Title: Secretly In Love With You part 1

Author: Sorceress Fantasia

Pairings: YY/Y, B/R, M/M, past Y/A, J/M, implied S/Y

Warnings: Sap, romance, AU, fluff, OOC, shounen-ai

Disclaimer: I tried to lure Yugi over to me with some really good cards, but Yami came and snatched him back. He took the cards too. So no, I don't own the YGO anime or characters in any way. I don't own the trademarked PS2 and the game Marvel VS Capcom either.

Note: Inspired by the manga 'Full Moon Wo Sagashite'.

"Hey Yugi!"

A boy blinked when he heard his name being called; his friends weren't supposed to be released from their classes this early. He turned to his side, closing the locker with a gentle push as he did so. Locking it, he tried to stand on his toes and peer over the swarm of students in the corridor and see just who was calling for him.

Finally, he made out the distinct forms of his best friends coming towards him and he waved eagerly.

"Over here, guys!"

It took a couple of shoves and some 'excuse me', but the three eventually made it to where Yugi was waiting for them patiently.

"You guys got off class early today," Yugi commented offhandedly. "Something happened? And do I really want to know?"

The blonde boy grinned widely, his pearly whites almost gleaming under the harsh lighting of the school. With one arm akimbo and the other holding onto his book bag that was slung carelessly over his shoulders, he answered, "Marik blew something up in the chemistry lab."

Yugi winced. Even though Marik wasn't really included in his close circle of friends, they were still talking acquaintances; he never liked it when his friends got in trouble. And to muck up in chemistry class, of all things. For all he knew, the explosion could have been strong enough to save Marik the gel he always used to keep his hair all spiky. Then again, if it had been that powerful, the news would have spread through the entire school like wild fire. Well, not necessarily so, because it was a well-known fact that Marik was a naturally talented troublemaker so there was no surprise there, but the annoyed cries of his boyfriend Malik would surely have made the headlines. He was never afraid to voice his opinions.

Just as he was about to ask more, another of his friend pushed pass the blonde and placed a comforting hand on his shoulders.

"Don't worry about him, Yugi. Marik's fine; whatever he did, there was just a hell lot of smoke and nothing else. Just like all his other pranks." He rolled his eyes at that thought.

Yugi chuckled. "True, I guess. Marik's pranks are nearly always harmless. But you guys are alright, are you? I hope you weren't his lab partner today, Yami," he said in concern, looking up at his friend standing beside him. The lab teacher had an uncanny ability to pair Yami up with the worst partners most of the time.

The other boy shook his head. "I got off lucky today, but I can't say the same for Bakura. Not that he didn't do anything with the chemicals though. In fact, he probably helped Marik with it."

"Definitely. Nothing good ever happens when those two are together, I'd say," the fourth boy commented offhandedly, running a hand through his bangs that seemed to be eternally sharpened to an edge.

The three nodded, all wincing as they recalled some of the pranks Bakura and Marik had pulled together. Oh, they did come up with a couple of really hilarious pranks once in a while, but most of them were just like stirring a hornet's nest. Thankfully, with the appearances of two transfer students Ryou and Malik, who eventually became their boyfriends, the pranks had tamed down somewhat.

"Ah, just forget about them. Why don't we go to the arcade and play the day away? I heard that they have some new games coming in today."

"I can't. Ji-chan has something on in the evening, and he wants me to take care of the shop for him. Why don't you guys go on ahead and tell me about the new games tomorrow? I'd love to hear about them," Yugi suggested with an apologetic smile. Then he turned to the blonde boy. "And Jou? I think it's Mai's shift right now, so you'd better get over quickly if you want to see her."

He grinned when he saw the blush surfacing. Jou had been having a crush on Mai for ages now, but had never quite gotten the guts to ask her out. But with her job at the local arcade, it was so much easier for the blonde boy to talk to her while under the guise of asking for her help. Oh, if only he would just ask her out on a date!

Yami and the other boy smirked, and the latter gave Jou a firm nudge in the shoulders.

"When are you gonna ask Mai out?"

Jou returned the nudge. "Shut up, Honda," he muttered, to which his friend laughed harder. He ignored the laughter and turned back to Yugi. "But Yugi, are you sure? You don't want us to stay with you at your place? You know we don't mind."

At this point, Yami cut in smoothly like a warm knife through butter.

"If Yugi isn't going, then I'm not going either. I'll help out in the store too. You guys go have fun," he said. Turning to his best friend, he gently but firmly took the textbooks from his hands. "Thanks for taking my books for me, Yugi. I'll take them from here. Let's go to your place now."

Yugi nodded happily, glad that someone was going to stay with him. Even though it wasn't exactly fair to keep his friend away from the arcade, he knew that Yami would probably enjoy playing with him in his house anyway. After all, they had done it so many times, more than enough to know just how interesting things could get between the two of them. Besides, they could always grab a game from the store his grandfather owned if they were really that bored.

"Bye guys! See you tomorrow!" He waved at Jou and Honda, as did Yami, and the two turned to walk away.

It was definitely an interesting sight; Yami and Yugi looked so alike that Jou had thought that they were brothers when he first stumbled upon them just five years ago. But Jou soon learned to think otherwise. While Yami was a girl's fantasy boyfriend with his sharp, exotic crimson eyes and regal air, Yugi was the epitome of cuteness and sweetness combined. Whenever the young boy got in trouble (which wasn't often), just a couple of blinks from his innocent amethyst eyes that was coincidentally similar to those of a doe would usually get him out of hot water all too quickly. Girls simply adored him and fawned over him whenever they could.

The two were only alike in appearances, and that was a feat by itself. After all, how many people had the correct genes to have that mob of wild, tri-coloured hair? Golden bangs, and black hair that slowly gave way to a touch of red was definitely not a common thing.

For that reason alone, Jou was mistakenly led to believe Yami and Yugi were brothers back when they had first met. But now that he thought about it, the two were anything but that.

When the two retreating figures were covered from view by the throngs of people in the corridor, Jou turned to Honda with a frown.

"Hey, Honda?"

"What?"

Why the hell aren't Yugi and Yami a couple yet?"

Honda prompted did a double take and stared at his buddy wide-eyed. "What!?"

Jou raised an eyebrow. "Well, they sure look like a couple in every aspect I can think of. I mean, they grew up together, and they're nearly inseparable even to this day. They basically know the other so well they know about each other's likes and dislikes; they always sleepover at the other's place; they get along very well with each other's families, and they are always together!" he exclaimed, ticking off each reason he had with his fingers as he rattled them.

"Now that you mention it, Yugi knows Yami's locker combination... but that's because Yugi gets off from his classes earlier than we do so he can help Yami take his books out. Then again... Yugi seems to know Yami's passwords for his computer accounts too..." Honda added with a light frown marring his features.

"And Yami always walks Yugi home whenever he can, even staying behind to help out in the game shop."

"Yugi cleans up Yami's room when he gets over too..."

"Yami always stands up for Yugi when there are bullies around..."

"And Yugi cooks dinner for Yami sometimes..."

"Not to mention preparing Yami's bentos (1) nearly everyday..."

They fell silent, staring at each other. Despite the utter chaos that was teenagers being released from classes running around them, they could hear none of it. Only one persistent question raced through their minds like a lost puppy finding its way around a highway...

It was a mystery why their friends weren't getting hitched yet.

Yami brushed a lock of his golden bangs away from his face, and took a step back to survey his work. The small boxes of magnetic checkers were stacked nicely by the side, with an assortment of other games lined up neatly beside. Yup, the shelf was tidy alright.

Proud with his work, the crimson-eyed teen walked away from the shelves. Feeling a little tired already, he took a seat near the counter where Yugi was busy with explaining the rules of duel monsters to a young boy who looked completely enthralled by the shiny booster packs. He chuckled, remembering how excited he had been when Yugi's grandfather, Sugoroku ji-san, had taken his first stock of duel monster cards a few years ago. The game had been all the rage then, and even though the fever seemed to have died down a little, it was still one of the hottest games to ever grace the gaming scene. But mostly, Yami remembered the days where he would sit down with Yugi and duel. The way Yugi scrunched up his nose as he thought of his strategies was forever etched into his mind.

He peeked up at his friend.

Even though Yugi was already seventeen, it was hardly reflected in his height and chubby looks. And it always made Yugi frustrated whenever someone would try to pinch his cheeks and exclaim just how cute the 'twelve years old' looked. But Yami secretly reveled in that; Yugi's smaller stature made their bodies mould into each other's perfectly like two pieces of a puzzle, with Yugi's head tucked into his neck. Moreover, the chubbiness merely further accentuated Yugi's cherubic loveliness.

But Yami would never admit that to anybody but himself, least of all Yugi. They had grown up together, played together and went to school together. It was difficult, almost impossible to not fall in love with Yugi not just because they were nearly always together, but also because Yugi had the personality of an angel (or at least what he thought an angel would be like). The amethyst eyes and innocent smile were just bonuses. However, despite all that, Yami found himself unable to work up his courage and confess his feelings to Yugi, lest he was rejected and ruined their years of friendship.

And it seemed like such a huge possibility... After all, the little amethyst-eyed boy did have a girlfriend once, which probably meant that he was straight as an arrow. Even though the relationship hadn't lasted long, Yugi had been almost inseparable with the girl, Anzu, then. They had gotten so close Yami felt he was being ignored by his childhood friend and had nearly wanted to commit murder just to get a few more seconds alone with the object of his affections. But one day, the relationship just seemed to fall apart all on its own and Anzu never did talk with Yugi again. They still said 'hello' when they saw each other in the school, but that was about it. Come to think of it, Yami had no idea why they had broken up so suddenly. He had tried to subtly sound Yugi out, but the latter had been so distracted and seemingly upset at the topic he eventually gave up totally.

Yami sighed. He wanted to be the one to console Yugi! He wanted to be the one to draw the angel into his arms, stroke his dark tresses gently and tell him that everything was going to be alright, that he was going to be with him for eternity.

Looking at the boy who was busy giving someone his change at the counter, he felt his heart clench tightly. Yugi was so beautiful with his big amethyst eyes that sparkled like stars in the night sky and his cherry lips that looked so soft and tempting. Others had always called Yugi cute, but in Yami's eyes, Yugi was more than just cute. He was absolutely ravishing, so much so it almost hurt to know that he would probably never belong to him.

"Yami?"

Said boy jumped a little, his trance broken. Blinking, he finally noticed the one dominating his every waking thought and dreams was looking at him with confusion in his eyes. He didn't even notice when did the boy buying the duel monsters card had left. Yami swallowed hard; Yugi probably had no idea how sensual he looked whenever he was confused, the way he would tilt his head and blink his big violet eyes.

"Yami? Are you alright? You look preoccupied."

"I'm... fine. Just thinking about... something." Beautiful, Yami; now he'll want to know what exactly was occupying your mind, a voice inside him remarked snidely.

"Like what?"

Pushing away the irritating little voice that seemed to be saying something along the lines of 'I told you so', Yami answered rather smoothly, "The notes that have been appearing in my locker lately." Great save, if he said so himself. And it wasn't a complete lie, even though it wasn't exactly the truth either.

Realization dawned on Yugi, and he managed a little 'oh'.

Since a few months ago, Yami would find short little anonymous notes stuffed into his locker once in a while. They were handwritten, but no one could identify the writer; even Yugi, the one who tried his hardest to crack the mystery, had to give up after the third note with nary a clue. And it was difficult to tell if the writer was male or female too. But at least one thing was for sure: the person liked Yami. A lot.

That was definitely not difficult to tell. Oh no, not at all, not when the notes were all about encouragement and maybe a tad of affection. While the mysterious person had never said that he or she liked Yami outright, the way the sentences were phrased and strung together and the underlying tone said it all.

"Yugi, you always help me pack my locker and take my books. Are you sure you've never seen who the person is?"

The amethyst-eyed boy shook his head.

"I think this person, whoever it is, knows our schedules really well. I'm really curious though..." he trailed off, scrunching his nose, just the way Yami loved, in deep contemplation. "Just who is it? Who do you think it is, Yami?"

Yami had been so fixated on how positively cute Yugi looked when he was thinking that he nearly missed the question. But he quickly caught himself.

"Well... I've already exhausted the list of potentials a long time ago. I've completely given up. You know it, Yugi. We tried leaving notes for the person in my locker asking to meet up, but he or she never acknowledged it. Maybe this person just wants to be an anonymous admirer or something." He shrugged, seemingly absently, but only he himself knew just how bothered he really was. He had hoped for a long time that Yugi was the one slotting the notes into his locker, but he had long since given up on that fantasy; there was no reason for Yugi to do that at all. They were so close Yugi could always talk to him face to face if he wanted to so there was no need for him to slot anonymous notes. Besides, Yugi had looked as confused as he was when they found the first note. And he was the one who had tried his hardest to find out who the mysterious person was.

But -Yami stole a quick glance at his crush- how he wished Yugi were the one.

"Maybe..." Yugi answered with a little shrug of his shoulders. "Anyway, why don't you stay back for dinner tonight? I'm cooking your favourite curry, and we could have some ice cream for dessert."

He smiled contentedly. Even if he and Yugi couldn't be more, they were the best of friends and Yami would never give that up for anything in the world.

"Sure, Yugi. I love your cooking."

Another boy came up to the counter with a board game, and Yugi quickly turned back to his work after throwing his friend a grin. As he did, he missed Yami's heartfelt admission that was never spoken but left hanging in the air.

Just as I love you.

Yami sat slumped at his desk in his room. Looking at the blank piece of paper before him that was supposed to his essay, he sighed. If there was one thing he really hated, it was homework. How he wished he could just ignore it, but Yugi would give him one of his infamous cute look if he knew and that was the end of the story; he would sit down and do every darn piece of assignment he had without nary a protest. No one could ever stand up against one of Yugi's looks, and Yami was not immune either, despite knowing the little one for nearly all his life.

He smiled as he recalled how they had met. Sugoroku ji-san had mistaken him for Yugi when he arrived at their kindergarten to pick up his grandson, and had thought that his eyes were red because he had been crying. When he tried to explain that his name was Yami and was definitely not his grandson, little Yugi toddled along happily and jumped into the old man's arms. That was when they finally realized that the little look-alikes were schoolmates, and hence started a lifelong friendship between the two. At first it was just a simple matter of staying together when they were waiting for their respective parents to come fetch them home, but their friendship soon evolved to something that wrapped around them both like a comfortable blanket, and neither was willing to ever let go of it. Sleepovers soon became so common Sugoroku ji-san prepared a second set of everything for Yami, as did Yami's parents for Yugi. Before long, they were planning out their education together, resulting in them always being in the same school and sharing many of their classes.

They met Jou and Honda when they were all thirteen, and they quickly hit it off right away. Activities that were once exclusive to just Yugi and Yami soon incorporated Jou and Honda, and it wasn't long before the four became good friends. Despite that, Yami knew that Yugi would always be his best friend and no one, no one would be able to replace him. Secretly, however, he also knew that he wanted more from their relationship. Ever since they were eleven, Yugi's every smile and action tugged at his lips, and sometimes, stirred up the butterflies in his stomach. The fact that the little angel was very tactile in his affections only made him more aware of how much he liked Yugi in his arms and by his side.

But he had never taken any action towards Yugi until his first wet dream at fifteen, in which he and Yugi went full out and did practically everything in a bed wrapped with silk sheets. He could still remember the seductive, come-hither look in those shimmering eyes, the sultry voice, and the halo of light around Yugi. Beautiful. And the softness of Yugi's ambrosia-like lips was so addictive; he vaguely wondered if the real thing tasted as good.

Unfortunately, just when he'd had enough of dropping subtle hints, and was about to take concrete action, Anzu came into the picture.

Yami sighed. But there was just no way to make Yugi his, was there? Even without Anzu, it didn't change the fact that Yugi was straight and probably thought of him too much of a friend to want to be his boyfriend. And Yugi had an abundance of admirers in school that he could easily handpick from; did he even stand a chance? Probably not.

In the corner of his eye, he peered at the newest note he had gotten from his secret admirer a few days ago. It wasn't anything much; just a simple note that went, 'You look so happy today. I'm glad. Please remember you're not alone.' While it didn't seem like much to others, Yami felt oddly satisfied and cherished. He had been rather down the past few days before getting the note, but he had concealed it well enough that only his close friends noticed. But Jou and Honda had given up getting him to tell them his problems after a few tries, believing that he needed some time to think. Yugi, on the other hand, didn't probe at all. Instead, he prepared Yami's favourite snacks and games and invited him over for a relaxing day. Just like the note, it wasn't much, but it was all he needed to perk up again.

Somehow, he mused, both Yugi and the mysterious person knew exactly what he needed. And only they did. Jou and Honda tried, but their attempts fell short. The others didn't even notice.

Once again, he found himself wishing that Yugi and the mysterious person were one and the same. And on a warm summer day, he would find Yugi waiting for him at his locker, a note in his hand with the usual heartwarming words. Yugi would then smile at him shyly, and admit that he was the person who had been slotting all the notes into his locker all along with a little blush on his face. After the heartrending moment, Yugi would lean in to whisper a kiss on his lips, the first of many to come. Their kisses would taste like luxurious wine, like delectable honey, like... Yugi. Sweet, beautiful, and warm.

Yami grinned, despite the blush on his face.

Oh, how he wished that day would come. And boy would he do his best to make Yugi his. Soon.

Attempt number one.

Yami sulked in his seat in the cinema. He had only wanted to watch a movie with Yugi alone! Alone! So why the hell was everyone here?

Oh yes, he had just been asking Yugi out for the movie –a horror flick that was a staple for dating couples, he added mentally- when Jou and Honda overheard it. They had gotten so excited about it, and insisted on coming along. And upon hearing it was a horror flick, Jou had 'offhandedly' called Mai on her cell phone and Honda had run through the school looking for Miho, the girl he liked. Then, Miho invited Ryou, her good friend, and once he decided to come, Bakura insisted on accompanying him. Marik followed his fellow troublemaker too, presumably to wreck havoc on the cinema, and so Malik tagged along to make sure he didn't do anything too disastrous.

And so, instead of sharing a nice movie with his crush, Yami was stuck in the damn cinema with eight other people who seemed to have made an occupation out of playing gooseberry. He gritted his teeth when he noticed Marik throwing his popcorn like showers of blessing at the rows of innocent people sitting in front of him and Bakura yelling for more blood in the movie.

He sulked more.

And then he felt a hand grabbing his. Slightly startled, he turned to his side, surprised to see Yugi cringing.

"Yugi?" he whispered.

The amethyst-eyed boy smiled weakly at him. "This movie sure is creepy. I really don't like how the zombies are jumping at the screen."

Yami blinked. In his attempt to woo Yugi with a critically acclaimed movie, he had overlooked the fact that his crush wasn't all that into the supernatural. He slapped himself mentally.

"Do you want to leave? We can go now if you don't like the movie," he suggested, rubbing Yugi's hand gently to comfort him.

"No, the movie's really great! I love it! It's just... I don't like the zombies."

"It's okay, Yugi. I'm here with you. I won't let the zombies get you."

"Thanks, Yami." And he turned back to the movie, cringing when another zombie sprung out.

Yami grabbed his hand tighter instinctively. What was going on? Was his tactic at wooing Yugi working? At least, he was holding his hand...

Just then, Marik cackled insanely when the zombie was decapitated and Bakura cheered. The whole cinema full of people shushed them.

Mission... failed.

Attempt number two.

Yami grinned at the album in his hands. It was the soundtrack to one of Yugi's favourite computer game when he was younger, and Yugi had been trying for ages to get a copy of it since it was already completely sold out. Yami had gotten lucky when he spied it on a website, and had bought it for a fair sum of money. Boy, was Yugi going to be surprised!

Getting to the lockers where Yugi waited for him every morning, he turned a corner to see his friend already there.

"Morning, Yugi!"

"Morning, Yami!" the smaller boy chirped, almost looking like he had been skipping around.

"Something good happened to you earlier? You look really happy," Yami remarked, feeling the side of his sling bag where he had kept the CD. What better to make Yugi even happier? He smirked mentally.

Yugi nodded excitedly. "Yup! I just met Kaiba-kun earlier, and he gave me something!" At that, he pulled something out of his bag.

Yami's eyes widened. It couldn't be...

"Yup! It's the soundtrack to the game I used to play when we were just kids! He said that Mokuba knew I've been looking for it, so when he chanced upon it online, he bought one copy for me! Isn't he so sweet?"

"Definitely sweet..." Yami grinded through gritted teeth. Kaiba was the billionaire CEO of Kaiba Corporation and at the same time, their classmate. However, the man was seldom in school, and when he did come for lessons, he talked almost exclusively to Yugi alone. Yugi believed that Kaiba was just not the talkative type and it just so happened that he found Yugi bearing some resemblance (Yugi thought it was the height) to his younger brother, Mokuba, so he talked to him. And that was it. Period.

The crimson-eyed boy knew better, and he thought it was a cheesy pick-up line to say that Yugi reminded him of his brother. But at least Yugi didn't fall for it. Not really.

Seriously though, Kaiba possibly having a crush on Yugi was no big deal. Loads of other people adored the little angel. But just why did the jerk have to buy the same damn CD he was planning to give Yugi!?

"Yami? You okay?"

"I'm fine. Really..."

Mission... failed... again...

Attempt number three. Failed miserably.

Attempt number four. Failed disastrously.

Attempt number five. Failed pathetically.

Attempt number six. Failed prematurely.

Attempt number seven. Failed...

Gods, he was running out of descriptors.

Yami felt ready to kill the next person who interfered with his plans to woo Yugi. How was it that every thing he planned went awry? And there would always be someone, something to mess everything up?

He sighed.

Heading for his locker, he lamented the fact that he could not even see Yugi in school today because the little one had left early due to his art class. Supposedly, they were to visit the museum for a talk of some sorts. Oh well, he would call Yugi up tonight just to listen to his voice.

Pushing pass the crowd of students, he got to his locker and quickly opened it. He was almost consoled to see a note lying inside. At least someone was still there for him. Then, he pummeled himself for thinking that way. Yugi hadn't abandoned him! He was just in class, for god's sake! What was wrong with him?

Now class, this man here is showing one of the symptoms of lack of contact with Yugi: depressive thoughts! The way he's frowning implies that he misses Yugi very much and the crook in his lethargic smile means...

Yami shoved the annoying voice in his head away. Instead, he unfolded the slip of paper.

'I hope you'll cheer up soon. You look good when you smile. And remember: everything will be alright in the end. If it isn't alright now, that means its not over yet. I'm always with you, no matter what happens.'

Unable to stop the grin on his face from taking over, he folded the paper back carefully and slid it into his wallet. He had no idea who was this wonderful person who always made him feel better with a simple message, but he was grateful.

-tbc-

(1): A bento is a lunch box, basically.

A/N: I'm terribly sorry my readers for not posting any fics in a long time, but RL has not been particularly kind to me these past few months. I should be able to write more soon, but I really cannot guarantee anything.