Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For years, soulmates had always been the talk of the world. No matter the topic of conversation, they came up somehow, whether it was related or not. In the past, there had been strict rules about dating soulmates. You weren’t allowed to bed with another human that wasn’t your soulmate. You couldn’t be romantically involved with anybody who didn’t share the unique symbol imprinted on your body.

But, as the times changed and everything became more modernized, those rules morphed. People stopped caring about soulmates as much. The strict punishments inflicted on those who disobeyed were lifted and everyone was given the freedom to date or have sex with whomever they pleased. Most of society preferred to keep searching for their soulmates, fantasizing about how perfect and romantic it was. Many of them failed to note that “soulmates” weren’t always intimate relationships. Most of them were, yes, but occasionally, they could be an incident where the two were best friends. There were even a couple of instances where identical or fraternal twins were soulmates. 

Many scientists had done the research and discovered that typically, soulmates were within the same age range. They were usually born in the same year or sometimes in the same month. While there were exceptions to this, they were usually very rare. Seldom was it common to see soulmates with many years between them. Those situations used to be explored more in the past, but nowadays, it’d been accepted that the concept of soulmates was more flexible than originally thought. 

The city of Domino was bustling with many people that all had different stories or thoughts about their soulmates. Tattoos weren’t as popular in Japan as they were anywhere else and therefore, it made it fairly easy to spot someone’s soulmate mark. Some people wore clothing that showed them off while others were more hesitant—such as one fashion designer that was ambling through the streets.

The messenger bag hanging off of his shoulder was simple and boring, leaving everything to the imagination. His attire was unfitting for the spring-becoming-summer weather, the sun beaming down and burning him through his black monochrome outfit. Little skin showed, save for his hands and face, which were pale and proof that he never spent much time outside. Considering his job, though, he didn’t have the leisure to do that. 

His name was Yami Gemu and he was well on his way to being a successful fashion designer. He’d been designing clothing ever since he was a child. He preferred girly toys over boyish ones, especially anything that required dressing up. He remembered playing with his cousin and his cousin’s best friend, offering to play with her dolls. They’d have competitions to see who could create the better looking outfits and he always won by a landslide. 

He would beg them to act out fashion shows and create outfits with blankets, towels, and anything that he could manage to steal from his parent’s closet. He’d take belts and shoes that were sizes too big, putting them both in these crazy outfits. It was fun, though they looked absurd compared to something someone out in public would wear. He’d fix the hallway rug and declare that it was the runway, shining a flashlight on them as they walked down. He’d call out commands for them to stop, pose, and then turn back.

As he grew older, he found himself doodling designs in his notebooks during his classes instead of paying attention to his lectures. Each day, he’d settle on the couch and watch runway shows, admiring the creations that were worn across the stages. He longed to get that far. He dedicated all of his time to sketching out dresses, jumpsuits, and anything that his heart desired.

For his fifteenth birthday, his parents bought him a mannequin so that he could begin to make those aspirations come to life. He ended up getting a job and each day after, he’d go to a fabric shop near his home. He’d spend far too long browsing and wasting his paychecks on buying pretty cloth that he loved. He carried them home and immediately got to work putting them to use. He taught himself how to sew by hand until he was given a sewing machine for Christmas. 

Yami practiced for hours upon hours, starting simply by making shirts for himself and his family. He grew more comfortable working with the machinery and pricked his skin a multitude of times that a needle or pin never bothered him now. His cousin’s best friend had even commissioned a dress from him, wanting to wear it for her sweet sixteenth. He felt honored and put his blood, sweat, and tears into the dress, ensuring that it was his absolute best effort.

He attended college and continued pursuing his passion, following his dreams as he’d always been taught. He was surrounded by people who were daydreaming and hunting down their soulmates, going to extreme lengths in order to find them. That wasn’t a priority of his. At one point, he had hoped to cross paths with his soulmate, but that desire was long gone now. He had more important things to worry about than the person that he connected with more than anybody else. It wasn’t all butterflies and unicorns as everyone made it out to be. 

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out, briefly skimming the caller ID that lit up the screen. He rolled his eyes at the ridiculous name he’d put there and answered, raising it to his ear, “Hello?”

“ Where the hell are you?! ” A voice shouted on the other end and he flinched at the volume, holding the speaker away. 

He inhaled deeply as he maintained his composure and returned it, calmly asking, “What’re you talking about? I’m heading to work right now.” 

“ Thirty fucking minutes late! Did you forget that you were supposed to be here earlier?! ” 

Yami checked his watch and winced when he realized his mistake. He’d completely forgotten that his boss had asked him to come in thirty minutes earlier to double check measurements on the models and make sure their outfits fit properly. He groaned and picked up the pace, “I’m almost there, I promise, just— fuck , how mad is Mr. Pegasus?” 

“ On a scale of one to ten, I’d say… Eight and a half. We’ve already done the fittings and fixed the issues we’ve been having, but still, hurry up! I have a feeling he’s going to make you his victim today, ” The person warned with a disappointed sigh.

“Yeah, I know… I’ll be there soon,” Yami reassured. “I’ll see you then.” 

Before they could respond, Yami hung up and shoved his phone deep into his pocket. He adjusted his bag and broke out jogging, weaving through the crowd of people passing by. He tried not to bump into anybody, but when he did, he made sure to shout an apology and carry on. He had to get there or else he was going to get obliterated, or worse: fired . There was no way in hell he was risking that happening.

After graduating from college with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts of Fashion Design, he’d searched far and wide for anybody that was willing to take him. He received many offers, but one, in particular, caught his eye. He took it without zero hesitation and he had not a single clue what doing so would entail.

Turns out that working for one of the greatest fashion designers in Japan was Hell . Maximillion Pegasus was known for his extravagant designs and how exotic they were, ranging from pastel overload to outfits covered in eyes. Yami always hated when he created those types of outfits. There was nothing more horrifying than feeling like he was being watched twenty-four seven. 

The man had erratic behavior and was all over the place, taking his odd attitude out on his workers. He chose his target each day and made it his mission to make sure that their job was extremely difficult. Yami knew that he was going to be his victim and he was not prepared for it at all. It was bad enough that he picked on him constantly anyways. To direct all of that treatment toward him was just unfair and Yami needed to stay strong. He couldn’t take any of his unnecessary comments personally. 

As he neared the building, he spotted a billboard in the distance. His heart skipped a beat as he recognized the person that took up the entirety of it. It had a black and white filter over the photo with the model posed seductively, eyes hooded and lips parted ever so slightly. Their skin was unnaturally smooth and their blemishes were photoshopped out. All the freckles that Yami knew littered their skin were nowhere to be seen. 

The model was known as none other than Atem Sennen—a.k.a., Pegasus’s top model. He was jokingly called his pet, as he was dragged around to all of his fashion shows and the highlight of each and every single one. Wherever Pegasus was, Atem was right there beside him. Interviews, meetings, fucking dinners – you name it, he was sitting next to the man.

Yami was far too familiar with him. He worked with him a million times and had his measurements memorized at this point. He knew exactly what sizes he wore and his taste in fashion. He could look at any article of clothing and determine if it’d look good on him (though, there wasn’t much that wouldn’t).

Yes, Atem was admirable and Yami commended him for his ability to deal with Pegasus, but he never thought the pet comments were jokes. Atem followed the man around like a puppy dog, listening to every little thing that was asked of him. Yami loathed it. He had his own sneaking suspicion that Pegasus was his sugar daddy, or something (many of his peers agreed and shared those suspicions).

Yami pushed open the doors to the building and waved to the receptionist. He hastily walked through the halls and corridors, rushing to get to the dressing room. He was out of breath and his lungs were screaming in agony. He almost ran into a wall when he tried to remember where he was going.

There were three major rooms in the building that he used the most: The catwalk, the private dressing rooms, and the main dressing room.

The catwalk was, of course, where the models practiced walking in their outfits and where most of the fashion shows in Domino City took place.

The private dressing rooms were reserved for the models when they needed to get their makeup and hair done for their attire. Occasionally, Pegasus’s designers used them for touching up clothing or doing private sizing with the models.

Lastly, the main dressing room was where most of the work took place. It was where the sewing machines and fabrics were kept. It was the workplace of the designers and models only came in there to try on outfits or have their outfits altered while they wore them. That was where Yami needed to be. 

A fashion show was taking place inside the building Saturday night and was themed for Pegasus’s upcoming summer launch. All the outfits were ready to go and today was supposed to be a practice run for the models. They’d be walking in their complete look to make sure that nothing would go wrong the day of the show. If something looked strange or didn’t fit, such as makeup or hairstyling, they’d make the proper adjustments and note it for the future.

He entered the room and tried to ignore the rush of blood to his cheeks when heads turned to look at him. He ducked his head and walked over to his workspace, setting his stuff down. Talk about embarrassing…

Right when he began to organize the accessories laid out on his table—thinking that he’d gotten off the hook—he heard Pegasus’s voice booming through the room, “Well, well, look who decided to finally join us! Welcome, Yami-Boy!” 

“I’m sorry, Mr. Pegasus,” Yami turned around and bowed his head in apology. When he raised it, he saw Pegasus standing in front of him and Atem trailing close behind. They made brief eye contact and he swallowed thickly, adding, “It won’t happen again. I promise .” 

“It better not. Otherwise, I may have to consider exempting you from the W.F.D.C. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?” Pegasus threatened with faux sadness, though his eyes gleamed with smugness. 

“No, of course not,” Yami assured, shaking his head profusely. “I swear to you, this won’t happen again.” 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Pegasus stepped aside and motioned for Atem to move forward. “You have thirty minutes to get Atem ready for the practice run. I expect him to look his absolute best, as he would on the day of the show.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Pegasus walked away and left the room, the door slamming behind him. Everyone visibly relaxed, including the models—and Atem in front of him. Yami frowned and unzipped the garment bag hanging on the rack near his space. He removed Atem’s outfit and passed it off to him. The bright splashes of coral and teal, combined with the gold jewelry splayed out on his table, went perfectly with the shimmery golden makeup painted onto Atem’s face.

“So…” Atem spoke up, his deep and sultry tone sending shivers down Yami’s spine. “Care to explain why you were late?” 

Yami shrugged, “I lost track of time and forgot about the fittings. That’s all.” 

“How boring,” Atem huffed and stepped onto the platform. “I was hoping for something more exciting .” 

“If you’re looking for excitement, you’re definitely asking the wrong person,” Yami turned to face him and studied his outfit. He smoothed out wrinkles, adjusted buttons, and zippers, then fixed Atem’s pockets, making sure they were all tucked in. 

In all honesty, Yami thought the outfit was a bit tacky looking. It was like Pegasus had entered a time machine and gone back to when these colors were trending earlier on. Yami was all for comebacks, but not this . He would’ve preferred something more mature and not so childish, especially for Atem. It wasn’t his expertise when it came to modeling. Again, he could make anything work, but it didn’t mean that it suited him. 

Yami’s gaze fell to the wedges that Atem was wearing and he snapped his fingers, pointing to them, then the floor, “Off. You know I’m too short and I need to put jewelry on—in fact, don’t go back on the platform.” 

Atem obliged and stepped down, slipping out of the wedges. He moved in front of the mirror nearby and Yami walked over with the jewelry draped over or hanging off of his arm. He started with the necklace and made sure it laid nicely across Atem’s collarbone. He clasped it into place, then slid bracelets onto his wrists. 

“What in the world are you wearing?” Atem reached out and tugged at the collar of Yami’s turtleneck. “You do realize that it’s not winter anymore, right?” 

Yami swatted his hand away and focused on layering Atem’s bracelets appropriately, “Leave me alone. I have the freedom to wear whatever I please.” 

“That is until you pass out from heatstroke,” Atem scoffed and tore his wrist away from Yami, planting both of his hands on his hips. “I don’t care how allergic you are to color, but could you at least consider a tank top or something? I’m sure you have some nice arms under there—” 

Yami caught Atem’s wrist when his hand reached for his bicep. He gently pulled it down and went back to fixing his jewelry, “It’s none of your business what I do and don’t wear.” 

“Yet, it’s your business what I wear.” 

“That’s because it’s my job. You signed up for this,” Yami knelt down and guided one of Atem’s feet onto his thigh. He wrapped an anklet around his leg and clipped it into place. He twisted it until the leftover chain was on the inside of his ankle. He patted the side of it and Atem moved, allowing him to stand up.

“Shouldn’t you have some care for your own wardrobe?” Atem asked in utter disbelief.

“No. I’d rather worry about someone else’s than my own,” Yami returned to his table and picked up a golden headband. “Seriously? Why didn’t the hairdresser put this in?” 

“Don’t ask me. I’m simply a model.” 

Yami rolled his eyes and he cleared his throat, addressing the designer beside him, “Hawkins, do you know where Mahad is?” 

“He said to figure it out yourself. Apparently, he had an appointment to get to and won’t be back until after practice runs.” 

“Figures…” Yami grumbled under his breath and rolled his chair across the floor, stopping it in front of Atem. “Sit.” 

“Demanding today, aren’t you?” Atem scoffed, though he sat down and tilted his head down.

Yami chose not to respond to his questions and studied his hair, wondering how to place the headband without interfering with it. He pushed the pieces of stiff hair that made up Atem’s bangs forward, carefully tucking the headband under them. He guided his chin up and admired him. It wasn’t that visible, but was just enough to complete the set.

He snatched a marker off of his desk and removed the cap, scribbling something across the inside of his forearm. The black ink stained his skin, seeping deep into the crevices and tainting each nook and cranny. He blew on it to help it dry quicker as he closed the marker and tossed it aside.

“Notepads exist for a reason,” Atem pointed out, watching lazily from the chair as Yami continued fanning the writing on his arm.

“As do gags,” Yami remarked, sending the man a glare. “Speaking isn’t in a model’s job description. All you’re meant to do is sit there and look pretty.” 

“Careful there, Yami. If you’re too mean to him, he’ll tattle on you!” A designer from somewhere in the room warned. “You can’t upset Pegasus’s princess!” 

Atem’s eyes twitched and he abruptly stood from his seat. Yami wanted to knock the fuck out of whoever chose to open their mouth, suddenly wishing that he had a gag to put on them. It was bad enough that Pegasus was mad at him – he didn’t need to be dealing with a fussy Atem. 

Maintaining his composure, Atem inhaled a deep breath, his fists unfurling with his exhale. His cocky smirk returned and he tilted his head curiously, “Did you call me pretty?” 

“I’m sure you hear it a million times a day. What’s the difference with me saying it?” 

“It’s you and I rarely get compliments from you,” Atem pointed out with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I feel so special.”

“This is exactly why I don’t compliment you. You always let it go to your head,” Yami nodded to the platform. “Shoes on and back up you go. I need to make sure everything looks right.” 

Atem obliged and toed the wedges on, climbing onto the platform. Yami picked up his notebook off of the desktop and flipped through the pages, stopping at the drawing that resembled Atem’s outfit. The model posed simply as Yami circled him, comparing the attire to the final design. Everything looked right and the only thing that remained was to let him walk the runway.

“What do you think?” Atem did an elegant turn, then posed dramatically. “Am I supermodel material?”

“ You are, but not with this outfit,” Yami closed the notebook with more force than intended and he threw it haphazardly onto the chair. “I don’t like coral combined with teal. It clashes and I think you’d do better with neutral tones, such as black or white.” 

Atem scowled, “I agree with you on white and black, as long as it’s nothing like what you’re wearing. I’m no fashion designer, but I know enough to see that it washes you out. You look like you haven’t seen the sun in years.” 

“That’s because I haven’t,” Yami reminded him with far too proud of a grin. “When you work for Mr. Pegasus, you rarely get any time for that. Besides, I’d much rather be cooped up inside and working on outfits than getting a tan.” 

“It’d do you some justice… Your posture is horrendous,” Atem pushed Yami’s shoulders back out of their slumped position. “I’m scared to know how much time you’ve spent hunched over your desk.” 

“However many hours you’re thinking, take it, and multiply it by a hundred because I can guarantee the numbers are outrageous,” Yami reassured. “I’ve dedicated my entire life creating fashion and I will likely continue to do so for the rest of it.” 

Their conversation was put to an end when the doors opened and one of Pegasus’s security guards came walking in. He cleared his throat and announced loudly, “It is time for the practice runs to begin. Models, please follow me to the catwalk. Designers, Mr. Pegasus has requested that you work on your fashion lines for the W.F.D.C. until the models are finished. He shall bring you his notes after the runs have been completed.” 

The models all hopped down from their platforms and followed the bodyguard out of the room. The door closed behind him and the designers collectively breathed sighs of relief. Yami moved his notebook out of the way and sank down into the seat of his chair. He rubbed his temple, hoping to aid the headache that was beginning to form.

The W.F.D.C. was known as the Worldwide Fashion Design Competition, which was an event where Pegasus’s designers were required to create a line of clothing. Other designers from all around the world would be traveling to Domino City to see these creations and potentially hire the designers to move forward in their journey throughout the world of fashion and improve their abilities. They’d create outfits that showed off their expertise and what they specialized in with the hopes that it’d appeal to more famous fashion designers.

It’d be taking place within a few months and Yami had already gotten a head start on his works. He had many specialties, but he wanted to focus on his love for leather and latex. He loved combining them with both silver and gold jewelry, aiming for something eye-catching, yet grungy. It was sleek and erotic with the ability to be toned down or intensified based on how the articles were styled. He wanted to design something that could be worn by anybody, whether they wanted to draw little attention or make a statement.

He was dragged out of his stupor by the designer beside him speaking up, “ Finally . The sexual tension in the room was getting suffocating.” 

Yami’s head whipped towards her, “ What ?”

“Oh, come on,” She sauntered over into his workspace, leaning against the table. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed it.” 

“I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.” 

“You’re joking, right? You two ogle each other all the time and have your disgusting flirty banter. I think Mr. Pegasus targets you because he’s jealous,” She mentioned with a sly smile.

“...You’re out of your mind,” Yami rolled his chair over to the desk and opened his notebook, turning to the page with his latest design. “Mr. Pegasus isn’t jealous of me.” 

“Actually, I think Rebecca is right,” Another designer chimed in, coming over to stand beside her. “The guy doesn’t particularly like any of us, but he has a major vendetta against you for some reason.” 

“Mmhm,” Rebecca nodded. “We’ve been trying to figure out why and we’ve concluded that this is the reason. You know he’s very protective over Atem. He’d drop any of us or other models to make sure that he gets to keep Atem.” 

“That’s ridiculous,” Yami tried not to give their theories too much thought. Sure, they might have been onto something , but he was eighty-nine percent that Atem hated his guts. He had nothing to worry about. He shrugged, “Mr. Pegasus has no need to be jealous. I have no intentions on stealing Atem away from him.” 

“We still thought we should bring it to your attention—”

“I appreciate it,” Yami interrupted and sent them a deathly glance. “Now, could you please let me concentrate? I don’t care how much time we have to prepare for the W.F.D.C., but I’m not wasting any of it.” 

The other designer sighed in defeat and returned to their desk, but Rebecca continued to remain where she stood. She groaned, “Are you really telling me that you haven’t noticed it? Atem? I’m pretty sure he’s been flirting with you this whole time.” 

“That was flirting? I thought he was being a nuisance on purpose.” 

“No—I mean, maybe , but that could just be his way of flirting.” 

“If that’s his way of flirting, then he’s definitely succeeding at being the wrong kind of pain in my ass,” Yami grumbled, turning to face her fully. “I appreciate your concern, but I genuinely have no interest in Atem and I doubt he has any in me, either.” 

She raised her hands in surrender, “ Alright ! I’ll mind my business and leave you alone. I’m just saying that you should think about it, okay? Maybe you could clear up the miscommunication or rumors about the two of you for Mr. Pegasus.” 

“Well, he’s a fool for even thinking that in the first place. Walk away from my desk, Hawkins, or else I’ll snap all of your sketching pencils and dull your scissors,” He threatened and made a shooing motion with his hand. “ Go .” 

Rebecca lingered for a moment, then caved and strolled over to her workspace. Yami kept burning holes in her backside until he was certain that he killed her. He tore his gaze away and let it land on the drawing in front of him. It was one of his complicated outfit designs; a flamboyant piece. There were straps everywhere and he had created a star-shape out of them across the chest. A bold choice, yes, but he loved it.

He opened the drawers beside him and pulled out some fabric samples, along with a container of small pieces of metal. It helped him to decide what kind of materials could be paired with the latex, as well as metal. He needed to figure out what jewelry should go with this outfit—if he wanted any at all. It definitely had room to be interchangeable between silver and gold, but he doubted that’d be the case with the rest of them.

Yami shifted and made himself comfortable, knowing that he’d be spending the next few hours hunched over his desk and working.

Zip. Button. Clasp. Snap.

It should’ve been that easy, but Yami found himself struggling as he attempted to zip up the form fitting skirt that Atem was wearing for the second walk of the show.

“What in the world…?” Yami muttered under his breath, tugging on the zipper. “Is this thing stuck? Atem, have you gained weight or something?” 

“No!” Atem blurted far too quickly, his head whipping around to cast a glare down at the man behind him. “Why would you ask me that?!” 

“This zipped up fine yesterday,” Yami pointed out and leaned around to see Atem’s stomach was, indeed, not as flat as it had been. “Suck it in, or else I’m telling Mr. Pegasus that you haven’t been following his diet.” 

Atem grumbled something in a foreign language that Yami was unfamiliar with and sucked his stomach in. This time, the zipper went up without any issues. Yami rose from his bent position and walked around, fixing the skirt higher onto Atem’s waist.

“What’d you eat this morning?” 

“A salad—” 

“Good lord, you did not ,” Yami rolled his eyes and stared directly into Atem’s. “Be honest with me. What’d you eat and why?” 

“Yami, don’t do this bullshit to me right now,” Atem folded his arms over his chest and kicked at the platform he stood on. “I’ll be walking soon and I don’t need to be stressing about how I look.” 

“You look good—great, as always. You’re just a little bloated, that’s all. Nobody can tell or will be able to tell as long as you don’t draw attention to it. Be confident and act natural,” Yami assured and plucked a gold chain belt off of the vanity nearby. “Here. Mr. Pegasus might kill me for this, but I thought it added to the outfit, anyway.” 

Atem remained perfectly still as Yami clasped the belt around his waist, the chain dangling down the side of his thigh. He turned to face the mirror and admired it. He smoothed his palms down the skirt, then inhaled deeply and nodded his approval.

“That works. Draws attention to my waist, but not my stomach,” Atem smiled at Yami. “Thank you.” 

“It’s my job to make you look good out there—although, I hope Mr. Pegasus doesn’t kill me for this,” Yami flicked the chain and watched it swing back and forth. “You know he doesn’t like when I mess with his outfits.” 

“If he says anything bad, I’ll take the blame. But, if it’s good, I’ll make sure the credit reaches you,” Atem reassured him. “Personally, I think it’s a nice touch. It’s not too much and not taking away from the outfit, either.” 

Yami hummed in agreement and placed a hand on Atem’s lower back, keeping his voice low as he repeated his earlier question, “What did you eat this morning?” 

“ Why is that important?” 

“You’re one of Mr. Pegasus’s top models and I know you’re proud of it. To see you purposefully eating something that’s not included within your strict diet is setting yourself up for failure,” Yami mentioned and he rubbed gentle circles into what little skin of Atem’s was exposed. “If you tell me why you did, then I won’t say anything to Mr. Pegasus.” 

“Gods, you’re annoying, you know that?” 

“As are you,” Yami moved out of another designer’s way to stand in front of Atem. He pretended to keep messing with his outfit as he peered up at him, “Go on. Talk to me. What’s bothering you?” 

“...It’s none of your business, alright? I ate a nasty cheeseburger and some greasy fries,” Atem finally admitted and his gaze drifted to the floor out of shame. “It was just impulsive stress eating.” 

Before Yami could ask anymore questions, one of Pegasus’s stage managers was entering the room, “Models, you’re on in five! Come line up and get ready to walk!” 

Atem descended from the platform and joined the other models that were heading out of the room. Yami couldn’t help the frown that tugged his lips down as Atem disappeared from view. What was going on with him? He was more than happy to follow his strict diet and did everything in his power to obey the rules of being a model. He had risen to the top and he was determined to stay there.

A hand landed on his shoulder, “You shouldn’t worry about him. He’ll be fine.” 

Yami glanced up at Mahad standing there and sighed, “I will, though. I hate his guts, but… He’s a good model and many models get objectified. I don’t want him to think that nobody cares about him and his health.” 

“I’m aware of what you mean. I’m concerned for his health as well, but this is not the time for such things to be discussed. Like you said, he’s a good model and being distracted puts that at risk,” Mahad squeezed his shoulder for emphasis. “He needs to focus on walking and putting on a performance for the people out there. Making him self-conscious of his weight is going to mess with his head.” 

“It’s not like I meant to—hang on, were you eavesdropping on our conversation?” Yami reeled back, Mahad’s palm slipping off of his shoulder. He stared at the man in utter disbelief, “I thought you were better than that!” 

“I suppose that even I’m terrible at minding my own business,” Mahad mumbled in defeat and he crossed his arms. “My point still remains, though. You’re undermining him as much as he’s doing it to himself.” 

Yami looked back at the platform where Atem had previously been standing. Okay, so bringing up his weight probably wasn’t the smartest thing during a show… Yami was equally as stressed as Atem was, though. He was talking and not thinking about what he was saying. He needed to make Atem look presentable and if he looked bad in any manner, Yami was getting yelled at for it. Pegasus was ruthless when it came to his shows being perfect and if anything went wrong, his anger was usually directed towards the designers. They always got the short end of the stick. The only time models were berated was if one of them tripped and fell, or got the timing wrong with the music. 

“...I’ll apologize when he comes through for the third round,” Yami said. “I should start getting things ready for that.” 

“As should I. I’m not risking any of you putting in the hair accessories incorrectly.” 

Yami scoffed, “I still have no idea how I put a headband on wrong.” 

“It was supposed to go in front of his bangs, not behind,” Mahad informed him with a pat on his back. “One of these days, you’ll learn.”

“Go away,” Yami growled, though he ended up moving first. He crossed the room to the rack of outfits that remained, plucking Atem’s final article off of it. He carried it over to his workspace and draped it across the back of Atem’s chair.

The ending look of the day for Atem was a black maxi-dress that fell off of his shoulders, with shorts underneath and a train flowing out behind him. It was more formal and mirrored another model’s outfit that showed earlier that had been more casual. Pegasus had styled it with gold accessories and tall heels that laced up around Atem’s ankles. Yami had chewed his bottom lip to death whenever he walked through the public dressing room in them. Actually, he did that anytime Atem wore heels. 

Pegasus always picked out ambitious heels that gained him quite a decent amount of height. They were usually a couple inches and made Yami forget how short Atem was—which, they both came in at five feet and one inch. Seeing Atem tower over him did things to Yami that he never wanted to talk about. But, at the same time, it freaked him out. He had no clue how he was so good at walking in them. 

He laid out all of the accessories that Atem needed and double checked that the heels were under the vanity. He had to be ready to switch everything out when Atem showed up. Other designers were doing the same and he could see Rebecca aligning her model’s jewelry into straight lines. She was such a perfectionist, but it always paid off and shined through in her work. She never failed to impress everyone, along with Yami.

She was two years younger than Yami, but her love for fashion was just as strong. She had been a model when she was a child and eventually entered the ring of designing when she got older. The two of them enjoyed what they did and shared it, growing close and bonding over their creations. Many of their peers had wondered if they were soulmates with how quickly they connected with each other. 

Yami had nothing against being platonic soulmates with the girl and she had no interest in a romantic relationship, anyway. But, he knew they weren’t soulmates. He’d seen her soulmate mark, which was a ribbon swirled into the shape of a heart. When asked about it, she had no idea what it meant. She had always associated it with fairytales and the ribbons that the princesses wore in their hair. 

That marking was nowhere on Yami’s body. He refused to prove it to anybody, though. He hated his soulmate mark. It was out of sight from him and that was the only thing he liked about it. Other than that, there was not a single good thing about it. He would’ve genuinely considered getting it removed and had done so if it weren’t illegal. He despised it. He longed for it to be gone and for no trace of it to remain on his body.

He didn’t like soulmates when he learned about them and he didn’t like them now.

Models came trickling into the room, heading over to their designers and stripping out of their outfits. Yami anxiously waited for Atem to appear, wishing that Pegasus didn’t make him walk last every single time. He was made the star of the show and therefore, he had to make the last appearance during each round. Not only did it frustrate Yami, but it was also unfair to the other models. They were always left in Atem’s shadow and Yami knew they deserved to have a chance in the spotlight. 

Minutes later, Atem came speeding into the room, kicking off his shoes once he reached Yami’s space. Both of them worked to take off his jewelry and get him out of the outfit he was currently in. Yami unclasped the dress from the hanger and helped Atem put it on. He zipped it up and adjusted the sleeves on his biceps.

Atem winced and tugged at the elastic around the top that was digging into his skin, “This is… Tight .” 

“Is it?” Yami hooked his finger under it and pulled, groaning when it failed to give as easily. “This was not my doing, I’m afraid… It’ll be alright. How uncomfortable is it?” 

“Nothing I can’t handle. I’ll deal with it—I’m simply grateful that this one zipped with no hassle,” Atem murmured. 

“Oh, there was a hassle. That wasn’t because of you, though. Whoever made this dress gave it the smallest zipper in existence…” Yami huffed and moved onto clipping Atem’s accessories into place. “Did Mahad need to see you for this outfit?” 

“I don’t think so. The dress was enough of a statement and needed nothing in the hair,” Atem answered. “Only jewelry and then shoes.” 

“Right, shoes,” Yami shoved the bracelet he was holding into Atem’s hands and suddenly dropped to his knees. He ignored the pain that rushed through them and grabbed Atem’s heels. He guided Atem to step into one of them, claiming, “I’m more worried about these than anything else. If they’re not laced properly, then you’ll have a hard time walking and I’m not letting that happen.” 

Atem put the bracelet on and toyed with the beads, “Alright… Though, I likely won’t complain if it’s too tight. I’m certain I can handle that, too— ah , nevermind!” 

Yami smirked as he loosened the laces that he’d just pulled taut around Atem’s ankle, “What was that? I’m afraid I couldn’t hear you.” 

“You’re awful. You can make them tighter, but not like that ,” Atem shuddered. “Remind me to never let you tie me up in the bedroom.” 

“Don’t see why I’d ever be doing that in the first place,” Yami muttered and tied the laces into a bow on the back of his calf. He directed his attention to the other shoe, noticing Atem’s painted toenails, “Isn’t it a rule to not paint your nails?” 

“ Shit … Another impulsive decision. Ignore it,” Atem dismissed it with a wave of his hand (and Yami noted that his fingernails matched the polish on his toes). 

“You were feeling really rebellious, weren’t you?” Yami chuckled, hoping the light-hearted comment wouldn’t bother him. “It’s fine. The gold shade goes with everything you’ve worn, so I doubt it looked bad. If anything, they likely thought that it went with your outfits.” 

“Mr. Pegasus likely saw,” He whispered and Yami could see his fidgeting grow more insistent. “That man sees everything on the runway.” 

“What did I tell you? Be confident and don’t stress about what Mr. Pegasus is going to say. You know that he’s liable to let you off the hook,” Yami ran a comforting hand up the back of Atem’s knee after he finished tying the second shoe’s laces. “You’ll be fine. I promise .” 

Yami looked up and could see Atem’s face full of surprise, accompanied by a flicker of uncertainty. But, it was replaced with determination and trust, “Alright. Thank you.” 

“No need to thank me,” Yami rose to his feet and began putting his jewelry on. “By the way… I’m sorry about what I said before. I know being a model isn’t easy and you didn’t need me criticizing you on your weight.” 

“I understand and appreciate your concern, but you’re right. That’s not something I needed to hear then or now,” Atem agreed and extended a hand to cup Yami’s cheek, forcing his chin up to make eye contact again. “You’re very sweet, Yami. I know you’re looking out for me and keeping me in check.” 

Yami could feel his face burn at the simple gesture and tore away from his touch. His palm was surprisingly soft and gentle. The tingling feeling on his skin lingered and he wanted his hand back there. He wanted to lean into it and kiss it, trailing them up his arm until he reached— well , where exactly was he going with this? Bad thoughts, very bad thoughts! He mentally wagged his finger at himself for letting his mind go there. He had to remain professional and couldn’t let Rebecca or any of the other designers be right. He especially couldn’t let Pegasus be right.

Atem wasn’t flirting. He made sexual comments sometimes to mess with Yami and he was touchy, but that was just how he was. He was being friendly—albeit a little too friendly, but friendly nonetheless. It wasn’t flirting. He wasn’t doing that with him. That wasn’t a thing that was happening between them. Absolutely not.

Yami said nothing in response to Atem and tried to just be done with him. The silky black material of the dress was gorgeous on Atem and he was poised, standing elegantly in the heels he’d strutted in multiple times. Gold was fitting for him and Yami loved when he wore it. He liked silver on him, too. Hell, he’d probably stray and say that rose gold did as well.

That meant nothing. Yami didn’t have feelings for him. He could admit that Atem was attractive without it having deeper meaning. Plus, he was literally the perfect model. Anyone would say that he was good looking.

Yami didn’t have a silly crush on him. No way.

Chapter Text

The good news was that Pegasus didn’t completely blow up over the belt and nail polish incident.

The bad news was that Atem got credited with the entire thing. Yami wasn’t necessarily upset about it, but he did roll his eyes when Pegasus began gushing over Atem even more.

Pegasus entered the dressing room after the show ended as he always did, singing his praises about how incredible everyone had done. He wished each model and designer a good night, claiming that they did a wonderful job. He reassured them that they’d hear their criticisms the following week.

But then, Pegasus reached Atem and Yami and both of them were rigid with tension. He glanced back and forth between them, then asked, “The second outfit. There was an addition of an accessory that I did not approve of. Who was responsible for that?” 

“I am, sir. I deeply apologize, but I thought that it’d work well with the outfit. It wasn’t my place to make that decision and I know that it was wrong of me,” Atem lied. “All I ask is that you don’t blame Yami. He had no say in this.” 

“Well, then…” Pegasus peered over at Yami and gave him a disapproving glance, which immediately turned to glee when it drifted back over to Atem. “That was an excellent choice! If it had looked terrible, I would’ve been opposed, but it did look amazing with the outfit! That was a wise decision on your part, my dear!” 

Atem gawked and sputtered, shaking his head profusely, “No, wait, Mr. Pegasus, that wasn’t—I mean—it was a team effort, we both agreed on it—” 

“Don’t be so humble, Atem!” Pegasus wrapped an arm around the model’s shoulders and laughed joyfully. “Please, do take all the credit! My, my, sometimes I wonder if you should take Yami-Boy’s place! You seem to do better as a designer than he does!” 

Yami bristled at his declaration and forced himself not to say anything. Atem looked at him helplessly and he knew that he wasn’t to blame, but what the fuck?! That last part was not needed at all!

His mood was still soured by the whole situation and he had distracted himself by focusing on his line of clothing for the W.F.D.C., since that was the main priority for all the designers now. Most of them were in the public dressing room and a few were working from the comfort of their homes. There was free space around the building, too, if any of them needed a change of scenery. They had the freedom to work wherever they pleased.

Yami felt like he did better when he was working in the public dressing room. All of his materials were there and he could always ask for a model if he needed to check something. He found that he stayed on track more and didn’t get distracted as easily. 

Well, that was until the door banged open. He exhaled sharply and gripped his pencil tightly as he peered over his shoulder. Of course, it was Atem. He looked awfully mad, though… His brows were furrowed and his hands were balled into fists at his sides. What in the world could’ve possibly gotten him ticked off this early? 

Much to his dismay, Atem made a beeline for Yami. It was at this moment that he wished he never looked, or that he was smart enough to put earbuds in like the few other designers in the room. It was too late to pretend like he hadn’t seen the man and he submitted to his fate. He set his sketching pencil down and spun his chair around, offering Atem a gentle smile when he stopped in front of him. 

“Good morning, Atem. To what do I owe the pleasure of getting to be blessed with your presence?” He dramatically asked, though that was a mistake when Atem scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“Not in the mood,” Atem slumped on the edge of his desk and folded his arms loosely over his chest. For once, his straight posture was nowhere to be seen. He must’ve been really upset today. 

Yami motioned to him, “Okay, go on. It’s obvious you want to talk, so you may as well. Tell me what’s bothering you.” 

“My parents called me a few days ago and informed me that they wanted me to come visit them later this month,” Atem started off – the awful beginning to his tangent. “I forgot that I told them I would forever ago, but I told them that I’d be visiting with my soulmate.” 

Yami’s eyes narrowed, “Seriously? Why would you do that?” 

“That was before I realized that nothing would be happening between Yugi and I.” 

Yami winced. Right . Coincidentally, Atem had been soulmates with his cousin, Yugi. Yami had figured it out after recognizing the marking on the inside of his right wrist. He pointed this out and helped the two of them meet each other. They ended up only being friends and Yugi went on to date their childhood best friend, Tea. Atem respected and shared his wishes, deciding that they weren’t meant to be romantically.

“Okay… I’m still failing to see the issue here. You and Yugi aren’t together, yes, but that doesn’t mean anything. You could still bring him with you and maybe Tea could tag along? It’d be fun, I’m sure,” Yami suggested.

“That’s the problem. I promised my parents that I’d bring my soulmate that I’m dating .” 

“ Atem !” 

“I know! I know, that was stupid, and I should’ve been honest with them, but I already have a bad enough relationship with them!” Atem admitted, his hands flying around frantically.

Yami stood up when he saw the other designers starting to notice or hear his distress. He wrapped an arm around Atem’s waist and guided him out of the public dressing room.

“You’re okay, just take a few deep breaths, okay?” Yami instructed as he guided him to the private dressing rooms. It was clear that this discussion was more personal than intended and he knew that his fellow designers were bad for gossiping.

It didn’t take him long to find Atem’s dressing room and he led him inside, closing the door behind him. He locked it just in case and then leaned back against it. Atem sat down in his chair by the vanity and let out an obnoxious whine at his own dilemma, burying his face in his hands.

“Atem, don’t freak out. Breathe and then tell me what’s going on, okay? Whenever you’re ready. Just take your time and I’ll be patient,” Yami assured. “There’s no rush.” 

Atem did as Yami requested and made sure his breathing was under control. Yami realized that he was inhaling and exhaling at the same time, holding his breath in a rebellious attempt to stop. He only relaxed when Atem carried on with his interrupted tangent.

“I told them that I was dating my soulmate because they’ve always had this unhealthy idea of soulmates and it’s extremely old-fashioned. They think that all soulmates should be together romantically and are very close-minded about anything other than that—unless they’re related, obviously,” Atem rubbed his temple and let out an exasperated sigh. “They already hate the fact that I’m a model and yes, I’m successful, but they don’t care about that. It’s just… This sounds awfully sad and pathetic, but it’s my final way of proving to them that I’m not a complete disappointment.”

There was a sharp pang of guilt in Yami’s chest and he could feel his heart sinking to the bottom of his stomach. Ouch . He knew that following your dreams could sometimes be ambitious and parents always warned their children to take an easier route, but even after Atem became the top model in Domino City? How could they not be proud of him? To be more worried about something as frivolous as him being intimate with his soulmate?

“I’m very sorry, Atem. That’s terrible and something you shouldn’t be dealing with,” Yami tried his best to sympathize, resisting the urge to cross the room and embrace him. He cleared his throat, “What do you plan on doing, then?” 

“Well…” His gaze quickly turned pleading and he gazed longingly at Yami. “I was hoping that I could find someone to pretend to be my soulmate and partner.” 

“Who?” 

When Atem continued to stare at him, Yami felt his stomach drop. He shook his head, “No, no, no . No way. I’m not doing that.” 

“Why not? It’d only be for a week and I could assist you with your designs for the W.F.D.C.! I’d be your personal model as long as you do that for me!” Atem leapt to his feet and rushed over to Yami, taking his hands in his own. “Think about it! I’d cover everything and you wouldn’t have to stress about paying for stuff! Pack whatever you need and come with me to Egypt! It’s basically a free vacation!” 

“No! Even if I did agree, that’s not enough for me and—and what would you even tell Mr. Pegasus?” 

“I can convince him. I’ll cover both of our skins and get us the green light to go with no issues,” Atem reassured. “I’ll do whatever you want, just tell me. I’m surprised that a week of covered vacation time with the perks of a private model isn’t enough, but… As you can see, I’m getting pretty desperate here.” 

“Why can you ask somebody else?” 

Atem looked like he’d sucked an entire lemon, but huffed, “I trust you. Mr. Pegasus is far too old for it to be convincing that he’s my soulmate and I wouldn’t want to go with him, anyway. I want this experience to be somewhat enjoyable as much as it is believable. You and I are the same age, which works out well. I debated asking Mahad, but he’s busy with other gigs. There’s nobody else left for me to ask without it being awkward.” 

Yami pondered it. Sure, the vacation did sound nice and he had always wanted to go to Egypt. Taking a break and getting out of Domino City after a runway show would be relaxing. He’d be able to get work done on his designs with some assistance from Atem. But, the downside was that this would be even more suspicious to Pegasus. The two of them going on a trip together? Yami having to be Atem’s boyfriend and soulmate? Yeah, he wasn’t going to be happy about that and his spiteful advances toward him would become more frequent. 

“If I do this, there’s a couple things you must do in return for me.” 

“A couple —?” Atem blanched, a choking noise of some sort escaping his throat. He swallowed thickly and scoffed, “Alright, what are they?” 

“First: We have to set our boundaries. I’m not comfortable with affection and I need to know what we’re going to be doing beforehand. Second: You have to tell Mr. Pegasus that we’re not dating and there will be no chances of us dating—” 

“ What ? Why would I do that?” 

“He thinks it’s a competition to fight for your attention. Therefore, he targets me and likes to make my life a living Hell,” Yami informed him. “So, yeah , it’s one of my requirements.” 

“... Fine . Continue.” 

“Third: You’ll be my token model to present my fashion line at the W.F.D.C., whether Mr. Pegasus likes it or not. I want the best odds of getting noticed by another designer at that show and you’re the greatest model. I’m making sure that I have the best person showing off my creations and that would be you,” Yami explained. “Sound good?” 

Atem snorted, “Mr. Pegasus is not going to allow that and I doubt even my convincing could persuade him.” 

The sound of the door unlocking echoed through the room, “Good luck, then.” 

“No, wait!” Atem practically flew across the room and slammed the door shut, flicking the lock back into place. “I’ll do it, okay? I’ll do all of that, just— please .” 

“You’ve got yourself a deal, then,” Yami extended his hand and Atem begrudgingly shook it. “Anything that I need to do?” 

Atem reached into his pocket and tugged his phone out, unlocking and handing it to Yami, “Here. Give me your number. After I convince Mr. Pegasus, I’ll text you all the details of when our trip will be and likely what you’ll need to bring.” 

Reluctantly, Yami typed his number into the empty space, along with his name. He saved it and passed it back, “There. Is that all?” 

“It should be. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go have a long discussion with Mr. Pegasus and pray to every Egyptian God above me,” Atem muttered under his breath. “Believe me, though – I’d much rather stay locked up in here with you, boyfriend .” 

Yami unlocked the door once again, “Get out.” 

“You’re not fun,” Atem tutted as he opened the door and walked out. He lingered, then slowly glanced at Yami with a shy smile, “Thank you for doing this. It means more to me than you may think.” 

Yami shrugged, “Don’t mention it.” 

Atem rolled his shoulders back and then disappeared down the hallway. Yami closed the dressing room door behind him and made his way back to the public dressing room. He couldn’t even believe what he was getting himself into. He had a strong hunch that he was going to regret agreeing to do this. 

When he got to his desk, he began packing up his belongings. Rebecca, who was there, took out her earbuds and looked at him with confusion. 

“Where are you going? And what did Atem want with you?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Oh, or did you two get frisky in his dressing room?” 

“We did not do anything of the sort,” Yami stuffed everything into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “If anybody asks, I’m heading home and working from there for the rest of the week.” 

Her teasing expression quickly morphed into one of concern, “Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah. I think I need some space and time to think about things,” He pushed his chair in and attempted to give her his most convincing grin. “The runway show tired me out. That’s all. Working from home and being away from Mr. Pegasus might help me destress.” 

“Okay… Take all the time you need. But, if there’s anything you need at all, don’t be afraid to let me know. I’m here for you—not just to tease you,” She reassured. “You always know where to find me.” 

“Thanks, Rebecca. I appreciate it,” He headed towards the door and called out. “I’ll see you next week!” 

He readjusted the strap of his bag and briskly walked through the lobby of the building. While he did love working there, he wouldn’t be able to think now . Not to mention, he wasn’t sure that he could chance his paths crossing with Atem’s again. He wanted nothing more than to go home and clear his mind.

Yami made it outside and paused to take in the fresh air surrounding him. Thankfully, it wasn’t too crowded outside with everyone either being at school or work. Only a few people were ambling through the streets or driving on the road. He began his trek to his apartment and retrieved his phone from his sweatshirt pocket. He had some notifications – most of them from Yugi and one from Tea. 

He responded briefly to Tea’s, then sent an urgent message to Yugi, completely disregarding the previous texts that he had received. This was more important than the silly gibberish that he likely sent when he was drunk off of his ass. Honestly, somebody—specifically Tea—needed to confiscate the device when that happened.

With a heavy sigh, he picked up the pace and sped walked the rest of the way to his apartment. 

“Okay, spill the beans! You rudely dragged me away from playing video games, so this better be good,” Yugi declared as he flopped down onto Yami’s couch with a bowl of popcorn (that he waltzed in and made without asking permission or saying word—not even a greeting to his dearest cousin).

Yami didn’t know why he was nervous. His palms were sweaty and he kept wiping them on his black pants, grateful that stains weren’t visible. Why was he so stressed to hear Yugi’s reaction to Atem’s grand plan?

“...Atem’s going to visit his parents in Egypt later this month,” Yami mumbled, toying with the rings that littered his fingers. This was harder than he thought. Maybe it was because he didn’t want another person knowing about this. It was embarrassing and could lead to more teasing about crushing on Atem—which Yugi would be liable to do more than anyone else.

“Okay?” Yugi tossed a handful of popcorn in his mouth and shrugged. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“He told me today that he promised his parents that he’d be bringing his soulmate to meet them,” Yami hesitantly continued, swallowing thickly and realizing his mouth was bone dry. His water bottle was on the table, but he couldn’t bring his hands away from his lap.

“ Weird . He never mentioned anything about that to me,” Yami chewed slowly as his brows furrowed with confusion.

“That’s because he told his parents that he was dating his soulmate,” Yami corrected and he could feel his heart racing, picking up speed. It pounded loudly in his ears and he bit his bottom lip as he tried not to let his mind get carried away.

“...What? Why would he tell them that? He knows we’re not dating and I’m with Tea,” Yugi frowned deeply and sat up a little straighter, scooting to the edge of the couch. “We both agreed to keep things platonic, so why—? Yami, where is this going?”

“Atem asked me to pretend to be his soulmate.” 

Yami watched in horror as the bowl slipped from Yugi’s grasp and he launched across the table to catch it. He breathed a sigh of relief when only a couple pieces fell onto the floor and placed it on the table. He glanced up and gulped when he saw Yugi staring at him in utter disbelief.

“Yugi, stop looking at me like that—” 

“What do you mean he asked you to pretend to be his soulmate?!” Yugi yelled, causing Yami to flinch at the volume of his voice. “How—why—did you agree?!” 

“...I did,” He sheepishly admitted and curled in on himself in shame. He felt like a snail that’d been dumped in salt. 

Yugi glared at him and demanded, “ Explain .” 

“Look, I’m not doing it without something in exchange, alright? If it wasn’t benefitting me, then I would’ve left him to fend for himself,” Yami assured. “I told him that he has to clear things up with Mr. Pegasus about us dating and that he has to be my model for the W.F.D.C., which will give me the best odds of getting noticed by another designer.” 

“I’m ninety-nine percent sure that this is going to make Mr. Pegasus even more suspicious of you two,” Yugi pointed out. “So, you’re going to pretend to be his boyfriend—how long are you guys going to be in Egypt for?”

“He said a week. He’s going to be covering all of my expenses and even offered to let me use him for modeling purposes while I work on my line,” Yami sighed. “In all honesty, it’s not that bad of an exchange. He reasoned that it’d be a good vacation and I, unfortunately, have to agree. It’ll be nice to get out of Japan for a bit.” 

“But, at what cost? You have to pretend to be his boyfriend . You need a story for how the two of you met and you have to make it look believable that the two of you are a couple,” Yugi reminded him  in that scolding tone that made Yami feel like he was a child. “You’ve never dated anybody before in your life. You know that you two are going to have to practice, right?” 

Yami groaned, “You’re making me regret this more and more.” 

“You should ! I understand that you’re being a good friend, but you should’ve given this more thought before agreeing.” 

“It’s too late now. I guess I’ll just…” Yami trailed off and closed his eyes, huffing in frustration. He wasn’t mad at Yugi or Atem. He was mad at himself. Yugi was right. He should’ve considered what he was getting into more. He was stupid. An idiot. Dumbass .

Yugi recognized the symptoms of his distress—hands balled into fists, brows knitted together, nose scrunched up slightly and lips pressed in a thin line—and crossed over to sit beside him on the couch. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to his side, “It’s okay, Yami. You’ll figure this out. It’s just something you two have to talk about. You’re not going until later this month, yeah? You’ve got plenty of time to get the details sorted out.” 

“That doesn’t make it any less stressful.” 

“You know what’s a good stress reliever?” Yugi leaned in, squishing his face against Yami’s. “ Kissing .” 

“Yugi, I swear—” 

“It’s the truth! You’re going to get the opportunity to kiss the top model in Japan!” Yugi giggled and eased back to study Yami’s displeased expression. “Everyone’s gonna be jealous!”

“ Nobody is going to be jealous because the only people that’ll know about us dating will be his parents,” Yami seethed. “It’s not going to be a public thing.” 

“That’s what you think. What if the two of you go out or something? Lots of people know his name and his face. If they find out he’s in Egypt, then the paparazzi will be swarming him. It won’t take much for them to put the pieces together,” Yugi raised his wrist, showing off the marking that he shared with Atem. “Especially if they see that both of you have this.” 

“Right… I almost forgot about that,” Yami muttered as he studied the mark.

It was the small outline of an Egyptian symbol – specifically the Eye of Anubis. When they were younger, Yami would sit beside Yugi at his grandpa’s old, dingy computer while they researched about what it meant. Yugi was intrigued and spent a lot of time doing intense studying on Egypt, even sharing the stories about his grandfather’s expeditions there. Yami was also interested—just notably less. Again, he preferred to doodle pretty dresses and fancy tuxedos than read articles that he was forced to mull over in history class.

His first time working with Atem, he remembered the paralyzed shock he went into upon seeing the opposite mark to match Yugi’s. It was the same symbol, yet it laid on the inside of his right wrist and was filled in, whereas Yugi’s was not and imprinted on his left instead. He’d been deathly quiet in an attempt to not make his surprise so obvious and thankfully, Atem didn’t notice any difference. Yami had waited until after the show ended to awkwardly share with him that he knew who his soulmate was.

Replicating Yugi’s mark would be fairly easy. He could practice a couple times—either that, or make a homemade temporary tattoo. Surely, he had enough sense to do that without giving himself ink poisoning or permanently damaging his skin. Better than recreating it each day and risking it looking weird or accidentally rubbing off.

Although, the mark was probably the least of importance right now. He allowed his brain to wander back to the other things Yugi said: Paparazzi . That would be a further confirmation that they were a thing because it wasn’t like Atem could deny they were dating in front of his parents. He was meant to be proud of their relationship and he had to keep that act up. People were going to notice and Atem’s fans would be solving the mystery case of Yami in no time. He wouldn’t be just Pegasus’s target anymore.

Yami was going to be the target of everyone .

Packing for a week long trip to Egypt was more complicated than Yami originally thought it would be.

“I don’t think I need this many pairs of shorts…” Yami winced as an awfully short white pair was tossed into the cart in front of him.

“ Sweetheart ,” Atem purred and Yami visibly grimaced at the pet name. “We’re going to be in Egypt . You’re not going to survive in black turtlenecks and skinny jeans.” 

“I could.” 

“You’ll be miserable and definitely pass out,” Atem insisted as he added another pair of skimpy black shorts. Yami liked them, but really? Was the length necessary—or rather, lack of length?

“Good. That’ll be less time dealing with you.” 

“No, honey ,” Atem tutted in disapproval and reached over the cart to brush a strand of hair out of Yami’s face. “You’re not allowed to hate me on this trip, remember? You’re supposed to be making a good impression on my parents.” 

Yami lifted the shorts and waved them around with emphasis, “You think these are a good impression? Yeah, no. Can’t you find anything longer?” 

“But, this is going to be my only time seeing you in shorts and I want to make the most of it!” Atem gave him pleading, puppy dog eyes. “Indulge me, won’t you?”

Yami eyed the shorts, debating them. They were… Cute. It wouldn’t hurt to give them a try. Begrudgingly, he tossed them back in, “Fine. If your parents say anything about them, though, then I’m blaming you.” 

“ Yes !” Atem exclaimed and clapped his hands gleefully. “Alright, come along. I think this is enough and you still have to try everything on… Then, we’ll go home, pack, and get on the plane tomorrow night.” 

Yami groaned and trudged after Atem as he pulled the cart along behind him in the direction of the fitting rooms. He couldn’t believe how quickly the time had passed. It was already the day before their flight to Egypt and he was starting to go into panic mode.

He had waited until the last minute, reassuring himself that he’d be able to visit Egypt with his current wardrobe. He was balancing his time between work and going on “dates” with Atem to practice pretending to be boyfriends. Upon sharing what he was bringing to Egypt, Atem declared that it was unwise to show up in such attire. He announced that they were going to the mall to get new clothes.

During their dates—which was either sitting in the furthest corner of a cafe with expensive coffee, or hanging out in Yami’s apartment—they figured out all the tiniest details about how they met and came to be together as a couple. They discussed the nicknames they were comfortable calling each other and agreed on what physical touch they were alright with. Surprisingly, Atem was very attentive and promised to not do anything that Yami didn’t like.

Yami managed to convince Tea to help him experiment with different homemade temporary tattoos for the trip. It consisted of a ridiculous combination of markers, paper, and hairspray or perfume. He loathed how strongly his wrists smelled of flowers and artificial candy, but it’d have to do. The first time that Atem caught a whiff of his skin, he immediately launched into an onslaught of questions about what he was using.

“Wait, please, just let me—”  Atem collapsed on the couch in a fit of laughter, his chase after Yami coming to an end. 

Yami stood behind the couch with his arm hidden behind his back, giving the man a deathly stare, “You’re so immature.” 

“Baby, you smell nice! Come here, I just want to get a proper sniff—” Atem snorted at his own words and buried his face in one of Yami’s decorative throw pillows. 

“I hate you,” Yami slowly returned to the couch and sat down, snatching the pillow away from Atem. “I’m only doing this because of you and you know that.” 

“I know, I know! I really do appreciate it,” Atem gently picked up Yami’s wrist and studied the marking on the inside. “Oh, wow… That’s nice. It looks exactly like Yugi’s.”

“That’s the whole point, isn’t it? This needs to be convincing,” Yami reminded him, watching as Atem raked his gaze over the neatly drawn Eye of Anubis.

Atem hummed, “Still… It’s impressive.” 

Tentatively, he lifted his right hand and put them side by side, studying them. He broke out into a grin and traced the outline with his index finger. Yami shivered at the contact and how the pad of his finger tickled his skin. His movements were slow and feather light, basically teasing him.

Yami didn’t know why he wanted to grab his hand and tug him closer. Weird. Gross. Bad.

Seeing the eye on his arm was still taking him a while to get used to. Sometimes, he found himself admiring it for no reason at all. If he was chilling with Atem, his attention would bounce back and forth between both of their marks. It didn’t mean anything. They weren’t actually soulmates.

Next thing he knew, he was being snapped out of his stupor by Atem pressing a bunch of clothes against his chest and ushering him into the fitting room. The door closed behind him and he was completely stunned. It took him a moment to hang the clothes up on the hooks inside and strip out of his current outfit. 

As much as he loved fashion, he despised trying on clothes. It always made him self-conscious of his body and everything felt wrong in the fitting room. The lighting was horribly unflattering and the tags were uncomfortable, stabbing and pricking his skin. He would’ve preferred to have swapped places with Atem and be following him around while he shopped or tried clothes on.

He hiked the risque shorts up high onto his hips, fastening the button and zipping them. He grabbed one of the short-sleeve polos that Atem had put into the cart (without asking) in the shade of black. He turned from side to side as he surveyed his appearance in the mirror. It wasn’t terrible… In fact, he thought he looked pretty good.

Yami opened the door and awkwardly spun around, letting Atem see the whole outfit. He could feel his face burn at the satisfied gleam in the man’s eyes.

“Well, well, look at you ,” Atem sauntered over with a mischievous smirk. He smoothed out the collar of the polo and chuckled, “You look handsome, my love.” 

“Uh-huh,” Yami was tense under his palms when Atem slid them down to rest on his chest. 

His bottom lip jutted out and he batted his lashes at him, “I feel so unloved. No cute pet names for me? I’ve been throwing them at you all day and have received nothing in return.” 

Yami glanced around them and when he confirmed that nobody would see, he put his hands on Atem’s hips, gripping them a little too tightly, “I’m sorry, babe .” 

“There we go,” Atem whispered and moved impossibly close, barely leaving room between their bodies. “That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” 

“I’m gonna vomit.” 

“It’s my job to be dramatic, sweetie,” Atem lifted one hand to squish Yami’s face and he snickered. “Has anybody ever told you how adorable you are?”

Yami couldn’t handle this. His cheeks were on fire, the tips of his ears burning hotter than the Sahara desert, and his stomach was twisted into knots. He wormed his way out of Atem’s grasp and stumbled back until he hit the door of the fitting room.

“ Nope . I’m changing. We’re going to go through all these clothes, buy them, and then we’ve leaving,” Yami hissed out before disappearing in the fitting room. 

Yami took the clothes off and avoided checking the price tag, setting them on a separate hook for what he would be purchasing. He observed the white shorts and shook his head in dismay. He knew for a fact that he didn’t own any white at all. That was going on the “definite no” hook. No need to try them on—he wouldn’t like them. 

He sorted through everything else and only tried on what he thought he would like. He leaned towards the darker clothing and while most of it wasn’t black, Atem had incorporated navy blues, maroons, and Yami had even considered the beige and nude tones he was given. As for pants, he sorted through a variety of light-washed blue Jeans in shorts and capris. 

Atem was smart. He knew that if one wore a lighter shirt, it’d be better off paired with darker bottoms. But, if it was darker, then the opposite—unless it was a monochrome look. In regards to blue Jeans, that was the main rule. It was broken occasionally when doing a darker based outfit for autumn or pastel themed for spring. He wasn’t completely clueless like most assumed about models.

He waltzed out in a pair of high-waisted khaki capris that he styled with a maroon shirt that he left unbuttoned over a white tank. His confidence was boosted in this outfit and Atem could tell. He whistled as he gestured to him to spin.

“Damn! Look at my gorgeous man,” Atem complimented and Yami wasn’t even fazed by it. He looked great and he felt it, too.

“Indeed, look at me ,” Yami was brimming with joy because he never had this type of ego boost when putting on clothes outside of his comfort zone. Maybe it helped that Atem was encouraging him, but he liked this.

“Where in the world has that grumpy man from earlier gone?” Atem hooked his fingers in Yami’s belt loops and yanked him closer. “I think I like this side of you much better.” 

“You would, wouldn’t you?” Yami was talking and his mouth was moving before his brain could, unable to keep up with processing anything that was happening. He ran his hands down Atem’s sides and slid to his ass, tucking them in his back pockets. His voice in octave as he mumbled, “You like when I’m confident?” 

The look of surprise on Atem’s face made him realize what he was doing. He cleared his throat and pulled away, Atem not fighting him on it. Yami could swear that he could see the model blushing. Score , he briefly thought, before reprimanding himself. No. Not a score.

“Let’s just say that confidence suits you, yes?” 

“... Right .”

Chapter Text

After getting off of their flight to Egypt, the two of them still had to drive to Atem’s home on the outskirts of Cairo. The model had taken refuge in the driver’s seat of the rental car, giving Yami the opportunity to admire their surroundings.

The two of them were dressed comfortably, but decked out enough to make some sort of impression on Atem’s parents. Atem had chosen to wear the white shorts that he ended up buying instead of Yami. He wore them with a horrendous and tacky Hawaiian shirt. He overloaded his arms with gold bangles, a golden band circling his neck, and earrings littering the many piercing holes in his ears.

Meanwhile, Yami had some rugged gray shorts on (they fell right above his knee, unlike Atem’s) and a sleeveless button-up in a lilac shade. He didn’t care for the color, but Atem insisted on him wearing something that wasn’t a neutral tone for the first day. After that, he could wear whatever he pleased. He had on some jewelry, mostly black and silver, but it was nothing in comparison to the amount Atem was sporting.

He stared out the window at the sights that passed them in awe and he was having a hard time taking everything in. The anxiety in his stomach was gnawing away at him and he couldn’t stop overthinking about all of this. What if he messed up? What if he said the wrong thing? What if he accidentally let it slip that they weren’t actually soulmates? What if he started talking about Yugi and explaining his relationship with Tea and lack of relationship with Atem?

Atem’s warm hand on his exposed thigh caught him off guard. He peered over at the man and that’s when he spoke, “ Relax , baby. I can feel your distress from over here.” 

“How am I supposed to?” Yami squirmed nervously in his seat and pushed Atem’s hand away. He put it back immediately afterward. He sighed and left it be, continuing, “I’m going to be meeting your parents and we’re staying with them for a whole week. It’s a lot and I’m just—”

The car swerved slightly and he yelped. Atem steered it smoothly back onto the road and patted Yami’s leg, “Stop stressing about it. All I’m expecting out of you is for you to be yourself and have a good time. I don’t want you to be miserable just because of them.” 

“...Are you nervous?” 

“Of course I am. They’ve never been happy with me going down the path of modeling and fashion,” Atem admitted and returned his hand to the wheel. “I suppose it’s easier to reassure someone else instead of dwelling on my own worries.” 

“It is, isn’t it?” Yami placed a comforting palm on his shoulder, then moved it to the back of Atem’s neck and massaged it. He chuckled when the man slumped, “Seems you’re just as tense as me. Hypocrite .” 

Atem shook his head with a small laugh, “Alright, then. I’d prefer other names, but go ahead – call me a hypocrite.” 

Yami rolled his eyes and frowned when the car started slowing down. Atem flicked on his turn signal and he examined their surroundings. There weren’t any major turns and the area was spacious, except for—oh, dear heavens. 

A long, stone path led to a mansion off in the distance. He swallowed thickly, “Atem, don’t tell me that’s your parents’ house…” 

“It is. Did I forget to mention that they’re filthy rich?” 

“ Yes ! Yes, you absolutely did forget to mention that—good lord, that’s… They like showing off, don’t they?” Yami muttered as they turned down the path and the mansion was front and center in his field of view.

“Mmhm. Don’t let that change your opinions on them, though—actually, what were you even expecting?”

“Snobby assholes?”

“Ah. Well, I’m afraid that’s exactly what they’re like,” Atem confirmed with a wince. “We’ll be fine, though.” 

“I hope so…” 

Atem pulled up in the driveway, stopping in front of the double staircase leading to the doors. It was grand and beyond gorgeous and Yami would kill to live somewhere this nice. There were flowers everywhere and an elegantly sculpted statue in the front, holding more foliage and vines. 

Atem inhaled deeply, then turned in his seat to look at Yami. He was smiling, though it wasn’t confident or cocky—it was sympathetic, if anything. He really was stressed about this, too. Yami wished that he knew of a way to help him calm down and possibly soothe his mind. Unfortunately, Atem beat him to the punch. 

“...You know what would help us relax?” 

“Atem, I swear, if you say kissing—” 

“Come on! Smooch me, please ?” Atem begged with a whiny tone, leaning over the console with pursed lips. “If we get carried away, then that means more time spent delaying having to see my parents!” 

“God, you and Yugi are one in the same. No wonder you two are soulmates,” Yami seethed and tried to scoot as far away from Atem as possible. “I agreed to kiss you in front of your parents for the sake of convincing them—not for you to use to your advantage whenever you feel like making out!” 

“I’m such a good kisser, though! Platonic making out is nice, isn’t it?” Atem lifted himself up with his arms and hoisted one knee onto the console. “Don’t you want a taste of these sweet, sweet lips, honey?” 

“Not when you put it like that , I don’t!” 

Atem huffed and peered past Yami, gasping, “ Shit ! They’re coming outside, I—please, kiss me, come on, I don’t wanna face them yet!” 

“Fine! Okay, fine, just shut the fuck up— mmph !” Yami’s sentence went unfinished due to Atem’s lips smashing against his. It was messy, uncoordinated, and Yami hated how squished he was into the passenger seat. 

It didn’t help when Atem fully crawled into his lap and straddled his thighs, cupping his face in his palms. Yami exhaled sharply through his nose and nipped Atem’s bottom lip, scoffing at the pathetic noise that escaped him. He pulled back enough to glare at him.

“Rude.” 

“You cut me off.” 

“You were telling me to shut up and frankly, I didn’t appreciate that or any of your attitude thus far on this trip!” Atem whisper-shouted and planted another quick kiss on his lips. “ Mean .” 

“Wow, I’m so hurt,” Yami mockingly feigned offense, a palm pressed to his chest. “You can come up with better insults than that, babe.” 

“You’re the literal worst. You know, you’d probably look better choking on my—” 

A loud knocking on the window startled both of them out of their mini argument. Gulping, Atem pushed the window button beside Yami, causing the man to sputter in disbelief. What in the world was he doing?! Why was he— fuck , was he really going to let his parents see them like this? Had he no shame?!

Hesitantly, Yami peered back to see two people standing right outside of the passenger side of the car. The male—presumably Atem’s father—was much taller and wore a stern expression. He had no visible reaction to him and Yami being all over each other. The short woman (Atem must’ve gotten her genes), on the other hand, was staring at them in shock, a hand covering her mouth.

Atem cleared his throat and offered them one of his trademark cocky smirks, “Hello, Father, Mother. Lovely to see you both.” 

“...The feeling is mutual,” Atem’s father responded and the strain in his voice didn’t go unheard by Yami’s ears. Something told him that the feeling was, in fact, not mutual.

Atem climbed into his seat and Yami rolled the window back up before he turned the car off. Both of them got out and Atem came around to stand beside Yami, stepping forward to give his mother a hug, who exclaimed about how much she missed him. His father gave a similar greeting of his own when he pulled away. Atem said something in Arabic to both of them before slinging an arm across Yami’s shoulders. 

“Guys, this is my soulmate and boyfriend, Yami,” Atem declared proudly and for a moment, this almost felt real. Yami had to rudely remind himself that this was all pretend. Atem gestured to each of his parents as he introduced them to Yami, “This is my father, Aknamkanon, and my mother, Nebetah.” 

“It’s wonderful to finally meet both of you. Atem has told me a lot about you,” He claimed as he extended his hand to Aknamkanon first. It wasn’t a complete lie – Atem had gone on a few ramblings about his parents, giving Yami the basic rundown of what they did and unnecessary facts that he wished he hadn’t remembered. 

“The pleasure is all mine, young man,” Aknamkanon accepted his palm and gave it a firm shake. “I look forward to getting to know you.” 

Yami nodded and turned to Nebetah, who flung herself at him, embracing him tightly, “Oh, hello! Gods, you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day. There’s nothing sweeter than seeing your son being united with his soulmate!” 

“Now, now, Nebetah, give the boy some space,” Aknamkanon chided and gently tugged her away from Yami. “My deepest apologies. You know how mothers get.” 

“I do. It’s not a problem at all, ma’am,” He assured and took Atem’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “It’s an honor to be your son’s soulmate and have the privilege of getting to date him.” 

The smile that Atem gave Yami was genuine (at least, he thought it was) and he latched onto his arm, resting his head on his shoulder, “He certainly is an incredible man. I can’t wait for the two of you to spend time with him and get to properly know him.” 

Yami could feel butterflies swarming around inside his tummy and he was giddy with excitement, his heart pounding out of his chest. The feeling of Atem attached to him sent electric tingles rushing across his skin and deep into his nerves. No, it wasn’t real. None of this was real. But… He was pretending. He could pretend that it was reality for a little while, couldn’t he? It wouldn’t hurt and Atem didn’t need to know if he stopped “faking” things.

After all, they’d be going back to normal once this was over with. He could have a little fun with this. No harm, no foul. 

“Aww, you two are precious!” Nebetah gushed with a giggle. “Do either of you need help bringing your stuff inside?” 

“No, we’ve got it. Thank you, though,” Yami reassured as he glanced down at Atem. He bit his lower lip and stroked his cheek, letting his hand fall under his chin. He thumbed the intended spot right beneath his lip and resisted the tempting urge to kiss him. They were madly in love, but they’d been “dating” long enough to chill out with the PDA.

“We’ll head inside then and let you two be,” Aknamkanon announced, the sound of his palms making contact echoing loudly through the air and bringing their focus back to him. “Atem, you know where your room is. We’re going to let you two get settled and then we’ll see you at dinner.” 

“At six thirty, correct?”

Nebetah sighed happily, “You remembered.” 

“How could I not? You instilled that in me for thirteen years of my life,” Atem half huffed, half laughed at her comment. “We’ll be there at six thirty on the dot .” 

Aknamkanon and Nebetah turned, retreating into their home. The tension left Yami’s body and for some reason, he held Atem tighter instead of releasing him. Any other couple would’ve been relieved for privacy, but they were supposed to be relieved to let their facade down for a short period of time.

Much to his chagrin, he wiggled his arm out of Atem’s clutches and cracked his neck, taking the time to stretch. After sitting in a cramped plane for hours and then a car minutes later had his muscles begging for some relaxation. He couldn’t wait to wind down and have some peace and quiet—that was, as long as Atem kept his mouth shut. 

“See? Not so bad, now was it?” 

“I don’t think your father is fond of me. Is he homophobic?” 

“Surprisingly, no. He’s never been worried about that sort of thing. My parents always claimed that my soulmate was my soulmate, no matter their gender or—well, age,” Atem grimaced and started heading towards the rear of their rental car. “As long as I’m dating my soulmate, then they’re happy.” 

“You weren’t kidding about them being old-fashioned. Most people nowadays are worried about their own happiness, regardless if it includes their soulmates or not,” Yami pointed out as he trailed slowly behind Atem. 

Atem said nothing in response, too busy over complicating how to open up the trunk. Yami frowned and popped it for him, sliding in between him and the car. He crossed his arms and ducked his head down until he made eye contact with him. The pain in them was clearer than day and Yami knew that was probably not the right thing nor the right time to say something like that.

“I’m sorry,” Yami mumbled. 

Atem mustered a fake grin and it crushed Yami to pieces when he followed it with, “Nothing to be sorry for. Shall we get our stuff and go in, handsome?” 

“...Yeah, I guess. Can we talk about this later?” 

“If I feel like it, maybe.” 

That was enough of an answer for Yami. He stepped aside and helped Atem get their luggage out of the car. Atem slammed the trunk closed with extra force and paid no mind when Yami flinched. He yanked the handle of his suitcase up and wheeled towards the entrance of the mansion. Yami hurried to do the same, speed walking to catch up to him.

“I wonder how expensive this place is… How much do you think they spend on it monthly?” Yami pondered aloud as they entered the foyer, met with polished marble floors and a winding staircase that continued onto a third floor. Oh yeah, that wasn’t going to be cheap.

“If I remember correctly, somewhere around ten thousand?” 

Yami choked on his saliva, gawking at Atem in utter disbelief, “Ten thousand ?! That—that’s fucking insane!” 

“What’d I tell you? Filthy. Rich ,” Atem breathed out with a wink. He snorted and couldn’t contain his giggles when Yami still remained there with a shocked look, his jaw practically sitting on the floor. He guided him to close it, motioning towards the staircase, “Our bedroom is awaiting us, darling.” 

Yami didn’t even acknowledge the “our”, too stunned by the mansion and the astounding price of it. He trudged along as they ascended the staircase and went all the way to the top floor. Dragging their belongings up there was a bit of a hassle, but Yami couldn’t bring himself to complain. It was too beautiful and he was in heaven as he marveled at everything he saw on the way there.

The bedroom, though? It stole Yami’s breath and he couldn’t believe that he was standing in this room. He let go of his bag and wandered around, peeking into the adjacent room. The bathroom was equally, if not more, fancy than the bedroom itself. Both were huge and spacious. He was extremely jealous and would’ve considered himself lucky if he was actually Atem’s soulmate—or boyfriend, for that matter. Nothing better than getting pampered and a hot ass model for the rest of your life.

“Isn’t it lovely?” Atem came up behind Yami, wrapping his arms around his neck and draping himself over him. “Could you imagine the outstanding sex you’d have in here?” 

“...You ruined it.” 

“I did not! It adds to the element of luxury. You could fuck anywhere, from the bed, to the balcony, then the bathtub, then the sofa in there…” Atem trailed off and shrugged. “Alright, maybe I am ruining it. My point is, that’s a perk that I always dreamt about while growing up.” 

“If you’re this horny now, I’d hate to know what it was like to be your crush growing up.” 

Atem peeled his body away from Yami’s and strolled into the bathroom, “Thankfully, you have nothing to worry about. If you’ll excuse me, I need to freshen up. Feel free to snoop or do as you please. You can unpack as well—should be room in the dresser or closet.” 

“Thanks.” 

The bathroom door clicked into place and Yami flopped down on the edge of the bed. He fell back on the mattress and preened happily at how he sank down. He’d enjoy sleeping here—damn it, how’d he forget that he was sharing a bed with Atem? It was big enough that they had plenty of room, but still… Imagining Atem curled up beside him had his head spinning. 

How was he supposed to survive this when they were going to be attached at the hip constantly? 

Everyone always claimed that rich people had boring activities. Before Atem’s parents, Yami could neither prove nor deny that fact. Now, he could confirm that they did do mundane things considering that they were standing in the middle of a museum. 

Aknamkanon was going on and on, talking about how he held exhibits there all the time when he received artifacts from his employees that went on expeditions. Nebetah occasionally chimed in with her own comments here and there, but for the most part, she left the talking to her husband.

Yami trailed behind both of them with Atem sidled up beside him, an arm wrapped securely around his waist. He’d barely spoken a word since they arrived there, which was unusual for him. Seldom was Atem quiet and Yami was certain it was due to his parents. Aknamkanon never gave him or anybody else the opportunity to say anything.

Quietly, he leaned over and murmured, “Are you doing alright?” 

Atem snorted, “I think I should be asking you that question.”

“You haven’t been running your mouth like usual. I was getting suspicious, to say the least,” Yami pointed out. 

“I’m fine. It’s better to let my father go on his tangents instead of interrupting him,” Atem shrugged and squeezed Yami’s torso with reassurance. “No need to worry about me, sweetheart.” 

Yami ignored his heart skipping a beat and returned his focus back to the couple in front of him. They were stopping to chat with a few tourists there enjoying the scenery and symbols of Egyptian culture. He gently steered Atem away, separating their group and taking him towards a wall of pages. They were in poor condition; yellowed and stained over the years. He hummed thoughtfully and nudged Atem, gesturing to it.

“Mind telling me what this is about? Surely, you have some knowledge on what’s here.” 

“...I do. Are you genuinely curious, or are you simply doing this to get me to talk?” Atem smirked. “Missing my voice already?”

“I am,” Yami admitted, feeling victorious when Atem turned into a blushing mess. He chuckled and motioned for him to continue, “Go on. Tell me all about it.” 

“Well… It’s a collection of spells and formulas that helped the deceased travel to the Afterlife and united with the God of death, Osiris. They were pyramid or coffin texts that were originally painted onto objects instead of papyrus, which is what you’re seeing here,” Atem explained. He let go of Yami and moved closer to the wall, sighing, “I never was one for Egyptian history, though. I have my ties to it, but it’s not as fun to learn about when you have your parents cramming it down your throat.”

Yami nodded, “I understand. Why don’t you tell me about something you are interested in?” 

“Such as?” 

“What made you start modeling in the first place?” 

“Why does anyone start modeling? They get told they’re handsome and receive praise for the outfits they wear. I used to love being the center of attention as a child and sometimes, my appearance alone would catch the eyes of others. I craved it and I wanted more. I shared my wishes with my parents and when they didn’t agree with it, it turned into a spiteful decision,” Atem carried on and frowned as he turned to face Yami.

“It wasn’t completely for that reason, though. As you can tell, I’m passionate about fashion and I love getting to wear different outfits. The runway is a second home to me and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I was so excited when I heard about the W.F.D.C. and being told that I’d, obviously, be participating as one of the models in it.”

“You’re going to be my model for it, though,” Yami reminded him and there was a twinge of guilt swimming around at the bottom of his gut. “How are you feeling about that?” 

“I know I was skeptical at first, but I’m still excited. I would’ve been okay with whoever I modeled for,” Atem approached him and reached out to take his hands. “How could I not be ecstatic to know that I’m modeling for my boyfriend?” 

That guilt disappeared in no time and was replaced with his stomach doing somersaults. He shouldn’t like being called Atem’s boyfriend so much. They weren’t even in front of his parents right now and yet, he felt no reason to correct Atem. He had to, though. He could pretend that he wasn’t pretending, but he needed to keep a grasp on what little bit of reality was straying from him.

“We’re not actually boyfriends, Atem.” 

Atem’s smile remained and he twirled himself into Yami’s arms, his back pressed to his chest, “I know. Let me have my fun, won’t you?” 

“Your ‘fun’ is encouraging far fetched delusions.” 

“I already agreed to your silly requirements beforehand, alright? No dating and there will be no fraternizing between us once everything is said and done,” Atem assured, but Yami could hear the edge in his tone. 

Before Yami was able to address it, though, a clearing of a throat caught their attention. He and Atem both turned together, still embraced, to see Aknamkanon and Nebetah coming up to them. Nebetah was laughing and presumably teasing Aknamkanon, who appeared extremely flustered.

“Oh, what happened?” Atem perked up, making no move to rip himself out of Yami’s arms (not that he was complaining).

“Your father was talking about the story of Osiris and Isis when one of the tourists visiting started asking about all the spicy details and drama that occurred back then,” She giggled and patted his arm. “There, there, darling. One of these days, they’ll be interested in more than just their sexual nature.”

“Is that all these kids are worried about these days? ‘Sexing it up’? ‘Getting their sex on’?” He mocked, raising his hands to make quotation marks. “I don’t understand and I doubt that I ever will.” 

Yami tightened his grip and slyly grinned, “Sex is such an intimate experience, though. You get to know every part of your partner and bond more closely with them. Hearing about hookups and scandalous nature in ancient Egyptian history? Of course they’re going to love that. Taboo topics are becoming less ‘taboo’ and more ‘modern-chic’.” 

Aknamkanon openly grimaced and Yami was doing everything in his power to not burst out laughing. Atem’s body was twitching against his and it was clear he was doing the same, chiming in, “He’s not wrong! Why should we punish sex? I believe that we should embrace it! The practice of it can be for more than copulating or for the sake of satisfying sinful desires.” 

“I suppose they do have a point,” Nebetah agreed. “Although we may be old and bad at keeping up with the times, they’re young! We can’t forget that they’re still exploring the world and figuring things out about themselves.” 

“ Sexually ?” Aknamkanon asked in disbelief.

“Potentially, yes. They’re responsible adults and allowed to do such things,” Nebetah gave them both an adoring look. “Ah, I care nothing about what they do in their private time. As long as they’re happy with each other, then so am I.” 

“...Right. Shall we continue walking around, then? There’s plenty more to see,” Aknamkanon suggested, directing their conversation back on track.

“Oh, yes! Yami, there was something I wanted to show you…” Atem turned in Yami’s hold, draping his arms over his shoulders. “That is, if you don’t mind me stealing you away?” 

“Of course not,” He dropped his voice to a quieter volume. “Are your parents going to mind?”

“They better not,” Atem dipped his head (and upper body) back and said to his parents, “I’m dragging Yami to the back of the museum.” 

The two of them shared a glance, then gave their nods of approval. Atem straightened up and took Yami by the hand, guiding him through the museum. They weaved through the displays and glass cases, making their way to a large doorway in the back. The room on the other side was dark except for encased statues that depicted ancient Egyptian men and women illuminated beneath spotlights. 

“What is this place?” Yami wandered up to one of the statues and studied the attire that it was wearing.

“This is a gallery of the type of clothing that ancient Egyptians wore back in the day. I thought that you’d have some appreciation for it,” Atem informed him as he lingeried by the doorway. “Feel free to peruse.” 

Yami graciously accepted the offer and read over the plaques beside each one, learning all the proper names for articles that they had on. He loved that men wore skirts, or shentis , like the women. There was no toxic masculinity or rules that they had to wear trousers—they hadn’t even been invented yet. He wished that mindset had stuck around. It was more socially acceptable to see people in modern day Egypt wearing makeup and gender-neutral clothing, as it was a part of their culture. Why couldn’t that be spread everywhere else? 

Out of the corner of his eye, he observed Atem. He was standing there and just… Staring at Yami. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest and he was leaning on the wall, unashamed in the least as he watched Yami explore. He bit his bottom lip as he recalled waking up that morning.

“Good morning, handsome!” Atem exclaimed as he ripped the covers off of Yami. The man groaned and curled into a ball, shivering at the loss of warmth that had encased him.

“Could you be a little less loud?” Yami sat up and was getting ready to yell at Atem more for rudely waking him, but he was caught off guard by how ethereal he looked. Suddenly, words were impossible.

Atem was wearing an ankle length light yellow skirt that swayed with his movements, twisting with him whenever he turned or spun around to toss the covers back onto the bed. As for the top, it was a cream colored off the shoulder cropped shirt that exposed plenty of his skin. Yami wanted to pounce on him, litter it with kisses and marks, and watch him proudly strut through the streets with them like they were accessories—speaking of, he was wearing an abundant amount of gold jewelry. Yami wasn’t surprised. He was noticing that it was a trend of his with everything he wore.

He didn’t even realize he was openly gaping at Atem until the man tilted his head, planting his hands on his hips, “What? What is it?” 

“Nothing!” He blurted and leapt out of bed, adjusting his sweatpants frantically. “Just uh—gonna go use the bathroom and get dressed. Where are we going, by the way?”

“To the local museum and then to brunch. Nothing too formal,” Atem frowned at him as he beelined for the other room. “Are you sure you’re alright?” 

“I’m fine! Just gotta piss, that’s all,” He dismissed it with a wave of his hand and slammed the door behind him. He sank down to the floor and glared at the tent forming in his pants. He growled under his breath, “You have terrible timing, don’t you?” 

Atem was unabashedly gorgeous and Yami had worked with him for years. Why was he getting into his head now, of all times? Caving in, he shoved his hand into his pants and began stroking himself to completion. He tried not to think of the model in the other room because there was absolutely no way in Hell he was stooping to that low. Yet, an image of Atem laid out nude on bed sheets was what ultimately brought him to his release.

It seemed that neither of them were innocent. He looked down at his own outfit—the same one that made him gain confidence while they were shopping. All of it had gone out the window and he was returned back to his antisocial, quiet state. He was horrible at this. He wasn’t supposed to be feeling this way or having these thoughts about Atem. He shouldn’t, and he couldn’t —and there went what little bit of the ego boost he had left, tumbling down the drain.

Without another word, he moved onto the next dressed up statue and thought nothing of Atem’s eyes burning through him.

The place that had been picked out for their afternoon brunch wasn’t as expensive as Yami thought it would be. He expected classy patrons, fine china, and high prices on the menu. While it was nicer than anywhere he went in Domino City, it was nothing absurd. 

Upon skimming the menu, he felt like a complete and utter idiot in front of Atem’s parents. Half of the contents contained no descriptions on what they were, and if they did, he couldn’t read it. With a groan, he looked to Atem and gestured helplessly at his menu.

“Can you please tell me what I’m looking at?” 

Atem grinned, “Certainly. What’re you in the mood for? They have a variety of food, but they mostly specialize in egg dishes. Either way, I’m sure I can find something that you’d like.” 

“I have a preference for sweeter breakfast foods. Anything that could soothe that craving?” Yami added a hint of seduction and teasing that Atem picked up on in no time. 

“I think I know just the thing…” He trailed off and leaned in, then leaned back, pointing to something on the menu. “ Sweet Couscous . I believe that you’ll like it. I used to eat it all the time for breakfast when I was younger, so I think you’d enjoy it if sweet is what you’re looking for. It’s even in the name!” 

Yami acted like he was disappointed, “Maybe that’s not sweet enough.” 

“Simmer down, my dear,” Atem closed the distance to press a light kiss to the corner of his lips. He then whispered, “I’ll be sure to give you plenty of sugar later.” 

Blood rushed to his cheeks and he could only scoff at the statement. He picked up his glass of water and took a long sip, cold ice cubes brushing against his upper lip. He swallowed thickly to hydrate his unexplainably (not at all unexplainable) parched throat. He put his glass down and wiped the residue of condensation onto a napkin. 

“Okay!” Nebetah spoke up, resting her clasped hands on the tabletop. “Now that we’re finally settled and comfortable, I want to know everything ! Give me all the details about how the two of you met.” 

Atem visibly straightened in his seat with excitement, more than happy to provide for her, “You see, we met each other while I was working for Maximillion Pegasus. Before one of our shows, I remember that the designer that was helping me started feeling ill. At the time, Yami was one of the assistant designers, so he stepped up and took their place. While he was working, I noticed that he had a matching mark on his arm that looked very much like my own.” 

“Since I was so deep in my head about getting Atem ready for the show, I hadn’t even bothered to say anything or mention it. I was afraid that I’d distract him or make him mess up because he was thinking about it,” Yami picked up, sharing his side of things. “He asked me why I never mentioned it before and I told him that I didn’t think he’d like me. He was on his way to becoming an amazing model and I wasn’t even an official fashion designer yet.” 

“We put that discussion on hold and saved it for another time when we weren’t stressing over the runway show. I came into work and spoke with him the following week. We compared our marks and made sure that they matched before deciding to go on our first date,” Atem explained and reached beside him to intertwine their fingers. 

In his peripheral vision, he could see flashing lights and the sound of camera shutters. He peeked over and tensed up when he realized there was a group of paparazzi seated in the corner of the restaurant. Yugi was right about the paparazzi, then. He brought his gaze back to Atem. He’d have to ignore it – the model was unfazed and kept talking to his mother.

“It was at this coffee shop down the road from our place of work. He was nervous and I have to admit that I was, too. I didn’t want him to think that I was egotistical or completely self-centered simply because I’m a model.” 

Yami chuckled and gave him a playful wink, “You can be. But, as I talked to him and got to know him, I learned that he has a big heart. He cares for the other models he walks with and appreciates the hard work that everyone puts in for the shows. On the catwalk, he seems so confident and on his high horse. In reality, though, he’s as humble as can be. He loves doing things for other people and I think that’s an honorable trait about him. It doesn’t matter whether it always benefits him or not – he’s usually willing to do it.” 

Beaming brighter than the sun itself, Atem continued, “Yami hates talking to people and tries to avoid doing it at all costs. Everyone thinks that he’s mean, but he’s a big softie on the inside. He’s a talented fashion designer and I feel very lucky whenever I get the chance to work with him. In fact, he’s asked me to be his token model to show off his line of outfits for the W.F.D.C.!” 

“The W.F.D.C.? What’s that?” Nebetah was smiling and seemed genuinely interested in what they were talking about. Aknamkanon, on the other hand, did not .

“It’s—actually, why don’t you explain it to them, darling?” Atem nudged Yami in the side with his elbow. “I believe you know more about it than I do.” 

“If you insist…” Yami shrugged before leaping into the basic rundown of what the event was. Halfway through, they were interrupted by the waiter taking their orders. He thought that there would be a change in topic after that, but Nebetah encouraged him to keep going.

Yami understood more and more why Atem never spoke up or liked sharing his aspirations with his parents—specifically his father. If Aknamkanon wasn’t speaking, the conversation meant nothing to him. He appeared bored out of his mind and he was always looking elsewhere, paying no attention to Yami. Nebetah was asking questions and participating, chatting, or at the very least, acknowledging what he was saying.

It was ridiculous how selfish this man was. He had a successful son sitting right in front of him. Was he really that ashamed that Atem had taken the path he wanted instead of following the one that Aknamkanon planned out for him? He was being petty over something so silly. 

“It’s incredible to know that I’m having someone that will present my clothes the way that I want them to be presented,” Yami added “Atem’s an outstanding model. Have either of you seen his magazine photoshoots?” 

“We have not,” Aknamkanon answered quickly, butting in for the first time. “I’ve seen the covers. They’ve always been too… Raunchy , I suppose, is the word I’m looking for.” 

“Raunchy? If it was too much and considered inappropriate, then it wouldn’t be plastered across the front of millions of magazines,” Yami scoffed and his eyes narrowed at the man. “Don’t you have a single ounce of pride for Atem? The place that he’s made it to in the modeling world is impressive and commendable.” 

“As a parent, that’s not a manner that I’d like to see my son in,” Aknamkanon calmly informed him, but his eye was twitching and he was struggling to maintain his composure; seconds away from snapping in the middle of the restaurant. “If I’m being completely honest, I’m disgusted by some of the things that I’ve seen and heard about him. Nothing about him being a model is ‘impressive’. It’s provocative, vulgar, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it led him down the path to prostitution.” 

Atem sputtered and stood abruptly from his seat, “Excuse me? Prostitution ? You’re out of your mind if you think that’s where my career is leading to.” 

The paparazzi noticed the dispute and there was hushed chatter radiating from their table, accompanied by more flashes as they took photos of Atem standing there. It was obvious that he was upset and they were definitely getting paid well for these pictures. The media outlets were going to love those shots of an annoyed Atem on vacation with his family and suspected boyfriend/soulmate. 

“ Sit down ,” Aknamkanon seethed, refusing to continue speaking until Atem did so. Yami gently tugged on Atem’s arm and guided him to sit back down, stroking his bicep. His father sighed and his voice remained quiet, “Models do not last forever. Once they begin aging, they lose their jobs and what’re they meant to do after that? They run out of business opportunities and modeling gigs—” 

“That’s not true,” Yami interjected before he could get carried away with another one of his tangents. “There are many older models that are making good pay these days. Sure, most of them stop doing runway shows, but they still do photoshoots or even commercials for popular companies and brands.” 

“Is it worth having to face the paparazzi constantly, or all the hate you receive from people? Do other models not undermine you? Make attempts to sabotage you?” 

Atem slumped, losing the energy to argue, “The paparazzi can get exhausting, yes, but I’ve learned to stop listening to the haters. It’s much more meaningful to hear what my actual fans have to say. As for my fellow models, I do my best to give them chances to take the spotlight, or support them when they’re modeling. There’s no point in sabotaging each other and I hope they’d never do that to me.” 

“One of these days, they will. Those people that you think you can trust will always stab you in the back.” 

“Can we stop talking about this? Please?” Nebetah pleaded, her gaze bouncing around to everyone, not sure where to settle. “How about we talk about something else? Atem, you promised to tell me the story about the date where you asked Yami to be your official boyfriend!” 

Atem nodded, “Sure.” 

Beneath the table, Yami placed his hand on Atem’s thigh and gave it a comforting squeeze. He could feel his hand cover his own, grasping it tightly as fingers slid through the gaps of his. There was another communicatory squeeze in response to his and he decided this would be a talk saved for later.

While he wanted to prove points to Atem’s parents and show his father how wrong he was, he wouldn’t start full blown fights with him. It would only worsen things and make the tension between them grow. He had to learn when to bite his tongue and not overstep.

Reluctant to dismiss his thoughts entirely, he listened to the story that he and Atem had rehearsed about how they became boyfriends. It sounded stupidly cliche and romantic and Yami wished that it could just be real. But, it couldn’t be. They wouldn’t be. Reminding himself of the fake tattoo on the inside of his wrist made him more aware of it, feeling as if it were burning him. He wanted it to be burned into his skin. It never would, though. They weren’t going to ever be true soulmates.

Clearly, it wasn’t in the stars for them and Yami had to accept that—even if it was painful.

Chapter Text

The sun beamed down on the sandy dunes of Ain Sokhna , one of the few equivalent places to a beach in Egypt. The water was a beautiful shade of blue and glittered under the light, making it appear as if it were sparkling. Yami longed to swim in it, but they weren’t here for swimming purposes. Atem’s parents wanted to have a chill day and chat, although they were busy talking to others in the cafe they sat in. 

A cool breeze tousled Yami’s hair as he sat on a barstool near a wooden railing in the small shack, nursing something similar to a Pina Colada. Above him were glass bottles in an assortment of colors that hung from the ceiling by ropes that wrapped around the necks of them. Honestly, he was grateful to be sitting under the awning rather than be out on the shore.

He was wearing a forest green tunic that was made of linen and dipped down enough to expose some of his chest, along with khaki shorts. Sure, he packed plenty of sunscreen and had lathered it on before leaving, but it definitely wasn’t enough to stave off the sunburn.

Aknamkanon and Nebetah had driven two hours to bring them here and Yami thought it was worth the drive—even though he was stuck in the backseat with Atem pestering him the whole time. He ended up doodling some outfits for the W.F.D.C. to pass the time and silenced Atem with a couple kisses here and there. They were enough to satisfy him.

Currently, he had his notebook open in front of him, working on a grungy outfit. It consisted of black cargo pants and a long trench coat with a latex tank top underneath. Covering it were belt-like straps that clasped in front the front, matching the same one around the waist with the end of the belt hanging far down the leg. Atem had teased him about how it looked like something he’d wear.

…Maybe he was onto something. He would’ve loved to wear an outfit like this, but it was intense and would probably catch the wrong kind of attention. He didn’t think he could get away with wearing it like Atem. He wasn’t model material and he stuck to designing to save himself the embarrassment. It was just as nice to see others enjoy his style, even if it was intended for him.

A person flopped down on the barstool beside him and immediately looped their leg around his, “Hello, darling.” 

“What do you want?” Yami kept his gaze glued to the page, his pencil continuing to shade the sketch below him.

“I just wanted to come check on you. Didn’t you miss me?” Atem purred as he scooted his seat closer to the point where their sides brushed together.

“Let me guess – you got bored playing pool?” 

Atem sighed in defeat and set his glass down, “The only cute people stopped buying me drinks when my mother mentioned my soulmate and started going on about how we’ll be getting married.” 

“ Married ?” Yami sputtered and finally lifted his head to look at him. “Hang on a second. Did you even consider the future? You and I aren’t getting married and—fucking hell, Atem, we’re not actually dating! You can’t keep this secret going on for years!” 

“It’s fine—” 

“Atem, that’s not fine,” Yami interrupted, dropping his pencil to fully turn to face him. “We’re—what, twenty-four? They’re going to be expecting us to get married soon. That’s probably why she brought it up in the first place.” 

Atem whipped his head around in the direction that he came from and winced, “Shit… I suppose I didn’t think about that.” 

“Yeah, obviously .” 

“Do you think they’ll notice if we poison their drinks? Ooh, or maybe give them ours? We could give them alcohol poisoning!” 

“We’re not killing your parents, Atem,” Yami smacked the side of his thigh and scoffed. “You’re going to have to man up and be honest with them at some point. I don’t care if you wait until after the trip, but I’m not doing this again with you.” 

“What, you don’t want to have a fake wedding with me?” Atem mockingly gasped, an offended palm landing on his chest. “I’m wounded!” 

“Stay wounded, then,” Yami shrugged and spun back to focus on his drawing. “There’s no way in Hell you’re getting me to walk down the aisle in a wedding dress.” 

“ I could wear the wedding dress, if that’s the issue here.” 

“That’s not the issue,” Yami bluntly replied, casting a glare towards him. He glanced at the drink he was stirring and tutted, “How much have you had to drink?” 

“This is my second,” Atem lifted the pinkish-red drink to his lips, absently chewing on the straw. “I’m not that drunk. Takes a lot more than that to get me tipsy.” 

“I hope that I never see that side of you while we’re here,” Yami mumbled, mentally praying to whatever Gods were above him. “What’re you drinking, anyway?”

“Strawberry Mojito,” He briefly looked past Yami and smirked. “Want a taste?” 

“I guess?” 

Suddenly, Atem was putting his drink down and cupping Yami’s face, pulling him in for a kiss. Yami barely had time to react, almost falling off of his barstool as he stumbled to find purchase on something—which ended up being Atem’s hips. He huffed in frustration, but there was no denying that the man was a good kisser. He left Yami dizzy, light-headed, and longing for more every single time. 

He nibbled Atem’s lower lip and he whined at the pain, causing Yami to chuckle, “How about a little more warning next time?” 

“Sorry…” Atem whispered, his breath tickling Yami’s lips. He offered a shy smile as he shifted closer to Yami, throwing his leg fully over his thigh. Now adjusted, he added, “My father was walking towards us and I’m not in the mood to chat with him.” 

“Why? Is he still upset about yesterday?” Yami’s brows furrowed. “Do I need to have a talk with him?” 

Atem frowned, “What? No, you don’t need to do that—why would you say that?” 

“Well,” Yami spread his legs and in turn, pushed Atem’s further apart, their position becoming rather… Suggestive. He slid his hands up Atem’s thighs and stopped right above his ass, his thumbs tucking into the waistband of his shorts. Atem was perfectly still and poised, allowing Yami to do what he wanted with no questions—though, his expression remained confused. Answering his many unasked questions, Yami murmured, “I don’t want him messing with my baby and making him upset, now do I?’ 

“ Fuck , that’s hot,” Atem breathed out and tangled his fingers in Yami’s hair, his pupils dilating until his irises were crimson rings around them. “I like this special treatment…” 

“You mean Mr. Pegasus doesn’t treat you like this?” 

Atem sighed, “You just had to ruin it, didn’t you?” 

“Consider it payback for all those sex comments the other day.” 

“Touche,” Atem rolled his eyes and shook his head, “No, Mr. Pegasus doesn’t treat me like this. I don’t think he’s as overprotective as you think he is. He may like keeping me around as his top model, but the way he treats me sometimes? It’s debatable.” 

“What do you mean?”

“I hear the way that everyone talks about me – from the models I work with, to your fellow designers. He hears them, too,” Atem slouched until his forehead was resting on Yami’s chest. “He calls me the same names. Usually, they’re more offensive, but it’s nothing that I haven’t heard before. He can be rude and psychotic—I’m sure you already knew that about him. It just always happens to be worse when he’s around me.” 

“Why would you continue working for him, then? There’s plenty of people out there that would love to have you as their model and would treat you much better,” Yami mentioned, guiding his hands respectively higher on Atem’s back as a comforting gesture.

“I’ve thought about it, but I never know how to start that conversation without him getting upset or angry. Plus, I wouldn’t want to—to…” Atem trailed off, going deathly silent within seconds.

“What? What is it?” 

“Nothing. Nevermind,” Atem eased back and yanked his legs away from Yami. “Don’t worry about it.” 

“Are you sure? You can be honest with me. I’m not going to say anything to anyone if you don’t want me to,” Yami assured and retracted his arms from Atem. “I know that the designers are bad for gossiping, but I’m not one of them – you know that.” 

“Nope. It’s not important, I promise,” Atem scooped up his drink and rose from his seat. “I’m going to go see if anybody is interested in another game of pool.” 

“Atem, wait a second,” Yami caught his wrist and spun him back around. “Just wait. Please .” 

“No offense, but I don’t want to continue this conversation,” Atem insisted with a sassy cock of his hip for emphasis. 

As concerned as Yami was about him, he didn’t want to tick Atem off even more. Instead, he pursed his lips, “Give me a kiss before you go.” 

“How silly of me to forget,” Atem leaned in and lightly pecked his lips. “There.” 

“Thanks. Have fun.” 

Atem nodded and walked away, heading back over to the pool table. He immediately jumped into the discussion between his mother and another woman. Yami watched them interact briefly, then went back to doodling. However, he was distracted the whole time. 

What did Atem have to deal with behind closed doors? What did none of them ever see when the curtains were closed? When Atem was called into Pegasus’s office, what excuse was he forced to give? How much was Atem doing for Pegasus in order to keep his job? More importantly, how long had this been going on for? How long had this been happening that Atem had become so desensitized to it? Or rather, more enraged by it, considering his reaction to being referred to as Pegasus’s “princess”?

Yami wanted to help him, but what in the world could he possibly do? He was much further below Atem when it came to working for Pegasus. The man hated his guts and would probably fire him if Yami even stepped anywhere near his office without permission or opened his mouth without being spoken to first. He was in no place to try calling Pegasus out without losing his own job.

Deep in thought, he bounced his leg, his flip-flop smacking the underside of his foot. It was a bad habit of his, but the sound and movement soothed him. Eventually, it turned to white noise, blending in with everything he was hearing around him. He zoned out as his brain whizzed through multiple thoughts.

He peered at his outfit design and an idea struck him. While he wouldn’t be able to yell at Pegasus or save Atem from this unfair treatment, he could extend another offer to him. If Yami was given the chance to work for another designer after the W.F.D.C., then maybe there was a possibility that Atem could, too. Atem could take it or he couldn’t, but it would be there. He had hoped to get away from Atem in the process of transferring to a different company, but it’d be worth it if it meant that he got out of there. 

Besides, having Atem around wouldn’t be too bad… Was he getting soft? What the hell was he doing to him? Now, he was having these gross, sappy thoughts. Disgusting .

He granted himself one peek at Atem over his shoulder and regretted that decision instantaneously. He was perched on the armrest of one of the chairs, the orange tank top he wore flowing out behind him with its unnecessarily long train. The lightly washed blue Jean shorts he had on showed off his lean, toned legs… Along with the hand that was settled on his knee. Yami clenched his jaw as he realized that the stranger sitting in the chair was openly flirting with him. 

They weren’t dating. Yami shouldn’t have been jealous, but damn it, he was . He wanted to storm over there, wrench that man’s hand away, and ask him what the hell he was doing. Honestly, who did he think he was, touching Atem like that? He wasn’t worthy—nobody was worthy. Yami didn’t even consider himself worthy. Yet, his heart swelled with pride as the scenario played itself out in his head. Knowing Atem, he’d probably think it was attractive and be more liable to torment Yami about it.

Before he could look away, Atem’s eyes were meeting his. There was a flicker of shock that morphed into mischief in a matter of seconds. Yami saw the slightest curl of his lips and he had the audacity to wink at him. Then, he went back to chatting with the stranger like nothing happened and that he was innocent.

He was such a cocky bastard and Yami despised how much he fucking liked it. 

Antiquing. Who the fuck went antiquing ? No judgment to anybody that did, but as a vacation activity? Nuh-uh. Yami was bored out of his mind and finding nothing interesting as they browsed the store. Aknamkanon, however, was having a field day, pointing out many old items to Nebetah, who smiled and nodded. Even she didn’t seem to be enjoying any of this.

Atem especially wasn’t. He trudged alongside Yami, the both of them keeping their distance from the couple. They had stayed quiet for the most part—though, that was partially due to the restless night they had. Neither of them could get comfortable, tossing and turning, until they eventually gave up. They sat propped up against the headboard and had deep conversations that would never leave that room.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Atem broke the silence, “Are you having fun?” 

“Does it look like I’m having fun?”

“I didn’t think so,” Atem sighed and stopped in front of an extremely expensive hand-painted tea set. “I can’t believe my parents asked us to do this . The museum I can understand, but shopping for antique pieces? Not my cup of tea—literally,” He jokingly added as he gestured to the china near them.

“I have nothing against it. Yugi’s grandfather would do this all the time and occasionally drag us along when he was babysitting us, but…” Yami trailed off with a shrug. “What do you suppose we do, then?”

“If I’m correct, then there should be a thrift store down the street. We could always go check it out?” Atem suggested.

“Why not? Anything is better than this, if I’m being honest,” Yami glanced ahead at Atem’s parents. “Do you think they’re going to care?” 

Atem grinned, “What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Come on, let’s go before they bother us. I’m still pissed off at my father and I’ve always hated going antiquing with him. Have you noticed that he never shuts up?” 

“How could I not?” Yami groaned and followed Atem out of the antique store. “That man never lets anybody speak and doesn’t give them the chance to. I’m beginning to see where your narcissistic tendencies come from.” 

“Narcissistic—? Alright, maybe a little , but you can’t say that I’m as bad as him,” Atem huffed and elbowed Yami in his ribs. “He’s the worst.” 

“You’re bad, but he’s definitely victorious when it comes to that battle,” Yami agreed, rubbing his side with a slight hiss. “God, why do you have such bony elbows? Feels like I’m getting stabbed.” 

“Rude. I thought I had nice elbows,” Atem mumbled and opened the door to the shop. “After you, my love.” 

“Thank you, my dear,” Yami responded in turn as he entered the shop. It was a stark contrast to the dim and dark antique store, whereas this place had white walls and bright fluorescent lights. He strained his eyes to take in everything, but an improvement from the former option nonetheless. 

“Have you ever gone thrifting before?” Atem asked when he saw Yami make a beeline for the racks of shirts.

“I have. Actually, I do it all the time,” Yami stopped around a group of black shirts and started sifting through them. “It’s a good way to find some pieces that might’ve been discontinued or are very old – not to mention, everything is fairly cheap. Have you?” 

“Does it look like I’ve been thrifting? My closet is full of all the latest trending outfits and fashion,” Atem stood on the other side of the rack, folding his arms on the top of the bar. “I was always curious about it, though. Is it something that you enjoy, or do you only go when you need new clothes?”

Yami pondered it for a moment, then grinned, “I’d consider it a hobby. Sometimes, I’ll go in my free time and look around. It helps with inspiration if I’m having trouble with a design. It makes me ask myself how I’d alter something, or see how I’d make it differently.” 

“I see… That makes sense,” Atem lifted up a sheer cropped shirt and smirked. “Oh, this is cute! I bet this would look incredible on you.” 

“You would say that,” Yami held out his hand and Atem passed it over. “I guess it’s okay—I mean, it is cute, but I’m not sure that it’s for me.” 

“There’s no need to be self-conscious! Come on,” Atem whined. “You should be more willing and open to trying new things. Even if you don’t like it or buy it, you should consider trying it on at the very least.” 

“...I’ll think about it,” Yami hung it off of his wrist and kept looking through the clothes. “Do you plan on buying anything?”

“If I spot something that I like, then—” Atem paused and winced, quickly shaking his head, “Nevermind. I doubt I have enough space for it. It was bad enough that I couldn’t close my luggage before we left.” 

“So, what I’m hearing is that coming in here wasn’t the wisest idea?” 

“No, it wasn’t… I’m the one that suggested it, though,” Atem eyed the sleeveless turtleneck that Yami picked up. “Hey, you bought the same thing at the mall the other day.” 

“Did I?” Yami frowned and put it back. “Sorry. I guess I gravitate towards the same stuff.” 

“Why are we in this section, anyway? Can’t we go to the more colorful racks? It’s not like you need anything else black in your wardrobe.” 

“I don’t know about that… I might .” 

“You don’t ,” Atem insisted and made his way around the rack, dragging him away from the black section of clothing. “You’ve looked so handsome in everything that you’ve been wearing recently—even this.” 

There was nothing special about Yami's current outfit. It consisted of the black polo he’d bought at the mall and knee-length dark washed blue Jeans. It was the most boring out of all the outfits that he had planned for the week that they were staying there. Yet, Atem looked like he wanted to devour him—not that Yami had any room to talk.

Even when Atem was wearing a lackluster outfit, he looked amazing. He had on white pants and a simple floral patterned button-up that was open to show off his chest. He knew that he was required to have a nice body for the sake of work, but Yami was still impressed by it. He wanted to slide his hands under there and run them across his skin—to feel him everywhere .

He was brought out of his trance when Atem grabbed a random red tank top with lace on the hem and waved it from side to side, “This would look amazing underneath that shirt you have—plus, I’ve been dying to see you in lace.” 

“Of course you have,” Yami grumbled. Yugi used to always try to get Yami to borrow his clothes, wanting to add a splash of color to his style. He refused every single time and Atem had been the first to succeed during their visit to the mall. For some reason, it was much easier to give into him than his own cousin that he’d known for his whole life.

How was he supposed to say no when it brought Atem so much glee to see him trying new things? His eyes glittered with excitement and he was quick to overwhelm Yami with compliments whenever he stepped out of the fitting room. It turned Yami’s inside to mush when he received the kind words and he liked the sweet treatment from the model. It made him feel… Special . Somebody cared, longing to see him thrive and encouraging him to do so.

Yami couldn’t begin to understand or wrap his head around why Atem cared this much. There were so many other things that he could put effort into, but here he was, choosing to convince Yami to step outside of his comfort zone. Why? What was his reasoning for doing so? What was he getting out of this? There was nothing that was benefitting him, so why …? 

Having no need to spiral into another crisis, he plucked the tank top out of Atem’s hand, “Fine. Anything else? You may as well get it out of your system while we’re here – it’ll likely be the last time you ever do this.” 

“It doesn’t have to be—does it?” Atem’s previous cheerfulness faded, replaced by concern and melancholy. It made Yami’s heart ache and he wished that he could hug him tightly, tell him that wasn’t true, and keep shopping together.

“If all goes well at the W.F.D.C., then there’s a chance that I won’t have the time, or be in Domino City anymore,” Yami pointed out. “It is worldwide and a designer from anywhere could want me, which means that I’d have to move.” 

“Oh. Yes, that’s right… I almost forgot about that,” Atem closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, mustering up the energy to smile. “Well, I have no further qualms about it. You’re following your dreams and I’m not going to get in the way of that.” 

I wish you would , Yami absently thought, biting his lip harshly to avoid letting that one slip aloud. He settled for humming his thanks, even though it hurt. He hated seeing Atem upset and to know that he was responsible for it this time? He felt awful. But, there was nothing that he could do. Whether he liked it or not, that was what was going to happen. He had to push aside these feelings and ignore them.

“I’m going to go try these on,” Yami finally announced as he glanced at the fitting rooms at the back of the shop. “It’s probably better that we get back before your parents notice that we’re gone.” 

“I doubt they’d be too upset about it, but you’re right. Lead the way.” 

Yami crossed the store and found an available fitting room, sneaking inside. He closed the curtain and took off his polo, tossing it on the bench next to him. He picked up the red tank top and tugged it over his head, pulling it down over his stomach. He smoothed the fabric out, then layered the sheer shirt on top of it. He had just turned to survey his appearance in the mirror when the curtain swished open behind him. 

“What the—” 

“Sorry! Sorry, I’m not looking, just—” Atem squished in beside him, his hand covering his eyes. “Some paparazzi came in and I panicked. I didn’t want them to see me and fucking mob us.” 

“Huh. They really do follow you everywhere,” Yami mumbled and moved Atem’s wrist out of the way. “You can look. I’m dressed.” 

Atem blinked a couple times, then burst into a fit of snickering, his once fake smile turning real and growing, “Oh, wow . That looks better than I was expecting… Red suits you, you know?” 

“You think so?” 

“I wouldn’t lie to you, handsome,” Atem reached out and toyed with the lacy hem at the bottom of the tank top. “This does look really good. You should buy it—or rather, let me buy it for you.” 

“You don’t have to do that, Atem,” Yami reassured. 

“I said that I’d cover all of your expenses on this trip and I’m keeping my word. That includes buying you clothes.” 

“Make an exception. I’m not going to let you buy me clothes. It’s my own purchase and I should be the one paying for it.” 

“How about this – I’ll let you buy it yourself if you give me the pleasure of seeing you with this on and no tank top,” Atem tugged the collar of the sheer shirt with his other hand.

“You’re just full of compromises, aren’t you?” Yami yanked the sheer shirt over his head and made a spinning motion with his index finger. “Turn around and don’t peek.” 

“No promises,” Atem purred and faced the wall, covering his eyes with his palms.

Yami removed the tank top and put it back on the hanger. He pulled the sheer shirt on once more and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It left nothing to the imagination. You could see his bare chest, nipples, and then his stomach. The low-rise shorts gave full view of his happy trail and the barely visible v-lines. He held back his laughter because he did look hot in this, but how in the world was Atem going to react? He was a little worried about giving the model a heart attack.

“Are you sure you can handle seeing this?” Yami teased and peered over to see the shiver that wracked Atem’s body.

He wiggled his hips and scoffed, “Of course I can! Now I’m even more curious to see you in it… Am I allowed to turn?” 

“Go for it.” 

Atem dropped his arms and spun around, freezing as soon as his gaze landed on him. Yami could hear his breath getting caught in his throat and watched as he opened and closed his mouth rapidly, unable to get any words out. His cheeks darkened and so did the tips of his ears. Finally , Yami cockily thought, I was tired of being the only flustered one here.

“ Holy mother of Ra ,” Atem whispered as he scanned the length of Yami’s body. “Why in the world have you been hiding this?” 

“I’m not a fan of flaunting my body – hence why I’m a fashion designer and not a model. I don’t have that kind of confidence.” 

“Why? You’re gorgeous! You should be able to feel good about yourself and be comfortable dressing how you want,” Atem hugged him to his chest and tilted his head. “Just because you’re a designer and more focused on creating outfits doesn’t mean that you can’t spruce up your own wardrobe. You’re allowed to enjoy fashion and clothes as much as models or customers. Many successful fashion designers have bold styles that they wear out in public.” 

Yami wordlessly turned as Atem guided him to face the mirror again, holding him from behind. His stomach was swarming with butterflies at the sight of Atem’s dark hands contrasting against his pale skin. His grip was tight on his waist, but instead of being constricting, it was reassuring. 

“Do you really think that’s something that I could pull off?” 

“Without a doubt. If not, then I’ll make sure that you do—even if it means that I have to pull it off of you myself.” 

“That doesn’t even make sense.” 

Atem propped his chin up on Yami’s shoulder and sulked, “I was aiming for something playful and sexual, but that didn’t sound the way I intended.” 

“ Clearly .” 

“My point is, I think that you’re capable of anything and seeing that you’re working under Mr. Pegasus as a fashion designer shows that you’re determined. Why are you going to let something as ridiculous as the opinions of other people get in your way?”

“That’s hypocritical coming from you,” Yami muttered, meeting Atem’s eyes in the mirror. “Why are you so worried about impressing your parents? You’re going through all this effort of creating lies and faking something that doesn’t exist for their approval.” 

Atem exhaled sharply through his nostrils and laid his head down, “I know it’s hard to understand, especially when it’s something you haven’t dealt with personally, but… Seeking approval from them is what I’ve yearned for for years.” 

“Is it worth sacrificing your happiness, though? While I may not understand, I know that it’s not worth that. You deserve to be happy, whether that’s with your soulmate or not,” Yami took Atem’s hands and held them. “It seems like they’ll never truly be proud of you. If wanting you to be united with your soulmate is the only thing that’s going to satisfy them, then I can assure you that it’s pointless.” 

“...You’re right. I know that you’re right. You’re right about everything – I didn’t think about what I was going to do after this trip. Probably come clean to them,” Atem lifted his head and let go of Yami, stepping away. “The paparazzi should be gone now. I’ll let you get changed and then we can leave.” 

The curtains swished open and Atem exited the fitting room, closing them behind Yami. He tore off the sheer shirt and put his own back on, tucking the polo into his shorts. He double checked that he had everything before grabbing the shirts and meeting Atem by the register. He bought both of them and tried not to give any reaction to Atem’s suddenly bright mood.

Somehow, Aknamkanon and Nebetah hadn’t noticed their absence, continuing to scour through the antique products inside the store. Yami and Atem sneakily caught up with them, stirring up a conversation to act like they hadn’t gone anywhere at all.

The bag in Yami’s hand felt heavy with the two articles he’d bought and he gripped the handle until his knuckles turned white. Now, every single time he put these things on, he’d be reminded of him and Atem in the fitting room.

…Would he ever be able to forget about him?

Yami was pleasantly surprised to learn that there weren’t any plans the following day. He woke up on his own and went downstairs to find Atem making breakfast in the kitchen. Seated at the counter and hunched over a bowl of clotted cream and honey was when he was informed of their lackluster day.

“Fortunately for us, my parents have some business to attend to today. Apparently, it’s something to do with another exhibit they’re opening in Alexandria, I believe?” Atem shrugged and set his mug down on the counter inches away from Yami. “That means we’ll have the day to ourselves to do whatever we please. They seemed rather hesitant to leave us alone.” 

“I would be too with the way we’ve been acting. They probably think that we’re going to fuck on every surface,” Yami mumbled as he peered into Atem’s mug out of sheer curiosity. It contained a dark red liquid that he recognized when they’d gone out to brunch the other day— Karkade , which was a common Egyptian tea.

Atem grinned, “That’d be nice… But, I think today would be better suited for relaxing.” 

Yami scoffed in utter disbelief, “You say that as if the first option was even on the table.” 

“It could be. No strings attached,” Atem purred with an added wink for emphasis. 

Yami directed his attention back to his food and tried not to let his imagination wander. The thought of bending Atem over—or, on the contrary, getting bent over—was tempting. He wished that he could just brush it off and fuck without thinking too much about it. He wanted to forget about his feelings, along with his attachment issues, and be able to fuck Atem with no further commitments. 

That wasn’t going to be happening, though. He couldn’t do the “no strings attached” thing. He hated that lifestyle. He never wanted to do it again with anybody else, especially not after… That incident.

Now, Yami was sitting on the edge of the private pool in the backyard of the Sennen home. It overlooked a golf course and that’s how he knew how expensive this place really was. He prayed that they didn’t go golfing. He could handle going to the museum and even antiquing, but there was no way they were getting him to play golf. It was a stupid game and he never understood how to play. It just reminded him of when he used to play video games with Yugi when they were younger.

The two of them were extremely competitive and had their specialties, but neither of them were good at the golfing levels. Both of them grew enraged when they failed to hit the ball at the right speed or intensity. They swore off ever playing any of them ever again, sticking to what they were familiar with.

He kicked his legs back and forth, the water sloshing around. He’d chosen to put his feet in, even though he was wearing a bathing suit. It was a pair of simple black trunks and that was the only thing that he had settled on purchasing. Atem tried to convince him to wear a bikini or at the very least, a one-piece, but he refused. Speaking of…

Lifting his sunglasses up, he peered over his shoulder just in time to see Atem waltzing outside in an atrocious pair of hot pink trunks with a tacky floral print on them. On top of that, he was wearing a sheer white kimono-style coverup that fell down to his ankles, floating behind him as he walked. It looked elegant and would be fitting with anything else except for those damn shorts. Yami could legitimately say that they were hurting his eyes with the brightness of them—and that was saying a lot considering they were sitting under the literal sun.

“What in the world are you wearing?” 

“A cute swimsuit,” Atem did a small turn and posed, one leg extended and his hands on his hips. “Don’t I look cute?” 

“I guess… Those bottoms are ugly as hell,” Yami pointed out with a shake of his head as he finally managed to tear his gaze away. “Why do you own those?” 

“I thought they looked good,” Atem strolled over to the shallow end of the pool and stepped in. Yami glanced back over at him and watched as he slowly descended into the water, not even bothering to remove his coverup. He was majestic as he dove in the water, his figure blurring and becoming distorted beneath the surface.

Yami stared at him as he neared him, popping out of the water. He smoothed his hair back and wiped his face, wading over to the edge. Somehow, his makeup stayed perfectly intact and he was as beautiful as ever, even when he was drenched.

“Do you plan on getting in or are you going to be boring and sit here the whole time?” Atem folded his arms over Yami’s knees and looked up at him pleadingly. 

“Depends. I’ll think about it,” He reached out and ran his thumb over Atem’s eyeliner. “Waterproof makeup? Really ?”

“I never leave the house without makeup—not even when I’m going swimming,” Atem declared with a proud smile. “Come on, you should get in! You can swim, can’t you?” 

Yami rolled his eyes, “Yes, I can.” 

“Then, get in! You’ll be more likely to get burnt if you stay out here,” Atem danced his fingers up Yami’s thighs and rested them just barely underneath the hem of his shorts. “I could always drag you in.” 

“You wouldn’t.” 

Atem cocked a brow, smirking, “Is that a challenge?” 

“ Maybe ,” Yami tilted his head up and motioned to Atem. “I’d like to see you try.” 

“Alright. You’ll regret that.” 

With strength that Yami was completely unaware of, he was hoisted off of the concrete and yanked into the pool. He yelped and shivered at the coolness of the water, struggling to register Atem’s hands guiding his legs around his waist. He clung to him as he adjusted to the temperature, his stomach doing multiple somersaults in response to Atem manhandling him. Good lord , that was unbelievably hot and he needed to get it under control.

“See? I told you so,” Atem whispered.

“Maybe I just wanted you to prove it.” 

“I’m not the type to talk game and not back it up,” Atem scoffed and pressed Yami against the wall of the pool, supporting some of his weight. “You’re a fool to ever think that.” 

Once again, the two of them had found themselves in a promiscuous position and they weren’t even in front of Atem’s parents. Yami didn’t know why this kept happening. He set himself up for this. He was basically doing it on purpose and he couldn’t stop. Any excuse to feel Atem’s hands on him or get to kiss him was worming its way into his brain. 

He bit his lower lip and closed his eyes, trying to block him out entirely. His hands were dangerously high under his trunks. Their bodies were pressed impossibly close to each other. He could sense Atem’s eyes on him and how they were wandering, studying every part of him. Kissing him would be so easy. Tangling his fingers in curly that was right there. His chest was on display in front of him and he could run his palms down it. He had all these opportunities and his throat constricted at the thought of taking any of them.

“Yami?” Atem’s concerned voice entered his ears and straight through the wall of distress that was building itself up. His grasp on Yami tightened and he tensed when their chests met in the middle, a quiet murmur following, “Are you alright?” 

“No,” Yami blurted and he opened his eyes, squirming in Atem’s grasp. “Let me go.” 

Atem obeyed and put some distance between them, retracting his arms when Yami was safely on his feet. Immediately, he pulled his body out of the pool and beelined for the door, leaving a trail of water behind him. He plucked a towel off one of the lawn chairs as he passed by, tying it loosely around his waist. He offered Atem no explanation, leaving the model clueless in the pool.

Yami made a promise to himself and here he was, teetering on the verge of breaking it. He didn’t break promises. Not for anyone else, and definitely not for himself. There weren’t any exceptions. 

He hurried up the stairs and into the bedroom, plucking his phone off of the nightstand. Not wanting to leave a puddle on the floor, he locked himself in the bathroom and sat in the bathtub, tossing his towel aside. He hugged his knees to his chest and shakily scrolled through his list of contacts. He spotted the one with the most ridiculous name and tapped it, calling the number printed on the profile. He raised the device to his ear and ignored the lump that clogged his throat.

“ Hello? ” 

“ Yugi —I fucked up,” He choked out and he didn’t know why he was crying, but he was, and he couldn’t stop it. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was breathing heavily.

“ Hey, talk to me, ” Yugi’s tone was soft and gentle, a calming relief to Yami’s nerves. “ Take a deep breath and tell me what’s going on. ” 

“I made a mistake. I told myself that I wouldn’t fall for someone else, and—and now, Atem’s getting in my head, and I can’t stop fucking thinking about him—” He rambled and his breathing was growing more erratic with each word that fell from his mouth.

“ Yami… ”

“Tell me this isn’t happening, Yugi. This can’t be happening. I’m not falling for him and I don’t have a crush on him and I can’t date him! I can’t be with him, I just can’t —” He grit his teeth and slammed a fist on the wall of the bathtub.

“ Yami, it’s happening, whether you like it or not. You have a crush on him, ” Yugi confirmed. “ I know that’s not what you want to hear, but you can’t keep doing this. ” 

“I told myself that I wouldn’t, though—” 

“ I don’t care! Yami, you haven’t liked someone in years. Don’t you think that this is a sign? The fact that you agreed to pretend to be his soulmate says enough and I’m sorry that it’s tearing you up, but this is a good thing, ” Yugi assured. “ You like him. You like Atem. ” 

“There’s no chance of us dating. I required it when we made this compromise in the first place,” Yami slumped down into the tub. “He doesn’t like me back, anyway. He’s so far out of my league and it’s all a joke to him.” 

“ Are you serious?! Yami, it’s not a joke! I’m pretty sure Atem likes you back and all of this shit you’re doing is hurting him. Telling him to his face that there’s no chance of the two of you dating? Do you know how much that probably killed him? ”

“I…” Yami trailed off as he recalled their conversation in the private dressing room and Atem’s reaction to him adding that to the requirements.

“ You’re not out of his league, either. You both work for Mr. Pegasus and just because you have different occupations in the same field doesn’t mean anything. If you two like each other, then that’s that. This is the modern day, Yami, ” Yami reminded him. “ Fuck social classes and statuses. They don’t matter anymore. We’re breaking those social norms. ” 

“I’m not his soulmate, though—” 

“ And? News flash, Yami, he’s not going to be with his soulmate and neither will you. You’ve never been worried about dating your soulmate before, so why are you starting now? That hasn’t bothered you for your whole life. Don’t use that as a dumb excuse to stop yourself from liking him. ” 

“But… But—” 

“ No buts. You’re allowed to like him. You’re allowed to have feelings and you’re allowed to date him. I don’t care what promises you made before all of this happened. I don’t care that all of this was supposed to be fake. It’s obvious that it isn’t anymore. ” 

“I’m being delusional. It’s all the physical contact—it’s fucking with my head, or something ,” Yami attempted to reason, but he knew that he wasn’t succeeding – he couldn’t even convince himself. 

“ You think that’s the case? Talk about Atem. Tell me about everything that you’ve done on this trip so far. Let go and give me all the details. ” 

Yami groaned, “What’s the point of this?” 

“ Just do it! ” 

“Fine! On the first day, he and I got settled in his home. It’s very nice here – rich, but nice, nonetheless. Obviously, we’ve had to share a bed—and before you ask, no, we haven’t cuddled or anything. None of that cliche mess. But, anyway… The second day, we went to a museum. He brought me to the back to show me all of the fashion that the ancient Egyptians wore. I thought that was really sweet of him. He knows that I enjoy fashion and all aspects of it, including what’s seen in the past.

“The same day, we went out to brunch and I’ve witnessed how terrible his parents are. His dad is much worse than his mom and I wanted to do nothing more than go off on his ass. He was so damn annoying… But, I didn’t want to upset Atem, so I stopped and kept it to myself.

“The third day, his parents drove us to the beach. We talked a little bit about Mr. Pegasus and how he treats Atem. It turns out that he doesn’t get the special treatment that we all think he does. I just wish that I could drag him away from it all. He doesn’t deserve that shit. He didn’t wanna talk about that, though, so we put an end to that discussion and he…” Yami glared at the bottom of the tub. “He went flirting with a bunch of other people. I think he was doing that on purpose—like he was trying to make me jealous.

“Then, yesterday, we headed out antiquing—yes, you heard me correctly, antiquing . Who the fuck goes antiquing on vacation? Atem and I ended up ditching and we went to a thrift store down the street. He was very persuasive in getting me to buy some new clothes and treat myself. He likes when I’m confident. It feels nice to be that way around him.

“He’s cute when he’s flustered. I don’t get to see it often, but he’s adorable when he’s caught off guard. He gets on my nerves, yet I love being with him. I like having him by my side and it makes everything feel a million times easier when he’s there. I’ve been able to stick up for the both of us and talk back to his parents without caring. I’ve acted like myself for the majority of this trip. Honestly, it’s gotten to the point where all of this feels real…” 

“ Make it real, then. Stop pretending. Be yourself around him. Kiss him when you want to. Touch him when you want to. Don’t hold back or hesitate anymore. I can promise you that the feelings are mutual, ” Yugi insisted. “ For the rest of this trip, you’re going to do whatever you want with him. Anything that you think is him messing around is likely his genuine actions. If he drops that whole act when you get back home, then so be it. Maybe he was. If not, though… Then, I think you know what needs to happen. ” 

“...I ask him out.”

“ Yeah. ” 

“What if he rejects me?” 

“ I highly doubt that, but if he does, then at least you tried. At least you were open and honest and didn’t hide from the truth. It’s something that you can be proud of yourself for doing because you had the guts to do it. ” 

“I’m a fool for overthinking about this, aren’t I?”

“ A little, yeah, but I get it. You’re not used to dating people or having crushes in general. It’s not a shock that you’d freak out over it. You being this worked up over it just goes to show that you care about Atem a lot, ” Yugi giggled and sighed softly. “ I hope and do think that things are going to work out for you. ” 

“It’ll be a miracle if Mr. Pegasus doesn’t kill me – again, I made Atem tell him that we’d never date because he’s a possessive prick that targets me for trying to steal him.” 

“ Oh, drama, ” Yugi snickered. “ That’ll be interesting to see. What do you think he’s going to do? ” 

“I have no clue. I’m not going to get ahead of myself, though,” Yami picked up the towel and dried his face off, sniffling, “One thing at a time. First of all, I need to apologize to Atem.” 

“ For what? ” 

“I panicked and ditched him.” 

“ Yami! ” Yugi scolded, but he was laughing. “ Damn, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d have your gay crisis—and over my soulmate, of all people! ” 

Yami frowned, “Don’t make me feel guilty about this.” 

“ I’m not! Trust me, you have nothing to be worried about. I have no intentions on dating Atem and we’ve settled on that, ” Yugi reassured him. “ He’s all yours, buddy. ”

“Thanks,” Yami rose to his feet and ran a tired hand through his hair. “I guess I should go… Thanks for answering and for the advice. I appreciate it.” 

“ Anytime. Call me if you need anything else, or even text me! I’m always here to help you and your poor, inexperienced soul. ” 

“Goodbye, Yugi,” Yami growled and hung up when he heard Yugi’s cackling in the background.

Deciding to go ahead and change, he stripped out of his wet trunks. He draped them over the rim of the tub and tied his towel around him, hanging loosely off of his hips. He unlocked the bathroom door and walked out, pausing when he saw Atem seated on the corner of the bed. He was fidgeting with his hands and hadn’t bothered changing out of his bathing suit. There was a wet spot forming on the comforter, but he didn’t care. Neither did Yami.

Atem noticed Yami and stood up, clearing his throat, “Did I make you uncomfortable? Was that a step too far? If it was, I’m sorry and I didn’t mean to—” 

“ Atem ,” He interrupted, approaching the model slowly. “It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. It was my own fault and I got carried away in my own head.” 

“Is everything okay? Do you need to talk or anything? I mean, I overheard you—I wasn’t eavesdropping, but I assumed that you were talking to someone else… Yugi, I suppose?” Atem brushed it off and huffed. “That’s not important. If you want to talk to me, I’m more than ready to listen if there’s something you need to share with me.” 

“I was talking to Yugi, yes, but you don’t have to stress. I’m fine. Although, I do owe you an apology. It was rude to just leave you behind like that and not say anything.” 

“It’s not really my business, is it? You don’t have to communicate your feelings with me all the time. If you want to, you can, but I’m not going to force it out of you.” 

“I don’t have to, but it’s wrong not to. It wound up with both of us feeling bad,” Yami opened his arms up to Atem. “May I give you a hug to make it up to you?” 

“What’s this?” Atem tilted his head and a smug smile spread across his face. “Huh. Well, if this is where your dishonesty gets me, then I don’t mind feeling bad…” 

“Just take the damn hug, Atem.” 

“ Gladly ,” Atem chuckled and accepted, squeezing Yami’s torso. “Thank you for your apology. I do forgive you, even if it was so very rude of you to leave a gorgeous model to swim all alone.” 

“I’m guessing you didn’t feel that bad if you’re teasing me,” Yami murmured and rubbed circles into Atem’s back through the damp fabric of his coverup. “Unless that’s just your way of deflecting. You’re good at doing that, you know?” 

“I’m vaguely aware,” Atem eased back and glanced past him at the bathroom. “I suppose I should get changed… It’s a shame I don’t have a handsome man that’ll help me undress and shower with me.” 

“You’re pushing it,” Yami wormed out of Atem’s grasp and shoved him towards the other room. “Go on.” 

“I’m going!” Atem sauntered into the bathroom and gasped, whirling around. “Holy shit, you’re not wearing anything under that towel?” 

“Uh… No?” Yami raised a brow as he ambled over to the dresser. “Why?” 

Atem bit his bottom lip and seductively eyed the towel, “I wish I’d known that before… That could’ve gone in a completely different direction.” 

“You wish . Take a cold shower, you horny bastard.”

Atem flipped him off and closed the door behind him, the lock clicking into place. Yami fished through the drawers for underwear and slid them on beneath the towel before removing it. He wiped the water that remained on the rest of his body, then got dressed in a simple black tank and some matching basketball shorts with red accents.

He absently tied the drawstrings as he looked out the window. He liked Atem. He wanted to hold him and kiss him. He loved teasing him and having their silly banter. He never understood why he never minded being intimate with Atem when they weren’t in front of his parents.

Man, he really was clueless, wasn’t he?

Chapter Text

It was no question that Atem was deeply enamored with Yami. He admired the fashion designer and thought he was one of the greatest people he had crossed paths with—even after meeting his true soulmate. 

Yes, Yugi was special to him, but he had eyes for another and Atem would respect that. The two of them got along and were close friends, bonding over many things and common interests. It wouldn’t be anything more than platonic between them, though. Atem was okay with that. His heart had already leapt at Yami upon their first meeting.

He was an incredible designer and he loved working with the man. He was demanding, yet gentle with Atem. He was honest with his opinions and feedback, not holding back about what suited the model. He was never harsh with his criticism, though. He accompanied his words with a soft and stern tone, brushing his hands or fingertips across Atem’s body. It made goosebumps appear on his skin and he had to stop himself from making impulsive decisions. 

Yami didn’t return those feelings and he was more than willing to respect that, too. He’d gotten away with doing more than enough on this trip and he figured that it was worthwhile. These moments and memories would be there to soothe his broken heart in the future. He couldn’t imagine how painful it was going to be when Yami shared the news when he was taken under the wing of someone else—he didn’t want to imagine it.

Tonight, they were heading out to dinner with Atem’s parents. Tomorrow would be their final night and then, they’d be returning back to Domino City. He couldn’t believe that this trip was already over. It was bittersweet. He was happy to be done dealing with his parents, but he was going to miss being this close with Yami. He knew that all of this was ridiculous and he should’ve known better than to fall this hard for him, but… How was he meant to control it?

He was already decked to the nines in his outfit, wearing a lovely indigo jumpsuit with a v-neck that plunged down to show off his chest. An attached cape trailed off his shoulders and down to the floor, dragging slightly behind him. It was sleeveless and he had golden bands on his arms to match the one around his neck and the gold heels he was wearing. It was go big or go home and he was going to leave one final lasting message with his parents. He didn’t care how badly they thought about him being a model – he was going to be one whether they liked it or not.

To match him, Yami had on a button-up silk shirt in the same shade, paired with black dress pants and simple black loafers. He was against matching, but he agreed to do it for the one dinner and that was it.

Currently, they sat in the back of his parents car on their respective sides, keeping some distance between them. Their hands were intertwined and settled on top of the middle seat, clasped firmly together. It was comforting to both of them and soothed their nerves before dinner. They had a strong feeling that this conversation was going to be the most unpleasant out of them all.

Atem fidgeted nervously with his earrings as he thought about the million different ways this dinner could end. He suspected that no matter what, the results were going to be bad. He squeezed Yami’s hands and noticed the man’s head turning in his peripheral vision.

Cautiously, he unbuckled and scooted over, nestling himself comfortably beside Atem. He slid an arm across his shoulders and leaned in, staying quiet as he asked, “Are you okay?” 

“Does it seem like I’m okay?” Atem remarked with snark lacing his voice. He inhaled deeply and tucked his head under Yami’s chin, muttering, “I’m sorry. I’m frustrated and I already want this to be over with.” 

“I do too. We’re in this together, though. I’ve got your back and you’ve got mine,” Yami assured him and pressed a light kiss to his temple. While Atem wasn’t complaining about the affection, he’d grown extremely suspicious of it.

Ever since Yami had locked himself away in the bathroom after their pool incident, he had started acting abnormal. He was more touchy than usual and found ways or excuses to plant kisses somewhere on Atem’s face. His hands could be spotted anywhere on his body, whether it was innocently on his arm or suggestively low on his back. It made him wonder what the hell he and Yugi had discussed.

“...Thank you,” Atem whispered and angled his head to kiss his jaw. “How’d I get so lucky to have an amazing soulmate?” 

Yami chuckled, “I think I’m the lucky one here.” 

The car slowed down and parked on the curbside in front of the restaurant they were going to. Aknamkanon parked and stepped out, the rest of them doing the same. Yami slammed the backseat door with extra force and Atem snickered at his wince.

“Seems you’re stronger than you thought?” Atem suggested as he poked his bicep.

“Shut up,” Yami mumbled with a roll of his eyes as blood rushed to his cheeks.

They followed Aknamkanon and Nebetah into the place, which was awfully fancy. The lights were dimmed and there were singular ones hanging over each table, illuminating them. There was already silverware, a pristine white tablecloth, and plush seats that indicated this was fine dining. At least they were dressed appropriately for the occasion…

Their waiter led them over to one of the tables, handing them menus. They ordered their drinks to start off with, along with some appetizers. Atem’s jaw clenched when his father purposefully ordered ta’amiya , which was one of his favorite dishes. Was he finally sucking up now?

Nebetah smiled, “Yami, are you aware how much Atem loves falafel? He used to eat it all the time as a child! It was adorable how he would order it every single time we went somewhere, whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner. He was obsessed with it!”

“Mother, please,” Atem whined and his cheeks burned with embarrassment. 

Yami hummed curiously, “ Really ? I wasn’t aware. I’ve never had falafel before and I doubt there’s many places that offer it in Japan, but I’ll be keeping that in mind. I always wondered what his favorite food was.” 

“That’s a shame. Fish is a common food there, yes?” Yami nodded in response to Nebetah’s question. She giggled, “How unfortunate for him. He’s never been a fan of fish—or any form of seafood.” 

“Well that explains why you never get excited on the days when Mr. Pegasus buys everyone sushi… I expected you to take advantage of it, but you never did,” Yami smirked over at Atem, who was growing more flustered by the minute.

“I know! It’s ridiculous to move to Japan when you don’t even like fish, but I love other Japanese dishes!” Atem declared, failing his attempt to defend himself when Yami raised a brow.

“Such as? Don’t say ramen, either.” 

Atem glowered at him, “Easy. Okonomiyaki , but only if it has beef instead of seafood. Also, miso soup – a classic.” 

“Oh, you’re definitely the type to order wagyu somewhere,” Yami snickered and gave Atem a sympathetic pat. 

“Well, you’re not wrong. I mostly do it out of spite when I’m having dinner with Mr. Pegasus,” Atem huffed and folded his arms on the tabletop. “Although, he never seems to mind. I can see why everybody says he’s madly in love with me.” 

Aknamkanon cleared his throat, “Mr. Pegasus is your boss, yes? Is he not aware of your relationship with Yami? Does he not have a soulmate of his own?” 

“His soulmate passed away a few years ago due to cancer. Ever since then, he’s been focused on pursuing fashion and I suppose he finds comfort in spending time with me,” Atem explained. “That high treatment may potentially come from me being one of the ‘greatest’ models. Maybe. I’m not sure.”

Yami chimed in, “He doesn’t have to stay single for the rest of his life. While I don’t like the thought of him being with Atem—especially considering their age difference, good lord —he does have the freedom to go and date whoever he wants. He deserves to still be happy, even if it isn’t with his soulmate.” 

“I disagree. We have soulmates for a reason and we’re destined to be with them. It’s going against the choice of the Gods and the blessing that they have bestowed us with. To date somebody who is not?” Aknamkanon scoffed. “I would never disrespect them in such a manner.” 

“I do understand where you’re coming from, but is happiness not more important to you? Is your own son’s joy not enough to disregard soulmates entirely? Hypothetically, if I were to pass away and he desired to be with another person, would you not approve? Would you not want him to move on and find love elsewhere?” Yami asked and Atem watched his eyes narrow at the older man. “Because I would. I’d want him to. I wouldn’t want him to spend his entire life mourning over me.” 

“Is that not betrayal to you? Your own soulmate going behind your back to be with another lover when he was chosen to be with you?” Aknamkanon countered with a sneer.

“No! No, it would not be betrayal and he wouldn’t be going behind my back because I would openly tell him, on my deathbed , to go be with another person if it made him happy. If someone else could take my place and do what I no longer could, then I’d be satisfied,” Yami seethed and his palm was gripping Atem’s thigh tightly, the other fisting the fabric of the tablecloth draping over into his lap.

Nebetah stroked Aknamkanon’s arm, “Darling, don’t start this. It’s their lives and we have to accept their decisions, even if we don’t agree with them. We have no further say in this.”

“I appreciate your concern, Father,” Atem spoke up, trying to hide the strain because he didn’t really appreciate it. “But, Mother is right. It’s up to Yami and I what we decide to do and I hope that it never comes to that—if it does, though, then it’s our choice what I do beyond that. Not yours.” 

Aknamkanon clicked his tongue in sheer disdain, clearly not agreeing with the outcome of this conversation, but said nothing more on the matter. Thankfully, the waiter chose to walk up at that moment to deliver their appetizers, along with taking their food order. Like before, Atem had to help Yami with his order, pronouncing the foreign names with practiced ease. 

“Since tomorrow is your last night here… Do either of you have anything fun planned?” Nebetah carried on, pushing past the tension like she always did. Atem tried not to be bothered by it. He tried to ignore how she constantly brushed off her husband’s behavior, even when she very clearly disagreed with it. 

“I’m not sure,” Yami shrugged and looked over at Atem. “ Did you have something planned for us?” 

“If you were alright with it, I was thinking about going to a club around here. I thought it’d be fun and we could have a good time with it,” Atem mentioned with a devilish grin and a wink. He relaxed immediately afterwards, “If not, we can have a night in. It’s up to you.” 

Yami mirrored his previous smirk, “I don’t see why not. No point in wasting our final night staying cooped up inside. I’m down for it.” 

Atem was surprised. He didn’t think Yami would go for it that quickly – he figured he’d have to do some serious persuasion to get him to go—unless he was just doing this in front of his parents? He’d have to find out later if Yami confronted him about it and ended up showing his true nature about it. 

“Clubbing?” Aknamkanon’s brows furrowed. “I wasn’t aware we had any clubs around us… Then again, I haven’t thought about going there, so why would I know that?” 

Atem sighed and he tensed as soon as the breath left his mouth. He was sick and tired of his father chiming in with his unsolicited opinions. For years, he’d bottled up his anger and rage; the fuel to the spiteful fire that was him becoming a model. He wanted to make a name for himself that wouldn’t be attached to his man. When they heard “Sennen”, they wouldn’t think of his father—no, they would think of him .

But, revealing that side of him that loathed his father was something he’d hidden for practically his entire life. One single sigh or noise in turn to something Aknamkanon said didn’t go unnoticed. Many instances where Atem had been caught yawning or zoning out during his long stories were addressed ( “Am I boring you, son?” ) and he proceeded to scold the young boy for being unappreciative of their culture.

Aknamkanon stared at him, “What? What is it?” 

“Nothing.” 

“You sighed. Why? What did I say?”

“It was nothing! Honestly, I was thinking about something else,” Atem insisted.

“Oh? And where could your mind possibly be now? You rarely pay attention when I speak during a conversation. Do I not interest you?” 

Before Atem could answer, Yami blurted, “Of course not. How could anyone be interested in you when you’re hogging the spotlight left and right? You don’t give the people the chance to ask you questions or gain any interest because all you do is talk .” 

“Please, Yami, don’t start with him—” Atem groaned. He genuinely didn’t want to start a second argument right after the first had dissipated. Yami was correct and he agreed with him, but it was heads clashing endlessly.

“No, Atem. Let him speak his mind,” Aknamkanon interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’m curious to see where this goes. Be honest with me, Yami. Don’t hold back.” 

“Is that what you want? You’d like for me to keep spewing on and on about you? Is that even more of an ego boost for you? A bit narcissistic to continue making this conversation about you,” Yami’s chair dragged across the carpeted floor as he stood up. “I can’t sit here any longer. I’m taking a walk outside to clear my head. Hopefully, you’ll do the same, Mr. Sennen. Excuse me…” 

Atem watched in horror as Yami weaved through the tables and out the entrance of the restaurant. He exhaled sharply and warily brought his gaze back over to his father and mother. 

“...I’m going to go after him. Please, do consider what he said. I’d appreciate it if you'd let me speak every once in a while or refrain from going on your long tangents,” Atem quietly said as he rose from his seat. “Not only that, but it’d be nice if you showed some interest in what I did. Maybe I’d show more interest when it’s your turn to talk.” 

With that, Atem walked the same path Yami did, being attentive of other customers or waiters as he beelined for the front doors. He pushed them open and shuddered at the cool breeze that met him. During the summer, it was blistering by day and chilly by night. He scanned his surroundings until he spotted Yami leaning against a wall with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. He was staring at the ground, his brows knitted together as he presumably mused over everything that had just occurred.

He glanced over when he heard the clicking of Atem’s heels and slumped, “I’m sorry. You can go ahead and yell at me. I know it was wrong to argue with your dad, but—” 

His sentence went unfinished. Atem didn’t want him to apologize. As badly as he hated seeing the two of them fighting and upsetting both him and his mother, it was the first time that anyone had ever taken his side. He felt special and, for once, like someone genuinely cared for him. Yami wasn’t required to do that as his soulmate or boyfriend—fake or real. He could’ve been on Aknamkanon’s side. He could’ve let Atem handle it on his own.

Yet, he didn’t. Atem would forever be grateful for that – hence why he had grabbed him and kissed him intensely because fuck it . Fuck it all. His parents weren’t around, but he wanted to kiss him more than anything. He needed to show him how much love and passion he had for this man. His brain was fried and he couldn’t think of anything else except smashing their lips together, holding Yami close to him, and forgetting about how this would all be over soon.

For one moment, Atem needed it to be real. 

Yami returning the kiss with just as much force and winding his arms around his shoulders convinced him of that. The grumpy one, who always complained about the PDA not being necessary during the absence of his parents, was actively participating in the kiss. He was encouraging it and maneuvering them until Atem was the one being pressed into the wall.

Their lips moved perfectly in tandem and Atem almost forgot to breathe, remembering to inhale through his nose. He slid his fingers through the belt loops on Yami’s pants, needing something to hold onto. This kiss was nothing like the ones they’d shared before… Something had changed in both of them—not just Atem and not just Yami, either.

Atem parted enough to whisper, “You think I’m mad at you?” 

“You’re not?” Yami was shocked, but also out of breath and panting heavily. His cheeks were flushed and the tips of his ears were bright red. He was so pretty and Atem wanted to kiss him even more—first and foremost, answer his question. 

Atem shook his head and grinned, “No, I’m not. Do you think I’d be kissing you if I was?” 

“Uh… No, I guess not,” Yami mumbled and leaned in again, chasing after Atem’s lips. “Can I kiss you more?”

“Please do,” Atem purred, running his hands up Yami’s back and preening happily at the feeling of silk under his palms. He bit his bottom lip and admired the few unfastened buttons on his shirt that exposed his skin, “Did I mention how gorgeous you are?” 

“You did. Earlier. You wouldn’t shut up about it,” Yami reminded him with a playful smirk. “Would now be a good time to mention how handsome you look?” 

“ Yes . Absolutely. Anytime is a good time to compliment me,” Atem yanked him to his chest and momentarily marveled at the slight tilt of Yami’s head to peer up at him. “One more kiss and then I’m afraid we have to return inside.” 

“We don’t really have to, do we? We could always ditch them.” 

“Hey, making bad decisions is my job,” Atem laughed and he was surprised when Yami started doing the same. His lips were split wide with a smile and his eyes were creased, twinkling with joy. 

If he weren’t so concerned about the consequences and having to face his parents later, he would’ve ran off with Yami. Honestly, he’d follow or take him wherever he wanted to go. It was better than continuing to have tense and irksome discussions with his father—plus, he was spending more time with him. Nothing could beat that.

He lifted a hand to cradle Yami’s jaw and tenderly kissed him, going as slow as possible. He wanted to treasure this memory and make it last. He knew he wasn’t thinking rationally about this. He knew that he should probably question why Yami was giving in this readily to kissing him and even going so far as to ask for more. A switch had definitely been flipped and it was confusing to think about—which was why he wasn’t going to think about it.

While Yami was mean and Atem half expected him to be rough with kissing, he was actually moving at the same pace as him. He was sweet and careful, as if Atem were fragile and threatening to break at any second.

Atem had no idea how long they stood out there for, but he decidedly wasn’t keeping track.

Upon arriving home, Atem went straight for the stairs to get changed. Yami lingered behind and he had no plans on waiting up for him. His feet were aching from his heels and he wanted to be out of this outfit as soon as possible.

His jewelry ended up in a pile on top of the dresser and his jumpsuit was crumpled on the floor, his heels lazily kicked aside. He breathed a sigh of relief as he put on a pair of comfortable pajamas, briefly massaging the soles of his feet before sliding socks on. He leaned back on his palms and glanced over at the open door. That’s strange , he thought with a frown. Where’s Yami?

Rising from the bed, he left the room and tiptoed downstairs, hearing voices coming from the ground floor. He crouched down behind the railing and carefully peeked over the edge to see his father and Yami standing in the middle of the foyer. He rolled his eyes and debated stepping in, but he decided to wait. He was curious where this would go, or what it was even about.

“Young man, I did not appreciate that conversation earlier. You were extremely disrespectful towards me,” Aknamkanon hissed, his arms folded stiffly over his chest.

Yami shrugged nonchalantly, his hands tucked in his pockets, “And? You were being disrespectful to all of us. I was only returning the favor. I’m sorry if I bruised your pride.” 

“Bite your tongue, boy,” Aknamkanon seethed and Atem tensed up at that tone. “You have some nerve speaking to me in this manner. Do you think you’re so high and mighty simply because you’re dating my son?” 

If it were Atem in that situation, he’d be dropping to his knees and begging for forgiveness. Instead, Yami smirked, “I do. What in the world are you possibly going to do to me? Disapprove of me? Take back the blessing that you never gave? I’m his soulmate and from what I’ve heard from you, I’m destined to be with him. You’re not going to let him date anybody else as long as I’m here. Therefore, I don’t think there’s much you plan on doing to me.” 

“You’re a disappointment of a soulmate. Normally, I’d never go against the choice of the Gods, but you’re a poor excuse of a man and unworthy of dating my son,” Aknamkanon spat.

“No, you’re a poor excuse for a father! Atem deserves to be treated better than the way you’re treating him,” Yami retorted, pointing an accusatory finger at the man. “You’re just ashamed that I humiliated you in front of both him and your wife. You’re taking it out on me because you think that I’m weak and going to take it like one of them. News flash: I’m not. I’m not going to let you keep getting away with this. Atem means the world to me and I’m not going to let him deal with this bullshit. I’ll do everything in my power to make him happy, even if it means getting in between the two of you.” 

Aknamkanon growled, his hands curling into fists, “Family comes first. Atem would choose us over you.” 

“No, he wouldn’t. Why would Atem fight for people that’d never fight for him—people that don’t support him, or even give him the time of day?” 

“You’ve changed him. You’re brainwashing him. You’re taking advantage of him because he’s your soulmate and turning him against us.” 

Yami scoffed, eyes narrowing and now blazing with anger, “You’re out of your damn mind! I’m not ‘brainwashing’ him. I’m just giving him what he was never given throughout his whole life. He’d choose me because I’m supporting his dreams and helping him whenever he needs it. I’m taking care of him and loving him the way that he deserves to be loved.” 

Atem’s heart leapt up into his throat and he stared wide eyed at the two down beneath him – his gaze specifically glued to Yami. Had he… Heard that right? No, he was just saying that to make things believable. That’s all it was.

“I love him,” Yami repeated and Atem couldn’t read his face. Either he had mastered his poker face, or— or … Where was the lie? Why wasn’t the deceit visible in his eyes, or somewhere?!

Yami didn’t stop there, carrying on with his grand speech, “I had hoped to get along well with you, but it’s obvious that it’s not worth mine or his time. As his soulmate, I’m going to ensure that he never has to be hurt by you again. I love him far too much. I’d love him regardless of his gender, race, or ethnicity. I would love him, even if he wasn’t my soulmate. That’s how much he means to me and how much I truly love him.”

Atem had no idea what to think. While he couldn’t tell if Yami was pretending or not, his words felt genuine. They hit him deep within his core and this was the second time that Yami had taken up for him—all in the same night, too. He… He was a little lost, if he was being honest. Maybe he was getting his hopes up. Maybe he was in over his head and reading too far into things. It made him feel good, though. That meant the heartbreak and harsh slap of reality was going to feel a million times worse than it already would.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to change and lay down with my boyfriend,” Yami said, wandering over to the bottom of the staircase.

Atem spun on his heel and sneakily sped walked back to the bedroom, making sure not to blow his cover. He couldn’t hear anything over the sound of his heart pounding loudly in his chest. The wings of butterflies tickled the inside of his stomach and an impossibly big grin was spread across his face. Real or not, hearing Yami say all of that made him feel like a teenager again.

He flung himself onto the bed and grunted in pain when he landed on his phone. He yanked it out from where it was trapped between his stomach and the mattress, shaking his head at his clumsiness. He didn’t care. The only thing he cared about right now was Yami.

He acted like he was on his phone when Yami walked into the room. He closed the door behind him and headed towards the bathroom without a single word. He stopped by the dresser to grab a change of clothes before locking himself in the adjacent room. Atem slowly set his phone down and ran stressed hands through his hair.

It was all fake and here he was, pining like a dumbass. Why did he ever think that asking Yami was a smart idea in the first place? To be fair, he didn’t really expect him to agree, but that still didn’t excuse his selection. Even though he trusted Yami the most out of everyone else he had considered, he could’ve sucked it up if another person stepped forward. 

This was getting out of hand and he wasn’t sure what to feel anymore. He wanted to cry. He wanted to punch himself. He wanted to throw things. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs. Yami was impossible to date and kept himself at this distance; putting up impenetrable walls that no one could get through. Atem knew things about him, yes, but how much did he actually know about him? He was a terrible fake boyfriend. There was no way Yami would want to be his actual boyfriend. 

…Alright, he needed some damn sleep. The line between rational and irrational thoughts was beginning to blur.

He tucked his body under the covers and adjusted his pillow, sinking into the mattress while the tension left his body. He closed his eyes and nuzzled the casing as he attempted to clear his head.

“Already heading to bed?” 

He opened one eye to see Yami walking out of the bathroom and hummed, “I am. Somebody tired me out.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t do a single thing.” 

“You know, if you still feel bad about arguing with my father, you could give me cuddles to make up for it,” Atem suggested with a wiggle of his brows.

“As much as I’d love to take you up on that offer, I promised Yugi that I’d call him,” Yami informed him with a sympathetic smile. “Sorry.” 

“That’s fine. Tell Yugi I said hi.” 

“I will. Sleep well.” 

The bedroom door closed and Atem exhaled sharply as he relaxed once more. Trying to have a blank mind proved to be more of a challenge than he had originally anticipated. He couldn’t stop remembering the feeling of Yami’s lips pressed against his own. He craved those kisses that left him light-headed. He wished that they were laying together and to entangle himself in Yami’s arms—or vice versa. He’d happily be the big spoon or little spoon. As long as it was Yami beside him, he’d be satisfied.

…No. Atem needed to stop . Effective immediately. He was well on his way down an inescapable rabbit hole. 

Chapter Text

Yami was going to kill Atem—whether it was by strangling him or making him extremely flustered was to be determined.

He was standing in front of the bathroom mirror and studying his outfit. It consisted of the sleeveless turtleneck that he’d bought, along with those skimpy black shorts that Atem had convinced him to buy. They barely covered anything and it was guaranteed that his ass was hanging out. Whatever . It was a little bit of a confidence boost. Besides, he couldn’t wait to see the look on Atem’s face when he revealed he was wearing these. It was guaranteed to be priceless.

As he clasped on his combination of black and silver jewelry, he reminisced on the conversation that he had with Yugi the previous night. He had roamed the second floor while chatting with him, keeping his volume quiet to not disturb Atem’s parents—or the man himself.

“Is it wrong to say that I love him this early on?” Yami hesitantly asked, his fingertips grazing the railing of the staircase.

“Love is a strong word, but…” Yugi trailed off and inhaled deeply. “If you think that’s what it is, then no. It’s never too early to love someone. I think you two are good for each other and if you have those feelings for him, then it’s better to embrace them.”

“I told his father that I loved him. I didn’t mean to, if I’m being honest… It slipped out in the heat of the moment,” Yami admitted and leaned on a nearby wall.

“OKay. Would you take it back?”

“No. Not in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t. I think I’d regret it more if I did,” Yami chuckled softly, though his voice was wavering and nearing the verge of cracking.

“That says enough, then. Is that why you called me?” 

“Well… There’s more than that,” Yami chewed his bottom lip anxiously as he pieced together what he was going to say. “I blew up on his father during dinner. I stepped outside and instead of getting upset with me, Atem kissed me. We kissed for a while.” 

Yugi laughed, “And you still don’t think that Atem likes you back?” 

“Most of the times we’ve kissed has been in front of his parents. I believe that time was the first,” Yami whispered and closed his eyes. “It was incredible.” 

“Oh, you’re so down bad for him,” Yugi sighed dreamily, accompanied by a giggle. “I’m really happy for you. I always stressed about Atem finding someone after I rejected him, but I know that you’ll take care of him.” 

“Thanks… Do you think tomorrow night is too soon to confess? I feel like I’ll explode if I keep it bottled up for any longer.” 

“If you think the time is right, then yeah, you should totally go for it! Just remember to put yourself first. Things are moving a little quick, but as long as both of you are okay with that, then there’s no issues,” Yugi warned. “I don’t want the two of you to get together because you’re caught up in the heat of things.” 

“I’m pretty sure I’ve felt this way about him before we went on this trip. I just didn’t want to admit it or believe that he liked me.” 

“He definitely does. Be careful and communicate what you want with each other, okay? If you hurt him or if he hurts you, you’ll both have to deal with the consequences,” Yugi threatened and Yami rolled his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve got it. I’ll be a smart, responsible adult.” 

Afterwards, he had returned to the bedroom to Atem sleeping peacefully. He climbed in beside him and resisted the urge to hold him tightly while they slept. He knew Atem had mentioned cuddling, but he wanted him to be awake before actually doing so.

He studied his appearance one final time, nodding in approval to his reflection. He looked good. His ego was rising and he hoped that seeing Atem’s reaction would boost it even more. He turned and unlocked the bathroom door, stepping out to where Atem was waiting and—oh, good lord .

He was sporting an off the shoulder long-sleeved shirt that showed off his collarbones and a gaudy intricately designed golden necklace. It was certainly eye-catching, but Yami’s gaze was stuck on the leather pants he was wearing. As he had thought, he looked amazing in leather and he knew the same would apply to latex. He was going to be perfect for modeling his line at the W.F.D.C. and he had no further doubts about it. 

Be a smart, responsible adult , he reminded himself, forcing his eyes back up to Atem’s face. He was staring down at the floor, but turned when Yami cleared his throat. 

“ Finally ! Are you ready to—oh, Gods, you’re wearing those?” Atem groaned as he automatically ogled at Yami’s legs on display. “They look even more amazing now than they did in the store…” 

“Uh-huh,” Yami approached him and pointed to the leather pants. “I don’t remember you saying anything about those.” 

With a cheek grin, Atem twirled, “Consider them a pleasant surprise. Do they look hot on me?” 

“Of course they do. That’s not even a question you should be allowed to ask,” Yami playfully scoffed and circled Atem, observing his outfit in its entirety. “You know you look good in anything—unless you're fishing compliments out of me for the millionth time.” 

“It’s different when it comes from you,” Atem smiled and reached out, stopping Yami. He adjusted the neck of his shirt and smoothed his hands down the front, “You look wonderful. For once, not hiding all of this skin that’s dying to see the sun.” 

“And it will continue to not see the sun,” Yami proudly gestured to the window and how dark it was outside.

Atem shook his head in defeat, “Alright, I suppose you’ve got me there. Are you ready to go, then?” 

“If you are, then I am.” 

They made sure they had all of their belongings before descending the staircase. Much to their dismay, Aknamkanon and Nebetah were sitting in the living area right behind the foyer. Nebetah perked up and leapt to her feet, wandering over to them.

“Are the two of you leaving? Oh, you both look so cute!” She gushed, squishing Atem’s cheeks and pinching one of Yami’s. “Ah, please be safe, don’t drink too much, and if you do, let one of us know. We’ll be more than happy to come pick you up.” 

“I’m sure that we’ll be fine,” Atem assured, pushing her hands away. “Thank you for letting us borrow your car.” 

“You’re welcome—” She jumped when Aknamkanon sidled up beside her. “Oh, darling! You scared me… What do you think? Don’t they look adorable?” 

Aknamkanon scanned both of their outfits, then huffed, “Adorable isn’t the word that I’d use. Aren’t those outfits a bit revealing and… Trashy?” 

“That’s the whole point. Do you think people at a club are going to look decent?” Atem crossed his arms and bumped hips with Yami. “We’re dressed appropriately for the occasion.” 

Yami laid his arm across Atem’s shoulders, smirking, “That’s right. If there’s an issue with that, then I’m afraid you’re going to have to deal with it. Neither of us are changing.” 

“...I cannot stop you. I am very disappointed, though.” 

“Stay disappointed, then,” Yami shrugged and turned to Nebetah. “Thank you, again. We’ll return home safely and hopefully, in one piece—at least, I’ll make sure your son does.” 

“Your kindness is appreciated, Yami, but please don’t let anything happen to you, either. I want both of you returning home in the same state that you left in,” She declared. “Now, go on and have fun!” 

Atem beamed and plucked the keys off the table by the front door, opening it for Yami. He walked out and was met by the cool air brushing his bare legs and arms. Thankfully, it didn’t bother him enough to want to go inside and change—though, he was now keeping this outfit on to prove a point to Aknamkanon.

The two of them hopped into Nebetah’s car, which was sleek and expensive. The interior was pristine and Yami wondered how much she paid to get it cleaned. It was either that, or she was a very tidy person. Likely both. He leaned over and impulsively planted a chaste kiss on Atem’s cheek. The man froze, then slowly looked over at him, a confused grin tugging at his lips.

“What was that for?” 

“You stood up for yourself. I’m proud of you.” 

“It wasn’t anything, really…” Atem mumbled as he shoved the key into the ignition and started the car.

“It’s better than not saying anything at all.” 

“Thank you,” Atem bashfully leaned over to leave a kiss of his own on Yami’s temple. He settled back in the driver’s seat, exhaling sharply, “Alright. Off to the club.” 

He drove down the long driveway and out onto the road. The club wasn’t too far away and in the main city of Cairo. Atem explained that they’d likely have to park and walk there, due to expensive parking or lack of it. Yami reassured him that it’d be fine and placed a comforting hand on his thigh. At this point, it felt like a natural thing to do.

Atem spoke up halfway through driving, startling Yami out of his thoughts, “I wanted to say thank you for joining me on this trip and doing all of this.” 

“As much as I hate to say it, it was surprisingly fun. I enjoyed getting to spend time with you and meeting your family—even if your father is an egotistical, narcissistic asshole.”

“I’m sorry about him. It was nice to see someone stand up to him, though. You were brave for doing that and I don’t think that I could’ve ever said half the things that I did if not for you.” 

“It’s a lot easier to say that shit when they’re not worth impressing. If it were anyone else I was dating, I might have acted differently, but with them? Nope. No point. They want you to be with your soulmate and taking that role meant that there was no need to get their blessing or anything.” 

“I’m aware. You still could have sucked up to them and yet, you didn’t,” Atem stopped at a red light and peered over at Yami. “I’ll always admire you for that.” 

Yami felt like he was melting into a tiny puddle from those few words. He was practically sinking onto the floorboard and staining the car’s carpet. He squeezed Atem’s thigh, hoping that said enough and made up for the words that he was struggling to get out. Atem said nothing more and redirected his focus back to the road ahead of them.

Eventually, they made it to Cairo and Atem found a parking deck they could leave the car at. Both of them climbed out and started the trek to the club. Yami held out his hand and Atem looked at with skepticism. 

“Come on,” Yami extended it to him. “Hold my hand.” 

“What’s this? You’re asking me to hold your hand?” Atem slapped his palm against Yami’s and laced their fingers together. “You’re too cute, darling.” 

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask me first.” 

“I figured that you didn’t want to be as physical out in public. We’re not in front of my parents.” 

“Maybe I’ve grown fond of it.” 

That stunned Atem into silence and Yami questioned whether he’d crossed a line or not. But, then Atem was pulling his hand closer and covering it with his other one, keeping it engulfed tightly. It sent tingles dancing across his skin and through his whole arm. 

The club was easy to spot. There was a line of people leading inside the building through the front door. Once they came within distance of it, they could hear the music radiating and bass booming from where they stood. The giant sign was bright neon purple and said something that Yami couldn’t read. He wished he knew Arabic. Yugi had learned some words, but Yami never bothered trying to learn with him.

“Are you excited? Planning on drinking?” Atem asked, poking his bicep.

“I might. It’ll help soothe my nerves. One of us has to drive back, though. If you want to drink, I don’t have to.”

“It’s alright. I don’t mind,” Atem’s finger on his arm became his whole hand, sliding along his shoulder and stopping on the nape of his neck. “I don’t need alcohol in my system to have a good time. I’d rather you be relaxed. You’re in trusting hands.” 

“I’m not drinking until I’m blackout drunk! I just need something to take the edge off.” 

“If you wanted to, the offer still stands,” Atem retracted his hand and tucked both of them in his pockets. “You can always trust me, my dear.” 

“I do,” Yami reassured. “I want to enjoy tonight with you and be able to remember all of it.” 

In reality, he didn’t want to end up confessing and sounding stupid. He wanted to be completely sober when he told that to Atem and to see his reaction. He needed to hear his response—whether it was rejection or acceptance—as a sober man.

“Well, I’ll be sure to make this night as memorable for you as I possibly can,” Atem whispered with a wink.

They made it to the front of the line and showed the bouncer their IDs. He checked them, then shooed the two inside. The atmosphere of the club was like something taken out of a TV show or movie. It was bustling with people and colorful spotlights in a variety of colors shined over the dance floor. There were people dancing to the music that was pounding loudly or sitting at the bar, nursing alcoholic beverages. 

It smelled of liquor and a mixture of perfumes and colognes clashing with each other. There was smoke pouring into the room from a fog machine in the corner and Yami swallowed thickly. Yeah, he definitely needed a drink.

Atem’s fingers wrapped around his wrist and gently tugged him away, guiding him over to the bar. They found available barstools and hopped up onto them. The bartender made their way over to them and Yami ordered a peach Daiquiri while Atem went for a virgin watermelon Margarita.

“After this, I’m dragging you to the dance floor—no arguments about it,” Atem announced, tapping Yami’s calf with his shoe for emphasis. “Got it?” 

“Yes, sir,” Yami chuckled with a two-fingered salute. The bartender set his drink down and he picked it up, taking a sip through the small straw provided. 

“Did you know that you get drunk quicker if you drink alcohol with a straw?”

Yami glanced at his drink, then back to Atem, “ Yeah . That’s the whole reason they give it to you, isn’t it? Making the most of your drink or something?” 

Atem shrugged and scooped up his own drink, “I don’t think so. I believe it’s due to how quickly you want to down your drink. Maybe. You’re asking the wrong person, alright?” 

“Fair enough,” Yami continued downing his drink as he let his gaze wander. He absently chewed the end of his straw as he considered what he was going to say. Confessing in a club wasn’t the most romantic scenario…

Yugi’s words echoed in his brain: If you think the time is right, then yeah, you should totally go for it! The right time… That’s when he’d do it. It didn’t matter if they were in the club or not. He doubted that Atem would be too picky about it.

He started sucking air and he set it down mournfully, wincing at the bitten end of the straw. Yeah, he was stressing out about this just a little bit. What if he said the wrong thing? What if he jumbled his words? Maybe his point wouldn’t get across?

“I can hear you overthinking, baby,” Atem put his empty glass on the counter and rose from his barstool. He coaxed Yami to do the same and led him backwards to the dance floor. Yami eyed it nervously and Atem snickered, “Stop worrying! You’ll be fine. I’ll make sure you never leave my sight. Once the alcohol kicks in, you’ll be having a blast.” 

“Okay, okay! I get it. I’ll stop being a downer,” Yami mumbled.

“We’re going to have fun and that’s a promise ,” Atem didn’t delve straight into the crowd, instead choosing to linger on the outskirts with Yami. “Tell me – do you dance?” 

“Uh, not professionally— obviously —but I’ve been clubbing before, yeah. I guess I know a couple moves.” 

“Better than anybody who refuses to dance at all. Do you know this song?” 

For the first time that night, Yami tuned into the music flowing from the speakers. He bobbed his head to the beat and he recognized it from the radio. It was an upbeat pop song and seemed like the perfect thing to dance to.

“‘Think so. Not my cup of tea, but it’ll do,” Yami swayed his hips from side to side and grinned when Atem watched him in pure shock.

“Oh. Oh, wow ,” Atem snorted and covered his mouth as Yami kept moving in a semi-erotic, yet embarrassing, way. “That’s awful.” 

“ What ? This isn’t appealing to you?” 

“Absolutely not,” Atem grabbed his hips and made him stop through a fit of laughter. “You’re exaggerating it.” 

“Excuse me,” Yami corrected his movements and instead moved them in a slower, seductive manner. “Is this better?” 

Atem let go of him, “Significantly. I bet I could do better, though.” 

“Oh, yeah? Prove it.” 

That’s when Atem began moving to his own accord, circling his hips and spinning with his arms above his head. He was smiling and looked ridiculous. Yami’s heart fluttered at the sight of him out of his element because as a model, there was never a moment where he wasn’t poised, or the embodiment of grace and elegance. Yet, here he was, dancing like a dork and not even caring at all.

Yami loved it.

Getting to see this side of him felt like an honor. It slowly dawned on him how lucky he was to be presented with an opportunity like this. Many people would kill to be in his shoes. If he was offered a million dollars or the opportunity to be a renowned fashion designer, he’d take neither. He would gladly choose to be in this club with Atem over and over again. 

He made a promise to himself. He refused to date his own soulmate. He wanted nothing to do with dating at all. He no longer wanted to hook up with people or pursue a romantic relationship with them. Yugi always talked about how difficult he was.

Atem had beat him at his own game. Somehow, he miraculously wormed his way into Yami’s heart and filled his brain with obsessive thoughts. He was like a drug and Yami was already addicted to him. All it took was a week (or months of unrealized pining). 

Turning to Yami, Atem motioned for the man to join him. He rolled his eyes and strolled over with zero resistance, matching Atem’s vibe. He danced similarly to him, both of them looking like a pair of idiots on the side of the dance floor. At some point, Atem ended up with his arms draped over Yami’s shoulders, tugging him close and holding onto him. 

“How was that?” 

“I guess it was good… I still think I did better, though,” Yami drummed his fingers against Atem’s sides, stopping them on his hips.

“Sure. Believe whatever you want to, but I think you and I both know who did better.” 

The song faded out and a slower one started up. All the multi-colored spotlights turned to different shades of red, pink, and purple. 

“Oh. Do they expect us to slow dance?” Atem asked in mild disgust, but stepped further into Yami’s bubble. “Not exactly what I had in mind for tonight.” 

“Too innocent for you?” 

“No, not exactly. Never said I was complaining about it,” Atem laid his head on Yami’s shoulder, his breath tickling his neck. “Are you? We can go back to the bar if you’d like.”

“I’m fine with this,” Yami let his arms engulf Atem fully, hugging him close. The rest of the room was full of people sensually moving and dancing against each other, but Yami didn’t feel like doing that. 

All he wanted was to hold Atem and keep him there in his embrace where he was safe—both of them were safe together. With Atem by his side, he felt like he was capable of doing anything; making the impossible possible .

The soft material of Atem’s shirt in contact with his palms was soothing and he put his forehead on his collarbone. Cool metal from Atem’s necklace brushed his cheek and he was reminded of how authentic he was away from Japan. He had been able to see his true style and the way he dressed himself without the prying eyes of the paparazzi or Pegasus looming over him.

He wore whatever he pleased, no matter how many people gave him strange looks or commented negatively on his outfits. It made Yami unbelievably happy to see Atem without those stresses weighing him down and inspired him to be confident as well. What was the point in hiding from the world when you only live one? 

Yami lifted his head and eased back, tilting Atem’s chin up. Their gazes met and he couldn’t hold back anymore. He needed to tell him— now . Right at this moment. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

“You’ve kissed me many times. Why are you still asking?” 

“I’m never not going to ask,” Yami muttered. “Yes or no?” 

“I’d be offended if you didn’t kiss me,” Atem tangled his fingers in his hair and leaned in. “C’mere…” 

Yami connected their lips and sighed in relief, his lashes fluttering as he melted into the kiss. Atem kissed him back with as much passion just like the night of dinner. He thought about all the arguments and bantering they had before the trip. For months, they’d been bashing their heads with no sign of ever stopping. Who would’ve guessed they would wind up making out in a club?

…Maybe Rebecca was right after all.

He parted enough to whisper, “I like you, Atem. I like you so much.” 

Yami couldn’t breathe. Oxygen was caught in his throat and he was paralyzed with anticipation as he watched realization force Atem’s eyes open. He opened and closed his mouth, unable to say anything.

“...What?” Atem finally whispered, caught off guard. Yami gulped and was going to carry on, but then he smirked and added, “I thought you loved me.” 

“You can’t ever be serious, can you?” 

“I am being serious,” Atem stroked his hair, carding his fingers through the strands. “Is it just ‘like’ or is it love?” 

“Uh… Will one of these answers end up with me getting slapped or you walking away?”

“No. Just curious. How much truth was in that conversation between you and my father?” 

“So, you were eavesdropping on us.” 

“Not intentionally! I was wondering where you were and accidentally heard the two of you talking. Can you blame me?” 

“I guess not… You’ve always been nosy,” Yami frowned. “Fine. Love, then. I love you, Atem. Okay? Is that what you want to hear?” 

“Yes, and I hope you know that those feelings are definitely mutual,” Atem purred and kissed him again—this time much shorter in time, but not lacking in passion. Yami eagerly returned it and his chest swelled with pride as he accepted that Atem loved him back. 

“ Mmph —” Atem broke the kiss once more, panting, “Wait, what does this make us? Because I recall you forcing me to tell Mr. Pegasus that there was absolutely no way in Hell you and I’d be dating.” 

“Yeah, I guess I didn’t think that one through… To be fair, though, I was tired of him targeting me and being jealous of me all the time,” Yami winced at the image of an angry Pegasus reacting to the news of them dating. “I was also living in the mindset that I was completely out of your league.” 

“Ridiculous,” Atem’s brows furrowed and he was looking at Yami like he was crazy. “Out of my league? There is no league?” 

“To date the top model? Baby, I’m sorry to say this, but there is a league,” Yami patted his backside with a chuckle as if he were a clueless child.  

“Whatever… You’re stupid for thinking that, though,” Atem flicked his ear and Yami flinched, hissing in pain. “Did you not pick up on me flirting with you for the past— fucking —year?!” 

“I wasn’t sure if you were being annoying and trying to get on my nerves or if it was flirting!” 

Atem exhaled sharply, “Nevermind, I suppose I do flirt with a lot of people… That was a part of the reason why I asked you to come with me. I doubted that anything would actually come of it, though. You’re going to get picked up by another fashion designer.” 

“You could move with me? Working for Mr. Pegasus sounds about as miserable for you as it is for me,” Yami pointed out. “It’d be nice if we could keep working together.” 

“You don’t want to get rid of me?” 

“Not if we start dating—that is, if that’s what you want?” Yami asked hopefully. 

“Gods, yes ,” Atem gladly nodded and beamed proudly. “I’d love nothing more than to be your boyfriend. Being away from Mr. Pegasus does sound heavenly.” 

Yami couldn’t contain his own grin and he squeezed Atem, “ Cool .”

“If all goes well, then Mr. Pegasus won’t be able to kill either of us,” Atem murmured.

“We should probably keep this under wraps until the W.F.D.C., you know.” 

“Excellent idea,” Atem stared up at him with uncertainty in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re alright with this? You and I aren’t soulmates and if you want to be with your soulmate, then—” 

“I don’t give a fuck about my soulmate and I especially don’t care about us not being soulmates.” 

“Clearly, neither do I…” Atem muttered with hooded eyes as he reeled him back in.

Atem kissed him again and Yami was floating on cloud nine. He was beyond ecstatic and he didn’t even know how to begin comprehending this. He had a boyfriend and it was Atem . Nothing felt real, but it was. 

It was real. They were real.

The two of them shouldn’t have been so surprised when they exited the club to find a group of paparazzi waiting for them. It seemed that somebody inside must’ve noticed Atem entering the club and mentioned it online. That was frustrating and Yami felt bad as he thought about how often this likely happened to Atem. He was anxious, but he pushed those feelings aside to help get them both out of there. 

The paparazzi immediately swarmed them and Yami turned his back to the flashing cameras, forcing Atem to do the same as he guided him down the street towards the parking lot. He walked briskly in hopes of losing them, but they were good at this. It wasn’t their first rodeo chasing celebrities and they were keeping up pretty well. 

“Excuse me, Mr. Sennen!” One of them called out in a desperate attempt to get his attention. “Who is this young gentleman with you?” 

“Sir! Sir, would you mind confirming or denying that you’re Mr. Sennen’s soulmate? Are the rumors true that the two of you are engaged?” Another reporter pressed, hoping that they’d have better luck getting an answer out of one of them. 

Yami’s grip tightened across Atem’s shoulders and he pulled him closer, jokingly asking, “Do you know these guys?” 

“Gods, no ,” Atem groaned and wound an equally protective arm around Yami’s waist. “I’d rather eat a handful of glass than give them the time of day. It’s the same questions over and over again—plus, they always find ways to twist my words and cause a stir in the news about me.” 

“I suppose it’s a good thing we’re leaving then… Do we have to worry about them following us or anything?” Yami pondered with a wince as he thought about them standing outside of Atem’s home for hours, waiting for somebody to come outside. 

“Honestly? I’m not sure. If all fails, then I know another route we can take home in case they do try to follow us,” Atem mentioned with a comforting pat to Yami’s hip. “Though, if they somehow still manage to find where I live, then we’ll call law enforcement and have them deal with it. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time this has happened.” 

Yami sighed, “I figured as much. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.” 

“Fingers crossed that Mr. Pegasus doesn’t see these photos—and if he does, let’s hope he doesn’t rip us a new one,” Atem sharply turned into the parking lot and ushered Yami towards the car. “I have a feeling that he and I will be having a long discussion no matter what once we return. Convincing him to avoid anything in the media about me definitely wasn’t going to last very long and I know he’s going to have many questions.” 

“Does anybody ever believe the shit that’s on the internet?” Yami slid into the passenger seat and barely had time to buckle up, Atem reversing as quickly as possible. 

“Not necessarily, no, but some people are gullible. Unfortunately, Mr. Pegasus is one of those people when it comes to my name being plastered in headlines. I’ve had so many scandals that I’ve had to clear up due to him not wanting his name to gain a bad reputation,” Atem explained, shielding his face with his hand when they drove past the gaggle of paparazzi. 

“Fucking prick,” Yami grumbled under his breath. “The only thing he ever cares about is himself and how the publicity affects him at the end of the day.” 

Atem shrugged, “That’ll be the perk of working for someone else.”

“You say that as if a designer will actually take me—” 

“They will ,” Atem insisted with no hesitation whatsoever. “You’re incredible and I’m sure that somebody at the W.F.D.C. will want you to work for them. With your talents, there’s no way that you’re not going to get an offer—even if it’s from one person.”

“If I mention you being up for grabs and the two of us coming as a package, it’ll further sway them, won’t it?” 

“I’d hope so, but I don’t want you to use me as a way to get yourself a job under another designer. You should wait to bring that up when you know that they want you for you ,” Atem reached over and squeezed Yami’s thigh. 

Yami wished that he could lean across the console and kiss Atem until he couldn’t breathe, but alas, he was driving and he wouldn’t distract him from that. As soon as the car was parked? Well, that was a different story. He couldn’t guarantee that he’d be able to keep his hands to himself. His heart was swelling with so much emotion and he was still having a hard time processing everything that had happened that night. 

He placed his hand on top of Atem’s and intertwined their fingers, lifting it to his lips to kiss the back of it, “I’m really happy that I can officially call you mine.” 

“ I’m really happy that I haven’t been alone this whole time. I thought I was losing my mind on this whole trip and that my hints would never reach you,” Atem chuckled. “I suppose it’s a little difficult to figure out what’s real when you’re pretending to have a relationship, isn’t it?” 

“It is,” Yami agreed. “I’ve gotten many mixed signals from you and I never knew what to read into—what was fake and what was real.” 

“We won’t have to worry about that anymore,” Atem whispered and retracted his hand in favor of returning it to the wheel. Yami was a little disappointed, but he shouldn’t be. They’d have plenty more chances to hold hands in the future. 

He imagined all the fun, exciting dates they could go on that were actual dates this time. He wanted to take him to his favorite places and learn everywhere that Atem liked to go. He considered having double dates with Yugi and Tea that they always talked about whenever Yami found someone that he liked. 

He couldn’t wait to invite Atem over to his apartment to hang out and have him practice being his model more for the W.F.D.C. without feeling awkward. If it grew too late, Yami could smoothly suggest that Atem spend the night. It wouldn’t be uncomfortable and they already had experience sharing a bed. Yami would finally be able to hold Atem closely in his arms and—actually, he could do that tonight , if they were both comfortable. 

His stomach did a somersault at the thought of embracing Atem, tangling their legs, and giving each other tired kisses as they drifted off to sleep. They’d lay there for hours, chatting about whatever was on their minds and being lazy with no shame. Yami guaranteed that if Atem tried to get up, he’d drag him back down—and vice versa. 

Eventually, Yami would find the strength to lug both of them out of bed because they had jobs and as much as he loved Atem, being a fashion designer came first. He had worked hard to get to this position and he didn’t want to lose it—and Atem wouldn’t want to lose his job, either. They were both avid workers and that was a priority that they could agree on. 

The car parked in the driveway and before Atem could even turn the ignition off, Yami was capturing his lips. He caught him by surprise, but it didn’t take long for him to return the kiss. Yami’s fingers tangled in his hair and Atem pulled him closer, encouraging him to keep going. He went so far as to move the seat backwards when Yami started crawling into his lap. 

The kiss was intense and bordering on sexual as Yami grew more bold, grabbing any and everywhere that he could touch on Atem’s body. He had waited far too long for this moment and he wouldn’t dare let it go to waste. He needed him more than anything else in the world. At that moment, nothing mattered except for Atem. 

Atem pulled away, panting heavily and whispering, “Bedroom?”

Yami’s heart skipped a beat and he nodded vigorously, agreeing as he reached for the handle of the door, “ Bedroom .”

Chapter Text

The bedroom door slammed loud enough to rattle the walls and Yami barely managed to lock it before he yanked Atem back into his arms. Their lips smashed together and Atem’s hands wandered everywhere—his biceps, his chest, his sides, all the way down to his ass. Not surprising. These shorts were bought for a reason and that was to show off.

Yami guided Atem over to the bed, breaking the kiss to push him down onto it. He clambered into his lap and carded his fingers through his hair, tilting his head back for another kiss. Atem sighed softly and he trailed his hands up and down his thighs.

“Is this moving too fast?” Yami asked, peering into Atem’s lustful eyes. 

Atem bit his bottom lip and shook his head, “I don’t think so. Is it too much for you?” 

“...It’s been a long time since I’ve had sex with anyone,” Yami admitted quietly. 

“We don’t have to go that far if you’re not comfortable with it,” Atem’s smile was kind and reassuring as he rubbed circles into his skin. “It’s not going to bother me.” 

“Thanks,” Yami pressed an appreciative kiss to Atem’s lips, then groaned, gripping his hair tightly, “Who gave you permission to be this pretty?” 

“I believe that I should be asking you that, my dear,” Atem whispered. “You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re just as gorgeous—if not, more.” 

“You’re the model here.” 

“That means nothing,” Atem moved his hands to the front of Yami, flicking the button on his shorts. He pulled the flaps apart and tugged his tucked shirt out. He guided it up and up until Yami was yanking it over his head. Atem admired his chest with hungry eyes, “See? A body equivalent to a God’s.” 

Yami huffed in disbelief, “I wouldn’t go that far.” 

“I would,” Atem dragged his nails lightly down Yami’s stomach—admiring the way he shuddered in the process—and stopped right above the waistband of his boxers. “Is it alright if I touch you down here?” 

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” Yami leaned in, his teeth grazing Atem’s earlobe and causing him to shiver. “Don’t get too carried away, though.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“I’m not the type to come in five seconds and call it quits there. I like to draw things out and make the experience more…” Yami trailed off, easing back to meet Atem’s gaze once more with a smirk. “ Pleasurable .” 

“We have the whole night to have fun before we have to leave tomorrow,” Atem mentioned. “We could make the most of it. I’m sure I could come a few more times if you let me recharge…” 

“As much as I’d love to indulge that fantasy of yours, we need to be somewhat energized for our trip home,” Yami reminded him, melting at the sight of Atem’s pout. He snickered and pulled his lower lip down with his thumb, “Don’t be so sad, baby. You and I have plenty of time to do whatever we please—especially once we’re back in Japan.” 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Atem captured his lips again and finally dipped his hand beneath the fabric of Yami’s boxers.

Yami moaned when Atem’s warm palm came into contact with his aching cock. He was gentle, moving slowly as if would break. Atem parted long enough to spit on his hand, then ran his saliva down Yami’s shaft. 

“ Fuck ,” Yami breathed out and closed his eyes as he basked in the pleasure. This was so much better than what he imagined it’d feel like. Atem’s pace was teasing and tormenting, seeming to follow Yami’s request to take things leisurely. He rocked his hips, thrusting into the hole that Atem’s hand made.

Yami carefully removed the gaudy necklace that Atem was wearing, freeing his neck from its imprisonment. He dipped his head down and kissed along his skin, inhaling deeply to get a whiff of his cologne. It made him dizzy with desire as the realization dawned on him. He was this close to Atem. Only in his dreams did he ever get within this distance to him. It didn’t feel real, but it was—he was sitting in Atem’s lap while the model gave him a handjob. 

He couldn’t help the swell of pride in his chest as he thought about how this was the biggest middle finger to Pegasus. A wave of possession washed over him and he bit down on Atem’s neck, the man jolting and heaving out a breath. He licked the spot afterwards as an apology and the hand on his ass tightened in grip, causing him to buck his hips.

Atem gradually picked up speed and when Yami began to do the same, he stopped and squeezed the base of his cock. Yami gasped and reeled back, opening his eyes to glare at him. Atem tilted his head innocently, wondering what in the world he could possibly be doing wrong? 

His lips quirked up into a smug smirk, “What’s the matter? I thought that you didn’t want to come this early? Or, were you hoping that I’d forget about that?” 

Touche , Yami thought, though he rolled his eyes at Atem’s comment. He scanned the length of his body and scoffed, “I bet you’d love me teasing you like this. It’d give you an excuse to run your mouth and whine all you like.” 

Atem’s cocky expression quickly morphed into one of shock and Yami continued, “I’ve always thought about how to shut you up—thought countless times about all the ways that I could make you squirm and render you speechless. I’ve wanted to see how far I can send you out of your own head and have you begging me for more.”

Yami watched in delight as his ramblings made Atem’s pupils dilate even more, crimson irises becoming thin rings around them. He swallowed thickly as he tried to think of what to say—which was exactly what Yami was wanting. He was proving his point right then and there. It didn’t take him long to snap out of his stupor and come up with a response, though.

“Gods… Who would’ve believed that you’d be good at dirty talk?’ Atem murmured and carried on with stroking Yami’s dick.

“I have more experience than you think, babe,” Yami held onto Atem’s shoulders and kept moving with him. “Just ‘cause I don’t date people or sleep around doesn’t mean that I didn’t at some point.” 

“I suppose all of this happened before you became a fashion designer. It’s a shame that I missed it,” Atem gathered the bead of precum on the tip of Yami’s cock with his thumb, marveling at it. “I would’ve shown you an unforgettable time.” 

Yami grabbed Atem’s wrist and lifted it to the model’s mouth, his lips parting in curiosity. He forced Atem to wipe it on his own tongue and chuckled, “I’m sure you would’ve. It takes a lot to forget your face.” 

Atem beamed, “Obviously. I became a model for a reason: Wooing people left and right with my good looks.” 

“Ego much?” 

“One could say it compensates—you’ll have to find that out for yourself,” Atem seductively glanced down at his own crotch. 

“How about I take your word for it? I have different plans for you, love,” Yami straddled one of his thighs and tucked his knee between Atem’s legs. “Has the thought of clothed sex ever appealed to you?” 

Atem perked up way too much at the question that Yami pretty much didn’t answer, but Atem still provided one nonetheless, “Gods, I never thought you’d say that. I suppose saying ‘yes’ would be fitting for me, wouldn’t it?” 

Yami shrugged, “It would, considering that your job revolves around clothes and wearing them constantly. I shouldn’t be surprised that you’d want someone to fuck you in them.” 

Atem stuck his tongue out at him and there was no further remark after that. Yami guided him to lay down to make things more comfortable for him, allowing Atem to properly grind against his leg. He moaned at the pressure and bucked his hips, his erection finally finding relief. Yami bit his bottom lip and planted his palms on either side of Atem’s head, leaning down to attack his neck once more. 

“ Yami ,” Atem whispered, cradling the back of his head with one hand while the other reached down to continue jerking him off. Yami sucked at his skin, creating another gorgeous mark to match the previous one. He wanted to see them all over his body and to cover him in them. He would’ve done so if he didn’t consider needing to be presentable for tomorrow—plus, the fact that Pegasus would notice and raise questions (but oh so tempting). 

They were clinging to each other like there was no tomorrow, moving roughly and impatiently. Atem maintained the same speed the whole time, intensifying the flicking of his wrist when his hips bucked erratically. He was moaning loudly and had no intentions of quieting down anytime soon, whereas Yami was muffling his grunts and cries into his collarbone. 

“Please— fuck —“ Atem pushed at Yami’s chest and frowned when he refused to move, receiving a confused glance. “Roll over.”

“Why should I?”

“I’ll make it worth your while,” Atem assured and finally managed to get Yami onto his side. He kept shoving at him until he was on his back, clambering over him to straddle his leg. He smiled victoriously, “See? It’s so much easier to move like this.”

Yami scanned the length of Atem’s body and hummed, “You look just as good on top of me as you do under me.”

“Of course I do,” Atem grinned and experimentally rutted against Yami’s thigh, whimpering at the spark of pleasure that rushed through him. He took hold of Yami’s cock, picking up where he’d left off. 

Yami observed him through hooded lids, shaky huffs leaving his throat with each downstroke of his fist. He was amazing at this and it put every daydream he had about Atem to shame. Who would’ve guessed that one measly trip and agreement would be the thing to bring them together? 

“Shit, Atem ,” Yami’s hands grasped his hips and coaxed him to move faster, taking brief control. He guided his rocking pelvis and in return, Atem matched it, stripping Yami’s cock at a similar tempo. 

His chest was rising and falling rapidly, panting heavily as warmth pooled and burned deep within his core. He sounded like a hypocrite admitting that he was getting close, but he sensed that Atem wasn’t far off—at least, not with the fluttering of his lashes and the fact that his mouth hadn’t closed. It was too occupied with letting delightful noises flow out and bless Yami’s ears. 

“ Ate — em !” He threw his head back and unconsciously thrusted upwards, jostling Atem. A surprised yelp slipped through the onslaught of moans and he tightened his thighs around Yami’s legs. 

“Gods, darling,” Atem chuckled breathlessly, planting his free hand on Yami’s chest to stabilize himself. “I figured that I’d be the one getting out of control… It seems I stand corrected, though.”

“I’ve been wanting this for far too long,” Yami admitted, urging Atem to keep going with a subtle roll of his hips. “Come on, please —” 

“Where’s that patience now?” He chuckled, though it was interrupted by a drawn out wail. “ Fu — uck —I don’t think I’m going to last much longer, either…” 

Yami mustered the strength to sit up and wrap his arms around Atem’s waist, staring deeply into his eyes, “Give it to me. Please , let go with me—” 

Atem slid the hand on his chest to hold the nape of his neck, yanking him forward to connect their lips. Yami’s shout was muffled into his mouth as Atem thumbed the head of his cock, sending him over the edge. He spilt all over his hand and he could feel the model’s hips stuttering. He went still, clenching his thighs tightly around Yami’s thigh and quiet whimpers reverberating against his lips. 

Reluctantly, he parted from the kiss and Atem was beaming brighter than the sun itself. Yami felt light-headed, unable to fight the giggles bubbling out of him. He planted a second kiss to Atem’s lips, then a third, and then too many that he stopped counting. He fell over on the mattress and dragged Atem down with him, both of them laughing in between kisses. 

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Yami whispered, cupping Atem’s cheek. “I—fuck, you’re incredible. I think I’m at a loss for words…” 

Atem snorted, “And here you were, talking about making me speechless.” 

“Shut up,” Yami murmured, kissing him before he could say anything else.

In that moment, nothing else mattered—not when he was laying with Atem and getting to cradle him the way he had only dreamt about. 

Ditching Yugi in the bar was a horrible idea. Yami couldn’t bring himself to care. He was dressed scantily and he was more than ready to get laid. He had enough drinks in him to accept the first offer that was presented to him and he was lucky that a rather handsome gentleman approached him. Yami was enamored by him, inviting him to sit down with him. 

It was obvious that things were leading somewhere greater than simply talking and Yami sealed the deal by ordering a drink for the stranger, telling the bartender to add it to his tab. They were teasing and flirting with each other, laying not-so-innocent hands on their bodies. Other people could look at them and gag at the heart eyes they were making at one another. It wasn’t until they received a questionable eyebrow raise from one of the bouncers that Yami suggested taking things to a private location.

Thankfully, there was a hotel right down the street that the stranger guided Yami to, an arm wrapped securely around his waist to help him maintain his balance. He brought him inside and up to the front desk, getting a small room and paying for it. Yami was surprised and would’ve happily gone halfsies with him, but his dick was stirring in his pants and there went any coherent thought except for: This was going to be some mind blowing sex. Finally, he was going to get fucked by a fine piece of ass instead of some sleaze to satisfy his unfulfilled desires.

They made it upstairs to their room and the stranger ushered a stumbling Yami inside, snatching him by the waist and forcing their lips together. It was a mess of kissing and clawing as they tore each other’s clothes off, every article getting tossed haphazardly onto the floor. Yami collapsed on the bed, bouncing slightly due to the springy mattress, and propped up on his elbows. 

“You’re fucking gorgeous, baby,” The stranger breathed out as he undressed the rest of the way. Yami’s gaze raked over his partially nude body—the main attraction still obscured by his boxers. 

Yami bit his bottom lip and winked at him, “I know I am.” 

The man chuckled at his unashamed agreement, his unruly white hair moving with him as he shook his head playfully. He was tall and he had a decent amount of muscle, sporting a six pack of abs that was extremely impressive. Yami would’ve killed to look like that, but he had to admit that admiring the view was just as nice. 

“So… You probably get this question a lot, but does the carpet match the drapes?” He purred, smiling innocently when their eyes met. 

“I suppose you’ll have to find that out, won’t you?” 

Hooking his thumbs under the waistband of his underwear, he shoved them down in one fell swoop. They pooled around his ankles and he kicked them away, standing there as he allowed Yami to gawk at him. His length was impressive and he couldn’t wait to have it inside of him—something else caught his attention, though.

Imprinted on his tan hip was none other than the outline of a small heart with cracks disturbing it. Yami’s breath hitched and was trapped in his throat as the realization dawned on him. This guy wasn’t just a complete stranger! He was—fuck, he was so much more than that. He hurriedly removed his own boxers, revealing the matching mark on his opposing hip. His, on the other hand, was a filled in heart, although the cracks remained in the same shade of his skin. 

“Would you look at that?” He laughed, running his fingers over the marking. “It seems like we’re a match.” 

The man briefly glanced down at it, then raised a brow, “Uh… Alright?” 

“...’Alright’?” Yami echoed in confusion. Was this guy an idiot or something? Maybe he was too drunk to put the pieces together. Yami cleared his throat, “We—we’re soulmates. Can’t you see that?” 

“Yeah, I can. I’m not blind,” He rolled his eyes. “What does that matter? Soulmates are bullshit. ‘Sides, I have a boyfriend.” 

Yami scoffed, trying to ignore the sinking of his heart, “Seriously?” 

“He’s away for college right now and I’m bored. Just looking for some fun,” The man tapped his foot impatiently. “Are we doing this or not?” 

Yami exhaled sharply and paid no attention to the sick feeling that plagued his stomach as he turned onto his stomach, bending over the side of the bed. It was in that moment that he understood the true meaning behind his mark. For years, he questioned why there were cracks that insinuated heartbreak. Now that he’d seen his soulmate’s other half and the fact that it was the same—well, that said enough. 

It seemed that not all soulmates were meant to be together in any manner; destined to be apart, or even enemies. 

He felt numb throughout the whole thing, not even able to enjoy it. The drag of this man’s cock in and out of him was doing nothing for him. It had no effect and he was too focused on the dingy, ugly floral patterned comforter under him. Tears were blurring his vision and definitely ruining his makeup when a few slipped past, much to his dismay. He muffled his sniffling into the crook of his arm and he had to sneak his other down to jerk himself off when he sensed the stranger getting close.

When they both finished, the man said nothing more than his announcement that he was leaving and Yami was welcome to continue staying in the room until morning. He slammed the door behind him and it was deathly silent. Yami peered through blurry vision at the window, which showed the busy streets of Domino City. He slowly slumped back down until he could barely see some stars in the night sky. 

Yami was disgusted with himself. He’d been used by his own soulmate, who didn’t even care about the revelation. No, he didn’t care for soulmates—never had and never would—but, a small part of him hoped that this would be the dream come true that everyone spoke of. The universe had other plans in store for him, though.

It wasn’t long before he heard knocking and he didn’t even care who the fuck walked in right now. His ass was out and there was cum all over his hand—likely on the floor, too, but that was the least of his priorities right now. All he wanted was to wallow in his own pit of shame.

The door cracked open and a familiar voice broke the silence, “Yami, are you in here? Oh, thank God, you are—and, of course, you’re naked…” 

“Just leave me here,” Yami mumbled and hid his face from view once again. 

“I’m not leaving you here,” Yugi closed the door behind him and crossed the room, draping his jacket over Yami’s bare form. “Come on, let’s get your clothes back on.” 

Yami didn’t even bother using the jacket and rolled over, letting it slide off of him. He plucked his boxers off of the floor and lazily pulled them on. He studied Yugi, then frowned, “How’d you find me?”

“I checked your location. I called and texted you multiple times, but you put your phone on Do Not Disturb,” Yugi glared at him. “I’ve told you to stop doing that—especially when we go out like that and you decide to drink like an alcoholic!” 

“I’m not an alcoholic—” 

“Then, stop acting like one,” Yugi hissed, throwing his balled up dress at his chest. He took note of his smudged makeup, caving in and moving past his need to scold him, “What happened?” 

“I… I don’t know.” 

“You don’t know? Or, you don’t want to talk about it?” 

Yami nodded, “That one.” 

“Okay. We won’t talk about it, then,” Yugi shrugged and gestured for Yami to hurry up. “Get dressed. I’m taking you home.”

Yami hated Yugi’s kindness. He deserved to be left rotting in that hotel room to be found by housekeeping. He deserved to feel the humiliation that burned his cheeks when he was found indecent by them. He deserved to face the embarrassment that was walking home looking like a trainwreck. 

He supposed that he should be grateful for his cousin’s persistent and stubborn attitude. If he had chosen to stay and face the consequences the following morning, he definitely would have regretted it. Waking up in the comfort of his own home was something he would only appreciate when he was hungover. 

He zipped up his boots and rose from the bed, returning Yugi’s jacket to him. After making sure that Yami had everything, they left the hotel room and made their way down the hall. It wasn’t until they reached the elevator that he properly thanked his cousin for picking him up. 

Sometimes, Yami couldn’t believe that the younger man was more mature and responsible than him. What a failure he had become in comparison… 

Yami slowly blinked the exhaustion away as he awoke from his short slumber. He had made it onto his back and was staring up at the ceiling. Where had Atem gone…?

He peered down to see Atem standing off to the side, currently taking Yami’s shorts off. He tensed and quickly sat up, startling the model.

“ Gods ,” Atem breathed a sigh of relief, pressing a hand to his chest. “You scared me. I thought you had passed out for good.”

“What’re you doing?”

“Well, I was going to clean you up and then attempt to get you into some pajamas,” Atem explained, guiding Yami’s feet through the holes of his shorts before throwing them off to the side. “I had a feeling that the only thing I’d successfully manage was going to be underwear.”

“There’s no need to do that,” Yami assured, grasping Atem’s wrist when he reached for his boxers. 

Atem glanced at his trapped hand, then back up to meet Yami’s gaze, frowning, “You don’t have to be self-conscious around me. I hope you know that whatever high standards I’m held to does not reflect in my taste in men—that much should be obvious.”

“It’s not that,” Yami inhaled deeply before announcing, “It’s my soulmate mark.”

Atem eyes flitted down to his pelvis once more, “ Oh . Do you—does it make you uncomfortable to see? Do you not want me to see it?”

“No. It just brings back bad memories. All I need you to know is that I don’t care about my soulmate. I have no plans on ever getting with them,” Yami insisted.

“Have you met them?”

“…I have.”

Yami’s movements were cautious as he stood up and maneuvered Atem to sit on the edge of the bed. He knew this was bound to happen at some point, but he didn’t think it would be tonight . 

“You don’t have to show me if you don’t want to,” Atem reassured with a sympathetic and comforting smile. “I won’t press anymore about it.”

“The story behind our meeting isn’t a pleasant one. I’m not in the mood to talk about it. As for the mark, though…” Yami shrugged. “I trust you. I want you to see it. You’ve shared your secrets with me on this trip and I’d like to be able to do the same.”

“As long as you’re comfortable.”

Taking a deep breath, Yami shoved the boxers down and kicked them away, revealing the marking on his hip. He kept his stare glued on Atem’s face while he observed it. Then, the model coaxed him closer, easing forward until his lips brushed the spot. 

Yami shuddered at the ticklish feeling and Atem peered up at him with such a sweet grin, “It’s beautiful. I think it’d make for an excellent tattoo.”

“Is that gonna be the excuse I tell everyone now?”

“Excuse? Everyone ?” Atem flipped over Yami’s wrist and exposed the fading eye of Anubis on the inside of it. “Sweetheart, they already know who you’re with now. I may as well be your true soulmate.”

“…I guess the concept of soulmates has always been a bit silly,” Yami cupped Atem’s face and smoothed his thumbs over his cheeks. “At least, not when I can choose who my soulmate is—and the only person that I want right now is you .”

“Then have me.”

Atem’s tone was seductive and dripping with passion that bordered on lust. They should’ve gone to sleep—correction: they should’ve been sleeping. But, Yami could feel his dick hardening again and he couldn’t help himself. He wanted more of Atem. He needed all of him and by the looks of it, Atem needed Yami just as much. It seemed like there would be a round two after all.

A wave of courage and possession rushed through Yami and he hooked his hands under Atem’s knees, pushing them up to his chest and forcing him to fall back on the mattress. He gripped the underside of his thighs tightly, relishing in the leather material against his palms. Atem was delighted and stared at Yami in anticipation.

“Do you know how good you look in these?” Yami ran his hands all along Atem’s legs, coming to rest on his hips. “I thought I was going to die when I saw you in them.”

“Gods, how do you think I felt when I saw you in those shorts?” Atem wound his legs around Yami’s waist and pulled him close, gasping when his cock grazed his crotch through his pants, “ Ah —are you going to undress me, handsome?”

“I’m getting there,” Yami tutted. He unfastened the button and unzipped them, motioned for Atem to lift his hips, then swiftly yanked them off. He threw them aside and did a double take at Atem’s underwear. It was… Practically nonexistent (and soiled), to put it lightly. His cock was straining against what little fabric was there, threatening to pop out at any point. 

He tucked his finger under one of the thin straps and tugged it, chuckling, “Did you wear these on purpose?”

“Yes, but not because of you— hck !” Atem jumped when it snapped against his skin. He swatted Yami’s hand away from them, “My boxers bunched up too much under my pants.”

“Nothing to be ashamed of. They look nice on you. Almost makes me want to fuck you with them on… I would’ve fucked you in those pants if I could.”

“I’ll invest in some leather shorts,” Atem winked at him with a cocky smirk. “You can fuck me in them if you’d like, but I can guarantee it’ll be better and much easier without them.”

“Point taken,” Yami took them off as well and marveled at Atem’s dripping cock. “Eager for me again, aren’t you?”

“How could I not be?” Atem extended a hand to tuck a strand of Yami’s hair behind his ear, trailing it down to cradle his jaw. “Depending on how far you want to take this, there should be lube and condoms in my bag.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Yami strolled over to Atem’s suitcase in the corner of the room. 

“I doubted that anything was going to happen, but I like to be prepared just in case. I’ve been told I have a very alluring aura.”

“Not wrong,” Yami rummaged through the pockets until he found a bottle of lube and wrapped condoms. He grabbed two of them and brought the whole bottle with him as he returned to the bed. He eyed Atem’s shirt, “You keeping that on?”

“Mmhm. A little coverage is hot.”

Yami remembered their earlier conversation and decided not to push. The material of his shirt was so thin that he could see his hardened nipples through it. He’d be coming back to that later. 

He poured a generous amount of lube on his fingers. He guided Atem to spread his legs and rubbed them over his entrance. 

“Shit, that’s cold…” Atem murmured and squirmed as Yami massaged his hole. 

To distract him and help Atem relax, Yami dipped down and pushed his shirt up until it was bunched under his arms. He licked his nipple and was pleased by the noise he received in response. He wrapped his lips around it and sucked, Atem’s body arching under him. 

He inserted one finger and watched Atem through his lashes while he writhed, bucking his hips to pull him in. Yami’s cock twitched at the tightness of his hole around him and he longed to be inside of him. 

He switched over to Atem’s neglected nipple as he added another finger in alongside the first. He gave him a brief moment to adjust before scissoring him open. Atem began to grind down on his hand, quiet pants and moans falling from his lips. His hips rolled sinfully, somehow working Yami’s fingers deeper into him. 

Yami released his nipple, appreciating the hardened peak and the ring that had formed around it within mere minutes. His third finger snuck in and Atem accepted them easily, exhaling sharply through his nostrils while Yami pushed them in. He stilled his hand and hovered over Atem’s face.

“Will you kiss me?” Atem’s tone was gentle and light, barely audible over the sound of his heavy breathing. He swallowed thickly, then included, “ Please ?”

How could Yami deny him when he was asking so nicely? He cleared the distance between them, their tongues meeting in the middle. Atem’s hands wound their way into his hair, petting the softer strands at the nape of his neck. Yami relished in both the attention he was giving and receiving. Never in a million years would he guess that he’d be having sex (again) with a model. 

He angled his fingers slightly, the pads of them brushing a bundle of nerves and Atem wasted no time reacting, his body automatically jolting, “ Mmph —Gods! Oh, please, do that again, please!”

Yami obliged and stroked his prostate, more precum dribbling from Atem’s cock. He laughed darkly, “Looks like I found your sweet spot. Now, what if I… Do this…?”

He retracted his hand and eased back in time to see Atem’s hole fluttering around nothing. He whimpered obscenely at the loss, swearing in Arabic and Yami’s stomach flipped at the foreign language rolling easily off of his tongue. He tried to grab Yami’s hand, but he pulled it out of Atem’s reach. 

“Yami, don’t tease me, please ,” He begged exactly the way Yami thought he would. “Slow and steady is not my speed—not tonight. I need you and I need you now.”

“You’ve got me, baby,” Yami reassured him. “Are you sure you want to do it like this?”

“The alternative would be riding you and while that thought is appealing, my thighs are killing me,” Atem mentioned. “I hope you’ll be kind enough to get straight to the gist of things.”

“I hate to say it, but there’s nothing straight about this.”

Atem raised a brow, “Is this a new discovery for you? My love, there’s nothing straight about either of us.”

“Definitely not news to me.”

At the mention of Atem’s sore body, Yami reminded himself to grab a pillow and tuck it under his ass. Atem sent him a thankful glance as he maneuvered to get into a comfortable position again. When he nodded in approval, Yami lined his erection up with his rance. entrance and began to enter him. 

The tip greeted his stretched hole and he slowly entered him, his cock disappearing inside of him inch by inch. Atem’s breath came out in huffs, his hands scrambling for something to hold. They eventually settled on Yami’s offered ones and he intertwined their fingers, watching in awe as he continued to push into him. 

It was a gradual process as Yami filled Atem completely, bottoming out inside of him. Both of them shared a proud grin at their success and simply the fact that they made it this far. Yami could feel Atem’s tight walls clenching his cock and he knew that he should’ve taken more time prepping. Apparently, impatience was a minor sign of their compatibility. 

Meanwhile, Atem was accepting that Yami was everywhere . There wasn’t a single part of him that he couldn’t feel. Every inch of him was a blessing and Atem felt beyond grateful that it was all his. The “fake” title they had donned before had been thrown out the window in favor of the real, official deal. He was ecstatic and his heart was swelling with adoration for this man. 

“You feel amazing,” Yami giggled, his bangs falling into his eyes and around his face, framing it beautifully. He was a treasure to behold and Atem could’ve sworn he was in heaven. He was practically glowing with happiness and utter joy, very clearly blissed out and high off of lust—not that Atem had any room to talk. He was certain he was in a similar state. Yami bent over and planted his palms on either side of Atem’s head, mumbling, “How do you feel, baby?” 

“Out of this world,” He peeked down at where Yami was buried in him and then up at him. He yanked him down for a kiss by his shoulders, the two of them moving in tandem. Their tongues slid against one another and Atem’s hands fisted the sheets as he tensed around Yami. 

On accident, he bucked his hips and Atem broke the kiss, “ Hah ! Shit, Yami, give me some warning before you do that…” 

“Sorry,” Yami placed an apologetic kiss on his temple and lifted up. “I don’t think I can wait any longer, but… I’m not going to move if you’re not ready.” 

“I’m ready,” Atem whispered. “You can move.” 

Yami nodded and left one final kiss on his lips, then pulled out except for the tip. He sank back into his heat and cherished the feeling before finding a comfortable pace. He thrusted into Atem and fucked him like his life depended on it. Atem’s mouth fell open and he hissed in pleasure, clawing at the sheets desperately. 

He clutched his love handles and slammed Atem onto his dick, causing the man to gasp, rocking and matching his speed, “ Ah ! Oh, Gods, you—you’re fucking wonderful, baby.” 

“Me? Look at you ,” Yami growled, instantly turned on by the tremor that ran through Atem’s body from the roughness of his voice. “I’m surprised that you haven’t been picked for a boudoir or porn shoot. You’re an absolute vision when you’ve got a cock filling you… Have you ever thought about this before? Having my dick inside you?” 

“Many, many times,” Atem declared with a careless smile. He had no shame admitting that and Yami didn’t know why he was so shocked—or why it was so hot. Atem didn’t stop there, “I wasn’t entirely joking about fucking everywhere in this room— heh —if only we had more time…” 

“Fucking you before a shower and getting to ruin you on that sofa afterwards? That could be fun.”

“I’m already going to have a difficult enough time walking tomorrow,” Atem muttered with a shake of his head. “Don’t put that thought in my mind.” 

“You mentioned it.” 

“I know— Yami !” He shouted when Yami pounded harshly into him, catching him off guard. “Again, please—oh, please, do it again…” 

Yami repeated the action, Atem meeting him and matching the tempo that he’d set. He threw his head back and let out a deep, throaty moan, throwing his arms around the man above him. His nails latched onto his back and he drug them across his skin, only encouraging Yami to increase his already merciless rhythm. With each snap of his hips, Yami’s balls smacked against Atem’s ass and he was growing louder, whines and whimpers echoing through the room. 

“Atem… Oh— gah —God, can I move faster? Please, tell me I can,” Yami pleaded. 

“Yes, yes, yes , move faster,” Atem nodded frantically. “ Please move faster!” 

Atem genuinely felt as though he were losing his grasp on reality. His legs worked to push Yami further inside him, rocking back to meet each of his thrusts. He was clutching him to his chest and hiding his face in the crook of his neck. He was muffling moans, cries, and swears in Arabic. He was aware that he was getting closer to his release and with everything flooding his senses, he doubted that it’d take much more. 

Suddenly, the tip of Yami’s cock was hitting his prostate and he was choking on a sob, clinging to him for dear life. He scrambled to find purchase again and ended up with a hand on his ass, guiding him to repeat the action. Atem’s thighs were shaking and trembling as he tried to hold Yami even tighter, his entire body getting more tense. He could hear whimpers beside his ear, Yami struggling to keep his own composure. He was falling apart alongside him and Atem craved the satisfaction of them crashing together. 

“Yami— ngh , Yami, please, I’m getting— fuck —close!” Atem warned through pants and whines. 

“Yeah?” Yami breathed out and Atem melted at the simple response because he sounded out of it, voice husky and face flushed. His previously cocky expression fell and he shakily exhaled, “I think I’m almost there, too…”

“Come on, darling, you’re amazing,” Atem whispered, meeting his gaze and staring into his eyes that were full of lust. His pupils were already dilated and seemed to grow bigger when peering down at him. He shivered and Atem tangled his free hand in his hair, murmuring, “Please, come inside me, my love, fill me up, let me feel you—Gods, yes !”

Atem clenched around him, cum spurting all over his stomach and chest. Yami went tumbling down with him at the pressure on his cock. He sagged against Atem, rutting into him as he blew his load inside the condom. He closed his eyes and basked in the afterglow of his second orgasm of the night, winding his arms around the man. 

“Yes, darling, so incredible,” Atem mumbled and littered kisses across his skin as Yami descended from his high. Yami’s heart was swelling with pride from doing well and the praise. He found the energy to lift his head and connect their lips in a gentle kiss. 

Finally, he pulled out and discarded the condom in the bathroom. He drenched a washcloth and brought it to the bedroom to wipe Atem’s torso off. When he returned the second time, he detoured to the dresser to grab some clean underwear and pajamas. 

He coaxed Atem to remove his shirt and helped him put on underwear, handing him one of his favorite sets of matching pajamas. Atem smiled and thanked him, slipping them on while Yami dressed himself in his mismatched pair. He moved any other discarded articles off of the bed before they both climbed in under the covers. For once, there was no extreme space between them—they were side by side with their bodies practically attached to one another. 

“Gods, I adore you so much,” Atem murmured, petting Yami’s hair as he nuzzled his cheek. “I can’t wait to go home with you.”

The grin on Yami’s face was the brightest thing in the room, practically blinding Atem when he turned his head. He hummed his agreement, clutching the man with what little strength he had left in his body. Honestly, he couldn’t wait to openly (or more openly than before) show his affection for Atem and to be able to do all the things that he refused to before. 

Finally, Yami uttered, “Me too.”

Chapter Text

If you had walked up to Yami years ago and told him that he’d end up dating one of the top models in Japan and had made a notorious name for himself, he would’ve laughed in your face—then asked if you were serious. It had always been his dream to become a well-known fashion designer, but actually accomplishing it was a much greater challenge. Who would’ve guessed that it would’ve started with one simple trip to Egypt?

Cameras flashing and the sounds of shutters going off from the paparazzi was the first thing that bombarded Atem and Yami when they stepped foot into the airport. Thankfully, they were rescued by a group of bodyguards there to escort them. They managed to grab their belongings and hurry out of there before it got any worse. 

“Talk about a warm welcome…” Yami muttered. He reached blindly by his side until he grasped Atem’s hand. He laced their fingers together and breathed a sigh of relief as his anxiety significantly subsided. 

“You may as well get used to it, darling,” Atem chuckled, swinging their entwined hands between them. “This is what I have to experience on a daily basis.”

“It’s terrible. I’m surprised you haven’t lost your mind.”

“Who says I haven’t?” Atem winked at Yami with a grin. “Honestly, you get used to it after a while. You learn how to ignore the paparazzi and some of the ridiculous questions they ask.”

“I guess… I couldn’t ever get used to that shit,” Yami grumbled as he peered over his shoulder at the group trailing behind them, continuing to take photos. “Then again, that’s why I’m not a model and stay within my boundaries as a fashion designer.”

Atem leaned in, his lips brushing Yami’s ear as he whispered, “For the record, I think you’d make an incredible model.”

“Uh-huh. Are those thighs of yours still sore?”

“Unbelievably so,” Atem admitted with a groan, dropping his head to rest on Yami’s shoulder. “I wasn’t aware how rough you could be—almost makes me curious to see what else you’ve been hiding.”

“Relax, baby. We have all the time to explore. For now, don’t sport a boner in public. The media doesn’t need further proof of us having a relationship,” Yami reminded him, shoving the model away as a sleek black limousine pulled up the curbside. He sighed heavily, “That’s not exactly what we need right now.”

Atem kicked at the sidewalk, “Seriously? I would’ve preferred taking a cab or walking over getting a ride from Mr. Pegasus.”

“Just be grateful, okay? I’m tired, I definitely don’t feel like walking, and I refuse to take a cab. Let’s deal with this,” Yami took the lead, ducking inside when the bodyguard opened the backseat door for them. “‘Sides, you were gonna have to talk to him at some point.”

“I didn’t mean right now!” Atem hissed, hurrying after him. 

They slid into the seats and buckled up, equally dismayed to see Pegasus sitting across from them. He was sipping a glass of wine and looked utterly pleased at the sight of them. Yami crossed his arms firmly over his chest in hopes to make him appear more intimidating. There was no way this conversation was going well. Pegasus had his favorite model and the fashion designer that he was jealous of in the same car. How could this ever end on a positive note? 

“Welcome back. Have fun on your trip?” Pegasus asked with a sickly sweet smile that seemed far too innocent for good. 

“We did. Thank you for allowing us to go. It was lovely to be able to see my parents again,” Atem assured. 

“That’s excellent. I’m certain they were happy to be reunited with their son,” Pegasus opened the briefcase beside him and pulled out a stack of papers. He tossed them into Atem’s lap, “You lied to me.”

Atem huffed, “Figures that you would’ve seen this.”

Yami peered down to see that the “papers” in Atem’s lap were none other than printed images of pictures that the paparazzi had taken of them in Egypt. It showed multiple instances of them being physically intimate with each other, wearing bright smiles that portrayed them as an obvious couple. He winced and redirected his gaze to the window. Called it, he thought.

“You’re my top model and it’s my job to keep tabs on you. Did you not consider that I’d discover you going behind my back and dating one of your colleagues?” 

Yami’s blood ran cold and he bunched the fabric of his pants under his palms. Had Atem failed to mention their fake relationship to Pegasus? Did he give him some other story to cover their asses instead? Were their careers already in jeopardy on their first day back? Hell, did they even have those careers anymore? 

“Mr. Pegasus, I informed you that whatever you saw during this trip wasn’t true and was only for the sake of playing a part. Yami and I aren’t dating,” Atem calmly reassured him, soothing Yami’s nerves in the process. “You have nothing to be worried about—“

“Why are you worried about this in the first place?” Yami blurted. He could feel both pairs of eyes on him, but he refused to look at either Pegasus or Atem. He swallowed thickly, then pushed past that beginning bout of anxiety and continued, “You’re not his soulmate. You’re not dating him. Why are you turning this into such a huge deal?”

“…He’s my top model. I have to know when he’s involved with anyone romantically. He has a reputation to uphold and anything that he does will affect me in some manner,” Pegasus explained. “Not that it should matter to you. You’re neither his soulmate nor boyfriend.”

“But, what if I am?” Yami finally turned, making direct eye contact with Pegasus. “What would you do about that? Fire me? It’s not illegal for us to be dating within the same field. I’ve done nothing wrong in my line of work and not once have I disrespected or went against your word. Therefore, you have no reason to target me except for the fact that you want Atem all to yourself.”

“You have no clue what you’re talking about—“

“Except, I do. You’ve been picking on me since day one. You don’t like that I get along with Atem. It upsets you. You can’t accept that you don’t have any chance with him. The two of you being together is not only highly unrealistic, but extremely unprofessional. You’re aware of that and that’s why you take your frustrations out on the both of us,” Yami declared. “You want to be in my shoes where you won’t have to deal with the consequences of your actions if you were to ever date Atem, or face the onslaught of the public berating you for dating your own model.”

“…Are the two of you dating, then?”

Atem and Yami shared a glance, then shook their heads, the former of the two taking the lead on that answer, “We’re not. Yami makes a good point, though. I understand that you have a reputation to uphold, but hovering around me constantly and treating me poorly is not going to make me want to follow those rules. You do act as if we are a couple when we aren’t. I have no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with you, sir. You’ll have to accept that and remain professional with me from now on. I’ve let your behavior towards me, as well as the other models and fashion designers, slide.”

“Oh?” Pegasus looked at him with curiosity and power gleaming in his eyes. “What exactly are you going to do if I don’t? You have no superiority in this case.”

“Believe me, Mr. Pegasus,” Atem assured with a cocky grin of his own. “I have my ways. Unless you’d like to find out, I suggest you listen to me and respect my wishes. Leave. Us. Alone.”

“Under one condition—“

“No,” Atem interrupted with a hiss, raising a finger to silence him. “There are no conditions. Either you stop treating your employees horribly, or I’ll expose you to everyone in the entirety of Japan. Whether you decide to take that risk is up to you.”

Pegasus sighed, folding his hands in his lap, “I must say that this is quite an interesting predicament I’ve found myself in. Never did I think I’d see the day where my own model was threatening me.” His gaze drifted over to Yami and he hummed, “It seems you have a worthy means of protection. I suppose you can only stand up to me for so long before it truly puts your line on the job. You were always a coward.”

Whatever hesitation he had was thrown out the window and he could feel that he was growing angrier by the second. That only fueled Pegasus’s arrogant attitude and the man cackled, applauding slowly at the furrowing of Yami’s brows. 

“What’s the matter? Do you have something to say, dearest Yami-Boy? Does the stupid, pathetic designer finally want to speak?” Pegasus gestured to him with encouragement. “Go on, then. I’m waiting.”

Yami opened his mouth, prepared to curse at Pegasus and take out all of the rage that built up over the course of his time working for the man. Atem grabbed his jaw and forced him to close it, huffing, “Don’t. He’s baiting you. Besides, it’s not worth wasting your breath on.”

“Now, now, Atem,” Pegasus tutted, pouting and staring at the model with pleading eyes. “No need to be so hostile with me. You shouldn’t be protective over him—especially since you’re not dating. Are you sure there’s nothing you’d like to mention?”

Through gritted teeth, Atem insisted, “Absolutely positive.”

“Very well,” Pegasus snapped his fingers and the limousine slowed down, coming to a halt. “We’ll be having a long discussion about this in a moment.”

“In a moment—?”

“For now,” Pegasus peered at Yami, then motioned to the door. “Here you are.”

Surely enough, when Yami looked outside, they were right in front of his apartment. He had no idea how Pegasus knew exactly when and where to stop, but he decided that he shouldn’t question it. A bodyguard opened the door for him while another retrieved his luggage, setting it on the sidewalk. He reluctantly gazed at Atem behind him. 

“I’ll be fine,” Atem promised. “Have a good night, Yami.”

“You too…”

Pegasus cleared his throat and added, “I’ll be seeing you in a week. Enjoy this time to get settled and work on the designs for the W.F.D.C..”

“Yes, sir.”

With that, he slid out and the bodyguard slammed the limo door. He stood next to his luggage and watched as the vehicle drove away. He lingered until it was impossible to see anymore. Then, he grabbed his suitcase and retreated into the comfort of his apartment building. 

For some reason, Yami couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in the bottom of his gut. 

Visiting the quaint coffee shop down the street from Yami’s apartment without Atem was strange. He’d only ever been there on fake dates with the model and now, he was sitting here with Yugi instead. The two of them had ordered coffee and sat at a table in the corner of the room. Yami was in the process of catching Yugi up on everything that happened in the duration of their trip. He was hunched over his sketchbook and working on one of his final designs for the W.F.D.C., knowing that it was time to buckle down. Although, Yugi was awful at letting him focus. 

“I’m surprised that you two finally made things official.” 

“Is it really that much of a shock?” 

“Uh, yeah? This is you we’re talking about. I thought that you two would keep beating around the bush until one of you received a job opportunity that would separate you guys.” 

Yami sighed in defeat, setting his pencil down. He lifted his head and propped his chin up on his palm, staring at Yugi with boredom, as well as disappointment. Did his cousin have that little belief in him? That answer was obvious, considering how many times he’d asked about them to confirm that he and Atem were a real thing. 

“If all goes well and I receive a new offer from the W.F.D.C., then we’re both going to work together. We’ve agreed that wherever I go, Atem’s going with me,” Yami informed him as he reached blindly for his drink. 

“Damn,” Yugi’s eyebrows jumped up, threatening to become one with his hairline. “You guys are serious about this, aren’t you?”

“That part wasn’t so much for the sake of our relationship. Neither of us like working for Mr. Pegasus and it’ll be beneficial if we came as a package duo—” 

“‘Came’,” Yugi interrupted with a giggle. “I think you two already have.” 

“You’re disgusting,” Yami grumbled and sipped his drink, ignoring the way his cheeks burned, only fueling Yugi’s laughter. He quickly swallowed and pointed at his cousin with a glare, “There’s no way in hell I’m giving you the details about our sex life, so don’t even ask.” 

Yugi’s nose scrunched in disgust, “I wasn’t going to. Knowing my soulmate’s even though I don’t date him is… I guess that’s not as bad, but my cousin’s? Yeah, no, you can keep that information to yourself. I already know and have seen plenty in the past, so please spare me this time.” 

“Gladly,” Yami assured. “As I was saying, he and I have decided that we’re going to do things together. We’ve argued many times, but I have to admit that we’re a good team.” 

“It sucks that Mr. Pegasus is a creep. Maybe if he were a better boss, he would’ve been able to keep the two of you,” Yugi pointed out with a frown. “I’m not too happy about the idea of you moving away.” 

“Neither am I,” Yami sighed and nibbled his straw as his mind drifted to their arrival a few days ago. “But, speaking of Mr. Pegasus… We spoke to him the day we came back.” 

“And? What’d he say?” Yugi eagerly asked, practically crawling over the table to hear the juicy drama. 

Yami reached out and shoved at his shoulder, forcing him back into his seat, “Settle down, there. It’s nothing too crazy.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Fine. It was a little unnerving. He was very confrontational and defensive at the same time. Atem had told him in advance that he was likely going to be seeing some questionable things in the media about the two of us, yet he continued to try and call Atem out on it. Not only that, but he began insulting me when I tried to call him out for wanting to date Atem and being jealous of me for it. Then, he claimed that I was hiding behind Atem and using him as a shield to avoid getting fired—which, I suppose he’s technically right,” Yami explained, sighing heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I guess there’s nothing else you can really do if you want to keep your job until the W.F.D.C.,” Yugi pointed out, frowning. “Obviously you stood up to him, but did Atem say anything at all?” 

“He did. We both shared our input with him. Although, Atem was playing the overprotective boyfriend card and now, I’m certain that Mr. Pegasus knows we’re dating even though we said we weren’t,” Yami mumbled and shrugged. “Apparently, Atem has blackmail on him, or something. He kept threatening him that he’d expose him.” 

“You didn’t ask him about it?” 

“...I’ve avoided bringing up that talk. Neither of us want to spend our precious free time talking about that creep,” Yami scoffed. “I have to admit that I’m curious, though. I should probably ask him about that at some point, shouldn’t I?”

“Yeah. Depending on what kind of blackmail he has, this could involve the police getting involved,” Yugi mentioned with a wince. “I don’t want anything happening to you guys because of this dumbass who can’t keep his dick in his pants.” 

“Are you suggesting—” 

“No, that’s not what I’m suggesting,” Yugi frantically shook his head and visibly grimaced. “I have no idea if Mr. Pegasus has attempted to put his hands on Atem or try coming onto him in private, but that’s—I mean—look, I was just trying to jokingly say that he’s got a thing for Atem, but… Talking about it would be for the best in case there’s a chance that did happen.” 

Apprehensive about that idea, Yami whispered, “I’m not sure it’d be wise for me to know that information. Don’t get me wrong—I’d love for Atem to be comfortable to share something like that with me, but I doubt I could control myself. I would happily risk my job to beat Mr. Pegasus’s face in.” 

Yugi rolled his eyes, “Okay, all of this is hypothetical, but you need to take a step back and think about this from the standpoint of a friend—not a boyfriend. Support Atem and help him take that to the authorities instead of making the whole thing worse. Essentially: Learn to control your temper.” 

Yami swallowed thickly. He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. He hated the thought of Atem suffering with the secret of Pegasus touching him in private and having to deal with it on his own. He wasn’t sure if that was even true or the right assumption to be making, but he wouldn’t put it past Pegasus. 

Distracting himself, he peered down at his sketchbook. He spun it around, sliding it over to Yugi and inquiring, “What do you think of this?” 

“I’m not sure that I’m the right person you should be asking about this stuff,” Yugi laughed. “I’m pretty biased since we have similar tastes in fashion.” 

“It’s supposed to be for a select audience. Would you wear this or like seeing me in this outfit?” 

Yugi stared at him with surprise, “You? No offense, but you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something like this nowadays. Maybe a few years ago during your clubbing days, but not walking through the streets on an ordinary day.” 

“Just answer the damn question, you prick.” 

“Jeez! Yeah, I think it looks cool. I’d love to wear this and I would be super jealous if you wore this to the club, or something,” Yugi returned the sketchbook and narrowed his eyes at the man. “Does that make you happy?” 

“Yes. Thank you,” Yami hummed and closed the sketchbook, tucking it into his bag. He’d have to do the rest of the touchups later when Yugi wouldn’t keep disrupting him every five seconds. Besides, he supposed that he could be a good cousin and engage more in the conversation with him—not that he knew what to say. He had already told him what he needed to know.

Getting work done in the comfort of his own apartment was just as much of a challenge, though. Yami had spent most of that time in the company of Atem. They wasted those days away with cuddles and intense makeout sessions that led to them stumbling towards the bedroom. It was magical to have continuous realizations that they were dating and it was real. They weren’t pretending anymore. There was nobody to impress or prove themselves to. They could happily do as they pleased when they were alone now. No more fear or anxiety about what they should and shouldn’t do together.

“Don’t you find that a bit strange?”

Yugi’s voice startled Yami out of his trance and he raised a brow at him, “What? The outfit?” 

“No! No, not—not that,” Yugi reassured, dismissing the topic with a wave of his hand. “I meant the thing with Mr. Pegasus. From what I’ve heard, he doesn’t sound like the type to let you guys off the hook so easily. Do you really think that Atem’s blackmail is scaring him?” 

“I’m not sure—again, that’s something that I need to bring up with Atem,” Yami slumped in his seat and exhaled sharply through his nostrils. “The issue is that Atem gets finicky whenever he and I talk about Mr. Pegasus. He tends to dodge questions and he’d rather run away than continue having a conversation about him. I can guarantee you that his fight or flight instincts were kicking in during that car ride.” 

“Isn’t that further proof that Mr. Pegasus might’ve done something to him? Maybe not in a sexual regard, but in a violent one? Verbally abusive?” 

“He’s already confirmed that much. He was comfortable enough to share that Mr. Pegasus isn’t the best boss and treats him the same way as he does the rest of us—...” Yami trailed off as he pieced everything together from their discussion on the beach. 

Right, he thought, he wasn’t worried about hiding some secret about Mr. Pegasus. He was worried about revealing his crush on me. That’s why he was scared to keep talking with me.

“Yami?” 

“Disregard that. I don’t think Mr. Pegasus has done anything too invasive to him,” Yami insisted. 

“I still think you should keep your guard up. You have no idea what he could be up to.” 

“I’m aware. He’s a liar and he’ll do whatever it takes to get what he wants—including humiliating everyone in his path.” 

“Exactly my point. You should be wary of anything he does and keep an eye on his behavior leading up to the W.F.D.C.,” Yugi warned him, reaching across the table to place a comforting hand on top of Yami’s. “I don’t want him to be what gets in between you and Atem.” 

“We’d never let that happen—trust me,” Yami grinned. “Atem and I have a mutual disdain for the man that we refuse to let stop us from dating now. Why would we let him in the future?”

“I’m just saying… I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a couple tricks up his sleeve. Maybe he’ll call Atem’s parents and get them down here to expose that you two aren’t actual soulmates. An eye for an eye, y’know?” 

The thought alone made Yami’s blood cold. What if Atem’s parents showed up when neither of them were expecting it? What if they saw that Yami didn’t have Atem’s soulmate mark on his skin? What if Pegasus told them everything about how they had worked together for months without dating? What if he outright told them that they were never soulmates to begin with? What if everything blew up in their faces right when they had finally made it work? 

…Okay, he was humoring Yugi’s suggestion a little too much. The chances of that happening were unlikely and he prayed that Pegasus wouldn’t go to those lengths. How presumptuous and unprofessional would that be? Sure, it would humble Atem and Yami, but Pegasus would wind up with an even worse reputation than the one that already preceded him—and that wasn’t including the blackmail that Atem had.

Yami’s eyes narrowed and he jokingly asked, “Is this foreshadowing?” 

“God, I doubt it. If I’m that spot on, though, you owe me at least twenty bucks.” 

“If you’re that accurate, then I’m kicking your ass,” Yami threatened, pulling his vibrating phone out of his pocket. He groaned and stood up, “I have to get going. I promised Atem that I would bring him food and he’s getting impatient.” 

Yugi beamed and laid a flattered hand on his chest, “Yeah, he’s totally my soulmate. He knows there’s nothing more entertaining than annoying you.” 

“For the record, he’s sick. Traveling, changes in weather, and the stress of dealing with his parents caused him to not feel well recently,” Yami clarified as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “Otherwise, I’d tell him to get his own damn food.” 

“Already getting him pregnant? Tell him that morning sickness is a sign that he’s probably having a girl!” Yugi teased and snickered when Yami looked at him like he had three heads. Count on his cousin to have the most perverted mind and worst sense of humor.

“You’re fucking insane and I’m leaving before I lose anymore brain cells from your dumbass,” Yami spat ruthlessly, knowing that the slander wouldn’t bruise Yugi’s pride one bit.

“Yeah, yeah, get out of here. Keep me updated about everything, okay? Oh, and tell Atem that I genuinely hope he feels better soon!” 

“I will. Have a good day, Yugi.” 

With that, Yami scooped up his drink and left teh cafe. As he walked down the street, he anxiously chewed his straw. Yugi was right—Pegasus was more than likely to be up to something. He had no idea what that “something” entailed, but he’d wrack his brain for hours about it. Grappling that on top of buckling down to finish in time for the W.F.D.C. and managing his relationship with Atem was going to take an extreme toll on him. Nonetheless, he’d persevere because it’d be worth it when everything was said and done. 

Yami’s heart skipped a beat when he checked his phone again to see another message spamming him with heart emojis. He chuckled and sent a text back that might’ve playfully hinted at helping him sweat his fever away. If Atem sent a very encouraging one in return that made Yami bite his bottom lip and turn a violent shade of red, you didn’t see it.

Yami should’ve taken Yugi’s warnings and that uneasy feeling about Pegasus into consideration more. All he had been worried about was the W.F.D.C. and preparing his boyfriend to model his outfits for him—while mentally preparing himself in the process. He had no idea what drama he was about to get caught up in. 

Months passed by quicker than Yami thought they would. With everything that he had piled onto his plate, he found himself distracted by the W.F.D.C. and finalizing his outfits. He’d spent days cooped up in his apartment, hunched over a sewing machine in the dressing room at work, and paid many visits to the fabric store. Most important of all: He had failed to talk to Atem about the whole ordeal with Pegasus. Although, it felt way too soon to bring it up now. 

Tonight was the night before the fashion show. Yami couldn’t believe that it was already here. It felt surreal that tomorrow, he’d be getting to see his designs carried across the runway by none other than his own boyfriend. He was giddy with excitement that overpowered the undermining anxiety deep within him. He wanted to keep a positive headspace about this. 

Atem was standing in the middle of his living room while Yami worked around him, making sure that this outfit was ready to go. He cursed under his breath, gritted teeth gripping a pin needle. He plucked it out and stuck it haphazardly in the cushion on his arm, causing Atem to flinch. He picked up a safety pin that was on the coffee table and used that to fix a snapped thread on the leather skirt the model was wearing. He stepped back to admire it, then grinned and grabbed a handful of more safety pins.

“What in the world are you doing?” Atem asked, watching with confusion as Yami created a fold in the skirt and added the safety pins, creating a line of them up the side of it. 

“Last minute alterations,” Yami casually replied, shoving some of the safety pins into Atem’s palm. “Hold these for me…” 

Atem rolled his eyes and obliged, passing a safety pin off to Yami whenever he needed it. Neither of them drew attention to the lingering brush of their hands, the occasional run of Atem’s hands across Yami’s hair, and the subtly light kisses that Yami would press to Atem’s skin when he wasn’t paying attention. 

Backpedaling to study his work, Yami beamed, spinning his index finger and signaling for Atem to turn until he faced the mirror propped up behind him. He gestured to it with a raised brow, “What do you think? Looks better, doesn’t it?” 

Atem swayed from side to side, the skirt moving with him. After a moment, his lips curled up, eyes creasing with approval. That was enough to make Yami’s stomach do somersaults, but the praise that followed afterwards only added to that gushy feeling, “It looks incredible, as always. I feel so honored to be working with such a talented designer.” 

“Y’know, a few months ago, I would’ve thought that was sarcasm,” Yami pointed, meeting Atem’s gaze in the mirror. “Funny how things change, hmm?” 

“It never changed on my end—only yours. My compliments were always genuine, but you were the one interpreting it as sarcasm and sass,” Atem mentioned matter-of-factly. He paused, then continued, “Not to say that it wasn’t sometimes, but majority of the time? I was being serious.” 

Yami sighed and patted Atem’s hip, “Let’s just say that you’re a very difficult person to read.” 

“Better to have a good poker face than none at all,” Atem shrugged with a playful smirk, facing Yami and posing dramatically. “Is that all there is? Any other finishing touches?” 

Yami gave him another once over, debating it briefly. Leather skirt, leather shirt with a multitude of straps, and knee-high latex boots, all in black. To accompany it, Atem’s skin was littered in a plethora of silver jewelry, ranging from layered necklaces to a bunch of bracelets and cuffs. It was a bold outfit and that was exactly what Yami had been aiming for. 

“Honestly? I think that’s everything,” Yami confirmed, impressed by his own capabilities. His dreams were coming true right in front of him and it felt less real with Atem beside him to witness it as well. He was accomplishing things that his younger self wouldn’t believe without proof. He grasped Atem’s wrist and raised it to his lips, pressing a feather light kiss to the inside of it. Atem’s breath hitched and Yami whispered, “You have no idea how gorgeous you look.” 

Atem beamed and draped his arms over Yami’s shoulders, murmuring, “Only thanks to your beautiful brain.” 

Yami’s face burned and he gently shoved at Atem, “Go get changed. Don’t forget to put everything in your duffel bag, alright? We can’t risk forgetting a single accessory.” 

“Yes, I’m well aware,” Atem ruffled his hair and then disappeared down the hallway to the bedroom. 

Yami glanced at the cluttered coffee table and he knew that he should probably take this time to clean up, but he genuinely didn’t feel like it. He’d rather get ready to curl up with Atem and relax. So, he tidied up the couch, throwing everything haphazardly on the table to be dealt with tomorrow—or the next day. Who knew when? He gathered some blankets and laid them out on the couch, flicking the light switch off in the process. He scooped the remote and scrolled through the TV channels until he found some random movie to put on. 

Without the giant light turned on, the living room was dim, the only source of illuminating light coming from the dingy lamp sitting on the side table. Atem came and joined him a few minutes later, now dressed in comfortable pajamas, and he collapsed on top of his boyfriend. Yami graciously accepted the new weight and wrapped him up in blankets, the two of them snuggling with each other as if they were going to be ripped apart at any second. The TV flickered, different shades of color flashing across their bodies and faces. Both knew that neither would pay attention to what it was, preferring to get carried away with discussions about irrelevant things that didn’t pertain to the movie at all. 

Further proving their point, Atem peered up at Yami, propping his chin up on his chest. He didn’t say anything until Yami turned to meet his gaze, smoothing a hand over his hair. There was wonder in his eyes, curious as to what his boyfriend was going to say to him.

“May I ask you a question?” Atem started cautiously, searching around until he found Yami’s free hand. He laced their fingers together, covering the back of them with his other palm. He clutched it tightly and Yami could sense the distress radiating from him.

“Go for it.” 

“Would you mind telling me the story of how you met your soulmate? You can say no, but…” Atem said softly, staring at Yami with gentle eyes. “I’m curious.” 

“Like I said before, it’s not a pleasant story. That was from a time when I was more reckless and an idiot. I didn’t know what I was doing and—” He clamped his mouth shut, quickly realizing he was rambling and justifying himself. He exhaled sharply and sank back into the cushions, nodding slowly, “If you can disregard my actions from back when, then I don’t mind telling you.” 

“I don’t mind. We were all stupid teenagers—or rather, reckless young adults, at some point. Your actions from many years ago don't define who you are now. As long as you’ve changed and don’t wish to continue doing what you did then, it’s pointless to continue feeling guilty about it. We’re going to make mistakes and we’ll learn from them,” Atem extended his palm to cup Yami’s cheek, playfully eyeing him. “Have you learned from it?” 

“Without a doubt,” Yami blurted with zero hesitation. “I’ve learned my lesson and I never want to do any of that shit again.” 

“That’s my point exactly,” Atem laughed and eased back to straddle Yami’s waist. “Come on. Hit me with it. I’ll even tell you a story of my own when you’re done.” 

“You don’t have to do that.” 

Atem shrugged, “I’d like to. Now, go on. Let’s hear it.” 

“Well… I was pretty bad for getting drunk and sleeping around with random people. One of those instances happened to be with my soulmate. I didn’t figure it out until both of us were naked. When I pointed it out, he didn’t give a fuck,” Yami explained, his hands tightening on Atem’s hips as he remembered the incident. He swallowed thickly and forced himself to continue, “He just wanted to have sex behind his boyfriend’s back while he was away for college. Honestly, I should’ve walked out of there. I wish I went back to the bar and told Yugi to take me home. But, I didn’t. I still slept with him.” 

“Why did you?” 

“A distraction. My whole reason for going into that room was to get laid and I wasn’t going to let it go to waste—even if it was with my soulmate,” Yami sighed. “That’s basically the whole story. Yugi eventually found me and brought me home. Of course, he was scolding me for running off and not letting him know where I was going. Had my phone on Do Not Disturb and everything. He was beyond pissed.” 

Atem chuckled, “I can imagine he was. I would be too if my friend disappeared without a word… How’d he find you, then?” 

“I forgot I had my location shared with him. I guess I should be grateful, though. If it weren’t for him, though, I would’ve likely rotted away in that room,” Yami admitted with a frown. Whenever he thought about that night, he debated all the million different ways it could’ve gone—specifically what he would’ve done if he were in that position now. Would he still go through with it?

…Considering how far he’d gone with Atem, he wasn’t sure that he was any better of a man.

“What about you? Let me hear this story of yours.” 

“Oh, Gods,” Atem giggled nervously as embarrassed blood rushed to his cheeks. “It’s silly compared to yours.” 

“So? I’m in need of a good laugh,” Yami held his hands out to Atem, giving him a reassuring smile, whispering, “Come on.” 

Atem accepted one of his offered hands, tracing the lines of his palm with the tip of his finger. After a moment, he mumbled, “Our trip wasn’t the first time that I pretended to be someone’s soulmate. I did it years ago when I was in school. It was ridiculous and I don’t know why I thought it was a good idea.” 

“Why? Were your parents that strict back then, too?” Yami jokingly asked.

“No—actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the reason that I wound up doing it. Parents can influence many of your thoughts over the years,” Atem mentioned. He shook his head and carried on, “It was my own decision. I used to have a crush on this one guy. I was obsessed with him and was willing to do anything to get his attention. His soulmate mark was on the back of his neck. Fittingly enough, I sat right behind him during class. I memorized the hell out of that thing.” 

“I think I can see where this is going—” 

“Shh!” Atem covered his mouth and glared at him. “You told me to tell the story, so let me finish it.” 

Muffled, Yami responded with, “Okay, then.”

Atem retracted his hand and went back to messing with Yami’s fingers while he spoke, “Yes, I did replicate it on the back of my neck. I asked my friend to draw it for me and since she was my best friend, she was more than happy to satisfy my delusional ideas. I showed it to him one day and explained how I was nervous about dating him—he was one of the popular kids in school. We ended up dating… For a very long time.” 

“How long?” 

“Don’t ask me that—” 

“Nuh-uh, don’t get all secretive now. How long?” 

Atem’s voice was barely audible, but Yami still caught the “two years” that slipped past his lips. His jaw dropped and he stared at the man in utter disbelief.

“Two years?! You lied to him for two whole years?!” 

“It’s awful, I know!” Atem groaned and hid his face behind his hands. “We went swimming and I pulled my hair up, but I hadn’t drawn the mark. I kept it hidden for the most part to avoid having to redraw it every single time. He saw it and confronted me about it. It’s safe to say that I lost any reputation that I had there after that.” 

“Damn… I can’t believe you did that. I’m surprised he didn’t find out earlier.” 

“Me too. It wasn’t my intention to let it go on for so long, but I genuinely cared and liked him. I should’ve just asked him out regularly instead of going to those lengths… But, when your parents raise you to believe that the only person you should date is your soulmate, you start getting desperate,” Atem flopped onto Yami’s chest, causing the man to grunt under him. “Sorry… There it is, though. That’s my dumb story.” 

“I think that might be worse than mine.” 

Atem lightly smacked his shoulder, “Shut up.” 

“Make me.” 

Atem abruptly lifted his head, raising an eyebrow at Yami, “Those are some famous last words right there. It never goes well after someone says that.” 

“Is that so? What’re you going to do to me, then?” 

“Some very…” Atem’s fingers teased the hem of his sweatpants, dilated pupils glinting with mischief. “...Naughty things.” 

“Care to elaborate, baby?” 

“I’d love to.” 

Yami captured his lips and relished in the amorous kiss as he was, once again, swept up in a lustful world that Atem guided him through. Honestly, who needed a selected soulmate when he could choose his own that would give him any and everything he desired? 

It wasn’t news to anybody that Yami was bad for oversleeping. He had an awful sleep schedule that included an unhealthy amount of all nighters and him finding old coffee receipts tucked into the pockets of his jackets or pants. He ended up setting multiple alarms to attempt to wake him up on time for work. For the most part, it had been working. His slumber was interrupted and he found that he couldn’t fall back asleep. 

So, why was it that on the one day that he couldn’t risk being late, he had slept right through all three of his alarms? 

The thing that had managed to make him stir was the sound of construction going on outside. He groaned and begrudgingly rose from the bed, wrapping his blanket tightly around him as he trudged over to the window. He brushed the curtains aside and glared at the workers in the alleyway beside him. Noisy assholes, he bitterly thought. 

He turned back around and his gaze landed on the empty bed. He glanced at the nightstand and quickly scooped up the sticky note left behind. Atem’s poor penmanship was barely legible, but Yami somehow translated it: Have some errands to run before the show. I’ll see you then! 

Yami’s heart dropped to the bottom of his stomach as he remembered that today was none other than the W.F.D.C.. He checked his watch and cursed loudly when he realized that if he didn’t leave now, he was going to be late. He hurried over to his closet and threw a semi-formal outfit on. He tucked his phone in his back pocket and rushed to the bathroom. He tried to make himself look as presentable as possible, taming his crazed hair and doing some simple makeup. 

“Okay, okay…” He muttered under his breath as he shoved his makeup in a random drawer, leaving the bathroom in favor of getting the hell out of there. He snatched his bag up from where it had been sitting on the floor. 

Most of his sewing equipment was still strewn across the coffee table, forgotten in the heat of the moment when Atem and Yami got carried away the previous night. He didn’t let his mind linger on the memory for too long and instead, he plucked his keys out of the mess. He exited his apartment and locked the door behind him. 

Once he made it outside, he adjusted his messenger bag before breaking out into a sprint. Thankfully, the streets weren’t packed and he could easily weave between the groups of people ambling along. He had debated taking a cab for the sake of saving time, but unfortunately, there was more road traffic than foot. He’d have better odds of getting there at this rate than by vehicle. 

Yami had been looking forward to today for the past few months and it never seemed like it would come around. It was here, though, and he didn’t feel like he was ready. Even with as much preparation as he had, the underlying anxiety and nerves continued to nip at him. So much had changed since the original announcement about the competition. His life had morphed into one that had greater meaning and purpose than before. 

During that time, Yami only cared about creating fashion designs and did so with false hope; dreaming of improving his career, but knowing that was the equivalent to asking the bank for a million dollars. He was constantly being pestered and called out by Pegasus, along with butting heads with Atem. Everybody was a pain in his ass and he wished that he’d be left alone. He wanted nothing to do with any of them—rarely even his own cousin. 

Now, he kept the same aspiration. He was going to get taken in by a new company, whether it was through the W.F.D.C. or as a consequence of Pegasus firing him. The man had backed off, straightening up his act around him and his other colleagues—which Yami had tried his best to get to know most of them. There was no guarantee that he’d see them again and he wanted to have at least one conversation with each of them. He found more time to hang out with Yugi, even if it was just inviting him over while he worked on clothing. The cherry on top of all that was the fact that he was dating the model that he supposedly hated. 

Against his wishes, Atem wormed his way into his life and had him wrapped around his finger. Yami despised his inability to deny him anything, longing to give him whatever he desired. If anyone else knew about their relationship, they would’ve teased him for treating Atem the same way that Pegasus “supposedly” did—like a princess. Yami didn’t care, though. He deserved it and Yami would happily keep spoiling him (it was a shame that he definitely owed it to Rebecca for already figuring it out before he did). 

Right when he was nearing the verge of passing out, the building finally came into view. He slowed down and tried to catch his breath as his lungs begged for oxygen. He ran a hand through his messy bangs that had been tousled from the wind. Hopefully, he’d have enough time to make himself look decent before the show started… Speaking of, he figured that there’d be more people bustling outside. No paparazzi or anything? Maybe inside the lobby?

Yami grasped the door handle and yanked one of the double doors open, stepping inside. Shockingly enough, he was met with a desolate lobby. The receptionist was nowhere to be seen behind the desk with a small sign sitting on the countertop claiming that she’d return in five minutes. The seats were empty except for one—and that was the one that Atem was sitting in. Fear caused his heart rate to spike and he checked his watch. He was only thirty minutes late! Yet, Atem was there, looking royally pissed off. His arms were crossed and he was frowning, eyes narrowed and blazing with anger. 

“Atem, what’s—” Yami stopped himself when the man’s gaze darted over to him. Asking what was going on might be a stupid question. Apologizing first would be the better route here. He corrected his mistake, saying as genuinely as possible, “I’m so sorry, I—” 

“Quiet,” Atem abruptly rose from his seat and held up a hand to silence Yami. The tension bled out of him and he slumped, shaking his head, “There’s no need to apologize.” 

“I overslept and that’s every reason for me to be sorry. This is important to both of us and here I am, almost fucking everything up,” Yami whispered, extending his hands out to Atem. The model accepted them, intertwining their fingers with a soft sigh, the action soothing him. 

“That’s not what I’m talking about. This isn’t about you oversleeping—in fact, you didn’t do anything wrong,” Atem reiterated and squeezed Yami’s hands, chewing his bottom lip anxiously. Yami tilted his head as he tried to read his expression for any sign or hints to answer his prying question: What was going on? 

Yami’s voice was barely audible and laced with utmost concern as he asked, “Baby, what happened?” 

“You’re not going to like this answer.”

Jittery nerves had Yami shifting his weight from one foot to the other, toying with the peeling faux leather on his messenger bag. If Atem was upset, he wanted him to voice his thoughts and tell him what was on his mind. At the same time, though, they needed to start getting ready for the W.F.D.C.. 

“Can we talk about this in the dressing room?” Yami began walking backwards, coaxing Atem along with him and jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the elevator. “We have an hour and a half before the show starts, and—“

“Yami, no, you have to listen—“

“And I will! I promise, I will listen with every ounce of my soul. We can even go into your private dressing room if you’d prefer that, but we have to—“

“There is no show!”

Atem’s outburst caught Yami by surprise. He froze, his feet suddenly glued to the carpeted floor beneath him.

“I’m—I’m sorry?”

“...He started the fashion show early—without us.” 

The statement shook Yami to his core. What…? Had—had he heard that correctly? No. No, that wasn’t possible. Pegasus wouldn’t start the fashion show without his top model. Was this his way of getting revenge and making a fool out of the both of them? Had he been so petty to stoop to this level and start the show early to spitefully kick both of them out of the competition? 

“Are you fucking serious?!” Yami spat as his blood boiled, gripping Atem’s hands with such anger and rage that it made the model wince. He retracted them and whirled around to face the elevator, scoffing in utter disbelief, “I can’t believe him!” 

“Can’t you, though? When you truly think about it, it’s not completely out of character for him,” Atem pointed out, brows knitted together with worry as he watched his boyfriend pace the lobby, combat boots dragging across the carpet. He shrugged, “There’s not much we can do about it now. The show is already finished. He started it three hours early without informing either of us. I didn’t get here until the last fifteen minutes and security wouldn’t let me go inside. The last thing I knew to do was wait until you showed up—or hope that Mr. Pegasus came out here at some point.” 

Yami was going to kill that man. Countless times, he pulled shit that never failed to make Yami’s life even more miserable or throw in unnecessary obstacles. From targeting him and embarrassing him, to sabotaging his one opportunity to get a job working for another company. That tipped the scale of their deal, meaning that Pegasus could graciously fire him and he couldn’t do anything about it. They had agreed to this. 

A metaphorical lightbulb illuminated in his head and he looked over his shoulder at Atem, who stared expectantly as he mulled everything over. Then, he snapped his fingers, “You said that if he were to do anything, you could expose him, right?” 

Atem swallowed thickly and hesitantly nodded, “Yes, that’s—that’s true, I can—” 

“How?” 

Atem glanced at the elevator, then cleared the distance between him and Yami. Hushed, he explained, “A few years ago, when I first began working for Mr. Pegasus, he had another person in place as his top model. Unfortunately, he dealt with the mistreatment that you and I are facing. At some point, he became fed up and quit. He moved to the outskirts of Japan to start his own fashion company. I’ve kept in contact with him and he’s given me warnings about what to do or how to stay on Mr. Pegasus’s good side when I was made his top model instead.

“We’re going to be in the headlines soon. They always expect to see me at Mr. Pegasus’s shows and considering that I wasn’t there means that the media is going to blow it up,” Atem continued. “He’ll see it and I’m sure that if I tell him what’s going on, then he’ll be able to help us.” 

“I find that highly improbable, Atem.” 

The couple tensed at the sudden, yet familiar declaration. They peered over at the elevator to see Pegasus applauding slowly, smirking with pride as he approached them. He came to a halt a few away, chuckling and folding his hands in front of him. Yami fought the urge to give him a piece of mind, yearning to tackle him and beat him to a pulp. He could guess that Atem was thinking something along those lines as well, but it’d do neither of them any good to resort to violence… Even if it was tempting. 

Pegasus’s laughter faded, “Oh, Atem… Do you truly think that the Seto Kaiba would assist you with this? I see no reason for him to give someone such as yourself the time of the day. You’ve been fooling around with a pathetic designer who is essentially a nobody—and you know that he doesn’t like nobodies—while going behind my back about it in the process.” 

“He’ll help me. You don’t know anything about him,” Atem insisted. 

“You disappointed so many people today by failing to be present for the show. I received multiple sad comments about how they wished to see you walking down the runway—”

“Only because you went behind our backs and changed the time without letting anybody know in advance,” Yami hissed, interrupting him before he could get any further with that pitiful excuse of mockery. “You began the show earlier on purpose. You saw a chance to get rid of us and that was how you chose to do it. You are the real reason why everyone’s disappointed.” 

“As I recall, Rebecca and Mahad did their best to try and contact you to let you know what was going on. That blame does fall back on you for having a poor sleep schedule and failing to be woken up by their many calls and messages,” Pegasus mentioned.

Had they? Yami dipped his hand into his jacket pocket, fishing out his cell phone. Surely enough, upon unlocking the device, he saw notifications of missed calls and unread text messages from the two of them, asking where he was. He grit his teeth and shoved it back out of view. Pegasus was only partially right about that. He did have a hard time waking up when his phone was blaring loudly right beside his ear. But, he wasn’t going to blame himself for this, or either of them. 

“Even if that were the case, I would’ve been on time had the show started at its regular time. Beginning it earlier just to avoid us showing up was an immature move. It makes one wonder why you still have this job. It’s obvious that you can’t keep anybody around—not even your top models.” 

Pegasus rolled his eyes, “Seto was different. He wasn’t going around kissing and hooking up with every guy or fashion designer he crossed paths with. He wanted to be independent. I doubt that he’s going to want to help you—you can’t be flexible or enough to take responsibility for failing to appear for the show, even when there’s a last minute change. Why should he waste his precious time listening to you tell lies when it wouldn’t even benefit him?” 

“What about you? What are you getting out of doing this? You do realize that you’re hurting yourself by doing this, yes? Whether you agree or not, things aren’t going to end well for you. That may be tomorrow or in the following year, but you’ll get punished for this at some point,” Atem seethed, pointing accusingly at him. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Pegasus purred and winked at him, the model bristling in reaction to the flirtatious gesture. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go start looking into your replacements. Please, do not show up on Monday. I’ll graciously let my security take care of that situation and you’ve seen how they’ve dealt with rowdy hooligans before.” 

Yami stiffened at the threat. He knew all too well. Anybody who caused a ruckus wound up getting hoisted off of their feet and held like a ragdoll, flailing helplessly in front of crowds. Then, they’d be carried or dragged out of the building and thrown haphazardly out onto the street. There were no regards to their safety or mental health. Nobody cared if you weren’t rich or a celebrity of some variant—and Atem was going to be made an exception to that rule very quickly. 

Atem and Yami were quick to step out of the way when Pegasus briskly passed them, heading outside where a chauffeur was waiting for him. He slid into the backseat and waved his fingers at the two of them, knowing he could be seen through the one-way glass. Then, his bodyguard slammed the door, removing him from sight and allowing the couple to relax. 

“I suppose I should call Kaiba,” Atem said, breaking the tense silence that lingered in the air. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I hate believing Mr. Pegasus, but do you think that this Kaiba guy is going to ignore you?” 

“I’m not sure, but it’s worth trying. I’m not going to let Pegasus get into my head and try to convince me otherwise,” Atem persisted, determination dripping from his words. He had given up on the formalities and Yami realized that he didn’t have to, either. Pegasus wasn’t his boss anymore. Respect had been thrown out the window the moment that he decided to begin the fashion show without them. 

Yami nodded, “Alright, then. We should probably leave, though. I’d hate for security to come out here and see us.”

“Good idea. I’ll call him when we get back to the—your apartment,” Atem stammered, smiling sheepishly at Yami. “Sorry.” 

“Maybe one day it could be our apartment,” Yami suggested, winding an arm around Atem’s waist. “But, we can discuss those details another time. Let’s make sure that Pegasus doesn’t cause us to go bankrupt first.” 

“Oh, don’t let that worry your pretty little head. Drama is a common thing in the fashion world and we’ll get past this like everyone else does,” Atem assured, shoving open the door to the building. “That asshole won’t be getting away with this.”

“No, he won’t.”

Yami didn’t know anything about “Seto Kaiba”, but he trusted Atem’s judgment. He hoped that the man would be able to provide them the assistance that they needed to knock Pegasus off of his high horse once and for all.

Yami wasn’t sure how he never heard the name “Seto Kaiba” before. It was thrown around in the fashion world more than he thought—but, again, he was more focused on doing his work rather than listening to conversations, or paying attention to drama in the news. Although, it might’ve benefitted him to do so at some point. 

Unlike Industrial Illusions, this lobby was much more calm and peaceful. The receptionist handled anyone that came inside with kindness, asking them what they needed and creating appointments for them if they didn’t have one. They’d answer any questions that they could and help with any situations where it wasn’t necessary to bother Kaiba. It was quite the contrast compared to the chaos that congregated in Pegasus’s lobby. 

“‘KaibaCorporation’?” Yami read aloud as he squinted at the name scribbled across the front of the receptionist’s desk. He scoffed and flopped back in his seat, muttering, “How original.” 

Atem chuckled, “He’s a bit of an egotistical man—but, he has more sense than Pegasus. At the very least, Kaiba retains more professionalism and understands how to respect his models and fashion designers rather than harassing them, or choosing favorites.”

“Right… I guess you’ll have to take your wins wherever you can get them,” Yami mumbled and shrugged. He glanced at his watch, then at the elevator, “How much longer do you think we’ll be waiting for?” 

“I’m not sure. It could be anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour. He’s a very busy man and the fact that we were able to get an appointment with him this soon is a miracle in itself. The only reason we did get it so early is because I told him that it was urgent and involved Pegasus. Otherwise, it’d be months before we got the chance to see him,” Atem mentioned. 

“It sounds like he’s getting more business than Pegasus is,” Yami pointed out. 

“Quitting and moving away to start his own fashion company has proved to be extremely beneficial for him. Clearly, he must be doing something right, which is why I think he’s the perfect person to help us get out of this situation,” Atem insisted, smiling brightly at his boyfriend. “I have faith in him to be on our side.”

“What are the odds of him not, though?” 

“...Well, then he’ll be on nobody’s side. He wouldn’t be helping anyone because he’s never going to want anything to do with Pegasus—that much has and will always be obvious. I’d prefer him to turn us down than go work with him,” Atem stiffened when the elevator doors opened and a nicely dressed woman exited, walking towards them. “Speaking of… I believe this may be for us?”

“Is there anything I should avoid saying to this man?” Yami quickly asked. 

Atem shook his head, “Not at this point. There’s no need to hide our relationship anymore or keep any secrets about Pegasus. We’ve already been fired.” 

Yami let out an exasperated sigh at the mention of them losing their jobs. He knew that he hadn’t done anything wrong and Pegasus was being a petty bastard about everything, but damn. It was still frustrating knowing that he was going to have to go through the process of getting rehired—and if he didn’t fix his reputation, then that task was going to become an even greater challenge. 

The woman stopped in front of them and cleared her throat, “Mr. Sennen?” 

He smiled and stood up, “That’s me. Is Mr. Kaiba ready to see us?” 

“Correct. Please, follow me.” 

Atem extended a hand to Yami, coaxing him to stand up as well. He laced their fingers together and they both trailed behind the woman as she led them to the elevator. They stepped inside and she pressed the button to one of the top floors. He should’ve known that Kaiba’s office would be towards the top of the building—it was classic symbolism of his power and higher status above everyone else in the city. 

Yami squeezed Atem’s hand, “Mind telling me how exactly Kaiba would be able to help us?” 

“As I said before, Kaiba leaving Pegasus’s company caused a huge ruckus. A top model leaving their company? Kaiba received many interviews about what happened and he put a hefty dent in Pegasus’s reputation by doing so. He never went into detail about what happened, but he made it clear that there was some form of mistreatment involved. At the time, Pegasus wasn’t able to deny the accusations because there was proof of it, ranging anywhere from flirty conversations overheard by paparazzi, to texts that Pegasus sent to Kaiba that claimed he needed to lose more weight and completely went against the wishes of his dietician,” Atem further explained, his free hand moving and gesturing vaguely to add emphasis to his words. 

“And he’s not afraid now because as far as he knows, we don’t have any proof of him doing anything bad to us,” Yami concluded. “Plus, if he calls us out about dating behind his back, we can’t deny it. There’s many images of us in Egypt.” 

“Exactly. People know that Kaiba tells the truth. He’s not going to make up lies and he definitely won’t make any lies that’ll support Pegasus’s side of things. That’s why I believe he’ll be willing to argue in favor of us. Will he be doing it to take another swing at Pegasus than for the sake of helping us? Probably,” Atem shrugged, “But, it won’t matter in the end as long as that man gets what he deserves.” 

“You’re all for getting revenge, aren’t you?” 

“Why wouldn’t I be? Right when I’ve gotten things figured out and was able to stop stressing over my parents, he turns around and has to fuck things up,” Atem pulled Yami’s hand closer, covering the back of it with his free hand. “I’m sorry that you weren’t able to present your outfits at the W.F.D.C.. I know you were looking forward to finally getting the opportunity to do that.” 

“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault and there was nothing either of us could’ve done about it at the moment. Even if I had woken up and seen Rebecca and Mahad’s messages, there was a risk that neither of us made it in time—or, we would’ve still wound up arguing with Pegasus for starting it three hours earlier.” 

“Still…” Atem stroked Yami’s knuckles with his thumb, hoping the gesture would bring him some comfort. “He shouldn’t have taken that away from you.” 

“There’s a lot of things he shouldn’t have done.” 

Before Atem could respond to his remark, the elevator dinged, declaring that they had arrived at their floor. The doors slid open and the woman walked out, the couple trailing behind her with hesitation. Atem seemed to be more anxious than Yami, fidgeting with his fingers as they neared the office doors. He exhaled shakily when they slowed down and the bodyguard posted outside opened the door for them. Their guide turned around, bowing her head and bidding them a good day. 

Once she was gone, Atem entered the office, tugging Yami along with him. Sitting behind the desk was a man typing furiously on his laptop, decked out in a pristine, white suit. It was smooth without any wrinkles disturbing the fabric. Yami wasn’t surprised at how kempt his clothing—and his hair—was. Becoming a CEO after previously working as a model entailed that he would always look presentable. 

They settled into the two seats across from him and that’s when he raised his head, his hands stilling on the keyboard. He tutted and slammed the lid of his laptop, placing it aside. Dark circles were under his eyes and Yami wondered how much sleep the poor guy was getting. Not much, Yami estimated. 

“Good to see you again, Atem,” Kaiba greeted, then turned to address Yami. “It’s nice to meet you, Yami. My name is Seto Kaiba.”

Yami frowned, “How’d you know my name?” 

“‘Industrial Illusions’ Atem Sennen and Yami Gemu fail to make an appearance at W.F.D.C.’,” He quoted, picking up a tablet and turning it to face them. Displayed on the screen was a news article with the same headline printed along the top. He set it down and huffed, “Not difficult to figure out who you were. When I saw the news, I had a feeling that’s why Atem was coming in to see me.” 

“Then, you already know what this is about, yes?” 

“I have a vague idea, but you’ll need to clear a few things up. Most of the information they’ve used in the media is from Pegasus. Start from the beginning and what caused this whole thing to go down.” 

“Well…” Atem shifted to the edge of his seat, swallowing thickly. “As you know, Pegasus isn’t the greatest boss. After you left and he made me his top model, things were… Good, I suppose. A few months later, though, everything began to change. He treated me worse and worse, along with everyone else. He’s done nothing more than insult me and flirt occasionally. He hasn’t put his hands on me or anything of the sort.

“The real problem came up a couple months ago when my parents asked me to visit them in Egypt. The issue with that was I told them that I was in a relationship with my soulmate, which… That wasn’t true. My soulmate is in a relationship with another person and they’re very happy together. So, I sought out someone—that someone ended up being Yami—to pretend to be my boyfriend during that trip. I informed Pegasus beforehand that whatever he saw in the news while we were gone was fake.

“Yami and I weren’t supposed to begin dating, but you know, things happen,” Atem sheepishly admitted. “We had no plans on Pegasus finding out and were going to wait until we stopped working for him to make our relationship officially public. When we returned from our trip, though, he confronted us about everything and we lied to him. Obviously, he didn’t believe us and decided that the best way to humiliate us was to start the W.F.D.C. three hours early without letting us know.” 

Kaiba hummed and nodded in understanding, “That’s why you weren’t there. I wish I could say that I saw that coming, but… It seems to be a new low that he’s stooping to.” 

Yami leaned forward, causing the man to look in his direction, “Is there anything you can do to help us set the record straight? Atem mentioned that you have history with Pegasus, too.” 

“Yami—” Atem hissed and smacked at his arm, but Kaiba only scoffed in amusement. 

“It’s alright. I wouldn’t consider it much of a secret. It can be found anywhere on the internet if he went out of his way to look for it—but, yes, the best route to take when it comes to clearing your names would be to make a response to his statements,” Kaiba suggested. “I can schedule an interview with one of my more trustworthy journalists for you. They’re notorious for spreading accurate information and shutting down rumors.”

Atem peered over at Yami, then beamed at Kaiba, “That’s awfully nice of you.”

“Yeah…” Yami agreed and his eyes narrowed at the CEO. “There’s no catch?”

Kaiba’s lips curled up, “There may be something in this for me—an offer, if you will.”

Yami rolled his eyes, “There it is…”

Ignoring Yami’s mutter, Kaiba continued, “Whether you decide to take it or not, I’ll still set up your interview. But, I do recommend that you give it some thought. It could prove to be as useful to you as it is for me.”

“What is this offer?” 

“Since you’re both out of jobs, I’d like to extend you a place here at KaibaCorp.,” Kaiba answered. Yami strained his ears to try and hear if there was any sarcasm or false intentions, but there wasn’t. He sounded genuine. 

“Seriously?” He blurted. “I can understand why you’d take Atem, but me? We’ve only met today and you haven’t seen any of my clothing designs. You know nothing about me, or my taste in fashion. What if it clashes with yours?” 

“That crossed my mind briefly and yes, you’re right. However, I already have a sense that you’re not going to let me separate you two—are you?”

Yami would’ve said yes. If Kaiba didn’t want him as an employee, then he would’ve graciously let Atem work for him and found his own job elsewhere. He couldn’t be the reason that Atem was out of work. But, of course, Atem was adamant about them coming as a package deal, chiming in with his response of: “Nope.”

“I thought so…” Kaiba’s gaze drifted over to Yami once more and he shrugged nonchalantly, “Let’s just say that’s a risk that I’m willing to take. Are you interested or not?”

…It was better than not having a job. Working for Kaiba appeared to be the next best thing since Pegasus—and he probably deserved to be sitting at the top of that list. Yami turned to Atem for his thoughts on the matter, but the model was staring back at him. 

“Do you have an opinion on this?”

“Not really. It’s up to you if this is what you want to do or not,” Atem placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed, smiling gently. “Wherever you go, I go.”

After inhaling a deep breath, Yami said, “With all due respect, I appreciate your offer. It’s very generous and I’d love to say yes, but there’s so much going on. I’m going to need some time before I get back to you with an answer. I want to get all of this figured out and not only that, but do this fairly. I’ll send you some of my work and let you decide if you’d still have me as an employee. I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I refuse to take the easy route.”

Kaiba hummed thoughtfully, raising an impressed brow, “I have to commend you for that. I’ll set up your interview this evening, then. Atem, you can expect the details by tomorrow—and give my contact information to Yami. You’ll have three months at the most to send me anything that you’d like me to see that shows what you’re capable of.”

“Will do.”

“Thank you, Kaiba. This means a lot to both of us—truly,” Atem rose from his seat and leaned forward to shake the CEO’s hand. “We’ll be seeing you for the interview.”

The three of them shared more formal goodbyes before Atem and Yami left his office. The bodyguard closed the door behind them and they headed down the hallway back to the elevator. As they waited for it to arrive, Atem wound an arm around Yami’s waist, hugging him to his side. 

“I’m surprised.”

“About?”

“You rejected Kaiba’s offer. I thought you would’ve accepted, but I was wrong,” Atem chuckled and nuzzled his cheek. “I should’ve expected that, though. You’ve always been a hard worker and independent. Doing things the simple way has never been your style—hell, you made me wait a year before dating me.”

“You can’t blame me for that! Like I’ve said and will continue to say, you’re not good at making it clear!”

“I know! I know, and I’m a fool for that. Honestly, I would’ve been better off telling it to you straight instead of hoping you’d catch my hints,” Atem mumbled, lightly kissing Yami’s jaw. “My point is that you don’t stray from your path. You don’t let anyone get in your way and that’s something that I’ll forever adore about you.”

“Was it wrong of me to turn it down, though? I know you left it up to me, but—“

“I left it up to you for a reason. The one person that job would affect the most was going to be you and I’m glad you weren’t thinking about me. Most people would be upset if their boyfriend completely disregarded them, but not me. I don’t want you to ever change or do something you don’t want to for me,” Atem murmured, turning to embrace Yami properly. “Following your dreams is your priority and I refuse to become an obstacle. I want to be there beside you and support you no matter what.”

The elevator doors opened and much to Yami’s relief, it was empty. He yanked him inside, roughly smacking the lobby button before pinning Atem to the wall. He kissed him with every ounce of passion in his body and he doubted a kiss alone could represent all of the emotions he felt for his man, but it’d have to do for now. 

“I love you,” Yami murmured against his lips, kissing him again before repeating it, “I love you so fucking much, you know that?” 

He didn’t even give Atem an opportunity to respond, smothering and kissing him senselessly until both of them were out of breath. By the time he put some distance between them, Atem was already flushed and panting heavily. He chuckled and placed a palm over his chest—presumably to see how fast his heart was beating. Yami knew his own heart rate was through the roof. 

“...I think I do now,” Atem whispered, his lips curling into a delicate smile that never failed to strike a chord, tugging at all of Yami’s heartstrings. “I love you, too.” 

Sure, Yami didn’t have a job. Atem didn’t have a job. Neither of them had jobs. He could’ve easily gotten angry and upset; taken all that rage out on him. He never would, though. He cherished his love too much and yes, following his dreams was number one on his list, but Atem? Atem was a very close second that might as well have been right beside it because he was that close to taking the spotlight—he always did. 

Yami loved it and he’d have no arguments if Atem managed to succeed at that, amongst everything else he had accomplished in his life. 

Now, years later, after everything was said and done, Yami was confident enough to say that much was definitely true and that he shared his love for fashion and Atem equally. 

The man stood by the doorway of a hustling and bustling crowd in a luxurious hotel ballroom. He nursed a glass of champagne as he pondered how expensive it was to have this place rented out for the afterparty of KaibaCorporation’s most recent fashion show. He whistled as another person stopped beside him, marveling at the interior the same way he was. 

“ Wow … I’m jealous of you. It’s not every day you lose your job at Industrial Illusions and get a job at a company as good as KaibaCorp.,” They commented and nudged Yami in the side. “I told you that you’d get big—maybe not like this, but… You still did.” 

“Thanks, Rebecca,” Yami turned to the younger woman and offered her a gentle smile. “How are things with Pegasus? Has he finally straightened up his act?” 

“Unfortunately, no. You’d think that losing the two of you would have some sort of impact, but it didn’t. All I’m seeing in the future for him is bankruptcy,” She sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. “He still hasn’t found a top model to take Atem’s place.” 

“Seriously? It’s been four years! You’d think he would’ve gotten somebody to fill that spot by now,” Yami muttered in disbelief.

“He’s a picky man,” She shrugged. “I should probably start looking for a different place to work. Things are only going to get worse and I don’t want to be around when his company crashes and burns—for good .” 

“If you’d like, I could put in a word for you to Mr. Kaiba,” Yami offered, gesturing to the CEO who was speaking to a group of other designers on the other side of the room. “I’m sure he’d love to have someone with your expertise and talent working for him.” 

“No offense, but I’m just like you, Yami. I don’t want things handed to me. I’d rather work for them instead,” She assured, patting his arm. “I’ll go through the same application process that you did.” 

“I guess I can’t stop you… What about Mahad? Is he still working for Pegasus?” 

“God, no. He left at the beginning of the year to work at a famous hairdressing company in Egypt. You should go sometime whenever Atem drags you back there,” Her eyes twinkled with mischief and she leaned in close. “Speaking of… What’s going on with the two of you? Anything new that I should know about?” 

He saw her eyeing his ring finger and rolled his eyes, “No, I haven’t popped the question and neither has he. We’re both taking things slow.” 

“Uh-huh. You guys have been going on annual trips to visit his parents during the summer, right? At some point, they’ll start asking when you want to get married.”

“Frankly, it’s none of their business. I don’t care what those assholes think. The only reason we’ve been going is for the sake of having a free vacation—not for them,” Yami insisted. It’d been much easier to go ever since he and Atem officially started dating, but attempting to impress them? He’d rather hit his head against the wall until he was bleeding out than be on their good side. 

“Right… I get it. Parents are hard to deal with. Siblings are hard to deal with, too. My boyfriend—” 

“ Boyfriend ?” He asked, staring at her in surprise. “When the hell did you get a boyfriend?” 

“Oh! A few months ago. We’re soulmates,” She added with a giggle. “His name is Leon and we met at the library that I go to all the time—apparently, he works there. He moved here from Germany and his older brother? He’s a handful. He doesn’t keep up with Leon’s personal life, but he’s bad for taking advantage of him and that’s the reason he moved here in the first place.” 

“People like that are the ones that you have to cut out of your life to teach them a lesson,” Yami pointed out. “I’m happy for the two of you, though. Are things going well?” 

“Yeah! He’s really sweet and we’ve gone on a couple dates. I’m usually not the type to do anything cheesy or romantic, but he’s never made me feel like I have to impress him or act a specific way—nothing like stereotypical couples that you see in movies or TV shows, which is a relief. You know I wouldn’t do half the things any of those girls do,” She shuddered in disgust. “But, I feel comfortable with him. Do you think that’s because we’re soulmates?”

“It might be, might not. It’s hard to tell these days,” Yami shrugged. “The most important thing is that the two of you are happy—regardless of the soulmate thing.” 

“Obviously. I didn’t start dating him because of that—I didn’t even figure out we were soulmates until our third date! Finding out changed none of my feelings for him,” She assured. Her gaze wandered and she smirked, “Talking has been fun, but I think I’m going to go mingle now…” 

“Oh. Okay, then… I guess I’ll see you around?” 

“Yep! Until next time!” She declared before disappearing into the crowd.

Yami sipped his drink and glanced in the direction where she’d been looking, quickly realizing why she’d snuck off. Atem had finally made his arrival and was approaching him, beaming brighter than the sun itself. He was wearing a pair of white dress pants and a white blazer that plunged deeply to show off his chest. He had on his usual overbearing amount of jewelry that matched the gold heels—which, of course, still terrified Yami to watch him walk in. What his outfit lacked in glamor, he made up for with a bold makeup look. He had gold glitter all around his eyes and intense eyeliner that made Yami extremely jealous. Nonetheless, he was beautiful, as always. 

“Is that my handsome boyfriend?” Atem gushed, immediately winding his arms around Yami’s neck and planting a kiss on his cheek.

“If you get lipstick on me, I won’t forgive you,” Yami threatened as he placed his drink on a nearby table to return the embrace, his hands coming to rest on the model’s hips. 

Atem grinned and rubbed his ruby red lips, revealing his clean fingers, “ Matte . You know I save the messy stuff for when we’re alone.” 

Yami blushed, scoffing, “I knew it. You do wear that shit on purpose.” 

“Guilty,” Atem sighed dreamily and peered down at Yami’s outfit. “And here I thought seeing you covered in lipstick kisses was a gorgeous sight, but this… Well, it definitely puts that up for debate.” 

Yami had picked a maroon dress with a fluffy petticoat, the skirt flouncing with his movements. The halter bodice showed off his toned arms and back—something that he wouldn’t have been seen in during his partying days or when he toned it down. Atem had encouraged him to step out of his comfort zone and he found that he liked wearing things that he could’ve sworn he hated. His jewelry was a contrast to Atem’s; it was more subtle and silver. He wore a pair of ankle boots in the same shade of red, but with black sheer lace and a small heel that removed any risk of him tripping. 

“My feet are going to be killing me by the time we get home,” Yami mumbled, rocking forward onto the balls of his feet to take the weight off his heels. “I don’t know how you stand to do this.” 

“Years and years of practice, my dear,” Atem reminded him before leaning in to steal another kiss. Yami tried to make it last, but the model was pulling away and saying, “We can leave whenever you’d like. I know you’re not used to after parties this extravagant.” 

“Yeah… I know Pegasus hosted them, but I never wanted to go—not that I ever had a reason to. The last thing I wanted was for him to bother me after a fashion show and celebrations like this aren’t my thing.” 

Atem nodded in understanding, agreeing, “Shockingly enough, I’m not fond of them either. They’re boring and there’s not much to do besides drinking, talking, and occasionally dancing. There’s too little of that to keep me entertained, though. I’d rather go to a club.” 

“Oh? So you can reenact how I asked you out?” 

“I relive that every single day,” Atem laughed, cradling Yami’s face in his hands. “Being next to you means that I get to feel the same thrill I did that night. You truly make me the happiest man alive and I’d happily do all of this all over again.” 

“Maybe sooner?” 

“No, not even that. Waiting for as long as I did was dreadful, yes, but it made the build up to finally getting to date you worth it,” Atem murmured and tilted his head. “Would you do it again?” 

“Stupid question. You know I would.” 

“Just checking!” Atem grinned, his gaze flitting down to Yami’s lips. He inhaled and Yami could tell he was doing everything in his power to not kiss him. 

Yami snickered, “Go on. I know you want to.” 

“Gods, I do,” Atem whined, his hands drifting down to toy with the fabric around Yami’s neck. “Are you sure you don’t want to leave early?” 

“If you can wait another hour, I’ll let you do anything you want when we get home.” 

Atem visibly perked up, “ Anything ?” 

“Anything,” Yami confirmed. “One. Hour. That’s it. Then, I’m all yours, baby.” 

Atem shivered, biting his bottom lip in anticipation. Yami lifted his left hand, stroking Atem’s jaw with his knuckles. He leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, his lashes fanning out over his cheekbones. Honestly, Yami wished he could give into his wishes and kiss him, but they had to keep the PDA to a minimum. It was no secret that they were dating and the media knew all about it. During fashion shows or other events, they had to keep things professional—a request made by Kaiba when he hired Yami after the man went through the extraneous application process. 

After the interview with Kaiba’s journalist, Pegasus’s reputation had been ruined. Majority of the people that kept in tune with what was going on in the fashion world immediately sided with Atem and Yami, supporting them as they made the transition to work for KaibaCorp. instead. It was a relief for the couple to see Pegasus receiving a taste of his own medicine after mistreating his employees for years upon years. Everyone that had ever worked for him was being given an out to leave and quit their jobs while getting the justice that they deserved. 

The stress was lifted from Yami’s shoulders and working for Kaiba felt fairer. Plus, he wouldn’t have to hide his relationship in fear of getting fired for it. Everything had clicked into place and for once, he felt like his life was stable and on track. 

Atem held Yami’s wrist and kissed the Eye of Anubis that was tattooed into his skin to match his soulmate mark. The model had gotten a matching version of Yami’s soulmate mark tattooed on the opposite hip. They had both discussed it for a long time before going through with it. The choice was risky, but they were confident in their relationship at this point—plus, it kept Atem’s parents off of their backs whenever they visited. 

When Yami revealed the tattoo to Yugi, the man was ecstatic. He thought it was exciting that they had matching tattoos since he had begged Yami to get one with him. He raised some concerns about him regretting it in the future, but Yami dismissed those worries, reassuring him that he and Atem had talked about plenty in advance before making their appointments. 

Snapping him out of his thoughts, Atem stepped away from Yami—reluctantly at that—and gave him his most pleading eyes, “I’ll find you in an hour, then.” 

Yami winked at him as he picked up his glass of champagne, “It’ll pass in no time. Trust me .”

“I always do.” 

With that, Atem turned on his heel and was swept up by the crowd of people. Yami leaned on the wall and continued to watch the model over the rim of his glass, content with admiring him from afar. 

Becoming a fashion designer and falling in love were one in the same. Both were a rollercoaster of emotions. Seeing his outfits being worn on the runway and knowing that he got to go home each day with the man modeling them was an out of this world feeling. He never believed that it was real and even when it was happening, it still didn’t feel real. His life was a dream and it was a dream that he would live with Atem by his side. Deep down in his heart, he knew that the two of them were something more than “boyfriends” or “partners”. 

One could say that they were the truest and purest form of soulmates to ever exist.