Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ High School Love ❯ High school Love chapter twelve ( Chapter 12 )

HIGH SCHOOL LOVE

 

CHAPTER 12

 

 

 

 

After their picnic down on the beach, Joey got the idea of going back into the city to explore the nightlife. Yami was all for it, but Yugi wasn't so sure. The crimson-eyed teen, however, assured his amethyst-eyed doppelganger that he'd be in safe hands, and that nothing untoward would happen to him.

 

They went back into the city, and after parking the car, Joey took them to a small bar in the heart of the city that offered good drink, good music, and good gambling. Being the kind of person who played an occasional game of cards, this place suited him and Yami right down to the ground. Yugi, however, wasn't so sure.

 

“Are you sure about this?” he asked hesitantly, looking nervously around him. He'd never been in a place like this before, and quite frankly, it was making his heart hammer with extreme nervousness. His grandfather would have a fit if he discovered Yugi had ever been here. Or maybe not. Sometimes it was hard to tell what the old man thought what was good and what was bad for his grandson.

 

“Sure,” Joey said, clapping a hand on his smaller friend's shoulder. “Dis place is da best dere is.”

 

“If you say so,” Yugi said, still uncertain about whether or not he was really doing the right thing by coming here.

 

Crimson eyes gleamed as Yami looked around at the scene in front of them. He was in his element here. “You're going to enjoy it very much,” he told Yugi, pulling the shorter teen closer to his side and sliding a hand into his back pocket. The amethyst-eyed teen blinked, and then blushed when he discovered just where Yami's hand was resting. Oh well. You only lived once, right? And it WAS his birthday after all. He was sixteen now, and he could now legally gamble. Not that he intended to, birthday or no birthday. Still, he doubted that Yami would give him much choice in the matter. The crimson-eyed teen was already pulling his smaller doppelganger through the establishment, eyes looking this way and that for a table looking for some new players. He was going to introduce Yugi to a whole new set of games, games he felt certain the younger teen had never played before. And he was going to have fun doing it.

 

Joey trailed them, watching every move of Yami's with a grin. He hadn't missed the way the crimson-eyed teen's hand had slipped oh-so-discreetly into Yugi's back pocket so he could cop a feel, so to speak. And it was probably driving Yugi insane, the blond was willing to bet. The way the smallest of the three was walking was an indication that he didn't know how to react to this newest twist in the game of love he and Yami were playing.

 

The blond wasn't dumb. Even if he acted like it sometimes, he had very sharp eyes. He knew that Yami had, predictably, fallen in love with Yugi pretty much at first sight. It was bound to happen sooner or later that the elder of the two doppelgangers would find true love. And it was a stroke of amazing fortune that the object of his affections turned out to be Yugi. The little one was made to be loved, and he was very lucky that Yami had been the one to fall in love with him. He was still trying to deny the existence of the word “love” in relation to Yami - every move he made whenever the object of his affections was near was a clear indication of how much of a stubborn resistance he was putting up. But denying the word didn't deny the emotion. Yugi was in love with Yami. There was no question of that so far as Joey was concerned. He knew all the telltale signs, and he wondered to himself how long it would be before the smaller teen admitted his feelings. Of course, the two had only known each other for just over two months, so it would be some time yet before they entered into a proper relationship. But sometimes Joey wondered if there was any need for them to take the step to becoming an “official couple”. The way they were behaving now was, well, little short of an admission that a relationship between them was looking more and more like becoming a reality sooner than any of them thought. The touches, the hand-holding, the looks, the kisses… hell, all they needed to do was wear their class rings on the ring fingers of their right hands, and the “official couple” label would be attached to them. Not that it really needed to be attached. They were practically a couple already.

 

Still, Joey thought, maybe it was better that they carry on like this - somewhere between being friends and being a couple. It allowed them to get to know one another and learn the ins and outs of each other's personality before they committed to something a little more permanent. And it wasn't in Yami's character to jump into something without first seeing for himself what it was going to be like. He was sensible, and he was keeping things at a certain level so that he and Yugi could both be able to see for themselves what the other was like. Of course, when all was said and done, that wasn't going to prevent Yami from taking the occasional step into something more serious, like he was now, with his hand down Yugi's back pocket as they wandered the gaming floor looking for a game they could join in on. It was his way of saying, “We're not an official couple yet, but he's off-limits.” Anyone who dared look at Yugi in a certain way would get a long, level look from Yami that would make them suddenly become very interested in something else. Joey was very glad he wasn't on the receiving end of that look. If looks could kill…

 

“Here we are,” Yami announced, stopping at a card table that had only the one player there, looking bored, at least until Yami, Yugi and Joey showed up. His cold blue eyes traveled over the three of them, and a gleam of lust started up in his eyes. “So, what can I do you for?” he purred. There was no question in anyone's mind as to what this man wanted. He wouldn't be put off by a level look from Yami's crimson eyes.

 

The teen smiled, a smile that was far from pleasant, never removing his hand from Yugi's back pocket. “How about we play a game?” he said, his own voice pitched low. His eyes ran over the winnings the man had gleaned so far. “Winner takes all.”

 

“You're on,” the man said, his eyes traveling once again to Yugi. “I must say, someone's going to be going home empty-handed tonight.”

 

Yami's smile never touched his eyes. “Indeed,” he purred. “Let's play.”

 

“Let's,” the man replied, the light of battle entering his eyes.

 

 

 

 

Anyone who thought they could beat Yami Mutou at a game had to have some neurons loose. At the end of an hour, the man stalked off, hands in his pockets. On the table lay a pile of coins and notes, including everything from his wallet. Yami had tried to refuse the extra money, but the man had reminded him, “Winner takes all. You're a good player, kid.”

 

Yugi was amazed, to say the least. Yami's opponent had shown considerable skill, and yet, the crimson-eyed teen had whomped him with ease. He had lured the man into thinking that he had selected easy prey, making his defeat that much more humiliating. It was a wonder the man had accepted his defeat with such good grace; he looked the type who might have beaten Yami's head in. But he'd just emptied his wallet and stalked off, muttering under his breath.

 

Two young men in matching charcoal grey suits approached the table where Yami sat, and they slid into the booth opposite him. “How's about you take the both of us on, kid?” the elder of the two said, sneering as he ran his eyes over Yami, noting his youth. “You won't win against us. We're the best at what we do.”

 

“Which would probably include screwin' each ot'er's brains out,” Joey said in an undertone to Yugi, who hid a giggle. They were watching from a nearby vacant table, and Yugi was impressed by how cool Yami was in the face of this new challenge.

 

Three-quarters of an hour later, the two men left, throwing Yami dirty looks. More money lay on the table, and even Joey's eyes were wide. “I gotta say dis for Yami,” the blond remarked. “He sure doesn' mess aroun'.”

 

Yugi shook his head. He wondered how much Yami had won so far. There was more money on the table than he had ever seen in his life. Yami was going to come out of this very nicely when he decided to quit. If he did. He looked as though he had settled in for the night. {He's probably waiting for an opponent who will really test him} the small teen thought. {The three opponents he's played against so far haven't shown all that much promise. Well, I guess we'll soon find out just how far his skill will go}

 

As if the thought had been a summons, a middle-aged businessman sauntered up to the table. His eyes paused when he spotted Yugi, and a hungry gleam lit his eyes. Yugi had seen that lustful look already, and he shivered.

 

“Hey, back off,” Joey warned, putting a protective arm around his friend. “He's taken. Don' even t'ink about it.”

 

“Oh, he won't be taken for much longer,” the businessman purred. “I intend to win him. He's such a sweet little thing. I'll bet he'll be very good in bed.”

 

Joey growled wordlessly when he felt Yugi flinch. {Dat sonofabitch} he snarled. {No one insults my best frien' an' gets away wit' it!}

 

Before he could say anything, however, Yami spoke up, his voice dangerously low. “Why don't you play a game with me?” he asked, a note of barely restrained anger in his voice.

 

The businessman snorted with laughter, his fat paunch jiggling like jelly. “I don't need to play a game with you to win that little shrimp,” he said, turning back to Yugi with a predatory gleam in his eyes as a sudden idea occurred to him. “I think I'll take what I want right now.”

 

He advanced on the terrified Yugi, who tried to hide behind Joey. The blond put his fists up, ready to defend his terrified friend, but the businessman swatted him aside with the same casual ease with which he'd swat a fly. Before Yugi could do or say anything, he felt himself pressed against a hot, sweaty body that reeked of alcohol and cheap aftershave. Fat hands were running boldly, roughly, over his body, and he could smell sour breath in his face as the man panted with lust. He pressed his groin up against that of the frightened teen, while one hand seized his hair to hold his head steady. Yugi closed his eyes, his heart thumping wildly, his whole body crying out in revulsion as he tried to struggle free, pushing in vain at the heavy body pinning his slender frame to the wall (how on earth had he got there anyway?). His head was spinning, and the man's sour breath was getting closer and closer to his face. Nausea swirled around in the pit of his stomach, and he started struggling in even wilder attempts to get free.

 

A sudden dull thud followed by a groan broke through the fog of delirious fear surrounding Yugi, and he opened his eyes to see his would-be assailant slumped on the floor at his feet. Blood oozed from a deep gash on the back of his head, and a broken bar stool lay scattered in pieces around him. There was a distinct silence in the room, and Yugi looked wildly around to see who had saved him. But before he could take two steps, he found himself pressed to another body, this one slender, with a much more pleasant aftershave clinging to it. Strong arms folded tightly around his small frame, hands tangling deep in his hair, while all the while a soft, frantic voice whispered in his ear, calling his name over and over again in desperation, the owner of the voice sounding very close to tears. He shook his mind free of the daze that surrounded him, his brain registering the fact that he was safe, he was free from harm, and that the man who had tried so boldly and so clumsily to seduce him was out like a light, unable to harm him further.

 

Slim hands framed his face, and he focused slowly and painfully on a pair of crimson eyes that were wild with fear and anger and something else that frightened and exhilarated him at the same time. “Y… Yami?” he choked out at last, watching sudden tears slide down the cheeks of the elder teen as he spoke his name.

 

A low sob erupted from Yami's throat as he pulled Yugi into his arms again, holding him as if he couldn't bear to let him go. “Gods, I was so scared,” he forced out between sobs. “I tried to wake Joey, but he was out like a light… the nearest attendant was too far away… no one else wanted to get involved… I had to grab a stool and knock him out or he would've… he would've…” He pulled back suddenly, taking Yugi's face in his hands once more. “Did he… did he…?”

 

“No,” Yugi said, his own voice shaking as he sought to reassure the elder teen that nothing untoward had happened. Well, if you counted getting felt up and rubbed against by a fat, smelly businessman as nothing untoward. “But, I'd like to go, please.”

 

Yami hugged him again, slender hands running lightly over his body, soothing the fear and the memory of rough caresses away. He sighed and leaned into the touches of his doppelganger, his body welcoming them as it had been repulsed by the forced attentions of that fat businessman. He closed his eyes again as Yami nuzzled softly into his throat, his hands tangling in the younger teen's hair again. “Of course,” he whispered against Yugi's neck, sending pleasant vibrations through his frame. “We'll go now. We should never have come here. This is all my fault.”

 

“No it's not,” a new voice said thickly behind them. The two teens turned and saw Joey standing behind them, nursing a black eye and a torn lip. “I'm ta blame for what happened. If I'd known the sorta customers dis place brings, I'd have never brought us here.” He hung his head, every line of his body screaming out shame and deep humiliation. “I'm really sorry. It's all my fault. I'm such a knucklehead.”

 

Yugi pulled himself free of Yami's embrace and ran up to the blond, throwing his arms around the taller teen's waist in a fierce hug. “It's not your fault. You weren't to know what kind of place it really was. Please don't blame yourself, Joey. Nothing disastrous happened, and I came out of it okay in the end. So let's just go and forget anything bad ever happened, please?”

 

Joey remained stiff and silent for a few moments, and then he sighed and hugged his small friend. “Okay,” he said. He still blamed himself for ever bringing Yugi here, but if the short teen said that all was well, then all was well, and who was he to argue?

 

{I'll tell ya one t'in', t'ough} he thought angrily, jamming his hands in his pockets. {If I eva see dat fat frog again, I'll teach him ta mess wit' my frien's. He'll be sorry he eva showed his ugly mug aroun' me. No one molests my best frien' an' gets away wit' it. NO ONE!}

 

“Hey, Yami, hold up a sec,” he said aloud as a sudden thought occurred to him. When the crimson-eyed teen turned, the blond scooped up as much of his winnings as he could hold. “Dat jerk mighta ruined our night, but ya can' go wit'out takin' some a' da spoils.”

 

Yami looked at the money for a moment, and then he nodded. “Very well.” He came forward and took the money from Joey, stuffing it into his pockets. He even accepted a few more handfuls, but held up his hand when Joey would have offered him even more. “No,” he said. “I've got as much as I can take. You and Yugi can fight over the rest.” There was deeply buried amusement in his voice as he said this, and Joey exchanged grins with Yugi. There was still plenty of money on the table. Yami had cleaned all three of his previous opponents out, and he had collected quite substantial winnings from them. By the time Yugi and Joey had collected the rest of the money, the fat businessman was starting to stir. Joey casually walked up to him and, taking one of the broken bar stool legs, knocked him out again. “Joey, what on earth are you doing?” Yugi demanded in shock.

 

“Jus' payin' him back for what he did ta me,” the blond answered tightly. “I couldn' leave wit'out payin' him my respects, now could I?”

 

Yugi couldn't really argue with that. After all, this guy HAD knocked Joey out cold, so it was only right that the blond returned the favour. He wasn't going to put up with any more, though, and he took his friend firmly by the arm. “Let's go,” he said. “You've had the last laugh on this guy; don't be standing there still after the curtain's come down.”

 

Joey allowed himself to be led out of the club, and soon they were standing on the sidewalk again. The air was still warm, and overhead, the moon was shining brightly in the velvet black of the night sky. “So where to now?” Joey wanted to know, just as a nearby clock chimed quarter to eleven. “Da night's still young.”

 

“Well, if we're going to check out the nightlife, why don't we go somewhere that's got a decent reputation?” Yugi suggested. “I mean, surely every nightspot in town can't be as bad as the one we just left, right?”

 

“One thing's for certain; I am not letting you out of my sight again,” Yami told him, wrapping his arms firmly around the younger teen's waist and nuzzling his neck again. He was still trembling, and Yugi placed his hands over those of the elder teen, leaning back into his embrace as he waited for Joey's answer.

 

“Sure,” the blond said. “I know dere's heaps a' places dat are betta dan dat joint.” He flipped the club the proverbial bird, and the three teens made their way down the street towards a ritzier, much more prosperous, and better-looking district.

 

 

 

 

“Now dis,” Joey said, looking around and beaming with pride, “is da place I'm talkin' `bout.”

 

Yugi and Yami looked curiously at the new place in which they found themselves. It was a nice-looking club, lit brightly with globes of soft yellow, peach, white, and delicate orange. The upholstery was toned in shades of blue and green, and there was not one businessman to be seen. In fact, it seemed to be a hangout for high school and college students, and there was a nice, pleasant atmosphere to the place.

 

“So, what's so good about this place?” Yami wanted to know. “It doesn't look all that different to the club we just left.”

 

“You'll see,” Joey said. “Let's go get a drink.”

 

He led the way towards the bar, and Yugi and Yami had no choice but to follow him. As they weaved their way between tables, the two doppelgangers soon saw what their blond friend meant. “Joey,” the younger of the two said in an undertone, as they reached the bar. “Everyone here is… gay!”

 

“Told ya,” the blond said, with a conspiratorial wink. “An' da best part is, people respect each ot'er's boundaries. If ya tell `em you're taken, dey back off an' let ya alone. Dey don' try ta chat ya up if ya make it clear you're not innerested.”

 

“I don't believe it,” Yugi said, looking around and blushing to the roots of his hair. Sure, at school it was different, knowing that a small handful of his friends were gay. But to be in a place where EVERYONE was gay… it sure was an eye-opener and a half. And he felt right at home here. It was hard to explain, but he had found somewhere he truly belonged. At school, gayness and lesbianism were tolerated, maybe even covertly encouraged. And yet the fact of the matter remained; gay and lesbian couples were always going to get looked down upon in some way. It was bound to happen in a school the size of Domino High. Gay and lesbian couples were going to get put down in some form. But here, it was encouraged openly. There was no need to hide your sexual orientation here. You could be as open about your gayness or lesbianism as much as you wanted, and you wouldn't be put down or made fun of in any way. It made a refreshing change, and for the first time since discovering that he was gay, Yugi felt at ease with his sexual orientation. He found himself actually sitting up straighter and looking around with a new sense of pride. There was nothing wrong with being gay, and there was no need to be ashamed of the fact that you liked members of your own sex more than you did members of the opposite sex. Yugi had always felt faintly ashamed of being gay, but now, he didn't have to be afraid or ashamed any longer.

 

Yami watched this metamorphosis with interest. He had sensed that Yugi sometimes was still uncomfortable with being gay. That was why he wasn't doing too much in the way of demonstrating the full extent of his affections. He didn't want to make his small doppelganger any more uncomfortable. That plus the fact that they were still getting to know each other. But now he felt that Yugi was finally coming to terms with being gay, and that was a good sign so far as the elder teen was concerned. {Maybe now I can convince him to start dressing in ways that will reflect his being gay} he thought with amusement. Yugi still hadn't shed his shy schoolboy attitude completely yet. Yami hoped that this visit would help complete the cure and break that mould. He was realistic, though. He didn't expect a change overnight. But he did hope that some beginning would be made before they went back to school. After all, if Yugi could finally learn to accept his sexual orientation as being perfectly natural, then his fellow students should learn to accept him as he was, or start looking for a new friend.

 

He sighed and looked down at his hands. Gods above, it still hurt to think of that unpleasant scene with his stepfather. Could HE help it if he was gay? No. So why on earth did his stepfather have to be so damned difficult? It just wasn't fair. Now he was an exile from his own home thanks to Marcus's fucked-up morals. No, it wasn't his morals. It was his fear of change, of having to step outside his comfort zone. He had been forced to do it once when Lily had reminded him that he had two children to look after. But when Yami had revealed that he was gay, the burden of accepting that had been too much for him, and rather than facing up to this new change, he had taken the coward's way out. He had tried to force Yami's hand so that he could be rid of his stepson and devote his full attention back to his wife, just as he had done before being forcefully reminded of his responsibilities to his children. Well, now he had his wish, Yami thought bitterly. {He got rid of me, and since Lil's been gone from home for a few years, he can be with Mom and Mom alone, just like he always wanted. Well, I wish him well}

 

Tears dripped onto his hands without him knowing, and he bent his head, fighting down the sobs that rose in his throat again. He still loved his stepfather, and the pain of this break between them was just too much for him to bear. Now he could never go home again.

 

“Yami,” Yugi said softly, touching the elder teen's hands gently. “What's the matter?” His cherubic face was full of concern as he looked up at his doppelganger. “You look like you're ready to cry.”

 

Yami pulled his hands away abruptly, feeling a sudden annoyance come over him, something that he just couldn't explain. “It's nothing,” he said harshly, turning away. “I'm fine.”

 

Yugi's eyes filled with tears, and before either Joey or Yami could react, he left the bar via a back door he had spotted earlier, tears streaming down his cheeks.

 

Joey set his drink down with care. Then he stood up. “Let's go outside,” he said quietly to Yami. The two teens left the club and walked until they came to an alley they discovered only a few steps away. They walked down it until they came to a dead end, with only a faint murmur coming from the club they had just left. In all the time it had taken them to get here, neither of them had said a word, but as soon as they had reached the end of the alley, Joey erupted.

 

“WHAT DA FUCK WERE YA T'INKIN'?” he yelled in outrage. His voice echoed for several blocks, but he ignored the sudden barking of a nearby dog as he grabbed Yami by the collar and threw him against the wall with enough force to render him very dizzy. The blond wasn't finished though. He grabbed the other teen by the collar again and slammed him back against the wall for a second time, this time holding him in place, his angry, tear-filled brown eyes only inches from Yami's crimson ones.

 

“You have got ta be da most insensitive jerk on da planet,” he growled, speaking with such care that his familiar Brooklyn accent disappeared in certain places. “Yugi's jus' been t'rough da wringer tonight. An' den you have ta go and hurt him again. You got some neurons loose or somet'in'? Yug don' need any more crap.”

 

“You don't understand,” Yami gasped out. His back hurt like crazy, and there were stars dancing in front of his eyes, but he didn't care. He had to make Joey understand. “I can't tell Yugi the real reason I came to Tokyo. He'd be devastated, and then he'd start blaming himself for my stepfather acting like such a fucktard. I can't have that happen. That's no way for a relationship to begin.”

 

“You might have ruined your chances by actin' da way you did tanight,” Joey said in a quiet voice. “An' has it eva occurred ta you dat Yugi might not blame himself for your stepdad's behaviour? No. You jus' assumed dat he'd react in dat way. Dat's why you snapped his head off when he asked ya if ya was alright. Ya could've at least answered him instead a' being a fucktard yourself. Talk about a stellar performance, Yami. You really took da cake dis time. Yugi was really startin' ta make headway tanight. Ya stood up ta da jerk dat was molestin' him. Ya made him feel ten times betta afterwards. An' den ya had ta go an' ruin it.” Joey shook his head. “Man, you cannot take a trick, can you? Listen, Yami. Sometimes we have ta come clean about stuff. We can' jus' go aroun' pretendin' everyt'in's fine when we're really fallin' apart on da inside. An' you're a fine example of da person I just described.” He put his hand over Yami's heart. “You're hurtin' so badly dat it's a wonder people can' see it. An' ya need someone ta hold ya an' ta take dat pain away. I can' do it. But I do know someone who can. An' dat person is sittin' alone somewhere, cryin' his eyes out, `cause da person who promised ta not let him out of his sight is standin' here, actin' like a fucktard `cause he can' - or won' - admit dat he needs dat special person ta take his pain away an' make him feel like he can face dis new life dat's been t'rust upon him!”

 

Yami closed his eyes, tears trickling slowly down his cheeks. “I…” He could say no more. In his mind's eye a picture appeared; Yugi's face, back at the cave on the beach, framed by the light of the setting sun. There was such joy in that face that it had seemed the sun wasn't needed to light the cave up. And Yami felt shame scorching him from head to toe. Without another word he broke free of Joey's hold and ran back down the alley, disappearing around the corner so fast that it seemed he had wings on his feet.

 

Joey sighed and looked up at the sky. A shooting star caught his eye, and he made a wish. {All I want is for Yami and Yugi to make up} he thought, sighing as he started back down the alley. He could only hope that the powers that be heard his wish and granted it. Otherwise, he didn't know what would happen. It was still Yugi's birthday. There was still time for a miracle to be worked, if Yami had the brains to make it happen.

 

 

 

 

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