Prompt #36 - Afterglow
Summary: They could start new, like the entire month never happened.
Though things had been handled, more or less, Yami was cautious as he and Mokuba re-entered the bar.
None of their friends showed even a modicum of discretion. Everyone was back at the table, apparently taking a break from dancing or drinking or whatever was going on before. Several pairs of eyes followed them and not even his scowl was enough to dissuade their stares. He was nervous enough without. The conversation outside assured him that ...whatever he and Mokuba were still remained. But Yami wasn't foolhardy enough to consider things between them resolved--no more than things were between him and Yuugi.
Or with himself. Stable would be a better word for it.
Mokuba didn't shy away from any of the gazes pointed in their direction. "Is something wrong?" he asked, eyes sweeping the table where they all sat.
Yami, on the other hand, did his best to shrink and not be noticed. They were going to ask questions, and he wasn't sure how to go about answering them besides being rude. He'd tell them that the whole thing was none of their business in a heartbeat-but he knew Mokuba preferred diplomacy.
"We were just... uh, worried," Anzu supplied. She was the only one brave enough to to do so. Otogi and Jou promptly exchanged looks with one another, Honda pretended to pick at something on the table, Yuugi inspected his drink; Ryou smiled brightly at them both. Whatever concerns the table shared, he didn't seem to be involved. "It looked like something serious."
Marik was the only person missing, he noticed. It wasn't surprising; the man found it hard to sit still in settings like these.
Panic flickered briefly in Yami's chest. Had Yuugi said something to them? His gaze landed on Jounouchi, who'd already revealed more than he was supposed to, and then back to Yuugi.
No, he chided himself. He wouldn't. Yuugi hadn't so far, so why would he now?
"Oh, yeah," Mokuba replied. "You guys got yours, didn't you?" Yami's fingers tightened on the folder in his grip.
Anzu's eyes caught the movement, and her expression quickly changed into something more amiable. "Oh! I thought... well, I was worried." She blushed. "Really, thank you so much, Mokuba! You - you're really sweet."
So Yuugi wasn't the only other recipient?
Otogi, Honda, and Jou offered their thanks in succession, and Mokuba brushed them off while still accepting their words rather gracefully. There were no more questions about what they'd been discussing outside.
It left Yami wondering how he planned distractions so perfectly.
He also pondered what he might do with what he was given. Yuugi had received a surprising amount. Had they all been given the same? If so, it'd certainly be more than he'd ever had at one time. He never had much money in his possession just enough for small things: gas, beer, cover charges for parties. This would open up a few opportunities for him. Maybe he could get some more clothes instead of appropriating Yuugi's old things.
"Thank you," he whispered quietly, but it was drowned in the commotion of their banter. Everyone broke off into small asides of what they planned to do with their gifts. Considering all that Mokuba mentioned outside, however, he didn't feel like speaking up to interrupt.
He hadn't thought at all on those possibilities yet. It was surreal to be in his position. Yami had, less than a few days ago, been at his near-worst. And now it felt a bit like a bad dream. Nothing was quite fixed, but he had room to breathe; he could breathe. Neither Yuugi or Mokuba had abandoned him.
He would always been a burden, but he was in a place again where he could bear it.
"I'm not staying, though," Mokuba's declaration but through his musings. "I just wanted to make sure Yami got that, really."
"But you've been so busy! I got everyone together!" Anzu huffed.
"That's exactly why I showed up. Very successful. Thank you."
She was not appeased. "You owe us a party. You can't just show up and then leave without hanging out."
He chuckled at her. "Okay, okay. I owe you."
"I sure hope so," Ryou added. "I haven't been able to have a proper chat with you yet. You've grown so tall!"
"Do you know how hard it is to get Otogi in town?" Jou joked.
"Sure," Mokuba retorted. "A-N-Z-U." The table erupted in laughter while the woman in question flushed red to her ears. He received a high five from Jou for the effort. "But seriously, I'll make it up to you. Maybe I'll do the next hotel party, okay?"
This announcement inspired a few more snickers and a bit of enthused murmuring about where they could book a room.
"Alright guys." It seemed Mokuba was winding down to his exit. "Later." He turned to his left, to Yami, and smiled. It spread slowly across his lips, like light spilling through an opening curtain.
Something stirred in Yami when he saw it.
Then suddenly, Mokuba was close. Too close. He filled Yami's vision. Before he could grin back, they were suddenly conjoined. His chest caught fire; trying to gasp while being kissed wasn't a good idea.
It was a small thing, not even a few seconds, but it was enough to make him lament. He wanted to leave, wanted to go home with Mokuba and claim him and apologize properly. Yami would benefit from it, too: it would prolong his state of clarity, it would replace that awful night they'd spent together before. They could start new, like the entire month never happened.
"Bye," Mokuba added.
Yami struggled to move; he was literally without breath, cheeks burning. Whatever his chest had was contagious. The soft smack of their lips pulling apart echoed in his ears.
His heart raced. This whole week was a rollercoaster. After everything that had happened, he'd been absolutely sure that Mokuba would break things off. Why would he pull a stunt like this? They hadn't decided whether to tell anyone. He'd never thought Mokuba wanted to tell anyone. Considering the conversation they'd just had, Yami wasn't sure if it was a good idea in the first place. It couldn't be just showing off, either - Marik wasn't even at the table.
A tangle of emotions caught in his throat. If there was any chance to play this off, he missed it by a wide margin.
Mokuba didn't bother hanging around. It wasn't until there was a tall silhouette passing through the entrance that Yami managed to grind through his teeth, "What the fuck...?" The silhouette disappeared.
But he didn't quite regret it either. Yami needed that reassurance, even though he didn't want it.
"Wow," said someone nearby, and that small eternity ended.
A chorus of "ooooooooh" sounded beside him. When he turned back to the table, unsure whether he was feeling simple surprise or horror, Jounouchi, Anzu and Ryou grinned at him. Honda frowned while Miho studied a tome of karaoke selections with sudden intensity.
Yami realized he was trembling. Shit.
"Um," Otogi said, but didn't immediately finish his sentence. He looked about as confused as Yami felt, but recovered more quickly. "Um. Well. That's one way to put that out there. Yami, why do all your boyfriends like embarrassing you?"
As if summoned, Marik sauntered back to the table, a drink in each hand. He rounded the table to stand in front of Yami, then looked between both parties. Blond eyebrows arched high. "Did something happen?"
"Yuugi," Jou asked loudly, "did you know about this?"
Yuugi very quickly affixed a glass of beer to his lips and shrugged, drinking deeply. He drained it. Ryou and Anzu kept their smiles.
Yami wasn't sure what to say about the situation, really. So he simply sat in the empty seat in front of him, between where Marik stood, and Yuugi. "E-er," he stuttered, and sighed.
Mokuba was going to pay for that, eventually.
"Looks like you need it," Marik said, with a wink. He was offered a full glass of some layered cocktail, blue liquid on top of green.
Yami decided to down the entire thing without a second thought, and nearly choked; whatever it was, it wasn't beer. It just added more flames to his chest.
"No," Anzu insisted. "It's not like that. It's just, well. Um. Unexpected. You get all the cute guys, Yami. I'm jealous." A nervous laugh followed her words. Even mid-drink he wasn't sure he believed her.
"They're just moody 'cuz you didn't tell nobody," Jou chimed in.
Marik looked around the table, expression from before still in place. "What the fuck are you guys talking about?"
Yami finally found his voice. "Mokuba", he supplied, finishing off the glass.
"Oh. Psh. Well, at least you don't gotta sneak around anymore." The opposite of Yami, Marik nursed his drink quite carefully.
Otogi chuckled. "Sneak? how long has-"
"No one's business," Yami quipped sharply. Though he couldn't figure out what to say, he definitely knew what he wouldn't be telling them."Why don't we talk about something else?"
He just wasn't ready to have this discussion. Things were still fragile. Yami couldn't confidently say he had a more concrete grasp on what existed between them than they did at the moment. Even if they were happy for him, he'd done nothing worthwhile. The fact that Mokuba was still bothering with him was remarkable. Despite all the jokes, the smiles and that chaste kiss, he was just one disaster away from falling apart.
Romantics, all of them. And soon enough they would all be asking questions he hadn't decided answers to yet.
Ryou chuckled. "I didn't realize it was news."
"It's not," Yami insisted.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, somehow a bit more awwkard than the last. Looking for anything that could keep his attention, Yami ended up having some of Marik's second drink, too.
"You know what?" Jou said, his voice loud enough to eclipse the table. "I'm gonna go get a drink. You guys figure out what the first song'll be."
"Me too," Yami decided. A break away from the table was the best thing for everyone. He stood, maybe a little too hastily.
It seemed like a good opportunity. The two of them needed to talk. Mokuba had been honest about his discussion with Jounouchi. But it was worrying, frankly, that one of his closest friends was so vocal about his personal affairs.
As they left the table behind, he could hear the conversation fall into easiness again. Miho and Honda discussed song options for karaoke; and when Ryou asked Anzu about her schooling, she visibly brightened. Yami was glad to be relieved of worrying about their discomfort.
Jou took an empty seat at the bar, and Yami nabbed one to his left.
When was the last time they had talked, alone? He and Jou had once been close. They'd once fought beside each other, brothers in arms, and Yami couldn't think of anyone he would trust more with his life besides Yuugi.
Maybe talking to Mokuba had been a good move. Even tonight, getting it out was near impossible.
"I thought the best way to deal with it was to remove myself. I thought it was simple: the gate is closed. I can't walk through it again. I would have to find another way." It'd sounded just as stupid coming out of his mouth as it had in his head. And if Jou hadn't talked to Mokuba - would he have understood it at all?
They sat in silence until the bartender took their orders. Jou ordered some type of junmaishu and Yami kept to foreign beer. It'd be easier to talk if he wasn't sloppy drunk; he was already feeling comfortably warm. Despite how nervous he was, Marik's drink had taken the edge off of things.
The quiet helped Yami find his strength. He couldn't let the moment slip by. after tonight, none of this would matter.
"He told me you talked to him," Yami said.
Jounouchi didn't look at him, opting to stare down at a napkin on the counter instead. "Someone needed to."
War sparked in Yami's thoughts. Pride struggled to surface against the ties of a possible truth. He wasn't willing to forget about the last few days. A glance behind him, at their table of friend, revealed that Marik and Ryou were huddled together, reviewing lyrics to some song. Yuugi looked over the song list with Honda and Miho. Otogi's arm was wound around Anzu's shoulder.
She seemed to sense Yami's gaze, blue eyes locking with his for a moment before she flashed a smile. They all had his best interests at heart, didn't they?
Yami sighed. "Thank you," he said. "I... I wouldn't have."
Blond hair shook beside him, as Jou shrugged. "What are friends for? I like both of ya."
Sometimes it was hard to remember. He was Yuugi's friend first, after all.
They were served their drinks, and Jounouchi took the opportunity to ask, "...how have you been?"
Holding in his scoff was impossible. "Absolutely terrible."
"You and Yuug' seem alright now."
Why wouldn't Jou know - at the very least - that things had blown up?
"That is a very recent development."
"Well, I'm sure you guys'll make it last. Just... you know we're here if you need it. I'm not gonna ask you a bunch'a questions, Yami. Stuff is what it is. We never know what's goin' on. You and Mokuba seem cool. So whatever."
Whatever offense he had taken seemed to fizzle out, and in its place was left some tangle of gratitude, uncertainty and frustration.
Jou turned in his seat, facing their friends. Then he took a swig from his glass. "Ready to sing some shit really badly?"
It was an out. And why wouldn't he take it? "Yeah, sure." If he played his cards right, this would be the most 'normal' thing he'd done in a while.
He needed this, and Jou seemed to know that.
Yami managed to catch Jou's arm right as he slid out of his stool. "Thank you, Jounouchi. Really."
"Anytime."