Chapter Text
Chapter One
For the record, Yuugi Motou loved his new dorm room.
It was cozy (some would say small ) and bright, but he could hear his best friend Jounouchi roaming around their shared living space, so he didn’t feel isolated. If he closed his eyes and listened, he could hear the quiet conversations of their other two new roommates as well.
He laid on his newly made bed and closed his eyes. He still had the rest of his room to complete before classes tomorrow, but at least for these few seconds he could sit and think about his new college life.
Against the wall to his left rested a desk, still completely bare and newly cleaned for use. He knew it should be saved for his laptop and school work, but if he was honest, it would more likely hold whatever game was his obsession for the week. He already had his Duel Monsters deck laid out on the corner. Maybe one of his new roommates would be familiar enough with the game to play with him.
The final empty wall to his right bore a single window. He hadn’t expected to get a room with a window . He took out his phone to make a note to buy a curtain later to obscure his view from the outside.
He found a number of notifications as he unlocked his phone: a message from his grandfather, and five from his friend Honda. He must have been deep enough in thought that he hadn’t heard his phone constantly going off. A quick jolt of anxiety hit him before he opened the messages from Honda.
Honda (12:19 p.m.): Yuugi, I knew your grandpa was a task master, but I didn’t expect this level of labor!
Honda (12:20 p.m.): Not that I mind too much. This is much better than working in a factory, or any other retail job.
Honda (12:21 p.m.): I don’t think you have to worry about your old man. He’s as jolly as always, except when I showed up three minutes late , and hasn’t seemed jumpy or anything. I’ll keep an eye out, of course.
Honda (12:21 p.m.): Don’t be a stranger, Mr. King of Games! You and Jou need to come see me ASAP.
Honda (12:22 p.m.): Watch after Jou, and let us know if anything goes wrong. Don’t forget the safe word is rabid. We’ll come running.
Yuugi grinned and felt his heart swell. He gripped his phone tightly before sending a response to one of his oldest friends. They texted back and forth briefly about how they were settling in, both to college life and a new job. When Yuugi’s nerves were calmed, he flipped over to his grandfather’s text from earlier in the afternoon.
Jii-chan (12:47 p.m.): How is moving going, my boy? I haven’t heard from you in a while! Hiroto came in late this morning and I almost fired him on the spot. Luckily for him I’m so kind hearted and gave him a second chance. He more than earned his forgiveness today! I’m currently happy with your replacement.
Anyway, all of this to say that I love you, my Yuugi, and to have a great time on campus. Don’t worry about me being here. I’m twenty minutes away if you need anything at all. Love, jii-chan
Yuugi breathed his relief out through his nose, and knocked his phone against his forehead a few times before responding.
Yuugi (1:15 p.m.): Jii-chan, give Honda time to adjust. He’s going to be great for the shop, and you need someone around to lift heavy things for you and watch the finances.
Yuugi (1:15 p.m.): I love you! I’ll come visit soon and tell you all about college life.
Yuugi (1:16 p.m.): Also, you don’t need to send texts like you’re writing a letter.
Yuugi (1:16 p.m.): Pretend it’s like a phone call, but you’re typing instead of talking.
All right, that was enough rest. There were still bags and boxes left to unpack before he was truly settled in. Yuugi hopped up from his bed and found his gaze drawn to the solitary window to his right.
The dorms in Domino University were all similar in their layouts. Four students to a “suite”, each with individual rooms, a shared bathroom, and a very small living room to keep amongst them. The building Yuugi and Jounouchi currently resided in was simply one of many, each packed tightly together.
As Yuugi looked out his window, enjoying the end-of-summer warmth radiating through the glass, he realized that he could see directly into the room of another student.
The realization came with a sense of invasion of privacy. Embarrassed, Yuugi quickly looked away. Outside of his window lay a small fire escape which made their windows seem even closer than they really were. He bet if he stood on the fire escape and leaned a little, even he could fully reach the other side.
The thought made him frown. He didn’t want to have to worry about strangers on his windowsill. He looked back into the other’s room, careful to look nonchalant in case he was caught.
He froze.
This student lay on his bed, eyes closed, completely vulnerable. Sleeping.
His hair was eerily similar to Yuugi’s, with red and gold spikes tingeing the black across the edges. His features were certainly sharper, even as relaxed as he looked, but if not for this stranger’s tanned skin they could be confused as twins.
He slept on his stomach, with his arms tucked under his head for support. A dark blanket lay haphazardly across his waist, completely useless as his legs splayed wildly across the mattress.
The stranger turned over to his side in his sleep and let out a small sigh. His black top rode up his stomach as he moved. Yuugi felt his pulse speed up and his face flame and he finally looked away.
He’s beautiful.
Yuugi blinked and shook his head, breaking his thoughts as they came. He was already invading someone’s privacy by watching them sleep, no need to make it creepier by letting his mind go blank with attraction.
He pinched his arm until he hissed to make himself refocus. Then he turned to his (many) unpacked bags and opened the first one.
—-
If there was one thing Atem loved, it was a good nap. In a bed, on a park bench, on the floor… it didn’t matter. Sleep was sleep, and always left him feeling light and warm. And now he had an entire room all to himself, instead of sharing with his cousins.
Bakura frequently laughed that Atem could sleep anywhere, through the end of the world. Since Bakura could laugh loud enough to wake the dead, Atem thought they worked well together.
Better than the other two, at least.
Bakura was only here because he was (somehow) Atem’s best friend. And Atem was only here, at this university and not Tokyo University like he’d planned, because his cousin needed the extra support.
Atem had known Bakura since high school. He’d known Seto, of course, since his and his brother’s adoption by Cousin Gozaburo.
But he hadn’t met their other new roommate yet, though he’d been in their dorm literally all day. He’d come into his new room, made his bed, put his head down and gone to sleep. Eventually Bakura came in and leapt on top of him. Atem grunted in surprise, jolting awake as his (good-for-nothing) friend wrapped his head in a blanket and tossed him on the floor.
The words that came out of Atem’s mouth weren’t in Japanese, but he got his point across as Bakura cackled.
“You’ve been sleeping for hours, you bum,” the white-haired menace nudged him with a foot. Atem groaned and rolled around on the floor, fighting blankets and blindness. “You haven’t unpacked anything. And now it’s time for lunch.”
“I don’t want lunch,” Atem grabbed a pillow and put it back under his head, going back to rest on the floor. “I want to sleep. Tell Seto to order something.”
“Your sweet cousin Kaiba just spent a long time explaining to me and the new kid that he isn’t a bank and that he’s, and I quote, ‘reigning in his spending habits’.”
Atem exhaled slowly through his nose. That was an improvement over the last few years, he supposed, when Seto was known for extravagant expenditures of family money on things ranging from apartments he didn’t need to Duel Monsters cards worth hundreds of thousands of yen. According to his family, Seto had taken to spending ungodly amounts of money on a boyfriend, of all things. But since he still didn’t know why his cousin (and a board of Kaiba Corp. trustees) suddenly decided to shunt himself into a university dorm and attend classes instead of earning his degree online (or skipping the college trap altogether and just becoming the full time CEO of Kaiba Corp), he couldn’t tell if this was a good or a bad thing.
Seto Kaiba had been extraordinarily tight-lipped about the situation, other than a cursory “something happened, you need to come to college with me” phone call. He’d immediately paid for all moving and last-minute change fees for Atem and Bakura, whom Atem wouldn’t leave without. Seto hadn’t even questioned the request.
The whole situation was puzzling. It made his head hurt just thinking about it.
“Just go eat without me.”
“Not an option. I already told the loud one and the mean one that you're paying."
Atem frowned. "Both of those words describe you , so I don't know who--" he paused as Bakura's last sentence washed over him. "Excuse me, I'm what ."
"Get dressed! I'm feeling steak."
"For lunch ?"
Bakura cackled as he leapt back out of the room.
Atem groaned again, stuffing his head under the pillow and banging his head against the ground. "Kill me."
A small grunt broke through his window, making Atem pause and look up from under his pillowy refuge.
His window was open. He always slept with a window open during the hot months, the heat reminded him of his home. He must have fallen back on the habit without realizing it. He stood up and reached out to close the glass again and paused.
A small boy with hair strikingly similar to his own stood on a bare desk, jumping from side to side as he hung photos. Atem found himself entranced as he jumped straight up into the air to try and pin a specific photo to the wall. Atem's eyes widened as the boy wobbled a bit and a hand reached out, as if he could somehow stop him from falling. But the boy regained his balance and threw a fist in the air as the photo stuck in place.
Then he turned around and stared directly into Atem's eyes.
Atem found himself frozen in place. His first thought rang clear in his head: how in the world are violet eyes even possible?
His second thought was he looks soft.
Atem wanted to be embarrassed by the thought, but the truth was that he did . A round, friendly face. Kind eyes. Even the way he held a hand up and gave a meek sort of wave.
(Oh. Wait. Did he wave?)
Atem raised his own hand and returned the wave before his brain rebooted. When he could think coherently, he even offered a small smirk. The boy's face lit up in a smile that made Atem's brain immediately shut down again. He opened his mouth to attempt to introduce himself. Maybe he would remember his name before he got to that part.
"Let's go , pretty boy!"
Bakura's snide yelling broke whatever spell Atem had found himself in. He picked up his jacket, gave one final wave to the boy across the window (make it look cool this time, Atem) and left the room, leaving the cloud inside his mind behind.
But the goosebumps followed him.
—-
Yuugi puffed out a sigh of relief as he took a look around his new room.
I’m finally done, he thought. He stretched his arms as he looked at the newly hung photos of his friends and family. Those had been the hardest to get up. He’d had to stand on top of his new dorm room desk, on his tiptoes.
Behind him, his best friend laughed. “You didn’t think to ask for help?”
Yuugi shook his head, turning to the blonde and smiling. “Why would I do that? I got it up there just fine.”
The picture of his grandfather and his best friends hung happily above his desk, exactly where he wanted it. Now whenever he looked up at the wall, he would see all of their smiling faces and be able to continue working.
“You’re up so high, I’m pretty sure you’d break something if you fell.”
Yuugi jumped down off the desk, picked up a pillow and chunked it directly at Jou’s face. It hit with a thunk as Jou stumbled backward, laughing all the while.
“Anyway, now that you’re finished, can we go find some food, please?” Jou’s stomach rumbled in perfect time with the question.
The thought of a burger after working all morning made Yuugi’s mouth water. “Sure. Burgers?”
“You know it!” Jou grimaced before adding, “We should invite the other two roommates, too.”
Yuugi’s eyebrows shot up. ”I’d love to. But are you sure?”
“Not really,” Jou admitted. “But you love new people, and making new friends. And… it’s time to move on.”
Yuugi ‘s grin grew so wide he thought his lips might split. Jou used to be like Yuugi, used to like making new friends. The last few months, though, have made him wary of people he didn’t already know. Hell, even some people they’d known for a long time.
Yuugi could empathize. It seemed like he was in a constant battle with his newly-suspicious brain. Not everyone has ulterior motives. Not everyone is out for something you have.
In fact, the first time in a while he hadn’t felt that feeling was when the stranger across the window waved at him. He looked so happy and earnest that Yuugi couldn’t help but smile and wave back. He wished he’d stayed long enough for a chat, or at least introduced himself.
Oh, well. Jou was still watching Yuugi, waiting for a response. Yuugi hooked his arm around Jou’s ribs, leading him out of the room. “You’re right. We’ll invite the new roomies. They’re probably friendly enough.”
Jounouchi hummed in agreement. “They’re small, like you. I think I’ve become a mother hen.”
“Den Mother Jounouchi.”
“Oh, we are not calling me that.”
As Jou started in on one of his long tirades, this one filled with much cooler nicknames for himself, Yuugi couldn't help but take one last look through the window into the now empty room across the way. It still lay open a small crack; the boy from before had forgotten to close it. Huh. Maybe he just liked having his windows open.
He seemed friendly, and Yuugi realized he wouldn’t be opposed to making friends with him. Somehow. Maybe he should have made more of an effort to make his acquaintance before he left.
“Hey, new roomies!” Jou called into the living room, breaking Yuugi’s train of thought. “We’re going to Burger World. You’re invited to come along.”
One of the doors tentatively opened and a small blonde male poke his head out. He pushed his glasses up onto his face and pursed his lips.
“Umm, thank you for the offer, but I don’t have the money for that kind of thing right now….”
Yuugi felt Jou’s muscles tense briefly before he grinned and shrugged. “Nah, don’t worry about that. It’s on us.”
The other roommate, a white-haired boy, poked his head out as well. Yuugi offered him the same smile.
“Think of it as a welcome-to-the-dormroom gift.”
That seemed to convince them. Both boys came out and shut their doors behind them.
“Hey, there we go!” Jounouchi held his free hand out to shake. “Jounouchi Katsuya. This is Motou Yuugi.”
“Just Yuugi.”
The white haired boy narrowed his eyes for a moment before taking the proffered hand. “Bakura Ryou. People just call me Ryou.”
“And I’m Hanasaki Tomoya.”
Yuugi’s smile turned genuine as he repeated the names in his head. “Come with us. It’ll be fun.”
“Sure,” Ryou nodded with a small smile.
Before they left, Yuugi pulled up short. "Jou, I'll be right back, I left my jacket in my room."
Yuugi left his friend behind, grumbling to their new roommates, and reentered his room. It took two seconds to pick up his favorite blue jacket and toss it over his shoulders. It took a few moments longer to pull out a marker and a sheet of paper, and to find a bit of tape to secure it to his window.
When he was done, he turned and left to go eat with his new friends.
----
Lunch had been… enlightening. Atem didn’t know how to feel about it.
Much to his relief, Bakura chose a steakhouse that was on the cheaper side of things. At least he was a considerate bastard. The waitress brought them a basket of rolls, which Seto sneered at, and their newest roommate Malik chose some appetizer that involved frying a basket of vegetables and squid. They sat at a table surrounded with a bright red bench, directly under a speaker blaring some type of music that Atem never listened to.
They introduced themselves to Malik and started a lively conversation about their majors and the classes they were attending. Malik was also an Ancient History major, it seemed, and shared a host of classes with Atem.
Seto stared sullenly at the table, arms crossed. He only spoke when asked a question directly, and his one-word answers were meant to deter second attempts at communication. Too bad Bakura was good at ignoring signals like that, and Malik seemed more than willing to play dumb.
“Aren’t you the CEO of Kaiba Corp?” Malik asked, popping a fried onion into his mouth and chewing.
“Yes.”
“The creators of those duel disks for the Duel Monsters game.”
“Unless someone is committing copyright infringement, yes.”
“The number two duelist in all of Japan?”
Seto looked up and sneered. “Is there a point to these questions?”
But Atem blinked as the words caught up with him. “You’re number two now?”
Seto didn’t respond.
The conversation continued on to other topics, ranging from Malik’s family of museum docents to Bakura’s imaginary boyfriend whom he only referred to as Rabbit.
“He’s not imaginary, you idiot.”
“How is that possible? I’ve never met him.”
“He went to a different high school than us.”
“Sure. That’s what they all say.”
“Trust me, if he’d gone to our school, you would have known.”
Atem rolled his eyes. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“Well, hold your breath, because he’s attending this university too.”
Malik shifted his eyes back and forth between the two through the interaction, stuffing fried foods in his mouth like popcorn. Seto rolled his eyes and looked bored.
After a while, Atem started eyeing Bakura. When they finally made eye contact, he nudged his head away from the table. Bakura took the hint and dragged their extra roommate to the restroom, leaving Atem alone with Seto.
Atem intended to turn the conversation to Seto quickly, but Seto was quicker.
“Did you tell your parents that you switched universities?”
“Of course,” Atem responded, snorting. “Though they probably wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t.”
Something dark like bitterness tried to infest Atem’s mood, but he pushed it back. Far be it for Ambassador Sennen or his lovely dignitary wife to notice where their son was. So long as he wasn’t in their way.
He was long past letting that hole in his heart dictate his actions. For the last few years he’d had Bakura, and now he had cousin Seto back.
“That butler of theirs would have noticed.”
“I dare you to call Mahad a butler to his face.”
Finally, Seto let out a small laugh. “Your friend is pretty unruly.”
“Bakura likes to give off that impression.” Atem knew that full well. They’d only made friends in high school out of necessity. Bakura needed someone to shield him from the consequences of his actions, and Atem needed someone to want him around. Ultimately it had been great for both of them: Bakura eventually calmed down his acts of vandalism and petty crimes, and Atem was able to talk his parents into letting him stay in one place for his high school career. “He’ll behave. Within reason.”
“Did he have to come with you?”
“Yes.” Atem’s tone turned stern. Time to change the subject. “Can I ask what I’m doing here, now?”
Seto remained silent for a long period of time. Atem studied his cousin closely during this moment, trying to detect anything that could be considered off. They’d been very close when they were younger, just after the surly Seto and sunny Mokuba had been adopted into the family. Atem could remember spending a lot of time playing games with both of them. Whenever their adopted father wasn’t hounding them, they would spend all day studying and playing with Atem.
But he hadn’t talked to his cousin in years, since his Ambassador Sennen had moved them back to Cairo for his career. They’d tried to communicate through email, phone, anything they could, but eventually the connection was lost. Ambassador Sennen hadn’t even gone to Kaiba Gozaburo’s funeral, making it impossible for Atem to see Seto even then .
Atem continued. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m very glad to see you again. It’s been far too long. But you said something happened . I want to help.”
Seto finally responded. It was the bare minimum, in Atem’s opinion, but Seto had always been extremely private, even as a small child. Atem would learn more as he could.
“I did something I shouldn’t have.”
“Since when is that news?”
“This time I got caught.”
Atem raised an eyebrow and waited. He kept eating as he waited for his cousin to continue speaking. He would find the words.
Or else they would sit here in silence. Atem wasn’t too sure which he preferred.
“In honor of my father –” The sneer was palpable, “--the board decided against taking away my title of CEO, but on the condition that I attend this university for an appropriate amount of time and learn how to manage myself and my expectations of those around me.”
It was impressive how Atem could hear the quotation marks in Seto’s voice without him moving a finger.
“All right, so I’m here with you, instead of starting my first year at Tokyo University, to keep you on the straight and narrow?” Atem could see that, he supposed, but it was such a strange request.
“More or less.”
No, that still sounded off. “What did you even do ? Are you in legal trouble?”
Seto shook his head, but his eyes hooded and he looked off to the side. A strange symbol of a shamed Kaiba.
“No, everyone involved decided not to press charges, and it was kept out of the news and everyone’s mouths.” Atem supposed it was a compliment he wasn’t being asked to sign an NDA. “But the company decided that some of the Kaiba fortune should go to helping those involved.”
Money well spent instead of thrown around? “I bet the boyfriend didn’t like that.”
Seto’s face locked down and he became silent. He might as well have looked away and burst into tears. Atem put his fork down and leaned forward in his seat, and suddenly things made a lot more sense.
“Oh, Seto .”
“It’s not what you’re thinking.” Seto snapped. “I didn’t get dumped because of poor publicity. It’s more complicated than that, and I’m fixing it. So don’t give me that pity face.”
Atem worked hard to keep his face passive, but he understood now. The board didn’t ask him to come here to keep tabs on Seto Kaiba and their fortune.
Kaiba asked him to be here. His cousin needed him for emotional support.
The thought was both strange and flooring at the same time. Sure, they’d been close growing up before Atem and his family moved to the Egyptian Embassy, but Seto Kaiba eventually kept everyone at arm’s length except for his brother. Even insinuating that he needed help was–
Atem jerked his head and shut the thought down, determined more than ever to help his cousin through this.
He made sure to look his cousin in the eyes and give a confident nod. “We’ve got this.”
Seto slowly let out a breath he must have been holding. Then Bakura and Malik returned and the conversation moved on to lighter topics.
When Atem came back to his dorm, sullen about his heavy heart and his light wallet, he threw his keys and his bag down at his desk and turned around, not-so-subtly glancing through his window.
A single sheet of paper lay flat against the opposite glass with soft, curvy handwriting across it.
“My name is Yuugi.”
Atem's heart felt a little lighter now, too.
----
Yuugi‘s new friends liked to play games. Not just video games, either, but real board games. Card games.
He was both shocked and elated. The din of Burger World around them quieted as he couldn’t quite believe his luck.
“You do?”
“I’m not very good at any of them,” Hanasaki scrunched his head into his shoulders and focused on his burger. “But I like to play.”
“There are a lot of newer ones that focus more on teamwork and camaraderie than beating other players.” Yuugi added. “I have a few, if you’re ever interested.”
Hanasaki smiled with his eyes for the first time and nodded his head. “Yes, please!”
“That sounds like a good way for us all to get to know each other.” Jou sat next to Yuugi on the diner bench. He picked up a handful of french fries and stuffed them into his mouth, choking when he tried to speak again.
“In high school, I used to play a game called Monster World with my friends.” Ryou shifted in his seat. “I haven’t played since graduation. We all went to different colleges.”
“Oh, I know Monster World!” Yuugi clapped his hands together. “We sell it at my jii-chan’s game shop. I’ve never played it. It looks complex. I’ve always wanted to play.”
“It’s a lot of fun once you get the rules down.” Ryou explained. He took a sip of his drink. “I’d be happy to run a small game if everyone is interested.”
Yuugi nodded quickly. Yes , he was certainly interested. Yuugi’s worries about new roommates were alleviated by the second. A quick look at Jounouchi confirmed he was feeling a lot better now, too.
“I have three different Zombire games!” Hanasaki now bounced excitedly in his seat, looking more like a small child than a college student. He spoke quickly, as if he wouldn’t start again if he stopped. “I’ve never played them myself, because they need multiple people to play and I’ve never had anyone to play with.”
Yuugi grit his teeth. He sure knew that feeling. He’d been friendless for such a long time until he met Jounouchi. Even Jou hadn’t been the kindest to him when they’d met, though that was less because of Yuugi and more because of Jou’s homelife. Once Jounouchi realized exactly how everyone else treated Yuugi at school, he’d stepped in to put a stop to it quickly enough.
They’d been incredibly close ever since. Even as their wider group of friends came into the fold, Jou and Yuugi were more than ready to drop everything and help each other. Ready to cut out anything that harmed the other.
Yuugi suddenly shuddered. They’d learned that tidbit about their friendship all too recently. It was knowledge that filled Yuugi with a confusing mix of pride and guilt.
Jou nudged him under the table and Yuugi refocused. He met Jou’s concerned glance and nodded. I’m fine, he tried to convey with a single look. Don’t worry so much.
And anyway, Hanasaki was still extolling the virtues of Zombire. Yuugi leaned forward to just catch the end of his explanation.
Hanasaki finally seemed to deflate. “I mean, if you guys want. I know we just met, and most people don’t know a lot about Zombire, and–”
Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Jou’s eyes narrow as he studied Hanasaki.
He’s found someone else to take care of, Yuugi thought. Den Mother Jou.
“That depends,” Jou interrupted. Yuugi threw a sharp look at him, but Jou stared straight ahead at Hanasaki. “Do you mean the new version of Zombire, or the classic version from the eighties?”
Hanasaki’s face lit up like he’d just found his best friends. He started into what ended up being a very detailed comparison between the old and new comics, including the board games, and even the brand new video game that he couldn’t afford yet. Jou was able to follow a lot better than Yuugi could, since he’d actually read some of the material. He sat back on the bench, finishing his meal and watching his new friends discuss their various hobbies.
“You know,” Ryou waited until Yuugi had taken hold of his soda and was mid-sip. “I’m surprised you haven’t brought up Duel Monsters yet, King of Games.”
Yuugi spat his drink out onto the table. Heat shot through his nose and he began to cough.
Jou began to laugh, loudly, while picking up napkins to clean the mess. Hanasaki yelped at the sudden chaos and brought his legs up to his chest, as if he were trying to stay out of the way. Their table was steadily collecting looks from other diner patrons.
Ryou’s hands flew to his mouth and he began spluttering apologies.
“Oh Yuugi, I'm so sorry! I didn’t mean to surprise you like that! Are you okay? Oh no, it’s everywhere. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine, I’m fine,” Yuugi took one of the napkins and blew his nose. “How did you even know? I didn’t think anyone outside of the Duel Monsters circuit knew.”
He pointedly ignored Jou’s mutter of “that’s a pretty big circuit though.”
It was Ryou’s turn to look sheepish. “I play a bit of Duel Monsters myself.”
“...Really?”
“Well, mostly with my boyfriend.” Ryou shrugged. “His best friend is excellent at it, and he keeps getting mad that he can’t win. So he practices with me. I recognized you when we met, but your name confirmed it. I saw your championship duel where you took the title from Seto Kaiba a few months ago.”
Yuugi’s smile froze in place, and Jou’s hands on the table stuttered to a stop before continuing to clean up the mess. “Ah, I see.”
Ryou obviously noticed. “Is that alright? I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“No, it’s perfectly fine.” Yuugi shook his head as he spoke. “I just didn’t expect it. Mostly only my high school friends call me the King of Games when they’re joking around. It’s a pretty silly title in the first place, really.” The tightening in his chest was growing smaller, so he took another breath. “I’d be happy to duel you if you ever get bored of just practicing.”
They ate burgers and talked about games and comics until lunch time turned into dinner time. By the time they left, all four roommates were well acquainted and much more comfortable around each other. They left the restaurant with plans to set up one of Jounouchi’s game systems.
As they neared their dorm, Yuugi’s mind returned to his window, and who may lay on the other side. To his surprise, he could feel his nerves prickling at his fingertips. He wondered if his note had been seen. He wondered if it seemed too friendly, or nosey. Maybe he shouldn’t have left it in the first place.
When they walked inside, Yuugi tossed his shoes off and bolted into his room. As he took off his jacket he could hear cries of astonishment about the amount of games Jounouchi had in his possession, and Jou’s mumbled responses.
“This is quite an impressive collection, Jounouchi!”
“It’s all right, I guess. We should play this one. I think Hanasaki would appreciate it.”
A shriek. “You have the Zombire video game ?!?”
Yuugi knew his grin was goofy, and that the warm feeling of belonging in his chest might be presumptive. After all, they’d only known their roommates for a few hours. But so far it had been a great few hours, and he readily admitted that he and Jounouchi needed this kind of restart, after everything that had happened.
His note still hung on his window. On the other, a sheet of paper had been ripped out of a spiral notebook and hung, facing him.
“Hello Yuugi. My name is Atem Sennen.”
Atem.
Yuugi's smile grew, and found that he couldn’t stop.