Summary: Yuugi Mutou is a drug lord, a mover-and-shaker, a sweet face with an iron fist – and Atem will do anything to join this beautiful man on his journey to take over Domino. AU. Blindshipping.

Warnings: Minor character death, references and mentions to severe bullying in a character's past threats of torture, language, violence (gun usage, knife usage, non-graphic descriptions of wounds and blood), gangs, NSFW moments (not sexual situations, but dialogue). Always feel free to message for more information about any warning.

Constructive criticism is encouraged and appreciated!

Another night – another drive – another conversation where his grandfather pops up.

"Did he ever find any important artifacts, Aibou?" Atem wonders aloud. He doesn't seem to realize the question left his lips because his eyes are focused on the starlit sky. Yuugi only knows he wants an answer when Atem squeezes his hand.

(Yuugi doesn't know how they ended up holding hands. He doesn't want to ponder on it too hard because Atem's hand is a soft warmth compared to his own constant chill. He'll have to keep the man for when winter rolls around.)

"Hm," Yuugi replies. "The Sennen Puzzle."

The name rolls off his tongue like the name of an old friend, but he isn't sure if he should flinch or smile at it. The name itself brings back almost too many memories.

"The Sennen Puzzle?" Atem repeats as he follows Yuugi's soft tone. "What is it?"

"Well, it was first a box full of puzzle pieces made out of gold. Grandpa found it on one of his last big adventures. He smuggled it through customs."

"Your grandfather isn't Indiana Jones after all!" Atem cries. "Indiana would be so ashamed."

"Okay, if you thought that was fucked up," Yuugi says between his bouts of laughter. "It gets worse. He gave it to people so they could solve it, but they went all crazy and died. Grandpa realized there were hieroglyphs on the sides of the box, and so he finally gets the idea to translate them."

Atem is enraptured at this point. He stopped gazing at the starry sky and instead watches Yuugi's every move as he tells the crazy story that even the man himself still can't wrap his head around.

"The one who solves me shall gain the powers and knowledge of darkness," Yuugi recites. "That's what the Puzzle said."

Yuugi remembers. He remembers whispering these soft words to himself in a perfect, unbroken mantra as he weaved together every single piece of that Puzzle. He remembers the hope that once swelled his heart, and he bites his lip.

"Grandpa gave it to little eight-year-old Yuugi, of course. His grandson was so smart, and it doesn't help that the brat dared he would solve it unlike the all the others."

"He gave it to you?" Atem replies. "The Puzzle that killed people and promised that you were unleashing a demon if you solved it?"

Yuugi chuckles. "It was crazy, but Grandpa and I never really believed in the normal, Other Me."

Sugoroku – born and raised in a stereotypical house – raised his own grandson to be the least stereotypical. He taught him to believe in everything from Santa Claus to Buddha to the fairies that stole his socks every morning. He weaved fairy-tales with his own odd renditions into Yuugi's mind, and he told him that the only things that don't exist are the things that Yuugi doesn't believe in.

It feels like he's telling the tale of a different person. His own story falls from his lips, but Yuugi can't pad himself with it. He lost who he was somewhere between his first crime and burying his grandfather in Egypt right next to the artifacts he never found.

"Well?" Atem prods. "Did you solve it?"

Yuugi bounces back with a wicked grin. "Eight years. I was sixteen when I put the last piece of the Sennen Puzzle together."

"Did anything happen?" Atem laughs. "Is this how your gangster life begins?"

Yuugi stifles the pain that wants to show on his face. He definitely feels that. Atem doesn't realize how close he is to the truth, and he doesn't need to feel guilt for accidentally digging up the dead.

"Nothing happened," Yuugi replies with a shrug. "Put the last piece in, and it was done. It had a little thing so I could wear it as a necklace if I wanted. I never did."

Yuugi doesn't know what he expected from the Sennen Puzzle. Grandpa fed him fat with too many make-believes and it came back to bite Yuugi hard. The Puzzle couldn't solve his problems. It couldn't make everything better.

(Except, he knows what he wanted. A savior. The knight in shining armor who would ride on horse crafted from sterling silver. Someone who would make the bullies stop leaving purple-red-yellow splotches on his skin. Someone who would stop them from staining his school jacket with blood. Someone to stop Yuugi from staring in a mirror and wondering why he's so different from everyone else.)

The Puzzle didn't bring him a savior. It brought him a broken dream with the realization that he was the only person who would save him. He needed to straighten his back, shove his heart into armor that fit two sizes too small, and learn to take a punch so he could give one back.

(And then, there's a part of Yuugi's life after that he doesn't want to think about. The denial. The chase for childhood innocence, and coming back with empty hands.)

It's a slippery slope from there. That is how Yuugi ends up here with a beautiful man shaking his arm and saying his name over and over and-

"Hm?" Yuugi says. His hands moved on autopilot while his mind was dancing with the dead, and he somehow finds his car in his driveway. Atem stares at him with worry in his eyes and a hand resting on the side of his face.

"Aibou," Atem says. "Are you okay?"

He is. This is who Yuugi is now. He's a drug lord wit a group of friends who would follow him to the ends of the earth because he would always do the same for them. They followed him throughout high school, and they stay with him now. Yuugi will do anything to protect them – and maybe Atem is included in that little equation. Maybe.

This is who he is now.

"Yeah," he replies. "I'm fine."

If this gang wants to start a war, they're doing a terrible job at it.

They hurt Honda – one of his fucking own – and then disappear into nothing. No traces. No leads. Just an empty warehouse that was once their headquarters.

Anzu doesn't take long to track down one of the rival gang's lackeys because hacking is a pure art form to her. It's a way of expression just like those gorgeous dances she did before Domino sucked them into its underbelly. She greets him into her office with video stills and a victorious smile.

"Cigarette addiction," Anzu answers his wordless question. "He doesn't even bother hiding his face from the cameras."

He stares at the video stills of a man just entering a convenience store. The picture is blurred and washed out into mediocre shades of black-and-white. He can only make out a few things like the tattoos on the man's arms, his weird bowl cut, and his dirtied hands.

(The gangster looks so familiar. Yuugi can't put a finger on it.)

"Anzu," he breathes. "I think I'm going to marry you."

She raises an eyebrow at him before chuckling. "Aren't you going to marry Other Me?"

Fuck. He needs to stop telling Jounouchi about him and Atem.

(Or he needs to stop laughing with Atem so loud. That's not helping at all.)

"Are you going to let that poor guy help us now?" she asks. "We could use some extra beef. All the other guys are great, but we could use a sweet face to draw the ladies in."

Anzu snickers as he gives her a look. His look worsens in response, and her shoulders move in a shrug.

"What?" Anzu says. "He's cute."

"Anzu-"

"Don't worry, Yuugi. I'm pretty sure he has eyes for no one but you anyways. I'm just looking."

Yuugi rolls his eyes and focuses back on the stilled images. He could turn back now. He could just leave this information alone and just let this feud die before it begins. There are bigger and better things on his mind than turf wars. He's on the brink of making his own cocaine, and he knows Seto Kaiba wants to set up a meeting. He's on the verge of something bigger.

No. He can't drop this. The Spellcasters are his family. He'll protect them with poisonous fangs and claws. He'll tear into whoever steps up to the plate to harm them because no one is allowed to. He has to carry this out because that bullet could have hit somewhere else than Honda's arm.

This gang could be doing more than just waiting for Yuugi's rage to die. They might be planning for something – for someone. They could pick another target and not miss.

It could be Mai next. It could be Otogi, Rishid, or Atem.

Yuugi frowns and looks away from the images. The Spellcasters haven't changed since Rishid and Ishizu joined years ago.

(They were from Egypt. They didn't tell Yuugi much about their pasts, and Yuugi didn't pry. All he knew was that they were good at what they did and wanted to work for him. Yuugi was a little more careless back then with his wide eyes and fresh scars. He let them in without too much difficulty because he had trust back then.)

(He still doesn't know much about them now. All he knows is that once upon a time they had a little brother named Marik.)

The rest of the Spellcasters are from high school. They were all slipping down that slope, and they knew there would be no return from it. They banded together and decided that, if this is their fate, then they might as well go down in fucking style.

"Yuugi?" Anzu says.

He snaps his head up. Anzu watches him with a soft smile on her lips before reaching out to rest her hand on top of his own.

"Family issues?" she jokes.

Anzu knows him like she knows the back of her hand. She was his first friend back when Yuugi built sandcastles from dreams and cried when bullies made his nose bleed. She protected him and stood by him. Friends until the end.

"I can't trust people. Not like I used to," he answers. "It's – it's hard."

The woman gives him a gentle hum, and she squeezes his hand tight. "Trusting is hard, Yuugi, but you can still do it. Just give it time."

"You're a great therapist," Yuugi chuckles.

"My boss doesn't pay me enough for that," Anzu quips as her fingers return to the keyboard. She can't hold back her laughter as Yuugi gives an undignified sound.

Just give it time. Yuugi can do that.

His eyes focus back on the rival gangster – the one who decided it would be fun to fuck around with his family.

"Let's do this."

"Tell me about you," Yuugi says.

"There isn't much to know," Atem replies.

Atem and Yuugi are curled up on the couch with legs thrown over one another. Atem pulled the comforter over them, and he tucked pillows on Yuugi's side. It's nearly three in the morning, and the poor man is staying awake trying to talk to Atem.

"Besides, you know, your dad leading the biggest gang in Egypt and damn near the Middle East."

Atem laughs at that and shakes his head. "Nah. My father only cared about what's going on in Egypt. That was more important to him than putting his name on land."

Atem is more careful now, Yuugi realizes. His truths are sugarcoated with shrugs and blank stares. Yuugi's brought up his family a couple times now, and every response is the same.

"You wanna be my sidekick, Other Me," Yuugi responds. "I expect a somewhat honest sidekick."

The words on Yuugi's lips feel unnatural. He doesn't pry and doesn't ask too many questions. It's a basic necessity in the world of crime. It's almost akin to having manners, like saying please or thank you. He normally would have backed off, but Atem has never allowed him to react normally.

Atem clears his throat and his hands rest on Yuugi's legs. His fingers thrum against Yuugi's ankles. He doesn't look at Yuugi and instead focuses on the television in front of him.

"The Millenniums were such a double standard, you know? Dad was involved in arms first – not drugs. He'd sell them to anyone who had the money, but he'd walk girls home at night and pick kids up to put them on his shoulders. He wanted the best of both worlds and he fucking got it."

Yuugi frowns. "What happened?"

Atem's hands become fists, and he takes a deep breath into his lungs that gets caught. His expression isn't normal – it's not a wicked grin or smirk. He bows his head down and tries to steady his breath.

"Other Me?" Yuugi murmurs as he pushes himself up. He curls his legs back and leans towards Atem, taking his hand in his own.

They're getting too deep again. They're too far into ghosts' graves and water that's already flowed under the bridge. Yuugi goes to tell Atem he can stop, but the man pushes on with a steady voice.

"Dad was sick, you know? He was sick for such a fucking long time. It almost became normal to listen to him cough all night. I didn't think about it too hard until it was too late."

Atem grips his hand tight in his own, and Yuugi returns it.

"He wanted me to take over the Millenniums one day and guide them in his honor. I was barely seventeen when he died. I wasn't mature enough to understand the cause, so my uncle took over. It was just supposed to be for year until I was ready to take over."

The man raises his head, but he turns it so Yuugi can't see his face. His grip loosens as his chest tries to resume that steady breath. Yuugi can't find the right words to tell Atem it's okay to cry.

"My uncle just fucking wrecked everything. He turned all of them into monsters. He started up a drug ring and stole women off the street to sell and-"

Atem's breathing gets caught again. He brings a hand to his throat and tries to breath in deep only for it to get stuck.

"It's okay," Yuugi whispers. "It's okay."

Atem turns his head back towards Yuugi. There's tears, and the look on his face is enough alone for Yuugi to reach out. He wraps his arms around the man. Atem buries his face in the crook of Yuugi's neck as his shoulders begin to shake.

"Everything. He ruined fucking everything. He didn't care about what my dad wanted or what Egypt needed. He just threw away everything until he had enough money to choke on. I fought it. I did fucking everything to try to save my dad's dream, but I would have been killed by the same men who used to help people."

Atem takes a breath. It shakes so bad Yuugi swears the man felt it in his bones. Yuugi's hands try to move in a soothing motion on Atem's back.

"I was about to leave town when rumors of you began. The Spellcasters. Yuugi Mutou. You've never killed a civilian. You bury the rival gangsters and contact families. People thought you were crazy, but I wanted that. I wanted to somehow live out Dad's dream – and the next thing I knew I was on a plane to Japan."

Yuugi can't help the soft laugh that comes from his lips. Atem gives his own weak chuckle as well.

"So, you just decided out of the blue you were going to join me?"

Atem shrugged. "Kind of. Landed in Yokohama and stole a car. I drove for, like, an hour to get here and just kinda asked around all night until someone me about you. You really shouldn't let druggies know where you live."

Yuugi hums. "Word gets around."

They separate, but Atem still holds onto Yuugi's hands. Yuugi squeezes them.

"I told you that I don't help people, Atem," Yuugi murmurs. It's soft, and he knows Atem blinked because he almost missed it. "I can't do what your dad did."

"Hm, maybe," Atem says. "But you help in your own ways. I'm down for that."

Rishid, Honda, and Yuugi capture the fucker two days later.

They would have just followed the guy back to his base, but Honda recognized the guy as soon as he saw his face.

"That's the bastard who shot me!"

Thirty minutes, a knife wound to Yuugi's arm, and some angry words later led to one of their safe-houses. It's a literal house bought on the down-low by Yuugi with the promise that the agent would 'forget' to put it up for market. They put the guy in the bedroom-turned-interrogation room and handcuff him to the table that Jounouchi beefed up by putting a metal bar across it.

He calls the gang because he can't do this without them. They show up not too long after with Atem in tow.

"He insisted," Jounouchi tells him with a shrug. "Can't say no to Yuugi's sidekick."

"He's not," Yuugi starts. He slaps his hand on his face. "Ugh. Whatever."

Blood runs down his arm and almost drips off his elbow. Yuugi forgot about somewhere between wrestling Honda down because no, you can't fucking kill him because now he needs to tell us where his gang is (also, remember high school?) and Rishid, you're fucking ten times bigger than me, how did he knock you down?

Atem cleans his arm up. It's a small cut, but Yuugi's always been a bleeder. It happened in high school, and it happens now.

"How did this all happen?" he asks.

"Honda got a little excited," Yuugi answers. "The guy in there is the one who shot him."

"No. I mean, how did this happen?"

Yuugi blinks and realizes Atem is talking about his arm. He glances down at it before giving a shrug.

"Jerk caught me with his knife before I tackled him," he says with a smirk crossing his lips at the thought. "I gave him such a punch, Other Me. You should see it. I think he cried."

He expects a smile but gets more of a smirk. Atem's eyes are alight as he wraps the wound up with gauze.

"You need answers from him now."

"Yep. I could let Team Kill Everyone over there do it," he says as he juts his thumb towards Mai and Jounouchi. The two are whispering to each other with their arms brushing against one another. Smiles light up their faces. "But, you know, they kill everyone."

He's joking. Team Kill Everyone gets answers out of everyone. The Spellcasters didn't interrogate, but when they did, everyone in Domino knew it. They get answers when they ask for them.

"Let me go in there."

Yuugi snaps his head back around to find Atem staring at him. The man's face is different. His lips aren't smiling, and Yuugi knows his eyes are alight for a whole different reason.

"What?" Yuugi replies.

"Let me go in there. I can make him talk."

Yuugi's answer is immediate. "Nope."

"Aibou, I can get you what you want. I can do this for you."

Atem reaches out and takes Yuugi's hands. It's such a soft grip. Yuugi can feel the callouses and see the scars on Atem's hands. White, small lines from whatever Atem was doing over in Egypt. He has rough and raised patches that rub against Yuugi's own callouses and scars. He takes Atem's hands and flips them over without thought. His finger traces over a long, raised scar across the man's palm.

"Let me prove myself to you, Aibou," he murmurs.

(They're similar in so many ways and fit so perfect like the puzzles that Yuugi once spent hours putting together.)

He sighs. "Alright, but I'm coming in there with you. Oh, and you're telling Team Kill Everyone that they're not getting a piece of this guy."

"Deal."

Yuugi enters first.

The room is only illuminated by one dim light hanging from the ceiling. Blood stains the chair Yuugi sits in and the table he puts his hands on.

(It's red paint. Jounouchi decided that it was the best way to put the fear of god in people. Worst part is that it actually works.)

Atem follows after and shuts the door behind him. God, if it's even Atem anymore. Yuugi holds back the wave of emotions as he watches a stranger with Atem's face stalk into the room. He stays near the darkness, and his eyes are the only thing that stands out. They're narrowed slits and alive with hellfire that makes Yuugi's breath catch in his throat. He can hear their captive do the same – albeit louder. Yuugi doesn't blame him.

Nothing is more terrifying then a guy with red eyes who wants some information.

Their captive isn't too big. He's almost Yuugi's size if anything. His hair is a bright blue-green and his broken glasses have a bug carved in the center. His nose is definitely broken and there's a gash above his eyebrow from when his face slammed into the sidewalk. Yuugi reminds himself to send in Bakura later to check those out.

The guy's voice is like nails on a chalkboard, and it's so fucking familiar, but Yuugi can't put his finger on it.

"I ain't telling you shit," he says. "So, fuck you."

The guy tries to look at Yuugi, but Yuugi turns his head away from him and back to Atem. Their captive tries to repeat his words, but it gets lost as his eyes land the demon in the corner.

Atem steps – glides – out of the shadows. He looks like a different person – a whole new Atem. His hair is just a mop with frayed bangs amongst the mass of hair. His back is straight, head cocked to one side, and lips caught in a smirk that twists up the corners of his mouth.

There's blood on his hands from cleaning Yuugi's wound. He didn't wash it off.

The man moves behind their captive and claps his hands on his shoulders. The guy tries not to jump, but they catch it.

"Hello," Atem says. "What's your name?"

"None of your fucking-"

His voice gets cut off when Atem moves his hands to his throat and gives just a little squeeze. Haga's free hand tries to come up and claw at his throat. Yuugi glances down at his hands and studies his nails.

"Name. Now."

"Moth," he breathes. "You can call me Moth."

Oh. Yuugi snaps his head up, and then a smile crosses his lips.

"Holy," he murmurs. Atem turns his gaze towards him, and Moth blinks. "You're Haga! I kicked your ass in Duelist Kingdom after you threw my grandpa's cards into the ocean. How have you fucking been?"

His gaze finds Atem's own, and his smile grows bigger. "Remember what I told you couldn't do to him out there? Yeah, I changed my mind. Do whatever you want to this guy."

Atem – his normal Atem – blinks for a moment. Haga freaks out now with his breathing becoming too fast and heavy to actually be drawing air into his lungs. He babbles, but no real words come out.

Atem winks at Yuugi. He fucking winks.

"Alright, Haga," Atem says. "I got some pretty fucking special permission there. I'm sure you don't want me to use it, and I won't, if you tell my boss a location."

"I ain't telling you shit," he says. His voice shakes.

Atem gives a satisfied sigh. He grips the man's chin and holds it tight so Haga will watch as Atem digs into his own pocket.

He pulls out a switchblade. It's old and rusted from years of use. Red smudges are in certain places that Yuugi knows rust doesn't occur. Atem presses a button and the blade flies out right underneath Haga's chin. Haga almost squeals. Atem leans in close enough for his breath to ghost across Haga's face. He twirls the blade between his fingers.

"You will tell my boss everything inside your fucking head-"

"Or, what?" Haga tries. There's some courage inside of him (not that there even was any in Duelist Kingdom. Yuugi really doesn't expect him to have much now) as he snarls and tries to narrow his eyes.

Atem's lips curl up again in a nice, slow smile. Yuugi swears he has fangs. Atem's hand tightens on Haga's jaw.

"You and I will play a very special game," he says. "It's fun, really. I like to call it a Shadow Game. My boss will let you go if you win. He won't follow you, and he'll let bygones be bygones."

Haga doesn't say anything.

"And if he loses?" Yuugi prompts. Atem smiles at him before turning back to their guest.

"If he loses," Atem says. "He gets a Punishment Game, and you don't want a Punishment Game. It fucks people up. I sent a guy to the mental hospital once because he went so crazy he thought leaves were money. Don't make me do that to you."

Yuugi believes that. He really does.

"So, what's it gonna be, eh?" Atem says. He holds Haga still as he brings the blade to rest against the side of Haga's face. "You tell my boss everything and you walk away with only those wounds, or you play a game with me and not be able to walk at all?"

Atem is different in here. This is Atem at work. This is Atem when he wants some fucking answers. He's the judge of people's souls and bringer of justice onto others. He doesn't play kind to whomever decides to mess around with his crew. No one trespasses on their grounds without Atem seeing it all.

(Yuugi's never been so terrified and so aroused at the same time.)

Haga's silent with wide eyes and trembling hands. He looks over to Yuugi, and Yuugi shrugs at him. He leans back in his chair and looks to see what Atem will do next.

Atem watches him. He's waiting for Yuugi's answer. A command. He's ready to judge whoever Yuugi decides. He's a dog foaming at the mouth and ready to dig into whoever annoyed his master. Does someone like Yuugi really get to decide what someone like Atem does?

"He's not going to talk, I guess," Yuugi says with a sigh. It sounds defeated like a boss who just has to fire someone. He looks down at his hands. "Play your game with him, Other Me."

Atem hums, pulls the knife away from Haga's face, and takes the key for Haga's cuffs when Yuugi hands it out to him. He slides it into the lock and keeps his gaze on Haga as he does it.

"So," he says. "What kind of games do you like, Haga?"

That's the straw that breaks the camel's back. The man's eyes go wide – if they can get any wider – and he snaps his head around to Yuugi. Yuugi brings his head up just in time to find his gaze. He makes sure his expression is set, as if his decision is set in stone. Haga begins to blubber as Atem grabs his switchblade once again.

"Wait. Wait!" Haga screams. "I'll tell! I'll tell you everything you want. Please, don't let him take me!"

Atem pauses. He turns to Yuugi and waits. He will carry out the Shadow Game if Yuugi wishes it. Yuugi realizes that he is the judge. He's the Scale of Truth, and he tells which hearts are worthy and which are not. Atem is Ammit, and he eats the hearts of whomever Yuugi declares unworthy.

"Tell us," Yuugi says. "If you have good information, then maybe I won't let Other Me play a game with you."

And the guy spills. He says everything and anything that will leave his mouth. It takes a couple words from Yuugi and some shoulder squeezes from Atem for him to slow down. Yuugi writes it all down. Atem smiles at him all the while, and Yuugi can't stop himself from smiling back. He throws another wink at his boss. Yuugi rolls his eyes.

(They'll let the guy go in a couple days after this is all over. Bakura doesn't mind watching over captives as much as the others.)

"I just want to know where you live, Other Me!"

The attack begins tomorrow, and the time between then and now is downtime. Yuugi needs to prepare, eat a good dinner, and sleep.

(And play Mario Kart with Atem because Atem was a 'champion' at it back in Egypt. Ha.)

But, hey, he has some questions about Atem. The guy is pretty open about everything, but he never responds when Yuugi mentions they should get him a good pair of shoes, or when Yuugi wonders about Atem wearing the same shirt twice in a row.

"I live in a nice apartment about twenty minutes away from here," Atem gasps. "Now, please, pick your goddamn character. Don't pick Mario though. I called him."

Yuugi's lips thin. "There are no nice apartments twenty minutes away from here. Other Me, I know where everything is in this town."

"Aibou, please," Atem huffs. "I promise I'm not sleeping on a park bench."

"Are you – are you pouting?"

"No!"

"Oh, my god. You're pouting."

Atem falls silent, but his pout doesn't fade. Yuugi can't hold back his laughter as he leans across to poke the man's cheek. Atem huffs again.

"Please, Other Me? Just one peek. No judgments."

Atem takes a breath. "No judgments?"

"Cross my heart."

That's how they found themselves in a car with Atem telling him where to turn. He has to remind himself to ask if Atem knows how to drive because Atem probably has no idea. He'll have to teach him sometime.

Atem lives in one of the crappiest apartment complexes from here to Yokohama.

Almost every window is broken, there's a strong smell of beer that Yuugi can smell from here, and there is definitely a prostitution exchange going on down the alley.

Atem takes Yuugi's hand and guides him inside.

He leads him up a set of concrete stairs – holy shit, is that blood? – and to an apartment door that doesn't have any number markings on it. Atem reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key. He doesn't let go of Yuugi's hand the entire time, and he leads the gangster inside.

Nothing. No mementos. No nicknacks. There's bed in the bedroom, an empty kitchen, and a couch in the living room with no television in front of it.

"This is where you live?" Yuugi murmurs.

Atem shrugs, and he doesn't look at Yuugi as he takes off his backpack and puts it in the corner. He lets go of Yuugi's hand to crash on the couch, and Yuugi follows.

"It's a nice place," Atem lies. "Nice rent."

Yuugi determines that this isn't a safe place. He's quite surprised and he and Atem weren't mugged while walking outside. It's way too dangerous for a Spellcaster to live here.

He pauses. Atem as a Spellcaster. Atem as a sidekick. Atem as a boyfriend. Someone to help him take over the world. He isn't sure if he's okay with the idea or not, but the butterflies in his stomach are.

"Let's go," Yuugi says as he stands up. "Grab the pillows and blankets off your bed."

"Why?" Atem asks.

"You're moving in," Yuugi states. "Other Me can't live in a place like this. Oh, and we're stopping at whatever store is open at this hour to get you a goddamn decent pair of shoes."

"Aibou-"

"No buts," Yuugi replies with a smile. "You're living with me until we find you a nice apartment."

Yuugi turns down a hallway that funnels into the bedroom and begins to gather up the bedding. Atem follows behind him and leans against the doorway.

"I can't afford that," Atem says.

"You will after we take down that gang," Yuugi says. "I can't do it without my 'let's play a game to the death' guy."

Atem smiles. He moves and grabs the pillows and piles them underneath his arms. "Does this mean I'm your sidekick?"

Yuugi hesitates.

"No," he replies as he slips past Atem. "But it does mean I can kick your ass in Mario Kart twenty-four hours a day. Grab your backpack before you forget it."

And, so, Atem moves in (and gets a decent pair of shoes).

It's a couple hours before they leave for the Diabounds' base, and Atem wraps Yuugi's hands.

"I don't understand why you need your knuckles wrapped," Atem says with a chuckle. "You bringing your fists to a gun fight?"

Yuugi shoots him a wicked grin as he flexes his fingers. Atem makes a soft, dismayed sound at his work being messed with, and he taps Yuugi's knee. The other just hums in response.

"I'm better with my fists than any weapon," Yuugi explains. "Those old jerks back in high school made me an expert."

And it's true. The bullies crafted him into a fighter. Yuugi's never been good with guns or long-range – god forbid you put a sniper in his hands. He's better with brass knuckles and ducking and broken noses because he can always take a punch before he gives one.

"Hm," Atem responds with his voice softening. "When did you start this, Yuugi?"

There's a moment where Atem and Yuugi aren't at the Spellcasters' base. There's a moment where Yuugi is back in his car with Atem by his side. The man's hand is on his cheek and he's saying his name so soft because the world might break otherwise. There's a moment where everything becomes too real, and once upon a time there was a bright-eyed boy named Yuugi Mutou who loved everyone until there were too many wounds on his heart to take.

The bright-eyed, adoring Yuugi Mutou is dead – and all he left behind was a man who loves the smell of gunpowder and Atem's cologne.

"Start what?" he tries.

Atem frowns at him and raises an eyebrow in response. No, Atem knows him too well now. He knows that the man understood him, and silence is his only response.

"Seventeen or eighteen. I don't remember anymore," Yuugi replies. His voice is just above a whisper.

"Why?"

It's too big of a question. There are too many answers and too many variables and too many ghosts that could hear his answer. Yuugi's hands don't begin to shake because this doesn't bother him at all. He's a gangster with titanium for teeth and steel for blood. He feels nothing, and he sees nothing but his money.

"Why not?" is his response.

Yuugi Mutou, King of Games, had a bright future in that fairy-tale. He did some bad things, but in Domino, everyone goes through a phase where they taste crime on their tongue. He did his time and now he was renewed like a phoenix from the ashes. He had a grandfather smiled so big and ruffled his hair because Yuugi bit into Domino, and he survived when Domino bit back.

But the bite was that of a zombie, and Yuugi didn't realize it until he looked in a mirror. He saw that the bright eyes were gone, and only a man with the crave for adrenaline was left behind.

Yuugi tried to survive on the fairy-tales of his grandfather. He tried to look at the Sennen Puzzle and say that even though it didn't give him a savior, he still learned a lot for it. He tried by becoming the King of Games and faking it until he could be the boy with bruises and hopeful attitude again.

It didn't work. Yuugi was just playing make-believe while his real life waited outside his doorstep in the form of the staccato of gunshots.

"Aibou," Atem whispers. "Look at me."

His hands are shaking too much and his brain was off with fairies that don't exist. Yuugi blinks and finds himself staring at a dark-skinned man with a hand resting on the side of his face. Atem's frown only makes guilt crop up in Yuugi's stomach.

"Why do you always go somewhere else whenever I dig too deep?" Atem whispers. "How many secrets are you burying?"

"Too many," Yuugi breathes. It comes out before he can stop it.

Atem's thumb moves across his cheekbone. Yuugi's boneless – like he came up from water after being under for too long. He's breathing too deep and too heavy to be considered normal.

"Can you tell me any?" Atem replies.

Atem's fingertips graze across the side of his face now. They follow the white scar above his right eyebrow, the raised one near his jaw, and scar near his ear that came from a too-close encounter.

(A story. A secret. A fairy-tale that only the other Spellcasters knew because they followed him every step of the way.)

"I don't know," Yuugi breathes.

And it's the truth, and Atem doesn't get angry because of it. His fingertips move away from Yuugi's face and take his hands instead. They grip his own tight enough to still his shaking.

"All I know is," Atem says. "You aren't the monster you think you are. We're bad people, sure, but we aren't cruel."

"You're just believing a lie," Yuugi replies. He says it before he thinks about it – before he can consider his words. "I sell coke to anyone, anybody. I don't care if it's a soccer mom with two kids or a junkie with nothing to live for. All I care about is if they have the money."

"But you love all your friends," Atem retorts. "You love your family, too. I saw your mom's books in your bedroom with bookmarks in them. You give money to your grandpa's old friends so they can continue to live the dream that he can't. You protect all your friends. You didn't have to chase after this gang when they hurt Honda. You could have just waited until it became important to you."

Yuugi loses his response, and he instead bows his head. Atem leans forward and takes Yuugi in his arms, burying his face in the crook of his neck as he does. Yuugi clings to him with his hands gripping the fabric of Atem's shirt.

"I remember who I used to be," Yuugi whispers. "I miss him."

"Sometimes we can't go back to who we were," Atem replies. "But that doesn't mean we lost ourselves. If we hold onto the things that make us us, then we can be who we are. Atem and Yuugi. Aibou and Other Me."

Atem could make a damn lot of money as a therapist, Yuugi decides.

And then Atem almost dies.

Anzu and Otogi guide them from the Headquarters, and they fill them with information as they go. Yuugi leans in and presses his ear against Atem's own since they only had enough earpieces for the original gang.

"Zorc," Anzu informs. "That's the leader's codename. He looks a lot like Bakura. You cheating on us, Bakura?"

Bakura makes an upset sound at this, and the car breaks out into a wave of laughter. The jokes continue on throughout the review of the plan. Bakura swears he will go rouge at this rate.

Yuugi and Atem will take the front – Honda and Rishid will be prepared to switch out or backup if needed – Ishizu and Bakura will be set up and ready to take on injures – Team Kill Everyone will be set up in the wings and watching the deal go down. Nothing can go wrong. They're prepared, and they've been doing this for way too long to be bothered by it now.

It goes wrong. It goes very, very wrong.

"Listen," Yuugi says to the men with guns raised. He puts his hands in the air. One hand is flat and open, the other with only his index and and middle finger spread out. If he places them together, Mai and Jounouchi will reign hell. "We don't want to fight. There's no hard feelings."

There's five of them in all. Four of the gangsters are tall and have muscles the size of Yuugi's head. He'd rather not fight these guys if he doesn't have to.

"And if we don't?" says the smallest one of them all. Zorc. He doesn't have muscles the size of Yuugi's head, but he does looks too much like Bakura. He has white hair, a tattered raincoat, and the front of his shirt is stained with blood that Yuugi is about eighty percent sure it isn't his own.

"Then we have to fight," Yuugi says. "I don't want to if I don't have to. So, please, put the weapons down."

The guy pauses, and Yuugi really thinks he might comply. They can talk this out. Some money this way and that, and the guy will disappear off the map the way Yuugi wants him to disappear.

Zorc raises his gun. He raises his gun and aims right at Atem. Atem – who doesn't have a bulletproof vest on. Yuugi can't react because before he can even let go of the breath caught in his throat – Zorc fires.

It's slow motion. A moment within a moment. A thousand thoughts in a millisecond before the bullet pierces Atem's chest. It's straight out of a sappy novel or dumb movie, and before Yuugi can process it, the thoughts make sense all at once.

Atem dies. They have to bury him in a pine casket somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. He won't have a headstone. He'll be leaving behind rumpled blankets, a new pair of combat boots with studs (that Yuugi insisted made him look fucking cool), and unpaid rent. The boombox will play odd music that Atem will never listen to again. A game of Mario Kart they paused on to play later will never be played again. Yuugi won't have anything else. He won't have a partner – a friend – a sidekick.

And Yuugi snaps.

Yuugi's gun is strapped around him. He grips it tight in his hands and unloads an entire magazine. There's nothing but red. Two of them fall in his frenzy. Yuugi doesn't care because it's not the one he wants. Zorc is behind a crate like a fucking coward.

"Yuugi!" Jounouchi snaps. "Move Atem. We'll fucking get them for you!"

Atem is sitting up. The man has his hand clasped near his shoulder. He's still kicking, but he won't be forever if Yuugi doesn't help him. The gangster ducks down and takes Atem's free arm to yank it across his shoulder. His other arm wraps around Atem's waist and hauls him up.

"Aw, man," Atem says into his ear. "I was hoping this would happen on our first date."

"Oh my god," Yuugi hisses out. "You just got fucking shot, and that's the first thing that leaves your mouth? Come on!"
They run as best they can across the warehouse. Yuugi can't push Atem too much, but they need more distance from Zorc than what they had. He finally helps Atem duck down behind wooden crates, and it will have to be enough so he can assess the other man.

"Fuck," Atem hisses. There is a red spot on his shirt that blooms larger with every passing second.

"Rishid!" Yuugi calls into the earpiece. "Get over here right now. We need help, like, yesterday."

"There's no path!" Rishid says as Yuugi grabs the bottom of Atem's shirt. He rips it and presses the cloth against the wound. "I'll be dead before I even get to you."

"We knocked out one of 'em," Jounouchi speaks up. "But there's no way in hell we can clear a path for Rishid. Zorc is a fucking psychopath."

He is. Yuugi can hear the constant gunshots, and he's pretty sure it's coming from one gun.

"I'm fine," Atem hisses. "I can still fight."

"You can shut the fuck up," Yuugi says. "Actually, no. Don't do that. Keep talking, but don't talk about trying to fight."

Yuugi takes his gun again and prepares another magazine. He needs to face Zorc before the man hunts them down. He can't – he won't – let Zorc get any closer to Atem.

"Aibou," Atem murmurs as he goes for his own gun. He pushes himself up, but Yuugi puts a hand on his shoulder.

"No. You are going to stay there and not bleed out."

"Let me cover you so you can get close to the fucker," Atem retorts. "With me and our snipers shooting, we can clear you a path to him. I can do this, Aibou."

"Other Me-"

"I'm not a fairy-tale Yuugi. I'm not going to abandon you."

Atem takes his hand as he says this. Yuugi meets his gaze, and his heart somehow winds up in his throat. There's that same stupid smirk on Atem's lips. His fingers intertwine with Yuugi's own. Yuugi tightens his grip. Atem returns it.

"Guys! He's fucking coming right for you. We can't get a good shot at him!" Jounouchi cuts in.

Yuugi's back where he was a couple months ago. He's back at his home at six in the morning, and there's a beautiful stranger on his doorstep. The beautiful stranger smiles at him and tells him he wants to be his apprentice – he wants to do whatever it takes to follow Yuugi on his journey to take over Domino.

They're in his car now. Yuugi plays loud pop music because it's Atem's favorite. They talk, and they don't judge. Yuugi whispers how he committed his first crime. Atem laughs at it and makes it a game of one-up. They joke about his grandfather meeting Atem's father because Atem wants to know who would win in a fist fight. Yuugi and Atem somehow end up holding hands, and Yuugi doesn't bother to worry about it.

They're in Yuugi's house, and Atem fell asleep for once in his life. His head hits Yuugi's shoulder, and Yuugi runs his fingers through Atem's hair. He inhales and is hit with Atem's cologne. Yuugi buries his nose in Atem's neck to smell more of it.

"Yuugi!" Jounouchi screams now. "Fucking do something!"

"I trust you," Yuugi breathes.

Atem nods. He doesn't let go of Yuugi's hand. Yuugi doesn't make him.

"I'm going for him," Yuugi announces to his crew now. "Kill Everyone and Atem will cover me. Just make sure the last guy doesn't get me."

He looks over at Atem, and Atem waves goodbye. Yuugi rolls his eyes-

And he vaults over the crate. His boots move as soon as they hit the ground. He's small, and he's fucking fast. His body stays low and on the move. It helped with the bullies back in high school, and it helps now.

Atem covers him not a second later. They work in a perfect pattern, and it's more than enough to allow Yuugi to get closer to Zorc. Zorc cut down on their distance while they were hiding, but as soon as Yuugi began to fight back, the other gangster began to distance.

Yuugi pushes himself out from behind a crate once again and breaks out into another sprint. His chest is heaving and sweat dripping off his brow-

The last gangster comes barreling behind a crate with a gun in hand. He has the safety clicked back and is about to fire-

And his head explodes. Yuugi flashes a grin back at Atem.

Yuugi needs to get close, but this guy likes long-range. Zorc's gun is formulated for this and the bullets are constant as Yuugi tries to run between every reload. He fires as he runs in time with Atem, but they probably have done nothing more than scrape the psychopath (and that's mostly from Zorc's lack for his own safety).

A bullet nicks his arm. He hisses, but keeps running because Atem's injury is so much worse. They need to end this before he bleeds too much. Atem can only cover him for so long before colors blur and the world goes dark. Yuugi dives behind another barrier.

He's about two crates away from Zorc. He can hear his heavy breathing and the shuffling as he reloads.

It's a chance. An opening. Yuugi can't waste it. Zorc is fast at reloading, but just maybe Yuugi is faster. He moves again and throws himself on top of the crate Zorc is behind.

Zorc looks at him in the eye. He hasn't finished reloading.

Yuugi dives.

His body slams into Zorc's own and the man's body slams against the concrete. It's enough to stun the fucker while Yuugi's hands scramble for the gun. He rips it free from Zorc's grip and throws it as far as he can. It doesn't go far. Yuugi never joined the baseball team for a reason.

Zorc throws a punch before Yuugi sees it. It hits him right in the jaw and Yuugi swears colors begin to dance in front of him.

"Bastard," Zorc hisses as he pushes Yuugi onto the concrete floor. There's only a second before Zorc's hand grabs him by his shirt and punches him again. Yuugi sees stars and knows his nose is broken.

It's supposed to stun Yuugi, but the man moves. His taught talent works in his favor. He frees his pistol from the holster and smashes it right into Zorc's face. Zorc crumples, and Yuugi uses it to push the bastard off him.

He stands then and places his boot right on Zorc's chest. The guy writhes and sinks his long nails into Yuugi's ankle, but Yuugi doesn't flinch.

"You almost killed Other Me – my sidekick," Yuugi hisses. "This is for him."

Zorc tries to speak-

Yuugi closes his eyes and pulls the trigger.

Atem lives because if he didn't, Yuugi would bring him back to life and murder him with his own bare hands. There's no way Atem puts him through this and dies in the end.

They bury Zorc at his base alongside his buddies. Yuugi cracks open a bottle of champagne and says a few words about what a bastard Zorc was. Atem gets a Spellcasters vest Honda sewed for him a long time ago.

He heals up. So does Yuugi's nose.

It's been a week since then, and it's two in the morning. They go on another drive to soothe Atem's restless soul. Yuugi doesn't feel the tiredness in his bones since this is for Atem.

"So," Atem drawls. "Am I your sidekick now?"

Yuugi looks at the man who will follow him to the ends of the earth, and who will catch him when he falls. He watches the crazy gangster who wants to help him be the best goddamn drug lord that Domino has ever seen. He studies Atem – the man he fell in love with before he even realized it.

"Apprentice. Sidekick. Lackey. Paparazzi. Whatever," Yuugi says with a shrug. "Other Me. Shotgun. Boyfriend. Whatever."

He breaks for a red light. Atem taps his shoulder, and Yuugi looks over to find him leaning in close enough for Yuugi to catch his wonderful cologne.

"Can I kiss you, Aibou?"

"Of course you can, sidekick."

End