Day & Night 3

Chapter 3

Yami stretched thoroughly as he stood from his chair. He has been at his desk for almost 5 hours, and it was taking a toll on his body. He sighed in content, and made his way to his bathroom.

As he walked, he noticed the black sketchbook Yugi had left behind last night. He remembered what Yugi had said.

"Not a lot of people do. It's always about the money."

Did Yami really sound that selfish?

Yami pondered this as he twisted the doorknob of the bathroom door and walked in, preparing for his shower.

Yugi stared at the television in front of him with rage as he clutched his legs close to his chest. He was such an idiot! When he arrived home last night, he had realized that he had forgotten to retrieve his sketchbook back from Yami! He couldn't go back to the park then; it was too late. Instead, he decided to just stay home and sleep.

When he had come to the park in search of his sketchbook, in hopes of finding it in the gazebo. Of course, luck wasn't on his side. His sketchbook was gone. Yugi sighed. He still had a little bit of hope that maybe Yami had taken it.

He heard the bedroom open and close. Yugi looked up to see his girlfriend walking down the stairs.

"Hey, Yugi." Tea walked over to the beige couch where Yugi resided and sat next to him, planting a kiss on his pale cheek.

"Hey darling." Yugi snuggled into the crook of Tea's neck. Tea noticed something was wrong.

"Is something wrong?" She pushed Yugi away gently as she looked into his eyes. Yugi remained quiet, but then sighed as he knew there was no way to escape her question.

"My sketchbook…I left it at the park last night on accident, and I couldn't find it this morning."

"…It's gone?"

"Yeah."

"Oh no…I'm sorry baby." Tea hugged her fiancé close, showing her sympathy. Even though she didn't really understand why Yugi was interested in art and was so close with his sketchbook, she still felt sorry for him. "How about I make you a chocolate sundae to make you feel better?"

"You can always try…" Yugi smiled at her attempt to make him happy.

Tea giggled. "Ok then, I'll be right back." She replied. Before she got off the couch, she kissed Yugi on the lips. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.

Yugi stared back at the television. It was playing his favorite show, but he just wasn't into it today. Next thing he knew, his thoughts wandered off, and he ended up thinking about Yami.

Yami placed his hands inside his black coat, trying to keep himself as warm as possible. He had decided to take a walk to "Orchid Café" to get a latte. He needed something to ease his mind a little. He also had a little spark of hope, wanting to see Yugi again, to apologize for his words, and return his sketchbook.

He clutched the book in his arms, the wind blowing his blonde strands in his face. As he arrived at the front of the quaint little building, he stole a look at the purple orchids in the flower bed. He softly touched the petal of the nearest orchid next to him, and let his finger linger a little longer.

They're like the colors of his eyes, he mused. He blinked suddenly and pulled his hand away as if the orchid was poisonous. Wait, why did I think that? He questioned, his eyes widened slightly.

He shook his head. He then placed a tan hand on the doorknob. He pushed down and opened the door, looking around. A frown spread across his face as he couldn't find the young man. He sat down at a secluded table and placed the sketchbook gingerly on the wooden table. Crimson eyes glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "It's probably not his shift yet…" Yami murmured to himself. He decided to go up to the counter to order a latte to keep himself sustained until Yugi came.

Yugi dashed down the sidewalk from his car and into the quaint little building. He walked quickly to the counter to greet his fellow co-worker, Serenity Wheeler, and sped to the back of the café. Little did he know, a pair of ruby eyes stared at him, bewildered.

He hung his blue jacket on the coat hanger, and straightened his shirt. He turned around to see his boss giving him a look.

"I'm extremely sorry for being late, Mr. Kaiba. I accidentally overslept." Yugi apologized. Seto sighed.

"This is the second time, Muto. Is it so hard to set an alarm clock?" He grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Er…I took a nap, so…"

"Whatever. Just get to work." Seto waved a hand at him, signaling Yugi to go to the counter to work before he fired him.

"…Grumpy pants."

"Can't help it if you're going to be late."

"Sh—" Yugi was interrupted by a female voice.

"Yugi! You have someone who requested for you!" Serenity called from the entrance to the dining area.

"Wait, what?" Yugi flashed a confused look at the brunette as Seto walked off to (possibly) scold someone else.

"Someone asked for you! Hurry up already, you dork!" Serenity said playfully. She sunk back into the dining room, leaving the door to close.

Yugi quickly grabbed his black apron and tied it around his small waist. He then hurried out to meet the customer.

"Hello, I'm sorry I'm...Late?" Yugi's voice quieted down as soon as he saw the familiar figure. Yami…

"Nice to see you again, Yugi." Yami murmured. His hands, hidden in his pockets, tugged his jacket slightly.

"Same to you. I guess you decided to come here for your coffee from now on?" Yugi questioned, smirking at the tri-colored man.

Yami shrugged and returned the playful smile. "Sure, why not?" Yugi placed the palm of his hands on the counter.

"So, anything you want?"

Yami remained silent for a moment before whispering, "Forgiveness." Yugi stared, confused.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm sorry for being sort of…well…sounding selfish yesterday." Yami pulled his away from the counter and into Yugi's violet pools. "I didn't mean to make you…er…"

Yugi's mind suddenly clicked when he understood what Yami was talking about. "Oh, no, don't worry about it! I was just paranoid is all."

"…You're lying."

"…"

"Yeah, I knew it." Yami sighed. "Will you forgive me, though? That's all I'm asking for." His blood-red eyes peered into Yugi's, silently pleading, almost like a puppy.

How could Yugi say no?

"Of course I do. It's not my job to judge you for what you think or want." Yugi gently smiled at the college student, and Yami's eyes brightened up. He smiled.

"Thank you…Oh wait!" Yami walked away from the counter to his table where the sketchbook remained. He took it in his hands and handed it to Yugi. "I believe you forgot this."

"My sketchbook! Argh, now I feel stupid…" Yugi pouted, which Yami found strangely cute.

"What?" Yami asked, raising a thin eyebrow.

"Oh…I should have asked you if you had my sketchbook. My brain was in haywire when I realized I left it at the park in my…um…fit of rage?" Yugi squeaked out the last part, trying not to offend Yami. Yami didn't seem the least bit moved.

"Well, you couldn't have asked me, anyway. You don't have my number, and you don't know where I live."

"…Oh." Yugi clutched his sketchbook, not believing what he was going to ask next. "M-May I have your number then?"

"My number?"

"Yeah, genius. How'd you figure that out?" Yugi asked sarcastically.

"Oh. Erm…Sorry." Yami chuckled, embarrassed.

He pulled a napkin from the dispenser, and grabbed a pen from his pocket. He then wrote down the desired digits onto the white sheet.

"Here you go." Yami smiled and handed the sheet to Yugi, who accepted it gladly.

"Thanks."

"Feel free to call me anytime. I feel kind of lonely in my dorm room sometimes."

"Sure. Same to you."

"See you tomorrow?"

"Definitely."