Queer As Tachi – Chapter 9

                Yugi’s backpack laid on his bed nearly bursting at the seams, but he had managed to cram two sets of clothing, an extra shirt, and a few books into it before wrestling it closed.  Yami watched from his unique internal vantage point as the young one paced his bedroom floor, double-checking to make sure he had everything they would need for a day away.  Despite his nervousness, Yugi managed to envision his partner sitting on the bed next to the backpack, smiling in amusement.  “Relax, Yugi,” he said gently.  “It will be fine.”

                “I’ve just never lied to my grandpa like this before,” Yugi fretted.  “I don’t like having to do it.  I don’t like that I want you so badly that I’d make up a story about going to Joey’s to work on a project all day and night.”

                Yami watched him retreat to the dresser and pluck up a couple more important items to stash in the front pocket of the bag.  “I don’t mean to sound accusing, Yugi,” he murmured, “but you wouldn’t be in this position if you had already told your grandfather of our relationship.”

                “I know.”  Yugi stood with his hands on the backpack for a moment, thinking.  “I’m just scared.”

                “Yes, I know.”  The vision of the pharaoh smiled patiently.  “It’s a scary thing.  The possibility, however small, of being rejected by your grandfather is much more important than the opinions of your friends.  I can’t make you do anything, you’ll tell him when you’re ready.  If you dislike sneaking around so much, perhaps it will help you be ready sooner.”

                “Yeah, it might.”  Yugi picked up the bag and slung it over his shoulder, grunting a little at the sudden jerk of weight.  “Gah, it’s only one day, how can there be so much in here?”

                Yami raised an eyebrow at him.  “Why do you have your books in there if there is no actual project to be worked on?”

                “In case Grandpa asks.”  Yugi sighed sadly, his shoulders heaving.  “I hate this!  I don’t want to lie to him…”  He fixed his vision with a worried gaze.  “…but I don’t want to be without you, either.”

                “You’ll suffer through it, just this once,” Yami encouraged him.  “And I’m sure the way you feel means you’ll never do it again.”

                The vision disappeared as Yugi left his room and headed down the stairs, passing through the shop in order to let his grandpa know that he was heading out.  Grandpa Muto sat behind the counter in the empty game shop reading the evening paper.  “Don’t work too hard, now,” he cheered his grandson.  “This is certainly a big project.  I’m proud to see you two wanting to spend enough time on it.”   He then gave Yugi a suspicious look.  “It isn’t because this is due tomorrow, is it?”

                “No, we’ve got a couple of days,” Yugi assured him with a nervous laugh.  “What can I say, Grandpa?  College is really hard.  Both Joey and I are going to have to really work hard to make it through, even if it means giving up a couple of nights.”

                “Well, do your best, my boy.  Oh…”  Grandpa turned and popped open the cash register, fishing out a couple of bills and handing them to Yugi.   “Just in case you boys need to order out to keep yourselves going in the middle of the night.”

                “Thanks, Grandpa.”  Yugi smiled and pocketed the money, and then waved.  “I’ll see you maybe tomorrow night, after class, unless we don’t get enough done tonight.”

                “Call me if you’re going to be over there again,” Grandpa reminded as his grandson headed for the door.  “And no playing Duel Monsters when you’re supposed to be studying!”

                “We won’t!”

                It was early enough in the evening yet that the sun was still up, but barely, casting long shadows between buildings as Yugi walked to Joey’s flat.  Had they actually been working on a class project, they would have had plenty of time to make headway this evening before needing sleep and going to class, but the project did not exist.  The boys were in two classes together, but neither course would drop worse than a multiple-choice quiz on them.  They planned to just hang out and relax tonight, assuming they had any real homework finished, and then it would be midnight and Yugi’s world would change.  Joey was still going to classes the next day, but after they were over he intended to go with the pair out for dinner and maybe to the arcade or something.  Grandpa Muto knew and liked Joey more than well enough to expect that Yugi was perfectly safe and welcome to crash at his place if an all-night visit kept them up too late, it was better than leaving Yugi to walk home alone in the dark.  Domino was not a particularly dangerous city, but bad things had befallen the boys before.   No one could quite predict a pack of rare hunters or a trio of biker thugs coming out of nowhere to accost them for their cards.

                Yugi stepped up to the door and rang the buzzer for Joey’s flat, gaining admittance right away.  Joey had lived on his own for quite some time, after his father had left him to search for employment elsewhere and Joey’s own street-punk ways took precedence over family ties.  He had always scraped to make ends meet, for a two-bedroom flat even in that part of town wasn’t cheap, but it beat living on the streets or trying to find a smaller place.  And every once in a while, that second bedroom came in handy as more than storage.  Joey greeted his best friend warmly, putting a smile back on his face.   “I can’t believe you’re doing this for us,” Yugi gushed.  “Thanks, Joey.   We owe you so much.”

                “Nah, it’s what friends are good for,” Joey assured as he brought Yugi’s backpack into the bedroom.  “Sorry about the mess, though.”

                “As long as we can reach the bed,” Yugi chuckled.  And they could – despite the boxes and random clutter hunched around the corners and walls, a nice futon lay in the middle of the floor, all made up as if no one had used it in ages.  They left the backpack there and sprawled out in the living room, deciding to pass the evening playing video games and munching on snacks like a couple of young men ought to.   Even if they had homework unfinished, neither of them were going to actually do it.  Being able to spend some uninterrupted free time with his best friend was as valuable to Yugi as his other purpose for being there, and he didn’t once mention Yami or the ritual so long as he and Joey were playing.  They lost all track of time until about eleven, when Joey began to yawn, and spent the last hour just sitting around talking as Yugi began to keep a closer eye on the clock.  With ten minutes to go, they removed themselves to the second bedroom, and Yugi dug some clothing out of his bag.  He didn’t have room for a bathrobe, but pajamas would be enough.  “I have to warn you,” he said as he unclipped the safety pin from the seam of the backpack, “When Yami comes out of the Puzzle, he’s…naked.”

                “Geez.  Thanks for the warning,” Joey said wryly.  “You sure you don’t want me to just leave you two alone?”

                “No, it’s all right,” Yugi said.  “I wouldn’t mind if you witnessed the ritual.  You were the first one to know about us, it’s only right.”  He grinned cutely.   “It’s not like Yami’s going to tackle me and ravage me right away.”

                “Yeah, just wait till I get out of the room,” Joey snorted.   “No worries, I gotcha.  So…what do you have to do, now?”

                “Well, here…”  Yugi drew a pocket watch out of his backpack and handed it to Joey.  “You can be the timekeeper.  I need to know the second it hits midnight.”  He held up the pin in his hand.  “Then I stick my finger and recite the spell…and that’s that.”

                “Doesn’t sound too hard.”  Joey knelt down on the futon next to Yugi, eyeing the watch’s digital readout.   “Any other warnings I should know about before this happens?”

                “I don’t think so.”  Yugi turned to him with an innocent grin.  “You’re already pretty used to seeing magic when it happens.”

                Joey clapped a hand to his shoulder and grinned back.  There was only a minute left, so he turned his attention to the watch and its blinking second-countdown.  He tried not to react when he saw Yugi grit his teeth and jab the pin into his forefinger, making blood well up, though the flash of pain in his friend’s eyes concerned him.  Yugi held his hand still, though, as if preserving the drop of blood quivering on his fingertip, until Joey said, “Now.”

                Tipping his hand so the blood fell onto the Puzzle, Yugi began to recite the incantation, closing his eyes to help his memory.  Joey stared at him in amazement over the fluid Egyptian tongue spilling from his lips, as if realizing for the first time just how foreign Yami and his shadow power truly was.  But he only had a moment to ponder it before there was even more to be astonished at, as the Eye of the Puzzle began to glow with a brilliance that flooded the small room.  Yugi diligently recited the spell down to the last word, at which a jolt of power surged through him and out of the Puzzle, knocking him back.   Joey’s arm was there to catch him, though his attention was on the human figure beginning to coalesce out of the fog of golden energy swirling before them.  A startled gasp rushed out of him as he recognized Yami, the pharaoh’s lean body and elegant eyes becoming solid and real, broad shoulders, flawless skin, spiky hair all the way to its pinkest tips.  The light faded and left them in dim darkness, at which point the pharaoh opened his eyes and smiled down at the pair of awed faces gazing up at him.  “Ah,” he said softly.  “Hello, Joey.”

                Joey blinked at him and then quickly averted his eyes, coughing in embarrassment.  “Uh, Yami,” he acknowledged him in as manly a manner as he could.

                He remained studiously looking away as Yami bent down and took the offered pajama pants from Yugi, slipping them on hastily.  Yugi just beamed up at him.  “Here we are,” he said.  “Closest thing to a vacation I’m going to get for a while.”

                “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”  Yami crouched down beside his lover and kissed him gently before turning to their friend.  “Thank you, Joey.  This means much to both of us.”

                Joey finally turned back towards them, now that Yami was safely clothed – well, half-clothed.  “No sweat,” he assured with a cheesy grin.  “You guys needed a safe place to hide out, I got a spare bedroom…it all works out.”  He sat back, his expression softening to a kind smile.  “Guess I’ll be off to bed, then.  You guys can sleep in if you want, I’m just gonna head out to class in the morning.”

                “Okay,” Yugi agreed.  “Do you need us to lock up or something if we go out?”

                “There’s a spare key on the kitchen counter.”  Joey pushed himself to his feet and gave them a little wave.   “Don’t forget, we got a dinner date.   Right?”

                “Right!”  Yugi grinned.  “Though I’m sure we’ll be back here before that.”

                “Okay.  Night, lovebirds,” Joey snickered.

                “Good night, Joey,” Yami said in return, smiling.

                Joey closed the door behind him, leaving the pair in privacy.   The spare bedroom faced an inner wall of the apartment complex, so it was rather dark and quiet without windows.  Yugi put away the watch and the pin and started to arrange his things for tomorrow, but Yami’s hands snaked around his waist from behind and pulled him back gently into warm, comforting arms.  “Mm,” Yugi purred as he slumped back into the embrace.  “All of a sudden, I don’t feel so bad about sneaking out to be with you.”

                “It’s not as though the fate of the world were at stake,” Yami murmured playfully.  “In the relative scheme of things, this plan is only mildly delinquent.”

                Yugi leaned back into his arms and turned his head to press a kiss to his partner’s cheek.  “So…now that you’re here…”  He turned suddenly both seductive and shy, his voice dropping to a whisper.  “…what are you in the mood for?”

                “Anything you want,” Yami whispered back, nuzzling his neck.   “Are you tired?”

                “I don’t know.”  Yugi wriggled in his arms until he was able to turn and lay against him, so his head rested on Yami’s chest.  “I’m not sleepy, but my brain feels kind of fuzzy after all that sugar and video games.”

                Yami hugged him and kissed his forehead, simply glad to have tactile contact once again.  “Do you want to wait?  We can just go to bed if you’d like.”

                “Not really…”  Yugi pushed himself up on his hands and leaned in for a kiss, which turned into several in succession.  When they broke for breath, Yugi continued softly, “All I have to do is keep kissing you for a while and I know I’m going to want more.”

                “Then…”  Yami wrapped his arms around him and laid him down on the futon, settling down half on top of him.  “…perhaps if I take my time, you’ll be ready eventually.  Just rest here, and I’ll do my best to please you…”  He leaned close to kiss along Yugi’s cheek and neck, each press of his lips no more than a whisper on his skin.  “…slowly, and gently…”

                Yugi purred again and closed his eyes, lying back into the futon to let Yami have his way with him.  “I like the sound of that,” he murmured, even as hands roamed across his body, taking off his collar and untucking his shirt.  Yami’s lips never ceased the whole time, even as he removed the shirt and tossed it away.   Pushing aside the Puzzle, he curled up beside Yugi and began a slow, delicate series of kisses along his chest and stomach, giving a soft hum of pleasure as he felt Yugi’s hand combing absently through his hair.   They laid together like this for a long time, until Yami was certain he was awakening his lover’s arousal rather than putting him to sleep with the gentle treatment, and the hazy look in Yugi’s violet eyes became one of encouragement to the next step.  Across the hall in the main bedroom, Joey was fast asleep long before the pair of lovers even got started, and snored away in complete oblivion while cries of pleasure escalated next door, only barely muffled by two doors.  Not even the mingled scream of climax woke him, though he twitched a little in his sleep and mumbled something about doughnuts before rolling over and passing into even deeper sleep.

                Morning came slowly to the back bedroom, but eventually Yugi blinked his eyes open to find himself lying half on top of Yami, an arm flung over his waist and his head pillowed on the pharaoh’s shoulder.  Yami was still sound asleep on his back, lips barely parted for breath.  Yugi snuggled against him, content just to watch him sleep and consider how beautiful he was, with those long eyelashes and graceful lips.  Eventually, though, both need and curiosity roused him, so Yugi did his best to disentangle himself from the blankets without waking his lover, and threw his unbuttoned pajama top around his shoulders to go out into the flat and see what time it was.   Joey had already left for his morning classes, as it was well past nine, but Yugi found a note in the kitchen by the key reminding him that there was food to be had if they were hungry.  Yugi doubted it, knowing how little Joey usually kept in his fridge, but he looked to find that there was actually something in there.  He settled for a glass of juice for now, and as he was turning, Yami came from the hallway and silently appeared in front of him, smiling when he found him.  Yugi smiled back.  “Morning…”

                “There you are,” Yami said sweetly.  “I wondered how you could have slipped away from me.”

                Yugi set down his glass and threw his arms around his lover, happy to be caught up and kissed in welcome.  “I didn’t want to wake you up,” he murmured when their lips parted.  “You looked so cute sleeping.”

                Yami chuckled and kissed him again, not stopping for a good long while as their kisses intensified and they wrapped themselves tighter around each other.  After a minute or two, the pharaoh thought to ask, “Joey’s not here, is he?”

                “No,” Yugi giggled.  “He has a morning class.  We slept in late, you know.”

                Yami smirked and leaned in close.  “Considering how late we were awake, it doesn’t surprise me.”   He eased back from Yugi, straightening out the pajama top that had been seriously rumpled by his embrace.  “Then, we’re alone here, for now.”

                “Yeah…”  Yugi reached out and trailed a finger teasingly down the pharaoh’s lean stomach.  To his delight, Yami never slept with a shirt on.  “What, you haven’t had enough yet?”

                “Actually…”  Yami made a sheepish smile.  “I’m hungry.”

                Yugi smirked up at him.  “Oh, I see.  Well…we can find something to tide you over until lunch, I’m sure.  Joey said there’s fruit and stuff for breakfast.”

                “We’re going out for lunch again?”

                “I kind of figured, yeah.”  Yugi retrieved his glass of juice and sipped casually as he wandered from kitchen to living room to sit down.  “There’s a place I want to take you to…it’s Joey’s and my favorite cheap place to eat.  They have the best shumai in the city, I swear.”

                Yami followed him, prowling slowly through Joey’s apartment in interest.  “Can you afford to be going out for food every time I’m with you?”

                Yugi glanced up to him as he came around and joined his partner on the couch.  “It’s not a problem,” he assured.  “Grandpa pays me for the hours I work in the game shop.  What else am I going to do with the money?”

                “I suppose.”  Yami smiled indulgently at him.  “How fortunate, I get to be spoiled by my boyfriend.”

                Yugi blushed fiercely, hearing the word coming from Yami’s lips like that.  “Come on,” he said, all flustered, “let’s find something to eat and then get ready to go out.  Joey’s right, we shouldn’t stay locked in here all day.”

                They were in no hurry, and took their time finding something to nibble on before laying back down in the bedroom and making out for a while, so long as they had the privacy.  Eventually, they managed to wash up and get dressed so they would be presentable in public, heading out for a walk through the city that would end up at the restaurant of choice.  It was cool enough for long sleeves but not a jacket, overcast but not rainy, a bland sort of day that left the pair in the mood to simply relax and forget about things like the shop and school and Grandpa not finding out about them.  With nearly everyone at work or school, the streets were very quiet, making it easy to walk around and peer into shop windows at their leisure.  It was an unhurried, untroubled sort of day, worth enjoying as a break in the middle of classes and projects for Yugi.  He kept his hand firmly clasped in Yami’s, alternately tugging him along and then being towed back in another direction by his lover as they saw things they wanted to inspect up close, or had their attention grabbed by something shiny.  As they walked, Yugi chatted idly about where in the city they were, what familiar places lay nearby that Yami might remember from days past.  “Oh, hey,” he said after a while, looking around.  “We’re kind of near Duke’s game store, now.”

                “Oh?”  Yami also looked around, not sure what he was supposed to be looking for.  “It’s been a long time.  Should we drop in and see him?”

                “Maybe after lunch,” Yugi suggested.  “We still have a bit of a walk to get there.  We can come back through this way on our way back to Joey’s.”

                He pulled at Yami’s hand to indicate that they would cross the street there.  The pharaoh smiled to himself as they walked.  “Come to think of it, Duke hasn’t found out about us yet.  He’s another of your friends you haven’t told of the ritual.”

                “Well, Duke isn’t as close to me as the others,” Yugi admitted.  “But yeah, you’re right.  He doesn’t know yet.  Neither does Bakura…although I haven’t seen him at all since graduating.”

                A shadow crossed Yami’s face, as he considered the silver-haired young man with the Millennium Ring.  Despite whatever plans Ryo Bakura might have had for his life, that Ring and the spirit attached to it would make sure he probably hadn’t gone far from the Puzzle and Yugi.  “What do you suppose he’s up to?” he wondered as casually as he could.

                “I don’t know,” Yugi replied.  “I remember talking to him about university near the end of school, he seemed pretty sure he was going, though I didn’t ask where.  I haven’t seen him here at the Domino University, you’d think that if we were all freshman together, he’d be in at least one of my classes.”

                “Perhaps something happened over the summer to change his mind,” the pharaoh said warily.

                Yugi glanced at him, but didn’t feel like talking about dark matters just now, so he changed the subject.  “Joey and I were talking, and I think I’ve decided on a line of study.   Maybe I’ll go into archaeology, like my Grandpa.”

                Yami glanced at him in interest.  “Egyptian archaeology?”

                “Yup.”  Yugi grinned.  “You heard that conversation.”

               “I admit, I might have been eavesdropping that day.”   Yami grinned back.  “I appreciate your willingness to help me recover my past, Yugi.  You’re sure that’s what you want to do with your life?  Choosing to study Egyptian history will affect your path through school.”

                “What else is there to do?” Yugi shrugged.  “I don’t think I’m going to go very far from here.   Something tells me, no matter what our destiny brings us, in the end I’ll still be here in Domino, with Grandpa’s game shop.   I don’t really have any interest in anything else.”  A little smirk curved his lips.  “I don’t have a head for math, so I’m not really cut out for big business like Kaiba, or technology or anything like that.  At least archaeology will give me what I need to help you, which is what I really need to be doing with my life.”

                Yami squeezed his hand and smiled.  “Thank you, Yugi.  That means a lot to me.”

                “Oh!  There it is,” Yugi suddenly exclaimed, pointing ahead of them.  “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for lunch.”

                “Lead the way,” the pharaoh encouraged.

                A hubbub of voices met them as they pushed open the door and looked around, finding the restaurant packed with office workers and other locals on their lunch breaks, sitting around the tables drinking coffee or bellying up to the counter where they could get a quicker meal and get on with their day.  The hostess standing behind the podium near the door watched the pair of young man come towards her, with a most un-subtle stare at their clasped hands the whole way.  Though he felt conspicuous with her eyes on them like that, Yugi mustered a smile and asked for a table for two.  The woman put on her hostess smile and shuffled through papers on her podium.  “All right.  It is the lunch rush, so it may be a while before I can get you a table.  Is that all right?”

                “Yeah, that’s okay,” Yugi agreed.  “We can wait.”

                The hostess nodded and scribbled something on the sheet in front of her before going off through the restaurant, presumably to look for an available table.  Yugi tugged Yami with him as he stepped aside, finding a nice corner to stand in and wait.  The restaurant did look bustling, but a lot of people were near the end of their meals and would probably vacate shortly, so long as Yugi and Yami were patient.  The hostess returned after a bit and busied herself writing and reading through things on her important sheet in front of her, giving no indication that she had found them a table yet.  After a few minutes, another couple came in through the door, a man in a suit with a woman on his arm.  The hostess looked up and smiled at them, nodding as they asked for a table.  With a brisk, “Right this way,” she grabbed a pair of menus and escorted them inside.

                Yami’s eyes went wide with surprise and anger.  His hand in Yugi’s tensed.  “Did you see that?  She just seated two people after telling us there were no tables available…”

                Yugi reached across and patted his arm with his other hand.   “I’m sure it’s nothing,” he said hesitantly.  “Maybe they had reservations.  It’s a smart idea, in the middle of the lunch rush.”

                “I don’t think so.”  Yami gave the room in general a suspicious glare.  “We should ask.  We’ve been waiting for ten minutes.”

                “It can’t be anything like that,” Yugi tried to assure.  “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”

                “I’m going to ask,” Yami said sternly.

                The hostess was on her way back to the podium just then, and Yami started towards her.  Yugi let go of his hand, but still followed him, saying something about not making a scene if the people before them had reservations.  But as they reached the hostess, Yami pointed out a sign on the front of the little desk that claimed the restaurant did not take reservations.  Yugi shrank back as his partner confronted the hostess.  “Excuse me,” he said crisply.  “I couldn’t help but notice that those people were just given a table ahead of us.  We have been waiting here for a while.”

                The woman’s eyes went wide, though not in anything resembling apology.  “Well,” she stammered, “I said, it’s the lunch rush.  We’re very busy right now.  It may take a couple more minutes…”

                Though he was angry and getting moreso by the minute, Yami’s outward appearance remained calm, his hands at his sides and posture relaxed, though a burning look remained in his violet eyes – the deadly glare that many a duelist had quailed in the face of.  “Perhaps next time we shall have to make reservations, if we want to get in during the lunch rush.”

                “I’m sorry,” she said briskly, “we don’t take reservations here.  Our policy is first come, first served…”

                Yami gave Yugi a knowing glance, and the young one finally began to glare himself.  “Yet,” the pharaoh said icily, “we were here first and somehow, someone else was served before us.”

                The hostess fidgeted with her pen.  “Yes, that…that’s very unfortunate.  If you wait a little longer, I’m sure another table will open up.”

                “Did you forget that we were standing here?”  Yami shook his head.  “No, I don’t believe even you could be that dumb.  We were ignored.”

                “Sir,” the woman protested, “I hardly think that’s the case…”

                She trailed off and left her mouth hanging open as Yami continued to stare at her, not at all amused nor placated by her hemming and hawing.  After a moment’s silence, he spoke again in a low murmur.   “You ignored us because we appear to be a couple.”

                The hostess tried to protest again, but not a single word came out of her mouth.  She simply was unable to form an acceptable excuse that might explain her actions.

                “That’s it, isn’t it?” Yugi said, angered and hurt.   “You saw us holding hands.  Just because we’re boyfriends, you ignore us and give someone else a table instead of us?”

                Yami glared his worst and took Yugi’s hand again, covering him in warmth and comfort.  “I think we should take our money elsewhere, Yugi,” he growled.  “This establishment appears to discriminate against us.”

                Yugi made a frustrated noise, frowning at the hostess.  “I’ve been here a million times with Joey, I’m sure this woman has seated us before.  I’ve never been treated so…so horribly!”

                “Please, sir,” the hostess hissed, “there’s no need to make a scene…”

                Yami blinked at her, dumbfounded.  “I rather disagree,” he said moodily, “but for my partner’s sake I’m not going to.  He told me the food here was very good, I would have liked to find out.  But if this is the kind of treatment we can expect, I would rather eat at the worst restaurant in the city so long as they treated us kindly, like every other customer.”  He turned toward the door.  “Yugi?  I think we should go.”

                Yugi glowered at the woman behind the podium.  “Yeah, I’m with you,” he grumbled.  “I’m never coming back here again.”

                The hostess could say nothing to dissuade or placate them as they left, looking so angry that they startled a businessman coming through the door.  They walked down the block in silence, waiting until they were a good distance away before taking deep breaths and trying to calm down.  Yugi came to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing Yami to stop with him, as he trembled in anger for a moment.  “I can’t believe that!” he cried.  “How could they do that to us?”

                Yami sighed long, looking more sad than angry now.  He took Yugi’s other hand and held them both comfortingly.   “I don’t understand why she didn’t just say something,” he mused, “rather than ignore us and leave us to stand there for all that time, if she didn’t intend to give us a table.”

                Yugi shook his head.  “It’s the ‘polite’ way of dealing with someone you don’t want to associate with,” he explained, “ignoring them rather than confronting them.  It’s the way people are in this country.  This is awful,” he lamented.  “I love that place.  Why would they do such a thing?”

                “I don’t know.”  Yami dropped his lover’s hands and put his arms around him instead, hugging him consolingly.  “I don’t understand discrimination, no matter what form it takes.  It grieves me, but we don’t have to put up with it.  I’m sure there is another restaurant nearby that would be happy to take your money.”

                Yugi rested his head against his taller half’s chest.   “Maybe we should just be more careful,” he muttered sadly, “and not hold hands or anything that would tip them off.”

                “Don’t you dare.”  Yami stepped back and held him by the shoulders, looking firmly down at him.  “Yugi, it is not our fault if certain people can’t accept us.   We shouldn’t have to hide our love.   We should be able to expect to be treated the same as any other couple, or friends, or family.  Come…”  He placed a hand gently on his partner’s cheek, forcing him to meet a patient smile.  “Let’s find somewhere else to eat.”

                Yugi met his eyes and nodded in agreement, accepting the hand that slid back into his.  “But they have the best shumai,” he complained as they walked away.  “I had such a craving for those.”

                “Perhaps it’s time to find the second-best shumai in the city,” Yami murmured.

                The pair walked back in the general direction they had come from, looking around for a place Yugi was familiar with, but he hadn’t visited a lot of places in this area once he and Joey and Tristan had claimed that single one as their favorite.  Yami did his best to help by pointing out signs for restaurants, but he had to leave it to Yugi to decide which might be in their price range.  The pharaoh had indeed been furious to be treated so, and some anger still prickled at the back of his mind whenever he thought about it, but he was quick to set it aside and concentrate instead on restoring his lover’s good spirits over some decent food.  A few blocks away, very near to Duke Devlin’s game shop, they came across a small noodle shop promising quick, cheap food, wondering whether the lunch-rush bustle around it was due to the cheapness or the quality.  There were a lot of people just picking up orders, but a few tables were open and the man at the ordering counter didn’t bat an eye at the pair of boyfriends slinking nervously up to place an order.  Indeed, the place was more than happy to take their order and their money, and when they said they wanted to eat there instead of carry-out, one of the cooks rushing back and forth behind the register shouted at a busboy to go wipe down some tables that had been recently vacated.  Yami glanced aside to watch this while Yugi fished out his money and paid, and as he did, he noticed a familiar black ponytail bobbing between patrons.  He wondered, and waited until the person turned around to verify.  Sure enough, it was Duke Devlin, looking all stylish in a black leather jacket as he collected his order and plucked up some napkins and chopsticks.   He was about to walk past them, but lifted his head just in time and stopped short with a little start when he recognized the figure staring at him.  “Yugi?  Hey!”

                Yami opened his mouth to correct him, but Yugi heard his name and turned around to see who was calling it, grinning in delight.  “Hey, Duke!  What are you doing here?”

                Duke looked at him, and then spent a good minute looking back and forth between the two identical figures in complete confusion.  It was hard not to recognize Yugi, wearing the same black shirt and gray vest he had the first time he and Duke had squared off, but then there was this second figure with the same violet eyes and freaky hair, who he could have sworn was also Yugi.  Except, only one of them wore the Millennium Puzzle.  “Uh…” he tried to say.  “Yugi?  What the…?”

                Yugi glanced at Yami and then at their friend with a cheery grin.   “If you give me a minute or two to pick up our order, I’ll explain everything.”  He noticed the bag in Duke’s hand, then.  “Are you in a hurry?”

                “Well…no, not exactly.”  Duke still stared at Yami, trying to puzzle out who or what he was.

                “Great!  Just a second…” Yugi pleaded.

                Yami faced Duke and smiled.  “While he’s busy, I can tell you.  Don’t worry, Duke, it’s nothing to be afraid of.  You know me.”

                “Well, I thought I did,” Duke said warily.  “I thought you were Yugi when I saw you…”  Something flashed across his mind, a memory perhaps, and he gasped.   “Wait, are you…the pharaoh?”

                Yami looked amazed that he figured it out, but smiled quickly to reassure him.  “Yes, that’s right.  It’s me…Yami, or, the pharaoh, as so many call me.”

                “But…”  Duke kept blinking at him in astonishment.  “How are you not in the Puzzle?”

                “That, I’m afraid, will require the explanation.”

                Yugi rejoined them, then, carrying the tray with their lunch on it.  “Wow, fancy meeting up like this,” he exclaimed.  “How come you’re not at your store?”

                “I had an appointment this morning,” Duke casually explained.  “I’m picking up lunch on my way back, though.  Man, I haven’t seen you in ages…”  He glanced at Yami again, and then gave a little shrug.  “You guys mind a little company?”

                “Sure!  Come sit with us!”  Yugi looked around quickly and located an empty table that would fit three, making his way to it with the other two following.  Duke sat down across from them and broke out his lunch, figuring it would be more fun to eat and catch up than rush back to the store.  Once they had all settled in, Yugi gave a sheepish little laugh.  “So, I suppose you’re wondering how Yami got to be here…”

                “Yeah, kind of.”  Duke looked thoughtfully at the pharaoh, who was trying unsuccessfully to work his chopsticks.  “I mean…it’s not like I don’t know who he is.  But apart from that one time, with the whole Oricalcos thing, he’s never been like…this.”

                Yugi sobered somewhat.  “Yeah, he told me about what it was like, when you and Joey and Tristan picked him up and realized it wasn’t exactly me.  No, this is much different.  Much better,” he insisted.  He told Duke of the ritual and its effects, figuring Duke could grasp it after having witnessed the shadow realm and the soul-taking Seal himself.  He listened without comment, his pretty green eyes locked on Yugi even as he began to eat.   “So, every month,” Yugi said to wrap up the tale, “we’re going to perform the ritual and let Yami have his life back a bit at a time.”

                “Too freaky,” Duke commented, glancing at the pharaoh.   “If I hadn’t already seen the stuff I’ve seen hanging around with you guys, I wouldn’t believe it for a minute.   I guess, though.  Anything is possible, if you’ve got a magical item like your Puzzle.”

                “That’s been the good thing about it,” Yugi said thoughtfully.   “All of my friends have seen much weirder stuff thanks to the Millennium Items.  Just by being around me, and being part of my life, they’ve been sucked into all kinds of magical circumstances.  So, discovering a magic ritual to give Yami a body for one day isn’t all that much of a shock…once you get over seeing him standing there next to me, anyway,” he added with a chuckle.

                “Yeah, that much I’d have to agree with.”  He looked at Yami again.  “So…does that mean you’re like…a real guy?  Just for a day?”

                “As real as you and Yugi,” Yami confirmed.  “Each day like this is a blessing, trying new things, feeling what it is to be alive.”

                Duke gazed at him for a long moment, sucking on the ends of his chopsticks.  “Yami, huh?   Is that your name, after all?  Most of the time I just hear these guys talk about ‘the pharaoh.’”

                Yami glanced at Yugi before answering.  “No, it’s not my real name,” he said quietly.  “But I don’t remember my name.  It is what Yugi has taken to calling me, what I asked him to call me when we first acknowledged each other as partners.  So, for now, it is my name.”

                “All right, then.  Yami.”  Duke thrust out a hand.  “It’s good to meet you, for real.”

                The pharaoh clasped the offered hand with a smile.  Beside him, Yugi grinned brightly.  “Awesome!  I don’t feel so bad about coming here, now.  Who would have guessed we’d have had this chance to run into Duke and tell him about us?”

                “You see?”  Yami smiled at him.  “There is a reason for everything.”  His eyes shifted to their friend across the table.  “But perhaps you should tell him the rest, as well.”

                Duke raised an elegant eyebrow.  “There’s more?”

                “Oh…yeah…”  Yugi’s grin hardly faded as he considered the next bit of news, though he had no idea how Duke would react.  It felt too good to be able to admit it.  “Yami and I have been in a relationship since before we found out about the ritual.”

                “Really?”  Duke sat up sharply, looking back and forth between them.  “You, seriously?  Ha!  I thought you might end up going that way, Yugi.”

                Yugi frowned in confusion.  “Uh…what?”

                “With the pharaoh, I mean Yami…now that’s a bit of a surprise,” Duke continued.  “How does that work?  If he didn’t have a body, but you guys were still in a relationship?  How so?”

                Yugi’s bemusement made it hard to form words in reply.  “Um…well…”

                “We have loved each other for a long time,” Yami said for him.  “My nature as a spirit didn’t matter, our bond was between souls.”

                “Ah, okay.”  Duke nodded, regardless of whether he truly understood, and then gave Yugi a sly grin.  “What?  Were you afraid I was going to be shocked?  No way, man.  I figured you for at least bi, if nothing else.”

                Yugi had to actually set his chopsticks down, he was so confused and unable to respond properly.  He sat blinking for a long while before managing to stammer, “Wha…how?”

                Duke tossed his head, making his dangling dice earring sway.   “I can just tell, sometimes.  I know I never said anything, but that’s because it’s not really my business.  I’d never bring it up unless there was a reason, and as far as I remember, you and I have never talked about our love lives.”

                “So…”  Yugi began to smile again.  “You’re not freaked out?”

                “No way.  So you like boys, so what?”  Duke smiled back.   “I’m not offended.  Give me a bit to get used to it being Yami that you’re involved with, that’s still a bit on the weird side.”

                “Yeah, I guess so.”  Yugi just started grinning all over again and went back to his noodles with renewed energy.  “Wow, I didn’t expect that…”

                “So, what…” Duke went on.  “Are you all, ‘woo, hot boys!’ now?  Or not?”

                Yugi laughed.  “Not really, it’s just Yami…”

                “Ah.  I understand.”   Duke nodded again.  “I’m like that too.”

                Both Yugi and Yami stared at him now.  “What?” Yugi exclaimed.

                “As long as its share-time…”  Duke twitched a shoulder, pretending to be more interested in his lunch than their surprised stares.  “I’m bisexual, too.”

                “But…but…”  Yugi frowned again, freshly confused.  “In school…all those girls…”

                Duke smiled mysteriously.  “You think I actually dated any of them?  Sure, they hung all over me, and some of them were cute, but mostly it was just an image thing.  I haven’t really had either a girlfriend or a boyfriend, come to think of it.”

                As the shock passed, Yugi’s heart warmed within him to think that one of his longtime friends now had something so personal in common with him.   He rested his arms on the table and leaned forward.  “How come you never told me, or anyone else about it?  If it’s part of who you are…”

                Poking at his noodles, Duke made an unpleasant face that scrunched up his nose.  “You can probably understand why, if you’re the same.  Too many people just get stupid about it.  I don’t want to deal with that, so I keep it to myself unless there’s a reason to share it.”

                “Yeah…”  Yugi sighed, remembering the earlier disaster.  “I know what you mean.  Yami and I ran into it a little while ago.”

                Green eyes widened.  “What?  Something happened?”

                Yami gave a little growl under his breath.  Yugi nodded.  “You know the little restaurant a few blocks from here, Akai Hana?”

                “Yeah…?”

                Yugi winced as he shared the news.  “They refused to give me and Yami a table because we came in holding hands.”

                “What?”  Duke slammed a fist down on the table, making their bowls rattle.  “You’re kidding me!  I go there sometimes, I’ve never had any problems like that…”

                “Have you ever brought a date there?  As in…another boy?”

                “Well, no…now that you mention it…”

                “They asked us to wait for a table, because it was busy,” Yami said with an edge to his deep voice, “and then ignored us while seating others in our place.  I spoke to them about it, and they had no explanation.”

                “So we just left,” Yugi said sadly.  “That’s why we came here, I’ve never been here before.”

               Duke seethed where he sat.  “Those bastards!  I can’t believe it!  Well,” he said firmly, “you can be sure I’m never going there again.  And I’ll tell anyone I know not to go there, either.  We’ll make them regret discriminating against anyone.”   He heaved a dark sigh and resumed poking at his lunch with his chopsticks.  “I know it happens, and more frequently than people like to admit, but it’s still annoying to hear it happened to someone I know.  That really sucks.”

                “Yeah.  Although,” Yugi added, “if not for that, we wouldn’t have come here and run into you.  It all works out after all.”

                “Guess so.”  Duke mustered a smile for him.  “And now we got to spill our deep dark secrets to each other.  What a day.”

                “I’m glad you told me,” Yugi said honestly.  “We’re friends, Duke.  You’re safe with me.”

                Duke’s smile intensified.  “Yeah, I kind of figured.  Man, too bad I didn’t hit on you when I had the chance.  But, hey…things were different in high school.  I didn’t know you had a thing for boys then.”

                “And as I recall, you were still chasing after Joey’s sister,” Yugi pointed out.

                “Ahh…Serenity…”  Duke glanced away with a wistful smile.  “She was cute.   Still is, I bet.  I haven’t seen her since she came to see Joey graduate, I wonder how she’s doing?”

                “I can ask him later,” Yugi grinned.  “So, what have you been up to since school?”

                They sat together for a while, catching up, as each worked their way gradually through their noodles and finished lunch.  It kept Duke there a lot longer than he intended, but he dismissed Yugi’s concern and promised he could explain it away to his employees as the appointment taking longer than he expected.  They parted with their friendship renewed, and by that time Duke seemed to have accepted the pharaoh’s presence as reality without any question.  “Say, you should stop by the shop sometime,” he encouraged as they got up.  “I put in some more arcade games, to keep people coming in.   Not just Duel Monsters and Dungeon Dice Monsters, I’ve got DDR and stuff now too.”

                “Oh yeah?”  Yugi giggled.  “Turning it into an arcade?”

                “Oh, it’s not that bad.  But it keeps people in the store longer than just to buy game supplies.”   Duke winked.  “And lots of girls come to play or watch DDR.”

                “Oh, I see,” Yugi laughed.  “Ulterior motives.”

                Duke smiled and tugged up the collar of his smooth leather jacket.  “Nah, I’m all talk.  You should know that by now.”

                “Well, all right.  Maybe we will come down and see you later.”  Yugi gathered up their trash and got rid of it, while Yami just stood back out of the way.   “We’re going to meet Joey after he’s done with class, but who knows what we’ll be doing tonight?  If not, I’ll drop by sometime.  It’s not like I don’t know where it is.”

                “I’m sure you’re busy with school and your own shop,” Duke said modestly.  “It’s no problem.  Just don’t be a stranger, is all.  I’m not going anywhere.”

                They laughed and clasped hands and went their separate ways outside the door, Duke back to work and Yugi and Yami on another casual walk through that part of town.  The chance encounter had lifted Yugi’s spirits considerably, ensuring that his smile stayed in place even as he and his partner grew bored and found nothing to interest them along the way.   They decided to just make their way back to Joey’s, let themselves in, and make the most of the afternoon in the stillness and privacy of the flat.  Much as they could and probably would have gotten into bed and made love all over again, they found it much more relaxing to just lie together on the futon, arms and legs wrapped up together, occasionally trailing soft, slow kisses across each other’s lips and necks.  After a while they didn’t even find a reason to talk, falling into a content silence broken only by long, dreamy sighs and gentle kisses.  Time passed completely unnoticed, until they could hear a key in the lock and the main door creak open.  A smile slowly curved Yugi’s lips as he lay there listening to Joey blunder his way inside, his keys jingling, the thump of his backpack hitting the floor.  After a moment or two, both lovers heard, “Yugi?”

               Yugi pried himself to a seat and ruffled a hand through his hair.   “Yeah, we’re here, Joey,” he called back.  Giving Yami a sneaky grin, he got up and went to meet their friend before he could walk in on them, aware of the pharaoh silently trailing after him.  They found Joey in the kitchen, getting a soda.  “Hey,” Yugi greeted him.  “How was class?”

                “The usual,” Joey shrugged.  “How are you two doing?  I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

                “No, we were just laying down,” Yugi assured.  “We’ve been out walking for a while, we needed a rest.”

                “It’s been a strange day,” Yami put in.

                Joey lifted an eyebrow but didn’t ask.  “Sounds way more exciting than mine.  And now I’ve got homework, dammit.”

                “Aw, that sucks,” Yugi consoled him.  “Did I miss anything important?”

                “Nah, just more reading, which I know you’re not gonna do anyway.  No quiz or anything.”

                “Oh, good.”

                “Go anywhere special?” Joey prompted, heading for the living room as he popped open his soda.

                “Not really…”  Yugi glanced at his partner with an uncomfortable look before tagging after Joey.   “Except…you know our favorite restaurant?”

                “Yeah?”  An unfocused look passed through Joey’s eyes.  “Shumai…man, that sounds good right about now…”

                “Yeah, well…I don’t think we’ll be going back there anymore.”

                Joey fixed him with a perplexed stare.  “What?  Why not?”

                Yugi took a deep breath, clenched his jaw, and reported, “They kicked us out because we’re gay.”

                “What?!”  Joey leaped right back off the couch he had just settled onto.  “Are you serious?”

                “We went there, but the hostess refused to seat us,” Yugi explained.  “It was only because we came in holding hands.  Yami confronted her, and she didn’t deny it or try to make excuses or anything.”

                The hand not holding a can of soda clenched into a fist.  “Why, I oughta…” Joey growled.  “Who the hell do they think they are?  Nobody refuses my buddy, no matter who he’s with…”

                Yugi waved a hand cautioningly.  “It’s okay, Joey.  We left, we went somewhere else instead.  But I’m not going there ever again, not if that’s the way they treat people.  Even if I’m not with my boyfriend.”

                “Me either,” Joey vowed.  “Damn!  That’s just not right!  I didn’t know people like that really existed, I thought it was just on TV.”  He turned sympathetic brown eyes on his companions.  “Are you okay?  Nothing else happened, did it?”

                “No, we’re fine,” Yugi sighed.  “It was pretty upsetting, though.  Yami got really mad.”

                “It wasn’t my intention to cause a scene,” Yami said quietly.  “But I was shocked that someone would actually be so cruel to us for no reason.”

                Joey growled under his breath.  “That’s so not fair.  I’m sorry you guys had to put up with that.  If I’d been there?  That lady wouldn’t have gotten away with it, I would’ve made such a scene.  Probably gotten us kicked out,” he added with a shrug, “but at least we would have had our say.”

                Yugi plunked down on the couch, and Joey returned to his seat beside him.  Yami slid onto the arm of the couch and placed a comforting hand on his lover’s shoulder.  “It turned out for the best,” he tried to reason.  “We decided to try a different place, and we ran into Duke Devlin there.”

                “Yeah?  That’s cool.”  Joey glanced up at Yami.  “He got the big shock, didn’t he?”

                “It wasn’t like that,” Yami said with a smile.  “He understood as well as you or Tristan or the others.  After all, he remembers what happened to us all in the past.   He’s been through most of it with us.”

                “What about the rest?”  Joey returned his concerned gaze to Yugi.  “After being treated like crap at the restaurant, don’t tell me…”

                “No, Duke’s cool about it,” Yugi replied.  “He…well, he understands, better than you’d expect.”  He lowered his gaze to his hands clasped in his lap.  “It was a nice surprise after what happened at the other place.   It was so awful.  I felt like…like I wasn’t even human, the way she stared at us.  It makes me wonder…”  He lifted his head, focusing a sad gaze on Joey.  “Is that what people think when they look at me?  That I’m not a normal person anymore?”

                Yami’s hand on his shoulder squeezed gently.  “Yugi…why would you say that?”

                Yugi glanced up at him.  “I don’t think of myself as…gay,” he said softly, trying not to flinch at the word.  “I don’t think of myself like that at all, like I’m just a label by which people can put me into a category.  I’m just Yugi Muto.  But that woman in the restaurant didn’t see that when she watched us walk in, all she saw was a gay couple, something she could ignore or mistreat because we weren’t human to her.”

                Joey tilted his head sideways.  “You don’t know that for sure, Yug,” he cautioned.  “Maybe she was just startled and didn’t know what to do.”

                “Maybe.  But she still consciously decided to pretend we weren’t there.”  Yugi’s eyes fell closed for a moment.  “It really hurt.  I guess… I was sort of afraid it might happen someday, but I wasn’t prepared for that day to be so soon.”

                Yami’s fingers delicately brushed against his neck, caressing him tenderly.  “Not to mention, it ties in to your fears of what your grandfather might think of you, when he finds out,” he said gently, wisely.

                Yugi’s face flushed slightly.  “Yeah, there is that…”

                Joey reached over and clapped a hand firmly to his knee.  “That lady at the restaurant is not your grandpa,” he insisted.  “It still totally sucks, but you can’t be afraid that he’s gonna react the same way as she did.   She doesn’t know you.  Maybe she did put a label on you, and didn’t see you as the same kind, friendly Yugi Muto that the rest of us do.  But you know what?”  His brown eyes softened with a sad kind of smile.  “There’s a lot of people in the world who are gonna do that to you.  I hate to break it to you, but this world is a nasty, mean place.  You’re such a sweet guy, I hate to see you get your heart broken by the way people are gonna treat you, but don’t think this is the last time anyone’s gonna look down on you because you’re gay.  Or sort of gay,” he added sheepishly.  “Either way.”

                “I know.”  Yugi reached up and closed his hand over the one on his shoulder, a silent gesture of thanks for his comfort.  “I’m not that naïve, I know it’s probably going to happen a lot unless I let it scare me into not being open about who I am.  I’m not going to do that.”  He looked up to his partner with a stern glare.  “I love Yami, and I don’t care who knows it.  We’re not doing anything abnormal, nothing that lots of other couples don’t do in public.   All I want is to be with my boyfriend, and I’m not going to let anyone stop me.”  The glare faded, becoming melancholy again.  “No matter how much people might hurt me.”

                Yami’s arms suddenly snaked around Yugi’s shoulders, pulling him back into the pharaoh’s chest.  Yami bowed his head over him and quietly murmured, “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Yugi.”

                “Me neither,” Joey vowed.  “Both of you.”  Both Yugi and Yami looked up at him, and smiled nearly identical smiles at the same instant.  Joey grinned back at the sight – my, they did look cute together.  “Now what do you say we forget all about all this stupid stuff, and order in?  I don’t really feel like going anywhere tonight.  I just want to kick back and let everything I learned today dribble out of my brain.”

                The other two thought that sounded like a perfectly good idea, if for no other reason than it took the pressure off possibly going someplace that might treat them the same as the first restaurant had.  Joey had a fine selection of takeout menus from his neighborhood, anyway, so they sat around on the floor deciding where they wanted to order from, and then sprawled out to relax and wait for food.  In the meantime, Yugi needed to call his grandfather and come up with some kind of excuse to be spending the rest of the night at Joey’s again.  “Oh, we’re still hard at work,” he fibbed as Joey puttered around the kitchen behind him.  “We’re about to take a break and get some dinner, but it’s going to take most of tonight to finish.”

                “Are you going to need to spend another night over?” Grandpa wondered.

                “I don’t know.”  Yugi glanced at Yami, who stood watching him talk on the phone.  “We’re going to do our best to finish this up tonight, so I’m hoping I’ll be able to just come home no matter how late it is.  If it’s past ten, I can still make it back home and get some sleep before class tomorrow.”

                “As long as Joey is all right with you staying there, you shouldn’t push it,” Grandpa said warningly.  “I don’t want you walking home alone late at night.  If it looks to be another long night, you just stay there.”

                “Okay.  I’ll do my best, though,” Yugi said honestly.  “Don’t wait up for me, but don’t be surprised if I come in late.  I’ll try not to wake you up if I do.”

                The arrangement seemed to please his grandpa, so they hung up knowing that Yugi had enough of a reprieve to cover the rest of the night while Yami was still outside the Puzzle.  Joey was certainly amenable to having Yugi crash there once more, but he left it up to Yugi, depending on how he felt as midnight came closer.  In the meantime they had dinner, and then the simple pleasure of hanging out.  Yami always liked Joey’s company, he was good entertainment just from his mouth and his antics, and his interaction with Yugi was one of true best friends.  He was more than happy to spend the evening this way, nibbling out of takeout boxes and being taught to play video games by the two friends.  It amused Yugi greatly to see whether the pharaoh could master the hand-eye coordination needed to beat Joey at fighting games, though after a while it was mostly him and Joey playing while Yami held him, chuckling at the way Yugi tended to squirm and use his body as if to influence the controller in his hands.  Gradually, they tired and settled down and spent more time talking than playing, as Yugi related what Duke had told him about the upgrades to his shop, leading to a long conversation about arcades and games and what they liked or didn’t like.  Yami mostly just listened, holding Yugi in his lap and stroking his hair absently.  Yugi was in a very happy place, curled up against his lover and quietly enjoying being pampered while he and Joey talked, though the more he was touched and caressed, the more he wanted to turn and pounce on Yami, something he couldn’t do so long as Joey was still in the room.   Joey must have sensed it, for around ten he stretched and grumbled under his breath.  “Man, I so don’t want to do homework,” he griped.  “Not tonight.  But, I gotta.”   He shrugged helplessly at Yugi.  “I have to write an essay for my creative writing class.”

                “Oh, no fun,” Yugi sympathized, though he was not taking creative writing and didn’t have such an assignment.  “Maybe you better do that, before it gets any later.”

                “As long as you two can entertain yourselves without me.”   Joey pushed himself to his feet and grinned.   “And I’m pretty sure you can.”

                “Actually…”  Yugi glanced at his partner.  “I think maybe we should be heading home.”

                “Home?”  Joey blinked in surprise.  “But what about your grandpa?”

                “Oh, I think I can sneak Yami up the back stairs without him knowing.”  Yugi smiled cheerfully.  “It’s late, he’s probably asleep by now, or he will be shortly.  And this way, Yami can walk me home safe.  We can let you have your room back, and let you work on your essay in peace.”

                “Are you sure?” Joey pressed.  “Because you’re totally welcome here, Yug.”

                “I know.  I’m sure.”  He also got to his feet, facing his best friend.  “Thanks so much for letting us stay here.  It really helped, I needed this day away with Yami more than I realized.”

                Joey returned the smile.  “Okay, if you insist.  I won’t make you stay if you don’t want to.  But don’t be running off just because you want another round with Yami and are afraid it’ll bother me.”

                Yugi stepped closer to him and leaned in, as if imparting a secret.  “Be honest,” he said with a grin, “do you really think you can work with the two of us in the next room?”

                Joey pouted cutely.  “I would try,” he promised.  “For your sake.”

                “Aww, thanks Joey.”  Yugi hugged him quickly.  “But you don’t have to.  We’ll get out of your way.  We had lots of time alone, thanks to you.  If we head home now, we still have a little while together, before Yami goes.”

                “As long as you know I’m not chasing you out or nothin’,” Joey said.  “I was just gonna go in the other room so you two could have some privacy, but if that’s what you want, I’m not gonna argue.”

                It took just a couple of minutes to pack up their things, and then Yugi and Yami stood together at the door, wishing Joey well and promising to meet him in their usual spot the next morning before class so they could sit together.   Joey charged Yami with the duty of seeing them both home safely, which the pharaoh readily agreed to, and then they were gone, leaving their friend to himself i