New A/N:Hi! This is a fanfiction I have written on AO3. I am cross uploading it here. The original is up to chapter 7 (as of right now) and I will be slowly updating each day. If you wish to be fully caught up, then find the original story on AO3 under the same name. Please enjoy.

Original A/N: This Fanfic is dedicated to one of my dearest friends. You're funny as hell, thank you for getting me into Yu-Gi-Oh (The card game specifically) and even though I'm not that far into the anime, I done some research to kinda get them right. I really hope you like it, my dude. The title is in honor of you.

As for those stumbling onto this, I'll be really honest with ya'll. I have no regrets or shame about the title, it's what started this snowball. I really hope ya'll like this.
Hey also heads up, this IS Atem, but Yami is just an alias he uses. Cool? Cool.

What do you do when you are either in the lowest low of your life or at the peak of your confidence?
Go to a bar and get absolutely shitfaced is the correct answer.
And that's exactly what Yugi was planning to do. He's in the former camp and for the first time since his 21st birthday, he was going to step into the unfamiliar Barcade near his school. A normal bar was far too 'out of his comfort' zone to consider, but one that had arcade games to waste his money while he cried? Nothing better.

That's how he ended up at the bar itself, the loud soft noises of idle machines and the chatter of drunk people was starting to give him a headache. His chin rested on the wood of the bar, a cheap plastic cup in hand with the now lukewarm cocktail he had ordered almost half-an-hour ago. Yugi felt quite bad, it was a good drink and it cost him 8$ (not worth the price but he's not going to bitch now). The bartender themselves were already on the opposite side chatting it up with a couple.

His wallet was already considerably lighter, 30$ already spent on getting tokens to play solo player games, and almost 20$ on drinks. There wasn't much a very sad college student could afford and just as the soft buzz of liquor was finally numbing the aching pain of a broken heart, Yugi couldn't push the limits of his already limited bank account.

His fingers gripped the thin black straw, could he even call it a straw? His lower lip quivered, pondering the pointless question, dare he say - he related to the uselessness of a bar straw. Oh how he wishes to be like the much bigger and useable straws, loved and wanted, unlike the thin, stupid, idiotic, hopeless, heartbroken, cling-

"The drink's not to your liking?" A male voice to his left. Yugi pathetically side eyed the owner of such a voice. Taking the empty seat to his left, a tall dark skinned male gave him a pitiful smile. Yugi gave out a meek dejected sigh, his clumsy words spilling out as his focus returned to the unfinished drink in front of his face.

"Never been a drinker anyways, I just wanted to try it." Yugi paused, then continued to speak. "You got a recommendation or something?"

The other guy didn't immediately respond. Yugi sat up properly, was the other guy seriously going to give him a recommendation? He couldn't promise he would order it if the other did, Yugi was originally going to keep hounding down cheap beers until he was seeing double.

The back of his hand scooted the plastic cup a bit away from him, Yugi was turning his body to leave his stoll until the guy finally spoke up.

"How about I recommend a drink? If you like it, then perhaps you could treat me to your company for a couple games?" Oh. Oh ho ho ho. Yugi's attention was quick on the stranger, such an obvious attempt at a flirt made the other suddenly at least 10% more attractive.

Well. He doesn't need that percentage increase. Now that Yugi was actually focusing on the stranger, he felt whatever tipsy-fueled snarky response fizzle out. Mystery bar guy was hot. His pitiful smile was transformed into a confident smirk, taking in the features of his face, everything was so perfect. They had similar hair styles, but the other had it much more refined and under control while Yugi felt like his was out of his hands and a messy style by force rather than choice. The silence lasted a second too long, the other gave a slight raise of his eyebrow, his lips pressed together as the slightest tilt of his head motioned a question of 'are you going to answer?'.

"Oh. Um… Yeah sure," Yugi blinked. "Give it your best shot." Like the bang of a gun at the horse show, the other didn't waste time before turning and signaling for the bartender. Yugi messed with the black straw again, hitting it against the nearly melted ice of his soon-to-be replaced drink. The corner of his eye kept tabs on the stranger, how he subtly smirked, his hands making small motions as he spoke. Yugi wondered if the guy knew his drinks.

An alcoholic, maybe? No. He wouldn't be at a Barcade. He would've gone to a normal bar with higher quality drinks. Bartender? Maybe. Oh, he could also be a frequenter of barhopping. Yugi knows that's especially popular around his age.

His old drink was taken away and replaced with another small plastic club, new black straw and fresh scooped ice. The liquid was colorful and a bright red at top that melts in a dark maroon color. The stranger's eyes fixated on Yugi, his voice so silky smooth. "Go on, try it."

He didn't have to be told twice. Yugi grabbed the cup and brought it closer to his lips; The sweet syrup mixed with alcohol made him feel like he was drinking soda with just the smallest touch of a bitter aftertaste. This was a dangerous kind of cocktail. The delicious kind.

"Okay okay, I'll admit. It's really good." Yugi said, flashing a smile at the stranger as he took another much longer sip. The bitter aftertaste becomes less and less of a noticeable obstacle. "As promised, my company in your gaming endeavors is your reward." His tone was playful as he spoke his little declaration with a faux accent. The stranger chuckled and Yugi felt a spark of joy at his very lame joke earning a positive reaction. Finishing his drink with a messily done straight gulp, resulting in some of the liquid going down the wrong pipes, Yugi tried to stop himself from coughing into a stupor. A warm hand patting against his back as Yugi regained some semblance of composure.

"Ack- Sorry," Yugi muttered as he got off his stoll, grabbing his empty cup to throw it out. "Anyways, you wanted to play some games with me right? Go on then, what did you want to play with me?"

"Play with you? I was thinking more, play against you." Yugi raised an eyebrow at that kind of answer.

"Well, alright. But I don't wanna hear you complaining when I beat you." The taller guy starts to walk through the crowds of drunk patrons, some of the machines occupied already; Near the opposite end of the bar was a couple of fighting game arcade machines. His sly little chuckle didn't go unheard, the closer they got, the more Yugi felt his eagerness to show off his gaming skills growing.

"Ditto. I hope you don't end up being a sore loser," He stops right in front of a large Tekken machine. The demo playing while it remains unplayed is already calling out to Yugi. He was trying (and failing miserably) to hide the excited smirk. This guy was gonna be smoked, Yugi had to learn to play fighting games if he wanted to beat his best friend and he was a very quick learner when it comes to games.

Yugi took a seat on the provided seat for the machine, proudly claiming the Player 1 title. The stranger had pushed the seat back and decided on standing as he took up the mantle of player 2. With a swipe of his card, the machine took the appropriate amount of tokens for a two player game and they were off to select characters.

"Any limits?" Yugi asked as he mindlessly moved his cursor through the fighter list.

"Nope. Pick whoever you want." The stranger responded, his cursor quickly going to Heihachi. Yugi shrugged and felt a sinister snicker stumble out as his cursor went straight to his favorite menace to play as, Kuma, the bear. "Interesting choice." The stranger's voice caught Yugi's attention, almost expecting some kind of verbal backlash but was pleasantly surprised that the other was also giving him an intrigued smile.

The first match, Yugi began his play aggressively. Relentless combos and attacks that the other was only barely able to keep up. Within just a minute of the match starting, Yugi had claimed his first victory. Yet, the celebration was too soon to throw. The second match was much the same, aggressive first and continual assault that the stranger could only hope to block. However, it wasn't as easy or as quick as the first match, Heihachi had gotten in a few good combo breakers. Yet, the first win still went to Yugi. Their eyes locked, the stranger's smile never wavered (much to Yugi's relief).

"Alright. Best 2 out of 3, I got a better feel for you." The stranger said. Yugi nodded. Another swipe of the card, tokens consumed, they were back to round 1.

It was Yugi's turn to be on the defensive, his massive size suddenly becoming a hindrance as Heihachi made such amazing use of the larger hitbox. Yugi was kept on his toes as he had to focus more on block and countering, rather than being the aggressor. He managed to break a combo and squeeze out a victory, but it was no easy task. Round 2 was similar, high defense but his chances of countering were dwindling; The stranger was learning his attack patterns and quickly at that. Yugi's title as 'quick learner' was being usurped and used against him. Kuma was about to land a finishing blow, but Heihachi had kicked a victory out from underneath him. Match point now. Yugi's carefree smile reduced to a frown, his eyebrows furrowing as his grip on the joystick tightened. There was absolutely no way he was going to let this guy clutch a win from him. Not after the smack talk he had started. The chuckles and comments dwindled to silence, only the hard taps of buttons and the soft thud of joysticks hitting their directional limit. Through a complex dance of punches and kicks, Yugi nearly screamed as he finally landed a killing blow and winning the match point from underneath the stranger.

"Yes! Ah, Kuma for the win!" Yugi nearly jumped out of his seat, arms stretched way above his head as he couldn't stop the laughter from escaping him.

"Good game." The stranger spoke, shaking his head at the 'Player 1 victory' screen.

But his smile never wavered.

"Good game? That was an amazing game. You really made me break a sweat there for a second," Yugi's words felt so clumsy as he was slightly out of breath from his cheer-a-thon. "I thought I was going to wipe the floor with you."

"You? Wipe the floor with me? Psh." The stranger teased, "I used to do tournaments professionally."

Yugi's eyes widened before closing as he laughed in disbelief, his hands going to his forehead. "Are you serious? I'm still doing tournaments to help pay off my textbooks!" Afterwards, curiosity shined in his eyes. "Did you just do Tekken tournaments or…?"

"All kinds. My preference was card game tournaments." The stranger motioned for Yugi to follow him to the next machine cabinet. Yugi did just that, slightly rushing to stay walking beside the taller fellow.

"Wow, that's my forte right now… Let me guess, Duel Monsters?" A smirk and a nod was all he needed. "No freaking way. What's your deck?" They paused in front of two side by side skeeball machines. The stranger took out his arcade card again and swiped on his machine then at Yugi's who stopped him.

"Wait, I have some tokens left, I can pay for myself now." Yugi assured, fumbling out his own arcade card - he wasn't going to mention that it only had enough tokens for about 2 more games."

"I recall my reward for buying you a good drink was a 'couple games'? Unless 2 rounds of Tekken is a 'couple' I'm still redeeming my reward." Oh how heavy his words dripped with good hearted sarcasm. Yugi almost wanted to say something but kept his lips shut as he allowed the other's card to be swiped through his machine reader. The skee balls fell into the open hole, ready to go.

"To answer your previous question, Fire Kings is what I'm working with this season." Grabbing a ball, he aimed and tossed it alongside the machine, both watching as it entered the 10 point hole. Yugi's eyes squinted at the man, his nose slightly bunched up at his answer.

"Oh, you really like to mess with your opponents, huh?" Yugi grabbed a ball, aimed and tossed. It shot up and barely made it to the 30 point hole.

"What's the fun of the game if you're not dealing at least a bit of psychic damage directly to your opponent?" He scored an additional 20 with his next throw.

"Pfft, I guess so. I'm working on Pendulum Magicians right now. It's not super high up in the meta but I rather have joy and whimsy than the same old tricks everyone is doing." Yugi aimed but cringed as his ball failed to enter any of the point holes.
The stranger reacted similarly, grabbing another ball and aiming. "A Pendulum deck? Oh you must be such a thrill to go against." A cheeky comment made, his ball thrown, 50 points gained. Yugi huffed, his lips frowning as he felt his competitiveness flare up.

Yugi aimed with another ball, but he only managed to land into the 20 points hole. "Since you said you 'used' to do tournaments, does that mean you stopped?" Yugi asked, as his attention went to how the other aimed his ball.

"Well, yes and no. I don't do that professionally anymore, but I keep up with a few local tournaments to keep my title standing." His words were spoken calmly and thoughtfully, similar to how he aimed and threw the ball with precision, landing in the 40 point posture returned to straight up, as the machine tallied his score. HIs eyes returned to Yugi's, waiting for his last ball to be thrown and scores to be shared.

"If I'm lucky, I'll see you there soon with your pendulums." His smile almost threw Yugi off his game, but he wasn't going down with a fight. He tossed the ball and watched with bated breath as it rolled and shot up before landing in the 20 point hole, much to his severe disappointment. His points tallied up on the screen and comparing the two, it was obvious who the winner was.

"Welp, we're back to being tied when it comes to games. Do you want to go for another round or do you want to play Turbo?"

The stranger's eyebrow raised slightly, a confused look on his handsome features. "Turbo?"

"It's an old school racing game, come on." Yugi motioned, taking the lead in guiding the other through the barcade and to an old and thin looking arcade machine. The wheel design was almost historic as the pixel art style of the game made it painfully obvious that this was definitely one of the older arcade machines in the barcade. Yugi dragged a free seat from the game beside, and sat on it near the edge so he could reach the pedals and the wheel at the same time while still being able to see the game screen just fine.

"You try to avoid traffic while getting progressively faster. Whoever gets the most points by going the furthest wins. Simple right?" Yugi explained. The other dutifully nodded, taking in the instructions and watching with studious eyes as he swiped his card and watched Yugi grip the wheel firmly. Swerving through traffic, the stranger crossed his arms thoughtfully, his eyes lowering from the game to the smaller male. Yugi didn't notice, his entire attention span was solely on not getting hit. His score quickly hit double and then triple digits. Once he had wasted all 3 of his free hits, Yugi let out a groan as his car crashed and his points revealed. Putting in his Acronym, he was the 2nd best player of the day, that screen taunting Yugi as he narrowed his eyes and immediately wanted to try again. But, the other was patiently waiting and it would be unimaginably rude if Yugi kept smooching off the handsome guy's tokens to beat some stranger's score. The only score Yugi should be striving to beat is anything the stranger gets.

Yugi gets off the seat, offering it up to the other. He could see how the stranger's lips were pressed together, his eyes flickering between the machine and Yugi, clearly formatting an idea. "How about we add a bit more fun to our games?" His tone was low, yet playful. It piqued Yugi's curiosity.

"Go on…?"

"Every round, the loser will have to take a shot." A devious smirk plastered so proudly on his handsome face. Yugi's eyebrows furrowed, a small spark of anxiety welling in his stomach as his thoughts ran to his bank account.

"I don't think I can afford that."

The stranger's eyes locked down at Yugi's. Subtly his eyebrow arched up, his smirk forming into a frown. "Who said anything about you paying?" HIs face softened, as he placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder. "It's only polite if I pay for our drinks considering it's my idea in the first place."

There was a quiet pause.

"Of course, We don't have to if you're afraid you'll end up in a losing streak…" . That's absolutely filthy play. Yugi's mouth opened but instead of words, it was a cocky scoff.

"Oh ho ho, don't be so sure you're going to win every game!" Yugi presented the seat to the stranger. "Go on, put some money where your mouth is."

"Gladly." Taking the offered seat, the handsome stranger swiped his card and began to play. Yugi watched, crossing his arms as he kept a close watch at how the other played.

But, Yugi blinked multiple times rapidly as the clearly talented guy was swerving through the traffic, changing gears to fast and slow as though he was right at home driving a car. His score increased with no hint of slowing down and it wasn't long until he surpassed Yugi's. Then he surpassed the mystery guest's points. It was only after that he crashed enough to get a game over. His score proudly displayed and he was prompted to put in a name. Much to Yugi's short lived horror, the stranger put in YMI, the same name as the number 1 score.

"YOU!" Yugi exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at the other who only responded with calmly standing up and adjusting his dress shirt.

"'You' what? Mad that you lost?" He taunted, his expression showed almost arrogant levels of confidence.

"No but you said you never played-" A finger pressed against his lips, Yugi's eyes glared at the man.

"Nope. Never said I 'never played', you just assumed I didn't. Now, any preference of alcohol? Or rather, how quickly do you want to end up wasted?" He took his finger away, allowing Yugi to open his mouth and speak but, instead of continuing to be pissy, he simply crossed his arms and pouted.

"... Whatever gets me drunk faster," That was the whole purpose of being in the Barcade. Now was Yugi's turn to win back his title as the best gamer in the Barcade now, and hop on the seat. The guy was trusting enough to leave Yugi his token card while he went to get the loser shot. Yugi swiped and focused solely on at least beating his how the stranger was mixing speeds to always have enough time to react, Yugi slowly reached his score. Then surpassed it and gunned for second place. He felt triumph as he overcame it and aimed for the stranger's current winning score. Yugi barely acknowledged when he returned with two shots in hand, realizing what was about to happen.

A pixelated crash noise emitted from the game. Yugi turned smugly as the new first place score flashed on the screen. He put in his name "YUG" and grabbed his shot, tilting slightly towards the other.

"Bottoms up, loser."

"Bottoms up." A clank of cheap plastic, both lifted the liquor to their lips and took a gulp. Yugi coughed as the alcohol burned his throat, the intense taste of cinnamon was stuck on his tongue. The warm hand patted his back, and Yugi glanced up at the other through his coughing.

"Wh- What's this one called? It tastes like those cinnamon ball candies."

"It's Fireball, sweetheart." The other seemed so unaffected by the alcohol, a wink caught Yugi off the most alongside the nickname. His lips parted to speak but shut immediately after, his face feeling warm - whether from the alcohol or the compliment.

"You seem to know your alcohol." Yugi decided to comment instead, stepping aside from the other play.

He caught the signal and sat down, giving the pedal a few steps as he grabbed the card Yugi had left at the bottom right of the screen. "I go bar hopping a lot." Huh. That answers his previous question. Yugi threw the plastic cups into the small garbage can near them, the dull pixel sounds of the car going faster then slower was drowned out by the increasingly louder crowd of drunken students and young adults. The clacketing of balls from the pool table, the high pitched hit of pucks from the air hockey table, it was only now that Yugi could take in the crockpot of noises. The radio was off tonight, he didn't notice when. He heard a crash, that was that guy's first mistake. Yugi glanced back, he had already surpassed 3rd place. Hm. Yugi returned his gaze to the other machines, wondering where he could drag the stranger… Oh. Yugi looked more intensely at the other playing, he never got a name.

Pretending to watch the game play, he instead studied the other, his eyes focused as the light from the screen reflected off his eyes. It was only now that Yugi could see the reddish hues his eyes had, piercing concentrated gaze and his lips were ever so slightly parted. The way his hand gripped the wheel and the speed lever. It was oddly attractive, as thought he belonged behind the wheel of a car. It wasn't until the third crash, and the stranger's gaze turned to him. His lips became a prideful smile, confidence has yet to taint it. It almost made Yugi feel flustered. Almost. He's not drunk enough to be flustered like a school girl by a hot guy. Another shot or two will do the trick gladly.

"Some kind of shot, right?" The stranger's voice cut through his tipsy thoughts.

Why is he talking like he won? Yugi frowned, he turned his head and noticed the score. His jaw dropped. Not only was he in first place, but the score he somehow managed to get was double his score! He was already a few drinks in from before the stranger appeared, having to take another fireball shot and then try to beat that? There's just no way. He was already starting to get comfortably drunk.

"Uh….." His eyes shot back to a much more smug stranger. "Sure. But we're changing games." He had to get himself back to a winning streak. The stranger grabbed the card from the machine and handed it to Yugi.

"That's fair, I wouldn't want to be in a losing streak either. Pick the next game and I'll get you your shot." Yugi felt a fire burst in his stomach. This smug bastard.

"Hey." He said firmly, right as the other turned to go to the bar.

"Hm?"

"What's your name?" Yugi finally asked, holding the card firmly in his hand.

"Yami."

"I'm going to kick your butt in the next game, Yami." Yugi spoke confidently, not noticing the slight slur in his words. There was a flash of confusion before a laugh. He even laughs beautifully.

He placed a hand against his stomach, clearing his throat enough to speak clearly afterwards. "I can't wait to see it, ….?" He motions for Yugi to give his own name.

"Yugi."

"Yugi…" Yami's eyes averted away, a thoughtful smile ghosted his lips. "It's a cute name." He turned and began his trek to the bar. Yugi stood quiet and stunned. The man definitely was flirting now. Closing his eyes shut he reminded himself that he was only here to get stupid kind of wasted, and a sudden appearance like this wasn't going to stop him. His body turned, his eyes scanned. Air Hockey.

There were 2 free tables and Yugi practically sprinted to claim one. His heartbeat was beating so loud he could hear it in his ears. He quickly looked around the air hockey machine to find the card scanner. As he finally found it, he saw a pair of nice dress shoes enter his vision.

Yugi shot up, his eyes meeting up to the familiar reddish hues of Yami's eyes, he held 2 cups, a shot and a full cup of a colorful cocktail. The confusion on his face was noticeable enough for Yami to chuckle as he handed the smaller male the shot cup.

"It wouldn't be fun to be the only sober one between us." That excuse only made Yugi shoot a glare as he grabs the shot and gulps it down. The burning feeling a lot more dulled out now, leaving only a strong cinnamon aftertaste.

"Man, you're really confident in yourself." Yugi muttered, rolling his eyes as he threw out the plastic cup and scanned the card to start their game. The liquor this time hit his stomach hard, a light burning sensation in his stomach as he let out a quiet sigh. It was getting a little hard to focus but he also began to feel light on his feet. Yami took a long sip of his drink, placing it comfortably down a nearby small counter bolted to the wall to hold such things. He grabbed the puck, placing it in the middle. They gave an acknowledging glance to each other and the game began. Back and forth the puck went, loud slams of their handle smacking against the black puck only added to the thrill of trying to win.

Yami claimed the first point, and perhaps the poison of confidence had finally taken effect, as Yugi was very quick to claim a point and then another. One smack, then another, the two exchanged blows until the points had racked up to a tie, 5 to 5. One more was needed for the win.

Yami's eyes switched between the two, the flushed cheeks of a drunken Yugi and the speeding puck. Perhaps that was his hubris, as the deafening noise of the puck entering his goal ran louder than anything else. Yugi let out a loud shout of cheer, arms thrown up and his feet barely able to stay connected to the ground. He couldn't say he felt the bitter taste of defeat, it was rather sweet getting to see such a guy get so happy over a win. He took a couple quick gulps of his cocktail, knowing the dangerous game he was playing with the mixing of alcohol in his stomach. He hadn't even eaten a big meal to offset the large amount of alcohol he was consuming. It wouldn't be the first time he would have a hangover or get sick later on. Yugi almost rushed to Yami's side, his hands up to get a double high five.

"Haha! I feel so awesome now! Oh, oh, Yami!" Yugi's words were quick and clumsy, he was clearly speaking straight from his thoughts, no buffer in between. "You wanna take some last couple shots then bounce?" Yami almost choked on his drink.

"Bounce?"

"Like get some food? I'm starving!"

Yami chuckled as he lowered the cup near his lips. "Perhaps then you shouldn't have any more drinks. Besides, it's fairly late, I don't think there's any restaurants that are open."

Yugi scoffed, playfully punching Yami's arm that wasn't holding his drink. "Psshh, you go to a barcade to get drunk right? That's what I want! 'Sides, I know a place that's open 24/7. C'mon, I'll treat you!"

Well, Yami can't argue with such sound logic. He finished his cocktail with a flick of the wrist and a large gulp and tossed the cup. "Well, alright, won't say I didn't warn you." Yugi cheered again, Yami smiled. "How far is the restaurant?"

Yugi grabbed Yami's wrist and began to march his way towards the bar. "Huh? Oh, like 10 minutes from here." Yami followed behind, trying to recall any restaurants around this area that's 24/7's, the only one coming to mind are a couple of fast food places. Not his usual cup of tea but, it was food and anything sounds good about now.

Yugi sat at the bar, patting the seat beside him for Yami, who gracefully took it and motioned for the tender to come by. He had asked for two of the strongest shots, passing his credit card to be charged - hopefully for the last time that night. After the card left his fingers, his attention refocused on the smiling face of Yugi who was eager to continue speaking to him.

"I never got to ask, how old are you?"

"Enough." Yami answered, receiving his card back and immediately putting it away in his wallet.

"Boo. C'mon. I'll go first. I'm 23." Yugi said, his words slurring just a bit more but the face he pulled almost made Yami laugh right then and there.

He thought about fudging his age a bit but his head was too fuzzy to think of a reasonable lie and decided to just tell the truth off the bat.

"28." After he answered, the tender presented both of them with two small shots of liquor, it was perfectly clear which already made Yami know it was going to absolutely send them over the edge. Yugi grabbed his first, presenting it for a toast. Yami grabbed his, a little clink of their shot glasses before downing the shot. A burning sensation made both of them cough a little - some more than others. Yami thanked the bartender, burying his hand into the pockets of his pants and slamming down a $20 bill.

Yugi shuddered at the drink, it tasted awful but it made him feel even more alive. And hungry. Yami left the bartender a tip, turning to him with a smile and a tilt of the head to motion them heading out of the barcade. Yugi blinked slowly, his thoughts running on a slower capacity as he followed behind the taller male.

The crisp air of the outside world smacked Yugi hard. It was beautifully refreshing, making him realize just how long he had actually been in the bar. The soft city night lights of Domino City was something he could appreciate in a new way in his drunken state. Yami's hand lowered to his wrist then to his hand, grabbing it and giving it a squeeze.

"So about this 24/7 place?"

Yugi had to think where they were and how to get to it, beginning to walk in a direction that he believed to be the right way. "It's a Mexican fast food place." Yami nodded and followed alongside Yugi.

"I don't really eat fast food like that, so it'll be my first time trying it." Yugi looked at him shocked, those words were almost blasphemy.

"How could you bar hop and not be used to eating fast food?"

"I usually go home and order take out, or go straight to sleep." He answered honestly, not understanding how blasphemous his confession was. Yugi shook his head disapprovingly, only stopping to wait for the red light.

"No wonder you're so thin…"

Yami glanced back at Yugi with a look. "You're thinner than me, shortstack."

"Genetics!" Yugi immediately retorted, continuing to lead them to the fast food restaurant. Yami chuckled.

"Whatever you say… Is that the place?" Yami pointed to an open for business building, it was definitely a fast food place. A couple of cars were at the drive thru already but the inside of the place was empty except for a single person eating at a table near the window. Yugi nodded aggressively, quickening his pace towards it and making Yami almost break into a light jogging pace.

The inside felt sterile, the buzzing of the cheap light, the only noise being the restaurant's radio blaring; The tired empty look of the night staff almost made Yami feel bad for allowing Yugi to drag him in, but there wasn't much that can be done now as Yugi had already approached the cashier to order. Yami's eyes took in the environment, very clearly cheap food but it looked… clean. Enough that he was somewhat willing to eat that he can say much, his stomach was beginning to growl and rumble; He was feeling hungry no doubt. Yugi called for Yami's attention to order something, to which Yami awkwardly looked at the menu and felt overwhelmed being thrust to order suddenly.

"Uh, what do you recommend?" Yami asked in a hushed whisper. Yugi stared at him for a second, slowly blinking before turning to the cashier and ordering some combo. It sounded fine to Yami. His eyes glanced down to the floor, noticing that Yugi was still holding his hand. It made him smirk.

He had to let go soon after to get his own wallet, pulling out a debit card and paying for the meal. Being given a cup to serve their own drinks, Yugi urged Yami to follow him. Yami nodded and began to feel queasy. Was it nerves? Why would he be nervous?

He tried to give a shaky smile as Yugi pointed to a drink label. Baja Blast. It sounded tropical. He could barely bring himself to pay attention to the ramble that was leaving Yugi's cute lips, his entire body was beginning to feel cold. Yugi filled a cup with the drink and offered it to Yami who gladly took it and brought it to his lips.

Almost immediately, his mouth was filled with a carbonated drink, cold and refreshing but it made him feel so much worse. Yami blinked a few times, realizing with creeping horror that he needed to go to the bathroom. Yugi's face went from excited to see Yami's reaction to the drink to worry as he asked if he was okay. Yami was becoming increasingly pale; Yami excused himself, insisting he had to go to the bathroom. Yugi immediately placed the cup down by the soda machine and tried to get him to the bathroom.

Yugi was a step ahead, Yami felt himself beginning to sweat, his mouth watering with saliva as he shut his eyes tightly and felt his body keel over and his throat burn as he vomits out all the liquor from before. He heard a scream, or was it two? He doesn't know, but it was this time that he had officially blacked out.

Well, fuck. He should've known better than to mix liquor on a slightly empty stomach.