The Ten Things

The Ten Things

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Chapter Twelve

Yuugi stared at his right hand, taking in the sight of his new ring. Receiving this ring had been a shock, almost causing his commitment issues to grow. Yet, with Atemu's cautious demeanor when giving him this beautiful ring, he felt at ease. This ring held a promise and the reminder of their rekindled relationship. Everything seemed to fall in place, leaving his worries at bay. Despite the happiness he felt, Yuugi knew deep down that Atemu had given him the full story of his problems with pain medication. He owed Atemu his own tale of addiction. The past held repercussions for Yuugi. Admitting his problems with alcohol to himself took two years. Admitting his problems with grandpa took three years. Telling Atemu the extent of his former addiction had taken six years.

He was aware of Yuugi's abuse of alcohol but Atemu was not fully aware of how bad Yuugi had gotten in the past. Rehab was hard, leaving Yuugi at rock bottom. Once the stages of detox had taken every ounce of alcohol from his system, the recovering alcoholic faced reality and an all time low. His perspective of life changed during his treatment. He had his good days and his bad days. Yet, Yuugi could not face the truths of his problems without support. With his grandfather so far away, he had little help from his only living relative. Phone calls and occasional letters could only do so much.

In the end, it took the strength of his former fiancée to help him through his problems. She had been there for him during his darkest hours and showed him the light at the end of the tunnel. Serenity, a kindhearted woman whom he had met while at college, helped to steer him down the path of sobriety. With her support, Yuugi realized that life without alcohol was possible. It took ages, but he managed to find a way to cope with his alcoholism and remain sober. Working with alcohol but never drinking it worked well for it. This form of treatment boggled the minds of his therapists and even Serenity herself. Bartending worked well for him, kept his mind clear, and allowed the petite man to deal with the issues he faced. Bartending would always be part of his life as it kept him sober and his thoughts of drinking at bay.

Yuugi turned his attention away from his ring, eyes locked on the door connected to the bar. Today he was back at Millennia, his only job as of that day. Atemu forced Yuugi to step down from running the game shop as he had enough to deal with. So here he was, standing behind the bar at Millennia bored to tears. For a Wednesday afternoon, the restaurant/bar was unusually dead.

'I've already stocked the bottled beer, the bottles of liqueur, changed the kegs, washed the glasses and swept up. What more is there to do?'

Sighing, Yuugi reached into his pocket, pulling out his iPhone. Searching through his various apps, he decided to play around with his new favorite game, Angry Birds. Atemu had downloaded it onto his phone the night before, raving about it. Since then, Yuugi had not put the game down. He was addicted to it. Some things never change, even his love for games.

The game took in all of the game king's attention, leaving him unaware of the new occupant in his bar. A baritone chuckle echoed through the small room, causing Yuugi to look up startled. Amethyst eyes looked up, locking onto familiar and inviting ruby. A sigh of relief exhaled from the petite man's mouth. He set his iPhone to the side, smiling as his lover sauntered over to the bar top.

"Angry Birds again?" He sat down on a barstool, smiling at his little one.

"Yes, I blame you for that." Yuugi chided, walking over towards his man. "You surprised me. I was not expecting to see you this early."

"Well, I needed to eat lunch and I wanted to see you. So I thought why not kill two birds with one stone?"

"Good idea." Yuugi handed Atemu a menu and yawned slightly as he waited for the man to look it over. "Want anything to drink?"

"Yeah, I'll take a Mountain Dew."

"Are you sure about that? I do not want you all hawked up on Mountain Dew, Yami. Remember the other night?"

The elder male rolled his eyes, setting his menu on the counter. "That was one time, little one." He smirked and crossed his arms. "Besides, I do not remember you complaining. You seemed to enjoy that make-out session quite well."

"Whatever gets you through the day, oh clumsy one." He set the Mountain Dew in front of the elder. "Going to order now?"

"Yeah, I want a club sandwich with fries."

"You got it."

Yuugi proceeded to place the order into the computer, talking absently with Atemu. He smiled a little as the man sipped on his drink.

"There is another reason I am here, Yuugi."

Said man looked up, brows raised in curiosity. "There is?"

"Yes, I received a call from grandpa this morning."

Yuugi's eyes widened as he finished with the computer. His full attention was on Atemu. "What did he say? Why didn't he call me?"

Atemu finished off his Mountain Dew and shrugged his shoulders. "He didn't wish to bother you at work." He paused and fiddled with his straw. "He's returning to Domino sometime next week. He sends his love and he wants to talk with you later."

"I see. I guess he is doing better since his departure."

"It's been a couple of months, Yuugi. I doubt he has gotten over Arthur's death that soon. I believe he is just ready to return home. Arthur was more than a friend to your grandfather, love. I think they were together as we are."

"What! What makes you think that?"

Atemu rolled his eyes. "You have always been oblivious to what happens around you. They have been dating behind our backs. I caught them sharing moments together. Thankfully I did not catch them doing the dirty deed though."

Yuugi grimaced, shuddering. "I did not need that mental image of my grandfather and his lover. In addition, for that, you are sleeping in your room, Yami. With Arthur gone, you can take your room back."

"But I don't want to. He died in that room, Yuugi. I want to stay in your room. I like sharing a bed with you."

"Pervert."

"But I am your pervert."

Yuugi snickered and headed to the kitchen. He returned moments later with Atemu's food. He set it down in front of the man and bowed.

"Is there anything else I can get for you, my pharaoh?"

"There is not anything I need right now in public. Maybe I can add you to my harem later?"

"You wish."

With Atemu visiting, Yuugi found that his slow day had turned out for the better. Even with little to no business, his lover managed to keep a smile on his face.

Returning home, Yuugi threw his apron and keys on his desk. He yawned, worn out from the long day endured at Millennia. Atemu had stayed for a while, flirting with him. However, as time shifted to the evening, Yuugi found himself swamped with customers causing his lover to return home. The shop had closed early that day thankfully.

The petite man ran a hand through his hair, yawning once again. He had missed Atemu again, something that worried him. Needing his lover constantly sounded weird and he did not want to be clingy. The house was silent, worrying him. Atemu never remained silent like this when he returned from work.

"Yami are you here?"

Silence met Yuugi. Annoyed, he walked through the upper portion of the house, searching for any sign of his perverted boyfriend.

"Yami?"

Stopping in front of the elder man's bedroom, Yuugi opened the door, meeting complete darkness. Fumbling for the light switch, he jumped as a set of arms wrapped around his slim waist.

"Partner, there you are."

Yuugi's heart jumped and thudded painfully hard in his chest. He squirmed in his lover's arms, turning to glare at him playfully.

"Damn you! I almost had a heart attack! Why the hell are you in here?"

Atemu smirked and removed Yuugi from his grasp. He brushed back the man's blond bangs revealing the industrial piercing he had yet to understand.

"Doesn't this bother you, Yuugi?" He asked fiddling with the barbell in his lover's left ear.

"The industrial piercing does not bother me. However, it did hurt like a bitch when I first got it."

"Hmm… It looks painful. I always see you toying with it whenever you are in deep thought. Is it a nervous habit?"

Yuugi looked uncomfortable as he motioned for Atemu to follow him out of the dark bedroom. The duo headed into the kitchen. Atemu took a seat at the table while Yuugi made some hot tea.

"Did my question make you uncomfortable, Yuugi?" He frowned and watched his lover prepare the kettle of tea.

Yuugi stopped for a moment and shook his head. "Not really. It just goes back to the days of my alcoholism."

"I'm sorry, Yuugi. You know I did not intend to bring back such harsh memories of your past."

The game king waved the other man off, pouring two cups of hot tea. He sat down next to the elder and offered him his warm beverage.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Yuugi took a sip of the warm tea and sighed. "You have nothing to apologize for. I believe it is my turn to tell you the problems I faced with alcoholism."

The Egyptian raised a brow, a frown marring his angular features. He set his mug down, gazing worriedly at Yuugi.

"Yuugi, you do not need to do that. You should not have to relive what happened."

The smaller shook his head, taking Atemu's hands into his own. He held them tightly.

"You did it for me, and you have gone through hell. I need to do the same. I think closure is needed with our pasts, Atemu. You deserve the truth."

The use of his real name brought about the seriousness that the other man felt with this particular subject. He nodded silently awaiting the tales of hell that Yuugi endured.

"After high school I was accepted to a University where I could specialize in English and writing, but it was in California. I did not want to go, but grandpa persuaded me to go. Along the way, I traveled to Texas, Florida, and then to California. During my time there, I was severely depressed with the loss of our relationship. Nothing seemed to cheer me up. I never found interest in anyone other than a handful of one-night stands. I felt like a whore, but I managed to forget about losing you. It was in the middle of first year that I received the call-confirming mom's death. Everything changed. My grades started dropping, my need to sleep around grew, and I started drinking. While drunk, I was able to forget about reality. Nothing mattered but the effects of alcohol. This is when I had gotten my industrial piercing.I wanted distractions from reality. It soon turned into a daily thing. I started drinking in the morning and would continue later in the evening. It wasn't until I met Serenity that I realized the depths of my problems."

"Serenity? Is this the woman that you left at the altar?"

Yuugi nodded sadly. "Yes, she is. I feel horrible for it. She helped me admit to myself that drinking was not the answer to my problems. She took me to rehab after I hit rock bottom. Serenity and grandpa helped me through that rough stint in my life. However, it took two years for me to admit I was an alcoholic. And it took another couple of years to help with sobriety. To this day, I find bartending to help me through my stints of a relapse. Since I have started bartending two years ago, I have not had a drop of alcohol since. Serenity and I remain friends even with the loss of our relationship and engagement. She is the one who realized I still had feelings for you. I knew it would not last between us, and I ended it and called grandpa. He begged me to return here in hopes of getting my life back in order. That is why I returned to Domino in the first place. That and…" Yuugi fiddled with his mug, eyes downcast. A blush dusted across his cheeks. "I wanted to find you again and demand answers about that damn list you made in high school."

Atemu smiled sadly, taking Yuugi's hands into his own. He pressed a light kiss to each digit. He pulled away and looked at his lover.

"I thank you for telling me the truth, Hikari. You have no idea how much it means to me. I know that getting over alcoholism is not easy as is getting over an addiction to Vicodin. I just wish I could have helped you get through that rough stint in your life."

"I wish I could have done the same for you, Yami. To be in that much pain and need drugs to alleviate the pain." He frowned and tightened his grasp on Yami's hands.

"Getting over that stint in my life was nothing compared to losing my mother and you. To this day, I have never visited her grave or mourned for her death. I think with time you can help me overcome this, Yami."

"I'm always here for you, Yuugi. Never forget that."

"I know and I thank you for that. I think you are proving to me that we will get through this. You kept your promise."

"I always have. You will always have me, Hikari. You always will."

Yuugi made a face at the use of his real name, but remained content in this moment. He leaned forward and placed a passionate, but slow kiss on the other man's lips. They broke apart, smiling. Admitting your problems is the first step of recovering. Just as they had gotten through their addictions, their relationship was slowly blossoming into something they once held dear.