Chapter Text
Yugi Muto taped a notice to the glass door of Kame Game. We will be closed until the 11th. This weekend, they would be going to the beach. By they, he meant himself and his boyfriend Atem....and Solomon Muto who had invited himself along. Yugi had explained to his grandpa that they’d already gotten a motel and that there was no room for him, but Solomon took it upon himself to rent out the room next door. And then Atem had expressed excitement that they could all enjoy the weekend together, so Yugi had no choice but to go along with it.
He walked into his bedroom to see Atem. A halo of crumpled clothes, nicknacks, decks, games and snacks lay around his open suitcase.
“Your stuff is supposed to go in the suitcase, last time I checked.” Yugi teased, kneeling next to his boyfriend.
“It would not fit, Yugi. Fortunately, I hold the high score in tetris,” he smirked at Yugi—that was still a bit of a sore spot, as he’d knocked him down to second place at the arcade—and continued, “So I should have no trouble from this point forward.”
Yugi rolled his eyes. “Please, I let you score the highest in tetris,” he grabbed a handful of snacks Atem was planning to pack, “do you really need all of these?”
“ Yugi,” he huffed, “It is best to always be prepared.”
“Do we really need two sets of Monopoly?”
“ Two is not nearly enough! I was originally going to pack three but I understood it would frustrate you—so I packed two sets and an extra deck of Uno cards in case of an emergency.”
“These games would be great if it rains, but maybe we can just narrow it down to one Monopoly game—look, the only difference between these two is the starting pieces ! Just bring both bags of starting pieces if you really can’t decide and leave a box here.”
Atem relented and followed the suggestion. The next fifteen minutes were dedicated to Yugi narrowing down Atem’s outfits—he really only needed three outfits and one pair of swim trunks at maximum.
Yugi closed his suitcase. “Okay! I think we’re—
“ Wait! ” Atem cried. “You forgot to pack my sundial! ”
Yugi sighed heavily. “Please, please don’t start this now. I have a watch.”
“But, Yugi ,” he pouted, “I don’t have a watch!”
“How is that my fault? I asked you if you wanted one, and you said no!”
“Because I don’t need it!”
Yugi took his watch off and fastened it around Atem’s wrist. “There, see? Now you’ll still know what time it is.”
Atem glanced down before looking up at his partner. “But, Yugi...now how will you know what time it is?”
Yugi brushed a stray bang away from Atem’s face. “I guess I’ll just have to always be at your side.” He climbed into his lap, straddling him and Atem held him close. Atem framed Yugi’s face with his hands and they kissed. Now Yugi was pulling him in, and the kisses were becoming more passionate. They found themselves on the floor, Yugi on top, and then—
The door slammed open. “YUUUGI!” Solomon Muto barreled into the room, and was unfortunately only wearing his swim trunks. “Come help your grandpa pack his suitcase!”
“ Grandpa! ” Yugi cried. “You don’t need help—can’t you see we’re busy!”
Solomon laughed. “Ah, brotherly love! How adorable, my grandson and adopted grandson are so inseparable!”
“ Ugh, how many times do I have to explain—nevermind. Grandpa, I think you need to leave and take your medication. ”
“Thank you for your concern, Yugi, but I have already taken my medication today! And anyway, Atem is the best tetris player in all of Domino City! He will be fine to pack his suitcase. I need help.”
Yugi opened his mouth to protest.
“Help your grandpa, Yugi!” Solomon cried.
Atem—awkwardly—shifted away from Yugi and stood up, flushing. “You...should help your Grandpa,” he mumbled. “The sooner you help him, the sooner he will leave us alone,” he said over their link.
Yugi frowned. “But…”
“ Yugi! ” Solomon cried.
“Damnit, fine! I will help you pack your suitcase!” Yugi grabbed his grandfather’s meaty hand, pulling him out of the room.
“Slow down, Grandson!” Solomon huffed.
Yugi looked down at the floor. “Grandpa, are you kidding me?”
His grandpa’s suitcase was already neatly packed, and there were three shirts on the bed, which easily all could fit.
“But, grandson! You need to help me choose which shirt to wear. If I meet a lady friend, I must know which shirt will help me look my best!”
Yugi stared. “ This one,” he answered coolly. “Are we done here?”
“But, Yugi, which shoes would go with it? And what belt?”
Yugi took a deep breath. “Grandpa, it doesn’t really matter what you wear! It’s about what’s on the inside that counts.”
Solomon shuffled over to the clothes, ignoring him. “I like the brown belt, but I have to wear it on the last buckle,” he moaned. “Should I instead wear the bigger belt?”
“Yes, wear the bigger belt then. And those shoes. Perfect outfit for date night.” Yugi didn’t know if it was or wasn’t, but at this point he just wanted to leave.
“Why, thank you my grandson! My own, personal little homosexual fashion designer!”
“ Grandpa! ”
“What? It’s a compliment!”
Yugi considered correcting him on the fact that he was bisexual, but realized it’d be like talking to a brick wall. Additionally, he’d been told that he has terrible taste in clothing. But he wasn’t going to tell his grandpa that.
“Now, let’s get this show on the road, grandson! I have to be under the sun by noon in order for the tanning oil to really settle. Tell my adopted grandson it’s time to go!”
“His name is Atem , Grandpa.”
“I know, Yugi, but he deserves to have a family just as much as you do!”
“That’s not what I...you’re right.” Yugi quickly retreated into his shared room with Atem before his grandpa could say another word. “C’mon, Atem! Are you ready?”
“I have been ready.” Atem dragged his suitcase across the floor—which now seemed to be stuffed with far more items than Yugi approved of—but Yugi decided to let it go.
The three of them finally headed towards their car. Solomon was still, unfortunately, only wearing his swim trunks.
“Grandpa, I will drive. You can sit in the back seat. Please don’t eat the sandwiches in the cooler before we even get to the beach.”
“I will try, grandson! But I only had a light breakfast this morning.”
Yugi sighed, slamming the car door without another word.
“Yugi,” Atem started, eyes flickering down to the ground. “I... may have left my snacks in my suitcase…”
“You can wait. ”
“I can, but I haven’t eaten since last night, and you told me that I should—”
“I think there are some left in the glove compartment.” Yugi interrupted. “I just didn’t want to dig through your suitcase, because I’m genuinely afraid it’ll burst!”
“Could I have some?” Solomon interrupted.
“Absolutely not! You are going to eat all of the sandwiches anyway, you—
“Grandpa!” Yugi sighed—again. “Your doctor is going to kill me. You can have one sandwich, okay?”
“I am taking back my compliment. You’re an unfriendly homosexual fashion designer.”
“ Grandpa! ”
Atem chuckled as he pulled out a bag of party mix. Yugi reached into the glove compartment and fished around, finding a small pack of almonds.
“ Here!” He whipped around and thrust them into his grandpa’s hands. “Now we should all be set.” He started the car. Solomon dug into his almonds almost immediately, mumbling to himself incoherently.
Eventually, Solomon fell asleep. Atem was gazing out the window, and Yugi pulled out the mixtape he’d made for his partner. He’d originally made it for the trip—which was supposed to be romantic until his grandfather shoehorned himself into it—but since Solomon was asleep, he felt comfortable playing it anyway.
Atem noticed this and turned to face his boyfriend. Yugi offered his hand and kept the other on the wheel. Everything felt calm. So calm that he almost got off at the wrong exit. Yugi changed lanes and a man flipped him off. Atem opened his window—they were going 80 miles per hour— and returned the gesture, yelling obscenities out the window. Somehow this didn’t awaken Solomon, who was snoring loudly in the back seat.
“ Atem, it’s okay! Let’s not escalate it.” He said, changing lanes again. Hopefully the other car wouldn’t start— oh of course he was going to tailgate Yugi, flashing high beams and making more vulgar gestures.
“How am I escalating this? He is asking for it!”
“ Crossbow,” Solomon mumbled in between snores. One snore in particular awoke himself. “ Yugi!” his eyes widened, now hearing the tailgating car beeping their horn. “What did I say about the crossbow? Don’t pull over!”
“In the name of Ra, what is your senile grandfather talking about?”
“I am sitting right here.” Solomon said.
“ Atem! Close the window!” Yugi cried over the wind. As his boyfriend obliged, he added, “One time in America, some guy shot another guy with a crossbow, because of a road rage incident. Grandpa’s had nightmares ever since he heard about it…apparently.”
“I will not be killed like a rhinoceros, Yugi! Damnit, drive better!” Solomon roared.
“Everyone calm down! I’m trying to drive!” Yugi slammed his horn in frustration. Solomon jumped in surprise, spilling his almonds all over the floor. Yugi sighed. Finally, Yugi was able to weave through traffic to get away from the aggressor. He sighed in relief. Then, he realized that his mixtape was still playing in the background. He hadn’t heard it over all of the noise, and the fact that he was invested in not becoming a cautionary tale regarding road rage. The song that was playing now was...suggestive...and his grandfather was now humming along to it.
“Are these the tunes your generation listens to these days?” Solomon hummed. “I quite like it.”
Atem smiled deviously. “Yes, Solomon. Would you like me to turn up the volume in case your hearing aid is not picking up the sound?”
“ No, he does not—” Yugi tried to interrupt.
“ In my day, Ancient Egypt did not have this kind of music.”
Yugi sighed. “Please—not this again. Grandpa, finish your almonds and start counting sheep in your head.”
Solomon huffed and picked up his dirty almonds from the floor. Atem purposely increased the volume, moreso to annoy Yugi.
Almost there, Yugi encouraged himself. Just only a half hour or so to go!
Solomon threw the dirty almonds into the glove compartment. “Take them, I don’t want them anymore.”
Yugi dug his fingernails into the steering wheel. “ Then count sheep! ”
“Yugi! What has gotten into you? How dare you tell me what to do in my own car.” Solomon huffed as if his license hadn’t been revoked a month ago.
“How dare I tell you what to do? How about I drop you off at the next rest stop!”
Atem looked back and forth between the two Mutos. “Solomon!” he said before the old man could make his retort, “...in your day, what music did you listen to?”
Solomon paused. “Why, it has been a long time…” he trailed off, seemingly in a daze. He responded, “What did you ask me again?”
Atem sighed. “...Nevermind.” Solomon chomped on his sandwich in response.
“ Grandpa!” Yugi scolded. “We’re almost at the beach! Can’t you just—” he cut himself off realizing how futile it would be to argue with his grandpa. He took the exit. Atem moved his hand to Yugi’s thigh. It was not subtle, and Yugi nearly floored the acceleration. He blushed as he focused on the road instead of his partner. His grandpa was right there! Whatever. Yugi placed a hand over his partner’s, and then they intertwined their fingers. It was like they’d been before he’d accidentally angered that driver. And things were calm again. If he wanted this weekend to be pleasant, Yugi knew he’d have to be flexible.
Solomon was beginning to snore once again as Yugi finally drove into the motel parking lot. “We’re here! ” Yugi said excitedly. “Grandpa, wake up! ”
“But—I was only on my fifth sheep—”
Yugi ignored him, slamming the car door behind him. He walked around the front of the car to open the door for Atem. Unfortunately, Atem didn’t realize what he was doing and Yugi was knocked down by the car door.
“Ah! Yugi! I’m very sorry.” Atem scrambled out of his seat to help Yugi up. “I didn’t see you—are you hurt?” He knelt down and extended a hand.
“Because he’s so short!” Solomon chimed in.
Ignoring his grandpa, Yugi took his boyfriend’s hand and brushed himself off. “It’s okay, don’t worry!” He pecked Atem’s cheek.
“Yugi! Help your grandpa next—I think my back locked into place again from sitting too long.”
“Sure, Grandpa…”
…
Once they’d checked in and obtained their keys, the trio headed to the beach. Solomon had eaten more than his fair share of sandwiches and they hadn’t even arrived. Yugi fumbled with the large umbrella. He didn’t see the curb, and as soon as he was airborne from tripping, Atem steadied him and confiscated the umbrella.
“Thanks,” he said, face on fire. Atem nodded. Now he was carrying a bag, two chairs, and the umbrella. “I can...take one of the chairs, Atem.”
They shuffled so that their belongings were more evenly distributed between the two of them. Atem’s arms were more muscular than Yugi’s—around the shop he was the one who did the stocking, and most recently he’d found some workout VHS tapes to keep his body in good shape. When Atem had gotten his body, Yugi had pestered him to eat healthy and to take care of himself, but the roles reversed quickly as he got more acquainted with his surroundings. Just days ago, Atem had urged Yugi to drink a glass of milk—so that he’d grow taller. Unfortunately, Yugi was lactose intolerant...and done with growing...but the thought was still there.
Solomon laid his towel onto the sand, hurriedly rolling onto his back. “ Yugi! I need my oil! It’s in the bag, help your pop-pop!”
“What—? Grandpa, no! ” Yugi sighed, placing one of the chairs into the sand, which was considerably distant from Solomon and his towel. “You don’t need any oil!”
“Adopted Grandson, give Adopted Pop-Pop my oil!”
Atem looked between Solomon and Yugi and decided to take a step away from them both.
“ Grandpa! You’re wearing the sunscreen I brought! Your doctor is going to kill me— again— do you remember what happened three years ago?”
“Oh those were just moles, Yugi! It’s fine. I want to look good and tan for the ladies. Atem, I wish I had your complexion!”
“...Thank you?” Atem mumbled. “Although...my complexion is mainly because of genetics—”
Yugi interrupted him, “ Please , just let him be. He will pass out eventually until he starts dry heaving on sand.” He tossed the sunscreen spray can onto his grandpa’s back carelessly. “Put it on!”
“Ouch, Yugi! And I will not put it on!” Solomon folded his arms.
“If you don’t, I’m going to spray it all over you!”
Solomon, grumbling, sprayed a partial amount on himself before flopping onto his stomach once more. Yugi decided to place one of the umbrellas closer to him to at least offer partial shade.
“Okay, come here, Atem.” Yugi said after spraying himself with sunscreen. Eyes wide, Atem stood still. He dug his heels into the sand.
“Yugi...this sunscreen... I fear it may offend Ra.”
Yugi sighed—for the umpteenth time.
“In my day—” Atem and Solomon said simultaneously.
“OH MY GODS!” Yugi cried. “Atem! You are wearing sunscreen! Do you see my grandpa? Look at how damaged his skin is! Do you know how many times we had to go to the doctor to remove dangerous moles ?”
“ Please, ” Atem waved his hand. “In my day, the Egyptians have survived for thousands of years without silly sunscreen. Ra provides life! ”
“I don’t know who this Ra is,” Solomon interjected. “Is he another grandson of mine? Anyhow—Yugi, those moles were not dangerous!”
“Oh my Gods—” Yugi repeated, “I am not arguing about this again! Atem, you need to wear some! You’re going to get burned!”
“Absolutely not! ” Atem scoffed.
Yugi whipped his head around. “And Grandpa! You went to
Egypt...I—” he cut himself off. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Solomon was oblivious. They were at a standstill. Atem continued to further dig his heels into the sand.
“Why is everything so difficult?” Yugi muttered—mainly to himself—before quickly swiping the can and spraying Atem wildly. There was a large misty cloud of the sunscreen, and part of it had gotten into Yugi’s eyes. He didn't even care.
Atem flailed, screaming as if he had been burned. Some passersby turned and glanced. “ Yugi! Stop! ”
“ Atem, if you get burnt it’s gonna hurt! Plus, even if you don’t, it’s not good for your skin.” Yugi said, eyes welling up with tears.
“Yugi?” Atem grasped his partner’s hand. “Why are you crying?”
“Because the damn sunscreen got in my eyes! Because someone wouldn’t just—Whatever...It’s fine...We’re all fine.” Yugi sighed, centering himself. Today was going to be a fun day. “Let’s set up the chairs and then we can go to the ocean if you want!”
Atem nodded. Under his breath, he complained about how sticky his skin had become. Solomon munched on another sandwich, holding it akin to how a raccoon would.
Once they were set, Yugi led Yami over to the waves. Sea foam washed over their feet.
“Here you go!” A little girl said, giving a shell to another child who was presumably a friend of hers. Atem’s eyes widened. Yugi waded further into the water. Atem followed him.
Then, the pharaoh saw something in the water. He picked up a rock. “Yugi!”
Yugi turned his head. “Yeah?”
“I have something f—Look out!”
A wave crashed down onto Yugi, wiping him out. Sand and seaweed was caked in his hair, which was all over his face.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah…”
Atem brushed the hair from Yugi’s face and began picking out the seaweed. “I wanted to give you this.” He held out the rock he’d found.
“You wanted to give me...a rock?”
“It—it is not just a rock, Yugi!” he sputtered, “it’s a romantic gesture!” He pressed the rock into the palm of Yugi’s hand. Yugi stared at it.
“Thanks…” He smiled, seeing the look on his partner’s face. It was actually pretty endearing, now that he’d realized Atem was being serious. “I love it.”
They returned to the water for some time, laughing, occasionally splashing. Atem found a plethora of rocks and shells and had put them into the pockets of his swim trunks.
He reached down into the water and screamed.
“RA, HAVE MERCY!”
“What’s wrong?” Yugi ran over as best he could with the water resistance. Atem lifted his hand to reveal that a crab was attached to it.
“ Foolish crab! ” Atem glared. Yugi gently pried the crab off from Atem’s hand, grimacing. He was nearly about to set it into the water once more, until Atem stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“ No. The crab must pay. ” Atem grabbed the crab once more from Yugi’s hand. “It will now suffer. ” He was strategically grabbing the crab by its claws so he wouldn’t be pinched again.
“ Atem, it’s a crab! ”
But Atem was not listening. He was already walking back towards their towels. Yugi sighed. “Is your hand okay?”
“My hand is fine, Yugi! The crab on the other hand—aha—will not be, however!”
“Why are you being so dramatic today?” Yugi muttered. When he thought about going to the beach with his boyfriend, he’d had a much more idealistic image of how it would go. For example, his grandpa would be at home and not laying on the towels like a beached whale. Atem would also not be diabolically planning the murder of a crab.
Speaking of Atem, he quickly picked up a nearby sand bucket—he was only borrowing it—and dropped the crab inside. He then placed the bucket onto his towel. “ Solomon! Do not touch my bucket.”
Solomon snored in response. It was good enough for Atem. He laughed at the crab inside of the bucket. “Aha! Now you will feel the wrath of the Pharaoh!”
“Atem, stop tormenting the crab!” Yugi called.
“No! It tormented me first!” Atem retorted, glaring at the crustacean.
“It did not —nevermind.” There was no point in arguing with him. The crab scuttled around in the bucket, and Atem watched. His glare softened. Then he shook his head and glared at the crab again. Atem pinched Yugi’s cheek as he’d done multiple times before.
Yugi stared at him, reading his mind. “We are not keeping the crab.”
“Yugi!” He was indignant. “I never said that I wanted to—”
“I know you too well.”
Atem looked down at his feet.
“Just let the crab go.”
Atem frowned. He gently tipped the bucket on its side. “Farewell…” he whispered to the crab. Yugi sighed at his theatrics.
The crab crawled slowly through the sand. “Go on now, tiny creature,” Atem commanded. “Be free!”
“Okay, Atem—” he paused. Was Atem crying over a crab he originally planned to kill?
The crab scuttled over to where Solomon was laying and immediately pinched him. Solomon screeched. “I SAID THE SAFEWORD!”
Yugi went pale as other beachgoers were staring. Tears streamed down Atem’s cheeks—now he was laughing. “Yugi, I take it back, I think we should keep the crab!”
TBC