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It was nearing 11 p.m. when Atem perked up from Yugi’s side, jostling his partner and worrying him slightly. Before Yugi could ask what had caused Atem’s sudden snap back to reality from the depths of his mobile game, he was out of bed and half dressed.
"Do you want to get ice cream, aibou?” Yugi blinked at the question, caught off guard. Atem was looking for his bag and a pair of socks.
“Um, sure,” came the response after a moment.
Twenty minutes later, they were walking back through the front door of the apartment with a grocery bag of ice cream and mint chocolate brownie mix. Jonouchi and Kaiba greeted them from the couch, where they’d been hunched over Jonouchi’s 3DS, bickering over the Pokémon team he should use to face-off against the Elite Four.
“S’in the bag?” Jou asked, barely looking up from the screen and nudging Kaiba away so that he could sit up.
“Ice cream and brownie mix,” answered Yugi cheerfully, and Atem pulled a face like he’d revealed a secret. In an instant, Yugi followed with, “Come on, we have enough to share; don’t be a dick. You guys want some?”
Jou answered by snapping his DS shut, getting up, and pulling Kaiba along with him. In this fashion, all four made a beeline for the kitchen. Yugi and Jonouchi settled at the kitchen table, peering at Atem over the counter as he gathered ingredients for the brownies. Kaiba hovered over the island, looking out of place.
Hardly a moment passed before Atem sighed, looking dejected. Yugi piped up to ask him what the matter was.
“We don’t have vegetable oil. Three ingredients to this recipe, and we’re out one,” came the flat reply. To Atem’s surprise, it wasn’t Yugi who responded; rather, Kaiba’s voice cut in from the island.
“Melt margarine instead; it’ll taste about the same. Don’t pour it in hot, though. Let it cool, or it’ll cook your egg in the mix while you stir.”
Atem looked slightly offended and highly confused, mumbling an “I knew that…” and crossing to the fridge to search for margarine. Yugi smiled wide and offered a helpful “I didn’t.” Despite his slight disdain, Atem seemed to take this as an invitation to employ Kaiba’s help, having him grease the pan (a muffin pan-- nobody could find a dish for brownies) while he finished the mix. It wasn’t until the batter had been poured and Yugi and Jonouchi were scraping the sides of the bowl that, in a panicked voice, Atem started yelling.
“I forgot the egg!”
The whole kitchen froze for a moment, horrified at the prospect of eggless brownies.
“You have to have the egg,” Kaiba advised unhelpfully.
"I know that!” barked Atem.
And a mad rush ensued to pour the batter back into the bowl and add the egg. Kaiba had to wash the pan out and re-grease it. Yugi and Jonouchi looked on from the table anxiously. Fortunately, all was resolved with minimal loss of batter, and soon the smell of baking chocolate filled the kitchen. The smell must have wafted into the rest of the apartment, and soon invited good company-- Anzu and Miho had come out of their room, beckoned by the scent. Honda followed close behind. Before long, someone had asked Bakura over from next door, and Kaiba’s brothers had followed from upstairs. Nobody seemed to mind the crowded space.
35 minutes later, hot mint brownies were coming out of the oven and the ice cream was brought out of the freezer for topping. Midnight rolled around with plates full of sweets and a kitchen full of friends.