Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ High School Love ❯ High school Love chapter eleven ( Chapter 11 )

HIGH SCHOOL LOVE

 

CHAPTER 11

 

 

 

 

“Knock knock!”

 

“Come in,” Yami called, swearing at the top of his lungs as he nearly dropped the baking tray on his foot. “Fuck it, you are SUCH a butter fingers,” he scolded himself.

 

Lillian Gagasaki-Mutou, or Lily, as she liked to be called, came into the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear. “My goodness, where on earth did you pick up such foul language?” she teased, blue eyes sparkling with amusement as she gave her brother's ear a little tug. Yami pulled away and scowled at her. “Listen, Lil, just because we're not at school right now doesn't mean you can use and abuse me all hours of the day and night,” he muttered.

 

Lily laughed and pinched his cheek. “But I just LOVE using and abusing you,” she cooed. “You're my little brother; I practically RAISED you.”

 

“Only because my mom was too obsessed with your dad to care about raising her only son,” Yami growled, crimson eyes flashing with remembered hurt.

 

Lily winced. {Whoops} she thought, mentally facepalming. {Lil, you have the biggest mouth in the world sometimes}. “I'm sorry,” she said contritely. “I didn't mean to reopen old wounds. Anyway,” she continued more brightly, “you and Dad get along a lot better these days. You guys buried the hatchet a long time ago, so now we're all at peace, right?”

 

“I guess you're right,” Yami agreed reluctantly. He sighed as he placed the tray in the oven before closing it and setting the timer. “But that doesn't mean I can forgive him for being such an asshole after he and Mom got married,” he added darkly. “I'm sorry, Lil, but it's the truth. Your dad was a complete pain in the ass those first few years. You know it's true, so don't bother trying to deny it. He wanted Mom all to himself; the rest of the world could go to pot so long as she was devoted to him and him alone, with no room in her mind or her heart for anyone else.” He let his head fall, tears glinting in his eyes. “If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I'd be right now. I'd either be dead, or living a life of crime.”

 

“Well, luckily Mom came to her senses and realized that she had a son AND a daughter to look after,” Lily said firmly, putting a hand on her brother's shoulder and squeezing it comfortingly. “I can't begin to imagine the pain it must have caused her to stand up to Dad and make HIM realize that he had a family as well. She loves him so much; it's a wonder she was able to gather up the courage to stand up to him.”

 

“Mom's got an iron backbone,” Yami reminded his sister with a smile. “She can be as stubborn as a bull sometimes.”

 

“And YOU inherited that trait from her,” Lily said, poking him in the chest with a smile of her own.

 

“If we're talking about inheriting family traits,” Yami teased, “we should talk about the tendency to abuse loved ones that you inherited from Dad. He's got a very bad habit of using me for a punching bag.”

 

“Only when I have good reason to,” Marcus Gagasaki teased, coming into the kitchen at that moment and catching his stepson in a friendly headlock. “How else am I going to keep my only son in line, huh? By wrapping you up in cotton wool and letting you have your way all the time? I don't think so.”

 

“There's a saying that goes, `Spare the rod and spoil the child,' isn't there?” Lily commented, watching the antics of father and son with a grin. “Well, we can't say Yami's been spoiled very much, can we?”

 

“Whose side are you on anyway?” Yami cried in mock indignation. “You're my sister; you're SUPPOSED to bail me out of these difficult situations.”

 

“Nuh-uh,” Lily said with a devilish grin. Yami could've SWORN she sprouted a pair of devil's horns at that moment. “You're on your own.”

 

“Some help you are,” Yami yelled after her retreating figure as she left, still laughing.

 

Marcus grinned as he released his stepson. “Sorry about that,” he said. “I guess I got carried away a bit.”

 

“That's what Joey always says,” Yami muttered, rubbing at his neck with a slight wince. “Dammit, Dad, do you always have to be so rough? I get it enough from Joey every time holidays start and end; I really don't need it when I get home.”

 

“Aw, is Yami getting all annoyed?” Marcus teased, and Yami had to laugh. He and his stepfather had had a bit of a rocky start at the beginning of their relationship, but now they were as close as if they were really father and son, not just stepfather and stepson. In some ways, Yami was glad his mother had met and fallen in love with Marcus Gagasaki. His own father had been a drunk, abusive husband, and Amber Mutou had confided her troubles to the handsome young boss who she worked for after getting no solace from counselling. Their friendship had developed into more as time had gone by, and within six months, they were having an affair. Darius Mutou had never suspected his wife was cheating on him; in fact, when she had told him, two weeks into her affair, that she no longer wanted to sleep in the same bed as him, he'd moved out and started his own affair with a sleazy, drug-ridden prostitute who died a few months later from a drug overdose, taking her unborn child with her. Darius Mutou had slipped into a drunken depression after she died, and he followed her within a few weeks. This left Amber free to pursue her affair with Marcus, and one and half years after her first husband's death, she married her second husband and changed her name to Gagasaki. The first years of her marriage were very turbulent ones, but, thanks to Marcus's daughter Lily, Yami had not missed out on the love and care he should've gotten from his mother. And yet, despite his initial anger at Marcus for being so obsessed with his new wife that he wanted all her attention on him, and him alone, Yami was grateful to his stepfather when he came to his senses and realized that he still had a family that needed him. He provided a good role model for Yami, and the crimson-eyed teen found himself regretting only one thing; the fact that he had been almost blinded by his initial anger towards the man who had taken the place of his father in his life. He had almost missed seeing the kind heart his stepfather had concealed for so long, but luckily his mother and Lily had helped him see that Marcus was not such a bad sort after all. He was a very kind and considerate man, and he loved showing Yami the sort of regard he held the young man in. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his stepson so long as it was in his means to grant it.

 

The greatest gift his stepfather had given him, so far as he was concerned, at least, had been the right to his mother's first married name; Mutou. At sixteen, Marcus had told his stepson that if he wanted, he could change his name from Gagasaki back to Mutou if he wished. That way, he said, the Mutou family name would be carried on through him, and he could have a chance to give the males of the family an opportunity to hold their heads high once again. Marcus instinctively knew that Yami felt a faint, distant shame about his father's drunken ways, and that he wanted to repair the Mutou name so that it could be free of taints. So, Yami Gagasaki became Yami Mutou, and he couldn't have been happier. Now he had a fresh start, and he could be a Mutou worthy of the name. The memory of Darius Mutou would be erased, and Yami Mutou would take his place. He would remove the taint of shame from the Mutou name.

 

And yet, as he stood in the centre of the kitchen that June afternoon, wearing his favourite pink apron, he suddenly wondered if his newly-forming relationship with Yugi would not bring that taint back. Marcus had a bit of a chip on his shoulder about homosexuality, and Yami couldn't help but be concerned. Well, there was only one way to find out how his stepfather would react.

 

“Listen, Dad,” he said slowly. “There's something I need to tell you, and I can tell you're not going to like it.”

 

“What is it?” Marcus wanted to know, turning concerned grey eyes on his stepson. “You don't have to be afraid of how I might react. It's not like you're about to tell me anything too life-shattering, right?”

 

Yami decided then and there to get straight to the point. “I'm gay,” he said, speaking as bluntly as possible.

 

For a long moment, a heavy silence filled the kitchen. Marcus opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to find something to say, while his face worked with indescribable emotions. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, Yami waited, ready to defend his sexuality by physical force if he had to.

 

When Marcus finally spoke, his voice was heavy. “Yami,” he began, and then stopped, swallowing something. The look in his eyes said it all, though, and Yami bent his head.

 

Marcus spoke again, his voice coming with more ease. “You know I'm very much against homosexuality,” he said. Yami nodded, never taking his eyes off the floor. “And you know that to discover that my own stepson is gay… well, it's not a very pleasant surprise.” Yami nodded again.

 

“Look…” Marcus took a deep breath. “You know that I will always love you, and nothing is ever going to change that.” He took another deep breath. “But right now, I'm going to need some time to sort this out in my own mind.”

 

“I know,” Yami said quietly, feeling as though his very soul was being ripped in two. “I understand how hurt you must feel right now, and I'm so very sorry to be the cause of your pain. I would understand if you… well, if you…” He faltered, unable to bring himself to get the words out.

 

“I'm not kicking you out,” Marcus said hastily. “Please, that's the last thing on earth I want to do to you.” He swallowed heavily. “It's just that… well, if you wanted to do that, it would put my mind at ease, and it would give me the space I needed to sort things out. You understand, don't you?”

 

Yami nodded. He heard footsteps crossing the kitchen, and then a hand was placed under his chin, making him look up. Marcus's eyes were full of tears, but he was smiling. “Please don't misunderstand me,” he said gently. “You don't have to leave. If you want to stay, we can find a way to compromise. But if you feel that you need to leave, well, the choice is up to you.”

 

Yami looked down again. He knew that if he walked out that door, he would never be able to come home again. Was it a sacrifice he was willing to make for his love?

 

The answer came instantly. Yes. He would sacrifice anything and everything for Yugi. He made up his mind. “Can I call Joey?” he asked, meeting his stepfather's eyes as steadily as he could.

 

Marcus nodded.

 

 

 

 

“Say WHAT? Are you foolin' aroun' wit' me?”

 

“I'm not fooling around with you. My own stepfather cannot stomach the fact that I'm gay.”

 

“How'd your mom take it?”

 

“Very calmly, surprisingly. She said she had a feeling I was gay. Something about mothers' intuition, so to speak. She thinks Dad's just being an ass again, but I know our relationship has changed. We'll never be as close as we used to be.”

 

“I feel for ya, pal. It must really hurt.”

 

“Right now, I'm too numb to feel pain. Later, I might. Just not right now. So, are you going to help me?”

 

“A' course, pal! I'm here for ya, don' forget. Ya wanna a place ta crash, ya got it.”

 

“Thank you. Oh, and can I count on you not to tell Yugi? I kind of want to surprise him, that is, once I can fully come to terms with the enormity of what I just sacrificed for him today.”

 

“Uh, I hope ya don' turn agains' him for dat.”

 

“No, of course not, idiot! What kind of cold-hearted assfuck do you take me for?”

 

“Kidding! Man, can' you take a joke?”

 

“Right now, probably not. But I appreciate your attempt at humour. It's made me feel better.”

 

“Hey, any time, Yami. After Yug, you're da most important person in da world ta me.”

 

“Thank you very much. You have no idea how much that means to me.”

 

“Oh, I t'ink I've got a fairly good idea.”

 

“You probably do.”

 

“Hey, dat's what I'm here for. So, tell me what needs doin' an' we'll do it.”

 

“Well, for starters, we're going to need to organise a moving van. And the driver has to be pretty willing to make the drive between Domino and Tokyo. And then…”

 

 

 

 

“Well, it's taken me two days to recover,” Yami announced, and Joey smiled in relief. For two days his crimson-eyed friend had spent most of his time curled up on the sofa, not moving or talking much. Now, however, it seemed as though the worst of it was over. “Dat's really great ta hear,” Joey said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “Ya really had us all worried for a while. Good ta see ya up an' movin' again.”

 

Yami smiled back. It was a shaky smile, but it was a smile nevertheless. He had come to terms with the loss he had suffered when his stepfather had very subtly cast him out of his heart for being gay, and now he was ready to reenter the world. “I'm very surprised Yugi didn't wonder why you couldn't see him for a few days,” he commented.

 

“Nah, Yugi knows betta dan dat,” Joey said with an offhand wave. “He's got a good head on his shoulders. So, now dat you're betta, how's about we give him dat surprise ya mentioned a few days ago?”

 

Yami smiled again, and this time, it wasn't sad or shaky. “I think it would make me feel even more better,” he admitted.

 

Joey clapped him on the shoulder again. “Great,” he said, honey brown eyes shining with heartfelt relief. “Not for not'in', pal, but ya don' need ta go aroun' broodin' about your stepfatha. He's just homophobic, an' if he really cared about ya, he'd be a lot more understandin', an' you wouldn' have had ta leave home. I reckon dat stuff about him needin' time ta get used ta da idea of your bein' gay is a load of bullshit.”

 

“If he really cared, he wouldn't need time to get used to it,” Yami supplied. “I know. That's what I told myself. But there's only so many times you can tell yourself lies before you stop believing them.”

 

“Well, be dat as it may, ya need ta forget about him an' start concentratin' on makin' a new life for yourself.” Joey sat down next to Yami and put an affectionate arm around his shoulders. “Ya see, da whole t'in' goes somet'in' like dis. Your stepfatha is someone who's very set in his ways. He can' abide da t'ought a' change. He wants t'in's ta always stay da same, so he dosen' hafta step outta his comfort zone. Dat's why he was such an obsessed freak wit' your mom. He didn' wan' anyt'in' ta come between him and her. He wanted her ta be at his beck an' call 24/7. He couldn' stand ta have anyt'in' change dat. Having ta take care a' you and Lily - well, it unhinged him, in a way. He had ta step outta his comfort zone, an' I don' t'ink he really eva got ova it. So, when ya told him you're gay, it was someti'in' he just couldn' accept, `cause it meant steppin' outta his comfort zone again. An' `cause he done it once, he couldn' do it again. Somet'in' had ta give. In a way, you were dead weight so far as he was concerned. But he couldn' let it show. He didn' wanna upset your mom. So, when a chance came along for him ta get rid a' ya in da only convenient way he could t'ink of wi'tout it seemin' like he was doin' it in da first place, he took it. An' cause Lily's livin' wit' frien's a' her own, dere's just him an' your mom now. So now he can go back ta da way t'in's were before. An' because she loves him so much, she'll go back ta da old ways ta make him happy. An' den t'in's will go back ta da way dey were before your stepfatha had dat reality check a' his.”

 

Yami was silent. “You're very perceptive,” he said at last. “I had no idea Dad - Marcus, I should say now - felt that way. If I hadn't told him I was gay, things might have been okay. Have I made life difficult for Mom by telling Marcus the truth?”

 

“Yes an' no,” Joey told his friend. “Yes because dere's gonna be a lot a' change for your mom, an' how well she takes it is gonna be up ta her. But at da same time, ya did her and your stepfatha a good turn. Now he can be happy again, an' your mom will adjust. Maybe deep down she'll feel that you did da right t'in' afta all. Perhaps dere is no yes an' no answa ta your question. Maybe it's a simple no. Ya might have done your parents da best turn ya could eva have done `em.”

 

“Maybe you're right,” Yami said. “I never thought about it like that, but after hearing your thoughts, it may just make a lot of sense.”

 

Joey hugged him. “Dat's da way,” he said. He knew that Yami had just taken a very important step. “So, how's about we organise Yug's surprise, huh? It's gonna be da perfect start ta your new life.”

 

Yami nodded. “Yes,” he agreed. “Let's get planning. I have the perfect idea. Yugi's going to have a night he's never going to forget.”

 

 

 

 

“I promise ya on my word a' honour dat Yugi's gonna be in da best hands,” Joey said solemnly, bowing with his hand on his heart. “Ya've got full permission ta run me outta town if I lead him astray.”

 

“I don't think that's going to be necessary,” Solomon chuckled. “I trust you, Joey. You should know that. And I know that you're going to look after Yugi. So off you go and have a good time. I'll see you two in the morning.”

 

“Or the afternoon,” Yugi said in a low voice. It was just enough for Joey to hear, and he turned beet red as he hurriedly escorted his friend to the blond's beat up silver Volkswagon, waiting outside in the warm twilight of the summer evening. After stowing Yugi's overnight bag in the boot, the two teens got in the car and buckled up. But before Joey started the engine, he handed his small friend a blindfold.

 

“What's this for?” Yugi queried, looking quizzically at Joey.

 

“Da place I'm takin' ya is a surprise,” the blond said with a conspiratorial wink. “So put it on so we can get dis show on da road already.”

 

Yugi grinned as he obeyed, tying the blindfold securely across his eyes. Joey tested the knot to make sure it was secure, and then started the engine. “Ready?” he asked, as they pulled away from the curb.

 

“As ready as I'll ever be,” Yugi said with another grin. He had no idea where he was being taken, but Joey knew what he was doing, and that was enough for him. He sat back and relaxed. Tonight was going to be a good night. He didn't know how he could be so certain, but he didn't care. It was his birthday after all.

 

 

 

 

After fifteen minutes of travel, Yugi leant forward in anticipation as the car came to a halt and the engine turned off. “Can I take this off yet?” he asked, plucking at the blindfold.

 

“Nope,” Joey said, grinning at his friend's slightly exasperated sigh. “We haven' got to where we're goin' yet. So keep dat blindfold on, an' no peekin'. I won' be held responsible if your surprise is ruined `cause ya got too curious.”

 

Yugi sighed again as he opened the door and stepped cautiously outside. The air was every warm, without the slightest hint of a breeze, and from somewhere nearby he could hear the sound of waves breaking. His eyebrows rose up past his hairline. Were they at the beach?

 

Joey soon took his arm and led him across what appeared to be asphalt. A salty tang was heavy in the air, and Yugi could feel his heart starting to thump in anticipation. Gods, he couldn't remember the last time he'd been to the beach. It had been so long ago that he'd forgotten what it was like, and he could feel tears in his eyes as Joey led him to a flight of steps. “Jus' be careful,” the blond cautioned. “Dere's a few steps here. We don' want you takin' an ungraceful tumble, now do we?”

 

“No indeed,” Yugi agreed.

 

They proceeded at a cautious pace down the steps. Joey kept a firm hand on his friend's arm, and he held onto the wooden railing with his other hand. The sound of the waves grew closer and closer, until their booming thunder was loud and clear. Yugi couldn't believe his ears as they stepped onto the soft sand. This was the very same beach he and his grandfather had visited when he was a child! He'd spent so many happy hours here, and they had been the happiest of his life. He'd also come here with Joey, who had taught him to surf when he was a little older. As a matter of fact, their last day at the beach together had been a few days before the Wheelers left Osaka for good. He hadn't known it at the time, of course, so that memory had remained free of bitterness throughout the years. It was indeed one of his most precious memories, something to sustain him through the three years of misery that had followed the Wheelers' departure, something he could look back on and draw comfort from.

 

“So just where are we going?” he asked his friend as they walked along the beach, with the sound of the crashing waves on their right.

 

“You'll see,” Joey promised, squeezing his arm.

 

After a few minutes of walking, they stopped, and Joey scooped his smaller friend into his arms. “Dis next part's gonna be a bit difficult for ya,” he said. Yugi had no idea what his friend was talking about, of course, but he soon got the idea when he sensed sudden up and down movements, accompanied by muttered grunts and the occasional stifled curse. Yugi couldn't help a giggle. This was just like old times, when Joey would let the occasional colourful word slip, forgetting that his friend was nearby, and then he'd blush and stammer apologies for his verbal trip-up. Time had passed and they were both older, and yet, old habits died hard, for which the small teen was extremely grateful.

 

He soon became aware that the crashing of the waves seemed to be a lot closer, and indeed to be magnified. For a moment, he tasted salt spray, and felt it chill against his skin, while the waves crashed, seemingly all around him, as if he was enclosed in a huge bubble of sound. Then it died down, and soon, he felt his feet touch solid ground. Joey took his arm again, and they walked along for a few more minutes before stopping. The sound of the waves was distant, but present, a low murmur that gave the impression of a steady heartbeat. There was light from somewhere, shining all around, it seemed, and for a moment, Yugi wondered where on earth they were. Then the blindfold was removed from his eyes, and he gasped. Right in front of him was the sea, lapping gently against the rocky, sand-strewn shore on which he stood. They were in an enormous cave, and directly in front was the sun, shining in a molten gold burst of glory as it touched the sea, turning the water into a reflection of its own splendour. A solitary gull wheeled and circled just outside the cave, its voice a perfect counterpoint to the distant call of the sea.

 

“Happy birt'day, Yug,” Joey said from behind him. He was smiling, and Yugi felt his heart lift up in an enormous tide of happiness that swelled and burst within him as he turned and hugged his friend, tears filling his eyes. “Thank you,” he choked out. “I can't believe you remembered how much I love this place.”

 

“I t'ought dis would be da perfect spot for our picnic,” Joey said, returning the hug, while one hand played gently with Yugi's spiked hair. “Ya said ya missed comin' here, so I decided we'd bring ya here so we could bring back your childhood.”

 

“We?” Yugi pulled himself free, eyes widening in shock. He peered around his friend, and his eyes widened even further when he saw who else was in the cave with them. Clad in his usual leather attire, sprawling gracefully on the blanket spread in the centre of the cave, with a small half-smirk, half-smile on his lips, was Yami, crimson eyes dancing with amusement.

 

Yugi didn't even stop to wonder, or to ask questions. He even forgot all rational thought as he tackled his crimson-eyed doppelganger to the blanket in a fierce hug, laughing and crying at the same time as he rained kisses all over Yami's face, feeling the elder teen's arms wrap tightly around him, sending remembered thrills of pleasure through his whole body. His heart was thumping so fast and so loudly it was as if it was trying to claw its way out of his chest, and he was near-delirious with incredulous joy and amazement. Gods, now this had to be the best birthday present anyone could receive!

 

“I can't believe it,” he finally gasped, pulling back and looking down into Yami's eyes, not even aware of the rather - ahem - compromising position they were in. Right now, he was too happy to care. He was reunited with the object of his affections, when he hadn't even dared hope he would see him again before school started two months from now “How'd you…? I mean… I can't believe you're here!”

 

“Well, let's just say that fate had a hand in it,” the crimson-eyed teen replied, smiling up into his love's beaming face. The pain he had gone through in the last few days had just melted away into nothing, and he could even thank his stepfather now, in a strange way. “I won't go into too many details now, but suffice it to say, I won't be leaving any time soon.”

 

“Eh?” Yugi was confused, even in the midst of his joy.

 

Yami reached up and kissed him. “Party now, talk later,” he said, and Yugi forgot his confusion in the remembered delight of feeling Yami's lips on his. He gave the elder teen one last hug before leaping up, ready to enjoy what was already proving to be the best birthday he had ever had.

 

 

 

 

~*~*~*~*~