IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!! - This is the Yu-Gi-Oh! Yaoi portion of the Shipping List in order. Be forewarned. Some "pairings" will not be fluffy and cute. But they will all, hopefully, be believable. Rating's will vary.
Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh! is the intellectual property of Kazuki Takahashi
Author's Note: Well, Shogo's chapter was the first one to go up and get 0 reviews in its first week. Atemu x Yugi's chapter is an AU. I'll most often write his name as Atemu and only as Atem when dealing with Egypt. Atemu and Yami are twins in this one. I love twins. Can anyone guess who Yami's boyfriend is?
Rating: G - PG
Yu-Gi-Oh! Shipping List #31 - "Open Eyes Miss What the Open Heart Can See"
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Blindshipping (Pharaoh Atem x Yuugi)
Two teenage boys stood side by side in front of a kitchen sink; a dark-skinned boy with tri-colored hair doing the dishes and handing them off to his near identical lighter-skinned twin who dutifully dried them off with a level scowl.
"My skateboard thing is this weekend." the dark-skinned one said, sparing a glance at his 'elder' brother.
"Mhm."
"They don't…hate you…you know." the darker boy tried again, holding out a glass carefully.
"… I wish they did."
It had been like this in their house every minute of every day for the last two weeks, ever since their parents had walked in on their 'eldest' son kissing another man in the room he shared with his brother.
Their family had always been … normal. At least Atemu had always thought so. Their mother and father both held prestigious jobs in stable careers. Their father golfed on the weekends, their mother hosted a book club, and they went to church every Sunday. They were painfully normal - until they found out Yami was…gay. They didn't even say it. It was taboo. There had been the initial explosion but after that there was just this…pressure…silence… They would not speak of it. Yami had been confined to the house aside of school and forbidden to see that man ever again and that had been the end of the matter. They were waiting for it to go away while Yami died a little more…every day.
Atemu knew, things like this did not…"go away" and Yami had loved that man long before their parents had known about it. He had not ever been "normal" so they could never go back to the time before their parents had found out about his secret. Atemu was torn. He felt hurt that Yami had kept such a thing from even him - his own twin, ashamed that he hadn't known, and worse, Yami didn't seem to know how to talk to him anymore, he didn't smile at him like he had or play with him, and that made Atemu feel like he was dying inside. He didn't care if Yami liked the same gender, he just…wanted his brother back, wished Yami had trusted in him enough to have told him in the beginning instead of hiding things from him.
* * *
Atemu woke up that night to the sounds of movement. Yami was pulling the zipper on his jeans and heading for the window. He pushed it open before he saw Atemu sitting up in his bed from the corner of his vision.
"Don't tell mom and dad…please." he whispered, looking a little guilty for having to make his brother lie for him.
Atemu could only shake his head, wide eyes fully awake as he regarded his brother.
"Mom and dad don't understand. They're never going to try to. But…it'll be ok if they still have you to make them proud. You're the good one Atemu." Yami smiled a smile that would be filed away with other such comments and gazes from his brother to haunt Atemu. Yami could never imagine the pain he was causing him. With one final nod, Yami climbed through the window and Atemu finally allowed his head to drop closing his eyes against the tears that fell to wet the mattress beneath him.
* * *
Atemu kicked a can out of his way, watching as it rolled and clattered away, ricocheting off of a brick wall and into an alley nearby. He'd lied to his brother and said that he was going to stop at a bookstore downtown before heading home knowing that Yami had to hurry home to stay within their parents strict schedule for him. He just didn't want to walk with Yami today. Atemu sighed. He'd meant for it to sound of disgust but it just came out weary as he readjusted his backpack over his shoulder.
Somewhere ahead a dog started barking, echoing among the shops lining the streets. Atemu looked down the side street it seemed to be coming from as he passed and saw a dog tied to a lamp pole outside of one of the shops halfway down the block. Scanning the sidewalk a little farther up, Atemu caught sight of the source of the commotion. There was a boy coming down the sidewalk, a kid with hair that looked a lot like his own, walking funny and heading straight for the increasingly hostile animal. The boy inched his way toward the road and stepped carefully down from the sidewalk and onto the street. Atemu slowed down to get a better look and saw the reason the kid was walking so funny, with his arms waving out in front of him - his eyes were covered with bandages. A car turned down the street past Atemu and he realized that, since cars didn't park on the street, the boy was actually in the way of traffic. Taking off at a dead run, Atemu managed to yank the boy away from the car just in time to catch the driver flipping them off and blaring his horn as he passed by. Atemu returned the gesture shouting back that maybe he should watch where he's going once in a while! He didn't bother to flip off the dog, just pulled at the boy until they were clear of the threat.
"They shouldn't let people tie beasts like that in town." Atemu complained, looking over his shoulder at the dog and sticking out his tongue in spite of himself.
"Thank you." the boy returned. "I'm sorry for troubling you."
Atemu looked down for a better look at the other and noticed that he was wearing the uniform of his own private high school. "You go to my school?" he asked, amazed. The boy didn't look like he was past middle school.
"West Allen." the boy answered, not knowing himself if it was an affirmative or a negative. "Tenth grade this year. Yugi Motou. I just moved here."
"Tenth grade?!"
Yugi laughed. "I look younger don't I?"
"Sorry."
"It's ok. I get that a lot." Yugi seemed to be a rather happy person for someone who was trying to blindly find his way through town all alone. "Can I ask your name?"
"Atemu Osiris. Eleventh grade."
"It's Egyptian." Yugi noted with a smile.
"A couple generations ago I guess." Atemu conceded. "Can I ask what exactly were you doing back there?"
Yugi smiled again and looked up like he was starting a particularly interesting story and trying to recall it properly. "Oh well you see I used to live with my mother in another city but she's not doing so well right now and I sort of had an accident so I came to live with my grandfather here. He owns a store over there," and Yugi pointed away from them down another side street "I think." he added like it was amusing even to him. "But grandpa is very busy so I told him that a friend was going to walk me home so he wouldn't have to worry about me. But I don't have any." Atemu looked down at Yugi but the other was still smiling obliviously. Somehow, even though it was an entirely different expression from Yami's smiles, it still hurt to see.
"Don't you have a dog or a walking stick…or something?" Atemu asked, trying to remain polite as he did so.
"Some boys from school took it." Yugi said simply, smiling up at Atemu who stared back, horrified. "They thought it was funny I guess. And after they threw it away I couldn't find it so…had to go without it."
"That's ridiculous!" Atemu shouted. "Didn't anyone offer to help you?!"
"You did."
Atemu's anger fizzled out until all he could do was sigh. "So where do you live?"
"At my grandpa's game store. The house is above the shop. It's called the Kame Game Shop."
Recognition lit in Atemu's eyes. "My brother buys all his cards there." he said. "We're a few streets away from it."
"You have a brother?" Yugi asked with interest.
"A twin." Atemu answered with a nod that Yugi couldn't see. "We look the same except our eyes and skin. Mine is darker than his and yours. Actually your hair looks like ours. It's weird. I've never known anybody else with hair like ours."
"Really! I can't wait to see it!" Yugi exclaimed. "I can have these things off in another four days." he added, tugging at his bandages. "I wish I had a brother. It…get's kind of lonely being an only child."
"It's not so great having a brother either." Atemu muttered.
"Why?" Yugi asked softly and Atemu looked away out of habit.
"Our parents are pretty close to disowning him. They just don't want to have to deal with it. So everyone expects me to make up for it, like I should just replace him or something. My brother says I'm the good one so…now I feel like…I…I don't know. Nevermind."
"It's ok to just be yourself." Yugi said, looking ahead with seriousness. "No one can please everybody and if you try you're just selling your soul. I think a lot of people go around without anything of themselves showing at all and it's sad to see that."
Atemu considered that as they finally reached the Kame Game Shop and he reached out to push open the door, holding it over Yugi's head for him to walk in ahead of him.
Yugi's grandfather greeted them and Yugi introduced Atemu who shook hands with the elderly man, nodding his head politely. He asked Yugi how his day was and Yugi lied happily, smiling as he mentioned that he'd misplaced his walking stick. His grandfather didn't seem too upset by it, instead he told Yugi to borrow his cane tomorrow. Then he offered them snacks and Yugi asked Atemu if he'd like to stay for a while and play games. Atemu figured he'd already lied to Yami to cover the time so he accepted the offer and followed Yugi up the stairs to his room.
They played Jenga and despite his disability, Yugi won every time they played. They talked and Atemu laughed. It wasn't until he was headed home two and a half hours later that he realized it was the first time he'd laughed in weeks and even knowing that nothing had changed at home, he was still happy.
Atemu left the house early the next morning and walked with Yugi to school. Sometime during lunch, he overheard three seniors laughing about throwing Yugi's walking stick over the parameter fence and sometime after school they were picking themselves up out of the dirt and nursing bloody noses. When Atemu had asked Yami for his help, Yami hadn't even asked why he wanted to beat up three seniors, he'd just nodded and met him after school. He fought them and he hadn't even known why. Somehow that upset Atemu. It was like Yami just didn't care anymore.
Yugi listened to all of his problems. He was the first person who Atemu felt he could tell anything and Yugi wouldn't judge him for it. Yugi said that maybe Yami thought he didn't like him anymore. Maybe Yami thought he was only being tolerant because they were twins, that bond had to be deep, right? Atemu had just thought maybe Yami didn't like anything anymore - including his life and everyone in it. Yugi thought he should meet Yami's boyfriend. Didn't he want to know the person his own twin had fallen in love with? Maybe Yami was just waiting for him to show a little interest.
Atemu had doubts but he asked Yami that night anyway.
"You want to…what???"
"You're my brother." Atemu tried to make this clear to Yami. "I can't believe that you would fall in love with someone and not tell me in the first place. I've never kept anything from you! But since you did and since our parents obviously aren't going to look out for you, I think it's only right that someone should meet this guy. I have a right to. I have a right to make sure he knows that if he makes you cry I'll paste him to the sidewalk. And if he's a good guy…you need somebody to approve."
Yami blinked back in shock but finally he smiled, the first real smile Atemu had seen in weeks, and nodded. "Ok."
* * *
"Yugi!" Atemu collided with Yugi, lifting the smaller teen off the ground in his excitement. "You were absolutely right! I met Yami's boyfriend last night and he's actually a really cool guy. He said he always wanted to meet me cause I'm so important to Yami! Yami talks about me all the time! And Yami said he was just afraid I wouldn't look at him the same anymore but now everything's ok! Just like you said!"
"I'm happy for you." Yugi returned sincerely. There seemed to be something else but Yugi never said it so after a moment, Atemu let it go and they walked together to Yugi's house.
Atemu told Yugi all about his night while they played a board game that Yugi had memorized the layout to.
"I can't wait until tomorrow." Yugi said. "After I get these bandages off we'll be able to play Duel Monsters. I really miss Duel Monsters!" Atemu smiled. They'd planned to meet on Saturday with Yami to duel. "And…I'll finally get to see you." Yugi added, his voice smaller as he moved his head down in a futile attempt to hid the blush that graced his cheeks.
Atemu paused mid-move to marvel at it, catching himself and then remembering that Yugi couldn't see him staring and went back to it, catching the corner of his bottom lip between his teeth as he remembered that staring was rude and did it anyway.
"Atemu," Yugi said carefully "would it be alright if I touched you a little…to try and imagine what you look like better…so I can compare what I imagined to the real thing later?"
Yugi wasn't the only one blushing. Atemu could feel his face heating up. "Ok…sure."
Yugi carefully moved from the bed where they were playing and walked around to Atemu who stood for him, watching his every move intensely. "Can I…um…put my…arms around you?"
Atemu nodded speechlessly before he remembered he would have to speak. "Sure."
Yugi stepped forward, finding him and sliding his arms slowly around Atemu's waist until they met behind him. Atemu's heart hammered in his chest and he felt certain that Yugi would have to have been deaf not to hear it.
"I think you're about a head taller than me." Yugi said, regretfully stepping back. "Am I right?"
Atemu caught Yugi's hands, stretching them upwards to his hair. "Here, find out yourself."
At first Yugi had started at the hands grasping his own but having brushed against Yami's hair, they sunk into the colorful strands, feeling out their length. Atemu's eyes slid shut, a sigh escaping his lips and Yugi smiled shyly letting his hands slip down to grace the sides of Atemu's face. After a moment they pulled back and Atemu followed them, leaning down…
"Atemu," Yugi's voice caught him, inches from his face. Atemu blinked, jerking back with wide eyes as he realized what he'd been about to do.
"I have to go." Atemu said, ducking around Yugi and making a break for the door.
"But…the game…" Yugi didn't know what was going on. He didn't even know. Atemu hung his head shamefully.
"I'll see you in the morning."
"Wait!" Yugi called. "I won't be in school tomorrow. Can you come after?"
Atemu paused. "Sure."
Yugi listened as the footsteps descended the stairs.
* * *
"I'm a bad person." Atemu moaned, burying his face in his hands. Yami gave his brother a worried look. Atemu was sitting on his bed looking for all the world like he'd very nearly committed the worst sin known to man. He knew he should say something, he'd tried but Atemu had cut him off every time arguing against himself. Yami had had to face his own confusing feelings alone and that was the last thing he wanted for his twin but at the same time, he had no idea what to say. Atemu was kind of right in a way, what person would want to be kissed by their friend when they hadn't made any real indication that they'd like it and they couldn't even see it coming? Instead of speaking, Yami took a seat next to him and sat his hand on the top of Atemu's head reassuringly.
"Well, so much for the good son." It was probably the worst possible thing he could have said, but Yami only realized that after he'd said it.
Atemu cried out and threw his arms around Yami's waist desperately. "I'm sorry!"
Yami frowned and pried Atemu off him. "You are not a bad person." he said sternly. "If you really love him then it doesn't matter how long you've known each other or what anyone else thinks. If he loves you too that's all that matters. Being in love does not make you a bad person."
Atemu resolved to tell Yugi the truth, come what may, and prayed they could at least stay friends if Yugi didn't feel the same.
* * *
Atemu ran all the way from school to Yugi's house. After catching his breath in front of the house door at the side of the shop he reached out a fist to knock on the door when the door suddenly moved in, escaping his fist and throwing him off balance so that he had to stumble to catch himself. He nearly fell over Yugi - who looked up at him with wide violet eyes…that widened at the sight of him as a smile spread across his face, all too familiar.
"You're really… really amazing … … Atemu." Yugi said, in awe, never taking his eyes from the dark-skinned teen before him.
Atemu blushed heatedly. "I'm glad you can see now…and I really like…the color of your eyes… They're really…very…pretty."
"I like you too." Yugi whispered and Atemu reached down, taking his hands, taking a moment to stroke his thumbs over the smooth skin before leaning down and this time Yugi met him halfway.
"…Wait a minute." Atemu asked, when they parted. "How did you know I liked you?"
Yugi just smiled. "You wanna duel?"
"Wait…" Atemu insisted, following Yugi inside and swinging the door closed behind him. "how did you know?"
Yugi just laughed.
Post whatevers: Next up is: Marik x Gozaburo. Needless to say, it will be rated M. As always, if you liked, please review. Ja!
