Hi guys! It's finally time for Chapter 3 (clearly lol)! I've been so busy moving and working amongst other typical adult dilemmas, so I'm sorry it's a little bit late! I might update every week and a half instead just because of how life is right now. I promise though that I think up new ideas for this story each day! Hopefully I'll find a pace that'll work for me until school starts. Ironically I'll be less busy then.

But anyway, let's see how our boys fare this time and how much Yugi can embarrass himself. Sometimes I think I'm too harsh on the guy haha. Also, I'd forgotten just how sassy Yugi can be in the English dub of the anime. Like damn. Calm it. So without further ado, let the sass commence!

Chapter 3: Overtime

The rest of the week was surprisingly uneventful. None of the customers were all too demanding or troublesome, and I was able to hide any signs that I was uncomfortable even when it was busy. Having an influx of people meant that I was too preoccupied with checking them out rather than the cop that was still prominent in my brain. At least, I would've been checking him out had he showed up again. I had figured that he wouldn't, I know I wouldn't have, but a small part of me felt a twinge of disappointment that he hadn't. More than just ogling him, I wanted to apologize. What had come over me I wasn't sure, so I just chalked it up as a visceral reaction to him and nothing more.

At least, that's what I had hoped was the case.

Anzu could clearly see that I still had Officer Sennen on my mind. I knew that because I've been told throughout my life that my face gave everything away. Despite how badly I could sense that she wanted to speak up, she left me to my internal battle for the most part. She hadn't said anything to Jounouchi when he came back to work the next day or to anyone else and I appreciated the hell out of it. The only thing that she really did, and it surprised me every time, was that she would pop up her head almost as fast as me whenever there was the familiar ring of the bell above the door.

Could it be- nope. Old lady with a cane. Definitely not my type.

With each false sighting that occurred, Anzu would look at me carefully out of the corner of her eyes before returning to what she was doing. It wasn't until the following Monday that she finally said something to me. I heard her huff while I was staring off into space. You could probably make a guess as to who I was thinking about.

"Okay, Yugi," she began carefully, "For just being a guy you have no more than a sexual interest in, you sure seem to be thinking about him a lot."

I was going to defend myself, really I was, but I knew it would've been in vain. It would've given me no sense of relief to lie when I knew she was right.

I merely sighed in defeat. "I know."

"I this just about saying that you're sorry?"

"Yes," I began, but it felt like poison in my mouth, "Well, no. Or maybe? I don't know, Anzu."

She gave me her classic motherly look and patted the top of my head lovingly, brushing her fingers in my hair in an attempt to soothe me. It worked somewhat.

"If I could bring him here, you know I would. Even if I'd have to drag him by his dick."

Laughter burst through my chest despite my internal dilemma and I drew closer to her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"It's good to know that you look out for me," I whispered, leaning my head into her torso.

She returned the hug with vigor at the tone of my voice and giggled too. "Of course. Like I told you before, I have to look out for my sons."

"At least tell me that I'm the favorite."

She drew back and ruffled my spikes into disarray. "As if there'd be any doubt."

"Funny, I wasn't aware that you'd signed any adoption papers, Anzu."

Both of us whipped our heads around to acknowledge the voice that we recognized as Jounouchi's, though it was a little more nasaled than usual due to the cold he was still recovering from. He was leaning against the wall near the counters with an amused grin on his face. Not that that was any different form usual. I hardly ever saw the blonde without one.

Because you're never fully dressed without a… never mind.

"Oh, I never signed anything. I was listed as the next living relative, so I had to take you in."

Jounouchi flounced his hair dramatically and draped his arm over his face.

"My own mother despises me so? And here I thought that I was a loyal, loving child."

Anzu stomped over to him and roughly pinched his checks before slapping one of them gently. Jounouchi winced at the force and rubbed at his face once he was free from her grasp. She grinned at his reaction. He was wise to not say anything.

"The only child I have that plays that part is Yugi," she stated, gesturing to me, "You should do well to act like your brother."

I rolled my eyes at their antics and chuckled while I was fixing my spikes. Those two always knew the best ways to cheer me up.

"Hey, I'm a great older brother," Jounouchi defended, huffing and crossing the small distance towards me. I was scooped up from under my arms and pressed against his chest, "Right, Yugi?"

My index finger tapped against my bottom lip as I contemplated his question. "Hey, last time I checked, I was older than you!"

Well, it's only by a month and a few days, but it still counts!

This time, he was fluffing up my hair and I tried to push myself away from the assault. He just snorted and pulled me even closer.

"Well, I'm taller than you, so that doesn't matter! Everyone just assumes that I'm older anyway."

I gasped at him wide eyed as he ceased creating a nest on my head. He just smirked devilishly and releasing me, turning away and hiding behind Anzu. Another wise move.

"Not that it matters though," he stated, revealing another one of his award winning smiles, "You definitely are the favorite. That's what's important."

"Aww, you two are so sweet!" Anzu cheerfully declared, "Maybe having two sons isn't so bad!"

I couldn't agree with her more. Despite how… odd my friends could be at times, they were definitely family. Even though Jounouchi didn't know anything about my situation with the cop, he seemed to sense that I had been berating myself.

And there was no way in hell that he'd let me continue doing so.

…

But it didn't mean that he would stop making fun of my height.

A few more days went by and I had started to come to terms with what had happened. Not that it was through my own will by any means, mind you. This was mostly due to the days feeling akin to trudging through miles of quicksand, especially the mornings. Anzu had switched shifts with another coworker for a little while and had texted both Jounouchi and I how busy the nights had been. In comparison, I wouldn't have been shocked if a tumbleweed blew through. It at least would've caused some movement in the store.

With first shift tasks already completed by mid-day, Jounouchi was leaning on the register closest to our table fan and held his face right in front of it, eyes closed in contentment.

Yeah, sure, Jounouchi. Go ahead and block to only airflow back here.

With so many older electronics and machines squeezed into a small walkway and large windows letting the sun's rays pinpoint us directly, it got hot even with air conditioning running constantly. It also didn't help when Jounouchi was the equivalent of a big yellow bus and took up as much room as he wanted.

Like, could you park your big butt somewhere else, please?

"For one thing, you get really ornery when you're even a little bit warm."

He lifted his head up to address me completely. Apparently my inner monologue didn't feel like staying that way that morning.

"And for another, I'm proud of my big butt."

Though he was leaning over, his butt was almost to my eye level and he shook it jokingly, bobbing his head to his own made up beat. I laughed and was almost tempted to slap him, almost, when I heard a cough from behind us before my hand could even come close to making contact.

Pegasus stood tall with his arms crossed, ready and willing to scold us if we didn't try to do anything productive. The thing about Pegasus was that no matter if every task was done, the store was clean from top to bottom, and everything that could be stocked was, he expected us to make up some new, completely unnecessary duty. Well, that's how Jounouchi had thought of it anyway. At least that was the gist I had gotten over the countless texts of him complaining.

Gee, it's almost as if we're here to do a job or something.

To save the both of us from a lecture, I ducked around Pegasus and scratched at the back of my head, laughing awkwardly.

"Well, I'm going to go see if the candy isle needs rearranging. You know how those kids are, grabbing at things only to have their parents carelessly put them back on the shelves."

With that, I turned on my heel and started towards the aisles. My manager merely nodded whilst glaring at Jounouchi. He seemed to get the message and stood back upright with a groan of annoyance, also moving from behind the counter towards the back room.

"I'm gonna go check on inventory," he mumbled, "Are you staying up here, boss?"

"For now. You two boys, well, mainly you, Jounouchi, should just focus on keeping busy. I'm not paying you to stand around, you know."

I didn't need to be in hearing range to have a guess at what Jounouchi had probably responded with under his breath: 'You're hardly paying us at all'.

He's too cliché and predictable sometimes, that blonde.

So Jounouchi disappeared into the back and Pegasus busied himself with a guest that had wandered in. Meanwhile, I checked the dates on each wrapper and rearranged some of the disheveled displays. I hadn't entirely been joking when I said that kids made a mess of the sweets. Some days it would even take hours to put everything back in its proper place. Not that I minded it. It gave me the opportunity to step away from the registers now and again, and I appreciated the break even on the days when it was slow. Since it was one of those days, I busied myself in peace for quite a long time and only paused when the entrance bell tinkled across the store. It had become a habit to check if it was a certain cop at that point, so I peeked from behind the rack slowly so I couldn't be spotted.

Dammit, Yugi, stop giving yourself false hope with this guy! He's never going to-

Considering that I am a person that always seems to run at the highest heat setting when embarrassed or surprised, I was completely taken aback by the feeling of my blood going cold.

That wasn't the only thing I was taken aback by either.

Standing in the entrance, clad in his uniform with an additional vest over it, was Officer Sennen. The sun at his back seemed to create a halo effect around him as his ruby eyes glanced around the store. He seemed to be looking for something, a frown across his just-as-gorgeous-as-I-remember features in slight annoyance and disappointment. I ducked back behind the shelves when I saw his eyes trailing towards me and I prayed he wouldn't spot me. He seemed to not have found what he was looking for as I listened to him stride to the counter. To my boss.

Oh God, if he thought that I was bad, he's not going to like Mr. Sexual Predator one bit.

I chanced a look then, retreating just enough from my safe spot to see Pegasus glance up with a big grin and a twinkle in his eye. He leaned one elbow on the counter and rested his head on his hand.

Please behave, sir. Please!

"Why hellooooo, officer! What can I do for you on this bea-utiful morning!"

Son of a…

True to the stoic nature of the police, he didn't seem the least bit phased by the antics of my manager. It most certainly wasn't the first time he'd been flirted with. Hell, I could almost guarantee that I wasn't either, considering the freaks he's probably dealt with in the past. He'd been taught to just ignore that kind of thing and just do his job.

Yet the way he reacted to me…

NOPE. Stop that train of thought right now, young man!

Pegasus was rewarded with a small smile, though nothing pleasant seemed to be held in it.

"Good morning, sir," the police man replied, fake smile still plastered across his face, "I gather by your name tag that you are the owner of this establishment, yes?"

"My, so formal for someone so young," Pegusus remarked, his eyes trailing up and down the officer's body non-discreetly, "But, why yes, I am. To what to I owe this great… pleasure."

Ugh, excuse me while I barf.

The officer merely crossed his arms and continued to look indifferent to the man's suggestiveness. "I was hoping to speak with one of your employees actually."

My eyes must've been the size of dinner plates and my heart pounded in my chest.

No. Fucking. Way.

Pegasus raised an eyebrow, seemingly disappointed that his flirting had gone unacknowledged. "Oh… of course. They may not be working today, but I can definitely do my best to help you. Who were you looking for?"

This is NOT happening right now. Nope. Someone spiked my morning coffee and I'm having the most incredible, realistic hallucination from it.

The cop nodded his head and clicked his tongue quietly before speaking. "I am looking for a Jounouchi-san. Is he possibly in?"

I can't believe he-

Wait. WHAT?!

I felt my heart break in two as confusion and disappointment swarmed like angry bees in my head. When had Jounouchi ever even spoken to him? Did the officer happen to stop by the one day I hadn't been working that past week? It didn't seem very likely.

Then… why?

Why Jounouchi? Why not me?

Why me?

At least I could answer the latter without outside help.

My manager looked just as puzzled but still pushed himself from the counter and walked briskly to the back room without a word. My mouth went dry as I waited for Jounouchi to appear from the doorway like I knew he would be.

When he finally did, Pegasus was behind him and gestured to the inquirer.

"Here you go, officer, Jounouchi-kun," Pegasus introduced, lightly shoving the blonde behind the counter and directly in front of the police man, "Feel free to do with him as you wish."

"Um… you forgot to mention that he was a cop," Jounouchi commented, voice barely above a whisper that I had to strain to hear from my distance away. His face seemed to convey two emotions and only that: Number 1: He looked completely taken off guard. Clearly he didn't know the crimson-eyed man before him.

So Jounouchi's just as lost as I am. Fabulous.

Number 2 was a little more difficult to pick up if someone didn't know him as well as I did. I could hear a slight tremor as he spoke, and I completely understood why.

He'd always had an issue with the law.

He was forced away from his sister Shizuka at a young age by the government, placed into the home of his abusive father, and been arrested multiple times . Battery, petty theft, underage drinking; all side effects of his upbringing. Once he had enough money to move out and a job to sustain himself, he proceeded to take care of his constantly ill little sister without a second thought. Jounouchi held a clean record ever since, but as I watched him in the presence of a member of the law, he still couldn't help but revert back to primal instincts within his mind: fight or flight. Whatever choice he had decided on, he wisely stood paralyzed while he waited for the cop to speak first.

Not that he's going to get much from him by the looks of it.

He seemed just as bewildered by the other's presence, even if for different reasons.

"Well, uh… you will have to forgive me for saying this," the man started, arms crossed with slight frustration etched on his face, "But you must be mistaken. The young man that I spoke to previously looks nothing like him but was wearing that tag."

I gasped at hearing that, clutching unknowingly to my chest where my pin lay with my last name inscribed onto it: Mutou. The day that we had met, I had forgotten my name tag and had used Jounouchi's instead, so that meant…

He was intrigued enough to try to learn my family name but had gotten the wrong one in the process.

Honestly, only this kind of stuff could happen to me.

I watched carefully as the officer motioned to his hair and tugged at a maroon-tipped spike. "His hair has quite a resemblance to mine and he is… petite in stature."

Yup. Thanks for pointing that out as a defining factor.

He seemed to stare off distantly past the two men behind the register and sighed. "And he has lovely, violet eyes shaped like a cartouche."

My blush turned up another notch like a burner on a stove and I could've sworn that my jaw had hit the floor with a smack.

He thinks I'm- that my eyes are… my eyes? What about his?!

With his amber eyes wide in astonishment, Jounouchi looked in my general direction before locking with my… cartouche eyes with an inquisitive gaze. It asked all the questions I didn't need to hear while my own features held no response to them. When he finally concluded that I was offering no explanation, he turned his attention to the cop instead.

Officer Sennen's presence with my fellow employees was far coarser than when he had interacted with me. Under his formal and polite speech lied a hidden, harsher tone that was incredibly demanding. Even with his obvious shorter stature, the two other men looked physically taken aback. It now made complete sense that the man was a cop. One minute he could be gentle and sincere and the next take charge when least expected. Anyone who hadn't succumbed to his aura would be borderline insane to go against his orders, lest they wanted to be beheaded.

Err… or arrested. Pick your poison.

I watched as Pegasus look to the blonde, his gaze strong enough to pull my coworker from his trance. He in turn seemed to silently plead with our manager, meaning that he was at least aware of my plight.

Bless you, Jounouchi. I'll never get irritated with your humongous butt being in front of the fan again.

At that, Pegasus merely grinned in sick delight before addressing the officer once more.

Pegasus, I swear to God, if you-

" Oh, you must be referring to Mutou- kun! Of course, kind sir, he's right down that aisle over there!"

Go sit on a fucking flag pole.

He pointed in my general direction and I quickly maneuvered out of sight with a yelp before the officer had time to turn around. I wasn't sure if Pegasus had saw me eavesdropping or not, but he apparently had some bone to pick with me. Or he was just a dick. That's far more likely.

I heard the familiar clack of work boots against the store tile, its volume increasing with each step. Now it was my turn to choose whether or not to follow my natural instinct to flee, but I figured weaving through the small maze of aisles only to be tackled moments later didn't sound very appealing.

At least, I wouldn't mind if it led to something more...

...

Fucking... Other head? Yeah, you. Piss off.

Instead, I opted to return to my forgotten duties and ignore him as best I could. Foolproof, right? At least that was my master plan until he stood beside me as I was crouched on the floor with an opened box of Snickers in my lap. He wasn't even physically touching me and I felt like his presence set my skin prickle like an electrical wire. His eyes singed me in equal measure and I could practically feel holes being burned into my back from the intensity. We stayed like that for a moment while I continued to stock as if I was none the wiser, but he did tap his foot briefly and signaled for my attention with a clearing of his throat. Only then did I meet his smoldering eyes which softened drastically as violet met crimson. I figured I looked similar to a lost puppy. He further confirmed this by bending to his knees to meet me at eye level, expression still gentle.

"So, Mutou-san, I presume?"

It was then that I concluded that no sweeter words existed anywhere in the universe. My name draped from his thins lips like yards of the finest silk and I wished for nothing more than to be embraced by it. By him.

I wonder if his skin is just as luxurious as his voice…

Somehow I tore my eyes from his thin mouth (When had that happened?) and gulped before properly addressing him.

"Y-yes, officer." I said as I thought carefully about my next words. There was no need to repeat the… insinuation that had occurred during our last encounter. "Is… there something I can do for you?"

This time he seemed to be the embarrassed one. There was no blush hidden below his features, but his ruby pools reveled a strange sense of insecurity. He brought up a hand to rub the nape of his neck before resting it one his opposite shoulder.

"Well, yes, actually," He started, his eyes still sparkling but with another emotion that I couldn't quite place, "I was wondering if you would quite possibly like to… well…"

"'Like to?'" I offered, and he seemed to cling to it like a lifeline.

What I wasn't expecting was his offer that followed.

"I apologize, I am usually more adept with these situations…" he uttered under his breath, most definitely more to himself than to me but I was able to catch it, "Would you like to take your lunch break with me?

…

…

I've died and gone to heaven. The pearly gates have opened wide and angels are singing glorious songs. Beyond them is an utter god waiting there against the sky, awaiting the opportunity to spend time with me. Me.

Halleluiah!

If I wasn't a puddle of goo before, I was then. Or maybe 'charred remains' was a better way to put it. I was on fire. Everywhere.

Quick, Jounouchi! Grab the fire extinguisher from the back before this whole place goes up in flames with me!

I was sputtering like a crackling flame before I could catch my breath. He was waiting so patiently, so calmly like his question had no effect on him whatsoever, but he deserved a proper answer regardless.

Even if his offer didn't mean the same to him as it did me, it was the least I could do for him.

"Um… yeah...YEAH, sure!" My voice must've cracked at every word but it was too late to back out. Full steam ahead. "Just let me go tell my boss that I'm going on my break!"

"Wonderful," he exclaimed with a grin as he carefully drew up from the floor, "I will be waiting outside the store for you then."

And with that, the crimson eyed man glided back outside where I could see him leaning against the brick wall of the exterior. My assent was, as per usual, not as graceful as his, but I carried on and marched my way over to a stunned pair who had just finished helping a few customers.

"I'M GONNA GO ON MY LUNCH HOUR NOW K THANKS BYE."

I didn't even wait for a response, a questioning look or a hint of denial. Anything akin to that would've held me back from my goal; a heavenly man standing at the gates waiting for me.

And there was no way in in hell, or heaven, that I would I keep him waiting.

The melodious bell above the 'gate' chimed loudly as I quickly caught my bearings and strode out.

Phew, done and done! I'm not as happy as I like to be with this one, but hey, what can you do? Hopefully you guys enjoyed it though! C: Please review because it keeps me going!