I couldn't leave you with the tragedy, could I? Please, welcome warmly the second character of this story (any guess about their identity?)

Double pov, second and third person narration, major depressive disorder, puzzleshipping.

Enjoy and if you liked my story or have any suggestion to give, please, leave a comment!

It wasn't something he was waiting for. It was something he had rather hoped. He had hoped to feel again that desire to go looking for the other. More than a week had passed since they had parted, and he was starting to sincerely get worried.

But he could not get past the feeling of betrayal. He felt like he had been used, and then thrown away like an old tool. Broken and worn-out. Still he knew that it wasn't so simple, that the other man would never use him. And Yugi had desperately tried to grip onto guilt or loneliness, even pity, to find the strength to go searching for Yami. But guilt and loneliness did not outweigh anger. He had plenty of strength. It was the will to go searching that he lacked.

The other man loved that word: pointless. Maybe grieving in anger was pointless. And hoping for his feelings to respond to his loneliness in order to use them as an excuse to go out and walk the streets, trying to find Yami, was pointless as well. But love wasn't pointless. And he had forgotten to tell the other man, the last time they talked.

He knew for a matter of fact that if he wandered through the fading lights of the city he would stumble upon Yami eventually. The man just strolled down the streets by nights and somehow always ended up in the same place. There was no room for worry then. The only things he could think about were the words he wished he could tell the other and the memories they had shared.

The shoes squeaked on the watery asphalt, the pale puddles reflected glimpses of purple colored hair and focused eyes. But they were not focused on the road or on the night. Yugi dived his hands deeply into his pockets, roaming and gripping in the warm fabric to fight off the cold. It was always cold. And Yami was always cold. The idiot.

It was a wonder how the sea could not be covered in ice, not even a tiny layer of shining frost. But how can you merge yourself in water if it is frozen? You just can't. So, maybe, that man with a dark, soaked, coat was lucky after all.

Yugi's violet irises wandered on the shape between the black waves for a couple of seconds. He would be able to recognize Yami even keeping his eyes closed. It was icy cold outside and the young man could already see the other's body going numb from the gelid waters. There were so many things he wanted to say to talk Yami out of that. Or maybe he just wanted to talk with him again, to tell him he had missed him. But the coldness' freezing hands held his tongue and heart tight. He glared at the man, even though he knew he could not be seen: Yami had his back turned at him. That said something about their relationship.

The idiot.

"About to forget, already?" he hissed through his teeth.

The voice that makes you turn your head doesn't belong to the sea's orchestra. The waves have a silent, calming way of mumbling, but this voice is sharp and nicked with hurt. His voice.

"Is this your way of saying goodbye?".

Is it? You don't know. But his tone is scolding and stern. Not as cold as your fingers though. It reminds you of the times you two fought. He used to shout and scold you, his cheeks red with anger and emotion. And you would push him away, shoving him off with your hands. His back would hit the wall. Then he would grab your shoulders because he knew you were going to run away. You always did. But he knew. He just understood. And then he would talk, shout again, even cry sometimes, shaking your frame to try and arouse you from your impassiveness. It usually worked. Yet, not all the time.

"Am I not even worth this? Am I not worth a goodbye?". Now his voice is not angry any more. It's shaking like leaves on a fall day and it's probably equally cracked as well. But it is not dull as the leaves. His voice is always brighter than that.

This isn't fair. Now you wish you were not here because suddenly all of this seems stupid and childish, just like the people that are walking down the streets, and you are sorry because you made him worried. Yet, you like the feeling of the dancing waves around your body and of the coat, which is swirling between your legs. What is wrong? With you, with him, with everything?

He should go back home, he doesn't like the cold and it's going to make him sick. You don't want him to be sick. Don't want anything bad to happen to him. His eyes are telling you that he does not intend to leave though. Who are you to change his mind? You turn your head back to the sea, staring at the reflection of you and him in the rippling water. He's still looking at you.

"Go home."

So you do know how to talk after all. Words feel strange on your tongue, mostly because you know that your voice could never compare to his. And you were right before: voices are painful.

If Yugi didn't know better, he would have thought that Yami was joking. But he wasn't going to come back home. It was cold, yes, but it wasn't the cold he was afraid of. It was Yami's eyes and voice. And he had to make sure that that night the other man didn't do anything too stupid to make up for. Honestly, he couldn't fathom what made their lives cross and tie together. But it must have been a tight knot because even though he had tried so hard to untie or at least loosen it, the more he struggled, the more the knot strengthened. He didn't even know if it was the same for Yami. He didn't seem tied to anything in the world, free to float from one place to another and no rope could ever hang him down on earth. It was hard. But Yugi knew he didn't do that on purpose: the man would have given everything to stop wandering places in his mind. That made him suffer like some form of agoraphobia: the world was too wide, his mind was too empty, and his steps kept echoing back on its walls.

And here he was. Looking at the calm waves with the interest and innocence of a child. Maybe he didn't have a clue of what was going on, or maybe he did. But he didn't care. Yami's eyes were dull as stones, red, rigid, stones.

Yugi's heart was broken again: half drenched in relief and joy and half soaked in anger and anguish. He had to choose what half of his heart he wanted to keep. Yami had taught him this at least: life will never give you something for nothing.

You hear some muffled sounds behind your back: could he possibly have left? It's not like him to leave you like that. What now? You wish he would not leave? Yes, you do. He's only been here for a few minutes and you can already feel some of the numbness flowing away from your body. You know that if he leaves now, the void in your stomach will open up again. Yet, you are afraid that he will not be enough to fill it for good and you are afraid to look at the water again to try and spot his reflection behind yours.

The axes of the pier creak and crackle, like under the weight of something heavier than usual, or because they are subjected to an unusual stress. He should hate Yami. He had all the right to, but to hate him was simply harder than to love him. Actually, Yugi's choice had not been that difficult once he had this figured out. He crouched on the wooden pier, legs crossed, and reached out to brush the sea with his fingers. It was freezing.

Yami was only a few feet away. He was. And suddenly the emotions reached Yugi. He had been missing the other man so much, worrying about him and ruminating about their latest words. Seeing him again had opened a window inside his mind and feelings were storming outside like small, fluttering bats. The cold was forgotten and he thought he could almost cry. They could work it out. Yugi would force him to if needed.

Something plunged inside the water and a few salty drops reach your back. That something is coming closer; you can hear the splash sounds behind you and the struggle of a body against the coldness and strength of the water. You should shove him away again, just like you did when you two fought, but you don't want him to go either so you just wait here, still and silent. You always are.

He eventually reaches you and you turn towards him. He's trembling but his face is relaxed and relief gleams from his eyes like the moonlight from its watery reflection, all around you. He is not smiling but you know that he wants to. Yet, the time has not come already. And he melts the ice in your ribcage, he fills the void with his simple presence and you can feel your tears fighting behind your eyes because they want to fall down, to escape and greet him.

You lean your head on his shoulder; it fits perfectly. You could rest like that for hours or days. But this time you allow yourself only some minutes.

"I'm sorry…," you whisper under your breath. He nods absently; he was expecting those words.

"I know," he says. There is silence, but you love this kind of silence because it is not heavy or overwhelming. You can enjoy and search for it not because you want to run away from the voices and from the truths of words. You don't need excuses to cherish this kind of silence.

"You are worth it, Yugi," and you mean every syllable "You are worth anything".

"You are too." But you shake your head at that. He doesn't try to persuade you otherwise and breathes a heavy sigh. The smile is still not showing and you don't want him to go before he gives you at least one. You don't want him to go even after he has smiled actually.

"What do you want to do, huh?" he asks. You can't stand his eyes. The way they decode your soul scares you.

"I do not want you to suffer," you answer after a while.

"But you do want me to stay," his reply is always the right one; how does he do that?

"That's selfish."

"Then be selfish, for fuck's sake!"

You suddenly turn your head at him and stare. It's been a long time since he last swore, not that you mind however. His eyes are completely focused on you. Anything that you lack, he has. Everything that you need, he will do his best to give you and if he won't be able to, he will search and find something better. Would you do the same? You wish you could; it's something at least, right?

A weak smile graces your lips, this time it will be you to smile first.

"I love the way you think."

"I love you," he says. Your smile brightens lightly, a small sparkle of warmth spreads through your body. How could you have been so foolish to try and search comfort in the cold? And finally, the words escape your lips; they waited so long.

"Me too."

Yugi smiles this time. He knows how to smile and his smiles are nothing like yours, maybe he could teach you someday. You can feel his hand searching for yours underwater until he eventually finds it. He squeezes it tightly, pulling it by his side, his fingers entwine with yours. He moves his head a small bit and leans a soft, light kiss on your cold cheek.

"Let's go home then."