch sounds good, actually," Harry interrupted, smiling, his mood rising at Ryou's earnestness and lack of judgment. "Just, maybe not for as long as yesterday?" he questioned sheepishly.
Ryou brightened immediately. "Oh good! I was really hoping you'd say yes. You seem very nice, and I was worried you might be lonely here by yourself."
Harry assured him that he wasn't lonely, but his friendliness was welcomed regardless. They chatted for a few more moments before Ryou returned to his own apartment to gather Bakura, while Harry went to go freshen up and change his clothes before they headed out. They met back up in the hallway, Ryou looking oddly amused, and Bakura looking somewhat disgruntled. He couldn't help but notice that the tallest was wearing a rather nicer shirt today than he had been yesterday, a tight red thing that stretched across his pectorals. Harry forced himself not to examine Bakura closer, and turned to Ryou with a half-grin.
"Shall we? You'll have to lead the way. And, ah, I'd appreciate it if you could point a few places out to me on the way there. 'Fraid a lot of what you showed me yesterday didn't quite sink in," he said sheepishly.
Ryou nodded agreeably, and the three set off on foot through the city. Harry was quite proud when, halfway there, he realized that he vaguely recognized the path they were taking as the 20-minute walk that would end up at the restaurant they had visited the day before, Burger World.
"Hey guys!" Ryou greeted as he headed towards the same large table in the back as yesterday, where several people were already seated. Harry recognized two of them as Jounouchi and Honda, whom he'd met yesterday, but waited to be introduced to the other three.
"Harry-san, this is Anzu, Mai, and Otogi," Ryou said. "Guys, this is Potter Harry. He moved into the apartment next to mine a few days ago, all the way from London. Yugi's not here yet, Anzu?"
"No, but he's on the way, he had to stop by the post office," the busty, blue-eyed brunette girl said before turning to Harry with a warm smile. "Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Mazaki Anzu."
"London, huh?" said the voluptuous blonde woman Ryou had gestured to when he spoke the name 'Mai.' So this is Jounouchi's girlfriend, then, he affirmed, taking in Jounouchi's arm around her purple-clad shoulder and the way they were leaned into one another where they sat side-by-side. She continued speaking, "Can't say I'm over-fond of the food or the weather there, but I will say those pubs are great fun," she grinned.
The last person, Otogi, just sent him a slow, devilish smirk, a quirked eyebrow, and a stare that dragged up the length of Harry's body. He had long dark hair pulled into a high ponytail and bright green eyes outlined in black make-up. Harry glanced away nervously and quickly grabbed a seat that placed Honda between them, with Bakura unfortunately on his other side. He noticed that everyone seemed to be taking freely from a massive pile of fries in the center of the table and decided to help himself.
"So, Harry," Jounouchi started, his face open and his grin wide. "Ya got any plans for later today?"
"Nothing terribly important or pressing, really. I was hoping to poke around a bit, see if there's a small place looking for a part-time employee," Harry responded around a mouthful of fries.
"What about that profiler job of yours?" Honda asked, brow crinkling in confusion.
"I get paid case-by-case for that. So, if I'm not working on a case, I'm not getting paid," Harry shrugged. "I wanted to find something to keep me occupied during the day, someplace that wouldn't mind me working half days or something when I have a case to work."
"I don't know, Harry-san," Otogi spoke up smoothly. "Most respectable places probably wouldn't want to offer much in the way of salary, with a stipulation like that."
"I'm not particularly interested in the money, just the occupation. And, you know, something quiet, for the most part, would be best…" he trailed off, not wanting to get into his anxiety issues again so soon after this morning, and certainly not with these other people, who just didn't have the same air of gentle trustworthiness Ryou did. And absolutely not around his bastard of a cousin, who had just started eyeing him with a small, vaguely knowing smirk playing about his lips. Shit. Ryou didn't say anything, did he? Or was Bakura eavesdropping? Probably the latter, Ryou doesn't seem the type to gossip, Harry thought worriedly, trying not to let his consternation show on his face. He turned back to the conversation when Jounouchi spoke up.
"Well," Jou said. "I might know a place like that. If ya don't mind just, like, moving stock and occasionally working the register, and stuff. Waddaya think?"
"The position at the game shop the old man has been looking to fill? He'd probably want an employee who's actually heard of the most popular game in Japan," Bakura said disdainfully, glancing at Harry from the corner of his eye.
"Well, I think it's a great idea," came a light, unfamiliar voice from behind Harry. He jumped, startled, and reached for his wand before remembering himself and grabbing a fry instead. He turned around, fry in hand, ignoring Bakura's suddenly amused grin in his direction – bastard just had to notice my reaction – to regard the stranger who had snuck up on him.
And he couldn't help but stare. The man was short, even more so than Harry, with purple eyes and the most bizarre hair he'd even seen, even after having known Tonks the metamorphmagus for years. Several broad, flat spikes shot up about a foot into the air, black outlined in red, and long bangs hung golden and stiff in the shape of lightning bolts. He wore a tight black tank top with dark jeans bedecked with chains and a studded belt, and a wide leather collar around his neck. Despite the off-putting style, he had a wide, friendly grin on his lips, and he leaned forward with a hand extended to greet Harry.
"Hi there! Didn't mean to scare you," the man chirped. "I'm Mutou Yugi – just Yugi is fine – and it's my Grandfather's shop Jou mentioned. I'm sure he'd appreciate the help!"
"Oh. Well, thanks! I'm Potter Harry. Um. Do you make a habit of eavesdropping on easily startled foreigners?" Harry couldn't help but grin back at the friendly man.
"Ha! Only when it's convenient," Yugi laughed, sliding into a chair, pressing a kiss to Anzu's cheek across the table, and stealing a sip of Ryou's soda. "So what do you say? I think Grandpa would really like to work with someone a little less familiar with the gaming circuit."
"Why's that?" Harry wondered. "Wouldn't he prefer someone more experienced?"
"Well, Kame Game Shop is kind of, um…prominent is a good word, thanks Ryou-kun. Anyway, sometimes people ask for jobs and just end up, like, hassling the well-known gamers who stop by, or trying to take their pictures. I think Grandpa and those customers would prefer not to be bugged. Which you wouldn't do, since you don't know who any of them are!" Yugi finished, his chipper attitude taking the edge off the candor of his statement of Harry's ignorance.
"How d'you know for sure I won't recognize any of them?" Harry frowned. "Not that I would bother them or anything, I know that kind of stuff's annoying but…" Harry trailed off as he took in the looks of amusement being directed at him. He sighed. "Okay. So what did I miss this time?"
"No, you're fine, Harry-san," Ryou laughed. "It's just refreshing, really. You see, most of the people at the table here are some of the best-known Duelists in Japan, and internationally. It's a bit of a novelty not to be recognized," he finished gently.
Harry struggled not to laugh at the irony. Here he was, the single most recognizable face in Magical Britain, eating fries in a greasy burger joint with who he assumed to be some of the most recognizable faces in the international Muggle gaming circuit. He ended up shaking his head, eventually responding, "Well, I'm glad you all didn't take offense to my ignorance. And I'd really like to take you up on your offer, Yugi-san. D'you think I could get directions to the shop and go speak to your grandfather?"
"We'll do you one better, Harry-san," Otogi said, standing up. "We usually head over to the shop on weekends after lunch for video games and to look over new stock. We'll give you the best escort money can buy – for free," he finished with a cheesy wink, extending his elbow for Harry to take. Harry laughed a little awkwardly, and was saved from either having to push the arm away or accept it by Honda standing up and blocking Otogi for a moment. Harry took unmitigated advantage of the interference to stand up and moved to the other side of the table, trying his best to ignore Otogi's disgruntled pout.
Ryou caught his eye as they were walking out. He tilted his head questioningly, seeming to ask if Harry was all right. He smiled slightly and nodded in response, not yet uncomfortable. Ryou seemed relieved, and Harry wondered again at the young man's startling compassion.
"Is that arrogant bastard there, midget?" Bakura questioned gruffly. "I'm in the mood for a good duel."
"Ah, no, he's visiting the other arrogant bastard at the moment," Yugi grinned as he walked over to Anzu and took her hand.
Anzu glanced Harry's way, who was wondering vaguely who the arrogant bastards were, but not feeling quite familiar enough with these people to ask. "They're talking about Yugi's cousin, Mutou Atem, and his, um, sort-of sometimes boyfriend? Kaiba Seto," she clarified with a smile. "And they're just kidding about them being arrogant bastards," she continued.
"Well, not Atem, at least," said Honda. "Er. Most of the time, anyway."
Harry snorted, amused, but didn't say anything, continuing to follow the group through the streets and listening with half an ear to their chatter. He noticed as they walked that many of the people, even the older businessmen and women, gave the group a wide berth. The younger generations eyed them wonderingly, gasping and pointing and whispering to their friends, but seemed too intimidated to approach. He also noticed the attention he himself was receiving, walking in the midst of the duelists. Guess they weren't kidding about being famous.
Harry was quickly becoming uncomfortable with all the stares and whispers directed his way. He was feeling stifled, nervous, remembering the cloying stench of the perfume and cologne, the sweat and hot breath of dozens of people fighting to get closer, their screams and cries trying to draw his attention. No escape, path blocked on all sides by scrambling bodies. He shuddered to think of several distinct instances in which a simple excursion from his home had led to ripped hair and clothes, finger-shaped bruises on his arms, deep scratches across his face from fingernails, and on one memorable occasion a broken nose and dislocated jaw. His stomach roiled, sweat began beading at his temples, and he knew his face was draining of color. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and gripped the handles of his wands to keep them from shaking, and to remind himself that he could defend himself if necessary. He glanced to the side, saw a girl eyeing him, pointing at him, whispering to her friends, fuck, they were all watching now, THEY KNOW WHO I AM, shitshitshit, oh Merlin, please, go away, GO AWA– someone nudged him, hard, sent him knocking into a wall.
Harry looked up, ready to bolt, when he saw Bakura next to him, staring him down with pale eyes that he could now tell were a milky shade of blue. His face was blank, even disinterested, but his eyes seemed to challenge him the same as they had the previous day. And Harry had to rise to that challenge again. He forgot all about the crowd surrounding him in favor of those exigent eyes. He straightened, frowned at the taller man.
"You quite sure your drink wasn't spiked, Bakura? That was a pretty clumsy move, there; almost knocked me down," Harry said mockingly. The other man grinned the same predatory grin Harry had seen before.
"My apologies. It's difficult, you see, keeping an eye out for all the small ones around here. My eyes just seem to pass right over the tops of their heads." Bakura kept watching him with those intense eyes and that dangerous smirk, watching for signs of affront. Harry just snorted, unoffended by the comment, as his small stature had saved his life several times – made it easier to dodge, in addition to making him quite dangerous as a Seeker.
"Heh. Can't say I'm not a little disappointed. Thought you were a little more self-aware than that." Harry smirked back, grinning a bit wider when Bakura's only response was a quick, sharp bark of laughter before continuing on. Harry looked around and saw that only Ryou had seen the confrontation and was watching him, a complicated look on his face. He seemed conflicted, Harry decided, but he couldn't tell by what. His face eventually settled and he moved closer to Harry.
"I'm really sorry about that, Harry-san," Ryou murmured quietly. "I saw that the stares were unnerving you, but I didn't get there in time to pull you off to the side. I'm sure Bakura's bullying didn't make things any better." The tone of that last sentence was odd. Scrutinizing, almost. Harry regarded Ryou, who was watching him with a gentle, apologetic look about his face, but his eyes were piercing, perceptive. Harry thought about lying, thought about agreeing that Bakura had only upset him more, but again, something about Ryou made him feel comfortable with telling the truth.
"Honestly, he really helped. I was kind of freaking out, like you saw, but he distracted me from it," Harry admitted quietly, not staring Ryou in the face, but watching him from the corner of his eye to catch his reaction to the admission. Ryou nodded, face solemn, but his brown eyes had lightened, were less intense, and his mouth had a funny quirk to it that said he was trying not to smile. Harry decided to go in for the kill.
"I think he did it on purpose. Bump into me, I mean, try to start something with me. To distract me. He saw that I was, um, off. You were right, I guess. What you said before, when we met, about him not being a bad guy," Harry spoke even more quietly than before, loathe for Bakura to hear him, for all that he was terribly curious to see what effect his words would have on Ryou. He wasn't disappointed. The man just brightened; he let loose a brilliant smile that made his eyes scrunch up. Harry blushed a bit, embarrassed and pleased to have elicited such a reaction.
"Yes," said Ryou definitively. "He's definitely not such a bad guy."
Note: In this story, Harry is 19 and Yugi and others are roughly 22, with appropriate adjustments for older or younger characters. Funnily enough, in canon, Harry and Yugi are both chronologically the same age, having been born in 1980. I decided to fudge it a little bit though, for the purpose of a whim- er, I mean, plot. Right.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed!
~Breather