In Safe Hands 2: In My Arms (PuzzleShipping)

Chapter 40

Hours went by. Their trip to Italy was a long one and it was still going to be a while until they were able to cease traveling.

11 hours on the plane and then another 5 hours on a bus to travel to a tourist shop to meet up with Joey, Tristan, Ryou, and Tea. Yugi couldn't wait to see them again. He anxiously thought about how much they'd changed since the last time Yugi saw them at the graduation ceremony in highschool.

Yami looked out the window, mesmerized by the clouds they flew over and how the sun made them look like they were gold.

"Wow..." He said, "Yugi, look at how wonderful this looks."

Yugi looked out the window with him and smiled, agreeing fully.

"It certainly is quite the view..." He said, grinning, "I believe so, anyway."

"I would hope so." Yami playfully poked him, laughing slightly, "So anyway...tell me about your friends."

Yugi tilted his head. He had never asked about his friends before. Yugi didn't understand the sudden change in subject. Yami shrugged.

"You know everything about my relationships with other people like my brother..." He said, "...But I know nearly nothing about your relationships with other people like your friends. I mean, if they're gonna come to our wedding here in a few months, I would wanna see who all was coming!"

Yugi giggled.

"Oh, where do I start?" He laughed, "Joey...is a goofball. He is the most stubborn guy you can meet. But he is the kindest guy I know, despite how we first met."

Yami tilted his head.

"Was he a bully?" Yami questioned.

"Yes. He was a bully." Yugi nodded, remembering the days that he would dread going to school in fear of Joey and his partner, Tristan, "One of the worst I had... but I didn't have many. But I was always the one boy who no one truly noticed. I was kinda... just the little boy who is there for decoration."

Yami looked away.

"And you can call him a friend?" He looked back at Yugi.

"Oh, but I'm not finished." Yugi perked up again and gripped his hand, "My first year in highschool was just like that. But then, I went to tenth grade with him, Tristan, Tea, and Ryou. Ryou was another boy like me: just for decoration. But I'll get to that later on.

"Joey was a bully. He was mean, picked on me a lot, beat me up every now and again, and scared me to the point that I wouldn't want to come to school. Tristan was his bully too. They had been best friends since elementary school and they were inseparable." Yugi said, his gaze downturned, "But with both of them on my tail all the time, school was really hard. They both were mean and nasty."

Yami listened intently. It seemed as though he wasn't the only victim in this relationship. On a level, more than just comfort and listening, Yugi understood his pain more than he knew.

"But one day, I think Tristan, Joey, and I are all glad that I came to school. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have all the friends I do. They might not even be here right now." He said, a faraway look forming in his eyes as he recalled the day he spoke of.

"...What happened?" Yami leaned in, tightening his grip on the airplane seat, "Don't keep me in the dark forever, aibou!"

Yugi shook his head and laughed.

"...I was on my way to school when I found Joey and Tristan." He said, his laughter fading so that he could finish the story, "They had been beaten up by another bully, bigger than the two of them put together and stronger than anyone else at the school. Every student there feared him. Even Joey and Tristan."