Tarnished Innocence

Chapter 6

Alright, I'm cruising along just fine with this story. It's actually more free form than anything, I hadn't really come up with a plan for this story, just a general idea of where I want it to go. Okay, here we go!!!
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The air was thick as Yugi finished telling Jou about himself. It had taken a lot of time and energy, but when he finished, Jou had just smiled encouragingly.

"It's a tough life," he had said while writing in his journal. "But," Jou looked back up at Yugi, "You can't let it pull you down, especially now that you are living with a roof over your head."

Yugi sighed and sat back in his seat, "I have Yami to thank for that, if it weren't for him, I'd still be whoring myself out to strangers."

Jou laughed, "Ah, Yami...he's a strange one that's for sure. But, he's always had my back."

"You've known Yami a while?"

"Almost my entire life, so obsessive that one...he came into my life obsessing over the littlest things. And my god, it annoyed me so much before we actually figured out that it was a big problem."

Yugi nodded, he understood from the very beginning that there was just something off about the man who had offered him a place to stay. Yami cleaned like a mad man for hours on end, to the point where he would begin to bruise, and he would also skip out on meals, Yugi had noticed.

"Does Yami come see you often?" Yugi asked shyly, not really knowing if it was his place to ask.

Jou shook his head, "Not as avidly, he's calmed down a lot, the only time he comes to see me is when he might be on the verge of a breakdown."

Yami seemed like a very interesting person to Yugi, it made him want to find out more about the man who he's currently living with. But other duties call...

"So..." Yugi began.

"Hm?" Jou questioned with a small smile.

"Is there something wrong with me?"

Paper crinkled as Jou flipped through his notes, he became serious in a  matter of seconds. "On top of your anxiety disorders, you are suffering from manic depression and an excessive amount of PTSD, the only thing that I could do is to prescribe you medication and ask for a little bit of your time weekly, that way we can work towards your recovery."

Yugi's eyes lit up, "So you can help me?"

Jou nodded enthusiastically, "No one is not able to be saved Yugi, I think that you have to want to get better in order to start the recovery process. And from the looks of it, you've gotten the push you need to get there."

"Thank you, Jou. I'm really glad to have met you. I look forward to our sessions."

"You as well Yugi, I'll call you and schedule an appointment soon."

Leaving the office in better spirits, Yugi walked the same trek back to Yami's apartment. On the way there, he stopped at a small coffee shop. Not because he wanted coffee, but because he saw the big sign with red letters reading 'Now Hiring.'

It didn't seem like such a bad idea, Yugi did need to find a job sooner or later. Better now than later, right?

He walked in and talked to the manager that was there at the time, he scored an interview the next week.

By the time he had gotten back to the apartment, it was nearing evening. Yami was cleaning the kitchen up and down when Yugi had found him.

"Yami, I'm back!" Yugi called, snapping the man out of his focused state.

He turned around and gave a tiny smile. "Sorry, I didn't hear you come in."

Yugi noticed that the man looked tired and beat, something wasn't right. Yugi walked over and sat next to Yami on the floor that he was previously scrubbing. "Talk to me."

"What?" Yami said surprised.

"Somethings wrong, tell me." It wasn't a question.

Yami sighed and threw away the rag he was using. He took his time plopping next to Yugi, making the cabinet rattle behind them. "I was...worried about you."

"Me?"

Yami nodded slightly before running his hands over his face, "You were gone for a while, I knew where you were but I had this bad feeling for some reason...I don't know." He stressed.

Yugi chuckled, "Well, I'm home now, I was just talking with Jou for a bit."

Yami nodded again, "How did that go by the way?"

"Well, I definitely have depression, on top of that anxiety, and on top of that I have PTSD." Yugi counted on his fingers, "I have to get medication and visit Jou weekly at this point if I want to recover."

"Hm, it's probably not a bad idea." Yami stated and stood up, he held out a hand to Yugi, wanting him to do the same.

Grasping the hand, Yugi was pulled up. A little to much gusto was put into it as Yugi collided slightly into Yami's chest. "Sorry." The older man mumbled.

"It's fine, have you eaten yet?"

"No, I haven't eaten all day actually. I've been busy at the bar and then I cleaned for the rest of the night. Kinda tired actually..." Now that Yugi actually got a good look at the other man, he could tell that he was truthful. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and his eye lids dropped lazily. He looked a mess as well, hair tousled, clothes disarray...he really was beat.

Yugi cracked a small smile, "How about we order something, seems fast for the time we have before we crash."

Yami nodded in agreement and the two of them went into the living room and got comfortable after ordering food. The television played quietly in the background as the two of them ate. They talked about Yugi's job interview the next week, and Yami's day off as well. They spoke as if they were best friends who have known each other for years, it was kind of relaxing for them both.

An hour later found the television turned off and empty food containers strewn about the coffee table. Yami and Yugi had crashed on the sofa together, Yugi somehow finding a place on top of Yami, and Yami with his arms wrapped slightly around the boys frame. It was a sight to no one, and unknown by even the two of them.
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Alright that was Chapter 6, this was probably just a filler chapter before the actual events of the story occur. Thank you guys for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Stay tuned for Chapter 7!