Deepest Cut

[Tangie]

Deepest Cut

By Yami Yuugi


Summary: Betrayal by his one and only love cut through his heart, molding him into a completely different person. Four years have passed as he is reunited with the love of his life. Will the scars of his first heartbreak heal and allow him to reestablish a relationship?

Time Line/Setting: Definitely an Au. In fact, this is what I would call the more mature, adult version of “Ocean Avenue.” Yuugi is around 21 years old in this, Yami is 22 years old, Bakura is around 23 years old, Seto is around 22 years old, Ryou is 21 years old. The island that holds the setting of this story is real. It is called Catalina Island, located 25 miles off the coast of California and holds one major city called Avalon where this story takes place. However, the university “Ocean Avenue” isn’t in existence. It is based off the song by Yellow Card.

There are one-sided pairings in this. I wrote this a long time ago. But it will be YamixYuugi.

[Tangie]

ritsuka said:

Deepest Cut

By Yami Yuugi


Summary: Betrayal by his one and only love cut through his heart, molding him into a completely different person. Four years have passed as he is reunited with the love of his life. Will the scars of his first heartbreak heal and allow him to reestablish a relationship?

Time Line/Setting: Definitely an Au. In fact, this is what I would call the more mature, adult version of “Ocean Avenue.” Yuugi is around 21 years old in this, Yami is 22 years old, Bakura is around 23 years old, Seto is around 22 years old, Ryou is 21 years old. The island that holds the setting of this story is real. It is called Catalina Island, located 25 miles off the coast of California and holds one major city called Avalon where this story takes place. However, the university “Ocean Avenue” isn’t in existence. It is based off the song by Yellow Card.

There are one-sided pairings in this. I wrote this a long time ago. But it will be YamixYuugi.

- -

The days had grown long, hell they had grown long and hot. Summer was approaching, and college was coming to a close from its four month semester and deadly exams. Oh, yes the exams that would make or kill a college freshman’s semester.

Yuugi sighed, lying down on the soft sand of the beach. A frown marred his face, gazing out at the ruby colored sky. This was one of the rare times he was able to see the sunset.

A cool breeze ran through the strands of his tricolor hair, sending it into a chaotic twirl in the air. His golden bangs fluttered across his face, tickling the tip of his button nose, causing him to giggle. The air smelt strongly of salt, seagulls chattered loudly, searching for their dinner. These were all the elements of Yuugi’s haven.

He dug his toes into the cool, moist sand, twitching the appendages as the salty water brushed the pale colored skin. Yuugi was in paradise, and he did not want to leave.

Amethyst jewels closed, small pert lips opening in bliss. Today was the first official day of his freedom from classes. It was the first time that he had a break from college, exams, and Yami.

Yami, the boy loved this man more than anything in the world. A frown marred his face as thoughts of this man came into his mind. Yami was the love of his life, the man who he shared his first kiss with, and he blushed as he thought of the other first he shared with him. He had given this man his innocence at the tender age of seventeen.

However, things had not been like the fairytale relationship they held in public. Yami had become distant, leaving Yuugi alone on the weekends, ignoring his calls, and ignoring his pleas of a quiet walk on the beach or even making love. Things had changed in their relationship that had lasted two years.

The breakup had been on Yuugi’s part, he had ended the relationship after he had caught his boyfriend cheating with his ex-best friend Joey. That had been a tragic scene.

Flash Back

Yuugi felt odd this day. He had awoken to find that his boyfriend had not stayed over the night before.

Worry flooded across his soft featured face. He was worried about Yami. He began to call his lover’s cell phone. He received no answer except for the electronic recording of his other’s voice, asking him to leave a message. It was after the tenth time he had called that Yuugi began to worry even more.

He pulled himself from the confines of his bed, staggering to the closet as he dressed in a simple grey sweatshirt and baggy jeans and tennis shoes.

“Dammit Yami, I hope you’re all right.”

After twenty minutes or so, Yuugi had made it to his lover’s apartment, banging on the door for ten minutes, screaming.

“Yami! Yami? Are you in there?”

He received no answer, which only led to angering him further. With a sigh, the small teen leaned on the door, which opened with his weight.

Yelping, he pulled himself up, entering the apartment with a slight cautious watch. His eyes scanned the apartment, coming across strewn pieces of clothing, mostly leather, and jeans. Stray wrappers of ramen noodles, soda bottles, candy wrappers and a half empty bottle of lube.

Yuugi’s brows raised in curiosity as he picked up the bottle. He stared at it and studying the bottle with deep intentions.

His eyes narrowed as he threw the bottle back down on the floor, padding his small feet across the beige carpet. His heart wrenched as he opened the door to his lover’s bedroom, finding Yami on top of a rather familiar blonde-haired person.

“Oh gods, Joey, you’re so tight…”

Joey’s arms were tangled into the amethyst colored sheets of the bed. His face was red with lust as Yami pulled out of his lanky body, slamming in with definite precision.

Yuugi stood there, eyes widening by the second. His heart and soul ripped in half at the sight before him. His best friend and his boyfriend lying in bed in front of his eyes.

Tears welled in his amethyst eyes, brows narrowing as anger took control of his next set of actions.

He balled his fists together, screaming at the top of his lungs, cursing both of the men in the room with every profanity known to man.

“HOW COULD YOU TWO DO THIS TO ME? WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

Yami and Joey stared at Yuugi in disbelief, their eyes resembled that of a deer caught in the headlights. Both scrambled off one another, throwing the messy sheets over their nude bodies.

Crimson eyes wide with worry, shock, and fear locked onto those of Yuugi, pleading with him.

However, Yuugi was in no mood to listen to Yami plead for their relationship; he wanted to leave this place now. He never wanted to see him again.

Pulling himself free from the bed, a sheet wrapped around his waist, Yami ran to Yuugi, muttering apologies and excuses.

“Yuugi, it’s not what you think. Joey and I had too much to drink and things got out of hand.”

“Get the hell away from me, Yami. I never want to see your sorry excuse of an ass ever again. We’re over, good bye.”

Yuugi’s tone was clipped with anger and sadness. He had just lost the one person he had ever loved, and wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He turned his back on the tricolor haired “pharaoh” ignoring his cries and pleading. Things had ended; it was now that Yuugi realized that he had matured more than ever.

‘I’m moving on with my life, and I will achieve what I have always wanted to do in the future.’

End of Flash Back

That had been four years ago. Yuugi had changed quite a bit since then. He had moved away from his hometown, needing a new change of scenery in his life. Currently he attended Ocean Avenue University. It was a medium sized college located off the coast of California on a small island dubbed as “Catalina Island.”

This was the type of location he needed, one that helped calm his uneasy nerves. The young man continued to hold uneasiness at trusting anyone, no matter the amount of relations he had with others since his arrival at Ocean Avenue.

He had dated three times since his breakup with Yami, two of which were men, and one woman who he had known since his early childhood. However, he found that he could not handle a relationship with any of these people, he had only loved one person in his life, and now he was gone.

Yuugi stood up, walking onto the pier that he loved so much. It was nothing special in the eyes of the tourists. The young man found this area relaxing. The pier was composed of a large wooden fish market building that sat in the center, colored in a bright color scheme of white and Tiffany jewelry box aqua. A clock stood on a small tower upon its roof, sparkling in the bright sunlight.

A smile graced Yuugi’s lips as he leaned over the pier’s railing, looking out into the vast clear blue ocean. The island was so secluded from the major harboring cities; it was more of a comfort than he had ever felt.

The wind ruffled his messy hair, sending the spiky tresses into a chaotic tornado of color. He closed his eyes, adjusting his square-rimmed glasses. His once gelled hair flew around, showing off its once care free untamable nature.

For the first time in four years, Yuugi felt content and carefree. He felt all the weight of his hatred towards dating and Yami melt into nothing. He was now the college student at Ocean University, the student who chose to major in Art History.

Blinking his eyes, the teen sighed happily, lazily leaning his weight upon his elbows, staring out at his gorgeous ocean, ignoring everything around him in the process.

- -

[Tangie]

A lanky blonde-haired person sat comfortably on a bench, back resting against the railing of the pier. His eyes were half-lidded, expressing his tired, yet content state of emotion. His shaggy blonde hair fell into his face, hiding the majority of his tanned face. A white shirt, a few sizes too big hung loosely off his chest, revealing a nicely muscle-defined chest and abs. His legs were adorned in a faded pair of cutoff jean shorts, strings hanging down to his knees. The male cross his arms behind his head, one leg crossed over the other, enjoying the cool breeze that ruffled his hair.

He had been sitting here for a while, enjoying the cool breeze and short chatter of the tourists. He had not expected to find anyone he knew here, only because he had planned to get away from his old life, the one he had betrayed to a certain friend in the past.

After a while, his back became stiff, causing him to sit up, stretching the kinks out of his lower back. He yawned widely, revealing his pearly white teeth.

“Ah man, dis is da life, I shoulda moved here a long time a go,” he whispered, voice apparent of his raising in Brooklyn, New York. The blonde was quite a rebel in his younger years, but now, he was nothing more than a jerk that betrayed his best friend and was trying to start over.

But of course, he had to glance down at his watch, cursing to himself as he realized what time it was.

“No fucking way! It’s already one in da afternoon. Dammit, he is gonna kill meh.”

The blonde jumped off the bench, throwing his backpack over his right shoulder, sprinting down the pier at full speed.

Yuugi hummed to himself, hands tucked away in his pockets. He had casually begun to walk away from his peaceful getaway, heading down to the new coffee shop that his roommate had told him about earlier in the week.

His tennis shoes echoed across the wooden planks of the pier, matching the steady beat of the solicitors of scuba diving lessons, water sport salesmen, and that of insane profanity.

Rolling his amethyst eyes, Yuugi stared straight ahead, walking slowly towards the front of the boardwalk, passing small souvenir shops along the way.

Small children run around him, smiling and giggling as they run to clock tower at the pier.

Silently he smiled, shaking his head with an odd sense of happiness for the innocent children.

‘So young and youthful, and they still hold their innocence.’

“Dammit, I’m so gonna get my ass thrown at me if I dun hurry!”

Yuugi’s eyes widened as the Brooklyn accent echoed through the drums of his ears. His body shuddered in instinct of the reminder of what that voice had brought to his life. He never wanted to see that bastard again.

However, his musings of hatred towards his ex-best friend ended quickly as something collided with him, sending him falling face first onto the pavement.

A pain filled scream erupted from the blonde as he fell next to Yuugi, clutching his scraped knee with tender care.

“Dammit, this is gonna hurt tomorrow,” the blonde claimed, pulling himself to his feet. His honey eyes landed upon the fallen figure of Yuugi, eyes widening as he realizes the mistake he made.

“Oh man, I’m so sorry kid, are ya okay?” He attempted to help Yuugi to his feet, only to be pushed away as the said “kid” stood up, dusting off his clothing and adjusting his glasses.

“I’m fine, watch where you’re going next time.” Yuugi replied, voice clipped with annoyance and angered pain.

The blonde blinked as he looked down at Yuugi raising a brow in curiosity. “Look I’m sorry man; I didn’t mean to run into you. I’m just in a hurry you know. I have to meet a friend of mine at Micacita, dat Mexican restaurant down in Avalon.”

Yuugi rolled his eyes as the man in front of him rambled on, wasting more time then necessary.

“Look, I have no idea why you’re telling me this, but I have better things to do than listen to bleach haired blondes ramble on for god knows how long.” Yuugi turned away, walking off in the opposite direction as the blonde stared dumbfounded at him.

“What da hell? Dat kid has got claws.” He shook his head, remembering that he was running late to the restaurant, causing him to yell yet again as he ran off into Avalon.

“Damn, if I ever make it to da restaurant, I swear dat I will make it up to dat kid.”

--

Gallagher Espresso Bar, the new “in-thing” at Catalina Island.

Yuugi stood out front of this new hangout, eyes wide with child-like curiosity, head cocked to the side.

He observed the building with great precision, taking in the colorful scheme of grouted rainbow tiles on the café’s exterior. The windows were tinted, taking away the harsh glare of the California sun.

Yuugi practically stood there for a few moments, mouth watering at the thought of a café latte with cinnamon. He held a fetish for caffeine, one that had to be sated daily.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yuugi gathered his dignity and opened the door to the café, entering as the aromas of freshly ground coffee beans wafted through his nostrils, awakening his inner caffeine addict.

The atmosphere of the small café was tidy and comforting. A few computers sat in the corner, surrounded by provocatively dressed teenaged girls, chattering and giggling over Re knows what.

His eyes traveled across the odd seating arrangements of worn couches, abstract/expressive artwork and the granddaddy of them all. The counter where the coffee was made.

Pushing his blonde bangs behind his ears, Yuugi walked up to the counter, tapping his foot as he waited for someone to take his order.

‘Where the hell is the waiter? I don’t have all day!’

As on cue, “Hello welcome to Gallagher, what can I make up for you today?”

Yuugi’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, watering with unshed tears. The voice was on the baritone side, mixed in with a husky, yet sexy, mysterious tinge to it. This voice was so familiar and recognizable to his senses.

‘Oh dear Re, please don’t let this be the person I think it is,’ He thought, praying to every deity in the world for some stroke of luck.

However, apparently the deities were angered with Yuugi as he cast a side-glance, seeing the piercing crimson eyes that he loved and hated so much. He was in the presence of his ex-boyfriend, Yami.

Speaking softly, the man bent his head, reciting his order.

“I’ll have a Grande café latte with cinnamon.”

Yuugi prayed inwardly to every god he knew that Yami wouldn’t recognize him. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with his lying sorry excuse of a bastard ex-boyfriend.

However, it appeared that today he was in hell. He lifted his head, noticing a curious look cast by the man behind the counter.

Yami leaned on his elbows, head cocked to the side. His crimson eyes had narrowed slightly, inspecting the slim body of Yuugi.

“I’m sorry could you repeat your order.”

‘Great, he looks and sounds exactly the same as he did in the past,’ Yuugi thought, fiddling with the hem of his shirt absently.

“Grande café latte with cinnamon. Do I need to repeat it again or did you finally get over gawking at me like a piece of charcoaled meat?” The words left his mouth as quickly as they came, sending chills of ice down the cashier’s spine.

Yami blinked, pulling elbows off the counter. He felt oddly curious about the customer that stood in front of him. This teen was the first person who ever had the courage to stand up to him. A smirk graced his lips as he sought out to making the teen’s latte.

‘I want to know this stranger more,’ he thought, pouring the steaming coffee into an insulated cup, sprinkling cinnamon on top of the frothy crème of the caffeinated beverage.

“Here is your latte, little one.”

He placed the steaming beverage on the counter, staring down at Yuugi with a smirk.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Excuse me?”

Yuugi growled under his breath, lifting his head as he gazed into those fiery crimson eyes, glaring at the man with a stiff and annoyed stare.

“Do not call me little one. You of all people should know better than that.”

Yami blinked in confusion, staring into Yuugi’s amethyst eyes as his jaw dropped, adding a look of dumbfounded confusion to his angular features.

“Yuugi?”

Yuugi threw five dollars on the counter, pulling his steaming latte into his hands, turning on his heel as he headed towards the exit of the café, only to be interrupted by that of the familiar baritone voice.

“Wait! Yuugi!”

Without even turning, Yuugi pulled his glasses off, rubbing his slightly teary eyes, speaking in a cold and distant whisper.

“You know I could never hate you. I just can’t stand to look at you, Yami. You betrayed my trust.”

Before the elder man had a chance of replying, Yuugi walked out of the shop, leaving Yami to stare sadly at his retreating form.

‘Had I wounded his heart that badly?’

[Tangie]

- -

Turtles… Such a solitary animal, hiding away from the world in it’s portable housing. Reptiles that held such grace and wise representation. Oh yes, Yuugi loved these animals and hated them at the same time.

For the past three years of his stay on this island, Yuugi had been in in contact with the mascot of Ocean Avenue. Yes, you guessed it, a turtle.

Everything in the dorms held the watermark of a sea turtle, along with the emblem of ‘OA.’

Yes, turtles had been a part of Yuugi’s life, as well as his part-time career as a tour guide at the old casino.

His life was made around work, school, and leisure time at his beloved pier. Yuugi made sure that he always kept himself busy. He didn’t want to end up in the center of depression again. Hell he didn’t want to see the small blue pill of his daily medication of Zoloft. A shiver ran down his spine as he thought of that medicine, the only thing that kept his emotions at bay. However, the confrontation with not only his ex-boyfriend, but his ex-best friend had taken its toll on his broken heart.

After all, old wounds had yet to heal. Now, they had been ripped open once more, oozing freely of all the pain that had occurred four years ago.

He shook his head, staring out into the vast depths of his beloved ocean. A smile graced his lips as he drew his arms around the wooden railing of his pier, sighing softly as the gentle breeze ruffled his overly large black jacket. The twenty-one year old man felt free from his shattered emotions, he felt free as a bird.

Yuugi felt the way he had when Yami had proclaimed his love for him in the past.

After a few moments, Yuugi turned from his perch at the railing, grasping the straps of his black and orange backpack. He was supposed to head off to his job. Well his second job that is.

Pulling the straps of his backpack over his shoulders, the man strode off, tennis shoes clicking across the wooden planks.

“Hey wait! Hey I know dat you can hear me kid, stop right dere!”

Yuugi’s body went frigid, his amethyst eyes widening to the size of dinner plates as he recognized the voice of his blonde comrade from the past.

He stood still, fingers loosening their slack upon the straps of his bag. Joey sighed in relief as he marched up to Yuugi, placing a hand on his thin shoulder, fiercely turning his small body around to meet his gaze.

Honey and amethyst eyes gazed at one another, molding together as recognition streamed through the blonde’s mind.

“Yuge’, is dat you?”

Yuugi winced as the old use of his nickname was stated, piercing him to the very core. Instinctively, he pulled himself away from the blonde’s grip, taking on his defensive stance, glaring down Joey with a look that could kill.

“Get away from me. I have nothing to say to you,” Yuugi whispered, voice holding the sting of a thousand knives.

Taken aback, Joey blinked, gazing down at his friend with wide eyes.

“Look Yuge’, I just wanted to say hi. A friend of mine told me dat you lived here and I wanted to see how my little bud was doin. Is that against da law?”

If looks could kill, Joey would have keeled over and died on the spot. The smaller of the two growled, punching the blonde straight in the chest. His eyes were ablaze with a fiery rage, one that burned with raw anger and hatred of being betrayed.

“Ouch! Yuugi what da hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Stay away from me, Joey. I’m tired of being run down with everything I had been betrayed by in the past. Leave me the hell alone, go fuck Yami or something.”

The final statement stung Joey’s heart and pride to the very center, hitting his emotions dead on. His old instincts of living on the streets as a teen were about to kick in, giving him the edge of taking Yuugi on in this game.

Rubbing the sore spot on his chest, Joey jerked Yuugi back towards him, holding on this pale wrist with a strong grip. He wouldn’t let the smaller boy get away this time.

“Let me go, or I swear to Re that I will hit you again!”

“Go ahead Yuugi, it won’t change anything. Everything that had happened is in da past. Ya need to get ova it Yuge’. Besides, Yami doesn’t find me interesting like dat anymore which is a relief since I’m dating one of the sexiest men on this island.”

With a deep sigh, Yuugi became slightly annoyed and yet curious. “Who are you of all mutts’ dating in Avalon?”

The blonde grinned widely, ruffling Yuugi’s hair affectionately, a gesture held between the two of them since their high school years.

“I’m dating Kaiba, you know the guy who pays for da functions at da university and the protection rights of those orange garibaldi?”

“You’re dating Seto?”

“Yeah… Hey, wait! How did you know his name?”

A blush crossed Yuugi’s cheeks as he fiddled with the framework of his glasses. “Oh we dated in the past. You know go out for drinks, get drunk, have sex, go to functions together. The typical dating thing, you know?”

Joey rubbed his eyes a few times, blonde locks of hair falling in his face as he did so. A look of udder amazement crossed over his tanned face. He stood there, gaping like a garibaldi as Yuugi told him of his extensive relations with Seto Kaiba while using explicit detail as well.

“Since when did you have relations with random strangers Yuugi? From what I remember, you were always a shy wallflower who preferred being a submissive. You wanted another to do everything in da relationship. Isn’t that why you loved Yams so much?”

Yuugi’s eyes grew dark, the once vibrant violet hardening into dark plum. His tone grew frosty, giving Joey an eerie shiver in its wake.

“I’m not a child. I was still in pain from losing him, and I met Seto. We dated off and on for a year or so. However, his wants and desires of being rich broke us apart.”

“I see, well I guess that makes sense. Well Yuugi, I realize that you may still hate my guts, but I’m really sorry for everything that happened back then. If I could go back in at time and fix this mess, I would.”

Yuugi pulled his glasses off, looking up at Joey with a watery smile. “I know you would, Joey. I’m still just bitter, especially now that I saw him down at Gallagher’s last week.”

“Yeah, he works down there almost everyday. I swear dat all he ever does is complain about how bored he gets on his island. Makes ya wonder why he chose to come out here in the first place.”

Yuugi shook his head as he gazed over at the clock on the tower. His eyes widened as the hour of two thirty pm struck.

“Damn it! Hey Joey, I have to go; I was supposed to be at work ten minutes ago. I’ll uhm, meet ya here sometime in the future okay?”

Before the blonde had a chance to respond, Yuugi jetted off, heading towards the heart of the town.

“Man, even if he is only five feet tall, he sure does have dat hidden agility.”

- -

Boredom, this is what Yami hated more than anything in the world. Well other than losing Yuugi to a drunken mistake.

Today was his day off, leaving him bored. He currently sat on a bench in the heart of the island, staring at the colorfully decorated souvenir shops.

He felt his stomach gurgle. In protest, the man glanced down at his wristhingych, finding the hour of lunch had struck.

“It’s already lunchtime. I guess I should head over to the Mexican restaurant to meet Joey.”

With this said, the tricolor haired god stood from his perch on the bench, walking slowly towards his destination. However, his thoughts became sidetracked as a flash of gold, ebony, and crimson sped by.

Yami raised a brow in curiosity, speeding up in his steps as he caught sight of what appeared to be Yuugi, running his thin, sexy legs off.

“Damn, damn, damn! I’m going to be late again!” Yuugi cursed under his breath, running towards the entrance of Micacita, ignoring the pleas of the taller man behind him.

Yami stood still in the front of the restaurant, blinking perplexedly as Yuugi stepped out from where he had run, wearing a green apron around his waist, and wiping sweat from his brow.

“Hello, welcome to Micacita, how may-” Wide eyes stared up at the amused crimson eyes of Yami. Yuugi’s jaw clenched shut slightly, leaving him in the state of a gaping garibaldi.

“I didn’t know you worked here, Yuugi,” he purred, causing the smaller boy to fidget uncomfortably.

“Hmph, I didn’t know you lived on this island, Atemu. Now let me guess, you’re meeting the mutt that is currently sitting upstairs, drooling at the hot sauce and chips sitting in front of his face?”

Yuugi’s tone held a bitter, sarcastic tone, one that didn’t go unnoticed by the elder man. A frown marred his face as he nodded silently, observing Yuugi as he led him upstairs, and menu in hand.

The stairs covered in the colorful tiles that held the theme of the island led both men up into a large outdoor garden-like patio. Exotic plants and a trickling fountain stood in the center, adding a romantic and tropical sense to the atmosphere.

Yami smiled slightly as he was sat down next to the pouting Joey, who was currently staring at the chips and salsa in front of his honey colored eyes.

“Joey, did you wait on me before enduring into the art of eating everything on the table?”

Narrowed honey eyes looked up into Yami’s own crimson, a pout instantly forming upon the blonde’s face as he replied.

“No, Yuge’ wouldn’t let me touch any of it. He said dat I had to wait on my guest.”

“Heh, you actually obeyed orders other than those of Seto for once?”

Heated tension fluttered through the garden-like eating area, causing a brief moment of silence as Yuugi held a pen and a tablet, coughing slightly.

“Uhm, since you both are here, are you ready to order?”

Blinking, Yami turned his eyes upon Yuugi nodded in response. “Yes, I’ll have the grilled chicken fajitas, and a diet coke.”

“All right, and for the mutt?”

Joey rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms, throwing his napkin at Yuugi’s gelled hair.

“Cut it out Yuge’, you’re lucky dat you finally learned to defend ya self.”

“Yeah, yeah. What do you want to eat?”

“I’ll take da tamale dinner with extra chili con carne, and shredded cheese, and some tortillas and a sprite.”

Yuugi nodded as he wrote down the two orders, turning on his heel, walking down the stairs.

While Yuugi set out to preparing their drinks, the two men upstairs began to converse amongst themselves.

Joey twirled his straw through the glass of half-melted ice water, tapping his foot upon the tiled floor. “So uh how does it feel to run in to Yuge’ again?”

Yami shrugged his shoulders, sighing slightly in response. “This isn’t the first time we have seen each other in four years, Joey. Yuugi comes to Gallagher’s almost everyday for a café latte.”

“He still bitter to ya? Or are ya gonna hook up with him again?”

Rolling his eyes, the elder of the two ran his fingers through his golden bangs.

“Joey this isn’t high school. Life is different now, we are all adults, or well at least Yuugi and I are. No matter how much I miss him, I don’t see it working out at the time being. However, I am hoping to be a friend of his again, at the least.”

The blonde pouted at his friend, flinging drops of water at the tricolor hair man. “Heh, well I just wondered if ya had thought about it. I mean Yuge’ isn’t the same person anymore. He’s all bitter and sarcastic. He reminds me of Seto.”

Before Yami had a chance to retaliate against the comparison of Yuugi to Seto, said teen walked back up the stairs carrying their drinks.

Yuugi’s face fell stoic, reflecting a mask of his outlook upon life on this island. His glasses shimmered in the sunlight, adding that once vibrant sparkle to his amethyst irises.

‘How could one person change so much in a matter of four years?’ Yami thought to himself, smiling slightly as Yuugi placed their drinks on the table, silently walking away. Well until Joey stood up, muttering something of needing to take a call on his cell.

With a curious glance, Yuugi and Yami both watched the animated blonde run down the stairs, silver cell phone in hand.

An odd vow of silence sprung free upon both of the remaining men, leaving Yuugi a chance to pick up after the customers who had left only moments ago.

Humming under his breath, Yuugi cleared off a table, fiddling with the hem of his glasses, noticing a stray glance from Yami.

“Why do you wear those?”

Yuugi stopped in the middle of his cleaning, cocking his head to the side as he looked at Yami.

“Wear what?”

“The glasses. You never wore glasses in the past, Yuugi.”

The amethyst-eyed male frowned as he continued to clean off the table, speaking softly to the man at the other end of the restaurant.

“I overworked myself in the past few years; I would read too much and work on things for college in the middle of the night. My eyes eventually became weak and I needed a set of glasses. Does that answer your question oh great Pharaoh Atemu?”

A scowl crossed the dubbed pharaoh’s face, turning it upon Yuugi who grinned deviously to himself.

“You know how much I hate it when you call me by my first name Yuugi. Should I call you by yours as well?”

“Not unless you want a kick in the groin and a punch in the stomach. Which, trust me, will sting for quite a few days. Joey wasn’t lying when he said I learned to defend myself.”

Yuugi smirked at Yami, walking off before the man had a chance to throw a comeback at him.

Joey brushed past Yuugi, raising a brow at his odd smirk.

“Did I miss something?”

Yami shook his head, leaning his weight on his arm, gazing at the retreating form of Yuugi’s firm ass.

“Oh nothing, just a sarcastic comment by Yuugi.”

Oh yes, things had changed with the Yuugi he had once known. He was curious over this new Yuugi.

Yami smirked as he took a sip of soda, thinking contently about the new Yuugi.

‘Heh, if this new Yuugi has as much sarcasm daily, imagine him in bed.’

- -

“Stupid Atemu…” Yuugi muttered, gritting his teeth, while unlocking the door of his apartment.

Entering his apartment, Yuugi threw his keys on his dining room table, rolling his eyes as he saw his lazy roommate lounging on the couch.

“Bakura, have you done anything today?”

A lean, white haired man grunted, opening his mahogany brown eyes. He lay comfortably upon a black leather couch, wearing nothing but a pair of Sponge bob Square pants boxers, and a white tank top.

“Hey Runt, tough day at work?”

Yuugi shuffled across the carpet, collapsing onto a nearby chair. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

Curiously, the white haired man sat up, stretching his stiff back. “What do you mean by that?”

“I ran into two of my old “friends,” Yuugi said, pulling his glasses off, cleaning the lenses with ease.

Bakura nodded, leaving his sarcastic comments to himself for the time being. The man was quite the rebel on the island. He had a criminal record for small claims of theft in his teenaged years. However, things had changed once he and Yuugi had met. Oddly enough, it had been the relation of Bakura being Yuugi’s ex-boyfriend’s elder brother. The two had formed a strong bond of trust and respect for one another. Which eventually led to the details of Yuugi’s depressing past.

Bakura cared for Yuugi as he would his younger brother. He protected the younger man at all costs. Though a bit of humored teasing came into play quite often.

“Who did you run into? Was it Seto and his new flame?”

Yuugi shook his head, sighing softly as he spoke. “No it wasn’t Seto. It was a friend of mine named Joey, and Yami, the one who shaped me into the sarcastic bastard that I am today.”

Bakura rolled his eyes, pulling himself to his feet, walking over in front of Yuugi. After a few minutes, the white haired man ruffled Yuugi’s tricolor hair, causing the smaller to pout adorably.

“Kura’ don’t do that.”

“Heh, you know how much I love to irritate ya, runt. So this is the guy who cheated on ya with that stupid blonde and gave me the coolest roommate eh?”

“You’re hopeless you know. Why don’t you call Malik? You and I both know how much you two are attracted to one another.”

Malik was Bakura’s love interest. The man was of Egyptian Ethnicity. He had bleach blonde hair that hung freely to his shoulders; sun kissed tanned skin, piercing lavender eyes, and gold. Yes, he loved golden jewelry more than anything in the world. But of course, being stubborn and pigheaded, Bakura denied any interest in his other best friend.

“Oh please, that pansy isn’t worth my time today. He can go fuck himself with a vibrator for all I care,” Bakura snorted, crossing his arms in a childish manner.

Yuugi winced at the mentioning of a vibrator, causing him to shudder unexpectedly. “All right, what happened this time? Did he steal your prized dagger or something?”

With a snort of child-like pouting, his response to Yuugi was, “No, he stole my collection of porno magazines.”

“You can always get more you perverted hentai.”

A wide grin spread itself across the elder’s face as he craned his neck towards Yuugi. “Don’t I know it.”

Rolling his eyes, Yuugi stood up, muttering something along the lines of taking a shower and breaking in his new bottle of Malibu Rum.

Bakura observed his roommate’s departure, frowning at the youth’s downcast personality.

However, at the thought of liquor, the white haired man chuckled.

“He may be down now, but Yuugi and liquor equal one hell of a night.”

Oh yes, Yuugi was a hellcat when it came to liquor, he could take shots of alcohol. It helped keep his mind free from his depressing thoughts.

Tbc…