Queer As Tachi – Chapter 72
Joey handled Mai’s car with ease as they cruised through the city streets, the top down so they could feel the warm wind in their hair. Yugi sat beside him in the front, face tilted up to enjoy the pleasure of the drive, while Yami sat placidly in back, lost in his thoughts as he gazed at the sights they passed. Yugi was himself rather wrapped in thought, as he had been since leaving the beach. Much of what Yami and Joey had said was still circling around and around in his mind, no longer dwelling on the unpleasant reactions they saw in other people, but diving deeper, stirring up curiosities and worries he had never entertained before. He kept returning to the mother on the beach, hiding her child’s eyes from the men holding hands, and wondered. Grandpa Muto had accepted his newfound sexual preference without issue, but Yugi wondered if his own parents would have done the same, if they had ever known. Had they learned at Grandpa’s knee how to treat people, or would they have been like the woman on the beach, shrinking away from him as though he were a demon? They never knew this side of him, they never even got to meet Yami. He wanted to hope that since his grandfather had been so good about it, they also would have, but the truth was, he didn’t know. The thought made him sigh sadly, at which Joey glanced aside and commented, “If you keep doing that, I’m going to hold you upside down by your ankles and make Yami tickle you until you can’t sigh anymore.”
“What? Oh…sorry,” Yugi said sheepishly. “I was just thinking.”
“Yugi?” the pharaoh asked from the back seat. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah,” Yugi replied, though not very convincingly. “It’s nothing to worry about.” He shifted his eyes to Joey beside him. “I’m really lucky to have friends who accepted me right from the start, and Grandpa, too. It could have been so much worse. Like Tristan, his little brother still won’t talk to him.”
“Yeah,” Joey remarked. “Téa was the only one who freaked out on you, but there were some deeper issues there.”
“And she’s okay now,” Yugi added. “I don’t need to worry about strangers on the street, because I have friends to back me up.”
“Then what are you sighing about?” Joey teased him with a sidelong grin. “You’ve got it good, Yug, real good. Everything’s lookin’ up for you, there’s nothin’ to worry about.”
“I just couldn’t help but think…” Yugi lowered his head, staring at his hands in his lap. “…about my parents. They never had the chance to find out that I…that Yami and I…”
Joey’s eyebrows went up. Fortunately, they were pulling up to a stoplight, so he could turn his head and give his best friend a genuinely boggled look. “Your parents? What’s got you thinking about that out of nowhere?”
“Just…things,” Yugi shrugged awkwardly. “It made me realize…that I honestly don’t know what they would say if they were alive to see me with Yami. So much of what I remember of them is so faint, I was practically raised by my grandpa. I wish I could know…I wish I had the chance to show them how happy I am, even if they didn’t accept me.”
Joey glanced at him again, but the light changed and he had to turn his attention to the road. They weren’t far from home, anyway. “They’d accept you,” he said reassuringly. “You’re their only son, why wouldn’t they?”
“Not everybody is so good about it,” Yugi reminded him. “Even to their own kids.” He glanced into the back seat, but Yami was merely sitting there listening, his eyes calm, violet pools with no shadows lurking inside. “I hadn’t really thought about it before, but…I guess there’s no way to really know for sure.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Joey said, reaching over and patting his leg. “If they were any bit as cool as Grandpa, I’d say you’re in the clear. There’s no sense making yourself crazy over a what-might-have-been. Come on.” He turned the car easily into the lot behind his flat and swung into a parking space. “We’re here. Let’s make this quick, I’m hungry!”
Yugi dropped the subject while they went upstairs to the flat with their things, accepting Joey’s insistence that he and Yami take the shower first since they were guests. Yugi only really needed to soak his feet for a bit, Yami was the one who had gone swimming. The younger one sat on the edge of the sink to watch his partner bathe, trading sultry, suggestive glances through the shower curtain, and then settled himself down to scrub his sandy toes while Yami dried off and fixed his hair. They hadn’t spoken much since arriving, and even now Yugi sat in ponderous silence while his lover vigorously toweled his hair dry behind him. At last, Yugi lifted his head and ventured, “Say, Yami…”
“Hm?” The pharaoh turned to him, fresh and clean and naked with a towel over his head and one eyebrow raised curiously.
“Next month, at the next full moon…” Yugi looked back over his shoulder, his eyes wide and sad. “Would you be willing to go with me to the cemetery?”
“The cemetery?” Yami repeated. “Why?”
Yugi lowered his gaze. “To visit my parents.”
The towel fell off Yami’s head. He wrapped it around his waist instead and went to stand behind his young lover, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Of course I would,” he replied in a gentle murmur. “But why now? You’ve never suggested it before…”
Heaving a sigh, Yugi shook his head slowly. “I haven’t done it in a long time,” he admitted. “I’m really overdue. I just…well, I don’t really have an excuse.” He gave his partner a sheepish look. “I might have said I was busy, didn’t have time, or whatever, but the truth is, I just never thought about them enough to want to go and visit them.” He looked away, then, staring down at his feet swishing in the water. “How much do you…have you…figured out, about my parents?”
“Nothing,” Yami said, making Yugi look up at him in surprise. He gave him a gentle smile as he explained. “Inside your mind, the knowledge and memory of your family and your past appears to me like a locked chest, and even though I have the key to it, now that you’ve entrusted me with your heart, I don’t wish to open it and see for myself. I want you to be able to tell me, in your own way. Of all the things you still keep to yourself, it seems to me that your family history is perhaps too painful, and the least likely for you to open up to anyone about. You never speak of parents, not even to your friends.”
Yugi closed his eyes and leaned back into the comforting touch behind him. “I grew up with Grandpa, I kind of unconsciously think of him as my only family,” he said quietly. “My friends never knew my parents, they were both gone by the time I solved the Millennium Puzzle and met everybody. There’s only ever been Grandpa, and he loves me and supports me and taught me everything I know. It’s not that it’s painful…” He lifted his gaze to his partner. “It’s not, it’s just…I don’t remember much of them. But I should be a good son, and go visit them. It really is time.” His eyes lightened very slightly. “After all…I should introduce you.”
“Then, by all means.” Yami crouched down behind him and hugged him around the shoulders, burying his face in Yugi’s neck. “Next month when I’m free from the Puzzle, we will go to the cemetery and visit your parents’ grave. I would be honored.”
Yugi held on to the arms around his shoulders and leaned his head back, resting it against Yami’s. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”
“Of course. Now, let’s get dressed and leave the shower to Joey,” the pharaoh suggested, standing and giving his lover a smirk. “Before he starts thinking we’re up to something in here.”
Yugi laughed, his heart considerably lightened by the agreement with Yami. “Yeah, let’s go. I’m getting kind of hungry, too. We’ve got the whole night ahead of us.”
Talking it out and making a plan for next month put Yugi’s mind at ease, leaving him free to cheer up and forget about heavy thoughts for the rest of the night. He and Yami changed into going-out clothes and gave Joey his bathroom back so he could shower as well, and retreated to the living room to wait for him. Upon coming out all clean and changed, Joey caught the two of them making out on the couch, and growled at their lack of discretion while they just laughed. They wouldn’t do it in public, but Joey’s living room didn’t count as public. With everyone in a good mood, now, they piled back into the car and headed to the far side of downtown where the indoor mall enjoyed brisk business, especially on days like today when it was too warm to walk along the pedestrian mall or outdoor marketplace. Inside the air-conditioned place they could get food, wander around, and play in the little arcade all they wanted without breaking a sweat. Considering how busy the food court was, it seemed a lot of people had the same idea. Being as all three were rather hungry now, they took care of that first, and sat around at a table chatting for a long time before deciding what to do with themselves next. Nothing contained within the mall exceeded the level of “family friendly” entertainment, but the three of them weren’t the sort to want to go to bars or indulge in anything particularly adult, even on a boys’ night out. Yugi suggested they make their way along the line of shops to the arcade at a leisurely pace, and stop in to window-shop if they saw anything that caught their eye on the way. Being as no one had a better idea, they went for it, depositing their trash and heading off with Yugi and Yami hand-in-hand as usual. After talking through everything earlier, Yugi found it all the more comfortable and pleasing to be able to walk with Yami in this way.
As expected, the arcade was very small and full of kids at this time of night, so they only hung around long enough to play a little air hockey before moving on, taking a long walk around the indoor byways and glancing idly through shop windows as they went. They walked three abreast with Yugi in the middle, so he could bask in the affections of his partner on one side and chatter enthusiastically with Joey on the other. For a while they amused themselves in the bookstore paging through new manga, but Yugi didn’t have any extra money on him and had to put back all the nice new volumes of the series he sort-of wanted. Yami had to wrap his arms around him in order to drag him out, with Joey chuckling beside them. Next door was a clothing shop catering to teens with Americanized tastes, so they had a good time mocking the ripoff styles as they passed it and went looking for something else to do. About that time, Joey glanced over his shoulder and then leaned in closer to his friends. “Hey, uh, guys? Is it just me, or are we being followed?”
“Huh?” Yugi glanced up at him, and then at Yami, who had taken a very subtle, surreptitious glance himself to verify it. “What is it?”
“Now that you mention it, I did see that person in the bookstore,” the pharaoh murmured.
“And before that, outside the arcade when we came out.” Joey tucked his hands in his pockets and studiously faced forward, a frown on his lips. “I mean, I know this is a shopping center and all, but it’s not that small that we keep seeing the same guy over and over.”
Yugi finally was able to sneak a look back, and what he saw made him cuddle even closer to his partner’s side. “He doesn’t look very happy,” he said so only the two of them could hear.
“Well, we haven’t done anything except maybe giggle too loud in the bookstore,” Joey snorted, “so I don’t know what he’s following us for. Just ignore him.”
They completed a circuit of that level of the mall, bringing them back around to the arcade to see that it had cleared out some and they could get in to play video games if they wanted. Yami stood aside to watch while Yugi and Joey battled each other at a shooting game, laughing and generally carrying on as geeky pals should, but there wasn’t much else there to hold their interest. As games went, most of them were out of date or easily playable on home consoles for free, so they had their fun and walked out discussing maybe going somewhere else, not necessarily dancing but perhaps for a walk to check out the nightlife now that they were old enough to enter any place they might have wished. “I’m not really interested in bars,” Yugi pointed out as Yami deftly insinuated his fingers between Yugi’s and clasped their hands, “but a lot of those karaoke places and stuff have bars so we could never go in them before.”
“Yeah, there is that,” Joey agreed. “Karaoke sounds like a great idea.”
“That’s where you get up in front of people and sing?” Yami asked warily. “I don’t know that I’d be very good at that…”
Yugi laughed at him. “What the matter? A little stage fright? You?” He paused and turned to face his partner, clasping both his hands and leaning up to nuzzle him playfully. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from the big, bad microphone.”
Yami gave him an exasperated look, but couldn’t resist his young love’s proximity and favored him with a tiny kiss. “I would be very amused to watch you get up on a stage and sing.”
“Hey, watch out, I just might,” Yugi grinned back.
“Would you people give it a rest already?” a strange voice intruded on them, raised in anger. “Just what do you think you’re doing? We don’t need to see that kind of filthy behavior around here.”
All three of the boys turned sharply to see the speaker, hoping his snarl wasn’t directed at them. Alas, it was – the stranger who had been trailing them earlier was glaring at them, standing just a few feet away in a confrontational stance. Kids milling around outside the arcade stopped and stared, wondering. Yugi and Yami gave their accuser a genuinely confused look while Joey glared back. “You got a problem with us?” he challenged.
“Yeah, with those two,” the man growled, pointing at the identical pair. “All night long you’ve been going around here like a couple of perverts, groping each other. Why don’t you faggots take it somewhere else?”
Yugi gaped at him, while Yami’s brow furrowed in a dangerous sort of frown. “Excuse me?” the younger one retorted. “We haven’t been doing anything like that! What do you think you’re doing following us, anyway?”
“Yeah, you like being a spectator?” Joey taunted.
The man drew himself up, bristling. An even larger crowd was beginning to gather around them, mostly made of curious kids who might start egging on either party shortly. “It’s kind of hard not to when you’re going around flaunting it in public,” he shot back. “It’s disgusting. There are families in here, and little kids – don’t you fags have any sense of decency?”
“I might say the same of you,” Yami said sternly, placing himself in front of Yugi but not letting go of his hand. “Making a scene and cursing in front of all these young people is no way to behave.”
“We aren’t doing anything wrong,” Yugi added from behind his partner’s arm. “There are people right here in the arcade doing much worse things than hold hands, and you aren’t getting upset at them. Why don’t you just leave us alone?”
“Somebody’s got to put you freaks in your place,” the man snarled.
Joey stepped forcefully in front of both of his friends. “There isn’t gonna be any putting of anybody in their place,” he warned. “Back off, dude. We’re not looking for trouble and we haven’t done anything to you, so just make yourself scarce. Got it?”
“You people should just leave, before you get hurt,” the man continued to rant.
Yugi shrank away behind Yami. “Maybe we should, guys. We don’t need to…”
“No.” Joey turned to face their accuser squarely. “We have just as much a right to hang out in the mall as anybody else here, nobody can tell us to leave just because they don’t like us. You wanna play in the arcade, Yug, I’m gonna make sure nobody stops you.”
The crowd around them began to murmur appreciatively, sensing that a fight was about to break out. Yugi looked furtively around for security officers to come and break it up. The stranger took a couple of aggressive steps forward, sneering. “Are you a fag, too? Gonna slap me around a bit?”
Joey faced him down with a glare. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no. I’m just here to stand up for my best friend and show him that I won’t let anybody talk down about him for any reason.” His brown eyes narrowed. “If it takes cracking your skull to do that, so be it. I ain’t afraid of a little tussle with the likes of you.”
The lingering crowd drew into a tight ring, practically forcing the fight to happen. The strange man didn’t back down, striding boldly up to within striking distance of Joey. They were nearly the same height, and perhaps build, though Joey’s was hidden beneath his shirt, giving him the illusion of being a soft geek. Then, Yami suddenly stepped up at Joey’s left side, his hands clenched into fists and a dark glare in his eyes. “I’m not going to let you take on this beast alone,” he murmured. “This isn’t your fight, Joey, he has nothing against you…”
“He’s got nothin’ against you, either,” Joey reminded him, “except his homophobia. It’s okay, I got this. I wanna be here for you, stand up for you.”
Yugi appeared at his right elbow, also glaring. “And we want to be here for you, too. So if you don’t mind, we’ve got your back. That’s what friends are for.”
Joey grinned sidelong at him. “Thanks, Yug. That sounds like a deal I can work with.”
The thug glared down all three of them. “You stupid kids, is this some kind of joke? I can take all three of you – the little one wouldn’t be able to stand up to a strong breeze.”
Yugi pouted angrily, but Joey just held up a hand to restrain him. “Is that the best you got?” he said mockingly. “What kind of a fight are you looking for, man? I’ll lay you out if that’s what you want, but if you’re lookin’ for a war of wit…you’re totally unarmed.” He glanced at Yugi with a sly chuckle. “I bet he’s all talk anyway. Freaked out by a couple of boys holding hands, and he’s gotta go prove his manhood by insulting you in public. I’ve seen worse.”
“True,” Yugi said warily, not sure where Joey was going with this line of provocation, “I’ve had worse done to me.”
“Be careful, Joey,” Yami warned. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“No worries,” Joey said confidently. “I don’t wanna drag this out, either. But if all this guy’s got is insults, this’ll be over quick.”
“What’s the matter – scared?” the man spat at him. “Think you can talk your way out of this?”
“Dude – do you want a fight or not?” Joey complained. “If you want to throw a few punches, let’s take this outside the mall before security gets wind of it. But if you got other plans in mind, just get it over with. Sheesh!” He tossed up his hands, making some of the onlookers giggle. “If all he wants to do is make his point in front of a crowd, here’s his chance.” He set his hands on his hips and suddenly glared down the attacker, stepping forward into the ring of spectators to confront him. “I’m callin’ you on it. It’s all good for you to sneak up on us and throw a few insults at my friends, but now that there’s people around, you’re just a big coward. You got nothin’. I don’t even know why you’re making such a big deal out of the fact they’re gay. It’s not like you know them or nothin’.”
“It’s a big deal because it’s not normal!” the man shouted. “They’re sick and disgusting and need to be taken care of!”
“Taken care of how – gotten rid of?” Joey said daringly. “You one of those homophobic types who wants to kill all the gays?”
The thug bristled but didn’t answer. “Nobody else is going to do it. It’s up to people like me to stand up and say, we don’t want that in our towns and neighborhoods. I’ll be happy to drive you out of this place, and leave the rest of us in peace.”
“It seems to me things were rather peaceful until you started shouting,” Yami murmured.
“So, what, it’s your moral obligation or something?” Joey looked around the crowd, finding most of the young people just staring, not sure what to think. “Yeah, that’s a good move. The moral high ground means you gotta beat up some guys and force them to leave the mall just when they were about to corrupt the arcade with their gay mind control. Ooo…I’m shakin’.”
The thug seethed even more, the fists at his sides quivering with strain. How much more of Joey’s taunting it was going to take before he broke and threw a punch was anyone’s guess, but Joey stood his ground, not making any violent moves. He wouldn’t be the one accused of starting the fight, and he had plenty of witnesses. The strange man just pointed a finger forcefully in his face. “You think you’re so high and mighty? You hang around with fags. That makes you just as disgusting as they are. Once I’m through with you, there’ll be no one to protect them, they’ll snap like the little fairy twigs they are.”
“That’s if you can get through me, first,” Joey said darkly, folding his arms over his chest. The move actually made his short sleeves ride up, exposing his muscled arms. “I don’t know what your problem is, man. We don’t know you, we haven’t said anything to you, hell, we didn’t even accidentally walk into your path. You just decided you have to take down the gay boys because you didn’t like to see them out in public? Damn…you’re messed up.” He shook his head. “I don’t even know why I’m trying to reason with you, I oughta just clean your clock and get on with my night.”
“I’d like to see you try,” the man sneered, finally raising a fist. “Come on, you little cocksucker. Take me on so you can go home with your fairy friends and let them suck yours, too.”
Joey’s eyes darkened with swift anger, but he didn’t drop his arms. He only lowered his head and glared daggers at the man. “Have you no shame?” he growled. “There are little kids and families around here. Saying stuff like that in public…what’s wrong with you?”
The man flinched, hearing his own words repeated back at him. “I’m not the one with a problem,” he argued. “You’re the disgusting ones.”
Joey tilted his head casually to one side, giving his opponent a cool, appraising look. “You know,” he said with a thoughtful lilt, “I read somewhere, the most violent anti-gay reactions usually come from folks who are still in the closet. Kinda self-denial, you know.”
That was the trigger he had been looking for; the man suddenly roared and lunged at him, swinging his fist. Joey deftly dodged it, stepping to one side and letting his opponent flail and stumble. He whirled around to throw another punch, but Joey advanced suddenly on him, eyes blazing, making him fumble and start and back away in mid-step. Joey’s movement drove him backwards into Yugi, who lunged out of the way just in time. His foot caught the strange man’s, and the thug tripped over it and landed on the tiled mall floor with a thud. The crowd scattered away from him and began to titter at his failure. Yami took Yugi by the arm, keeping him out of the way, though both of them were ready to jump in if Joey called for them. Joey just stood over the fallen man, having never laid a finger on him. “Go on, get out of here!” he said savagely, letting his anger pour through now that he didn’t have to keep up the mocking façade any longer. “You’re the one making all the trouble. Leave my friends alone!”
The man tried to get up and lunge at him again, but Joey lifted a foot and braced it against his shoulder, knocking him off-balance and onto his ass again. The crowd laughed even more, making the thug red in the face. He heaved himself up and retreated, forcing people to duck out of the way of his flailing. “This isn’t over!” he vowed, pointing at Joey. “Nobody humiliates me in public and gets away with it!” People in the crowd were eyeing him as though he were drunk or mental, so he thrashed through them and disappeared across the mall.
Yugi let out a huge sigh of relief. Joey stood where he was to make sure their attacker was gone, and the crowd’s reluctant dispersal told him they were in the clear – nobody wanted to stick around if there wasn’t a fight to watch. To their surprise, a few strangers from the crowd stopped briefly by Yugi to pat him on the shoulder and ask if they were all right, or express their sympathy that that guy was such a jerk. Joey joined his friends, then, and Yugi clasped his hand gratefully. “Thanks, Joey! You were awesome!”
“Nah,” Joey said, cracking a smile. “Just doing my duty for my best buds. You guys okay?”
“We’re fine,” Yami assured. “That was brave of you, Joey, but perhaps not the smartest thing in the world…”
“Hey, I never said I was smart,” Joey smirked. “I just had to make sure that guy wasn’t gonna hurt anybody, least of all, you two. Not that I don’t think you can handle yourselves…I just wanted to make a point.”
“I think you made it, rather well,” Yugi said with an admiring smile.
Joey huffed a sigh and tossed back his head to get his bangs out of his eyes. “Well, I’m sure that totally ruined our fun for tonight. What do you want to do?”
“Well, I don’t feel like going out for karaoke now,” Yugi grumbled.
“Maybe a few more games, to bring our spirits back up?” Yami suggested.
“That oughta work,” Joey consented, leading the way back into the arcade. All the kids who had come to watch the fight had returned there as well. “I didn’t get to hit anything, so now I’m all riled up and need an outlet for my aggression. Time to go shoot some aliens some more, eh Yug?”
They played video games for another half an hour or so, but no matter who played who at what game, shooting or driving or air hockey, it didn’t help the mood much. All of them had been soured by the unpleasant encounter with the brainless thug, and after a while, when Yugi sighed and suggested they call it a night, there was no argument. “Are you sure?” Yugi asked to make sure, as Yami put an arm around him to guide him out. “I don’t want to cut the night short if you still wanted to do something, Joey.”
“Nah, it’s okay,” Joey assured, taking the lead. “I’m sure you two could use some quality time. Your stuff’s in the car so I can drop you off easy, from here.” He playfully mocked punching Yugi in the cheek, just nudging him with his knuckle. “It was a great day up until the very last part, so hey. I got more than my share of fun in. Thanks for hangin’ out with me, guys.”
“Well, thanks for the awesome idea, Joey,” Yugi smiled. “We’ll do it again. Mai should go out of town more often.”
They found the nearest door and made their way to the parking lot across the street where Mai’s car waited, taking a deep breath of the cooler air that greeted them. The sun had just set, and a cool, blue evening stole across Domino from east to west. The lot was clearing out, and the car stood alone under a streetlamp. Yami walked with Yugi around to the far side to open the door for him and then slide into the back while Joey unlocked the driver’s side, but as they stood there chuckling over something, heavy footsteps rushed up to them. Joey turned and nearly leaped out of his skin in shock as a gun nosed into his face. Yugi gave a yelp of surprise, clutching at Yami’s arm. It was the same thug from earlier, he had found them again and this time, with a weapon and no one else around to see. He appeared to have been even further enraged, for the hand holding the gun pointed at Joey shook. Joey raised his hands, his eyes wide. “Whoa, easy there,” he said as calmly as he could. “What do you want with us now? Let’s not do anything crazy, here…”
The man glared him down. “I told you it wasn’t over,” he seethed. “Let’s see how cocky you are now, kid, without anyone around to back you up.”
“Whoa, hey, take it easy,” Joey stammered as the gun wavered in his face. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is with us, but it’s not worth it. Just let it go, all right? We’re just gonna get in the car and leave, now, and you can do the same, all right?”
The man thrust the gun at him. “You’re not leaving here until I get some satisfaction! You humiliated me in front of those people, you need to pay for that mistake!”
Yami edged in front of Yugi to protect him, feeling his partner’s hands tightening on his arm. If only there were some sort of shadow spell he could use, but he couldn’t think of anything that might work. He had the connection to the Puzzle he needed, but the man with the gun was far too unstable, he didn’t want to call forth his powers from the Puzzle only to have the guy freak out and start shooting. The pharaoh glanced around, but the parking lot was deserted. Mostly – he thought he saw someone a few rows of cars over, but he couldn’t be sure unless he took his eyes completely off the thug on the other side of the car threatening Joey. And that was something he knew he shouldn’t do just now.
Joey kept his hands raised to show he was no threat. “Okay, that wasn’t fun for you, I get it,” he said, trying to keep urgency or anger out of his voice. “But this isn’t any way to solve it. I could apologize to you, but I wouldn’t mean it, I’d only be saying it because I have a gun to my head. You don’t want that. And I’m not gonna apologize anyway,” he added, his brow furrowing. “You attacked my friends, I was just standin’ up for them.”
“I don’t want to hear it,” the man spat. “You mocked me, and now you’re going to pay for it.”
“Okay, okay,” Joey said placatingly, waving his hands. “Just chill out for a second, all right? Man, what are you so upset about – that I embarrassed you in front of strangers, or is this still about my friends being gay?”
The thug’s eyes shifted wildly to Yugi and Yami on the far side of the car where they were hiding. “Oh, don’t worry. When I’m through with you, they’re next. I’m not gonna let a couple of fags like them prance around here thinking they can do whatever they want.”
“I’m not gonna let you do that.” Joey’s face darkened. “You can do whatever you want to me, but leave them out of it.”
“Joey!” Yugi cried out from behind him.
“Stay out of this, Yug,” Joey warned over his shoulder. “Don’t make me have Yami take you somewhere to get you out of the way.”
“Joey, please, be careful,” Yami implored.
“It’s okay.” Joey shifted his eyes back to his attacker. “I can handle this. Look, man,” he added to the thug, “we don’t need to go this far. I got nothin’ against you, I’m perfectly fine with just letting you walk away and forgetting any of this ever happened. Losing face to me ain’t worth going to jail over.”
“What do you mean?” the man growled.
“I mean, the police are gonna come and you know the penalties for having a gun on public property like this,” Joey explained, his hands still up. He was trying to talk the man down, despite all his inner instincts to jump him and wrestle away the weapon. But he had Yugi to think about, and didn’t want his best friend to watch him do something stupid and potentially fatal. “I’m just sayin’, you got a chance to just drop it and let it all go away. Don’t say I didn’t warn you – when the cops show up…”
“It’ll all be over by that time.” The gun thrust forward again.
“Wait, wait, hold it,” Joey begged. “Come on…you just want a chance to prove yourself, right? Hey, I’m all for dropping the gun and the two of us settling this like men. Fists only. The honorable way. Right?”
For a moment the gun lowered, as it seemed the man was considering it. But then he just glared all over again. “You can’t fool me. You’re just a coward. Now that I have the upper hand, you’re trying to talk me out of it. I knew it. You’ve got no balls at all.”
“I said I’d fight you,” Joey argued. “What do you call that?”
“Please, just leave us alone!” Yugi pleaded. “We don’t want any trouble. We’re leaving anyway, just let us go!”
A sick smile twisted the man’s face. “Don’t worry, I’ll get to you in a second. I just have to clear this one out of my way first.”
“Don’t do it,” Joey said warningly, waving his hands entreatingly again. “I’m so not worth prison time, man. You want to smack me around a bit, go ahead, if it’ll make you feel better. Just don’t do something you’re gonna regret.”
“Oh, I doubt I’ll regret it…” The gun raised one more time.
At that instant, two police cars which had just silently cruised into the parking lot zoomed up on either side, their lights flashing suddenly to life. Startled, the thug looked wildly around and then dashed away, desperately seeking escape. But he had the misfortune of running straight into an officer, who went down into a stance and pointed his own gun, yelling, “Drop it! Drop the gun!”
Officers swarmed out of the cars, and even as the thug dropped his piece, they piled on him and took him down. Joey finally felt free to lower his arms, breathing the biggest sigh of relief. Yugi ducked into Yami’s arms and hid his face against his chest, thankful to feel a tight, protective embrace around him. Yami stared at the police cars, and then past them to a handful of civilians who had been drawn by the lights and commotion. Among them was a woman with a cell phone, talking excitedly to the person next to her. Within mere seconds it was over, and then the officers were circling around them, asking them if they were all right and what was going on. Yami guided his young partner around the car to be able to speak with the officers, as Joey started explaining everything from the harassment inside the mall up until now. “Man, you guys came just in the nick of time,” he exclaimed when he finished. “How did you know? I never got a chance to even get my phone out, much less call the police…”
One of the officers gestured behind him. “Someone called in and said there was a man with a gun in this parking lot. They didn’t know what was going on, but called us right away just in case.”
“I’m glad they did,” Joey said, glancing and smiling at Yugi and Yami. “Talk about being lucky.”
“You boys are all right?” The officer looked from one to the next. “Nobody got hurt?”
“Nah, we’re cool,” Joey assured.
The other officers clustered around the attacker, bagging his gun for evidence and talking about what to do with him. The one holding conference with Yugi and Joey turned to them. “Well, the use of the gun means we automatically have to charge and arrest him, even if no one got hurt. Attempted assault is just the beginning of it.” He looked back at the boys. “If you wish to press charges…”
Yugi suddenly stepped forward, clenching his jaw sternly. “Yes, I want to press charges!” he declared forcefully. “This time, something has to be done! I’m tired of being stalked, attacked, badmouthed, and generally treated like dirt just because I love another man, and I’m not going to just let it slide anymore.” Tears sprang to his eyes, but he managed to keep his voice steady as he railed against the officer and the thug just beyond. “Something has to be done so people like this learn a lesson about treating people differently. If just one person learns that they can’t treat people like this just because of who they love…” A sob choked him off, making him stop and just take a deep breath. Yami slid his hands onto his young lover’s shoulders in comfort.
“Hey, easy there, Yug,” Joey said gently. “It’s okay. They’ll take care of it.”
The officer nodded. “We’ll have to take your statements, but yes, we have it under control, now. Using a gun in the commission of a crime, even to threaten someone, is a serious offense. He’s not going to walk away from this one.”
“Good.” Yugi quivered with the force of his anger, but the hands on his shoulders were very soothing. “I’ll give you anything you need, I’ll even go to court if I have to. I’ve had it with people attacking me just because of my boyfriend.”
“All right. Wait here just a moment.” The officer went to consult with the others, leaving the boys to stand together in silence. Joey reached out and rubbed Yugi’s arm consolingly, but he was already in good hands and was even starting to sober up bravely so he could talk to the cops about the incident. In a bit, the officer came back to them with a clipboard and pen, and a second officer with a pad of paper. “All right, I’m going to need your information so we can contact you later,” he explained, “and a brief statement. If we need more from you, we’ll call and have you come down and sign a more detailed statement later.” He jotted a few things down which he remembered from Joey’s tale earlier. “You say you don’t know this man at all?”
Yugi shook his head. “I’ve never seen him before in my life. We didn’t do anything to provoke him, we didn’t even speak to him or bump into him or anything before he decided to assault us in the mall. Joey chased him off for us, but he must have been waiting outside for us or something, because we just barely got back here to the car when he showed up with the gun.”
The officer eyed Joey. “And you didn’t hit him or anything?”
“No sir,” Joey said honestly. “I didn’t even touch him, he tripped and fell and I just stood in the way so he wouldn’t go after Yugi again.”
“And then Joey tried to keep him talking so he wouldn’t shoot anyone,” Yugi offered. “He was the one in the most danger, but he kept his head and just strung the guy along until we could get help.”
Joey smiled sidelong at him. “Hey, anything for my best friends.”
The officer nodded as he wrote things down, and his partner jotted notes pertaining to their statements. “I’m filling out an incident report I need you to sign, and then you need to give us your information so we can contact you for a followup.”
Yugi and Joey both did so, one after the other, but when Yami was ordered to do so, asked them to just put the same information as Yugi because they lived together. It was as much of the truth as he could tell them. The second officer wrote down Joey’s name and number, and then gave him a strange look. “Wait a minute. Katsuya. Joey Katsuya. No kidding! I remember you…”
“Eh?” Joey looked boggled.
“I used to work in a north side precinct a few years ago, when you were a middle-school street punk always getting hauled in for fighting and smoking.” The officer looked him up and down. “I’d recognize you anywhere, you’ve grown up but you’ve still got the same look about you.”
Joey peered at him, and then brightened up. “Oh yeah! Come to think of it, I do remember! Damn, that was a long time ago. I was a little brat, wasn’t I?”
“Stayed just this side of the law,” the officer grinned, “but you were a handful. Good thing you didn’t fall in with a gang like I always thought you would. So you’re an adult now…” He shook his head. “Has it been that long?”
“Yeah,” Joey chuckled. “That was a whole lifetime ago.”
“So what have you been doing with yourself? Not getting into more trouble on the other side of town, I hope…”
“Nah,” Joey laughed. “I’m in school. University. Gonna be a teacher. Got a fiancé…”
“Really?” the second officer exclaimed.
“Yes, sir. She’s an influential fashion mogul and everything. We’re getting married in May.”
“Well, I’ll be.” The second officer turned to the first. “You’d never believe it. I used to bust this kid about once a week for cutting school and getting in street fights. I always did wonder what became of some of those kids…”
“Looks like this one turned out for the better,” the first officer smirked. “Though that does explain his bravery in standing up to a man with a gun. Not many people I know who wouldn’t completely lose their heads over something like that.”
The second officer shook his head again in disbelief. “It’s a wonder, Katsuya. I don’t know how you managed to turn out so well, polite and brave, going to university, getting married. Something must have happened to straighten you out.”
Joey tucked his hands into his pockets and shrugged modestly. “Nah, not much. I just happened to fall in with a better crowd.” He gave Yugi a warm smile that soothed away the last of his anger and worry. “If anything changed me, it was having Yugi for a friend. He’s been looking out for me for a long time, and helped me see what was important in life. ‘S why I stood up to that guy,” he added. “Yugi’s been there for me, so it was time I returned the favor. I had to protect him.”
Yugi smiled back, feeling a sense of calm invading his rattled mind. They finished up with the police and were finally dismissed to go home, much to their relief. As they went back to the car, Yugi gave Joey a timid look. “Um…you don’t mind if I ride in the back with Yami, do you?” he asked softly. “I kind of…”
“No worries,” Joey smiled before he could even explain. “You go right ahead. I don’t blame you.”
They piled in, then, with Joey alone in the front, and headed off for Kame game shop so the pair could be dropped off safely. Yugi sat cradled in his partner’s embrace, resting against him, comforted by his mere presence. There hadn’t been anything either of them could have done to help or solve their problem, but it wasn’t for lack of courage. “And this day started out so well, too,” Yugi murmured. “I’m tired of being the magnet for hatred. Why can’t people just mind their own business?”
“Because people are stupid,” Joey retorted from the front seat, glancing in the rearview mirror to see his friends. “I know this stuff has happened to you before, but this was the first time I got to see it with my own eyes. And man, it really sucks. I’m sorry if I ever freaked out on you or gave you the impression I didn’t accept you, because…wow. I can see just how wrong that is.”
“It’s okay, Joey.” Yugi smiled at the reflected eyes in the mirror. “You never did anything like that to me. You were the first person I ever told, and the first one who ever accepted me. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
The eyes smiled. “I think I have some idea.”
“You were amazing, Joey,” Yami complimented him as he sat and stroked his fingertips gently along Yugi’s arm. “Keeping him talking like that, distracting him. I wish there had been something I could have done.”
“You stayed out of the way and didn’t make any sudden moves,” Joey pointed out, “that’s exactly what you should have done. I would have had you call the cops but my phone was in my pocket. There was no way I was going to get it out.”
“Thank goodness someone else saw it and called,” Yugi sighed. “Whoever that person is, we owe them our lives.”
Yami pulled him a little closer, murmuring in his ear. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” Yugi breathed, his entire body warming from the feel of his partner’s embrace and the lips beside his ear. “I’m still a little jumpy, but I’ll be all right.” He turned enough to fix wide, worried eyes on his partner. “Are you?”
Yami smiled peacefully. “Yes, I’m fine. My only thought was to protect you, and now we’re safe.”
“You guys take good care of each other tonight,” Joey suggested over his shoulder.
A short silence passed among them, as Joey kept his attention on the road and Yugi cast his out the window at the streaks of light passing by. When he spoke again, his voice had gone soft and wistful. “You really have changed a lot, Joey. That police officer was right.”
Joey chuckled. “What, about my past? Heh, it’s not all that exciting. You know what I was like when we met. I wasn’t a bad seed or nothin’, just a little…”
“Delinquent?” Yugi giggled back.
“You could say that.” Joey, too, grew quiet and thoughtful. “I meant it, you know. You’re the one who changed me. I wouldn’t be half the man I am today if I hadn’t met you. No matter what changes we’ve been through in our lives, or what might be coming down the road…” He glanced in the mirror again, this time including Yami in his survey. “…we’re always gonna be best friends. I don’t doubt that for a minute. Sometimes friends come and go, but you and me, we’re gonna be there for a lifetime, aren’t we?”
“I think so,” Yugi smiled at him. “No matter what.” He also glanced at the pharaoh beside him, content to find him looking peaceful and pleasant. “You really were the first one to accept Yami, you know. And I don’t just mean when I told you about our feelings for each other. Way back in Duelist Kingdom, the first time I even really understood that he was a separate presence in my mind…”
“That’s true,” Yami realized. “I remember that. The shadow duel. Joey was the first one to see me as I am and acknowledge me.” He laughed a little. “I believe it was something to the effect of…”
“’If the big guy’s okay with you, then he’s okay with me,’” Joey said on cue. “Yep. That was me, wasn’t it?”
“Ever since that moment, since Yami and I became partners, you’ve been there to support us,” Yugi said sentimentally. “You accepted him then, you approved of our relationship, and you’ve never let me down since.”
“Eh, I think I might have slipped up once or twice along the way,” Joey shrugged. “But it wasn’t anything I couldn’t make up for. Right?”
“Right.” Yugi met his eyes in the mirror and smiled his warmest, softest smile. “You mean almost as much to me as Yami. Thanks, Joey. For everything.”
“Likewise,” Joey said. “You’re not just buttering me up so I’ll pick you as my best man over Tristan, are you?”
Yugi genuinely laughed at that, proof that his heart and mood had been lightened at last. Beside him, Yami chuckled to see it.
Joey dropped them off outside the house with warm wishes and a few last jokes about what he was going to tell Mai about what he did while she was gone, and then vanished into the night. Yugi and Yami trudged upstairs, though it was quiet since Grandpa Muto still had a few minutes left before he would be closing the shop for the night. Yugi called down to him that they were home, but dragged his backpack of swim clothing and his boyfriend into the bedroom to flop down and rest. Or so Yami thought; to his surprise, as soon as the door closed, Yugi pounced on him, wrapping his arms around the pharaoh’s slender torso and nuzzling his chest before lifting his head up and favoring him with soft kisses. “Yugi?” Yami wondered, letting his hands glide down his partner’s arms and around his back.
“Make love to me,” Yugi whispered, placing a feathery kiss on his cheek and then neck. “Please. I need to feel you…I need you so much.”
Yami glanced down at him, startled. After the incident at the mall, he figured the last thing Yugi would be in the mood for was sex. “But…are you sure?” he asked for confirmation. “You’re not too tired?”
Yugi shook his head. “Mm…no. Not enough to make me want to just curl up in bed. What happened…I don’t care. I want to put it behind me, I need you and want you in spite of what people said or did to us today.” He smiled cutely and sank into his lover’s arms, hugging him thankfully. “I don’t know that I’m in the mood for a wild and crazy night like I expected it to be, but I just want to be with you. Anything, I don’t care. Just so long as we’re together. That’s all I want.”
Yami squeezed him comfortingly, and opened his eyes in time to find his young love stretching up to kiss him, harder and deeper. He responded in kind, clutching Yugi protectively to him and giving him the most passionate, lasting kiss he could. It seemed only natural for them to tumble into bed after that, to curl up with each other and explore each other’s bodies to their hearts’ content. They had a few hours left before midnight and the end of the ritual, and even after such a difficult evening, there wasn’t any better way to spend them than taking their time for a slow, romantic build-up to gentle, comforting sex that left them both beyond satisfied by the time they exhausted themselves and returned to holding and kissing. Yugi had opened the skylight to let in the cooler night air before they began, so afterward, they could lie together, naked, uncovered, and enjoy the pleasant feeling of the cool breeze trickling in and cascading down over their bodies. The neighborhood outside was quiet, and even Grandpa puttering about in the house getting ready for bed at the day’s end hardly disturbed them. Yugi snuggled comfortably against his partner’s solid, still-hot body, tracing his fingers in lazy circles along his collarbone and chest. The silver ankh pendant rested in his line of sight, and he smiled at it. They had wisely stashed it away while at the beach, so as not to lose it in the surf, but as soon as they got back to Joey’s, Yami had put it on again. He rarely went a ritual day without it, at least once he had gotten up out of bed and put it on while dressing. Sometimes, that didn’t happen for quite a few hours. In turn, Yami laid beside him, cradling him in his arms, pressing slow, deliberate kisses to his forehead and temples or just lying there breathing long, contented sighs. All their troubles had faded away, leaving them at peace and glad to have each other. Yugi was rather tired, but this time, this ritual, he didn’t let himself fall asleep before midnight. He wanted to enjoy every last minute with Yami, until time expired and his body vanished, even if they had gone beyond the need to talk and just wanted to spend the rest of the time wrapped up together. Only the occasional soft sigh or pleased moan broke the silence between them, until the few remaining seconds before midnight required whispered “I love you”s to end the day properly. Yugi caught the ankh pendant as the body dissipated from underneath it, and entwined the silver chain in his fingers for a moment so he could gaze at it hanging alongside the ring on his fourth finger. Whatever strangers might do or say to them, it didn’t mean anything. It wouldn’t change this love.
Author’s note: beginning in this chapter and extending through at least the next one, I play fast and loose with the information and plot surrounding Yugi’s parents. I really don’t care what it was like in the manga (don’t read it) or what is implied but never stated or shown in the unedited anime, I learned what I did about Yugi from the dub and that’s what I went on when constructing the story. You never see parents or hear about them, so I assumed they were dead and Grandpa was his only family. That’s the groundwork behind this portion of the story and the completely non-canonical details of Yugi’s family history. I freely admit it and I don’t really care about canon here. Didn’t I say this was AU?