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Atem scooped water from the tap and splashed his face. He took a deep, reassuring breath as he looked at himself in the mirror.
It’s okay, he told himself. Breathe. This is going well. You haven’t screwed this up yet. He’s still there, isn’t he?
A very unhelpful voice in the back of his head reminded him that, while he’d been on a lot of dates, he had never been interested in those people the way he was in Yugi. Being popular meant getting a lot of attention, but he’d come to discover it was often shallow and didn’t go beyond physical attraction to him. Which was why the vast majority of those dates were first dates. Call him old-fashioned, but he was looking for way more than simply a good lay.
Enter Yugi.
The other boy had never seemed to care about Atem’s popularity. He didn’t treat him like an idol, or vie for his attention. In fact, it seemed liked he tried to avoid him. That had instantly piqued his curiosity, so he’d done his best to get closer, sneakily, of course. He made sure to be around whenever Jonouchi announced that Yugi was coming. He tried to interact with him much in the same way he did with all those who constantly sought him out, but that seemed to make things worse. However, Atem was somewhat mortified to realise that he really wasn’t sure how else to speak to him. So he persisted, even knowing he was getting nowhere.
Until he offered to help him with homework, that was. For some reason, seeing Yugi’s smile had unlocked something within him, and he’d been able to stop overthinking and just talk to him.
Given where he currently was, it seemed like that had been the key all along.
Taking one more deep breath, he allowed himself to smile and then walked out to the dining hall, to their table…
And his smile fell.
For there, right where he shouldn’t be, standing by Yugi and talking to him, was the person responsible for him being unable to relate to people his age normally.
His father.
Now, don’t get him wrong. He loved his father, and he was a good man. But the fact that he was a high-ranking government official meant that he had raised him to believe that he should always present a perfect and likeable image to others, without letting people get too close to him. It was only here in college, when he was away from him for the first time, that he began to understand that maybe that was wrong.
And now his father was talking to Yugi. Great.
There was nothing to be done, though, so he merely squared his shoulders and approached the table, smile more forced this time.
“Father”, he greeted somewhat curtly. His father turned and grinned.
“Atem! I saw this young man here and was sure it was you! It wasn’t until I was right next to him that I realised he wasn’t. He’s like your mirror image.”
“I know”, Atem smiled tightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Yugi’s concerned expression. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“Oh, I’m here to talk to the dean about some projects, actually. Top-secret stuff, you know.” He winked.
“Well, in that case, don’t let us stop you from doing that.”
“I was hoping to talk to you-”
“Unfortunately, I’m a bit busy at the moment” he interrupted, a bit rudely. “Maybe tonight?”
“Of course! See you then, Atem. Oh, and it was nice meeting you, Yugi!” His father clapped his shoulder and waved at the other boy as he walked away. Only once he was out of the hall did Atem let himself relax and plop down onto his chair.
“So…” Yugi began tentatively.
“Sorry about that. I had no idea he was coming.”
Yugi chuckled wryly. “Yeah, I doubted you were bringing me to meet the family on a first date.”
Atem blushed. He had explicitly avoided using that word out loud, in case Yugi thought this was just food between friends. He should’ve known that Yugi wasn’t that naïve.
“I, uh…”
Yugi smirked. “What? I may not be the most outgoing person ever, but I recognise a date when I see one. Or get invited to one.”
He buried his face in his hands. “Sorry. I… I really did mean this as a date, but I never meant to trick you.”
The other boy laughed. “What trick? I knew, and yet I’m here, aren’t I?”
Atem dared to peek between his hands. Yugi’s smile, the one that took his breath away, shone upon his face. Atem felt himself melt into his chair.
“I guess you are.”
The other boy just stared at him for a few seconds, apparently gauging something in his expression. Whatever it was, he seemed satisfied before he changed topics.
“So anyway, what’s up with your dad? If you don’t mind me asking, that is. He seemed like a nice guy, but the tension there was pretty palpable…”
Yugi’s expression was earnest, and Atem knew he didn’t have to talk about it if he didn’t want to. But he did want to. Besides, it wasn’t that complicated, anyway.
“Well, he is nice, yes, but he’s also the reason I couldn’t talk to you for a long time.” He explained his father’s job and his upbringing, and by the end of it Yugi was nodding in understanding.
They finished their lunch and headed outside. Atem walked Yugi to his room. He didn’t want to end the date, but knew he had to.
“So…” he began.
Yugi chuckled sweetly, and the sound made him weak at the knees. “Yeah, we can do this again. Friday work for you?”
Atem tried not to seem too eager when he nodded. Yugi leaned forward and pecked his cheek, and Atem felt his brain stop working.
“I can’t wait.”
Neither could he.