Yami thinks he has reasonable expectations for college.
He expects hard classes, study groups, all-nighters, coffee addiction. He expects clubs, new friends, parties. He expects to learn and share life skills with his roommate. And he's right to expect them, in a way.
The classes make him regret his existence and every one of his life choices, while at the same time enriching him. He meets friends from Japan, America, Britain, and even Egypt. Those friends once accidentally stole a billionaire's car with a pig in the backseat and only escaped jail time because Yami beat the billionaire at a children's trading card game. Yami counts it as an adventure and sort-of-party. He shares important life skills with his roommate, too.
"What the hell was that?!"
"I, uh, I kinda put a Capri-Sun in the microwave."
"You what?"
"I left it in the freezer and it completely froze! So I thought I could thaw it out in the microwave and then there was a bzzt and blue lightning and-"
"You're never supposed to put aluminum in the microwave, Joey!"
"That has aluminum?"
Maybe he expects too much from college.
Does he expect handsome guys that make him swoon? Yes. Does he expect to ever get into a relationship with one of them? No. Does he want to? Absolutely not.
He decides to wait for a relationship -a serious one, anyway- because a romance in college means an emotional effort that could be invested in his school work. He wants a career first; one that he'll meet his partner in so things won't be complicated. He doesn't want heartbreak or drama to interfere with his education. Romance, he decides, can wait.
And then Yugi fucking Mutou walks into his mathematics class during his second year and all that goes flying out the window.
His eyes are wide and Yami swears there's never a moment the guy doesn't have a smile on his face. He is extremely polite to everyone he meets. His laugh is like ringing bells and the first time Yami hears it from the other side of the classroom, he quite literally trips over his own feet.
This is fine. Yami can deal with crushes and visually appealing people as long as it doesn't get any deeper. It's admiration that will go away.
And then they get partnered together for a project and it's everything he's ever wanted and hated all rolled into one. He learns about Yugi, and Yugi learns about him.
It's a project due by the end of the semester so, naturally, Yami wants to start it as soon as possible. He arranges the time and place that he and Yugi can work on the project together; Yugi brings the creativeness and smiles.
Yami learns that math isn't Yugi's strongest subject. It annoys him that he sometimes has to play tutor when Yugi doesn't understand what they are doing. But the way Yugi's eyes shine with perseverance and the way he listens closely to Yami's explanation makes it bearable. Yugi's dorm is a mess; not the type with food wrappers and empty soda cans were thrown about that attract rodents and insects, but the kind where writing utensils were placed in a bunch on his desk with no container. It was an organized mess; Yugi knew where everything was and, after multiple visits, so did Yami.
"That is not where those go." They've been working together for a few months, somewhere along the line becoming friends, so Yami thinks he's allowed to comment.
Yugi raises an eyebrow. "My CDs?"
"They're just piled on the floor!"
"Next to my radio and TV. That's my little section for my entertainment electronics. And over there-" He gestures to his desk. "-is where I have my craft stuff. Yes, I saw you staring at it the other day. I know where everything is." Yugi smiles. Yami is, for once, left silent.
