Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! nor its characters. I also do not profit from this work of fiction.

A/N: Heya, I now have a tumblr ([a]floreswrites) where y'all can find writing updates and excerpts! So just hit that follow button over on tumblr and we're in business.

Enjoy!

Summary: The pieces are still falling from Yuugi's romantic failure. Meanwhile, Atemu spends a moment with his mother, and Yuusei learns some interesting information.

Warning: Language

Chapter 28: Sense And Sensibility

When Ryou walked in the door with Chinese food little more than an hour later, he was enveloped by the warm and delicious smell of freshly-baked bread. He sniffed the air with a sigh. It was not unusual to come home to the wonderful scent of baked goods when one lived with a baker, but when it came to his particular roommate, Ryou found that baking was sometimes a cause for concern when that roommate often used it as a coping mechanism. As it was, when he looked around, Ryou spotted Yuugi sitting at the table, surrounded by white and green mini-cupcakes as he methodically piped frosting onto each one. Halting in his tracks, the bag of hot food hung limply from his fingers as he stared at the dozens of tiny cupcakes covering every available surface.

Ryou took a breath.

"Yuugi, what the fuck?"

Slowing in his motions, Yuugi looked up at Ryou with a nonplussed blink of his eyes. There was a dusting of flour across his cheek, a smidgen of frosting on the tip of his nose, and cake batter smudged on his jaw and his shirt in varying quantities. His fingers held an amalgamation of dye where he had smeared the frosting as well.

"What?" Yuugi said.

"I was gone for one hour," Ryou said, but rather than disbelief, he sounded resigned. He looked around and spotted a few more cupcakes on the coffee table that Kuribou was currently attempting to reach. Her paws scrabbled at the wood, her wide eyes fixated on the closest cupcake as she slid side to side. She was like an overeager Gremlin in her desperate attempts to reach the cakes. However, she was far too small to reach. "This isn't healthy," Ryou muttered as Kuribou yelped indignantly at the cupcake.

"Not if you eat them all at once," Yuugi said, considering. "Maybe just two per day?"

"Yuugi," Ryou said, his tone a tad exasperated. He motioned to all the cupcakes. "Just — why?"

"Well," Yuugi said, and he sighed, "it's all your fault, actually."

"What?" Ryou said, and Yuugi groaned, putting down the frosting and the cupcake before burying his hands into his hair and consequently smearing the frosting on his hands into it. Pulling them away, his hair stuck up like a cow lick, but none the wiser, Yuugi extended his hands towards Ryou.

"Well," Yuugi said, and a ding from the oven beckoned. Standing from his chair, Yuugi made his way over and grabbed two oven mitts lying on the counter. From within the oven, he withdrew two large pans, filled with hot mini-cupcakes. Distractedly, Yuugi checked them with a toothpick. "You were talking about closure and said to call Atemu on his bullshit or something, so I started thinking of doing that, and I got nervous, and you know I bake when I'm nervous, so this happened," Yuugi said rapidly, waving at all the cupcakes. "Do you think our neighbors are up? Is it too late to give them out? Will there be enough for everyone on our floor?" He pressed a finger to his chin. "I feel like I should make more, but I think I ran out of flour." He moved to the pantry, pulling open the door and peering in. "Oh!" he said brightly and he reached in before pulling out two small sacks of flour. "I still have some!"

Moving over to the table, Yuugi nudged cupcakes aside and set them down with a frown.

"That's weird," he said, turning the sacks to face him. "They're not the brand I usually buy. And I don't actually remember buying these —"

He stopped talking.

"Oh," he whispered, and his face fell, along with his shoulders.

.

Glancing up at the ceiling, Yuugi cringed.

"Someone sure likes country," he commented as the jaunty tune of the pop country song fell over the store. The past two songs had also been country pop, and the third consecutive song fell swiftly into that same category with the first couple bars of the song. The fluorescent lights above were bright as he walked down the aisle, and he turned to Atemu who walked beside him, pushing a grocery cart along.

At Yuugi's remark, he looked up as well, listening.

"Oh, I know this song," Atemu said brightly, and he hummed a few notes before he broke into song. "Stay with me," he gently sang as he turned his gaze to Yuugi, those bright, violet-red eyes twinkling with mischief, "we might never have to leave. You my southern king, we live it for the daydreams…"

Eyebrows rising, Yuugi stared as Atemu smoothly continued the chorus with a wink and a dance of his shoulders. When he took a breath to recite the next lines, Yuugi laughed.

"Really?" he said. "You like country?"

At that, Atemu stopped singing and his shoulders fell still. As he gazed at Yuugi, his brow furrowed.

"You don't?" Atemu countered with bewilderment. "Who doesn't like country?"

"Everyone," Yuugi said without missing a beat, and Atemu blinked at him. He paused, the cart rolling to a stop. Yuugi hesitated beside him, his brow creasing and his stomach flipping. "You really like this kind of music? Unironically?"

"Wow," Atemu said, and Yuugi startled.

"What?" he said.

"You're a music snob," Atemu said with a laugh, and Yuugi blushed.

"I am not," Yuugi denied, flustered. "Like it's not something I listen to, but I suppose if you like it —"

"Admit it," Atemu whispered, "you're a bit of a music snob."

"I —" Yuugi began to protest once more before he cleared his throat and looked away. He could feel his cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. "I just don't like country," he muttered.

Atemu laughed and Yuugi turned a peeved glare on him, though he had trouble maintaining the expression while looking at that teasing grin.

"It's alright," Atemu said with a warm smile that had absolutely no business looking so charming. "To each their own. I personally like all music." He shrugged and began walking once more, Yuugi keeping pace. "But mostly love songs." He waggled his eyebrows at Yuugi and Yuugi's silly heart skipped a beat. Snorting, he tore his gaze away from Atemu.

"That makes sense," he said, but he could not keep an endeared smile from sprouting on his face.

"Well, what music do you listen to?" Atemu asked, and Yuugi perked up his head.

"I like rock, metal, grunge, punk," he said with a shrug. "Just anything heavy with drums and guitars. It's what my mom called 'loud noise'."

"I got it," Atemu said, patting the bar of the cart. "You and I are going to have a music day. We'll share music. You'll give my country music a chance and I'll listen to any of your bands. We'll hang out, maybe have a picnic in the park?"

Yuugi looked at him as they drew towards the checkout counter, a warm smile spreading his lips. Atemu was looking at him with hope and anticipation, and Yuugi could feel his excitement as if it were his own.

"Sure," he said as he began to pile his things onto the conveyor belt without looking at them. "That sounds fun."

"Great!" Atemu said, and there was visible relief in his eyes.

"Good evening," greeted the cashier. She smiled at Yuugi. "You find everything alright?"

"Good evening," Yuugi replied. His eyes slid to Atemu and his heart swelled in size at the happy glint in those violet-red eyes. "Yes," he said, "everything was perfect."

Things went quickly from there, and before Yuugi knew what hit him, he found himself dallying outside on the sidewalk close to the entrance. He fiddled with his grocery bags, a shy smile on his face, and before him, grinning from ear to ear, stood Atemu.

"Well," Yuugi said, reluctantly taking the lead, "I'm going this way." He motioned behind him and Atemu nodded. However neither of them made a single move to leave, and Atemu shifted nervously. Alert, Yuugi gazed at him expectantly. He could feel Atemu hedging on something, though he did not know what. It was obvious in the way he squirmed, eyes darting back and forth from Yuugi to the floor.

"Sure," Atemu said, and he cleared his throat. His shoulders straightened in sudden resolve, and he met Yuugi's gaze. "I have something for you."

Yuugi's heart fluttered.

"You do?" he asked, and Atemu nodded again, pulling a bag open and digging into it.

"Yeah," Atemu said. "I got you flowers."

Heart thumping in his chest, Yuugi felt a blush spread through his cheeks. The butterflies in his stomach awoke and took off in a flurry.

"Flowers?" Yuugi said and Atemu set down his bags before pulling out two small paper sacks of flour. He presented them to Yuugi, his smile nervous.

Yuugi stared at the bags.

"Flours," Atemu said, and Yuugi's mouth parted in a soft "O".

"Flours," Yuugi breathed in comprehension, and his stomach flipped as Atemu nodded his head jerkily once more. "Oh, my — Atemu." Yuugi breathlessly dragged his eyes away from the flour and looked up at him in astonishment. The butterflies were flying rampant in his stomach, threatening to exit through his esophagus. "This is the cutest thing that's ever happened to me. Atemu, this is so sweet." He held out his arms and Atemu handed the sacks over, pleased as Yuugi cradled them against himself.

"I'm glad you like them," Atemu said, his shoulders easing down from where they had tensed up.

"Atemu, I love them," Yuugi said feelingly. None of his past boyfriends had ever been so doting and corny, and it occurred to Yuugi that he was not used to dating such sweet men. His stomach jerked low and clenched tightly. Hugging the flours to his chest, he grinned wide. "Thank you," he said warmly, and Atemu reached up to scratch at his head, embarrassed.

"You're welcome," he mumbled.

.

"Yuugi?"

Blinking the memory away, Yuugi's vision focused back on the apartment around him, to a concerned Ryou watching him closely. He could already see the gears turning in his head, measuring his actions. He opened his mouth to speak, to shrug off the cold, sickly feeling that was sinking into him. But there was a lump the size of a softball stuck in his throat, and it took Yuugi much effort to clear it.

"They're the flours Atemu gave me," Yuugi said, his soft voice barely audible. "Flowers," he whispered, and a fragile smile pulled at his lips.

"Alright," Ryou said gently, and he approached, using his arm to sweep the cupcakes aside for the bags of food he held. Setting the takeout down, he moved over to the flours and slowly took them into his arms. "Let's put these away for now, alright?" He looked at Yuugi, waiting, and Yuugi nodded.

Taking a deep breath, Ryou put the sacks back into the pantry and closed the door.

"How about we clear the table and eat some food, huh?" he suggested, and Yuugi shrugged at him.

"I'm actually not that hungry," Yuugi said.

"You need to eat something, Yuugi," Ryou said, and Yuugi grimaced, but he did not leave. He helped Ryou clear the table and sat as Ryou handed him his food.

"Okay," Ryou said, taking a deep breath as he settled down with his own food. He glanced at Yuugi, noting the faraway look in his eyes. "I'm going to tell you about the guy I met the other day." He side-eyed Yuugi as he used his chopsticks to gather his noodles. "I met him by chance at the school."

Yuugi hummed, swirling his soup idly.

"He's tall," Ryou said, and Yuugi hummed again. "Buff."

He received a nod and Ryou frowned, but he tried again.

"He's … a bit rough around the edges, but he's got a great ass and he seems cool," he said. "Meeting someone once isn't such a big deal, but — you know when you meet someone for five minutes and then you go your separate ways, but they make an impression and it just sticks with you, so you end up thinking about them occasionally, wondering if you missed a connection?" Ryou waved a hand. "Well, this wasn't anything like that," he said and a smile lit up his face. "This wasn't a missed connection. This wasn't even five minutes. We ended up talking for like an hour. Just there by the benches in front of the cafeteria. I was late to my class!" He looked at Yuugi and his ecstatic expression faltered.

Yuugi was nodding absently and he hummed once more in acknowledgment.

"He eats raw meat and has antlers, you should see them," Ryou said. "He gores his prey and parades around with the bodies hanging off his head. It's horrific."

"Sounds great, Ryou," Yuugi said.

Ryou's hands stilled and he abandoned his chopsticks. Stomach clenching, he sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair. His eyes trailed to Yuugi, taking in his subdued demeanor and shaking his head. Reluctantly, he admitted defeat.

"Alright," Ryou said quietly, and he smiled wryly at his friend, "I'm done. You don't have to talk tonight."

"That's interesting," Yuugi replied absently, and Ryou rolled his eyes, but did not reply. He frowned to himself, concern in his brow as he watched Yuugi pretend to eat. His friend was all tapped out and he knew well what that meant. Any further endeavors to get Yuugi talking would only alienate him.

So when dinner was finished and Yuugi insisted on taking out both Kuribou and the trash without help, Ryou said nothing and let him do as he wanted. Afterwards, he silently helped Yuugi clean up the kitchen and smiled encouragingly when Yuugi bid him goodnight before retreating to his room with a happy Kuribou.

x x x

Standing on the steps leading to the front door, Atemu watched Yuusei drive off on his motorcycle. As soon as he was out of sight, his shoulders collapsed and he sighed. With Yuusei gone, it was just him, and Atemu's expression darkened as he turned his gaze to the door of what would be his home for the foreseeable future, reluctant to go back in. It had been less that twenty-four hours since he had arrived, and already he felt exhausted. Raising his eyes to the black sky, Atemu took a deep breath, the humid air doing little to relieve the suffocating feeling in his lungs. Still, it was better than being inside with them. So he stubbornly refused to budge from his spot, even as his hair began to frizz.

Will they come for me if I don't go in? Atemu thought to himself, a rebellious twinge in his spine snapping him straight at the thought of his father coming out to retrieve him. There was nothing he despised more than being ordered around. And with every command thrown his way, the spite that amassed within him demanded he refuse, no matter the cost.

But with that thought came the echo of his father's words, a promise to harm Yuugi and his friends if he stepped out of line.

Atemu clenched his fists, but the action did nothing to calm him. He could do nothing about the anger he felt. Any retaliation would result in the suffering of those he held dear and Atemu would do his utmost to avoid that.

Huffing on the doorstep, Atemu took one longing look into the night before he finally walked inside.

The temperature in the large house was hardly different from outside. While there was no humidity to speak of, it was still warm, his father's preferred degree of comfort. It was barely tolerable. Atemu recalled various instances throughout his childhood where he had complained about the heat of the house, only to be overruled by his father. Even his mother had had trouble persuading him otherwise.

"Who needs air conditioning when we have windows?" his father would say. "The weather is perfect. We don't need that contraption. I don't know why we even have it."

However, there was only so much his mother could stand. And usually with a measuring glance in his direction, her words would quickly follow his own.

"Ka, turn the air on for Pete's sake," she would say, the small huff of her breath the only indication that she was exasperated. "It's eighty degrees out and this is a Chanel suit. I cannot sweat in it!"

Those days felt ages away from the person he was now. They were like a lucid dream that someone else had shared with him. It felt disingenuous to claim the time spent in his parents' home as his own. Those memories did not feel real to Atemu, though he knew without a doubt that they had happened.

"Atemu?"

Shoulders tensing, Atemu paused in the foyer. He turned his head to the entrance of the living room, and under the archway stood Adira. In the second that he met her gaze, Atemu felt he had aged a decade. Exhaustion settled into his bones and he took a deep breath, steeling himself as his mother spoke.

"Would you come sit with me?" she requested, gesturing into the room. "I have something for you." She paused, her brow furrowing briefly before clearing. "A gift," she said, like an afterthought.

"I was going —" Atemu said, but as soon as the words had left him, he thought better of it. It would be best to get whatever it was over with. Clearing his throat, he walked towards her. "Sure," Atemu said as he passed her into the living room. As he made his way to the armchair, he spied a red, velvet box sitting on the sofa. He sat and Adira followed, saying nothing of his choice in seat as she sat adjacent to him on the sofa. Lifting the box, she placed it on her lap and cupped it around its edges.

"I had hoped," she softly began, "to give this to you much sooner." Her expression remained carefully clear, and her delicately-painted nails tapped lightly on the box. "However, you stayed away," she said, and her fingers briefly clenched upon the velvet, "and months turned into years before you came back into my life."

Not by choice, Atemu thought grudgingly. However, he kept that to himself. In a few minutes, he assumed he would be able to leave and lock himself into his room away from her.

Adira lifted the box and Atemu's eyes affixed to it immediately, curious as to what exactly she had purchased to bribe him into loving her as he used to. He scoffed silently at the thought. Nothing could buy his love, least of all a measly material possession.

Atemu had spent years with nothing. After that, he knew the true value of objects. Material possessions were worth only as much he could sell them for, and had little meaning beyond that. The only things he had truly cared about had long since been sold to ensure his survival.

Adira hesitated.

"I don't want there to be any misconception between us," she said, and Atemu raised his attention to her, curious. She was gazing at him unwaveringly, though her brow was now creased with minute distress. "You were never meant to stay away for long," she said. "Sending you to your great uncle was only to scare you. I would not have allowed you to stay there longer than necessary. You must understand that, Atemu."

The admission was like a jab to his diaphragm, winding him unexpectedly. Eyes wide, Atemu stared at Adira, shocked into silence. He would never have expected either of his parents to address the past, least of all acknowledge what they had planned to do with him. Caught completely unawares, Atemu could only stare as his mother opened the box before turning it to face Atemu.

"Perhaps with time you'll forgive me for believing that was the correct thing to do," Adira said, her expression neutral once more. She held it out. "It is my hope that we can begin anew with this. Do you remember it?"

It took everything within Atemu to tear his eyes away from his mother. He could hear the blood rushing in his ears, a million questions on the tip of his tongue as he looked down into the box, his neck stiff. His heart skipped a beat, and recognition hit him like a freight train. The rapidly-spinning gears in his head ground to an abrupt halt.

Inside the box was a pale, gold watch with a new leather strap. Though old in appearance, it was polished to a shine. His stomach flooded with emotion and clenched painfully. A knot formed in his throat, and Atemu slowly reached out to take the box into his trembling hands. Carefully removing the watch from within, his mother took the box back as Atemu turned the watch over. His eyes stung.

Engraved on the back was his name, along with the date he had received it. Unwilling to believe his eyes, he felt the sides and found a familiar dent where he had dropped it into the marble sink of his bathroom. It felt like a lifetime ago.

There was no doubt about it. The watch was his. The sibling to Yuusei's watch. The one he had pawned when he was fifteen.

"I had the straps replaced," Adira said. "I saw earlier that Yuusei still has his. Isn't that nice? You can match again."

Atemu nodded absently, the emotion building up in his throat. He could not speak even if he had wanted to. Taking a shaky breath, he placed it on his wrist, but his fingers shook so much that he could not fasten it.

Adira promptly reached over and deftly buckled it into place, snug around his wrist.

"Th-thanks," Atemu said, the emotion grating against his throat. He looked at his mother. He was still pissed that she and his father had abandoned him, and he had a thousand questions to ask her yet, but a small part of him warmed with sentiment. Breathing deeply, a tension he had not noticed before slowly ebbed out of his shoulders. He felt lighter, and his heart was tender. Biting the inside of his cheek, the tentative hope that perhaps they could repair the rift between them grew within Atemu.

"You're welcome," Adira said, and she closed the box, setting it aside. "You know, it was nice to see Yuusei again. I'm glad you two are still friends. You always made quite the pair."

The pleasant feeling in Atemu's stomach churned and soured. Though the words were seemingly innocent, Adira's tone did not sit well with him, and dread began to constrict his insides.

"He's always had his head on straight," Adira said gently. "I've always liked him. You two look very good together —"

"Stop."

Adira ceased talking, her shoulders lowering and her expression unaffected.

"Something to think about then," Adira said, and though her words indicated a truce, Atemu could feel in his gut that the conversation was far from over.

Gulping down the lump in his throat, he reaffirmed his resolve.

"There's nothing to think about," Atemu said firmly. He gazed at the watch on his wrist with a heavy heart. He felt sick just looking at it. "If this is a bribe," he said, and he feverishly began to undo the buckle as if the leather burned him, "to get me to forget about Yuugi —"

Adira's hand stopped his jerky movements and his jaw clenched. He prepared to jerk away from her, his entire body tense.

"No," Adira said, and Atemu looked at her with suspicion. "That's not what this is." She leaned forward minutely, her eyes intense. "This is a new beginning for us. Nothing more." Abruptly, she stood and cleared her throat. "You have school in the morning," she said, returning to herself with barely a flutter of her lashes. "Get some rest." She patted his hand. "Goodnight, Atemu." And without another word, Adira walked away.

x x x

When he got home, Yuusei's mind was on his visit with Atemu as he parked his bike in the garage. Pulling off his helmet, he held it in his hands, recalling the rueful look in his best friend's eyes as he admitted he did not know what the hell he was doing.

.

"I really fucked up," Atemu said. Lifting his gaze, Atemu opened his mouth, lips forming silent, baffled words. "I know I did."

"Atemu," Yuusei carefully said, "you don't have to deal with any of this." He stepped closer to the bed where Atemu had placed his head in his hands. "Just say the word and I'll call my mom."

His words hung in the air, an open invitation, but Atemu did not respond right away. He dipped his head, brow furrowing as he took a breath. Seconds passed, and still he said nothing. Yuusei parted his lips to speak again, but Atemu shook his head.

"Atemu," Yuusei insisted, and Atemu shook his head again.

"Yuusei," Atemu said softly, "listen to me. I —"

There was a knock on the door.

Atemu's head whipped towards it with a deep frown.

"Yes?"

"It's mother," said Adira's voice, and Atemu clenched his jaw.

"Come in," he said, his gaze turning away as the door opened and Adira walked in with that same cold smile.

"I brought snacks," she said pleasantly, and Luz walked in behind her with a tray of cut fruit. She walked towards the desk against the wall and silently set the platter down.

"Thanks," Atemu muttered, and Yuusei noted that he did not bother to look her way.

"Thank you, Mrs. Muuran," Yuusei said.

Adira smiled at them as Luz retreated from the room.

"Of course," she replied. "You two have fun." She left, pulling the door closed behind her.

Atemu and Yuusei were silent for several moments, neither speaking a word. The room was quiet but for their breathing and Yuusei stepped closer to the platter of carefully sliced fruit, picking the strawberries off of it. He raised one to Atemu when an indignant look crossed his best friend's features.

"You can have it all," Atemu said in annoyance, and Yuusei shrugged.

"I'm not wasting perfectly good food just because your life is a shit show," Yuusei commented, and Atemu sighed.

"Juudai would be so proud," Atemu scoffed. "He's rubbing off on you."

"Don't start," Yuusei calmly warned, but the threat in his words was there all the same.

"I didn't say it was a bad thing," Atemu muttered, but Yuusei chose to ignore him.

He looked at Atemu, eating more of the fruit before he wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. Leaning against the desk, he rubbed the hand on his jeans before crossing his arms.

"So what's the plan?" he prompted, and Atemu sighed, rubbing at his temples.

"I don't know yet," Atemu said slowly. "I need time to figure it out."

Yuusei tensed, and as if sensing his protest, Atemu waved him down.

"You're not doing shit without my say, Yuusei," Atemu said sternly. "It's only been a couple of days. Just give me time to see what I'm dealing with first. I'll figure something out. Just lie low for a while."

"Okay," Yuusei said, and he took a breath. "Just don't let them get to you in the meantime."

"Trust me," Atemu said, and he looked at Yuusei grimly, "I'm not just going to roll over. I will find a way out of this with no one getting hurt." He stood. "Be right back."

Nodding, Yuusei watched as Atemu retreated into the bathroom. The door closed behind him and Yuusei frowned. A beat passed and his gaze rose to the cavernous ceiling. He breathed a quiet sigh.

"I really hope you do," Yuusei murmured.

.

Taking his backpack out of the compartment under the seat, Yuusei shouldered it and made his way inside the house. He walked into the kitchen to find his mother sitting at the island. She was a tall woman with brown eyes and glasses, her chocolate-colored hair in a pixie cut. Fully engrossed in a book, she held a mug of tea half-raised to her lips. Yuusei could smell the chamomile from where he stood and took a moment to enjoy the sight with a tinge of a smile at the edge of his mouth before he cleared his throat.

The book lowered minutely and his mother's eyes shot to Yuusei over the cover before they crinkled in happiness. Setting the book down, she drank from her tea and crossed her arms on the table.

"Hi, honey, did you have a nice time with Atemu?"

"It was," Yuusei hedged, "an experience."

"Everything okay?" she asked, raising her hand to adjust the round spectacles on the bridge of her nose.

"As okay as I'm allowing it to be," Yuusei replied, and his mother smiled with all her teeth.

"You're so like me," she said affectionately, "just as enigmatic and frustrating the hell out of me. Are you sure you don't want to be a lawyer?" At Yuusei's rising eyebrow, she laughed, shaking her head. "I'm kidding, I love you to pieces and I know how much you want to be an engineer." She sighed happily and raised her eyebrows at him. "You'll tell me if you need me, right?" she asked.

"Of course, mom," Yuusei said, letting a smile grace his face. "I'm going to do some homework and get to bed, okay?"

"Sure," his mother said, and she waved him over. "C'mon. Give me a kiss."

Yuusei gladly walked over and kissed his mother on the cheek before embracing her.

"Thanks for being my mom," Yuusei murmured, and his mother laughed in his ear.

"Oh, honey, there's nothing I'd rather be," she replied as she lightly smacked his butt, earning herself an embarrassed groan from Yuusei before she hugged him back. "Remember to take a bath before bed," she said, and Yuusei nodded, taking a moment to relish her hug before he pulled away with a murmured "goodnight" and retreated upstairs to his room.

x x x

As he laid in bed, ready for sleep, Yuusei considered his options. He could tell his parents about Atemu's situation or he could help Atemu handle it as best as he could. On the one hand, he did not want to violate Atemu's autonomy, but on the other, he felt a deep need to save Atemu from himself.

He sighed.

His phone buzzed.

Grabbing it from the wireless charging pad, he checked to see that he had been tagged in a post by his friend, Jack Atlas, on his social media account. With a wry smile, he opened the app and loaded the post. It was a photoset of a Star Wars post from a different website, comparing the characters to types of bread. He chuckled as he viewed the screenshots and clicked the heart. Returning to his notifications, he frowned when he realized he had been tagged by Juudai in a post he had not noticed before.

The date was from early Saturday morning.

He cringed.

"Sorry, Juudai," he said aloud before he clicked on the post. It was a video with the caption: Kickin it [a] a wedding. Bechu wish u were here [a]engineeringthestars (btw I still thnk ur hndle shood b [a]/YuuDontSeiFudou).

Smiling to himself, Yuusei clicked on the video. It was grainy as it played, due to poor quality of the camera. The lights were low, but Yuusei could see many of them lighting the area of the dance floor. The room was large and cavernous, decorated with white and silver sheer cloth with blush-colored accents and matching flowers that Yuusei could hardly make out due to bad video quality. Yuusei quickly switched apps to his browser and searched for smartphones in the marketplace before heading back to the video. Juudai's birthday was several months away, but it was never too early to think of a present. At least, that was Yuusei's opinion as he watched a newly wed couple dance, lowering the sound as the background music blared through his speakers.

"…"

Yuusei frowned. He could hear someone speaking in the background, but his volume was too low to hear the words. It was not until he heard his name in a reply that he paused the video. Setting the phone aside, he reached over to the backpack beside the bed and unzipped the small compartment on the side. From within, he extracted his earphones and rearranged himself on the bed, plugging them into his phone as he went. Popping the buds into his ears, Yuusei restarted the video and raised the volume, listening intently.

"Will you cry like this at your own wedding, given that it actually happens?" asked Rebecca's voice as the couple swayed in tandem to the music, standing out from the rest.

"Can you even imagine how gorgeous Yuusei will look in a tux like that?" answered Juudai and Yuusei sighed softly, shaking his head in mild amusement.

Thanks, Juudai, he thought.

"He's beautiful as it is — I'd die," Juudai went on as the couple twirled on the dance floor, and Yuusei smiled. "Won't you?"

"Of course not," was Rebecca's appalled response. "It would ruin my makeup, waterproof or not, and consequently, my wedding pictures."

"What about you, Yuugi?" Juudai asked. "Will you cry at your wedding?"

"My wedding?"

Yuugi's response was barely discernible over the music. There was silence on his end as the couple continued to dance, and the camera's focus shifted away from them as Juudai turned. The camera briefly caught Yuugi, his expression soft and thoughtful before a blush stole across his cheeks and the camera rapidly returned to the couple, steadying on them.

"Yuugi?" said Juudai, a tinge of a tease in his voice. "You're blushing."

There was a brief lull where the song ended, and Yuusei heard a strangled noise then, as if someone was struggling to speak. Another song began and the couple took to each other once more.

"I bet you totally thought of Atemu right then," Juudai said, and Yuusei's eyebrows lifted high on his brow.

"J-Juudai!" Yuugi sputtered. "We're not even dating!"

The camera shook slightly as Juudai shifted.

"Don't worry," Juudai said, "your secret's safe with me."

"Who'd want to marry that troll?" Rebecca haughtily spoke up, and the video ended then.

Yuusei stared at the screen of his phone, silent as his mind carefully archived what he had just heard.

But rather than think on what had transpired in the video, Yuusei could only think of one thing:

Has Atemu seen this?

A/N: The song Atemu sings is "Stay" by Steve Grand.

Do not ask for updates. Thank you. (Be sure to check out my other fics!)

Note: I am bilingual and anyone who would prefer to comment in Spanish is welcome to.