Queer As Tachi – Chapter 8
Tristan went down to the water’s edge and announced his approach with a cheery greeting, in case the two lovers needed to stop doing or saying something before he arrived. They both turned toward him with smiles, betraying nothing clandestine, though Yami consciously let go of Yugi’s hand. “What, you’re not going to give swimming a try?” Tristan teased the pharaoh. “You’re hardly even wet!”
“I’m enjoying myself,” Yami insisted. “I went in almost to my waist.”
“Wimp.” Tristan grinned, even though Yugi looked positively scandalized that he should say such a thing to Yami. “Come on, I’ll go with you, keep an eye on you.”
“Tristan, leave him alone,” Yugi fretted. “Yami doesn’t have to do anything…”
“Come and get me,” the pharaoh suddenly dared.
Yugi gaped at him. Tristan snickered and splashed toward him, finding it tough to run in knee-deep water. Yami backed away, but not fast enough, and hastily turned to beat a retreat towards the shallower water and the beach. He even tried reaching down and splashing backwards to distract his pursuer, but Tristan just laughed and kept going, overtaking him and grabbing him around the chest. Yami let out a startled shout as he felt himself being dragged backwards and down, his feet going out from under him. Yugi started towards them, yelling, “Hey, stop it!” but he couldn’t go much deeper. He could only stand there with his shorts hiked up, the Puzzle swinging against his bare chest, watching worriedly as Tristan fell back into the water with Yami in his grasp. Fortunately, they were still in shallow water and only fell in up to their shoulders, barely wetting the trailing ends of Yami’s hair. His surprise turned to laughter, realizing he was safe. Tristan even let go of him the minute they were in the water, having contented himself with just getting the pharaoh wet. Yami twisted around and splashed him in retaliation, ducking his head as Tristan splashed back, and then both of them started splashing the protesting Yugi. With a little eep, Yugi hustled back to shore before they could soak his shorts. The other two sat for a bit in the water, enjoying the cool and the wet, until a wave splashed Yami in the back of the head and made him want to stand back up. Yugi waited on the shore, pouting at him. “What are you doing? You should be more careful!”
Yami just chuckled and stalked up to him through the water, dripping wet and looking sultry. He got within arm’s reach of Yugi before the young one realized he was up to something, turning to get away a moment too late. Yami’s arms came around his waist, picking him up and letting him fall back against a cold, wet chest and shorts. Yugi struggled for only a second, and then he finally began to laugh, holding on tight as the pharaoh swung him around and deposited him feet-first back into the water. “There,” Yami declared, “now maybe you’ll cool down.”
Tristan came up to them, putting his wet hands on the top of Yugi’s head and messing up his hair. Yugi squirmed and giggled. “I wasn’t going to hurt him,” he said reassuringly. “The pharaoh’s tough, he can take a little dunking.”
“Don’t you dare dunk me too,” Yugi warned. “I’m wearing the Puzzle.”
“I know, I know.” Tristan looked across at Yami, facing him with Yugi between them, and suddenly began to grin. “Wait, I’ve got an idea.”
Yami gazed curiously at him as he knelt down in the water. “What is it, Tristan?”
“C’mon, Yugi…climb on my shoulders. I won’t let you get wet.” He smirked up at his friends. “I’d let Yami do it, but I’m stronger than he is.”
“What? Hey!” Yugi found himself being pushed toward Tristan and helped onto his shoulders, giving a little yelp as Tristan stood up with him. He now towered over everyone on the beach, including Yami, who grinned up at him. Tristan promptly began walking out to deeper water, and this time, Yami eagerly followed. “No, no, hey, what are you doing?” Yugi stammered. “Tristan! Let’s not go too deep, you can’t carry me for long.”
“Long enough,” Tristan declared, showing no sign of straining under Yugi’s meager weight.
Together, they waded out further than before, well past Yami’s waist until the waves were splashing up the center of his chest. Yugi’s feet were in the water, but Tristan had him firmly and promised not to walk any deeper. Yami looked up at him and laughed in delight. “What a fine idea! Now, we can all enjoy the ocean.”
“This is far enough,” Tristan decided. “I wouldn’t want you to feel like you were in danger, pharaoh.”
Yami swirled his arms through the water. “It is a little disconcerting, but I’ll be fine. I can still walk, that means I’m safe.”
Yugi settled on Tristan’s shoulders, trying not to grab his head to keep from falling off. He, too, felt perfectly safe now that they were out there. “Cool. Hey, thanks Tristan.”
“Don’t mention it.” Tristan patted one of Yugi’s legs that he was holding on to. “I’ll warn you when I’m getting tired, though, I won’t just drop you in the water here. Kind of defeats the purpose.”
They waded around for a bit, weaving among people, but when Tristan’s back grew too tired to hold the burden any longer, they headed back in to shore, letting Yugi slide off his friend’s shoulders when he could touch the bottom without wetting his shorts. That seemed to be plenty of fun for now, as all three started up the beach toward Joey and Téa without having to consult one another. “Yeah, if Yugi didn’t have the Puzzle, we could totally have chicken fights,” Tristan was saying as they reached the blanket and their towels, having already explained what that was. “You and me against Joey and Yugi.”
“You might have better luck with Téa on your shoulders,” the pharaoh demurred as Yugi handed him his towel.
Hearing her name, Téa raised an arm to block the sun so she could see who had just arrived. “Are you guys done fooling around?”
“Never,” Tristan declared. “We just needed a breather.”
“And I need to let my shorts dry,” Yugi noted, as he had been sitting on Tristan’s wet shoulders.
“That was pretty funny to watch,” Joey encouraged them. “It’s about time you loosened up, Yami.”
Yami looked up from toweling himself off. “Me?”
“Yeah, you. You’re still kind of in pharaoh mode, even though you look like any other teenager here on the beach.” Joey grinned at him. “It’s your day out, man! Chill for a bit.”
Yami laid the wet towel on top of Yugi’s bag and glanced to see Yugi scooting over on his towel to make room for his partner to sit. “I am a little chilled now, but I’m sure I’ll warm up in a few minutes.”
Joey rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Never mind,” he grumbled. Yugi laughed.
Téa was taking up a portion of the middle of the beach blanket, but there was room for Joey and Tristan to sit on either side of her. She didn’t seem to need to sit up as they all gathered around to chat, and hardly paid attention to their conversation anyway, interjecting a comment now and then but mostly concentrating on sunbathing. Yugi drew his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. “Is anybody else hungry? Wait, let me rephrase that,” he said quickly before Joey could open his mouth. “Does anybody else feel like getting some food now?”
“Of course,” Joey answered. “Do you even have to ask?”
“Just making sure…”
“I’ll go. And, uh…” Joey looked back and forth between the two lovers. “…I’ll take Yami with me. He can help me carry stuff back. You too, Tristan.”
“Me?” Tristan complained. “What do you need me for? Two can handle it.”
“You’re coming with me,” Joey said firmly, shooting Tristan a look that meant there was some reason besides fetching food. “What does everybody want?”
Téa sat up to get some money for them, while Joey took orders and Yami stood up, brushing himself off. They had sat talking long enough for everyone’s shorts to dry, but also to heat up enough that cool drinks and a light lunch sounded great. Yugi gave Yami the money and told him just to follow Joey’s lead, figuring it would be more than enough to buy food for both of them. “All right, be right back,” Joey promised as the three of them wandered off towards the concession stands a few hundred meters away.
Téa glanced at Yugi, noticing him watching their friends walk away, and pulled off her sunglasses. “Hey, Yugi. Having fun?”
Yugi turned to her and smiled. “Yeah! This is so great. How about you?”
“Oh, of course.” She smiled back, though it didn’t last very long. Now that they were alone, she could ask him any of a million burning questions, though she wasn’t sure she wanted to. But when he glanced away from her again, she knew she needed to. “You and the pharaoh,” she began, trying to sound casual, “you’re both kind of protective of one another.”
Yugi’s gaze returned to her. “I guess, maybe a little,” he hesitantly said. “I know I shouldn’t be, he’s doing just fine. Joey wasn’t kidding, he really is a lot more relaxed than usual. I’ve never known him to be so…open.”
“Well, he is a pharaoh,” Téa reminded him. “He’s not really like all the other kids on the beach.”
“I know.” Yugi smiled kindly. “But he can try to be. At least, on these days that he’s outside the Puzzle. And you know, I get the feeling he’s older than us. Not by much, but still.”
Téa followed his gaze when it returned unconsciously to where Yami accompanied Joey and Tristan on their errand. “Yugi,” she said seriously, “is there something you’ve been meaning to tell me? About you and the pharaoh?”
Yugi’s head snapped sharply toward her, a blush immediately rising in his round cheeks. “You…how did you know?”
“Joey kind of clued me in.” Téa lowered her gaze. “But…we could see you guys holding hands earlier. Unless that wasn’t what it looked like?”
“Well…” Yugi also looked away, toward his toes. “It wasn’t, I just found a seashell and showed it to him, but it had something still living in it so we threw it back in the water. But…that doesn’t change the truth.” He lifted his head, beginning to smile again despite the difficulty of making this confession. “Over time, Yami and I realized that we care about each other, more than just the friendship that bonds us together. We love each other, very much. But since he’s only a spirit, it was all internal – in our hearts, and our minds. And it would still be that way, if we hadn’t discovered the ritual.” He hugged his knees to his chest and glanced after Yami again. “So, now…we can do some of the things real couples do. But in between these special days, we have each other all the time. He’s always there with me, we know each other’s thoughts and take care of each other. Not just because we have to, because he needs me to exist, but because we want to.” He smiled to himself, a dreamy little smile, as he thought of the constant presence wrapped protectively around his soul. “We’re way beyond friends now. I love him, Téa. I’ve never loved anyone this way.”
Téa’s heart clenched in her chest, hearing him say it out loud, knowing by the thoughtful look in his violet eyes that he meant it. “But…without this ritual, what kind of relationship can you really have with him?” she worried. “He’s a spirit with no memory of who he’s supposed to be. Isn’t it sort of like…a really powerful fantasy?”
Yugi looked at her with a bit of a hurt frown beginning to crease his brow. “Why do you think I’ve never told anybody about it, until Yami was able to stand next to me and show them?” he said softly. “I’ve always been afraid that’s what people would say, even though it’s wrong. It’s not a fantasy. You should know better than anyone how strong my bond with Yami is. You know he’s real. Being a spirit doesn’t mean he’s not real, we’re all spirits…inside these vessels.” He splayed a hand across his bare chest, beneath the Puzzle chain. “Yami and I can be together without being…together. We love each other’s souls. That’s all that matters to me – this ritual and him being able to have a body doesn’t matter in the end. It’s just a convenience that we’re taking advantage of. We fell in love a long time ago…we’re just able to show it off, now.”
Sighing, Téa looked away, to where the boys were waiting in line, pointing things out to each other. Yami looked perfectly normal standing next to Joey; in fact, if not for the boy sitting beside her, she would have simply assumed it was Yugi as usual hanging out with his friends. “You sound so sure of yourself,” she observed. “He feels the same way about you?”
A beautiful smile awakened on Yugi’s lips. “He loves me so much,” he gushed. “You guys still kind of see him as aloof, kind of stiff, right? He’s not, deep down inside. He’s so loving, so affectionate. I’ve never been so happy, he treats me like…like no one else.” A brief silence fell between them, as Téa refused to look at him, not sure how to respond. Yugi savored his thoughts of romance for a bit, and then spoke in his most gentle, understanding tone. “I’m sorry if this is hard to hear. I know…years ago, I had a big crush on you, and you let me down as easily as you could. Even though we’ve always been just friends, we have that history. I don’t mean for this to come as a shock, but…I’ve never known how else to explain it. I haven’t even told Grandpa. I’m afraid of how people close to me will take it, thinking they know me so well when there’s this whole world inside me that they’ve never seen.”
“It is a shock,” Téa admitted. “You’re completely sure of this? It’s not just…a thing? It’s going to be hard trying to keep up this relationship in the long run. The pharaoh may get a body, but it’s still only a few times a year. It’s not the same as really living.”
“It’s as close as we’re going to get,” Yugi said. “He and I have talked about it, we’re sure. We’re just going to take each day as it comes, like we always have.”
Téa frowned sadly at him. “How long were you going to try to hide it from me?”
“I wasn’t trying!” Yugi gave her the same look in return. “I just didn’t want to spring it on you out of the blue. I thought I could at least be nice and explain the whole thing to you, all I did was wait for that chance. I’m sorry it couldn’t be sooner than today.” He shook his head. “I mean no disrespect, Téa. You’re one of my closest friends, I’ve wanted nothing more than to confide in you and Joey and Tristan in the hopes that all of you would support me.”
“Well…” Téa made an uncomfortable face. “If this is what you really want, I’m not going to say otherwise. You…you have my support, Yugi.” The look became a pleading one. “Just don’t get too caught up in it. Don’t forget that you have friends, and a life, and that the pharaoh has a destiny to fulfill. It wouldn’t be right to sacrifice that just because you two want to be together.”
“We won’t,” Yugi assured, looking a little surprised by her concern. “Trust me, Téa, we’ve had all the difficult talks and been through our fears. This isn’t a silly little fling, or a game or anything. We love each other. Nothing can take that away from us.”
Téa nodded but said nothing more, glancing away to see that the three were on their way back to their beach spot with the food and drinks, talking enthusiastically and exclaiming at the hot sand beneath their feet. Yami handed the cold drinks to Yugi so he could sit down beside him, presenting him with their lunch, and blinked in surprise as Yugi leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “What was that for?” he wondered.
“Because I’ve been holding it in all day.” Yugi took a long, grateful sip of his soda. “It’s okay. I just told Téa. Everybody here knows, now.”
Yami’s eyes widened a little, and he turned to Téa, finding her already looking straight at them both with solemn, querying eyes. “Ah, well that’s good,” the pharaoh said. “You’ll have to forgive us for taking so long to get around to it, Téa. I know Yugi was waiting for the right time to tell you.”
Her expression barely changed. “So…it’s true? You guys are…in love?”
The pharaoh nodded once. “Yugi has become very dear to me, in a way that I never expected. I thought this love was lost to me, but he has shown me it’s still possible. I know it’s unusual, but we’re both committed to each other.” He smiled warmly at Yugi, who beamed happily in return, and steered his attention to food instead. Téa gazed at them a moment longer, noting to herself the way they interacted as if Yami had never been anything but the embodied person he was right now, and gave a long sigh. There wasn’t anything else she could say, so she picked up the bento box Tristan had brought her and busied herself with lunch.
There was plenty of the wonderful afternoon left ahead of them, so the five friends sprawled out on their blanket and towels and enjoyed the sun and each other’s company, chattering blithely about what they had been doing to keep themselves busy all summer and what sorts of things each could look forward to in the months to come. Yugi lay flat on his back with his arms under his head, squinting up at the sun as he listened to Téa’s explanation of all the trouble she had to go through in order to go to school in the United States, and he mentioned a sincere hope that she would be able to make it home over holiday breaks to visit them. He and Joey had a vaguely similar school calendar, though Téa would have much longer over Christmas and New Year’s than they. Yami just sat quietly beside Yugi, watching people and the flicker of sunlight on the waves, finally comfortable enough with Téa’s presence to absently caress Yugi’s chest and flank as he laid beside him. After a while, however, the August sun beating down on them heated them all up enough to want to go for another dip in the ocean. Joey and Tristan chased each other into deeper water and wrestled like the young, energized punks they were, leaving Téa to wade in with Yami and Yugi at their own pace. Yugi walked between the other two, hands in his pockets as he swished his toes through the water, an innocent little grin on his face as he indulged in the simple pleasure of wading in the ocean alongside lover and friend. They were just starting to get knee deep when Yugi felt a hand brush against his arm, and he glanced to see Yami give him a smile as he stepped past to go a little further in by himself. Yugi smiled back and stopped where he was, perfectly happy just watching the muscles in the pharaoh’s back move as he slinked away. Téa stood with him, also watching, but not quite with the same sense of indulgence. “It’s so weird,” she suddenly said under her breath. “To see him and you separate like this. It’s going to take some getting used to.”
“Yeah,” Yugi said, though the pleased little smile remained on his face. “I’m pretty used to it, already. The first time, it was just…too good to be true, it was hard to believe I could be so lucky. Now, it’s not so weird.”
Téa glanced at him. “What did your grandpa say when he met him? Did he freak out?”
Yugi turned to her with an interested look. “Actually, no,” he said brightly. “I was kind of surprised, he took it really well. But Grandpa’s always had this…I don’t know, sensibility. It’s like he knows more than he lets on.” Yugi returned his gaze to Yami’s figure, frowning thoughtfully. “He gave me the Millennium Puzzle and dared me to solve it. Sure, he didn’t know any more than I did that a pharaoh’s spirit was inside it, locked away until someone solved it, but that didn’t seem to freak him out in the first place. He knows Yami and I are destined to save the world from the shadow games, and he’s never once warned me not to follow my destiny. He supports me all the way. After the initial shock, he was really understanding about it.” He then gave a cute little chuckle. “Well, a month ago, when we tested to see if the ritual really could be performed more than once, Grandpa demanded to have dinner with us so he could meet Yami all good and proper, and boy, did he grill him! I think he just wanted to make sure we knew what we were doing, though.”
“I was going to say,” Téa smirked, “kind of hard for Yami to answer a bunch of questions when he has no memory.”
“It wasn’t those kinds of questions.” Yugi giggled again. “It was interesting. But since then, Grandpa’s been pretty understanding. He definitely accepts Yami’s existence better than I thought he would.”
“But you said he still doesn’t know you two are…”
“No.” Yugi shook his head slowly, still gazing after Yami. “I want to test him out, first, see how he might react. That kind of news may be harder to take.” He looked up to Téa, his eyes wide and innocent. “All I want is to be accepted for who I am, and who I love.”
Téa looked away, knowing that he wasn’t intending to accuse her of not caring about him, but feeling ashamed nonetheless. “You know your friends will always accept you, Yugi,” she said softly, falling back on one of her old mantras. “And I’m sure your grandpa will, too. He’s the coolest grandpa of anyone I know.”
“Yeah.” Yugi was still watching Yami, as the pharaoh had gone out just past waist-deep and was hesitating, as if contemplating going under the water but not at all sure that he should. He looked around for Joey and Tristan, but they were occupied a little further out. Yugi smiled to himself. “As long as we have our friends to back us up, Yami and I will be just fine. I know it.”
Téa smiled at him as best she could. A brief silence passed between them, in which she decided it would be best to leave Yugi to his own devices if she wanted to actually get into the water, more than knee-deep. He was fine, though, and turned his attention to searching for any seashells the little kids might have missed in the shallows while his friends cavorted in the waves. On her way out, Téa passed Yami coming back in, as he had opted against dunking himself and was heading back toward Yugi. They just smiled at each other, and then Téa was free to pursue the other two boys for company. She glanced back, however, needing to see for herself one more time. Yami thought no one was looking and prowled up behind Yugi, catching him up in his arms and growling something playfully in his ear. Yugi squealed and giggled, trying to wrestle himself free without much effort, though Yami’s wet chest against his back was startlingly cold. Téa tore herself away from watching them flirt and swam purposefully out into the waves, diving under to enjoy the cool water all by herself without any boys to distract her.
Once everyone had exhausted themselves and met back up at their beach blanket, the afternoon was starting to draw on and half the beach emptied as parents had to get their weary, whining, sunburned children home and most people had had their fill of sun and sand for the day. The five friends sat around for a bit, drying off under the sun, but even they were getting tired enough to consider calling it a day. At least they had all had fun, and got to spend time together as a group for perhaps the last time in the foreseeable future. As they started to collect clothing and shoes and prepare to return to the train station, Yugi asked Téa if it were possible for all of them to see her off at the airport when she had to leave in a couple of weeks. She pondered the idea for a moment. “That would be so sweet of you guys,” she murmured. “But I don’t know. Let me check with my parents.”
“Yeah, we have to say goodbye to you,” Joey pressed. “Tell them we’ll be good, we promise. We won’t get to see you till New Year’s at the earliest – and that’s if you can get a ticket home.”
“I will, Joey,” Téa promised.
“Or if we can’t,” Yugi suggested, “we could all visit you the night before. Not really have a party, I’m sure your parents won’t be keen on that, but maybe just to bring you presents and say goodbye.”
Téa held his gaze for a moment, noticing Yami beside him nod his agreement, and smiled wistfully. “Thanks, you guys. That would be nice.”
“We’ll think of something,” Tristan vowed. “Hey, bring us back something cool from the States for Christmas.”
They lingered on the beach a while longer, and then it was definitely time to pack up and head home. Yugi shook out the towels and folded them back into his backpack, straightening up to swing it over his shoulder while the others were still collecting their things. Yami stood gazing out at the ocean again, completely oblivious to the action around him. Yugi sidled up to him and wordlessly slipped a hand into his, giving them the chance to stand there and take in the scene together, the sun sinking low and the ocean growing calm, small wavelets lapping at the shore that had been mostly deserted but for a few strollers and frisbee-chasers. Then Joey broke their quiet contemplation with a noisy, “Ready!” and they were off.
The train station was where they had to go their separate ways, as slightly different routes would carry Tristan and Téa home one way and Joey, Yugi, and Yami the other. They waved and said cheerful goodbyes to one another, reminding Téa to call them with news when she had asked her parents about seeing her off at the airport. She turned to the pharaoh, who stood quietly beside Yugi with a peaceful smile, still hand-in-hand with his lover. “It was really great to meet you,” she said honestly, “er, well…in person. You know what I mean.”
Yami’s eyes gleamed with humor. “Yes, I do. Likewise, Téa. My apologies for having taken so long to tell you about me…but Yugi and I hoped to be able to tell you in person, like this. You deserved to see the truth, and I wanted to see you myself.”
She nodded understandingly. “I suppose you’ll be around more often, if you can…”
“We sure hope so,” Yugi said with a grin. “Take care now, Téa. You know we’re going to miss you.”
“I know.” Téa gave him a friendly smile and a wave, turning to go with Tristan to the train which had just pulled up to the platform.
The other train arrived about ten minutes later so Yugi and the others could head home, and by the way they sat slumped in their seats talking halfheartedly, it appeared the sun and sand had sapped most of their energy as well. Yugi was merely content holding on to the hand that wouldn’t let go of his, leaning his head against Yami’s shoulder all the way home. They bid Joey farewell at the station and walked home in silence, not needing to speak of anything, both smiling tiredly with hands clasped tight. There was still plenty of daylight – and hours before midnight – left, so after he tossed his bag in his room, Yugi got a bottle of water from the kitchen and flopped onto the couch for a little while. He would have to make dinner soon, but he had time. Yami followed him like a shadow and sat down beside him, starting and then smiling as Yugi sprawled out on the couch and laid his head in his partner’s lap. “I didn’t do anything all day,” the young one complained, “how come I’m so tired?”
“I don’t know,” Yami chuckled, combing his fingers through Yugi’s hair, sweeping his blond bangs back from his temple. “The hot sun, perhaps?”
“Mm. Maybe.” Yugi smiled to himself at the soft caress and nestled comfortably into Yami’s lap. “Did you have fun today?”
“Yes,” the pharaoh answered. “I may not be much of a swimmer, but I enjoyed it.” A thoughtful look crossed his noble features. “The salty water is different from what I usually expect.”
Yugi stretched to set his water bottle on the floor and rolled over onto his back, so he could look up at Yami while lying with his head pillowed on the pharaoh’s knee. “You didn’t taste the water, did you?”
Yami regarded him with wide, innocent eyes. “Well, yes, I did…why? Was that bad?”
Yugi burst out laughing. “No, no, it’s fine,” he assured between giggles. “You’re so funny, Yami.”
Yami’s expression twitched briefly, unsure why he was being laughed at, but he couldn’t be annoyed with Yugi sprawled so across him. He smiled and resumed combing his fingers through his lover’s hair. “I think Téa took the news well,” he mused.
Yugi sobered almost instantly. “No, I don’t think so,” he said quietly, lifting his eyes to Yami. “Meeting you was one thing, she understood that much. But the rest…”
The pharaoh glanced down in surprise. “She didn’t say anything to make me think she didn’t accept it…”
“No, she didn’t.” Yugi sighed softly. “I can just tell. She seemed kind of upset to me.”
“Finding out that the boy who once had a crush on her is now in a relationship with another man is upsetting news,” Yami put forth. “It’s a credit to her strength that she didn’t run away in panic the moment you told her.”
“No, I suppose that’s true.” Yugi laid there for a moment, calling to mind the words that had passed between him and Téa all day and examining them for hints. “But she didn’t tell me she was happy for me.”
Yami gazed sympathetically at him and stroked the defiant lock of hair that wanted to curl over his forehead. “Give her some time,” he softly implored. “She is your friend, Yugi, and has been with you through far worse things than this. When she realizes that for herself, she’ll come around.”
Yugi met his gaze and smiled his silent thanks, and then closed his eyes in delight as he felt his lover’s gentle fingertips stroke his cheek. “I just want to lie here like this all night,” he murmured. “Feels so good…”
“Your cheeks are a little red,” Yami noted, brushing his fingertip up and over the bridge of Yugi’s petite nose. “Not terrible, but it’s sunburn.”
“Figures,” Yugi groaned. “I don’t think I’m burned anywhere else, though.” He looked up again. “Are you?”
“I don’t think so.” A sly smile suddenly curved the pharaoh’s lips. “You could check for me.”
“After dinner,” Yugi promised, also beginning to smile. “We should take a shower, get all that sand and sweat and salt water off our skin…” For a moment he laid there tempting his partner with his innocence, gazing up at him from his lap, but then his stomach growled rather loudly in the silence. Both of them giggled. “Yeah, after dinner. That comes first.”
As much as he wanted to join his blissfully naked partner in the bath, Yugi figured that with Grandpa cheerfully humming around the house, they couldn’t indulge in anything that might tip him off to their sexual activities. So, as much as he wanted to be crammed into the small shower with Yami, making a pretense of examining his back for sunburn, he sat on the counter next to the sink simply watching through the screen as the second of two showers took place. The towel around his waist was good enough for now, hiding his reaction to the pharaoh’s lean, supple body flexing under the water as he ran the soap along his limbs, completely oblivious to his audience for the moment. That is, until he glanced over his shoulder and shot Yugi a tantalizing smile. Yugi gave a little gasp and clutched tight to the edge of the counter so he wouldn’t fall off. Even so, he didn’t interrupt Yami, letting him finish in his own time and finally turn the water off before reaching out with a towel. Yami shook his head, his hair springing remarkably back into place, and took the towel with just a smile of thanks.
Yugi’s first instinct upon opening the bathroom door was to seek out his grandfather’s whereabouts, to gauge their safety, and it was a good thing – Grandpa Muto was standing right outside looking grumpy. Yami immediately slunk down the hallway, keeping his robe closed tight around him, leaving Yugi to deal with whatever issue was being hinted at. “Oh, Grandpa…” Yugi began casually.
“I was beginning to wonder how long you were going to be in there,” Grandpa said a little sternly. “What were you both doing in there at the same time?”
“Oh…well…” Yugi averted his eyes as he frantically tried to think of a reasonable explanation. “I just wanted to…to make sure Yami knew what he was doing. And he gets kind of concerned about me not being able to take the Puzzle off,” he added, which was mostly true, “so…that’s all. Sorry if we used up all the hot water, taking two showers one right after the other.”
Grandpa eyed him suspiciously for a moment, but let it go. “I’m sure the pharaoh can find his way around here just fine. Are you planning to be up late, again?”
“Well…yeah.” Yugi clasped his hands timidly in front of him. He had slipped into pajamas, but they were sticking to his wet skin and he still had a bit of discomfort that needed to be attended to. “Do you need me to be up early? Because I can, it’s okay. I’ll just set my alarm.”
Grandpa relaxed with a sigh and shook his head. “No, there’s no need to be up by a certain time. I do need you to go to the market and take care of my errands while I’m in the shop, though.”
“Okay. I will.” Yugi gave him a smile before turning and heading down the hallway, trying to look calm and casual as he headed for his bedroom, knowing full well that Yami was probably going to pounce on him the minute he opened the door.
As Yugi stepped into his room, he found the pharaoh standing naked beneath the open skylight, ruffling a hand through his wet hair as if to dry it in the breeze falling down on him. Yugi closed the door and leaned on it, content to watch for a second, until Yami turned around and smiled softly. “Are you in trouble for anything?”
“No,” Yugi replied with a similar smile. “I think we just took too long in there. But…” A worried look flitted through his eyes. “…we have to be more careful. I don’t think Grandpa liked that I was in there with you the whole time.”
Yami started. “Why would that matter? Even if we weren’t…”
“I don’t know.” Yugi locked the door and came across the room, going to put his arms around Yami. “It worries me. Maybe my fears were right…”
“Hush.” Yami folded his arms around his lover and hugged him comfortingly. “You don’t know that. The only way to know is to tell him directly.”
“I don’t want to do that if he’s going to give me that look again.” Yugi shook his head, involuntarily nuzzling Yami’s bare chest. “Let’s not talk about it now. We don’t have a lot of time, it’s late.”
Yami chuckled quietly. “What makes you think I’m in a rush to hop into bed with you? Maybe I want to just sit and talk this time.”
“You’re naked, aren’t you?”
“Well…I’ll return to the Puzzle without clothes, it seems rather pointless to put them on now.”
“Yeah right.” Yugi giggled and lifted his head, fixing his partner with a smartass grin. “Justify it however you want, the fact still remains that you’re naked and I’m really turned on.”
“I noticed.” Yami’s voice dropped several degrees to a sensual purr, and his hands slid down Yugi’s back to his ass. “The way you were watching me in there…and showing off a little yourself.”
“What?” Yugi gaped at him, though a blush rose in his cheeks. “I was not…”
“You were.” Yami lowered his head and brushed a kiss across his lover’s lips. “Are you saying it wasn’t on purpose, the way you looked with the water falling down your back, and your arms over your head, your eyes closed…?”
The blush grew more pronounced. “N-no,” Yugi stammered, tilting his head in search of another kiss. “That was just…me being me…”
Smiling more deeply, Yami withdrew his arms and reached instead to unbutton Yugi’s pajama top, gently pushing the Puzzle aside to do so. “Beautiful you,” he murmured, and rushed in to kiss his sweet, young lover. Though both were still rather tired from the hot sun and the beating of the waves, they had enough energy left to crawl into bed together and spend the rest of Yami’s waking hours making love, slowly and gently so that Yugi’s grandfather wouldn’t hear them or suspect that they were doing anything except talking and living out the ritual day. Their last minutes together were silent, as they laid facing each other with arms and legs tangled together, wrapped only in a sheet, caressing each other’s faces and brushing feathery kisses to lips and cheeks until Yami took a deep breath, signaling that his body was about to disappear. As he faded away, he kept his eyes locked on Yugi, wanting to preserve that tender, disheveled, yearning look in his memory until they could see each other again.
The heat of August gave way to cool September, and students of all ages gradually found themselves being dragged back to school, including the university-bound. Their classes began later than middle and high schools, but not late enough, Yugi and Joey agreed. They plunged themselves into the new routine and were quickly swept up in much harder work than they were used to. At least the university structure gave them time to enjoy a normal social life, more or less, though it was clear after the first couple of weeks that the carefree days of childhood were well on their way to being gone forever. Joey worked part-time outside of school to pay his rent, and Yugi still helped out in his grandfather’s game shop on occasion, but they managed to find or make time to hang out. Yugi wasn’t sure what he was going to do on the next full moon, trying to fit Yami’s presence in with classes and other problems, but he wasn’t about to tell the pharaoh they should forego the ritual this month. If there was anything he refused to allow to stand in the way of his happiness, it was school. He toyed with the idea of skipping class, but then there was Grandpa to worry about. One afternoon, during a class break, he sat with Joey under a tree on the campus grounds, still thinking about Yami and the ritual even though they weren’t talking about it at all. “I don’t know,” Yugi was saying, “I guess maybe…archaeology? Like my Grandpa. He went on all kinds of digs and studied Egyptian history before he settled down and opened the game shop.”
“Thinkin’ maybe if you study a little about Egypt, you might find something to help Yami recover his memory?” Joey wondered as he popped open a can of soda.
Yugi glanced his way. “Yeah, actually. How’d you know?”
Joey snorted. “Easy. I know how you feel about him, Yug. You want to help him, but since you’re not the one with the magic powers, you can’t really do much. Right? So…this you can do.”
“That’s right.” Yugi curled his arms around his knees and hugged them to his chest. “Even if I don’t find anything out for him, at the very least, maybe studying the past will help me understand him better, knowing what things were like for him back then.” He sighed heavily. “But I hate history. It’s so boring. And even though Grandpa went on archaeological digs, that doesn’t mean all of it is fun like that. He always said he spent more time in libraries than in the field.”
“Eh, it’ll be all right,” Joey tried to assure him. “Just don’t think of it as studying. As long as you’re looking up stuff to help the pharaoh, or find out what life might have been like in his time, then it won’t seem like work.”
“Maybe,” Yugi murmured, not sounding convinced.
Joey sipped his soda and sat back against the tree trunk. It was early enough yet that its leaves had not yet begun to change, giving them a delightful patch of shade to shelter under while they had a snack and plotted the rest of their day. “So how is he, anyway?” Joey asked, a little more quietly. “You guys still get together inside the Puzzle?”
“Yeah – some,” Yugi replied. “We definitely were able to get away a lot more before university started. I’ve just been so tired some nights, all I want to do is fall into bed.”
Joey smiled understandingly. “Looking forward to his next visit, I bet.”
“Of course. But…” Yugi glanced around first to make sure no one was around to listen. Students criss-crossed the sidewalks surrounding the little patch of lawn where a few had chosen to take their breaks, but no one was within earshot of the two friends. “We’ve got a little problem, Joey.”
Joey looked sharply at him. “Problem? What…?” His brown eyes narrowed. “This isn’t the kind of problem I don’t want to be helping with, is it?”
“No,” Yugi laughed, “it’s not like that. It’s about the timing of the next full moon.” He shook his head. “I’m probably going to just miss class that day, so Yami and I can spend some time together, but that would look really bad to Grandpa. I can’t miss school and then hope he’ll say ‘oh, no problem’ just because it’s Yami’s day to come.” He frowned in frustration. “I don’t know what to do.”
Joey sat forward again, resting his elbows on his knees, his own face taking on a similar, consternated frown as he began to think. “Yeah, I can see how that would be trouble,” he muttered. “Grandpa’s cool but he’s not gonna be okay with you skipping class just because Yami’s out of the Puzzle. Hmm…”
“And…” Yugi hesitated, looking away across the lawn. “I’m kind of worried about him finding out…”
“About you and Yami?”
“That I’m having sex.” The persistent blush rose in his cheeks, but not nearly so fiercely as usual, as he explained himself. “That it’s with another guy is a whole other story, I’m starting to worry that Grandpa wouldn’t approve of me…well, not being a virgin anymore.”
“Oh…yeah.” Joey frowned again. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.” He suddenly threw Yugi a scowl of concern. “Wait, you mean to tell me you’ve been having sex with your grandpa right in the same house?”
“Well…yeah. Where else are we going to have it?”
That made Joey shut his mouth for a second. “Okay, point,” he finally said, with some humor. “That’s pretty risky, Yug. Aren’t you afraid he’s gonna hear?”
“Of course I am!” Yugi cried. “You have no idea how hard it is to try not to scream even though it’s so…good…” His exasperation faded for just a moment, his eyes going soft.
Joey grinned at the change in his friend’s expression. “Is it?”
“Incredible,” Yugi breathed. “Sometimes I wish I could just spend the whole day in bed with him, making love over and over again.” He caught himself and grinned bashfully at his companion. “You don’t want to hear about that, though…”
“Nah, it’s okay.” Joey’s smile became gentle. “Normally the mere thought squicks me pretty good, but this is you. It’s special to you. You can tell me anything you want to – you’ve been keeping it all to yourself so long. You’ve gotta just be dying to tell somebody.”
Yugi sat back against the tree, beaming ecstatically. “I am,” he conceded. “I feel kind of bad sometimes, that Yami and I have taken what is probably a very important and powerful magical ritual and corrupted it by just using it as excuse for sex, but…” He closed his eyes and giggled. “…it’s his contention that until we find out what it’s really for, we may as well not waste the time we have.”
Joey sat back as well, so that they could converse in a more private tone with their heads closer together. “What’s it like? I mean…not that you have anything to compare it to,” he admitted, “but…I am kind of curious.”
Yugi thought about it for a moment. For once, he was not blushing. “It’s not as weird as I thought it would be,” he explained. “I know, it used to be just thinking about doing it that way made me kind of…”
Joey gave an exaggerated jiggle, as if a shiver had run up his spine, and made a noise something like, “Eugh?”
Yugi laughed brightly. “Yeah, exactly. But…it’s not so bad. It’s actually really good. You wouldn’t believe how sensitive that part of your body is.”
Joey frowned pensively. “Doesn’t it hurt?”
“It did a little, at first. But we took it slow. It sometimes hurts a tiny bit when we get started, but after a while it’s all just…yeah…”
“Huh.” Joey shook himself from accidentally envisioning his best friend in bed with his lover, writhing and moaning. “But, I guess if you’re guys, that’s the only way you can do it.”
“We do other things, too.” Yugi glanced at him with a rather sly and altogether non-innocent look. “Things that any pair of lovers can do.”
Joey gave a sneaky laugh in response. “So all that time in the Puzzle is just practice, eh?”
“Oh no. No matter where I am with Yami, it’s special every time.” A thought crossed Yugi’s mind, making him sigh and grow serious again. “At least inside the Puzzle, I can let go and scream all I want.”
“Aww.” Joey clapped him on the shoulder. “It’ll be all right. You’ll think of something. Besides going to some scary love hotel,” he added wryly.
“Oh, yuck,” Yugi complained. “I don’t care how nice they say they’re supposed to be, the thought of making love in the same bed that thousands of people before you have had sex in…? No way.”
“Too bad you can’t get away for a romantic weekend.”
“Not in the middle of a school week, no.”
“Damn.”
Yugi sighed sadly. “It’s okay. We don’t have to make love every time Yami leaves the Puzzle. I’m sure we can get through the day together doing lots of other things. At least I’ll have him here on the outside, I shouldn’t take that for granted considering we never expected more than one day.”
“Yeah, but you still got the issue of your grandpa finding out you skipped class to be with Yami,” Joey pointed out. “He’s not gonna like that.”
“No.”
They sat in silence for a moment, as Joey drank down most of his soda, when a thought made him suddenly sit up. “You need to get away for a day.”
“How am I going to do that?” Yugi groused. “Between classes and the shop, I have no time – not to mention, no money.”
“You don’t need money to stay at my place.” Joey grinned as Yugi turned sharply to him. “I got two bedrooms, don’t I?”
“Joey! I can’t…” Now the blush came back, brighter than ever. “You would let me and Yami make love in your second bedroom?” he hissed anxiously.
“Why not? Nobody else has.” Joey shrugged casually. “You know me, I can sleep through an earthquake. You two going at it in the next room won’t bother me for just one night. Besides.” He tapped his nose and winked at Yugi. “We got that project we need to be working on together, if we’re going to get it done in time.”
“What proj…oh,” Yugi said, catching on. “Yeah, maybe if I pull an all-nighter and stay at your place, we can get it done.”
“Just hope Grandpa doesn’t notice it’s the full moon,” Joey retorted.
Yugi lunged and pounced on him, hugging him around the middle. “Thanks, Joey! You’re sure you don’t mind? Positive?”
“I’m totally positive, now get off me,” Joey chuckled. “This is just for this time, though. Sometime between now and a month from now, you gotta find a way to tell your grandpa about your relationship. I’m serious, man,” he added with a completely serious look to match. “Your life has completely changed. Yami’s the best thing that ever happened to you, we all know it. It’s time your grandpa knew, too.”
“But what if he freaks out?” Yugi gave Joey a scared look. “Last time, even though we weren’t doing anything, Grandpa saw us both come out of the bathroom together and grilled me like I was doing something wrong. I don’t know what he meant by it, but it couldn’t have been good.”
Joey received that news with some concern, though he hid it by keeping his serious face on and giving a thoughtful little, “Hmm.” “Either way, he’s gotta know,” he insisted. “Do you really want to hide from him the one thing that’s brought you so much joy in your life?”
“No, I guess not,” Yugi murmured defeatedly.
“If it doesn’t go well…hey, maybe we could be roommates,” Joey suggested. “I wouldn’t mind a break on the rent. But you’re not alone. If the worst possible thing happens, we’ll think of something together. Right?” He made a fist and punched Yugi lightly in the knee. “Best friends.”
Yugi halfheartedly punched him back. “Yeah, best friends, Joey,” he said softly. “Thanks.”
“We’ll worry about that later,” Joey assured, waving a hand. “First thing’s first. You’re gonna get some time to get away with Yami, you’re gonna come over to my place and I’ll put you two up for the day. Maybe I can work my schedule around too, and we’ll all go out.”
He slung an arm over Yugi’s shoulders, and Yugi leaned in to hug him gratefully. “You’re so awesome,” he complimented. “I was hoping I’d be able to get together with Yami. Since classes started, I haven’t been able to go into the Puzzle as often, and I know we both kind of miss the contact. I didn’t want to have to go through his next visit without being able to…”
Joey grinned and let him go. “Just keep the door closed. As long as you two are in there, I won’t barge in on you. But, uh…maybe come out for air once in a while?”
Yugi laughed. Inside his heart and mind, listening to the entire conversation, Yami smiled to himself. Yugi’s fears were his fears, and both of them were glad to find out that they wouldn’t have to endure a month with no sexual contact. He knew as much as Yugi that Joey was right, and they couldn’t put off breaking the news of their relationship to Grandpa Muto much longer, but the thought of one month’s reprieve made it seem not so bad. They could conquer that fear, he was sure of it. As long as they could get through one more visit first.