Cold Touch

By: Midnight'ssong22

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any other manga/anime for that matter.

A/N: I will warn you now that the begining is kind of angsty. So beware.

-O-

Yugi's POV

My name is Yugi Moto.

I am 16 years old and I attend Domino High School. I live with my grandfather who owns a game shop in downtown Domino City.

I have three friends. Joey, Tristan, and Tea. And currently I'm single.

I seem like a pretty normal kid right?

Not exactly.

You see I have a unique condition. It's a mental condition called Frigophobia. And yes, Frigophobia is a word no matter what Microsoft Word says.

Frigophobia is a unique condition which means that I have a phobia or fear of cold. Sounds strange, right? I mean you don't hear 'I'm afraid of the cold,' every day. Some people might even say that such a fear is ridiculous. And eight years ago I would have agreed with them.

But then again, eight years ago the accident happened.

It had been a very cold winter day in the middle of December. My parents and I had just gotten a tree for Christmas and we were heading home in my dad's van.

The first mistake was driving on the back roads to get home. Roads that hadn't been cleared enough after the snow.

The second mistake was the fact we were driving at night.

The third mistake was that neither my mother nor father were wearing seatbelts. They must've thought seatbelts weren't necessary since it was only a short five minute drive.

It was these factors that not only caused the accident but the death of my parents.

I mean it's not like my father would have known that if he had just driven on the highway then the car wouldn't have slid over the side of the small road.

It's not like we knew that if we had just waited to get the tree the next day, the roads wouldn't have been as slick as they were that night.

And it's not like my parents expected that the first time they decided not to wear seatbelts, they wouldn't ever make it home.

But because they didn't know these things, the car slid off the side of the road and ran into a tree. The windshield broke and my parents died instantly from the impact. But of course, I didn't know this till later.

I was amazingly left unharmed but I was trapped in the backseat, pinned underneath pieces of the crushed car. I remember crying, trying in vain to shake my parents awake. But they wouldn't move and their skin was cold.

I sat there, in complete silence except for my own sobbing, and I slowly grew colder and colder. I had had no blankets and the thin jacket I had worn before was not protecting me from the cold.

I heard sirens in the distance and a bright light flashed in. The first thing I saw were my hands, which had almost turned blue from cold. And the second thing I saw was the snow that had come in through the windshield, stained with blood.

Finally, I passed out and the next thing I knew, I was lying in the hospital, my grandfather Solomon standing over me with tears in his eyes.

It was then I found out my parents were dead.

I was in the hospital for three weeks, being treated for frostbite and hypothermia. I was kept in the warm hospital building until I was finally allowed to leave with my grandfather to go to Domino City with him.

But as soon as the doors opened and the cold air was let in I started shaking uncontrollably, fear overtaking me.

I sunk to the floor, visions of the accident filling my head. Going back to my parents' cold hands and the unbearable cold that overtook me in that car. I passed out there on the hospital floor.

I was diagnosed with Frigophobia right afterwards and they kept me in the hospital for another two weeks, finally letting me go on the warmest day of the season, wrapping me in multiple layers of clothes.

Ever since then, I've never gone out during winter. I spend first semester of school at home, being home schooled by my grandfather and then I go to regular school when it gets warmer. For eight years I've lived like this. Never opening the refrigerator, never going ice skating, never eating ice cream. I can't even do the thing I used to love most in the snow.

I loved snow angels. But now I refuse to even look at them.

I'm just too afraid.

-O-

Regular POV

"Class we have a new student today," said the science teacher in a monotonous voice, "His name is Yami Atemu."

Yugi looked up, his eyes widening as he watched the new student enter the classroom. They looked like twins!

They both had hair that was spiked with golden streaks but Yami had more streaks then Yugi and Yugi had a bang in front of his face. They both were also very short, neither being over 5'3''. But Yugi had big amethyst eyes while the new student had crimson orbs. And while Yugi's skin was a pale white, he had nice tanned skin.

The new student, Yami, smiled at the rest of the class and Yugi swore he could see hearts appear in all the girls' eyes.

Yugi, after recovering from the shock of seeing the lookalike, finally turned away, looking back out the window at the warm spring day. He looked down for a second to look at his gloved hands.

Even when the air conditioning was on he'd start to feel a little panicked, so he always took a jacket and gloves to school. He always wore jeans and long sleeved shirts even while all the other students were wearing shorts and t-shirts.

Yugi didn't even notice that Yami had taken the seat next to him until he heard the baritone voice beside him, "Hey, mind if I'm your lab partner?"

Yugi jumped, turning to face the crimson eyed boy.

"Sorry. Did I scare you?" he chuckled quietly and Yugi felt his cheeks slightly redden from embarrassment.

"No," Yugi replied with a slight pout trying to hide his obvious blush.

Yami just chuckled again, turning his attention to the lesson.

Yugi watched him for a few seconds before turning his own gaze to the front of the class. He noticed a few girls look back at him with jealousy in their eyes.

'Probably angry that I get to sit next to the sexy new student,' he stopped mid-thought, his eyes widening, 'Wait… Did I just think 'sexy'?'

Yugi blushed again, making sure to turn his head away so no one could see. He watched Yami out of the corner of his eye, making sure the other hadn't noticed his movement.

For the rest of the class, Yugi did his best to pay attention to the lesson but found himself taking many quick glances at the boy beside him.

He couldn't help noticing the tight black shirt that clung to Yami's skin, showing off the muscle underneath. He also could not help but notice how attracting the boy was altogether.

By the time the bell rang, Yugi had retained less than half the lesson and had no doubt that he'd need to study hard that night to catch up.

He stood up, packing his things but then he dropped his notebook, said notebook spilling all its contents onto the floor.

"Aw man," he muttered, kneeling down and picking up the scattered papers. A few of the girls in the back walked past him, stepping on as many of Yugi's papers as they could and the guys that followed them scattered them.

"What jerks," Yami said kneeling down as well to help Yugi pick up the papers.

After picking up the scattered sheets, Yami handed them to the smaller and Yugi quickly stuffed them in the notebook. By the time he had put all the stuff in his backpack, the class had emptied, leaving the two boys alone.

"Thanks," Yugi said quietly as they headed out the door and into the crowded hallway.

"No problem," Yami replied, "Lunch is next, right? Do you think you could show me where the cafeteria is?"

"Sure," said Yugi leading the way.

"By the way, to make a formal introduction: My name is Yami Atemu and you are?"

"Yugi. Yugi Moto," Yugi replied with a smile.

"Nice to meet you Yugi Moto," Yami said, holding out his hand.

Yugi reached out with his own, gloved hand and shook his, giving the taller a bright smile.

They soon got into the cafeteria and Yugi showed Yami where to buy lunch before leaving to sit outside with his friends. Like always, he had brought his own lunch, not liking the food and the cold temperature of the cafeteria.

"Hey Yug!" called Joey from the benches they had called home during lunch period. Tea and Tristan were already seated, next to the blond, talking animatedly about something or other.

Yugi sat beside them, shedding himself of his jacket and gloves, now that he was out in the heat of late spring.

None of them asked about the extra clothes, all of them knowing of his condition.

Yugi had his back to the cafeteria building so once again he did not notice Yami until after he spoke in his ear.

"Could I possibly have lunch with you? I don't find any of the other options of seating, satisfying."

Yugi jumped, losing his balance and falling back, dropping his lunch box and landing on the grass at Yami's feet.

"You need to realize that I'm really not trying to scare you. It just kind of happens when I speak to you," Yami said with a smirk as Yugi sat as his feet, trying to hide his darkened face.

"Here," Yami said, extending his hand out to Yugi.

Yugi reached up and grabbed it, but reeled back in shock and fear and fell back to the ground.

Images of his frostbit hands from back then flashed through his head before he was able to think straight.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yami asked kneeling down to the ground and looking into Yugi's eyes.

Yugi forced his fear down and managed to stand up and replying yes with a shaky voice. But of course he was far from okay.

Yami's hands had been as cold as ice, sending fear through his system at the touch. The cold immediately reminding him of that night. He hadn't realized that they had been that cold before when they had shook hands. But, before he had been wearing his gloves which he had long since sledded off in the heat.

His friends looked at him in worry but he managed a smile and offered the seat next to him for the confused Yami. Yugi picked up his dropped lunch box and his jacket and gloves. Slipping on the clothes before sitting down himself and taking out his sandwich, trying to act like nothing had happened.

But even he could see his hands shaking as he tried to eat his sandwich.

"Yug, are ya sure you're ok?" asked Joey.

Yugi nodded in reply, quickly changing the subject, "So Yami, when did you move to Domino City?"

Yami watched him for a few seconds before answering, "I moved in during the Christmas break with my dad. We moved here from Egypt."

"Egypt? That's definitely quite a move," Tristan said from his place on the bench across from us.

"Yeah, why'd you guys decide to move here?" Tea asked.

"My dad was born here and we came here to be closer to his family. I was born in Egypt but when my mother died three years ago, my father has wanted to come back to his hometown ever since."

"How long did ya live in Egypt?" Joey asked, obviously intrigued.

"Well, I was born in Egypt but we moved to America when I was 4 and then moved back to Egypt when I was 10. I'm 16 now, and now I'm here."

"Wait," Yugi interrupted, thinking aloud, "That must mean you know how to speak English, Egyptian Arabic, and Japanese! Three whole languages!"

"Yup, it took a while but I eventually learned Japanese after studying it in school for a couple years," Yami replied with a smile.

For the rest of the lunch Yami and Yugi learned more and more about each other. Yugi couldn't help but feel glad that everyone had forgotten about his episode at the beginning of lunch.

He knew that it would be hard being Yami's friend if the other's touch was so cold but he couldn't help but be drawn to him. From his personality to his past to his body.

'Wait… body? Why do I keep thinking like that?' Yugi thought to himself, slapping his forehead and once again hiding a developing blush.

"Yugi?" asked Yami from his place next to him, worry filling his eyes.

"It's nothing!" Yugi replied quickly, trying to think up a quick lie "I just forgot to ask the teacher something today. I'll just have to tell him tomorrow."

Yami raised an eyebrow, like he sensed the lie but he let it go, continuing their conversation up until the bell rang that signaled that the final period of the day would be starting.

"What's your last period, Yugi?" asked Yami as they stood up and picked up their stuff.

"Band, you?"

"Looks like I got lucky. I have band next period too."

"Really?" Yugi replied, "What instrument do you play?"

"Baritone. What about you?"

"Flute," Yugi replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Why so red? Embarrassed cause you play such a beautiful instrument? I find no fault in that. I actually think the quiet, beautiful tone fits your personality perfectly."

Yugi felt his cheeks darken to an even darker shade.

They soon came to class and they separated into their different sections. Once again, Yami was introduced to the class and girls once again sat staring with hearts in their eyes. Class was uneventful and afterwards Yugi and Yami bid farewell to each other and left for home.

After a couple weeks, Yugi and Yami became exceptionally close, hanging out between classes, eating lunch together, and even hanging out after school so Yugi could show him the best places in town.

But one day after school, Yugi found himself in a very awkward conversation with Tea on the bus ride home.

"You are so into Yami," she said bluntly after the bus started on the road.

"What?" Yugi exclaimed, knowing that if he had been drinking something he would have spit it out at that instant.

"Come on, Yugi! It's sooo obvious you like him," she replied simply.

"But… but I just met him a couple weeks ago! A-and I'm not even gay!"

"How do you know? I've never seen you interested in anyone before! Definitely not any girls from out class."

"I-I don't… Even if I did like him… I mean, he's probably not even gay. And even if he was… what would make you think he would want to go out with me? He has a lot of girls and guys to pick from!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Yugi, it's so obvious he's into you too!" she said exasperated.

"But…" Yugi started but Tea interrupted him.

"Just think about it! I think you two would be really cute together."

Just then the bus stopped, and Yugi quickly hopped off, glad to get away from the bluntness that is Tea.

Yugi walked the short distance to his home, thoughts swirling around in his head with what ifs.

'Who am I kidding? I do like Yami. But does he like me? What if he just wants me to be his friend? But what if Tea's right and he does like me?'

He stopped for a second, thinking silently about the possibilities. Then his thoughts veered in another direction.

'That first day,' he thought, looking down at his gloved hands, 'His hands were so cold…'

Yugi trembled just at the thought of the icy grip; it reminded him so much of his parent's cold skin. The fear started traveling through his body and he found himself on the brink of tears. He quickly shook his head of his thoughts, and ran the rest of the way home.

Upon entering, he collapsed on the couch in a heap, his terror quickly fading as he laid there.

He hated it when the fear overtook him. He hated that sometimes the mere thought of cold brought up those haunting images. It made him so vulnerable.

He was about to let the tears fall, when he felt a buzz from his pocket. He easily wriggled his cell phone and answered it with a soft hello.

"Yugi?" asked the familiar warm baritone voice on the other line.

"Oh, hey Yami," Yugi answered shifting on the couch so that he was sitting up, clutching one of the couch pillows to himself.

"Is something wrong?" Yami asked, sounding worried.

"I'm, fine. So what's up? Something you need?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to come see a concert with me downtown. It has a bunch of various local artists that I heard were pretty good. And we could go grab a pizza or something afterwards."

Yugi thought for a second, torn on whether to go or not. He was still feeling slightly panicked after his little episode but at the same time it sounded like Yami really wanted to go. He didn't want to disappoint him.

"Sure," Yugi finally said.

"Good, it's a date then. I'll pick you up at 6:00 and we'll go straight there. That okay?"

But Yugi stayed quiet, shocked into silence by Yami's word choice.

'Did he say date?'

"Yugi?"

"Uh um yeah, th-that's fine Yami. I'll, uh, see you then," Yugi replied slowly.

"Okay, later," Yami replied happily before disconnecting.

Yugi just sat a few more minutes in stunned silence before he finally pulled himself off the couch and went to his room to get ready.

-O-

A/N: So that's the first chapter of Cold Touch. I know it's a very strange idea but I do swear to you that Frigophobia is a real mental condition. I looked it up and read about it specifically to write this story. From what I read, Frigophobia can be caused by anything traumatic that has to do anything with the cold. The condition can range from anything between a mild uncomfortable feeling when out in the cold to something as serious that they would tremble or pass out like Yugi did in the story. It is even possible that just by thinking of the cold, like Yugi did, that they would start to panic. Most people with serious cases would wear multiple layers or never leave the house just to stay away from the cold. Most cases would be treated by some sort of therapy but for the sake of the story Yugi will have to live with his condition for a little while before it's fixed. I'm not going to write therapy scenes in this. That would waste his time, especially when he needs to be with Yami! :)

So please tell me what you think so far! Tell me if it's good enough to keep going or if it sucks so bad that I should just delete now. So please read & review or I'll think you guys just hate it! Thanks! :)