Dancing King
Friday night and the lights are low
Looking out for a place to go
Where they play the right music, getting in the swing
You come in to look for a king
Yugi flopped down onto his bed with a sigh. It had been a long week at school. Spring was finally coming to Domino City: the sakura trees were in bloom with gorgeous pink petals and the sun was beginning to warm the world once again. It was frustrating to be stuck in the classroom all day.
Not only was the weather beautiful, but the week had also been devoted to finals and the end of the spring semester. Yugi had played the part of the good student for the past few weeks, always studying late into the evenings. He wasn’t the brightest student, but he had received decent scores. Grandpa Muto had told Yugi how proud he was with a congratulatory thump on the back that had almost sent the slight teen sprawling.
To celebrate, Joey was coming over in a short while and the two boys were going out on the town. That thought made Yugi rouse himself from the bed and he made his way over to the closet. Joey always complained that it was no wonder Yugi was gay since he took longer than a girl to get dressed. He figured if he started now, he would be fully dressed by the time his friend came.
The spiky haired teen laid a few potential outfits out on the bed. In the span of fourty-five minutes he tried on five outfits three times. Yugi had settled on an outfit at one point, but after wearing it around the house for just a few minutes, it didn’t feel right. Finally, right as Yugi heard his grandpa letting Joey in, he had settled on a black tank top with a giant blue star on the front that clung to his frame, faux-leather pants with two belts, his boots with top and back straps, and two leather bands on his wrists.
A knock came from his door as Joey walked in. He was wearing his normal white shirt with the big sky-blue line through it, jeans, and sneakers. Obviously, he didn’t care about looking nice tonight, though Yugi did pick up on the cologne cloud that followed him.
“You know, you’re supposed to wait for someone to say ‘come in’ before you open the door?” Yugi fixed Joey with a level stare.
“Yeah, yeah,” Joey waved his hand, dismissing the annoyed look from Yugi’s amethyst eyes. “You ready?”
“Yep.” Joey left his room as quickly as he left it, making room for Yugi to follow behind him. At the last moment, Yugi caught something gold shine out of the corner of his eye. He spotted an eye of Wadjet necklace on his desk. It had been a birthday present from his grandpa almost a year ago now. Suddenly, he felt compelled to wear it. Yugi ran over to his desk to grab it and quickly threw it over his hair, bounding down the stairs to catch up with Joey.
The two wandered around downtown Domino for a while, not really sure where to go. They went to the arcade first, but for some unknown reason, Yugi’s attention just couldn’t be held by games tonight. There was a need in him tonight, a need to move and just lose himself in a crowd. The two friends left the arcade, walking a few blocks before they came across a night club.
Joey commented on it, saying he remembered hearing that an underage dance club had opened a few weeks ago. Joey offered if Yugi wanted to check it out and without hesitation, he agreed. A gut feeling told him that this was exactly what he needed.
Anybody could be that guy
Night is young and the music's high
With a bit of rock music, everything is fine
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...
The two had to wait in a line where they paid to get in. They had their hands stamped to show they weren’t allowed to have any alcohol. The club actually went down into a basement once they entered. When the two finally made it down to the dance floor, Yugi was practically shaking. He felt as if something great was waiting for him in here, something strange and exotic.
The whole place thrummed with bass. Even though it was the basement, metal catwalks had been installed around the place, making the basement two stories. Many people occupied the dance floor, some with glow sticks hanging around their necks, but it didn’t seem overcrowded. Techno music kept them all moving, some writhing sensually around a partner, or just simply swinging their hips back and forth.
It wasn’t long before Yugi lost his friend as he entered the crowd and started dancing. As one song blended into another, he felt himself relax and all the worries from the past few months disappeared with every step, every swing of his hips, every arm movement. Soon, Yugi had lost sight of himself entirely and he was just another person in the crowd.
You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the Dancing Queen
It wasn’t long before word spread among the regulars that a new kid had come, one with strange, spiky hair, that was holding his own on the dance floor. Eventually, this news reached the ears of a group of four people. They were sequestered away in the shadows on the catwalk, sitting around a small table on four tall benches. The four went unnoticed as a boy and a girl walked by.
“No, I haven’t seen him before. But he’s got some excellent moves,” the girl said. She had short brown hair kept back in a ponytail. She wore a light pink tube top and short shorts.
“Maybe he’ll become start coming here more often,” the male commented with a shrug. He had short black hair and wore a baggy shirt and jeans. A green glow stick hung around his neck. “We always need more people here to spread the word about this place.” The two moved on, continuing their conversation.
All the people around the table the two passed had olive skin. One was female, with long black hair and expressive blue eyes. She wore an elegant silk cream top that shimmered in the half light and white jeans. Next to her sat a man with a shaved head, save for a black ponytail at the back. One side of his face was tattooed with hieroglyphs. He wore a long purple turtleneck and black pants. He kept watching the two teens next to him. One had lavender eyes and spiked straw blond hair. He wore a simple black tanktop and cargo pants. Gold bands adorned his arms. His leg bounced up and down anxiously, saying that it wanted out on the dance floor, but for some reason it was being held back, like a dog on a short leash.
“Would you calm yourself, Marik?” the final teen said. “Your twitch is going to cause the whole catwalk to collapse.” The speaker had giant spikes of black tinged with red. Yellow gold bangs defied gravity, following the spikes and also framing his face in lighting bolt fashion. He was adorned in a black slinky long sleeved dress shirt, three buttons undone at the top to tease whoever deigned to look upon him. A golden ankh pendant showed itself in the parted material. Black dress pants and shiny black shoes finished his outfit. Amethyst eyes with hints of crimson observed the dance floor below, but the view was limited by the angle their table was at.
The one he addressed as Marik stilled his leg. “I’m sorry, Atem. I just want to be out there already. How much longer do we have to wait, sister?”
“Patience, my brother. When Odeon hears from the guards to make sure the place is safe, you can go.”
“We’ve come here every night for the past week, though! No one cares that a price from Egypt and his ambassadors are here in Japan on vacation,” Marik complained.
“Hush!” Ishizu scolded him. “We don’t want people to start knowing that now.”
As if on cue, Odeon’s head piece crackled with static and Marik looked to him hopefully while the prince just watched him out of the corner of his eyes. He only had to give a slight nod before Marik had bolted for the stairs.
Ishizu gave an exasperated sigh while Atem just chuckled. He stood slowly, stretching languidly, in no hurry to go down. A few girls nearby giggled and eyed him. Atem raised an eyebrow before flashing a smile. The girls just giggled harder.
You're a teaser, you turn 'em on
Leave them burning and then you're gone
Looking out for another, anyone will do
You're in the mood for a dance
And when you get the chance...
Atem enjoyed flirting with others. Who it was didn’t make a difference to him: single, taken, male, or female, the game was just too easy to play. With a coy smile and a sultry voice, he had anyone he chose under his command. After all, that’s what made him the perfect prince. His father, Ankhnankanen, didn’t think so, though. That’s why Atem was in Japan now: his father thought that maybe a break from Egyptian royal life would be good. Atem just rolled his eyes at the thought.
For the moment, he was surrounded by admirers. One girl commented on his dark skin while another admired his hair. A third brought him a drink while a fourth just ogled at him. Atem allowed himself to relish the feeling of power he had right now. He had been feeling strange all night. At first, he had attributed it to nerves, even though he found it strange that he would get nervous tonight. Then he thought he might be coming down with something, but he hadn’t felt warm. It was just a feeling, like something was calling out to him and he had to answer soon or something precious would be lost.
The feeling suddenly swelled and his eyes scanned the dance floor. Quickly enough, he spotted someone he assumed was the person the two people had been talking about earlier.
A small space existed around this person, as if everyone else was afraid to join him for fear of disturbing him, which was rare in this club. He seemed content enough to be by himself, though. As Atem watched longer, he had the strongest urge to go and join the boy. He resisted for a while, enjoying his time with his gaggle of worshippers. It wasn’t until he saw the boy’s eyes open that he gasped.
Those eyes were so much like his own, and at the same time they weren’t. They were wide, shining with an inner light and held an amazing innocence that was simply adorable. Without realizing what he was doing, the prince started to make his way over to the boy.
The crowd parted for him like the Red Sea. Even though he had only been coming here for a week, everyone could sense something majestic about him. In that short time, though no one knew about his Egyptian heritage, he had become known as the prince of the club. Not just for all the people that hung off of him, but because when he had been on the dance floor, he had shocked everyone with what he could do.
You are the Dancing Queen, young and sweet, only seventeen
Dancing Queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Dancing Queen
Yugi was so into the music that he didn’t see the approaching figure or the parting crowd. It was the change in temperature that alerted him something had changed. He looked around to find that the press of bodies was gone, which had lowered the temperature around his heated skin.
“Excuse me,” a voice said behind him. Yugi jumped, and turned to face the speaker. He gasped. The stranger was devastatingly handsome. He had a regal air about him wrapped in mystique and sensuality. And he looked so much like Yugi. Whatever gods had a sick sense of humor must have enjoyed making a parallel version of the two.
When Yugi had been little, he had once asked his grandpa if he had had a twin at birth. His grandpa had given him a strange look and laughed, telling him that if there had been two Yugi’s, Solomon would have lost his mind.
“I couldn’t help but notice you, and well-” the stranger cleared his throat and offered his hand. “Would you care to dance with me?” Having the boy facing him now, Atem’s eyes flicked down to notice an eye of Wadjet charm hanging from the boy’s neck. He didn’t let this new piece of information show on his face as he nudged his hand a little higher for a response.
Yugi eyed the proffered hand before putting his hand in it. An electric jolt passed through their hands, though not an unpleasant feeling. Yugi and Atem’s eyes widened as they looked at each other. Atem instinctively pulled Yugi closer. Two hearts beat in rhythm, fast and quick, as if they were two friends that had reunited and were trying to tell each other what had passed since they had last been together. Both boys decided that they liked this feeling.
“I’m sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Atem.”
“Y-Yugi,” he responded.
Atem’s eyes danced with merriment. “Yugi,” he said aloud, trying the name out on his tongue. Chills ran down Yugi’s spin to hear that masculine voice say his name.
Atem smiled and, taking Yugi’s other hand, soon led him further onto the dance floor.