My phone buzzes as Ryou responds to my text. He had been rather intrigued by my idea of approaching seducing Yami like a game, I'm sure he thought I was crazy initially, but considering who he's dating he can't really judge. Bakura is significantly more maniacal than I could ever be. I'm sure he could come up with a hundred different schemes, each more diabolical and strategically intricate than my own pursuit of Yami's affections. I grin at the glowing screen as he yet again questions my intentions for wanting to seduce Yami...well besides the obvious.

   I know Ryou's concern comes from a place of concern, for both myself and Yami, but I wish he would give me a bit more credit. He was able to successfully seduce and pursue a relationship with his darker reflection, I don't see why I can't do the same thing.

   'This just seems a bit out of the blue Yugi.'

   'I know it seems that way...but it's better I do this now rather than never.' I type quickly.

   'True.' I smile at my friend's support. Out of everyone in our group, Ryou is the most likely to understand what I'm going through. He had enough struggles with Bakura to make my situation with Yami look like a cakewalk. 'Have you considered just telling him?'

   'Where's the fun in that?' I type back.

   'Yugi, I just don't want you to get hurt...our darks need us to be very straightforward with them before they can even begin thinking that they understand what's going on.'

   'Yami's smarter than that.'

   'Yugi.' I can practically hear his scolding tone and see his concerned brown eyes. Honestly, I appreciate his concern, but sometimes I wish he could offer the same kind of blind support Joey is famous for.

   'I'll be careful Ryou.' I send with a smiley face. 'You have no need to worry.'

   'Yugi where is Yami right now?' 

   I stare at my phone confusedly, why the sudden change of tone?

   'Downstairs...why?'

   'Because he's calling Bakura.'  

   'Bakura?!'  A sense of panic floods my system as I fly into a sitting position on my bed. Why would Yami be calling Bakura? The two of them can hardly stand being in the same room as one another let alone carry out a conversation. 

   'What are they talking about?'

   The grey speech bubble with flashing ellipses pop up on the screen, but after about three minutes of watching the ellipses flash, I suspect that Ryou is no longer in possession of his phone.  A growing sense of unease begins to settle over me as I slide off of my bed and lightly make my way over to the door. What did Yami feel the need to talk to Bakura about? I quickly delete the conversation with Ryou before silently heading downstairs, planting my weight on all the places I know won't creak. 

   The faint murmur of conversation floats up the stairs, but nothing discernible. It is almost as if the sound is muffled, which I suppose would make sense considering Yami's protectiveness over his privacy. Sometimes I wish Yami wasn't always so cautious.

   Yami's voice is low and hurried as he whispers into the receiver, none of his words reaching my ears as I strain to listen. The stair underneath my foot creaks beneath my weight, my heart leaps to my throat as the conversation suddenly halts. Silently cursing myself for leaning too far I consider my options; I can't stay here and wait for Yami to find me. It would be obvious that I was eavesdropping and Yami would be sure to force me to divulge all of the information he believes I heard, which considering his low tone and poor diction I wasn't able to hear any of his side of the conversation!

   It's obvious that I can't linger here on the stairs, it won't take Yami too long to come looking nor would my slow descent stop him from becoming suspicious. Swallowing my fear and apprehension and I trod down the stairs with confidence, no longer attempting to avoid the squeaky stairs or loose boards. Yami is reclined on the couch when I step off the bottom step, his phone being lowered into his lap as his eyes meet mine. 

   "I'm sorry, did I interrupt your conversation?"I ask innocently, half forcing a pained expression on my face as I try to express remorse. My only remorse was not being able to hear anything from his conversation, I shouldn't be this infuriated by failing to eavesdrop, but I can't help it!

   "Not at all." He grins, straightening his posture as he pats the cushion beside him. Crimson eyes stare expectantly into mine, waiting for me to comply with his silent requests. I silently walk over and take a seat on the couch beside him.  His eyes remain fixed on my face the entire time. It is almost unnerving the way he's looking at me, but I persevere. "Yugi who is it that you're interested in?" He asks before I am even given the chance to make myself comfortable.

   "I find a number of people interesting," I answer teasingly. Yami turns to face me, his arm resting on the cushion behind me. I struggle to refrain from blushing at the sheer closeness of his body to mine. "for instance, you would be one of the many people I find interesting in this world."

   "You know what I meant."

   "Why are you so curious?" Yami's eyes narrow as he stares at me. My heart pounds in my chest as I can feel the frustration pouring off of him in waves. Not knowing is clearly getting to him. This knowledge brings a peculiar mixture of satisfaction and distress, I don't enjoy making him feel this way, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to channel this restless and aggravated energy to my advantage. "It's really nothing to be concerned about."

   "You're keeping secrets." He says seriously. "That always concerns me."

   "Speaking of secrets, who were you talking on the phone with?" I ask in challenge. "I'll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours." Yami sighs, closing his eyes for a brief moment before forcing me to look into their startling depths once more.

   "No one of consequence."

   "I see." I smile faintly as I rise from the couch. Yami grabs my wrist and yanks me back down onto the couch with an unexpected amount of force, my body sinking further into the cushions due to the impact of my descent. My eyes widen in surprise when he coils his fingers around my chin forcing my face to look up at him. "Yami?"

   "You're not leaving here until you tell me who," Yami says seriously a smirk tugging at his lips. Our faces are mere inches away from each other. I can smell the mint from his toothpaste on his breath as the warmth of his skin radiates like a sun over the pale desert of my skin. How easy would it be for me to just lean forward and kiss him? Yami's thumb brushes across my cheek softly. "Well?"

   "No one of consequence." I murmur as I try to refrain from staring at his soft lips that are only inches from mine.

   "Must be if you're keeping secrets." He argues with no real conviction.

   "If I didn't know any better I would have thought you were jealous." I tease. 

   Yami chuckles as he releases my face. I try not to pout from the loss of his proximity as he leans his face back. His eyes stare out into oblivion, thinking about something or someone that I can't see. I bite back a sigh as I rise from the couch, once more Yami grabs onto my wrist, this time lightly, tenderly, his fingers merely ghosting over my skin. I look back at him curiously. He doesn't meet my eyes, but he continues to hold onto me with a tender strength that makes my heart tremble in my chest.

   "Just be careful." He murmurs as he releases my wrist. It feels like I have lost my sole source of gravity. Yami has given up. He almost looks like I have abandoned him. I want to tell him that it's him that I'm after, but a voice in my head tells me it is not yet time for confessions. Pulling my hand free from his grasp I offer him a promise of caution before disappearing back upstairs with a tingling wrist and an anxious heart.

   I had to wait several hours for Yami to fall asleep again before I could sneak out of the house. Ever since our conversation this morning he had been keeping close eyes on me. His gaze had been so intense that you could think he believed that if he blinked I would disappear like a puff of smoke. 

   He eventually fell asleep after I lit a few vanilla scented candles and played some music from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. As soon as Deliver Us began his eyes began to droop. I'm not sure what it is about this soundtrack that relaxes him so much, but every time Moses' biological mother sings he's out like a light. I gently drape a blanket over him as he lies curled up in a ball on the couch. After assuring his comfort I silently sneaked out the shop door, taking down the bell before leaving, so I wouldn't wake him by opening the house door. 

   Cold winter air nips at the exposed skin of my face as I walk down the street. I know Yami is curious and concerned about who I want to seduce, but I can't remember a time he has ever been that serious about getting me to divulge a secret. Concern gnaws at my heart as I begin to wonder if I am ruining my chances by not telling him. The almost pained look in Yami's eyes haunts me. I think I may only be hurting him rather than investing his interest.

   A strong pair of arms wrap themselves around my chest. I yelp in panic and throwback my elbow into their chest as Yami showed me, putting all of my weight and strength behind it. Their grip is broken as they groan loudly in pain, turning sharply on my heel to see my attacker I am met with the sight of Joey keeled over in pain clutching at his chest. His long, blond bangs shielding his eyes from view.

   "Damn Yug." He groans. "I think Yami needs to stop teaching you to be violent."

   "Are you alright?!" I ask worriedly, guilt flooding my system as I reach out to steady him. "If I knew it was you I wouldn't have-! I am so sorry!" Joey gives me a forced grin.

   "I'm fine, don't worry about it." He chuckles as he fake punches me in the arm his brown eyes gleaming with happiness. "I never should have tried to surprise you!"

   "Yeah, what were you thinking?!" I explode. "You could have given me a heart attack!" Joey blinks in surprise.

   "Sorry Yug," He mumbles confusedly, his body straightening as he keeps a hand pressed to his chest. "are you alright?"

   "I'm fine! Why would you think I wasn't?!"

   "Well there is the fact that you're screaming at me in public," Joey says gently, glancing around at the fairly empty street around us. He offers a faintly embarrassed and apologetic wave to the few passersby who witnessed our collision. "Yug what's going on?" He questions softly, once his eyes return to being fixed on me.

   "I...I-" My voice catches in my throat, choking on my own words that fail to form. I feel the bitter sting of tears behind my lashes as I look away, forcing myself to find some way to stop the tears from falling.

   "Come on Yugi, let's go get some lunch, and then we can talk." He places a gentle arm around my shoulder. "Sound good?" I can only nod as I allow him to lead me away, my vision slightly blurry as he guides me through downtown Domino.

   Joey walks us into a large fancy restaurant that is nearly empty. I tug on joey's sleeve. He looks down at me curiously as the waitress leads us to a table.

   "How can we afford this?" I whisper worriedly. Joey simply smiles as he pulls out a platinum card from his coat pocket. I look up at him in surprise as the name Seto Kaiba is engraved on the card.

   "Don't worry about it." He says with a grin. The waitress places our menus on the table and gets us some water. I smile up at her gratefully she merely smiles in return before disappearing from sight. "So what's going on Yugi?"

   "Well...there is...uh...someone I-" I fumble over the words before falling into frustrated silence, staring down at my hands which rest uselessly in my lap.

   "Oh my god!" Joey interrupts as he looks at me with a broad smile, his white teeth gleaming from ear to ear with abundant joy. "You're in love!" His voice carries and I find myself flinching at the volume of his outburst, anxiously glancing around the restaurant to find no one is even glancing in our direction.

   "Yeah," I mumble with a blush. "I guess I'm more obvious than I thought."

   "I bet I can guess who you are in love with." He teases, leaning back in his seat with a playful smirk dancing across his lips.

   "Well, that would be really impressive. But I highly doubt you-"

   "It's Yami, isn't it?" My face flushes with heat as my mouth suddenly becomes painfully dry. He simply smiles. "From the look on your face, I'm guessing I'm right on the nose."

   "How...how did you-"

   "Seto and I had a bet going. I won by the way." He grins before taking a slow sip of his water.

   "Congrats," I mumble bitterly. Good to know that my love life is something that can amuse Joey and Seto when they're bored. "glad I was able to amuse you both."

   "Oh, come on, you know it isn't anything like that! So what's going on between the two of you?" Joey asks curiously, his brows furrowing slightly. "I don't think you would have been so tense if something wasn't going on."

   "I don't know what I'm doing Joey," I confess. "I'm trying to seduce Yami, but I don't know where to start." My eyes drift down towards my lap. "It's infuriating."

   "Want some advice?"

   "Anything that you can give me," I say desperately, my eyes meeting his brown orbs.

   "Seduction is all about taking advantage of the moment." I blink in confusion which only seems to amuse him, chuckling as he elaborates. "If he is giving you an opportunity to touch him take advantage. If you really want to seduce Yami you have to make sure that he feels absolutely dazzled by you. When you are able to touch him you have to find a way to push his buttons by barely touching him at all. Teasing touches always drive guys like Yami crazy." He grins.

   "Ok," I mumble. "But, how do I do that? I don't really understand what you're telling me."

   "Alright, let me put it simply then. You'll have to convince him into seeing you in a way that's more than just his friend."

   "Ok," Joey merely laughs at my concentrated expression as I process everything he just said.

   "There is no need to be so serious Yugi. It's not like you're going to war." I smile faintly in response. The waitress returns to the table and places some sweets in front of us. I look down in confusion at the giant mug filled with chocolate syrup, ice cream, tiny marshmallows, and whipped cream. 

   "What is this?"

   "It's called frozen hot chocolate," Joey says with a smile. "It's the best, try it."

   "But I didn't order this." 

   A bright blush glows on joey's space as he smiles sheepishly.

  "This is where Seto and I have gone on several of our more low-key dates. We've ordered this a few times, I guess the wait staff recognized me and brought it out." I smile at his blush. It's hard for me to imagine the cold and distant Seto Kaiba bringing Joey here on a date and enjoying a sweet dessert, or Joey agreeing to go anywhere with him. I'll have to ask him what it's like dating Seto Kaiba and if he is always as intense as he is when he's playing Duel Monsters.

   "Uh Yugi..." I blink out of my reverie. Joey's face is lightly flushed as he looks beyond "Did you tell Yami where you were going?"

  "No...why?"

   Oh God, don't tell me... 

   He points at the door. I turn around slightly in my seat and my stomach drops as I spot Yami standing there, his eyes scanning the restaurant with his hands buried deep in his pockets. My chest tightens at the sight as I feel his desperation through the link.

      "Does he stalk you or something?" Joey whispers across the table, ducking his head slightly to stay out of sight.

   Yami's eyes meet mine as I couldn't bring myself to look away, a smile dawns on his lips as he approaches the table. Spinning around in my chair, I struggle to take a few steadying breaths as he draws closer. A forced smile dawns on my lips as he stands beside me, his eyes searching mine. 

   "Hi, Joey." He says with a smile as he turns his attention towards Joey. "What are you guys doing out here?"

   "We were just out grabbing some lunch," Joey answers calmly, his face a mask of composure. Seems Seto has taught him a few new tricks. 

   "Mind if I join you?" He asks as his hand rests on the back of the chair closest to me.

   "Not at all." I gently kick Joey under the table. Joey meets my gaze for a brief second before regaining his usual loud and boisterous personality, shifting everyone's attention onto himself. Small mercies of having such an extroverted best friend.

   /"Is he the one Yugi?"/

   /"Don't be ridiculous."/ I roll my eyes. Yami chuckles quietly at my expression, a laugh that is easily disguised as paying attention to Joey's energetic banter. /"I have no interest in stealing Seto's boyfriend."/

   /"So he's dating Kaiba."/ Yami almost sounds relieved by the news. /"I can't even imagine what that's like."/

   "So what are you doing out here Yami?" Joey asks, interrupting our link.

   "I was just out for a walk when I thought I felt Yugi's presence through the link, so I decided to investigate. See what my aibou was up to."

  "I see." Joey hums in response, spooning some ice cream into his mouth.

   /"What were you really doing?"/ Crimson eyes meet my amethyst.

    /"I could ask why you thought it was necessary to sneak out while I was sleeping, again. That is the second time in twenty-four hours that I have woken up without you being where you should have been. Why did you leave?"/

   /"I needed some fresh air."/

   /"And where does Joey come into all of this?"/ Yami inquires suspiciously.

   /"We bumped into each other on the street...what? Do you think we orchestrated the entire thing?"/

   /"Would make sense if you have feelings for him."/ he answers coolly, the sharpness of his tone leaves a metallic taste in my mouth as I feel my blood pressure rise.

   /"Stop being ridiculous."/ 

   I pop a spoonful of my frozen hot chocolate into my mouth. The sweet whipped cream mingles with the deep chocolate taste. My eyes flutter in bliss as the euphoric taste floods my mouth. Joey chuckles at my reaction.

   "What is that Yugi?" Yami asks as he stares down at my dessert in interest.

    "It's called frozen hot chocolate." I look up at Joey for confirmation. Joey nods with a smile and I feel a small gleam of pride in remembering the name.

   "Hmmm." Yami's eyes never stray from the bowl of chocolate bliss. He almost seems to be staring at it yearningly. I check the mind link and feel the slight tang of hunger through his side of the bond. I smile at his adorable expression as he stares at the ice cream. Despite his direct and slightly vanilla personality, he's always had a weakness for chocolate.

   "Would you like some?" Yami smiles with slight embarrassment and nods. "You can have some." Yami reaches for a spare spoon, but he pauses as he watches me scoop up some of the chocolate ice cream on my spoon and hold it out to him. His eyes are wide with surprise as I hold out the spoon for him to taste.

   "Yugi?"

   "You said you wanted some," I say with a smile. "Have some." Yami's eyebrows furrow as he stares at me confusedly. Joey simply smiles at our interaction as he remains silent, watching the spectacle unfold.

   /"What are you doing Yugi?"/

   /"Feeding you."/

   /"Feeding...me... I can manage that Yugi."/ He reaches for the spoon but I pull it away from his reach and frown. He stares at me in surprise. /"You're not going to drop this aren't you?"/

   /"Not a chance."/ Yami sighs. He meets my eyes and keeps my gaze as he takes the spoon into his mouth. His soft lips wrapping around the cool metal of the spoon. He hums quietly in pleasure at the sweet taste as it washes over his tongue. Thoughts of his tongue send waves of heat crashing against my body like a tidal wave, casting my eyes adrift I attempt to extinguish this heat before it incinerates my self-control.

   "Good?" I ask with a slight blush as he releases the spoon.

   "Very." He mumbles as he licks a small drop of chocolate syrup off his lip. I smile at his slightly flustered expression, it's nice not being the only one feeling affected by this. I take another scoop of ice cream and pop it into my mouth. My grin only grows as the ice cream tastes even sweeter than before. Perhaps this should be how I always eat ice cream from now on, tasting this imaginary enhanced sweetness dancing across my tastebuds.

   The rest of the meal passes rather quickly. Yami and Joey make idle conversation while I eat my dessert. Yami would glance at me on occasion, but his face would begin to glow a light shade of pink whenever our eyes met and he would turn his attention back towards Joey, retreating from his own brush with embarrassment. Grinning with humor, I enjoy the display. It would seem that composed and reserved Yami is feeling a tad hot under the collar.

   Joey pays the bill as he smiles at Yami and I, pretending to be unaware of everything that just passed between us. "Was there anything else you guys wanted to do today?" He asks goodnaturedly.

   "Oh, we could-"

   "No, I'll be taking Yugi home now." Yami says, interrupting me. He meets my gaze with a glance that simply smothers all attempts at argument to death. Joey glances between the two of us silently for a moment. "Thank you for lunch Joey."

   "Not a problem at all," Joey responds with a smile. We walk towards the door as a group, but Yami walks behind me like a shadow, assuring himself that I won't disappear. Joey pushes open the large glass door and we are instantly assaulted with frigid air. "Well have a good day guys." Joey calls over his shoulder as he walks away with a wave, heading in the direction of Kaiba Corp rather than his own home.

   Yami grabs my shoulders firmly and guides me in the direction of home. I glance up at him in surprise as he pushes me quickly through the street, walking briskly behind me.

   "Yami, slow down!" I plead, tripping over my own feet as I struggle to keep up with his almost frantic pace.

   "Sorry." He mumbles as he takes smaller strides.

   "It's alright." I chance a glance up at his face. His eyes continue to stare intently in the direction of home and his expression is blank like a fresh canvas. "Why the rush to get home?"

   "I would like to be at home." He says curtly as he pushes me up the driveway. "Which you seem to be making an effort not to be."

   "So that's what this is all about?" Yami guides me through the door and meets my eyes briefly. "That I didn't wake you up and tell you where I was going?"

   "Have I done something wrong?" I look at him confusedly. "What have I done to upset you Yugi?"

   "What are you-"

   "You have been absent every time wake up today. It feels like every time I turn around you're gone. What have I done to repulse you so much that you feel the need to sneak away when I'm sleeping?"

   "I'm not upset with you." Yami stares down at me disbelievingly. "Quite the opposite actually." Yami smiles faintly down at me, the tension around his eyes seeming to ease the longer he looks at me.

   "Are you sure?"

   "Hundred percent." I smile brightly. My heart flutters at the thought of him being so bothered by my absence, but it also aches with guilt as I remember the distress he struggled to conceal from the link. "Now don't worry anymore." 
    He smiles softly as he heads for the stairs, pauses at the bottom step.

   "That frozen hot chocolate was rather sweet." He says without turning to look at me. "Perhaps you and I should go back there sometime and get one again."

   "That would be awesome." 

   I smile as he walks up the stairs. Yami. I would only ever share that moment with you and only you.