It's here at last! The continuation of my first ever Arc V fic! And it's only uuuuuhhhh *checks date* Two years late!

Wait, shit

Yeah I've got no excuse, really sorry for the wait even though I said it should be out soon. I've fallen on and off this thing, working on other things, doing some writing here and there and just adding to it as the months passed. Eventually it mutated into this 16k monster that I hope is legible. So yeah if this reads weird it's cause I started it in 2018.

Logically speaking, with everything that's happened the last twenty-four hours and more, Yuya should be sleeping like a log right now.

With the Friendship Cup, dealing with Roger and the Synchro Dimensions residents, his duel against Jack, almost being flown across Dimensions in a whirlwind, he should be exhausted and sleeping like a baby hippo.

Instead, he was staring holes in his ceiling, tossing and turning in his too warm bed.

Technically, he knew why he couldn't sleep. He had a lot of things to think about. Like Academia, and Leo Akaba. The upcoming journey to the Fusion Dimension. It gnawed at the back of his head, reminding him of its existence. How important it was, how much could be lost if they failed.

But he also thought about glimmering blue eyes and a bright, beaming smile that made his heart do sumersaults in his chest.

Yuya reaches behind his head to grab his pillow, mushing his face into it to muffle his frustrated scream. He kicked his legs for good measure.

Maybe admitting he couldn't sleep not only because of the pressing future events, but also because his head was filled with a certain Synchro duelist would help. But Yuya was nothing if not stubborn. And this was not the time for-

talking and bantering coming so easy, as if they'd been friends for years, smiling so brightly at him with no ulterior motive or hidden pity, how he became so comfortable in his presence, so calmed and secure just by being together, so fast it almost scared him, but all worries were swept away with a smile and a look from his bright blue eyes-

For…

waking up and feeling soft breathing on his collarbone, his arms wrapped around a sturdy but thin body, looking down and seeing almost a mirror of his own face but with tiny differences, rounder cheeks and chin, nose just a little sharper, eyes slightly sunk in, long black lashes resting on his cheeks, skin paler than his own, all relaxed in sleep, soft-looking lips parted slightly as he breathed in and out and Yuya found himself in his half-awake state with the sun shining down on them through the trees thinking he was so beautiful-

Shit.

Yuya trashed so much he rolled off his bed, grunting in pain as he hit the floor hard. He slumped on the floor, glowering at the wall and face burning.

Thing was, in any other situation, he didn't think he would have much of a problem admitting to the fluttering in his stomach when Yugo smiled at him. Or the tingling left on his skin when they brushed against each other, even through the fabric of their clothes. Or the wish, the want, to always see him smile in that bright way that never failed to make Yuya feel so warm inside. He wanted to protect that smile, that happiness.

But there was a war going on. He couldn't get distracted, and pursuing anything beyond friendship with Yugo right now sounded like a terrible idea.

There was also Rin.

Rin, who Yugo spoke so highly about, always smiling so happily when he talked about her. Anyone with even half a brain could see how much she meant to Yugo.

Yuya clenched his jaw, frowning.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? He couldn't tell to what extent Yugo cared about Rin. If his feelings were romantic or not. Outright asking filled him with dread at what the answer could be. Some part of him just didn't want to know.

Yuya wanted to meet her, he really did, but it left a sour taste in his mouth thinking about her and not knowing. It made him feel terrible, that he couldn't dedicate himself to rescue her from Academia without feeling some fear that Yugo would be taken from him.

Which was ridiculous, Yugo didn't belong to anyone. No matter what the rumbling that sounded suspiciously like Odd Eyes said.

Yuya sat up with a grunt, shifting and leaning back against his bed.

This room was suffocating. He needed to clear his head.

And he knew just where to go.

Yuya got up and walked over to the clothes he'd thrown in a heap on the floor earlier, quickly getting dressed. Carefully he opened his door to avoid creaking, and left the bedroom. He walked quietly down the hall, careful not to wake up mom or Sora, who was sleeping in the guest room down the hall. He tried not to think about the person currently sleeping on their couch.

Reaching the bottom floor, Yuya tiptoed towards the front door. He glanced towards the couch before he could stop himself, but promptly stopped on his way, breath caught in his throat.

Yugo was standing with his back to him, looking out the large windows at the night sky, one hand resting lightly on the glass.

Yuya swallows hard, frozen in place. The light from the moon and the streetlights coming from the windows was the only source of light in the room, making Yugo's pale skin look like it was glowing. What he could see of his face from this angle was calm, like he was in deep thought, somewhere far away from the living room he was standing in. His borrowed pyjamas was a little big on him and Yuya could nearly make out the lines of his body through the white fabric...

Yuya tore his eyes away and shook his head. This was not the time to be gawking! He hadn't been noticed yet so if he was really quiet he should be able to sneak out the door. Yuya gives a sharp nod, eyes still closed so he wouldn't be pulled in again and forces his legs to move.

And promptly smacked his toe into the leg of a table.

"Shit!"

"GYAAAHHH!"

Yuya stumbles in surprise, hissing in pain and holding his aching foot, jumping to regain his balance. He looks up to where the scream had come from.

Yugo is hunched awkwardly up against the window, whatever spell he was under completely shattered going by the terrified scream that had come from him. His hand was clenched around the fabric of his shirt, crumpling it as he was gasping for air.

They stared in silence at each other for a few seconds, Yugo getting his breath back and Yuya trying to get his brain to catch up with the rest of him.

"Yuya?!" Yugo harshly whispers, trying to be quiet but only half-managing it. 'A bit late for that', Yuya thinks to himself. "The hell are you doing?!"

"Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you," Yuya says sheepishly, gingerly letting go of his aching foot.

"Jeez, give a guy a warning at least." Yugo frowns at him, stumbling slightly as he tries to stand straight again. "And you didn't scare me," he says, pouting at him and Yuya's heart gives a flutter over how cute it is.

He does a mental shake. Not the time.

Yuya snickers, putting his hands behind his head and grinning cheekily. "If you say so, Yugo. I wouldn't have guessed from your scream."

"I didn't scream," he mumbles.

"Suuure. I wouldn't be surprised if the neighbours come knocking, asking if someone has died." Yuya walked into the living room before he could think better of it. He leaned against the back of the couch, arms resting on the backrest.

"And whose fault is that?" Yugo shots back, but he's grinning now, which Yuya returns. Yugo sits down on the couch, bouncing a little on the cushions, crossing his legs and turning to the side to face Yuya, grinning jokingly. "If they want a body I can give them one!"

Yuya snorts, giggles spilling out of him. "Man, that would feed the rumour mill for years! Our fire pole is still talked about and it's been here since before I was born."

Yugo gives said pole a curious glance. "So it's, not a normal thing to have in a house?"

Yuya snickers. "Definitely not. None of my teachers believed me when I talked about it, just remarked on 'what a vivid imagination I have'." Yuya vaults over the couch to sit down, making Yugo bounce upwards from his added weight with a surprised yelp. He lets out a laugh at the sound, making Yugo pout at him. "Remind me to bring you to You Show sometime."

"What's a You Show?"

Yuya startles. "I never talked about it?" He leans back more comfortably. "You Show Duel School, the dueling school me and Yuzu go to, mine and her dad formed it together." Yuya gave a proud smile as he talked. He was always happy to talk about his school.

Yugo got an excited glint in his eye. "Duel School? You got schools just for dueling here? I mean, there are ones in the City too but it was a Tops only thing and I've only seen the outside of the buildings. What're the ones here like?"

Yuya grinned. "There are so many types I couldn't even begin to list all of them. But ours is all about entertainment! That dueling is about making the winner, the loser and the audience watching smile! About being one with your monsters while you duel."

"One with your monsters..." Yugo sounded distracted as he repeated Yuya's words. He shook his head before smiling at him. "But that sounds a lot like your dueling. The whole entertainment thing."

Yuya smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Thanks," he said. "Though that's not why I wanted to bring you to You Show. We've got more than our principles to set us apart from other schools, you know."

Yugo blinked, looking curious. "Like what?"

Yuya gave a cheeky smile. "Rock walls, trampolines, and my personal favourite, the giant slide."

Yugo's mouth hangs open for a second before an excited smile spread over his lips, leaning forward a little. "Giant slide?"

Yuya nods, grinning at the look on Yugo's face. "Works as a separate exit and has two entrances, one of which is in the field on the second floor. Handy for when you need to leave in a hurry."

Yugo starts bouncing excitedly in his seat, beaming. "That sounds so cool! I wanna see it!" He stills, lowering his voice before speaking again, still smiling. "Playgrounds are a Tops only thing, but me and Rin sneaked in and played in one once when we were kids, before we knew that could get us arrested," Yugo said, frowning a little before going back to smiling. "But I liked the slide and swings the best!"

Yuya smiled at Yugo's excitement, even as something unpleasant curled in his stomach at his words. Thinking about how kids could get thrown in jail just for playing somewhere they weren't allowed to left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Me too."

They fall into a comfortable silence, looking out the big windows, their breathing the only noise to break the silence in the room.

"Sooo, what are you doing up anyway?" Yugo asks, breaking the silence.

Yuya glances at him out of the corner of his eye. Yugo isn't looking at him, but his eyes shift around the room.

"I could ask the same."

"I asked first." Yugo grinned at him.

Yuya returned it and gave a small shrug. "I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd go out for some fresh air." He glances over. "Your turn. What are you doing up, looking like a brooding ghost in the dark, plagued by horrors and regret from their time alive?"

That he thought Yugo had looked more like a celestial being sent from the sky was staying with him until the day he died.

Yugo made that distracting pout again. "I wasn't brooding," he muttered, scuffing his bare feet against the floor. "But, same as you. Can't sleep."

Yuya's eyes softened. "Weird sleeping in a new house in a different dimension?"

Yugo shook his head. "Not really. I mean, kinda? I'm used to having to crash in weird places but," he tugged at the borrowed pyjama shirt, a complicated expression crossing over his face, "this whole... thing is weird. This situation I mean."

Yuya nods. "I think I get it." He noticed Yugo's hair was still a little messy, if it was from the shower he had been pushed into earlier or from tossing around trying to sleep he wasn't sure. He drummed his fingers against the couch to keep them from twitching at the urge to smooth it out with his fingers.

Yugo starts fiddling with his fingers. "That's not the only reason though," he says. "There's just… a lot of stuff has happened and I'm still trying to deal with it, I guess. Hasn't exactly been a calm moment to think about it until now."

"...You too huh?" Light blue eyes look at him in confusion. Yuya bit his lip, before giving him a wry smile. "I've got so much rattling around I don't even know what to focus on or start with. So I thought I'd go and clear my head a little, you know?"

"Oh." Realisation dawns in Yugo's eyes, but they soon turn sheepish, his mouth forming a half smile. "Uh, sorry? I guess I kinda kept you from going?"

Yuya smiles. "Nah, It's fine."

The conversation again fades in the comfortable silence. Yuya tried not to stare, but with Yugo now facing him and the light from outside framing him, it was hard not to. He looked outside again but kept sneaking glances at him, their eyes sometimes meeting when Yugo looks his way before Yuya quickly averted his. It was getting too warm and stuffy in here.

"Um," Yugo starts fidgeting. Sky blue eyes glance at him in what he could almost call a shy manner, and either Yuya's mind was playing tricks on him or Yugo's face had a pink tint to it. "Can I...?"

"What?" His heart feels like it's beating faster suddenly. His face feels warm.

Yugo is silent for a few seconds, staring at a corner with a frown before shaking his head. "Nah, it's nothing, forget it. I won't say anything, you can go if you want." He smiles, but Yuya can tell it's forced.

Yuya frowns. While one of his goals in going out was to sort out his thoughts and feelings about the very person in front of him in peace, leaving now feels… wrong.

Yugo looked small, shoulders hunched together and his eyes didn't have that sparkle he was so used to seeing, looking a little dark. The sight made his heart twist inside his chest.

"Wanna come?"

Yugo looked at him in surprise, mouth falling open slightly. "Huh?"

"I mean," Yuya floundered with his words. The words had just blurted out, he hadn't planned this! "There's a place I always go to when I need to think. You can come along, if you want to that is, cause frankly, I can't stay in here for another minute." He nervously scratched his cheek, looking away.

Yugo looked hesitant, but Yuya could see flickers of hope in his eyes as he started fidgeting. "Really? I mean, I don't want to be a pain..."

Yuya smiled and waved his hands. "You won't be, I promise! It's not far to walk, so how about it?" he says as he stands up. "You coming along?"

He didn't want to leave Yugo alone when he was like this, but he also knew that if he stayed here any longer he'd start climbing on the walls. Even if he wouldn't have his solitude, he couldn't help but get fluttery at the thought of it being just the two of them.

Yugo was silent for a moment before a wide smile broke out over his features. "Yeah! I'll just put on some clothes." Yugo jumped up and walked over to his borrowed day clothes lying on the coffee table.

"Yeah I'll wa-aaait-" Yuya's sentence became garbled in the middle as Yugo promptly yanked his shirt over his head and off. Yuya jerked his head away, but not before catching a glimpse of pale skin and a slim waist. His face felt like it was on fire.

"Right! Let's go!" Yugo said, bouncing to a stop next to him now fully dressed, making Yuya jump.

"Yeah," he said, smiling.

"Oooohhh!"

Yuya grins at Yugo's amazement. They were standing on the bridge overlooking the big river leading out to the ocean. The giant stadium was visible in the distance, the building's lights shining on the walls and over the water making for a very grand picture. The cloud-free night sky, dotted with twinkling stars completed it.

"Beautiful, right?" he says, climbing up on the railing and taking a seat on it, feet dangling over the water.

"Yeah! It's really pretty," Yugo said, sitting down beside him, kicking his legs and keeping his eyes forward. "It's kinda like being in the Tops area but, you know,"

"Different?"

"Yeah, that."

"Kinda figured. This is the only place in all the dimensions where you can see this kind of view!" he said, putting some flair in his voice and raising his arms as if presenting something grand. He was rewarded for his efforts as Yugo started laughing, making him smile at the sound.

They both shiver in unison as a breeze blows past. Yugo rubs at his arms over his sleeves, shuffling a bit closer to Yuya. "Man, it's kinda cold out,"

"It's almost autumn, after all. And it's always a bit cold near the water," he says, telling himself his face felt warm because of the chill, not because Yugo was now close enough for them to share some body heat, even without touching. If he shifted just a bit more their sides would be pressed together, but he didn't quite dare to.

"...You know, it's weird." Yuya looks over, his companion having a thoughtful look on his face. "I wasn't really ever attached to the City, but it was still the only home I've had. Some part of me missed it and I was kinda relieved to be back there, even if only for a while. To see something familiar." Yugo's grip loosened and tightened on the railing, looking down at the water.

"But, it's not home without Rin, and I've kinda realised I was just missing her and didn't really feel any homesickness or anything. And since things are changing so much now..."

Yuya frowned, but kept quiet and listened. As Yugo grew silent despite looking like he wanted to say more, he leaned over and carefully nudged his shoulder against his, coaxing him to continue. He got a thankful half-smile sent his way and Yugo started talking again.

"It was the dream we had together, me and Rin. To enter the Friendship Cup and climb our way up in society. Because there was nothing else." Yugo tugs at his hoodie, borrowed from Yuya. "But I've entered, and now the Cup doesn't seem like it'll be vital to living a better life and there's so much new stuff I've learned. So I..." he frowns, running a hand through his hair. "I guess something in me doesn't see any point going back there? But I've lived there my whole life so I should feel something about that, but it's all jumbled up and I don't know what to think."

Yuya stays quiet, absorbing the information. He thought back to dinner earlier in the evening. How Yugo had started crying while eating, and while it had been somewhat humorous hearing him cry over how good the food was, even then seeing the big, fat tears roll down his face made Yuya feel weird things. He'd quickly buried it with mouthfuls of his mom's delicious food, almost choking in the process.

"But," Yuya's thoughts are interrupted by Yugo's voice. "I'm still mad you beat Jack before me."

"Huh?" Yuya blinks in confusion. "Wait, you were bothered by that?!"

Yugo glares at him, but it lacked the glint that indicated he was seconds away from demanding a duel. "Of course I am! It's been mine and Rin's goal to beat Jack for years! And you just appear and beat him with no fuss!"

"Wait no, there was definitely a fuss involved!"

"And you even got to duel him twice! That's so not fair!"

"The first time wasn't fun at all though!" It really wasn't, sometimes it felt like his head still ached from its hard contact with the ground. "I landed right on my head! After being blown off the D-Wheel!"

"You dueled poorly so it's your own fault!"

"What?!"

They glare at each other, neither willing to give in first, before matching grins slowly spread across their faces and they erupt into laughter.

Yuya had to hold tightly on the railing to not fall off as their loud laughter filled the once silent night and made his body shake with glee, his cheeks hurting from smiling so wide.

"I-haha, have no idea pant why that was so funny," Yugo gasps out between gulps of air and giggles, tiny tears at the corner of his eyes.

"Me neither," he says, out of breath, the air a little chilly as he breathed it in. He leaned back, looking up at the dark sky, neverending and dotted with twinkling stars, feeling a little lighter. "But I think I needed it."

"Same here."

He looked at Yugo, who was looking at the stadium far away on the water, swinging his legs. The light from the streetlamps shone down on them and made his hair almost shine as a strong breeze ruffled it. It looked a bit messy, he probably hadn't brushed it before they went out, or maybe not even after he took a shower?

Before he could think better of it, he slowly raised a hand. Yugo glanced over at him when he saw movement and turned to face him, only to stop and stare as Yuya carefully smoothed his hair in place.

Yugo stared at him like a deer in headlights, while Yuya's hand still hovered near his face. His fingers twitched, before he carefully brushed his fingertips against the now pink cheek, making him flinch and glance at his hand out of the corner of his eye, then meeting his again. Yuya gently cupped his cheek, thumb brushing gently against his skin. Yugo leaned lightly into his hand, eyes gaining a soft and hazy look.

The world around him felt like it had shrunk to just the two of them, the sound of the water under them and the occasional sound of cars almost distant, like they were behind a filter. All of it, except for the sound of Yugo's breathing, the sound of his beating heart that he could somehow hear, almost feel as it thumped in rhythm with his own.

His lips parted, his voice sounded both like his and yet not, the words coming out imbued with the heat filling his chest close to bursting.

"I missed you."

Crystal blue eyes crinkled as a soft smile spread over the others face, hand raising to squeeze the one placed on his cheek.

"I missed you too."

A feeling passed between them and their touching hands, old and familiar, but comforting and calming.

Then, it felt like a bubble popped.

Whatever spell had come over them broke, the veil placed over his mind abruptly blown away and Yuya realised what exactly he was doing. Yugo seemed to realise at the same time as his eyes widened and face turned bright red. Yuya quickly drew back his hand and turned back toward the water and stared resolutely at the water, face burning.

His voice sounded squeaky when he spoke. "S-sorry!"

"I-it's fine! Don't worry about it!"

He gripped the railing tight enough to hurt, mentally hitting himself because what the hell was he doing? Hadn't he already decided he wouldn't do anything stupid or test the waters between them? Caressing Yugo's cheek with his hand definitely counted as that! Oh god he'd made it so awkward, things had been going so well and he'd been having a great time and he thought Yugo had too and now he'd gone and ruined it cause he couldn't keep his hands to himself!

His mental beating on himself was interrupted when Yugo moved next to him, looking over he saw him climbing down from the rail and Yuya thought for a panicked moment he was going to leave. But he only leaned back against it, staring down at his feet.

Yuya felt confused, but he hesitantly turned around and hopped down to the ground, leaning back against the rail next to a worryingly quiet Yugo. At least he wasn't leaving.

"Hey, Yuya?"

"Y-yeah?"

Yugo fidgets in place, pulling at his sweater and scuffing his shoe against the ground. "You remember when we first met?"

"You mean at the park?"

Yugo gives him a confused look. "Huh? No, I mean during that tournament thing. When you went all crazy and stuff."

"Ooh, right. Yeah, I remember." Not that he particularly wanted to, that had been a rough day. At least, until the person standing next to him showed up, that had made it a little easier. Still rough, but better than it could have been. "Why?"

"I was just wondering, why you were so angry." Yugo turns to meet his eyes, putting his hands in the pockets on his hoodie. "I mean, I've been around you long enough now to know you usually don't trash your opponents like that-"

"Wait, what do you mean 'usually'?"

His words are ignored with a whap to his shoulder and a teasing smile, "and the whole entertainment dueling stuff doesn't really line up with that either. So I guess something really bad happened? And I kinda wondered what it was..."

Yuya bit his lip, eyes flickering down to the ground as memories passed by in his head. He could barely remember what had happened that day, he just knew he had been angry. So filled with rage it had clouded over everything else.

"I mean if you don't want to talk about it, it's cool, I don't mind." Yugo hurries to say as the silence went on, hands waving in front of him. "I just remember it felt awful and I've wanted to ask but kinda forgot during everything else and-"

He cuts off Yugo's rambling. "It's okay, I don't mind talking about it." He tilts his head up to look at the sky in thought. "I can't say anything really happened, but... you know how Yuto's inside me?" Yugo nods. "Well, that came with its own slew of problems, though I don't think it's his fault they happened. But when I saw the Obelisk Force turning people into cards, I just kinda... snapped."

Red eyes grew distant, brow furrowed. "I only remember the anger, and the want to... destroy."

The silence after he finishes is stifling, laying heavy on him as the memories of the times he's lost control, not only during the championship but during the Friendship Cup as well. It was unpleasant, frightening and made his hands shake just a little if he dwelled too much on the emotions and thoughts that went through his head during those moments...

A warm weight against his side made him snap out of his downward spiral.

Yugo looks at him with an expression mixed of concern and guilt. He was leaning against him, their shoulders and sides pressed against each other, warmth seeping through their clothes from the contact. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you remember all that."

Yuya lets out a big breath, shaking his head as the tension bleed out and his shoulders loosened up. "It's okay, it's not your fault. It's a bad habit."

"Yeah but, still..."

He smiles, adjusting his stance carefully so he could lean against Yugo as well, both of them now leaning back against the railing and pressed against each other's side. It was surprisingly comfortable. "Thanks."

Then something he'd said earlier caught his attention. "Hey, what did you mean when you said it 'felt awful'?"

Yugo looked away, shifting in nervousness, but he didn't step away. "It's a bit hard to explain..."

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," he said, hesitant.

"No no! It's fine, just gotta find the words. I haven't really talked about it with anyone before..." he says, brow furrowed in thought, head tilted upwards and Yuya felt his stupid heart skip a beat at his words. He shouldn't feel this giddy over being the first one to be told, but he does and it's kind of embarrassing.

"I don't really know when exactly it started, but for as long as I can remember, I could 'feel' what others felt," he says, thoughtful. "It's not really precise, more like a cloud of spikiness around them if they feel bad, softer if they're happy. I've gotten better over the years to ignore or block it out cause man is it a pain sometimes." Yugo grins jokingly at him, which he tentatively returned. The near heart attack he'd had at the thought that Yugo knew about the feelings he carried around wasn't pleasant.

"But uh, on that day, I was suddenly hit by what was happening to you? I think that's the best way to describe it." He starts digging in his pocket, the action a little awkward when he didn't move from their close position.

He pulled out a card and Yuya somehow knew it was Clear Wing before it had left the other's holder.

"And Clear Wing was worried, which was enough to make me panic a little cause Clear Wing never worry about anyone else, or react to them unless they're being aggressive towards me. I had to convince them to even hint at what was wrong, and then…" His fingers tightened slightly over the card, brow furrowing in thought. "You know, I brushed against what you were feeling and decided I had to go there right away. But the closer I got to you the more, odd I felt? I don't think that's the right word but, it's similar to what happened in City, when that tornado thing appeared…"

"Oh... " Yuya breathed out, somehow knowing exactly what Yugo meant. "You mean the... weird fuzziness? That's what it feels like to me, like there's some vague, muffled gap in my memories."

"Yeah! Like that!" he says quickly. "It's, it doesn't really hurt or anything, but like…"

Yugo trails off and Yuya has to take a second to register the red flush suddenly present on his face, visible in the streetlights and against his pale skin. He was suddenly very aware of how close they were, but he didn't make any attempt to move away.

"It feels weird, like, feelings that aren't mine, but I'm still feeling them really strongly? And my body's moving and doing things I wouldn't think to do, but it doesn't feel odd? Like it's a normal, regular thing, even though I know it isn't, cause I don't know you." He grins. "Well, I do now, kind of, but I didn't then."

It was weird thinking that they had technically met mere days ago, maybe a week, he hadn't exactly kept a check on the time. "It feels like it's been longer, honestly."

"Yeah…" Yugo puts his dragon back in his deck. A harsh wind blows by and they both shiver.

"It's getting colder," Yuya says. His hands and feet are getting cold, they weren't exactly dressed for standing still outside at night for too long. "Maybe we should head back…"

"Mmm," Yugo mumbles, half-heartedly, not moving. "Do we have to?"

"It's cold and late, mom would get worried if she found out where we were at this hour," he says, reluctantly stepping away from the railing and Yugo's warmth, immediately shivering again. Yugo whines, but stands up straight himself and rubs his arms to warm up.

To be honest, Yuya didn't particularly feel like going home either. It was strange, he'd been so relieved to be home, at least for a little while, but now he really didn't want to go back. He didn't think his house could ever feel claustrophobic, but that was the feeling he got.

A thought occurs to him as he remembers their conversation from earlier and he turns to Yugo, smiling. "Hey, I know a place we can go instead…"

He remembers the rip in dimensions, made by Roger as a last ditch effort to take everything down with him.

Yuya remembers screams, both from him and others, grip iron tight on Yuzu, who clutched at him in return. Gongenzaka shouting for him, trying to reach them despite being so far away. Desperately trying to keep track of where everyone was, that no one was getting sucked into the portal.

Then, through the debris and light, he saw a small, white-clad figure walking slowly but steadily towards the portal, the strong gust of winds almost avoiding them. He remembers a panicked scream tearing out of his throat.

Blue and blonde hair whirled around their face, crystal blue eyes glowing in a heart-wrenchingly familiar way.

A loud thumping in his ears drowned out all noise, his chest filled with a familiar burning, but not as painful as he was used to. It was gentler, calmer, but no less intense. A dragon's roar drowned out the wind, silencing everyone in the room.

A beat and a light later, the portal shattered like glass, shards flying across the destroyed room in small pieces of crystal light.

Yuya lightened his grip on Yuzu, feeling as stunned as everyone else looked, and very lightheaded.

He could hear the others speak, but his ears were thundering along with his heavy pulse and he couldn't make out a word. His chest was still burning, the blood in his veins turning hot.

Yugo looked up at him, body starting to sway as the glow in his eyes started to dim.

Yuzu said something next to him, but he couldn't hear her over the sudden roaring in his ears. Blue eyes were starting to flutter in their fight to stay open, and suddenly his body was moving on its own.

Shocked shouts followed him as he flew off the platform, heart thumping loudly in his ears, barely registering the quickly approaching floor and he almost felt like he would black out before he hit the ground. But he startled back awake as his body rolled on the ground before leaping up on his feet and surging forward into a run, feeling barely even a strain in his muscles.

Yugo stumbled, eyes closing shut as he finally started falling over. Before he knew it, Yuya was down on his knees, sliding across the ground for the last stretch, and caught him before he could hit the metal floor.

He panted, attention focused completely on the person in his arms, not yet unconscious but exhausted in ways normal humans couldn't completely comprehend. He shifted his grip so his head rested against his shoulder, hand holding onto his shoulder and arm supporting his back.

Crystal eyes peeked out as lids slowly peeled themselves back open, exhaustion and confusion swimming in them until he looked up to meet his own red ones. His eyes still had a small glow in them as he formed a tired, small smile. "Are you alright?"

He brushed away some hair over his forehead and pressed his lips to it. "I'm fine, we are fine.No one got hurt," he whispered. "What you two did was astonishing, but I would prefer you not repeat it," he added, giving him a stern look, somewhat ruined by the worry showing on this human face.

Clear Wing, seemingly in tandem with his little treasure, laughs, raising a hand to brush fingers against his cheek. "Sorry. Yugo got so panicked, desperately wanting to do something, not helped when he felt we could. I did not see a favourable outcome, had I not stepped in."

Odd Eyes sighed irritably, clasping the hand resting against his cheek in his own. "Promise you won't be so reckless again, at the very least. Please."

"You know I can't do that, but we can make an attempt." Light blue eyes crinkled as their owner smiles humorously, leaning his head against his chest and burying his face in the orange fabric of his shirt. "Is it safe to rest for a while? We're both quite exhausted."

"Sleep," he whispered softly, embracing him tighter and placing his chin on the top of his head. "I'll keep you safe until you wake up."

His only response was a content murmur and a small smile as his breathing evened out and his body lost all tension as they fell into slumber.

Once he'd turned twelve, Yuya had been given his own key to You Show Duel School and the password to turn off security. Having sleepless nights coupled with anxiety and not wanting to bother anyone was not a good combination. Somehow, riding around on his monsters seemed to help, or simply sitting in the Action Field, staring up at the sky with his monsters running around or sitting with him.

"There really is a slide..." Yugo said in amazement, staring at the building in wonder. His eyes didn't seem to be able to choose where to look, flitting here and there to look at everything at the same time.

"It's more lively during the day," he says as they stand in front of his dueling school. "But it's got a special atmosphere at night."

Yugo looks over at him with a questioning look. "What, you come here often during the night?"

"Sometimes. Helps when I'm turning in bed." He walks over to the front door with Yugo following after, rummaging in his pockets for his keys. He unlocked the door and turned off the alarm system with a few button presses.

Yuya loved his duel school during the day. The bright colours, Shuzo's booming voice and enthusiasm, the kids eager to duel and learn and get better, the countless duels he's had with Yuzu and Gongenzaka, both wins and losses. It was bursting with energy and love for entertainment dueling and he wouldn't have it any other way.

At night, though, it was different. The halls were so quiet you could hear a creak on another floor, and the usually bright and lit halls and rooms were dark and still, creating a special calm that only the night could bring. He hadn't been here at night in ages, but it was just as he remembered it.

"Right, the action field is on the second floor, let's go!" He walks forward in the direction of the stairs, able to find his way just fine even in the dark, with only the moon and streetlamps shining in from the windows as their light source.

"Y-yeah!" Yugo hurries to catch up with him, but doesn't quite fall into step next to him.

Then, Yuya feels a tug on his shirt. Looking back in confusion, he sees a hand grasping onto the fabric, and following it he sees Yugo, almost cowering behind him and eyes flitting around anxiously.

He stops, almost making the other walk into him. "What's wrong, Yugo?"

He jumps, looking at him quickly, voice a little high when he speaks. "Nothing! Nothing at all!"

Yuya frowns, not buying his words. "You sure? We can turn back if you want to…"

Yugo shakes his head wildly. "No! No, I'm fine, it's just…"

His cheeks turn a little pink and eyes slide to the side and down to the floor in embarrassment, squirming in place. The hand holding on to his shirt draws back. "I'm just not very good with… dark places…"

He trails off and goes quiet, playing with his fingers and pulling at his hoodie as Yuya tries to make sense of his words, until it clicks.

"Are you scared of the dark?"

"No!" he says quickly, only to stumble almost immediately, face turning slightly red. "I-I mean, maybe…"

Yuya smiles reassuringly. "Hey, it's ok. Everyone's scared of something!"

"Yeah, but…" he trails off, face twisted in frustration.

"I don't think it's silly, if that's what you're worried about."

Blue eyes shyly peek up at him through long, dark eyelashes. "Really…?"

"Of course!" Yuya says and, with a playful smile, holds out his hand as if asking for a dance. "If you want, we can hold hands."

Yugo stares in surprise at his outstretched hand. He places his hand in Yuya's own with a small smile, a hint of shyness peeking through. "Sure."

Yuya grins in return, then turns to continue walking down the hall to their destination. "Alright then, let's go!"

"Yeah!" Yugo says and follows, now walking next to him, if a little closer than necessary and gripping his hand a little tight. But Yuya didn't mind, and just tightened his grip in return.

'So much for not pursuing anything…' Yuya thinks in dismay, even as giddiness bubbles up in his chest at how close they were. The hand he was holding was chilled from the outside but quickly turning warm, and the skin was a teensy bit rough yet still soft in a way. And it fit so nicely in his own…

Yuya shook his head, Yugo giving him a strange look.

They kept going down the hall and to the control room for the Solid Vision equipment. Yugo looks at the tech with curious eyes as Yuya moves to turn it on.

"This is that… Action Field stuff?" he asks, standing behind the chair Yuya had sat down in.

"Yup, Solid Vision. Normally it's required someone is here during Action Duels, in case it looks like anyone will get hurt and make safety nets. But since we're not dueling, it's fine."

"Hmm…"

"We used to have pretty outdated stuff, but due to some circumstances, we got the latest version." Yuya didn't feel like disclosing he beat the Duel Champion to Yugo just yet, nor how he beat him. Someday, but he wanted to not fully be the Yuya of this world in front of Yugo for a little longer. It was nice.

"Is there a huge difference? Like how the parts in a D-Wheel can make a big difference in how it runs and moves?"

Yuya scrunches his face in thought. "Hmm, maybe? I'm not very tech-savvy, especially not in this stuff. It looks and feels more real, that's for sure."

He finally brings up the Field Magic selection, eyes sliding over them, wondering which one to pick. One set during the day didn't seem very pleasant, and something soft to lie on would be nice…

"Aha!"

With a press of a few buttons, he selects and activates 'Woodland Fantasia', the view outside the windows in front of them starting to glow. Yuya hops up from his chair and starts pushing Yugo out of the room.

"Hey! What gives?"

Yuya smiles, kicking the door closed behind them. "It's best to see it from the ground floor for the first time!"

Yugo grumbles but lets himself be nudged along. "Is it that big of a deal?"

Yuya grins. "You'll see."

When they're close to the hall lined with windows showing the field, he stops. "Close your eyes."

Yugo raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"It's a special moment the first time," he says, grinning, which turns into a softer smile. "I remember how it felt the first time it activated around me, and while I can't give you exactly that experience, I can try and make it as close as I can."

A pink flush appears on Yugo's cheeks as he just looks at him for a moment. He grumbles to himself as he closes his eyes and also covers them with his hand for good measure. "There, you happy?"

"Yup!" he says cheerily, taking the others hand in his own and leading him forward, albeit at a slightly slower pace than before.

Reaching the door, Yuya looked back to make sure the other's eyes were still covered, only for him to walk into his back with a 'oof'.

"Why did you stop?"

He chuckled. "We're here."

"Oh."

"You've got your eyes closed?"

"I'd need to be blind to see any less."

Yuya laughs as he presses down on the handle to open the door, a wave of chilly air seeping through from the Action Field. Even with the covers over the open ceiling, it was still a bit cold inside. Yuya stepped through, tugging at Yugo's hand. "Mind the high step."

He'd just finished the sentence when there's a clang followed by a yelp and a body suddenly crashing into him. Yuya just barely keeps them upright, stumbling back a few steps until they both regain their balance.

Yugo looks up and grins sheepishly. "Sorry."

Yuya laughs, shifting his arms around the other's waist as he stands up properly. "No problem. I've done that enough times myself to lose the right to say anything."

Yugo snorts in such an endearing way it almost made Yuya forget about the surprise element. Well, might as well do it now.

Stepping back and to the side with a smile, he gestured to the Action Field they were in now with one arm, kicking the door closed behind them with his foot.

"So, what do you think?"

Yugo blinks, then turn to properly look at the room.

His mouth parted and eyes widened at the sight.

"Woah…"

Around them, instead of the usual gray walls, there were trees and foliage, looking like they reached much further than the width of the actual room. It was dark, the moon big and round in the sky with stars twinkling in the dark blue sky, a few shooting stars even passing by occasionally. But they weren't the only things glowing.

On the ground, small, glowing flowers too many to count and in dozens of colours dotted the soft, lush grass. Toadstools both normal sized and much larger were spread around, letting out a soft glow under their little hat shaped heads. Vines crawled up and around the thick, tall trees, big light purple flowers with large petals and glowing centers growing on them. The trees had tiny white flowers in them, their soft cores now and then puffing out little shining dust and coating the leaves and grass under it.

Yugo slowly walks further into the clearing they were in, looking around in wide-eyed wonder. Then, he turns back to Yuya with a wide, enchanted smile on his face, eyes shining brighter than the flowers on the ground and trees.

"This is amazing!"

Yuya smiles, his heart doing somersaults in his chest and body feeling warm and giddy.

"Hehe, right?" he laughs and walks over, kicking up some flowers on his way and sending their glowing pollen flying up into the air between them. "This is one of the more relaxing fields, not that suited for my type of entertainment dueling but…"

Yuya trails off, looking at Yugo as he smiles, holding out his hands as the dust floats around in the air, even blowing at some of them to keep them dancing. The way the glow hit him nearly made it look like he himself was glowing, reflecting in his sky blue eyes and casting light on his hair.

He looked beautiful.

And Yuya only now realised he had chosen one of the most romantic Action Fields possible.

He wanted to slap himself.

"It looks so real!" Yuya snaps himself out of his disbelieving stupor at Yugo's voice as he wanders around. "A lot nicer than the places you had the last time."

Yuya gives him a confused look before he realises what he means. "Oh, you mean during the championship?"

"Yeah, that lava field was the worst, way too hot. The ice age field was nicer, but a bit tricky to drive through," he says, crouching down to his knees in front of a big patch of round flowers growing on a small hill. They had dozens of petals, looking like some sort of thick dandelion, edges glowing softly. "The jungle one was okay though."

"Hehe, it was fun to move in, that's for sure, and-" He cuts himself off as his thought go from thinking back to the jungle area to their rather… embarrassing wake-up call.

Yugo looks up at him curiously as he grows quiet. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he says, dropping down next to him on the grass, facing Yugo and his side to the flowers, the plants reaching up to his shoulder. "Just… remembering how waking up there was one of the weirder moments in my life."

Yugo blinks in confusion, then stills as realisation enters his eyes. He flushes, turning back to the plants and sitting down properly on the ground. He pokes at one of the flowers with a finger. "Oh… right, that happened, didn't it."

Yuya laughs nervously, leaning back on his hands, the grass soft like moss underneath them.

Yuya barely remembered what had happened that day. But some images remained, sensations and feelings that he had felt at that time. Not all of them had even felt like they were fully his, and yet they felt so very real. What he remembered best wasn't words, they were muted and more like murmurs. But instead hands cupping his face, a voice talking softly to him, gentle wind curling around him, the warmth from another person...

Soft lips brushing over his forehead…

Yugo jumps in surprise as Yuya suddenly whips a hand up to smack himself on the cheek.

"Dude, what the hell?! Are you okay?"

"Fine…" Yuya grumbles, tears at the corner of his eyes along with his stinging, now red cheek. He might have slapped himself a bit too hard. "Don't worry about it."

Yugo doesn't look convinced at all, and just keeps giving him a cautious look. He tries his best to ignore it, silently berating himself for making things weird again.

"...I'd like Rin to see this too."

Yuya turns to Yugo. He's looking at the puffy flowers with melancholy eyes, and it was so unlike him it caught Yuya off guard completely.

"She's never been much for flowers and overly sparkly stuff, but she likes pink. And she always makes sure to never step on the small flowers growing in the cracks around our garage. She's softer than she looks, you know…"

Yuya chews on his lip, thinking over what to say. "You really miss her, huh?"

Yugo seems to shrink a little, head hanging lower so his hair shields his eyes.

"Yeah..." he says in response, voice downtrodden. "It was easier not to think about it too much during the Friendship Cup, but otherwise… it hurts. It's lonely and, and what if they're hurting her? She's counting on me to save her and… she's all I've got. If something happened to her, I don't-"

Yugo breaks himself off and lets out a wet sniffle, quickly raising a hand to rub roughly at his eyes. Yuya feels his chest tighten, something inside him going no, no, no, don't cry, please, sadness doesn't fit you-

"That's a little wrong."

Yugo looks back up at him, eyes wet and rimmed red, hands paused in their attempt to wipe away the tears threatening to flow over. "Huh?"

Yuya smiles, the gesture more relaxed than what he felt on the inside. "You've got me now, too. And Yuzu, and Gongenzaka, and all the other Lancers. Serena, Sora, Shun, Sawatari, Tsukikage, Reira and Reiji. We're all going to Academia together to save Rin, and Ruri too. You're not alone anymore, Yugo."

Yugo stares, eyes wide like he couldn't quite believe what Yuya was saying. Then his expression crumbles and it's like a faucet broke.

Yuya balks as the other starts to cry, tears rolling down his cheeks in streams and dripping down his chin and onto his legs and the grass. And Yuya was close to panicking.

"Aah, what's wrong? Did I say something bad? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..." he rambles, hands hovering in front of him, unsure if it was okay to touch the other. He wasn't used to dealing with such… open crying. Yuya cried silently, eyes hidden behind his goggles and sobs stifled to be as quiet as possible. To draw as little attention to himself as possible. He'd never even seen Gongenzaka cry sad tears, only happy and proud ones. Yuzu was like Yuya, hiding them from view when it got too much.

Yugo wasn't like that at all right now. He sniffled and hiccuped and sobbed loudly, breath hitching and whimpers coming from him. Not caring how weird it may sound or what it could make others think.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry if I made you upset," he tries again, voice soft.

Yugo sniffles loudly and shakes his head. He rubs at his wet eyes, soon having trouble finding a dry spot on his drenched sleeves.

"I-I'm fine, sorry. I just… thanks," he says, sniffling loudly. "It's weird, not being on my own to rescue Rin. I'd decided to save her no matter what, but the thought of having help didn't even really cross my mind."

'It's not like anyone in City would have even considered helping you,' Yuya bitterly thinks despite himself. He makes himself smile anyway. "It's different now. We'll do our best together."

Yugo blinks at him, rubbing at one eye with his hand. His brow furrows. "You know, you don't have to do that."

Yuya falters at the sudden conversation shift. "Huh? Do what?"

"Smile. Or, well, force yourself to smile. It's not hard to tell you're not feeling it, you know."

Yuya gapes, feeling a bit like the ground had tilted under him. He laughs, almost on instinct. "I mean, it's my job as an entertainer. If I don't smile during my duels, no one else will."

Yugo huffs. "But you're not dueling right now, are you? You're with me, and no one else is here. Besides, I like your normal smile better..."

Yugo trails off, pauses, and then his cheeks turn red, as if only just now realising what he was saying. "I- um, I mean… yeah! So don't do that anymore!"

Yuya stares as Yugo shifts so his back is against the flowers, feeling a bit like his insides are gonna burst open from how they squirmed. Yugo draws up his legs to his chest and rests his chin on them, face slightly pink and not looking at Yuya.

"I hate when people pretend to be something they're not all the time," light blue eyes glance sideways at him, "I like you best when you're yourself, so just do what you want to do and not what you think you should do."

Yuya draws in a sharp breath. His skin is starting to tingle along with his insides and it made his head swim.

"I am," he manages to get out. Yugo gives him a questioning look, and Yuya hurries to continue. "I'm doing what I want to do, or at least working to it."

"To what?"

"Stopping the war. Bring smiles to everyone, save Rin and Ruri and bring Yuto back-"

"I don't mean like that!" Yugo cuts him off, looking annoyed. "That's more like, goals. I mean like, smaller things! Like not holding back, or saying what you think without sugarcoating it, or not doing stuff just because others would be happy even when you wouldn't be!"

Yugo's eyes resemble the shining lines Crystal Wing creates in the air when it prepares to attack, cutting deep into Yuya with their brightness and earnestness. "Be a little selfish for once! It won't be the end of the world!"

It's hard to look into the others bright eyes, feeling like they would burn into him and expose everything he stuffed deep inside himself. He couldn't, he wanted to argue, there was no time for that. Right now, he had to focus on making others smile, helping them be able to smile from the heart again. It was the mission he'd given himself, one he refused to give up on.

Yet something in Yugo's eyes made him bite his tongue and keep quiet.

"If you don't think of yourself sometimes, you'll run yourself dry," Yugo says, chin resting on his draw-up knees, a wistful look in his eyes. "And when all you have left is fumes, you'll stop. And then you won't know how to get going again."

Yuya frowns, hands clenching in the fabric of his pants. Something in him protested, claiming he could keep doing this longer, it's been going well so far, what if he slips up because he got too lenient? Too much was at stake for him to risk it.

But… things didn't start happening until tomorrow. Tonight, this time in darkness under twinkling stars and in chilly winds, there was no one watching him, no one to save, or expectations to live up to.

Just the two of them.

Could he be selfish, if even for just a moment?

"Then…" he says in a low voice, mouth suddenly feeling dry. "Is it okay… to be a little selfish? Just for tonight?"

Yugo looks at him and smiles, brighter than the glowing flowers around them. "Of course!"

Yuya breathes in sharply, eyes widening just a smidge.

He shifts closer to Yugo, who looks at him with confusion as he grabs ahold of his hand. Blue eyes widen and pale cheeks turn red as Yuya leans in, closed his eyes, and softly pressed his lips against Yugo's.

It was like a spark went through him at the contact. Like something clicked into place so neatly like it had always been there and that he'd never realised was missing. Yugo's smell was tickling his nose, his skin was soft and warm as he moved a hand to his cheek. His thumb brush over the red, warm skin as a hand reach up to grasp the white jacket over Yuya's shoulders. When Yuya cracked his eyes open, he saw how Yugo's was clenched shut, eyelids fluttering and his long eyelashes brushing against his cheeks. Even so, he felt him shyly kissing back, fingers tightening around the fabric of his jacket.

Yuya felt himself heat up, warmth crawling up his neck, from where his hand touched Yugo's skin, from how close they were and yet not close enough. His free hand searched for Yugo's own, finding it among the grass and grasping hold of it, fingers curling into his in response.

All too soon, he pulled away with a sigh. Immediately, he wanted to do it again, to have that warm, fuzzy feeling envelop him and taste those soft and slightly chapped lips again.

Yugo hesitantly cracked his eyes open. He was still tense, just slightly less so compared to before, face lit up like the flora surrounding him. While his expression seemed embarrassed, his eyes had a glowing warmth to them, almost longing as they met Yuya's own.

Yuya felt his face heating up as what he had done suddenly dawned on him, like a switch had been turned on. He nervously grips the hand still in his a little harder, eyes flicking down once to the grass and then back up again.

"W-was that- okay?" he says, mentally cursing his voice for stuttering.

Yugo jolts at the question. He squirms in place, fingers clenching and unclenching in his lap while the one still grasped in Yuya's tremble slightly.

"Y-yeah," Yugo says, seemingly unable to sit still. He chews on his lower lip and Yuya's eyes zeroes in on the movement. "But, there's… one thing."

Yuya flinches and feels his stomach lurch at the words. "O-oh…"

"That is… you know," Yugo continues, voice wavering and unable to quite meet Yuya's eyes anymore. His fingers reach up and tentatively grab onto Yuya's jacket with his thumb and pointy finger. "It ended too fast, so… if you did it again, I wouldn't…"

Yuya's breath hitches so hard and fast in his chest he felt like he was going to choke. Blood rushed to his face fast enough he got woozy and he had to take a few seconds, making sure he heard Yugo right.

"...Huh?"

Yugo blushes, an embarrassed glower forming on his face that seemed to be part frustration.

"I said…!" The fingers that once gingerly held onto his jacket suddenly grabbed a fistful of it, pulling its wearer closer roughly. Yuya yelps as he's yanked forward, Yugo suddenly up in his face, his own bright red.

"Kiss me again!"

Silence hangs after Yugo's loud outburst. Yuya stares with eyes wide like saucers at Yugo, mouth hanging open and face flushed. His skin was growing warmer even in the slightly chilly air in the field.

Yugo, who had been staring intently and irritably right at him, freezes, jacket slipping out of his fingers. Then he hastily leans back, face bright red before he hurriedly tries to cover it with his hand. "I-I mean, I didn't- it's not like it's a HUGE issue but- I mean, I'm not-!"

Yuya keeps staring silently as Yugo stammers to himself, eyes wide and looking anywhere but at him, ears bright red.

When he breathed in, a wave of assurance washed over him like a wave, the ebb bringing his uncertainty away with it.

He shifted so he sat in front of Yugo instead of next to him, legs under him. Yugo stops, looking nervously at him as Yuya reaches forward to grab the arm hovering near his hot face and pulled it away. Their eyes meet again. Yuya has the light from the flowers and greenery shining gently on his face, defining his features and making his eyes look like they were softly glowing. Yugo, with his back against the tall, glowing flowers, was illuminated from behind, making his windswept hair look like it was glowing.

Yuya swallows, mouth feeling a bit dry, and asks, voice low and soft, as if worried that speaking too loud would break the quiet veil around them. "Can I kiss you again?"

Yugo's eyes widen, mouth not able to decide whether to close completely or hang slightly open. Swallowing, Yugo raises his hand to once again grab onto Yuya's jacket, pale cheeks bright red. His hand curls into the fabric, eyes softening as a shy yet gentle smile formed on his face. "Yeah."

So, Yuya leaned in for a second time, this time Yugo meeting him halfway, eyes sliding shut as their lips touch with a sigh as they melt into each other.

It was slower this time, neither being in a hurry to separate. The spark from before turned into a steady thrum, warm and tender like a sunbeam. Carefully, they moved their lips over the others, feeling out the shape and taste. Tilting his head and pressing a little more pulled a small moan from Yugo and made Yuya's stomach flutter wildly. He shifted so their position was less awkward, pushing forward at the same time to deepen the kiss as they fell back on the grass.

He felt happy. Giddy, even. The dark tangled mess that had knocked around his head when he'd laid in bed felt so far away. Lost somewhere the moment his lips touched Yugo's and filled him with warmth and affection for the other.

It felt comforting and tender, like it was something precious shared only between the two of them. He wanted to keep the feeling and treasure it.

Yuya pulls back, feeling breathless, arms holding him up as he looks down at Yugo, whose lips are slightly parted as he breathes, eyes closed at first before he opens them to look up at Yuya. Crimson red and crystal blue meet and lock together, something deeply affectionate and bigger than either of them passing between their gaze for only a moment, yet left them breathless all over again. Yuya swallows, shifting so one of his legs was between Yugo's and leaned down to gently brush his forehead against his.

Yugo smiles softly as he snuggles back, tilting his head up to brush their noses together with a small laugh. Yuya smiles and presses feathery light kisses against his face, drawing out more low but happy laughter. Yuya let's out a pleased sigh as Yugo reaches up to wrap his arms around his neck and pulls him closer.

Yuya leans in close enough for their breaths to mingle as their lips just barely touch. He brushes them together, feathery light, Yugo's arms tightening around his shoulders as his fingers tangle in the red hair at Yuya's neck.

Yuya licks at Yugo's lower lip, making him jump and let out a surprised yelp in the short distance between them. Yuya pulls back, uncertain look on his flushed face. "Sorry, was that too much?"

Yugo quickly shakes his head. "No, I just… got a bit surprised." He tugs Yuya closer again, cheeks aflame and eyes glancing away as he laughs awkwardly. "I've uh… never done this before."

"Me neither," Yuya says, smiling. He laughs sheepishly. "I honestly don't know what I'm doing. Just going by instinct, I guess?"

Yugo grins. "Like in a duel?"

Yuya laughs. It was kinda similar when he thought of it like that. "Yeah, kinda."

"Sooo," Yugo glance away, fingers tapping against Yuya's shoulders, smile nervous when he looks back at Yuya. "What are your instincts telling you now?"

Yuya blinks at first, then smiles a little slyly, leaning down to bump their foreheads together again. "Can you guess?"

Yugo's arms tighten around Yuya's neck. "Do I have to?"

"Nah," Yuya says shortly before pressing his lips fervently against Yugo's again, the other meeting him with similar enthusiasm. This time, it didn't take long before Yuya nudged at Yugo's mouth again, carefully asking for permission to enter. He feels Yugo shiver as he parts his lips and lets Yuya's tongue slip inside. They both let out a moan as their tongues touch and slide against each other.

It was clumsy and jerky, both hesitant and inexperienced, yet eager and tender at the same time. When their noses bump they giggle and when their teeth clack together they both move to adjust only to end up at an awkward angle. They're both quick to learn however, and soon they find a good angle and a pleasurable rhythm that leaves them gasping for air in the short moments they part.

Yuya felt a bit like he was drowning in pure bliss. A happy, fuzzy feeling was filling him from the inside out. If he had to describe the emotion niggling at him it was a bit like coming home to a precious person he hadn't seen in ages (months, years, worlds, an end and a beginning) while also being like touching the person he liked for the first time. It made him dizzy, breathless, like he would fall and slump over on the grass if it wasn't for Yugo's arms around him, his hand in his hair and gripping onto his shoulder, his lips moving against his and his warm, soft yet firm body underneath him.

Yugo mewls against his mouth and he felt so hot, like a fire was burning in him. And as they part for a moment, breathing heavily but not willing to draw back anymore, Yuya stares into Yugo's cerulean eyes, half-lidded and focused intently on him. They were blue like the sea and sky, and Yuya found himself all too willing to drown in them.

A possessive feeling curled in his chest, wanting so many things he couldn't decipher them all or pick them apart. Most of them, however, did have one common outlet for their desires.

Yuya presses his mouth against Yugo's again, more passionately and intensely than before and he can feel Yugo tremble under him, even as he kisses back just as hard. He can feel the others legs shift under him, one leg folding up as Yugo starts having trouble staying still.

Their kissing dissolve from focused to frenzied, almost hurried as if wanting to taste as much as possible while they still can.

Yuya didn't want this to be the last time. He wanted more time, more moments, both under the sun laughing and talking with no care in the world, and in the dark and private, getting to know each other in many different ways.

"When this is all over," Yuya gasps between kisses, their heavy breathing mingling between their lips, "stay here. Mom loves you already, she'd be happy to welcome both you and Rin, if Shuzo doesn't come first in giving her a place to stay. Stay here with us."

Yugo's eyes widen, disbelief flashing inside the blueness, followed by a flicker of uncertain hope. His arm around Yuya's neck tighten and the other curling into his back as he leans up to meet him in another short kiss. "Really? I can do that?"

"I want you to," Yuya confesses breathlessly, hands moving to cradle Yugo's face as he kisses him again and again. "I don't want to say goodbye. I want to talk more, show you around Maiami and You Show properly, I want to do so many things. So please, can't you stay here?"

"Stay here with me." Is what he really wants to say, but don't have the courage to, feeling like it was a step too far still.

"Yes," Yugo nearly cries, gripping tightly onto Yuya as he squirms under him until they're pressed so close together there's almost no space left between them. "I want to, I want to so badly. I want you to meet Rin. I want to have a riding duel with you. I want, I want-"

"Then stay," Yuya breathes against his neck, making Yugo whimper as he presses his lips against the soft skin. Yugo's neck was so pale and pretty, normally hidden by the high neck of his riding suit. His eyes had lingered more often than he'd like to admit after the suit had been exchanged for a normal t-shirt once they had gotten home, entranced by the slender neck and unblemished skin. "You don't have to leave and go back to a place that isn't home if you don't want to."

Yuya gives in to some kind of primal and deep desire lurking inside him and bites down on the skin. Yugo lets out an actual moan and it burns a fire in Yuya's gut, urging him to suck and lick on the skin to pull more of those wonderful noises from the beautiful boy under him.

And he realised, suddenly, that this was getting a bit dangerous. If they went on any longer, the daze clinging to his mind would only get harder to ignore.

With strong reluctance, Yuya draws back, trying to get his breathing under control. His resolve almost shatters once he gets to see Yugo, arms having slipped from around Yuya to rest next to his head, chest heaving as he pants. His face is flushed crimson, lips wet and red from the abundant attention they had gotten from Yuya's own. Half-lidded eyes look up at him in light confusion, head tilting slightly.

"Yuya?" Yugo asks, still panting slightly. "Why'd you stop?"

Yuya swallows hard, clenching his hands in the grass and taking deep, calming breaths to remind himself why he stopped. It was damn hard though.

"Sorry, I just-" Yuya stops, taking a breath as he tries to explain himself without sounding immensely creepy. "If we continued down that path I don't know how far I'd actually… take it, you know."

Yugo blinks up at him in confusion, not getting what he was implying.

Yuya groans. "I mean I'd rather not do anything inappropriate in the action field of my best friends dad and my dad's school. And if you'd let me, I think we'd definitely have gone there, if not damn close."

Blue eyes blink, before their owner's pale face flushes and their mouth forms a small 'o'. Yugo averts his eyes in embarrassment, shifting. "Ah, y-yeah, I think I would have… I see that, yeah. Probably not the best idea to do… that here."

Yuya nods, even as his mind races at the implication that, if he had kept going, Yugo wouldn't have stopped him.

"I mean as much as I love action fields and my school, I wouldn't want my first time to be in them."

Yugo snorts and laughs at his attempt to lighten the awkward mood, and Yuya grins lopsidedly. He scoots back to sit up properly, Yugo following suit. His hair was mussed in the back from being pressed down against the grass, and it looked very cute.

"Same here! I love riding duels, but I wouldn't want to do it on a race course or anything."

Yuya's face screws up at the image. "That seems to be very lacking in privacy."

"It would, especially on the outside courses on the bridges."

"No, no way in hell."

They both end up cracking up at their absurd conversation, holding their stomachs and grinning until their cheeks hurt.

"Aaaahh, somehow I feel better!" Yugo merrily as he flops back on the grass, arms spread out and kicking out his legs, Yuya ducking to the side to avoid getting hit by them. "Thinking too much makes my head hurt."

Yuya feels a smile spread over his face. He shifts so he can fall back next to Yugo, stretching languidly. He let's out a pleased groan as he feels his back pop before slumping back on the grass. As he moves his hand, it bumps into another and they glance over at each other in embarrassment and amusement as they realised they thought the same thing. Yuya grips Yugo's hand in his, the other squeezing back as their connected hands lay on the grass between them.

They fall into a comfortable silence, gazing up into the sky generated by the solid vision. Constellations glowed in the darkness, a shooting star shooting by on occasion to match the fantastical feeling of the field.

"The grass in our old solid vision technology didn't feel nearly this good."

Yugo glance over at him. "Did you lay like this often?"

"Sometimes." Yuya gnaws on his lower lip, debating on how much to share. Somehow, the trepidation he usually felt at the thought of sharing his troubles wasn't present, so long as it was Yugo. "After dad disappeared… it wasn't the easiest. And when things got too much, whether it was people's words, or my own thoughts, I'd come here. I'd organize my cards, or just lay here in silence. It was… comforting."

Yugo gives his hand a squeeze that was probably supposed to be soft but came out firm. "Didn't you tell Yuzu, or Gongenzaka? Or your mom, she seems cool."

Yuya only shrugs, scooting closer. "I didn't want to bother them. They would get this worried look on their faces, and I hate that. And it's not like they could do anything to help anyway."

"I dunno..." Yugo says, playing with one of the drawstrings on his sweater. "Talking can do a great deal. Whenever Rin's feeling frustrated or mad, urging her to vent, even when I can't do anything else, usually helps. It's like… you got it off your chest, it's out there, and sometimes it doesn't seem so horrible anymore once you've put it into words and it's not just your brain talking."

Yuya blinks silently for long enough that Yugo starts to look annoyed. "Hey, don't look so surprised. I'm not stupid."

"I've never thought you were." Yugo falls silent in surprise at the words. "Guess I just… never thought of it that way."

"Oh. Well… try to, then," Yugo huffs, looking up at the sky again, chin tilted up.

Yuya stays silent for a while, just looking at the other. Images from earlier pop up inside his head, of Yugo bursting into tears over being told he wasn't alone in his mission to rescue Rin. And how that had been pushed aside by Yuya's own problems. Shit.

"Is that true for you too?"

"Huh?" Yugo looks at him with confused eyes.

"Traveling by yourself across dimensions can't have been easy. Have you talked about it with someone?"

"I'm fine-"

Yuya's eyes narrow. "Yugo."

Yugo slumps, stubbornness leaving him as he averts his eyes and expression turning downtrodden. "...Who could I have talked about it with? No one in City would have believed me, and I don't have any friends there except Rin. And definitely not Yuzu, we're not that close, and she was dealing with a lot already, I couldn't unload that on her."

Yuya frowns. He runs his thumb over the skin of Yugo's hand in a reassuring motion. "...I'd listen to you."

Yugo blinks in surprise, caught off guard. He averts his eyes and gnaws on his lower lip before looking back up to the sky.

"It's just been… I dunno, a lot? I felt like I had to keep going, that if I stopped I couldn't save Rin. Because I'm the only one who'd save her, no one else would. And it's… hard."

"Yeah," Yuya says for lack of a better response, but still wanting to show he was listening. He looks up at the sky, watching how a shooting star shot by. "Even through all the confusion, getting separated from Yuzu, being thrown in jail or made to compete in the Friendship Cup… I always knew I had friends I could count on. I'm blessed to have that. But…"

Yugo didn't have that. If there was one thing Yuya had come to learn, it was that his Synchro counterpart, while wearing his heart on his sleeve and kindhearted, didn't put his belief or trust in others easily. It had taken him until now to realise he wasn't alone in rescuing Rin, that others would help him. Still fully believing that if he didn't do it, no one else would.

His chest tightened as something ugly swirled inside, grip on Yugo's hand tightening.

Yugo continues haltingly, sounding awkward with the topic. "But I feel like I can't think it's hard either? I mean, Rin's the one who's been kidnapped, I didn't know if they were hurting her or not! So whatever I felt didn't matter, not until Rin was safe again, so-"

"That's not true," Yuya interjects after getting more and more upset hearing the Yugo's words. "I may not know Rin, but I don't think she'd want you to neglect yourself for her sake. Even if others are hurting, that doesn't mean your feelings doesn't matter!"

Yugo looks shocked as his outburst finishes. His expression wavers and eyes shimmer and just as Yuya think he's going to cry again, he's launching himself at Yuya's chest and buries his face in his chest.

"Woah-!"

"Thank you…" Yugo says against his shirt, voice trembling and hands clenching in the orange fabric. There's no shaking in his frame or any sobs to Yuya's relief. He wraps his arms tightly around Yugo's shoulders.

They lay there in silence, pretending not to hear how Yugo's breaths shudder or how Yuya's grip is tighter than a normal, comforting embrace should be. Later, when Yugo felt more up to it, they'd talk about it, when the wounds weren't a gaping absence and things had settled.

For now, this was fine.

Long after Yugo's breathing has evened out and Yuya's grip is loose and comfortable, they both yawn.

"We probably shouldn't sleep here…" Yuya mumbles, feeling his eyelids grow heavier and heavier. He sits up, Yugo moving away to sit next to him on the grass.

"Mmm," Yugo groans, yawning widely. He looks at Yuya with reluctant eyes. "Then, do we need to go back to your place?"

Yuya frowns. He felt reluctant to do that too, despite just yesterday he'd been overjoyed to be back home. But going home meant letting go of Yugo, who'd lay down on the couch in the living room while Yuya went back upstairs to his own room.

It was a cold thought.

"If you don't mind…" Yuya starts uncertainly, eyes not quite able to hold Yugo's. "There's a room in You Show with a bed, for if anyone ever needs to stay the night for whatever reason. We could…"

He can't even finish the sentence from embarrassment over what he was suggesting. This was way too forward, Yugo would definitely be uncomfortable and think he was a creep for even thinking it-

"Share it?" Yugo finishes for him, not looking bothered in the slightest.

Yuya blinks and feels like he's squinting against the sunlight. "Y-yeah."

"Let's do it!" Yugo grins, face lighting up like the sun. Then he's up on his feet and starting to tug at Yuya as well to get him to stand. "I don't wanna sleep alone anyway."

"You don't mind sleeping together?" Yuya can't help but ask as he stumbles to his feet.

"Nah, me and Rin sleep together all the time! It's really nice," Yugo says like it's no big deal, smiling easily. "Besides, we've done it before, right?"

"Right," Yuya says as he gets up. "Though I barely remember that, to be honest."

Yugo laughs. "Me neither!"

They snicker as they leave the Action Field, kicking up dandelions and glowing light as they head for the exit.

"So, where's the-" Yugo's words are cut off as he, like before, trip over the high ledge between the hall and field. He lets out a yelp as he stumbles forward, but before he can stumble to the floor, Yuya shoots forward to catch him. Yugo tumbles into his chest with Yuya's arms hooking around him to keep him up.

They stand in silence after the short-lived excitement, staring into each other's eyes even as Yugo straightens up and Yuya let's up on his iron-hard grip around him.

Yuya doesn't know who moved first, maybe they both did, but before he reslies it they're kissing again. Soft and sweet brushing of lips in the dark corridor, the only lightsource being the fantastical Action Field behind them. Yugo's hands move to Yuya's shoulders as his arms shift around Yugo's waist.

The draw back slowly, looking deep into each others eyes as they breathe quietly. Then it's like a light switch is flicked and they both still as they realise what they're doing.

"Ahaha…" Yuya laughs awkwardly, stepping back and running a nervous hand through his hair. "Overnight room, sleep. Right?"

Yugo doesn't comment on his stuttering, face red and not even looking at him. He turns to face the corridor, but doesn't move to walk ahead. "Y-yeah, let's go!"

Once Yuya is next to him does he walk, and Yuya finds out why when a hand grab ahold of his and another grab hold of his arm. Yuya tries not to be mean and laugh as Yugo sticks as close as he can without them stumbling over each other.

They make a quick stop in the control room to turn off the Solid Vision before they're off to the room for sleeping over. It's been there for as long as Yuya can remember, yet rarely used. Shuzo obviously couldn't stay the night often with Yuzu home alone, though on the times it was needed she would sleep over at Yuya's. He thinks dad might have used it here and there when he got home in the middle of the night and didn't want to wake him or mom up. Mom had said she wanted it to be there, if they ever got kids coming by who couldn't go home for the night.

The walk over was a familiar route, down the hall from the office, furthest away. On the door a little placard with a smiling moon hung that Yuya had picked out when they had added some decorations. Yuya unlocked the door and swung it open.

It wasn't a very big room. A window facing the back of the school, orange curtains framing them. The floor was the same as the rest of the school, a carpet with blue dots on it laid in the middle. A small, beat-up dresser messily painted green by him and Yuzu years ago was pushed up against the wall. In the corner was a single bed, red covers laid on it with a yellow extra blanket resting at the bottom.

Instead of reaching for the lightswitch next to the door, Yuya walked over to the nightstand next to the bed to flick on the lamp standing on it. The stars decorating the lampshade casts star-shaped patterns on the wall and Yuya smiles at the familiar sight.

Yugo walks in after him, pulling the door closed behind him as he peers around. "Nice room."

"It needs a new paint job, the door tends to get stuck, it can get really damn cold at night and the dresser is wobbling to the point where I'm convinced it will fall apart any day now," Yuya says as he lays his duel disk on the nightstand. He smiles softly. "But yeah, it's nice."

Yugo gives him an unreadable look. "Is this where you sleep on bad nights?"

Yuya nods, glancing around the room. "It's been a while since it got so bad I had to stay the night, but… yeah."

Yuya only used it when he had particularly bad nights and he stayed way too long at the school. Mom had even said she'd prefer him sending her a message and staying here if it got too late than walking home alone. That's the most she's said about his nightly excursions, and he's endlessly grateful for it.

"It's been a nice little haven for that, at least."

Yugo smiles, still looking around, when he stops as his eyes drift upwards and they light up. "What's that?"

Yuya tilts his head. "What's what?"

"Those!" Yugo points frantically up. "The things stuck to the ceiling. They're glowing!"

Yuya looks up in confusion, then stops. He can't help but let out a snicker as he realises what has Yugo so fervent. "Those are glow-in-the dark stars. They absorb the light and then glow when it's dark."

Yugo seems so excited at the prospect and Yuya finds it very funny in a way. The same guy who had apparently built his D-Wheel with his best friend was so thrilled by such a trivial, and some would say, childish thing.

Which Yuya found stupid, glow in the dark stars were the best.

"I really like them, they're soothing to look at," he says as he throws back the bed covers and shakes the two pillows. "We can get some for you too, when you've got your own room to decorate."

Yugo's gaze snaps back to him, mouth hanging open in surprise. A small, hopeful smile pulled at his lips as his eyes fell to the floor. "That'd be nice."

Yuya goes to smile, but is interrupted by a yawn. He shakes his head and laughs. "Should we sleep?"

Yugo snickers, nodding.

They only remove their shoes and jacket and sweater, dumping it on the dresser that wobble left and right slightly at the items thrown on it. Yugo hops into bed first, crawling over to the wall before flopping down on his back, looking up at the stars on the ceiling again.

Yuya pauses at the edge. The bed wasn't very big, smaller than his own at home. It'd be a tight fit, he just now realised, and maybe being embarrassed over being so close to a guy he'd been frantically kissing like his life depended on it earlier was odd but shit if Yuya wasn't, at least a little.

There's a tug on his shirt, snapping him out of his thoughts. Yugo has the orange fabric held between his fingers, looking up at him in confusion. "Something wrong? You're spacing out."

Yuya jerks. "S-sorry. I've just… never shared a bed with anyone but my parents before. Not used to it."

Yugo's eyes widen a smidge, before they shift away and a light pink dusts his cheeks. He tugs at Yuya's shirt again. "Well, I've never shared a bed with anyone but Rin before."

It's not quite the same thing, or maybe it was to Yugo. Still, Yuya knew his face had turned a matching shade to his from the words.

And well, they had slept cuddled up next to each other once before already, even if Yuya barely remembers how they got there to begin with. This one, he'd definitely remember, he can't help but think.

A bit awkwardly, Yuya climbs into bed, laying down next to Yugo, body tense. The mattress felt the same as he remembered it, his body relaxing on it.

"Man, all the beds and couches in Standard are so soft," Yugo says next to him, rolling on his side to face him. "How do you all not sleep all the time?"

Yuya laughs, moving onto his side as well, pulling the covers up with him and laying it over them. "Dueling is too much fun to sleep all day."

Yugo snickers, shifting to get more comfortable. "I can buy that."

Silence falls in the room as exhaustion catch up with them, eyes growing heavier and bodies relaxing more and more. Still, their eyes stay locked on each other, soft smiles on their faces.

After a while, Yuya shifts slowly, raising his arm up in invitation. "Come here?"

The smile on Yugo's face widen. He shifts closer, pressing a kiss to the corner other's mouth before tucking himself in under Yuya's chin. A pleased sigh and murmur leaves him. "You're as warm as always."

Yuya chuckles lowly, the noise not sounding like something he could make by himself, wrapping and arm around his partners waist. He presses a kiss against the crown of Yugo's head. "I try my best."

Yugo smiles and snuggles closer, burying his head under Yuya's chin. His breathing fans against his neck, just below the edge of being ticklish. Yuya lets out a pleased sigh, feeling something like a content rumble pass through his chest.

The world is a mess and people are trying to make it worse. So many have been left hurt in the wake of this dimensional war, and there would be so much to do to undo the damage. The big battle was just about to start, and somehow, Yuya knew that he wouldn't leave it completely the same.

But laying here, Yugo nestled up against him with an arm wrapped around his waist, warm and soft and solid and wonderful, he felt like he would be okay.

Drifting off to sleep was much too easy.

A muted, energetic song starts playing, breaking the silence that was before only broken by the chirping of birds.

Yuya groans, eyes blearily blinking open, staring numbly at the ceiling for a moment. There's a low murmur against his chest, where Yugo's curled up and sleeping still, but starting to stir from the sound.

Yuya fumbles for the source of the sound, the action difficult with his front weighed down. Finally he grabs hold his duel disk laying on the nightstand, picking it up and holding it up over his face before answering. His voice is heavy with sleep when he speaks. "Yeees?"

Yuzu's agitated face appears on the screen. "Yuya! Where on earth are you?! I got here this morning and you were nowhere to be found, and Yoko didn't know where you were either!"

Yuya blearily rubs his eyes, brain chugging to register all the questions Yuzu's throwing loudly at him this early in the morning. "Huh? Oh, I'm at You Show. I just couldn't sleep last night, sorry for making you worry."

That calms her down, Yuzu letting out a huge sigh. "I got really worried something had happened! You could at least have left a note or message."

"Sorry…" And he was. Just now did he realise how distressed she looked. With a war going, him suddenly going missing must have scared her. "I'm okay, promise."

Yuzu finally smiles a small smile, before her eyes widen in realisation. "Wait, that wasn't all. Yugo's missing too! He's not here either!"

"Did someone say my name…?" The person in question speaks up, voice heavy with sleep. Yugo's head rises from Yuya's chest, looking questioningly at him, then when Yuya gestures at the duel disk, he turns his head to look, smiling at the screen when he sees who it is. "Oh, hey Yuzu! Good morning." He cuts himself off with a big yawn, head lolling back into Yuya's neck.

Yuya smiles, nuzzling against the blue strands and enjoying the weight and warmth against him. It's then he notices Yuzu is staring wide-eyed at them, mouth hanging open in what he guessed to be shock.

"You- Wha…"

Yuya laughs. Yugo groans in protest as his pillow starts to shake under him. "Some things happened. I'll tell you later."

"...Okay, sure," Yuzu sighs, reluctantly letting it go. Her stern eyes leave no room for thinking he's gonna get out of giving her an explanation though. "Anyway, your mom is making pancakes for everyone as a late breakfast, if you two want any you should hurry back."

Yuya brightens up. It's been way too long since he's gotten to eat mom's pancakes.

He shakes Yugo's shoulder, who's started to doze off against him again. "Yugo, wake up. We're going back home and eating pancakes."

"Mmm, pancakes?" he says groggily, lifting his head just enough to look Yuya in the eye. "Whassat?"

There's a stunned silence, with two pair of eyes staring in shock at the same person, who's not yet awake enough to register the sudden quiet or atmosphere.

"WHAT?"

Yugo jumps at the loud exclamation coming both in front and behind him.

"You don't know what pancakes is?!" Yuya asks in disbelief, sitting up straight and making Yugo yelp as he tumbles off him and down to the bed. Yuzu has the same look of stunned incredulity on her face as Yuya.

"No…?" he answers hesitantly, rubbing his head as he sits up. "I've never had it."

Yuya's expression abruptly turns grave, face as serious as when he was in the middle of a difficult duel. "That's it, we're going back right now. I'll see you in a bit, Yuzu."

Yuzu nods on the screen, looking almost as serious as Yuya. "Hurry up home!" Is the last she says before she ends the call.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Yugo asks in confusion as Yuya climbs off the bed and hurriedly collects their clothes from the dresser, tossing Yugo his sweater before putting on his own jacket.

"It is a crime that you've never tried pancakes before," Yuya answers as he tugs on his shoes.

"Is it that good?" Yugo asks after he's puts on his hoodie and is in the middle of putting on his boots.

Yuya stands up straight and grabs Yugo's hands after he's finished, tugging him up with a yelp. "Oh, definitely. If I had to pick something for my last meal, it'd be mom's pancakes, without a doubt."

Yugo raises an eyebrow, but doesn't move his hands away. "That's a grim thing to say."

"Yeah, probably," Yuya laughs. "I promise, you're gonna love them. And when mom hears you've never had them before, she'll make double more than what you can eat."

"Double?" Yugo looks conflicted, like he's both eager about the promised amount of food and the large amount. "You don't have to waste so much food on me…"

"Hey, if it's for you, it's never a waste," Yuya says playfully with a wink.

Yugo jerks, face turning a bright crimson. He petulantly kicks at Yuya's legs, who dodges as best he can while laughing. With them still holding hands, they look like they're doing a weird dance around the room as Yugo tries to hit Yuya who moves out of the way most of the time.

"Stay still!" Yugo shouts, aiming a big kick at Yuya's shin, hitting right on target and making him let out a pained sound.

"Hey, I'm only stating the truth!" he protests, not being able to stop smiling despite the sting in his leg. "Nothing's a waste if it's for you!"

"Shut up!" Yugo shouts, blush deepening and expression both outraged and very embarrassed. It was both a very funny and very cute look on him. "Don't say stuff like that! It's weird!"

"What's weird?" Yuya asks and, with a smile, tugs at Yugo's hands and draws him into a classy spin before pulling him flush against him, arms wrapping around his waist. When Yugo's eyes stop spinning and focus on him again, Yuya speaks. "There's nothing weird about thinking you deserve nice things."

Yugo opens his mouth as if to argue, then seems to think better of it, pressing his lips together and looking down. After a moment of silence he speaks. "That's just… not anything a Commons should expect. You gotta be tough to survive, you know. If you want anything nice you gotta fight for it. Win."

Yuya frowns. He thinks to say something, protest that it's not right or fair, but can't find the right words. Instead, he decides to forego words and instead leans in to catch Yugo's mouth in a kiss.

Yugo jumps, but soon relaxes, closing his eyes as he kisses back. It was sweet and loving, lacking most of the hurried passion of last night, but no less affectionate.

They separate with a content sigh, but doesn't stray far, cheeks flushed and eyes half-lidded.

"It won't be like that anymore," Yuya finally says, making sure to hold Yugo's gaze as he speaks. "Not in City, and not here. It's fine to want things, to ask for help, and get it. It's okay."

Yugo's eyes widen, eyes flexing where they were resting around Yuya's neck. "...Okay. I-I'll try, I guess."

Yuya smiles wide and Yugo returns the gesture.

"Okay, time to get out of here. Breakfast is waiting!" Yuya says as they step apart.

"Now that you mention it, I'm hungry," Yugo says, patting his stomach as they leave the room and head down the corridor. Light was spilling in from the windows, likely close to being the middle of the day.

"Good thing mom's good at making lots of food."

Despite the lack of darkness, Yugo sticks close to him even after they've left the school. And as if on instinct, their hands find each other as they walk down the sidewalk, fingers intertwining.

Even with all the trouble looming ahead, Yuya felt like he could face the challenges head on with courage, so long as Yugo kept holding his hand and kept smiling.