Pairing/Character: Yami no Yuugi/ Otogi
Rating: G
Theme #3: Snow Day
Disclaimer: Yuugiou is copyrighted to Takahashi Kazuki.
Otogi turned around in his large bed and moaned loudly against his pillow; he was reminded rather harshly of his splitting headache and a vile taste in his mouth.
"Uhh...never again..." he mumbled, knowing very well that was a lie- he always told himself not to get drunk, or not to drink as much as he did, on a party, and he always ended up the same- naked in bed, his hair a total mess, his eyes bloodshot, and his breath something everybody would be running away from. Shower, mint breath, lots of strong coffee...now.
He rolled over in the bed, vaguely expecting someone to lie next to him in a similar state or worse- he was the one of the friend's circle to hold his liquor the best. Yuugi had been out after one small glass of wine to everybody's great amusement, and Bakura was the same, only he managed to finish a larger glass. Jounouchi, Honda and he himself were the 'best' drinkers, and Jounouchi came closer to out-drinking him each and every year.
There was no one lying beside him, and it surprised and annoyed him, somehow. Otogi was used to having the girls, and sometimes guys, standing in line for him, and he could count the nights he'd spent alone on one hand. It wasn't always about sex, and he wasn't as stupid as to jump into the sack with everyone available. He valued his good name and reputation too much for that, and he knew that was an empty lifestyle anyway. Still, from everyone of the group he was the one to be in a relationship most of the time; deep in his heart, he just didn't want to be alone. He went a 100% for his girlfriend, or occasionally boyfriend, but somehow he didn't succeed in making it everlasting.
Fumbling around- where was the darn door? -Otogi finally found a couple of towels, pressing it against his body as if he found a goldmine. Shower, delicious shower...God, the taste in his mouth made him throw up. He had no idea what time it was and he carefully pulled at the curtain, lifting a piece of fabric up. It was very bright outside, and he squinted his eyes against the sun. Hmm, a cold but bright day...and it had snowed. Neat! He grinned. He loved these pre-Christmas parties; if there was snow, there'd be a snow fight later, especially with Jounouchi involved. Still grinning, he wanted to close the curtain, but his eye caught something...or rather, someone standing outside in the snow. He didn't need a second look to identify the person; there was only one in Domino City, and probably in Japan and the whole wide world, with that kind of hair.
"Sheesh Yuugi, you're up early," he muttered, shaking his head. "Owww..." Bad move. Softly cursing his bad headache, Otogi made his way over to the shower.
One shower and three breath mints later, he felt a little bit better again; the headache would go away eventually and he had nothing planned for today anyway. He knew by experience that after a party like this, it would be futile to plan something- he'd need the whole day to recover. It was turning into a tradition by now to hold a pre-Christmas party with the circle of friends, before they were going to visit their respective family on the holiday itself. Otogi dressed, complimenting himself for not forgetting a change of clothes this year, and pulled away the curtains completely now- the sun still too bright for his taste, and...Yuugi was still standing outside, ankle deep into the snow. What the hell is he doing? Even though the sun is shining, it's pretty darn cold outside. He must be standing for over an hour now, and god knows how long he was standing there before I saw him. Boggled, Otogi went out of his room into the kitchen. Anzu was already up as well, pointing wordlessly at the pot of coffee. He helped himself to a mug, not paying too much attention to the girl- judging from her state; she wasn't feeling all too fancy herself. She'd had probably too much of those mix drinks, not realizing the alcohol in those pretty much added up faster than she'd thought.
The hot liquid ran through his body, but he knew better than to expect it to miraculously cure his headache or his hung over, and Otogi went with the coffee mug in his hand to the living room, thoughts a little jumbled. Jounouchi was lying on the couch, completely in zombie state; whenever he'd wake up, he'd curse louder than anyone else. Honda was curled up in a sleeping bag on the floor, snoring. One dark blue sleeping bag and an extra blanket were neatly folded lying in the corner of the room, reminding Otogi of Yuugi. Trust him to be the only one to neatly fold his sleeping gear, he thought amusedly. Usually, Otogi would open the curtains in the living room and rile Honda and Jounouchi with the bright light and calling out to them to wake up, but he wasn’t feeling like it for some obscure reason. In stead, he put his empty mug down and went to the hallway, taking his coat, scarf and gloves.
After dressing up in warm winter gear, Otogi opened the door and peeked outside. Yuugi was still standing in the garden, his back turned towards him. Wondering, Otogi went outside himself, walking through the thick layer of snow. The only other trail in the snow was Yuugi's footsteps; it was a virgin white landscape, and a beautiful sight to see. Approaching the smaller boy, Otogi called out to him.
"Something the matter, Yuugi-kun? You're standing here as if you've never seen snow before!"
He turned his head into Otogi's direction and the other opened his mouth to say something again, but shut it immediately. He'd been around Yuugi enough to know about his other, the one dwelling in that piece of gold, the Sennen Puzzle, dangling from his neck, the one who lived and died so many years...no, millennia ago...and this wasn't Yuugi. Otogi didn't understand why everyone had so much trouble distinguishing between those two. Everyone would complain that it was hard to see which one was which, but Otogi never had any problem with it. It was the eyes. If anything, Mutou Yuugi didn't have slanted, crimson red eyes, that bore through your soul, right into your very core and giving you the feeling that you were being judged...in good ways or in bad ways.
"I have never seen snow before," he simply answered. His voice was lower than Yuugi's as well, but that was harder to distinguish, something Otogi was willing to admit. But the eyes...so much difference was to see in their eyes. How could anyone look at them and not see the difference in their eyes? The Pharaoh had a regal posture to the very last of his every pore, and his eyes held the same attitude, while Yuugi's eyes were wide, open, trusting, a book for everyone to read. His other's eyes were like a vault- locked, and tough to break open. Yet, at this moment, there was something of… awe in them. At this very moment, they were readable: awe for this weather condition that he, used to the sands of Egypt, had never seen before, a hint of uncertainty as he never had seen this before, and... fragility. Otogi realized that, because this was all new to him, he didn't know how to handle it- he caught the Pharaoh in a very rare, self-doubting moment.
"Didn't Yuugi tell you about this...phenomenon?" He asked, not knowing why he had lowered his voice to a whispering tone.
"But of course," he answered, "aibou has told me about the cold and now, but seeing it for myself is just different." The moment had passed already- his voice held the usual self-confidence, and his eyes were 'locked' again when he looked at Otogi, lips curved into a small smile. Otogi didn't know why he suddenly lamented the passing of that moment, those few seconds the other almost seemed open to him. He returned the smile out of politeness and nodded.
"It must be really something to see this with...a fresh look," he said, not knowing exactly what to say. "I've seen snow so often I just don't give it a second thought."
"It is a marvellous sight," the other acknowledged, "I want to see it as long as possible."
"Don't worry," Otogi reassured him, "according to the weather forecasts, we'll be seeing lots of it for the next few days."
He simply nodded his head, accepting the news with his usual calm composure. "I will enjoy the sight, then."
Otogi was once again at a loss for words; out of everyone he knew, the other Yuugi was the only one to talk in sentences that left very little to answer or to comment to.
"If you don't mind...I will enjoy the sight with you."
A slight surprise was visible for the briefest of seconds, before he nodded his head again, as if granting permission. "As you wish."
He wasn't sure why he said he wanted to enjoy the sight with the other. As he said before, he'd seen snow so often already, each and every year, and now he was standing outside in the cold, looking at all the whiteness around him- on trees, roads, rooftops, cars, mailboxes...looking at it in a whole new light, and it was as if his eyes were opened, just simply looking at something he really never had seen before. Beauty.