Work Text:
08:31
Yugi sighed.
It was the fourth time in a row this week, that he left over an hour past the end of his shift.
Exhausted, he placed his forehead on the steering wheel of his little rusty car and closed his eyes.
He easily could afford a better car, but he did not want to. This was his little loyal vehicle, and he loved it. He already spent so many time in here, sitting in this position, his forehead touching the wheel, and almost every time he had to cry when reflecting the past shift.
But not this time.
This time, he felt nothing but dead inside.
There was a young girl, only two years old, fighting for her life on the infirmary, Yugi was assigned to. She already had fought for 3 months now, but things weren’t getting any better.
Yugi knew it.
Although he was only in his second year as an assistant physician, he could feel it.
They would lose this fight.
Clenching his fists, he started hitting the steering wheel with his forehead, desperately wanting to feel something, no matter what.
It just wasn’t fair.
This whole stupid world wasn’t fucking fair.
If he could, he would spend 24 hours on her bedside, but his colleagues had kicked him out to get some sleep.
As if I could sleep now… or anytime he thought, a bitter taste of sarcasm lying on his tongue.
A soft little knock brought him back to reality, and he lifted his head immediately, his eyes wide in surprise.
Behind the thick glass, a bright dazzling smile appeared, belonging to a young boy Yugi knew quite well.
Knocking again, Salomon Jr made it clear, that he wouldn’t wait any longer.
“Uncle Yugi, open the door!” he shouted, bouncing up and down excitedly, his brown spiky mess of hair bobbing in the movement.
Oh shit.
Yugi tried his best to show the 9-year-old his most convincing smile, before he pulled the door open. In the next second, Salomon Jr jumped into his arms, giggling and hugging his uncle.
“You’re home! What took you so long? There is breakfast waiting for you! Come on!”
His words rushed out of his mouth in a wave of pure joy and agitation, as he leapt out of the car, pulling on Yugi’s hand as hard as possible.
Sighing, Yugi grabbed his brown leather bag and excited the car, hissing at the brightness of the morning sun.
He let the young boy lead him to the front door, still trying to lock his earlier thoughts away before his family could sense that something was wrong.
Salomon Jr pushed the door open with a strong ‘THUMP’, before yelling as loud as he could:
“UNCLE YUGI IS HOME!”
Yugi sighed.
He couldn’t take so much energy so early in the morning.
He watched the little ball of excitement rushing down the hallway, before he inhaled deeply, enjoying the moment of silence as he stood alone in the empty hallway.
All day , he was surrounded by doctors and nurses speaking and shouting, monitors beeping, babies screaming and parents crying.
Those seconds of quiet were a pleasure to him.
Slowly, he put down his bag and got rid of his shoes and jacket, stretching tiredly.
The mirror next to the wardrobe caught his attention.
In the mirror, he saw a young man. Although Yugi wasn’t sure if he was really that young, because his eyes were deeply sunken in above almost violet eye bags, his hair was thin and ragged, his face pale. He could see the cheekbones popping out of his face, and only in this moment , Yugi realised how skinny he had become. His arms and legs were thin, his clothes weren’t fitting quite right anymore. And his hands… they were looking like skinny ghost fingers.
Maybe I should work less he thought for the hundredth time in the last days, but then slowly shook his head, lowering his gaze.
The image of the young girl crossed his mind again and he swallowed.
No. He couldn’t. There were people who needed him.
“That bad?”
Yami’s voice was only a whisper, as he leaned against the wall at the end of the staircase, his arms crossed, his view full of worry.
Yugi looked at him with dead eyes and swallowed dryly.
Fuck.
“No… no it’s nothing, I only need to sleep. You know me, I can’t get used to the night shifts.” he stated, forming a tired smile, avoiding Yami’s gaze as much as possible.
When he tried to make his way into the kitchen, a strong hand grabbed his shoulder and forced him to pause his movement.
“Aibou.”
Now, Yami’s voice was deep and clear ly , and Yugi sensed a hint of anger in it.
“Look at me.”
Yugi swallowed again, before slowly lifting his gaze, until their eyes met.
He hated himself for the concern he saw.
All he wanted to do was keep this shit away from Yami.
“Don’t fucking lie to me again.” the older man hissed, sending a shiver down Yugi’s spine.
There were a few seconds of silence, before Yami pulled his partner into a tight embrace, pressing the smaller body to his, arms shaking slightly in agitation.
Oh, that was bad.
Yugi only saw Yami tremble in the hardest situations, especially when he was angry as fuck.
It was his fault.
It was all his fault.
Yami’s scent engulfed him, and Yugi clenched his jaw, desperately trying to hold back the tears that were suddenly trying to pool out of him.
Yami smelled like family.
“Welcome home.”, he heard his counterpart say, and Yugi finally couldn’t take it anymore.
Thick, shiny tears made their way down Yugi’s cheeks, and he internally cursed himself.
He should have forced himself to cry in the car. Then it wouldn't happen right now.
All day long, he was the strong young doctor, saving the lives of little children, giving orders to the nurses, calming down worried parents, joking with his young patients.
All night long, he was lying wide awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling, thinking about all the children he was responsible for, and the weight of this situation would almost crushed him.
Yami pressed the trembling little body tighter into the embrace, mumbling reassuring phrases, trying his best to calm Yugi down.
He heard footsteps coming closer, and slowly loosened the touch on his Aibou, turning around to meet Kaiba’s gaze.
The tall man was standing in the doorframe of the kitchen, holding a small little girl in his arms. The young kid started giggling and waving when it saw Yugi.
“Da-Da!” she chatted, stretching her arms out, clearly wanting to be near Yugi.
He sighed.
“Kisara Kaiba, how many times do I have to tell you that I am ‘UNCLE YUGI’ and not ‘Da-da’?” he asked, not able to hide a smirk on his lips.
Kaiba approached them and Yugi smiled, before picking the little girl from it’s daddy’s arms and holding her on his own, earning a wide grin from the toddler.
“God, you’ve grown…” Yugi mumbled, as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
“You would have seen her growing up, if you would only be home three days in a row.” Kaiba stated, his voice dark and pissed.
Yugi swallowed and just stared at him, while bouncing up and down to keep Kisara entertained.
There was a long silence, before Yami approached the kitchen door.
“Let’s have some breakfast. I’m starving.” he said, throwing Kaiba a meaningful glare, before entering the kitchen.
The CEO kept standing in the hallway for a bit longer, staring at Yugi with his arms crossed. “You know we are only worried.” he claimed and Yugi felt his chest burning with guilt.
One single nod was all he could give, watching Kaiba turning away.
It was the same discussion every single time.
Yami and Kaiba thought he worked too much. And this statement from Kaiba! It was ridiculous.
Yugi watched the 1-year-old in his arm , as she pulled on a strand of his spiky hair and he could feel his eyes water again.
“They don’t understand…”, he whispered, his voice trembling dangerously.
“Da!”, was all he got as an answer, and he smiled weakly.
“You’re such a sweet little girl. You don’t know anything about this cruel world, hm?”
Kisara was watching him with wide blue eyes.
“I’m sorry that I can’t be here for you. But there are other little girls, just like you –“ he poked the toddler in the stomach and earned a giggle,
“- and they need Uncle Yugi, too. Even more than you do.”
He felt himself grew weak all over and bit his lip, trying his best to avoid his tears.
A small little hand found its place on his cheek and Kisara was looking him right in the eye s , her little face almost concerned, her eyebrows frowned.
“Yu-mi”, she chattered and Yugi felt his heart bursting with pride.
“Yes! Yes Yu-Gi! That’s me!”
Joy flooded his mind and he placed a thick smooch on her cheek, before hurrying to the kitchen.
“Guys! Guys she said my name!”
His words were only a mess in his excitement.
Yami smiled warmly, before he took Kisara out of Yugi’s arms, placing her in her baby chair.
“Well she’s a smart young lady, isn’t she?” he stated, ruffling the girl’s hair and beaming at her with love.
Yugi nodded eagerly, before he let his gaze wander over the dining table, which was stacked with many tasty things. The scent of freshly baked buns and coffee found its way to his nose and he inhaled deeply, feeling warm and fuzzy.
He was at home.
As if he could read Yugi’s mind, Kaiba placed a warm cup of coffee in his hands and smiled a little, his blue eyes sparkling in the morning sun. Yugi tilted his head thankfully and took a sip, letting the hot fluid warming him from the inside.
He was at home.
Trying to not get knocked over by Salomon Jr, who raced through the room, an expensive looking action figure of a blue eyes white dragon in his hand, Yugi made his way to the table and sat down, feeling his legs aching as soon as his weight was no longer on them.
He was fucking exhausted.
Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the feeling of peace, only listening half-heartedly to Kaiba admonishing his son to sit down and two slender hands were placed on his shoulders, massaging him softly, making him groan.
Fuck, his muscles were so tense.
“Don’t stop” he moaned with closed eyes and heard Yami chuckle above him.
“I bet you didn’t say this to someone for a long time, hm?” Yami whispered, feeling Yugi stiffen under his touch.
Yami sighed, knowing that he had hit a nerve.
“I’m sorry. I’m here for you, if you want to talk, okay?”
Yugi swallowed and nodded slightly, staring in the darkness of his coffee cup.
Yami knew that he was touch-starved. This was unfair.
He grabbed his cup so hard, his knuckles turned white.
Yes, he felt lonely. Almost all the time. But there was lots of work and also the love of his family, and so Yugi managed to get through the day without thinking about the gaping emptiness inside of him.
There were times, where he had some dates, but nothing really serious. His work came first for him, and who would accept for their partner to be at the hospital almost all the time? Also, Yugi couldn’t imagine to move away from his family for another person.
It is what it is , he thought bitterly.
He didn’t need anyone. He wasn’t alone. He had his loved ones around him.
He just had to ignore the knot in his stomach while thinking this.
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Breakfast was over quicker than Yugi could realise, and the young Kaiba stormed off the second he was allowed to.
The older Kaiba got up to change his daughter's diaper, and Yugi was left with Yami at the table.
“You want to talk about it?” the older one asked, not hiding his concern.
“No.” Yugi answered almost immediately.
Silence.
“I see.” Yami responded after a while, still watching his Aibou, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
Silence.
Yugi gazed at the thin stripes of sunlight, making their way through the fluffy white curtains whirling in the wind. His eyes followed the path of the light, and he swallowed thickly when he saw the light getting reflected on the empty glasses on the table, producing a tiny little rainbow across the oak wood.
Beautiful.
Why was everything here so beautiful?
Why couldn’t the world out there be a bit better?
The face of the young girl at the hospital flashed up in his mind, and he placed his forehead on the table, enjoying the cool touch of the wood against his skin.
Fully aware that Yami watched him, he sighed. “I’m just tired.”
“Then go to sleep.”
Silence.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“You know why.”
Silence.
Yami knew all about his sleeping disorder and talking about it would only make him more worried.
“Yugi. You need to rest.” Yami whispered slowly.
“I can’t!”
Yugi lifted his head, his eyes full with tears, staring at the older one with anger in his chest.
“Why is it so hard for you to understand this? I can’t! She will die, Yami. She will die while I am lying here in bed!.”, he hissed, his voice shaking dangerously.
Yami frowned and considered his next words carefully.
“And you want to die with her?”
His Aibou hesitated for a moment, sobbing in despair.
“If I will, then so be it.” he finally spat out, and Yami raised to his feet.
A strong hand grabbed his chin as Yugi was forced to meet his gaze, staring into dark, violet eyes burning with rage.
“Don’t you ever fucking say that again!” Yami growled, his dominance engulfing the whole room.
He needed a few seconds to calm himself, before speaking again.
“You know what? Kisara knows your name for almost a week now. She can walk without support for two weeks already. Salomon had his first kiss with a girl from his class. Mokuba was here yesterday and asked after you. He is growing a beard now. I finally convinced Seto to take some days off because we have our anniversary today. You remember any of this?”
Yami’s voice was dark and hoarse and Yugi felt his knees give in.
“N-No…”, he stuttered, “But why didn’t you tell me?”
Yami snorted with disgust.
“I have.”
And with this, he was gone.
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The aggressive buzzing of his phone next to his pillow woke Yugi roughly and he patted disorientated at the sheets before finally finding it and answering the call.
“Mutou?” he mumbled and rubbed his eyes, still half asleep.
He had managed to fall asleep after hours of trying and now he was yanked out of it? He was pissed!
“Yugi, here is Clara.”
He sat up at the end of the bed immediately. Clara was the young physician of the day shift, and it was very unlike her to call him at such a time.
He didn’t dare to answer, just waiting for her to speak on , his heart pounding widely in his chest.
“It’s over.” Her voice broke on the other end of the line and Yugi felt himself growing numb.
“Say this again.” he whispered, his words full of despair.
“I-It is over. She is gone.” she managed to say, clearly holding back her tears.
No.
No, this couldn’t be.
“Yugi, I called our supervisor. She is coming to take over your shift. Stay at home for the rest of the week. Talk to your family. Relax. It’s over. She is at a better place now.”
Yugi just stared into the darkness of his room, unable to say anything.
“Yugi?... Yugi I have to hang up now. The parents need me. Take care.” she stated, before the monotonous sound of the phone told Yugi that she indeed had hung up on him.
Slowly lowering his hand, he closed his eyes.
That was it?
The little girl had gone when he was here at home, sleeping?
A deep wave of pain flooded his heart and he was afraid that it would tear him apart.
It had not been his first patient who had died and it clearly wouldn’t be his last. But it was hard. Every. Single. Time.
Very slowly, Yugi managed to raise to his feet and stumbled across the floor, down the stairs in the hallway.
It was already deep in the afternoon and Yami and Kaiba were sitting on the couch, cuddling, while the kids were playing on the carpet. Yugi hesitated for a moment, just looking through the gap of the door and he could feel his heart soar.
This was his family.
The way Kaiba placed a kiss on Yami’s forehead, the way Yami looked at him, smiling warmly, the way Salomon Jr showed his younger sister how to hold a pencil, the wonderful music coming from the radio , the sweet scent of burning candles and leftovers on the countertop… Everything was perfect.
This was perfect.
He was at home.
Swallowing, he remembered Yami’s words.
This was also his home. He lived with the kids since they were born. Why hadn’t he been there when all these things happened? Clenching his fists, he felt guilt almost smother him.
He loved his job. He really did.
Yugi had to admit, that he felt the most needed at work. So he tried to spend as much time there as possible.
But here?
He loved his home and he loved his family.
But the love between Yami and Kaiba was strong, and Yugi caught himself many times feeling useless.
Trying to contain himself, he thought about Yami’s words again and again.
He felt like shit.
Here he was, Uncle Yugi, standing in the hallway, watching his family, too ashamed to enter the room, because he knew he fucked up.
What kind of uncle was at home for 10 hours only, sleeping 5 of them?
God, the kids had been so excited to see him, although he got home everyday. But when he was home, he was useless like shit.
Hearing is heart pumping loudly in his ears, Yugi blinked slowly, the image in front of him only a blur.
He loved his family.
He needed his family.
Yugi was sure, he wouldn’t be alive on that day, if he hadn't had the support of his loved ones.
But… did they need him?
What if Kisara would get ill like the little dead girl?
What if Yugi wouldn’t be there when she had to go to the hospital?
What if Yugi wouldn’t be there when she would cry and scream his name?
What if Yugi wouldn’t be there when she would fight for her life desperately?
What if Yugi wouldn’t be there when she would lose her fight?
What if Yugi wouldn’t be there when she learned her next word?
What if Yugi wouldn’t be there?
Trembling, he made his way into the room, catching the attention of the others, and when Yami’s eyes met his, everything was clear.
He didn’t have to say anything. He just stood there, shaking uncontrollably, watching Yami and Kaiba rise to their feet simultaneously.
With a few steps, they were next to him, tugging him gently to the couch, placing him between their warm bodies and Yugi blinked when he saw the young boy spreading out a blanket above him. He swallowed and stuttered, trying to say anything, but Yami just placed a finger on his lips, looking at him with eyes full of pity and love.
“Shh. It’s okay. We’re here for you. I am so proud of you for letting us help you.” Yami whispered in his ear and for the first time in forever Yugi gave in, closed his eyes and allowed his body to be tugged into a tight embrace from both sides.
The scent of Kaiba mixed with the well-known one of Yami, and Yugi was surprised to discover that Kaiba also smelled like family.
“U-cel Yu-mi?”, Kisara chatted with wide eyes and Yugi opened his own, watching her pull on the fabric of his blanket, standing on her own feet.
There was a girl who needed him, indeed. And this girl wasn’t at any hospital. This girl was standing right in front of him, asking for his attention, and Yugi couldn’t do anything but smile at her with tears in his eyes.
She wanted his attention.
She needed him.
They all needed him.
He was at home.
No matter what would happen the next time, Yugi was sure he would remember one thing when considering staying at work longer than he had to, again:
This was his family, and they needed him.