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The room was silent except for the constant white noise of the raindrops splashing against the windows and the shallow sound of his laboured breaths. His heart was aching in a way he had not experienced in years. The ache in his chest came in waves. Some softer, others hitting hard enough to make his whole body curl in. Wiping away the hot tears that streamed down his cheeks felt like too much effort as a familiar old numbness suddenly took over his body.
Yugi had not expected to ever feel soft and open towards another person again after watching his soulmate leave him many moons ago. Yet here he was, heart in his hands, staring out into the darkness on the streets, vision blurry, hands shaking lightly.
His brain had played moments of the past few months on loop - little jokes that made him smile long after he had left the room, soft touches that had made him feel strong, beautiful and seen in the moment and longing glances he had only briefly allowed himself when he was sure the other one was not looking.
It was foolish to think that the person he had spent hours bumping heads with during the last couple of months would ever look at him and feel even an ounce of what had grown inside his chest.
It was now 17 days ago when they finally finished the project they had been working on since February. The business partnership had been stressful and tense in moments but oh so sweet every now and again when the fumes wore off and they were both working hand in hand just trying to get going to meet their deadlines.
At first he felt pride and relief of the work being done. Then he felt tired and stayed in bed for a week. But when he lost his appetite and couldn't get out of bed the next week, dismissing texts from his friends and family who were checking in, barely able to keep his eyes open, that's when he knew this wasn't just exhaustion. It was something deeper and admitting it to himself was daunting.
Somewhere along the way the impossible had happened and his heart got tangled up again. Maybe just a little. He probably mostly imagined the little things that had made his pulse drum in his ears and his cheeks flush.
"I'm bringing you home", that was all he had said to Yugi that night. It was the third night in a row that they had been locked away in the top of the tower sometime during the seventh week of their collaboration. Yugi had stumbled over his own feet from exhaustion and dropped the laptop he was holding. He expected yelling, another crashout, catastrophe, and braced for impact - it never came. Instead a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders and he barely remembers actually getting home from there.
Sometimes the memory of that touch hunted him. There was nothing grand about it but it was the unfortunate moment he not only dropped that laptop but also his guard that night.
The world seemed to be at a standstill now. At least for him. Everyone around him seemed fine, normal. That's what he tried to display, too. Deep down he knew he was failing miserably though. He had a crush on the city's most unattainable, glorious, stupidly attractive man. Admitting that even to himself felt like a death sentence. There was no getting out of this unscathed.
The next thing he felt was a horrible headache. Dehydration was taking its toll on his body now. Uncomfortable but not enough to kick his heavy body into action. His hands wanted to reach out for his phone but what for?
He wiped his face dry as best as he could with his sleeve and let out a heavy sigh. His bones cracked as he moved himself up and into the kitchen. The worst part was not even the fact that he did develop a crush. It was who he was crushing on that left him in a chokehold. Yugi didn't even allow himself to think his name. Unfortunately for him that name was a prominent landmark all over the city and the media.
There was a good chance he'd get either dismissed or ridiculed if Yugi ever worked up the nerve to tell him. What else was there to be expected? His rational brain told him there was no way anything he could do would raise his chance of this lingering feeling being requited.
He grabbed a bottle of water and emptied it in one go. Next thing he knew his feet were moving him to his bed. He merely managed to get his socks and pants off before dropping down and hugging his blanket.
"Fuck you, Kaiba", he whispered into the darkness as he held on for dear life. No one heard him. Maybe he did sound a little wishful saying it out loud.