Queer As Tachi – Chapter 33
The cold snap that had plagued Domino City through the first part of November had finally eased up enough to allow four young men to head out into the elements without being bundled up to their ears, though two of them still shivered a bit in the chill and kept their hands in their coat pockets. Odeon also had a cloak wrapped around him so the hood could cover his mostly-bald head. Yugi brightly led the way with a bag of supplies in his arms, since it had been made his responsibility to decorate. “It’s so nice of you guys to help,” he said over his shoulder as they walked, him and Yami in the front. “You really don’t have to, Yami and I can do it.”
“As long as we’re coming with you, we may as well,” Marik said. “Besides, you need someone tall to reach the tops of the doors, don’t you?”
Yugi shot him a scowl, but Yami just laughed. “Yes, I’m sure we will,” he conceded.
Marik had left their company for only a short time earlier in the day, in order to run home and change, but Yugi and Yami were not going anywhere until it was time to head to Duke’s and start setting up for the party so it was safe for their guardians to be away for those few minutes. They just sat around with Marik most of the day and talked, speaking of deeper matters connected to shadow magic and the pharaoh’s history, or what little of it Marik knew. He even consented to removing his shirt once more so Yami could inspect the writings on his back in more depth, without an audience, and shivered a little at the touch of the pharaoh’s fingertips on his skin. But it didn’t illumine Yami any more than it had the first time, so they let it be and turned to other topics of discussion. At last, after a good long day of being idle, they met Odeon in the afternoon, while it was still light out, and walked down to Duke’s game shop.
Across the city at the same time, Joey sat in his living room grumbling while Mai and Serenity giggled together in the spare bedroom, trying out different outfits for Serenity’s “date.” Even though he knew it wasn’t going to be a real date, but a pretense for him to get Mai to the party without her realizing she was being duped, Joey’s big-brother instincts were on high alert. Tristan’s assurances had fallen on deaf ears, to Joey this was cause for him to be concerned about just what Tristan or Duke might do with his little sister. Especially now that Serenity was growing into a young woman in her own right, a cute teenager with all kinds of boys flocking to her at school. While she wasn’t dating anyone specifically at the moment, she was more than aware of her pull on the opposite sex and had been the one to suggest this particular ruse in order to keep Mai completely in the dark. She and Tristan were going out, and at the right time in the evening, Tristan would call Joey for advice because Serenity had insisted on going to visit Duke at his shop and now he couldn’t get her to leave. The fact that Mai had planned to double-date with Yugi and Yami made it even better, because she would be so annoyed at being dragged on a rescue mission and thus making them late to their own date that she would never suspect a surprise party. Joey didn’t know why he couldn’t just take her there and not tell her why until all the people sprang out of the shadows, but it apparently wasn’t up to him anymore. The door buzzer just made him grumble even more as he got up and went to let Tristan in. His friend was grinning widely when the door opened on him. “Joey, my man…” he began.
“Shut up,” Joey growled, turning and stalking back into the flat, leaving Tristan to close the door behind himself.
“Why, I’m fine, thank you for asking,” Tristan went on blithely to prod him about his lack of manners. “And you? Or dare I even ask?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.” Joey flopped back down in his chair. “It’s just the two of them, carrying on like girls.” He thumbed toward the hallway leading to the bedrooms.
“Well, they are girls,” Tristan noted. “That’s what they do.”
“I guess.” Joey turned his head a moment to listen to the lilting chatter coming from down the hall. “It’s just weird, you know? I only get to see Serenity once in a while when she comes to visit, I don’t live with her every day so I don’t get to see this side of her. It’s kinda shocking realizing that your little sister is a big girl now, who chases boys and goes on dates.”
“It’s not a real date,” Tristan reminded him. “We’re just gonna go walk around and maybe get a snack before we head to Duke’s. I left Yugi high and dry to do this, so I should really go down early and see if I can’t help him out with the last bit of it.”
At that moment Mai came from the second bedroom, so the two boys immediately hushed. “I thought I heard the door,” she said as she came into view. “Hi Tristan. Serenity will be out in a minute.”
“No hurry,” Tristan assured. “What’s up, Mai? Oh…happy birthday, belatedly.”
“Thanks.” She folded her arms and cocked a curious look at him. “Where are you two going?”
“Oh…out,” Tristan said airily. “I thought I’d let Serenity decide. She hasn’t been here long enough to see the sights since Battle City.”
“Just don’t make it too late a night.” Mai smiled. “Joey and I might still be out when you guys get back, so I’m letting her have my key for tonight.”
“Oh yeah, you guys are going out with Yugi and Yami. Say hi for me.”
“Sure.” Mai smiled and turned to go back and see how much more Serenity had to do before declaring herself ready for her date. As she disappeared, Joey and Tristan shot each other a sneaky, knowing smile across the living room.
While an unsuspecting public browsed the shelves and blew their cash on cards and dice upstairs, one of the lower level dueling arenas in Duke’s shop was being converted into a party zone. He had set aside the entire floor for the party, so guests and friends didn’t have to mingle with customers at all. The DJ arrived shortly after Yugi did, so he got to watch him set up the sound system and check it with some loud, pounding techno music. At first, Yugi wasn’t sure how they could make use of the dueling and dungeon arena as dance floor and mingling space, but Duke excitedly went to the controls for the floor and told him to “watch this.” At his command, the walls around the arena lowered to a mere quarter of their usual size, and the dueling stations at either end sank completely into the floor and disappeared, leaving a nice wide space with the card-field grid and two places through which people could enter and exit. “A new modification the KC guys made about a year ago,” Duke bragged. “Converts it to be compatible with the duel disk, so you can play an open duel like you would anywhere else.”
“Cool!” Yugi crowed. “I see! So the dueling arenas aren’t obsolete compared to the duel disk.”
“And now that Kaiba’s announced that whole wireless thing, it’ll be even more important. Not to mention, it makes for a great dance floor,” Duke grinned, heading off to show the DJ where to set up.
With the help of his friends and his lover, Yugi took charge of decorating, making sure not to leave any balloons or signs hanging where anyone walking down the hall from the elevator could see them. Other than that, he managed to complete the transformation from gaming arena to party room, finishing ahead of schedule so he and the others could sit down and watch the caterer setting up food. “Duke’s store must be doing really well,” Marik mused, “for him to be able to afford this kind of party.”
“I think the DJ is a friend of his,” Yugi said, “and he can do anything with the arenas that he wants. But yeah, the food is a nice touch. I hope Mai likes it.”
Yami came up behind him and slipped his arms around his shoulders, hugging him into himself. “I’m sure she’ll be more than touched that her friends thought of all of this,” he said kindly.
Yugi glanced back at him. “Oh, what did you do with the gift?”
“There’s a table next to the food where they’re supposed to go. I put it there.”
“Oh, okay.” Yugi lunged and smooched him on the cheek. “Thank you!”
Marik glanced away, his hands going into the front pocket on his hooded sweatshirt to find the Duel Monsters card inside and finger it thoughtfully. He intended to gift it to Mai later, as a goodwill token in addition to her birthday, but didn’t want to just leave it on the table without a note, so he kept it to himself for now. “So,” he began to say, “what now? Have we gotten everything set up?”
“I think so,” Yugi replied, forcing himself to turn his attention away from his lover. “All that’s left now is to wait for people to show up.”
A shout of “Hey, check this place out!” announced the arrival of Tristan and Serenity, as the former came around the corner and beheld the setup. “Dude. If I’d known you could make the place look like this, I’d have had my birthday parties here a long time ago!”
Yugi jumped up. “Tristan!”
Tristan sauntered across the hall to meet the friends coming towards him, but Serenity jumped out from beside him and enthusiastically greeted them with a cheerful, “Yugi!”
Laughing, Yugi caught up her hands. “Hi, Serenity! It’s been a long time…”
“I know, can you believe it?” the young girl gushed. Though older by a couple of years and thus taller and more womanly, Joey’s younger sister was still as slender and girly-cute as ever, her long auburn hair swept up into a barrette. “Joey’s kept me up to date on everybody, though. How are you, Yugi? How’s your grandfather?”
“Oh, he’s fine,” Yugi said modestly. “I’m doing great, thanks.”
As she clasped his hands amiably, Serenity glanced down and immediately noticed the silver band on his ring finger. “What’s this? You’re wearing a promise ring?” Her eyes went wide. “Joey didn’t tell me anything about that!”
“Oh, he didn’t?” Yugi blushed faintly, moreso because he could sense the presence coming up behind him well before hands came to rest on his shoulders. “Well, I’ll have to take that up with him later. He could have told you. Serenity…” He stepped to one side to present his partner. “You remember all the things we said during the Battle City tournament about the pharaoh who lives inside my Puzzle, right? Well…this is him. In the flesh.”
Serenity gazed in doe-eyed wonder at the lean, sultry pharaoh, the carbon copy of Yugi now solid and real and clad in a rather slinky shirt. “Serenity,” he greeted her in his deeper voice. “I don’t think you and I have ever spoken directly, but I remember you. Very much so. It’s good to see you again.”
It took a minute or two for Serenity to pick her jaw up off the floor and get her mouth working again. “The pharaoh?” she questioned. “But how is that possible? Wasn’t he an ancient spirit only you could see…?”
“Yeah,” Yugi chuckled, “but you see…we discovered a magic ritual that sets him free from the Puzzle for one day. Er, once a month. It’s kind of a long story, but if you want I can explain it.”
Serenity blinked huge, dark eyes at them. “A magic ritual. That makes sense, I guess. You’ve been able to do all kinds of magic thanks to him. I remember some of it.”
Yugi nodded, glad that she was able to grasp it without needing details. Yami clasped his hand tenderly, raising it to his chest in a loving gesture. “And, well…the ring is ours,” Yugi went on, glancing aside at the sweet gesture with a smile. “Yami and I are together.”
Serenity’s eyes widened even more. “No way,” she breathed. “But…I thought you were going out with Téa?”
Sighing, Yugi shook his head. “We were never going out. We always stayed just friends. And then when Yami and I fell in love…I didn’t even think twice.”
Serenity covered her mouth with her hand in embarrassment. “Oh,” she whispered. “Sorry! I just thought…what she said to me…never mind.” She tried to grin. “That was a long time ago, I guess. People really change when you’re not looking.”
“It’s okay,” Yugi said with a laugh to put her at ease. “I’m really surprised Joey didn’t say anything, at least that I was seeing someone. He’s been in on it the whole time.”
“Yeah, well, you know Joey,” Tristan piped up. “If it’s not right in front of his face, he tends to forget things.”
“Hey, guys.” Duke wandered into their midst, then, aloof and casual. “It’s about time you showed up.”
“Hey…” Tristan offered a hand, and clasped Duke’s amiably. “The place looks awesome. This party’s gonna rock.”
Duke shook his hand and then flipped his hair back arrogantly. “Thanks. That’s the plan. Oh hey, Yugi…” He turned to the pair on his other side. “I gotta go back upstairs for a little bit, and coordinate some things with my managers. You’ll be all right down here for a while?”
“Yeah, I think we’re all set up, so just send people down here when they arrive,” Yugi said, glancing around the room to verify his own assessment.
“Cool. Serenity…” Duke gave her a special smile. “Good to see you.”
“Hurry back,” she called after him as he glided away, and then giggled to herself.
As Duke headed down the hallway to the elevator, he passed a threesome of young women who looked as though they had to be some of Mai’s coworkers from the magazine – tall, hot, and very well-dressed. Duke stopped long enough to say hello, naturally, but then kept on his way as they came in, looking around in curiosity. “I think I’d better go say hi,” Yugi realized. “Until Joey and Mai get here, I’m the host, I think.”
Tristan couldn’t help but stare just a little. “Who are they? Mai’s friends, you think?”
“They aren’t mine,” Yugi laughed. “I think those are people Mai works with. I’ll go find out.”
He started away, and since Yami was still holding his hand, he got dragged along willingly to help. As soon as they were out of earshot, Serenity sidled shyly up to Tristan and lowered her voice. “So does that mean…Yugi is gay?” she hissed.
“Kinda…yeah.” Tristan looked down at her, perplexed. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” Serenity assured, “I just didn’t expect it. It’s kinda weird. How long has it been like this?”
Tristan made a cute face as he thought about it. “Yugi and Yami have been doing the ritual for…oh, about a year and a half, now? Maybe a little longer. But they had a bond way before that. Don’t worry, it’s not like anyone’s kept you in the dark on purpose.” He smiled kindly. “Yugi didn’t really tell a lot of people himself, until the ritual started to be kind of obvious. He can’t hide his relationship as long as he’s got the pharaoh walking next to him.”
“Ah.” Serenity looked past him, to where Yugi was currently hiding behind Yami as he talked to the magazine girls, and smiled. “Well, it does explain a lot.”
Tristan raised an eyebrow. “Meaning what?”
“Nothing.” Serenity smirked up at him. “Just a little something between girls, that I think had better stay that way.”
“Excuse me…” A light, reedy voice beyond them got their attention, as a familiar face intruded. “You’re Joey’s sister, aren’t you?”
Serenity and Tristan both stared, startled, at the blond youth who faced them now. “Marik,” Tristan realized. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” Marik gave them both a hesitant smile, particularly Serenity. “I had a feeling Joey was the only one Yugi warned about me being here.”
“Marik,” Serenity breathed. “You’re here for Mai’s party?”
Marik shook his head. “I’m here for more than that…I just got dragged down here because I’m supposed to be guarding Yugi and the pharaoh. Well…maybe not so much dragged…I’m happy to be here, it’s just…” He sighed and tried again to smile. “This isn’t working. Maybe I should start over.”
Tristan eyed him. “You’re not evil again, are you?”
“No, I’m not evil again,” Marik groaned. “Look…all that is behind me. I’m a tombkeeper and a faithful servant of the pharaoh, now, like I’m supposed to be. I’m here in Domino to protect him.”
“Okay,” Tristan said firmly. “As long as that’s all it is.”
“Tristan,” Serenity scolded before turning to Marik. “You’ve changed a lot. You’re smiling, now.”
“Yes,” Marik said, the fear easing from his heart. “I just wanted to come over and say hi. I remember you…though I’m sure your memories of me aren’t something you want to revisit.”
Serenity gave him a soft giggle. “It’s like I just said to Yugi…that was a long time ago. People change.” She cocked her head curiously. “Are your sister and brother here, too?”
“Just my brother,” Marik replied, looking around. Odeon, however, was not in sight at the moment. “Without revealing too much, let’s just say we’re here to guard the pharaoh for a short time. Now that he has the ability to leave the Puzzle from time to time, he’s somewhat vulnerable.”
At that instant Yugi and Yami returned, the former glad to see that old enemies were chatting as friends now. Before they could lighten the conversation and include everyone, though, more people came in from the hallway. Yugi grinned at his friends. “Oops, sorry. I have to go make nice again. Be right back…”
The guests had been given a window of time in which to make their entrance, so they could all be in position when it was time to throw the surprise. Duke monitored their arrival from upstairs, but when it grew close to the time to spring the trap on Mai, he came back down and mingled with everyone as the party’s true host, since it was his shop and his arena. The DJ played a little party music to help everyone loosen up and get to know each other, just some pop hits at low volume, as many helped themselves to drinks and stood around in small knots chatting. At last, Tristan slipped away and went upstairs to use his cell phone to call Joey.
Mai was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard Joey in the next room answer his phone, and then start yelling into it. “What? No, no…I didn’t say she could. No way! Tristan, dammit…what about Mai? You do remember that we’re going out with Yugi tonight?” There was a short pause; Mai glanced through the door to where she could just see Joey in the bedroom, clawing a hand through his hair. “All right, fine,” he groaned. “Don’t go anywhere, we’re coming down there. I guess Yugi will have to put up with us being late. Dammit, and he doesn’t have a cell phone, I can’t call him. No, don’t – I’ll handle this. Okay.” He hung up noisily and gave a huge, exasperated sigh.
Mai put away her things and stepped into the doorway, all curious. “What’s the matter?”
Joey turned away from her, presumably in anger – but moreso because he couldn’t look into her eyes and fib. “It’s Serenity,” he grumbled. “She made Tristan take her down to Duke’s shop to say hi to him, and now Duke is trying to get her to leave with him and go out on their own date. Tristan doesn’t know how to get between them.”
Mai gave a similar aggravated sigh. “Joey, you don’t have to get involved in their stupid three-way drama-fest. Tristan should just be a man and step in and drag her out of there.”
“You know Tristan’s too much of a softie to do that,” Joey complained. “He doesn’t want to upset Serenity. But she just doesn’t see Duke for what he is – a conniving snake who’ll do anything to get in her pants. We’ve got to go down and pick her up.”
“They’re at Duke’s shop?”
“Yeah. I swear, it’ll only take a minute. We’ll be a little late, but I’m sure Yugi will understand.”
Mai blinked at him. “You should try to call him at his house.”
Joey looked at his watch. “Nah, he’ll have already left. I hate to do this, but I have to. Are you ready?”
“Yeah, just let me get my coat.”
They drove down to Duke’s game shop, which was brightly-lit and bustling with activity at such a prime hour, and stalked in. Mai thought to herself that Joey was doing a remarkably good job of keeping his temper in check, though he did look rather annoyed as they went inside and hunted around for Duke. He didn’t seem to be on the game floor, nor were Tristan and Serenity. Joey cornered a store employee and asked her a little harshly where Mr. Devlin was at the moment. “Downstairs,” the girl stammered. “The arenas on sub-level six.”
“Was there a girl with him?” Mai wondered more politely. “About your height, a teenager with light brown hair?”
“I don’t know,” the employee said with a hesitant smile. “There’ve been a lot of people in the store tonight. He might have been.”
Joey took Mai’s arm gently and tugged her along, heading for the elevators to the dueling arenas downstairs. He said nothing as they went, keeping a grim look on his face, all the way down until the doors opened on a dim corridor. Stepping out, Joey looked both ways and decided to head towards the faint light on one end that indicated someone was here by the dueling arena. “Duke?” he called out, and then added, “Serenity?”
“Joey, don’t do anything stupid,” Mai begged him, walking fast to keep up with him, her heels clicking noisily on the polished floor. “He might just be showing her around, giving the tour like he did me…”
They came around the corner to the arena, and right on cue, the lights came up and a mass of people leaped up out of the arena floor, throwing balloons and yelling, “Surprise!”
Predictably, Mai stopped short and stared, her mouth open. Joey snickered beside her, and then burst into laughter when she turned and shot him an accusing look. “Happy birthday, Mai!” several people called out, as Yugi, Yami, Tristan, Serenity, and Duke came up out of the walled arena area and surrounded her. “What do you think?” Yugi added brightly. “Is this better than going out for dinner?”
Mai stood there for a while, blinking, her annoyance vanishing under a rush of warmth to her heart. All these people were there for her, she recognized most of them either from her dueling career or work as they crowded around her, laughing and raising their drinks in toast. The DJ immediately started the music back up now that the guest of honor had arrived, it thundered through the arena and had several people already bouncing. “I don’t believe this,” Mai managed to gasp. Another look around revealed the tables of food and gifts against the far wall. “I don’t believe you guys!”
“Did we have you fooled?” Serenity asked, rushing up out of the midst of the others and clasping Mai’s hands.
“I never…not for a minute…thought…” Mai quivered for a moment, her eyes shining, and then she grabbed Serenity in a big hug. “You silly kid! We thought you were in trouble with Duke!”
“Oh, like I’d really do something like that,” Duke snorted. He shot Tristan a scowl. “What did you tell them?”
“Hey, as long as it worked,” Tristan grinned, holding his hands up defensively.
“Who did this?” Mai demanded. “Who planned this? Yugi?”
“Nope,” Yugi chirped. “It was Joey.”
Mai whirled to face her boyfriend, who stood modestly off to the side with his hands in his jeans pockets. He tossed her a casual look. “What? It’s just a little party…” She promptly slugged him in the arm. “Ow! Hey! What was that for?”
“You big dork!” Mai accused him. “You went and made a big deal about…about nothing…”
“What? I can’t give my favorite person the party they deserve?”
Mai moaned softly and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Smiling knowingly, Joey hugged her back. “Surprise, Mai.”
“All right, let’s party!” Duke exhorted everyone. “Food’s there, dance floor’s out there, there’s some arcade games and another arena on this floor if anybody wants to duel for fun…”
One by one people came up to Mai to congratulate her and wish her well, so for a while she was occupied with being friendly to all her guests, but then it was down to just her core group of friends, the old gang, who were all too glad to explain how the party had come about and how they managed to keep it from her. Mai smiled warmly at all of them gathered around her. “Thanks, guys,” she gushed sincerely. “This is really great. I can’t believe you did this.” She gestured toward the dance floor with the drink Joey had brought her. “But I don’t know everybody here. Who are some of those people?”
“Oh, I thought to invite a few gamers I know,” Duke said casually. “You know…fans of yours from way back.”
“Fans?” Mai blinked at him. “I have fans?”
“Of course you do,” Joey snorted. “Maybe not as many as me and Yugi, but…”
Mai gave him a scathing look. “Make yourself useful and get me some snacks.”
“And we’ll have cake later,” Yugi said cheerfully as Joey vanished to do as ordered.
“Oh, you guys are so sweet.” Mai pulled Yugi to her and kissed him on the forehead, making him giggle and blush, and then rubbed away the transferred lipstick before shoving him back into Yami. “Thanks, all of you. Even you,” she added, pointing at Tristan. “Making me worry about Serenity…”
Through all of this, Marik and Odeon stood aside near the wall, watching but not interfering. Once people started going for the food they knew they were free to do so, but Marik refrained from going anywhere near Mai for the time being, even if Yugi and Yami were hanging around her. He could watch over them from across the hall. As the group broke up and started to go their separate ways, seeking food or games or dancing, and Mai went to look at the selection of gifts and cards left for her, Odeon glanced down at his half-brother beside him. “I don’t think she’ll bite,” he suggested in a low murmur.
“I don’t want to bother her,” Marik said with a shake of his head. “Later. When she’s in a good mood.”
“She expected to see you tonight regardless, did she not?” Odeon pointed out. “She knows you’re here. What is it that bothers you so much?”
“Something Yugi told me.” Marik left it at that, preferring to go get something to drink since Mai was heading in the complete opposite direction now.
Duke’s DJ friend segued masterfully from pop hits to club mixes, ramping up the music and the energy into an infectious party atmosphere. Some of the gamers retreated into corners to duel or play or talk about games, but most of Mai’s friends and coworkers mingled on the dance floor, showing their mutual love of dancing. Yugi politely paid Mai some attention for a while before giving in to his yearning to take Yami down to the arena to dance. “Who is this guy?” he asked Duke on their way. “He’s great!”
“Just a friend,” Duke shrugged. “He spins at a little club that opened this year, it’s called Dream.”
Yugi gave a start. “Oh! I’ve been there!”
Duke stared. “You have?”
“Yeah…well, once,” Yugi admitted. “One night with Yami, when they were having an after-midnight thing.”
“Dude, you should have told me,” Duke exclaimed. “I’ve been there a lot, I could always use someone to go with.” He elbowed Yugi in the side. “You and I had a good time in Tokyo…”
Yami appeared suddenly and drew Yugi forcefully to his side, making Yugi grin. “Only if I can go, too,” the pharaoh said with a sultry smile before tugging Yugi away to dance like he wanted.
The dueling arena was perfect for dancing, as the special overhead lights and holographic emitters could be used to play sparkling light and graphics over the floor and the bouncing bodies of dancers. Yugi and Yami plunged headlong into the party, losing themselves in the music and each other within minutes of going in. Before too long they noticed Duke join them, and eventually Joey and Mai, as the birthday girl was absorbed into a pack of her trendy fashion co-workers. It was similar to being in the club, except that the crowd was small and intimate and made up of cool people who more or less knew each other. Yugi just danced his cares away, danced for the sheer joy of being with friends – and with Yami. Those who had never seen the pharaoh cut loose were astonished to watch him out there with Yugi, hips swaying and body writhing as if he were created solely for the purpose of moving to the music and seducing with his mere appearance. The lovers swirled around each other in perfect tandem, eyes always locked on each other or closed in ecstasy, hands gliding lightly along each others’ lithe limbs. They made it look like so much fun that no one could resist joining them, not even Tristan, who had never been on a dance floor in his life. Serenity thought his attempts to dance were cute and funny, but Tristan was more concerned at that moment with being around his friends, as Duke, Joey, and Mai formed a little circle that he could safely enter and not be thought a fool for missing the beat on occasion. Joey wasn’t really any better at it, anyway. All that mattered was having fun, and if their little pal Yugi could go from the shy gamer geek they always thought him to be to that sexy, sensual bundle of energy writhing so skillfully in the presence of his partner over there…then anything was possible.
Marik sat on the low wall of the arena to watch, preferring to stay out of the way for now, as he had never danced nor even considered going clubbing or to parties like this. He, too, was gazing at Yugi with some yearning, wishing to be able to be as fun and carefree as that, but he was too self-conscious to break away from the wall and join his friends. He wasn’t really paying much attention to anything else, so the sudden appearance of a curvaceous figure beside him caught him unawares. Mai sat down on the wall next to him, facing in the opposite direction as it would have been awkward and not at all ladylike for her to flash her skirts at everyone on the dance floor. She had refilled her drink and looked rather calm, all things considered. “Hey,” she said quietly, glancing aside at Marik so he could hear her over the music. “Gonna sit here and play wallflower all night?”
Marik glanced at her briefly before turning his eyes away, toward his hands clasped in his lap. “I’m not much of a dancer,” he mumbled.
“That’s okay. Neither is Joey.” Mai gestured with her drink to where Joey was flailing helplessly in what could be considered, vaguely, dancing.
Marik chuckled softly, but let it pass. After a moment of silence and no sign that Mai was going away, he turned slightly towards her. “You know that I wish I could take it all back.”
“The problem is, it wasn’t you.” Mai turned her head towards him as well. “You were pretty bad, I’ll admit, but you were nothing compared to that dark half. He was the one who nearly destroyed my mind. And he got what he deserved.”
“But I’m not completely innocent,” Marik admitted.
“No…” Mai sighed heavily. “But none of us are.” She sat with her glass in both hands cupped in her lap, her eyes downcast. “Has Yugi told you…what I did to Joey not too long ago? What I did to all of them?”
Marik’s eyes widened slightly. “No…he’s said nothing…”
Mai’s expression had gone blank. “I tried to destroy them, too,” she said softly, sadly. “I let someone fill my head with lies until I believed that they had ruined my life, and played against them. I was supposed to hunt them down for their souls, and I succeeded in making Joey lose his…at least, by then I’d snapped out of it. But I couldn’t stop what I’d done.” Her gaze shifted slightly, searching out Marik but unable to meet his eyes. “You were the seed at the source, unfortunately. I couldn’t get your dark side out of my head, I had nightmares about what he did to me. To this day I don’t know if it was all just my inability to deal with it, or if there were other forces at work, but…”
“Yugi did mention that,” Marik murmured. “He didn’t tell me about the rest, though. He only said you apparently had a hard time putting it behind you…”
“Such a nice way of putting it.” Mai took a breath and lifted her head. “But it’s over, now. I gave myself space, I did everything possible to put it behind me, but I never really totally stopped having nightmares occasionally. At least…not until I moved here.” She finally was able to look at Marik, and smile. “I decided that what I wanted most was worth the risks, and went for it. And I’m glad I did. I haven’t been afraid of the past once, not even when Joey told me about you and your mission here.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Marik said, clutching at the wall he sat on as if afraid it would buck him off. “I treated a lot of people here like they were worthless, and didn’t care what effect it would have on their lives.”
“We all make mistakes.” Mai shifted her drink into her other hand so she could set one on top of Marik’s. Her fingers were cold from the ice in the glass. “Even me. But if Joey could take me back after what I did to him, I can look past what you did. Hell, Yugi trusts you and even speaks highly of you now – if anyone in this world deserves to kick your ass for what you did, it’s him. And he won’t.” Her voice grew sharp and stern. “So stop hiding in the corner moping about your past already and go have some fun. This is my birthday party, dammit, and no one’s leaving here moody!”
Marik glanced sharply at her, startled, and caught her sly grin. “All right,” he said with a hesitant laugh. “I’ll try.”
“I’d suggest starting with a drink,” Mai sniffed, pushing herself to her feet, “but you’re not of age yet, are you?” She nodded towards the catered spread. “So get some soda and some food. It’s really good.”
Marik remained sitting there a while longer. He looked up as she tilted back her glass and finished her drink. “Happy birthday, Mai.”
“Thanks.” She winked over her shoulder at him and wandered off.
Marik sat for a moment pondering, and then got up to join Yugi and his partner over where they had gone to take a break from dancing. They stood in a small knot with Tristan and Duke, complimenting the latter on putting together a hell of a party while sipping at their sodas or water to cool off. “Yeah, well,” Duke said modestly, “if you can’t flaunt what you’ve got once in a while, what’s the good in having it?”
“It’s so great,” Yugi enthused. “Thanks for helping out. Oh, hey Marik. What’s up?”
“Nothing much.” Marik glanced at Yami, who stood with an arm slung around Yugi’s shoulders. “I didn’t know you could dance.”
Yami smiled shyly. “Neither did I. But this music is…hypnotic. I find myself unable to resist.”
“And you even go clubbing,” Tristan laughed. “Man, the rest of us are having a hard time keeping up with you two.”
“Hey, I saw you out there trying,” Duke teased him. “Emphasis on trying.”
“Just because I’m not a club kind of guy doesn’t mean I don’t know how to have fun,” Tristan retorted. He glanced into the empty glass in his hand and shrugged. “Guess I’m off for another round – anyone else want anything? Marik?” he asked, noting that the young man’s hands were empty.
“I’m all right,” Marik assured.
“Well, if we’re not having cake yet, then I want to dance some more,” Yugi decided abruptly. He turned to his lover. “Coming?”
“Of course.” Yami grasped his hand and turned to go with him back down into the arena space, where some of the other partygoers were still bouncing around. As he did, he gave their companions a sultry look. “Marik? Care to join us?”
Marik shook his head. “Oh, no…I don’t know anything about dancing…”
“Come on!” Yugi pounced and took him by the arm. “You won’t learn if you don’t try! Come on, it’ll be fun!”
Despite his protest, Marik found himself being yanked along to the dance floor, accompanied by the grinning pair who both seemed to find the prospect fascinating. Yugi gave him a few encouraging words about just listening to the music and moving to the beat, but he and his partner clearly had more of a grasp of the concept than Marik could admit to. He was trapped, he didn’t want to just back away and bolt from the floor now that his friends had gotten him out there, so he stood and watched them for a moment or two before being able to see how the beat moved their bodies. At the moment they weren’t dancing nearly as close as before, beside each other and together without being all over each other such that a third party would be left out of the fun. First Marik’s head began to nod with the beat, then he was swaying a little bit, and eventually he was actually moving, not nearly with the experience or abandon of his friends but he was certainly not standing still anymore. Yugi laughed to see him letting go, and patted his arm in encouragement before letting himself go wild. Yami smiled across at Marik, letting his expression convey what couldn’t be said over the loud music. Marik appreciated the smile and grinned back, getting into it a little more. He may not have known how to dance before this moment, but he was not sheltered – he knew about clubs and techno music. And if the pharaoh could get into it, then so could he. At that point he realized he was getting really warm, and paused to pull off his sweatshirt and lay it on the wall of the arena before continuing in just a sleeveless shirt. Yugi hooted at him to encourage him even further, laughing when Marik grinned shyly at the attention. He fit in well with the other partygoers, in his black shirt and cargo pants, boots, and gold earrings, and the more he loosened up and fell into step with his friends, the more natural he looked out there on the dance floor.
Across the room, Odeon stood with his arms folded and a drink in one hand, watching with amusement as his younger brother swayed to the music alongside Yugi and the pharaoh. By contrast, Odeon was more than happy to keep his wallflower status, as he was even less of the party type and could be content with standing around in the shadows just observing. As he did, he became aware of Mai passing through the crowds of people near him, stopping to exchange words and laughter with someone now and then, but mostly stalking through on her way somewhere, sipping occasionally at her drink. Odeon glanced aside as she passed him and suddenly paused, turning to look out and see just what on the dance floor he was watching. “Good evening, Mai,” he said politely. “Are you enjoying your party?”
“Oh, you have no idea,” Mai smirked. “How about you? I’m sure this wasn’t exactly on your list of things to do while you were in town babysitting the pharaoh…”
“I’m fine.” Odeon lifted the hand with the glass to indicate his drink. “I don’t mind simply watching the crowd. Dancing is not my style.”
“Figures.” Mai stood beside him to enjoy her own drink for a bit, her eyes on the dance floor. “He really did get out there, huh? Will wonders never cease.”
“It was Yugi. He and the pharaoh dragged him out there.”
“Ah.” Mai laughed. “Bet you didn’t think you’d see the day when your pharaoh turned out to be a bad influence on your little brother.”
Odeon also laughed in a calm, deep manner. “All things considered,” he said, “this is hardly a bad influence. Outside of our realm of expectations, yes, but hardly delinquent.”
“Yeah, he’s still a good guy,” Mai mused. “They both are – the pharaoh and Yugi. Very much into each other, but still on the innocent side.”
“You have seen them often?” Odeon turned toward her. “What is the pharaoh like in his unguarded moments? We spoke at length today, but he seemed to be keeping himself composed.”
Mai had to think about it. “Not much different from what I remember when he was dueling,” she said after a bit. “Except maybe…he’s a lot more relaxed. Not so uptight and dramatic. But,” she smiled, “I think that’s Yugi’s doing. He’s brought something out of the pharaoh that he may not have known how to express before.”
“I see.” Odeon gazed seriously at the friends clustered together in the middle of the dancing throng. “I don’t have much to compare it to, since I was considered his enemy the last we met.”
“Yeah, well, I haven’t seen that much of him either, until I moved here,” Mai snorted into her glass. “I always thought it was just Yugi.” She lowered her glass and gave the distant pair a wistful look. “They sure do look happy together, though.”
“Very much so,” Odeon agreed.
Mai glanced at him. “So is life any better on the pharaoh’s side than it was before?”
The kind look on Odeon’s mature face became a smile. “Much better,” he murmured. “My family and I are together, as we should have been all along. I didn’t realize until we came home, how much I missed my sister’s company. We were apart for far too long.”
Mai nodded but said nothing in return, figuring there was no way to respond without sounding trite. They stood quietly there for a bit, savoring their drinks, and then Joey appeared before them, obviously seeking his girlfriend. “Hey, there you are. Hiya Odeon,” he added.
“Joey,” Odeon said kindly.
“No hiding in the corner,” Joey scolded them both with a smirk. “This is a party! Get out and have some fun!”
“I’m catching my breath,” Mai said insolently. “What do you want?”
“Nothin’,” Joey pouted. “What’re you looking at? Oh…” he said when his eyes followed their gazes and noticed the dancers. “Ha, look at that! Yugi got Marik out there dancing! Too freaky.”
“Hey, he looks perfectly normal to me,” Mai countered. “Yami, now that’s weird. I didn’t know he had it in him.”
“Yugi told me they’ve been out dancing before, but I never saw it with my own eyes,” Joey admitted. “He’s usually so quiet. But, I think it suits him. Especially them together.” Joey stood with them and watched for a bit, as Yugi and Yami were now slinked up beside each other, swaying in tandem to the pulsing beat with their eyes and smiles fixed on each other. “I tell ya,” he said after a long silence, “it’s amazing how happy Yugi is when he’s with Yami. I’ve seen him at the top of the world a lot of times, but nothing like this.”
“He’s always been like that, though,” Mai said. “As long as I’ve known the kid, he’s always been the happy-go-lucky type. Nothing ever got him down.”
Joey shook his head. “This is different. I can’t put my finger on it…it’s like you can sense how happy he is, like it’s something you can actually get your hands around and touch. It’s contagious, it’s impossible to be down when they’re around you and Yugi’s grinning like that.” He nodded toward the couple; Yugi was indeed at the moment beaming with the biggest smile as he danced playfully with his lover. “It’s all Yami, I know it is. They’re really happy together.”
“Then, may nothing ever drive them apart,” Odeon said solemnly.
“Hear, hear,” Mai agreed, raising her glass.
The DJ mixed smoothly from song to song, melding sensual trance cuts with the happier club hits that many partygoers recognized and ran out to dance to. As long as the beat kept going, Yugi and Yami stayed out there, always willing to smile and laugh as their friends wound in and out of their presence like the songs fading in and dying away in their own time. Duke left, Tristan came in, Serenity appeared and disappeared, and Marik gradually picked up on the way the dance worked and fell into step with his companions, never leaving their sides. It wasn’t about protecting the pharaoh anymore, it was just dancing, just fun. At the switch of another song, Duke suddenly reappeared and slung an arm loosely around Yugi’s shoulder, wearing a teasing smile for all of them. Yugi played along, taking a step aside to make it look like he was dancing with Duke now instead of his lover, though from his smile they knew it was merely harmless flirting. Marik grinned back at him, finding the whole nonverbal interplay silly, until he became aware that Yami had stepped closer to him in retaliation for his partner’s abandonment. Glancing aside at the pharaoh’s cool, controlled look and subtle half-smile, Marik found himself eager to join him, drawn by his presence alone. For a short space they danced closely together, though still an arm’s reach apart and not touching, enough for Marik to wonder what had earned him this solo attention from the pharaoh. Captivated and thrilled, he found it over far too soon as Yugi swept over during a change in the music and threw himself into Yami’s arms, giggling as he was whirled around and then wrapped up in one arm so Yami could match him in a sexy sway. Marik could only stand – or dance – aside and watch as the lovers ground into each other, Yugi tilting his head forward and closing his eyes as Yami held him from behind and their hips moved together to the rhythm. It seemed as though they were lost in each other, until the song reached a breakdown and a new, different one mixed in. It wasn’t as good, so Yugi lifted his head, breaking the spell, and shouted above the noise, “Come on, I need something to drink.”
Hand in hand, Yami and Yugi exited the dance floor, with Marik and Duke both trailing behind, the latter waving to some of the girls from Mai’s office who were still bouncing out there, and ogling him. Once everyone had a soda in hand to help cool down, they gathered around in a circle with Joey and Mai and laughed and talked for a while. “Are you kidding? I’m having way too much fun,” Mai laughed at her boyfriend. “I don’t care what time I have to be to work tomorrow, it’ll be worth it. Half my office is here anyway.”
“You couldn’t bring any models along?” Duke teased her. “When Joey said he was inviting your coworkers, I thought for sure there’d be at least one or two.”
“You think I work with the models?” Mai snorted. “Tough break, dice-boy. I’m not that important, not yet anyway.”
“They’d probably be too stuck up to give you the time of day anyway,” Tristan chided. “Best to stick with what you know.”
Duke grinned. “Yeah, there’s enough people I know I can flirt with here already. Right?”
“Which reminds me, where is Serenity anyway?” Mai wondered.
“Over there,” Yugi noted, gesturing with his cup. As he did, someone by the food turned suddenly and backed into his arm, jostling it enough to spill his soda all over his arm and the front of his shirt. He yelped in surprise, but it wasn’t a terrible tragedy. The gamer kid apologized profusely, but Yugi assured him it was okay. “It’s a black shirt,” he pointed out, “it won’t show anything. I’ll clean it up, it’ll be okay.”
“There’s a restroom down the hall,” Duke reminded him, “by the elevator.”
“Thanks.” Holding his sticky hand out of the way, Yugi circled his friends and headed down the hall to find the restroom. As he shouldered the door open, he noticed that Yami had followed him, a little smirk on his lips. “What are you doing?” he asked his partner with a laugh. “I can take care of this.”
“I’m being a good pharaoh,” Yami claimed. “I’m keeping an eye on the Puzzle.”
“Yeah, sure you are.” Yugi grinned at him as the door closed to, temporarily shutting out the raucous noise of the dance floor – all except for the beat, which could still be felt through the floor. He went to the sink and washed his soda-covered arm off, and then dabbed at his wet shirt with a paper towel. “Ah well,” he sighed, “this will have to go in the laundry anyway. Yuck, it’s all wet…”
There was a loud click that echoed through the tiled restroom, and Yugi turned to see Yami slinking away from the door. “Maybe we’ll have to give it a few minutes to dry,” he suggested.
Yugi looked past him. “Did you just lock the door?”
“Yes.” Yami gathered his young love into his arms and began to work his stained shirt up his chest to take it off. “That way no one will walk in on us.”
Yugi’s eyes went wide, though he was grinning eagerly. “Yami!” he cried. “We can’t! Not in here!”
“Why not?”
Yugi strained against his arms, though not very strongly, as he realized his only good logical reason had been answered with the locking of the door. “You’re so naughty,” he breathed, only mildly scolding. “What if someone finds out?”
“I’m not going to tell them.” Yami faced his lover’s panic with a raised eyebrow. “Are you?”
“No…” Yugi giggled and surrendered, lifting up his arms and holding on to the Puzzle as Yami worked his shirt off and laid it on the edge of the sink, presumably to dry for a few minutes. They could both feel and hear the pulse of the dance music, muted but still present, and swayed against each other as if out on the dance floor for a minute before plunging into a hot, fierce kiss, hands groping for each other’s chest or hips. All that dancing had turned them both on, as usual, and not even the threat of their friends just down the hall finding out what they were doing could stop them. With his hands firmly clutched around his lover’s ass, Yami turned Yugi and pushed him up against the door, trapping him there while he ravaged his lips and throat with wet, wild kisses. Yugi cupped his hands around his partner’s face, guiding his kiss, accepting the eager intrusion of his tongue as the kiss deepened and drew on. Then he was being pulled away, whirled around in time with the distant music, and lowered to the floor. The tile was cold against his back as he laid down and sprawled out with Yami on top of him, still kissing him wildly, their hands meeting and clasping as the pharaoh pinned his young love to the floor. Now they could feel the beat even more viscerally, all through their bodies, and it drove them to urgent need. Yami straddled Yugi’s hips and ground down against him in the same rhythm, while he still kissed and then lapped at Yugi’s sweaty skin and hard nipples. With a loud party going on outside the door, no one would be able to hear Yugi’s desperate cries, as he threw his head back and gasped at the delicious, ravenous treatment of those lips on his body. He began to thrust back against the hips holding his pinned down, their bodies writhing together. When Yami pulled back in order to catch his breath and lick his lips, Yugi sat up sharply, pushing back against him and kissing him again. His hands were immediately on the pharaoh’s belt, and he received no protest as he worked his jeans open and slid a hand inside to find a growing hardness.
Yami rose a little on his knees and arched his body gracefully to show how much he enjoyed Yugi touching him, but it was only a tease. He sat back enough to let Yugi go, at which the young one scrambled to get out from underneath him and work his jeans down even further on his hips, crouching in order to touch and then kiss the pharaoh’s building erection. Yami sat back on his heels and braced his hands on the floor behind him as Yugi dove down onto him, reclining in his lap in order to take him into his mouth and suckle him wetly. They were both groaning, both hot and willing, when Yami decided he was ready and lifted Yugi’s head with a fingertip to his chin. Grinning in wordless agreement, Yugi straightened up and favored his elegant lover with a long, probing kiss while hands groped down his body, found his waistband, and began to pry his pants off. Yami pushed him back, then, and finished tugging the tight jeans off him as Yugi sprawled back on the floor, holding himself up on his elbows. Yami crawled over him, reaching to trace a finger over his young lover’s lips and then plunge it into his mouth, smirking sensually as Yugi’s lips closed around it and his tongue swirled playfully around it. So prepared, Yami withdrew and reached underneath Yugi instead, probing to find his opening and stroke inside him, his finger warm and wet compared to the cold, hard tile of the restroom floor. Yugi yelped and squealed in anticipation, spreading his legs wide. Within moments Yami was inside him, bending him nearly double on the floor as he thrust hard and fast. There was nothing around him to hold onto except Yami, so Yugi clutched at his lover’s arms, digging his fingers in, his legs crooked and wrapped high around the pharaoh’s torso. The throbbing dance music pounded through the floor and into their minds, providing them a punishing rhythm to match as Yami bent his head and thrust his hips forward and up, driving himself deep. It was a difficult position to keep on the slippery floor, though, so when he paused for breath and to shake the hair out of his eyes, Yugi pushed a little on his chest. “Wait, wait,” he murmured. “I have an idea.”
“Oh?” Yami glanced at him, and followed his instruction to pull out for a moment. Yugi sat up and then turned over, bracing his hands and knees on the floor and smiling over his shoulder. Yami got the point immediately, and curled up against him, wrapping an arm around him in order to pull him back into himself and kiss his shoulder before searching out the ready opening and falling inside again. Yugi cried out in pleasure, rearing back into his lover, and braced himself for even more. Now they were matched exactly as they had been on the dance floor, back to front, hips together, so they could undulate and writhe and thrust together to the music. Yami kept one arm around Yugi, holding him tightly, and rested his cheek on his young love’s shoulder blade as they simply, blatantly fucked on the restroom floor, enjoying every minute of it. Yugi grasped for his partner’s arm and clutched his hand over Yami’s as he neared climax, the Puzzle swinging down and thumping against his arms now and then, and pushed back against him as he came screaming. Feeling his body tremble and explode pushed Yami the rest of the way, and then the two of them were slumped on the floor, panting, sweating, shaking. And laughing. Laughing, because it was so good, so hot, that they didn’t know how they were going to prevent anyone else at the party from catching on.
Most of those who had been standing around talking and enjoying a refreshing beverage were either back on the dance floor or over by the food when Yami and Yugi finally returned, sneaking their way back into the shadowed hall hand-in-hand. They had cleaned up and caught their breath, and since nearly everyone was occupied on the dance floor, they never noticed the length of the couple’s absence. Tristan spotted them first, as he came over from filling a plate of food. “Hey, there you guys are,” he noted. “Joey wanted to know when we should have cake and do the birthday stuff.”
Yugi shrugged. “Anytime Mai is ready, I guess. Maybe we should do it soon, in case people need to leave. What time is it?”
“Got me. I don’t have a watch,” Tristan replied.
All three of them looked out toward the dance floor, where the guest of honor was currently absorbed in giving her boyfriend her undivided attention. Yugi giggled. “No hurry. I don’t want to interrupt Mai right now anyway.” He glanced at Yami, and received a surreptitious smile in response. Nope, no one had noticed their disappearance. Not even Marik, who was back out dancing in the general vicinity of Duke and Serenity. Yugi then glanced at Tristan, wondering if he was watching the arrangement of dancers as well, but wasn’t sure because Tristan was eagerly feeding his face as usual, and his gaze never wandered from the dance floor even as Serenity left it and ran off in a completely unrelated direction.