Desk Partner
The daily routine of a high school student was nothing short of mediocre. So many days, weeks, and months had passed already and everyone in Domino High grew bored of the repetition in their supposedly youthful lives. Holidays seemed like a distant memory now, and there wouldn't be any for a while more. Motivation in the once cheery teenagers had diminished drastically and the once enlightened mother of nature gave no sympathy to them as rain showered every corner of the city for weeks on end. Now, it seemed like everyone who had to or bothered leaving the comfort of their homes had absolutely nothing to look forward to as they dragged their feet against the earth in an attempt to get the day over with. For someone who was accustomed to the cruel, uneventful routine, Yugi felt like the weather was translating his lonely feelings out loud for the world to finally see.
School had finished for the day and everyone was more than happy to shuffle out of the tense atmosphere of their classroom. Yugi Mutou, a small boy with black spiked hair with tips dipped in red and steaks of blond, lightning bolt bangs shaped around his face, watched his depressing classmates with huge, sympathetic amethyst eyes. He wanted to say something to somehow brighten their spirits, but without many friends and no real social experiences, Yugi couldn't find the right words to say to them. So, the small boy continued to watch the heap of students take their defeated leave until he was alone. He sighed.
"I guess I'll go to the library now." Yugi muttered softly, as if he didn't want nonexistent ears to hear. Normally, he would follow the rest of the students' example and walk home to his and his grandfather's Kame Shop right after school, but he had been informed during his lunch break by his homeroom teacher that his grades were flat-out horrible. Anzu Masaki, Yugi's childhood and only real friend, had eavesdropped on the conversation somehow and demanded later on in the day that he study seriously. Usually, he would've dismissed her orders casually, but once the brunette beauty had offered to treat him on the weekend to a meal at the famous Burger World he loved so much, Yugi just had to comply. Now, he just had to go to the library and do his homework like they agreed he would do for the entire week. He would've gone home to do the work there, but the games in his room were all too tempting to him. Especially the particular game he kept on him at all times.
After finding the school's library, Yugi entered the cool temperature room and marveled at the sight before him. Many tall bookshelves were lined up nicely within the area and were packed with books of all sizes. He had been in the library a few times in the past, but those times were only when he would return a book he'd find lying around somewhere on campus. Now that this wasn't the case, Yugi was able to admire the scene around him, completely disregarding the loathe he had for reading. After a while, Yugi snapped out of his trance and remembered about his mission and quickly shuffled through the room to find a table. He made it to the back of the room where a few rows of long, wooden desks could be found and stopped to examine.
To the small boy's disappointment, all the rectangular tables were taken. Not all the chairs were filled, but Yugi watched with discouragement for his poor luck none the less. About half the tables present were occupied by groups of female students, all chattering away either about their assignments or the latest gossip, he couldn't tell. One table was completely overtaken by teachers and tutors who were discussing about a serious matter Yugi couldn't hear and two other tables were dominated by male students playing board games. He lightly pouted at the last two tables he saw, knowing very well that envy wasn't going to do his homework for him. With a reluctant slouch of his shoulders, Yugi looked at the last table in the front corner to his left. Only one person occupied the remaining table and he wondered if the student was sleeping since he had his head down on crossed arms. From what he could already see, Yugi felt his chest tighten in astonishment at the stranger's identical star-shaped hair style he had. Sure, he only saw the back of the student's hair, but it wasn't often someone would even have hair shaped like his. The short boy quickly dismissed the thoughts in his head before he got carried away and made his way over to the last table. With five empty chairs, Yugi was sure taking one of them wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience to the sleeping student. He quietly pulled the chair nearest him, which took the right corner of the table while the stranger took the left. Once he firmly sat himself down on the cushioned seat, Yugi placed his school bag on top of the surface of the table, having noticed that the stranger had put his own bag on the chair perched between them. Yugi sighed in contentment as he fished out the assignments of the day from his blue bag, ready to get them over with.
"Who are you?"
Yugi let out a soft squeak as he froze in motion at the sudden sound of a voice nearby. His heart had stopped for a second and he momentarily wished he would've gone home, instead. However, he knew that he came too far to run away now. Yugi forced himself to turn his head toward the speaker, whom he had thought was sleeping on the left side of the table.
"Who? Me?" Yugi stuttered, mentally slapping himself. Why did he have to be so shy for?
The stranger blinked at the question Yugi asked. It was after the student raised a sharp eyebrow did the smaller boy notice his crimson irises under it. He also noticed that while they had very similar hairstyles, the taller form had blond streaks spiked in all directions while Yugi had nothing like that. After also noting the more narrow shape of his eyes as opposed to the smaller boy's more round ones, Yugi didn't think they were all that alike now.
"I believe you're the only one I'm looking at, am I wrong?" The stranger asked. His questioning expression vanished and was replaced by one Yugi couldn't read.
A light shade of pink must have swarmed his face at the realization he just had. Usually, no one would bother to notice his small form or, if they did, they quickly ignored it or bullied him. He was good at blending with the surrounding area when he wanted and needed to, but now he had the full attention of a stranger and he wasn't used to it. Especially since the stranger was being somewhat nice to him.
"No, you're right. I'm Yugi." He attempted a small smile and looked down at the papers he retrieved from his bag. After the sound of a deep hum, Yugi looked back at the student beside him and saw that the taller form was looking out the window beside him with an ear bud in his ear, already done with the conversation. Yugi felt his chest sink a bit at the brief interaction they just had, but something in his head told him otherwise. He fought back another blush as he leaned a little toward the student. "Um…What's your name?"
Crimson eyes met amethyst ones, once again, as the mysterious student turned to him. A bit of surprise could be read in his narrow eyes, but the expression eventually disappeared and was replaced with that undistinguishable gaze Yugi remembered in his earlier question. "Atemu." The deep voice revealed, nonchalantly.
"Atemu? That's a nice name." Yugi complimented, which received a shrug from the one named Atemu. He watched as the taller form laid his head back down on crossed arms over the desk, signaling the conversation over again. Yugi didn't push his luck this time, though, as he was satisfied with the progress he had made already.
Yugi went back to the mission at hand. He shifted through the many papers in his hand, deciding which to start first. After a minute or two, the boy plucked out a history worksheet he had gotten that day and set aside the rest of the papers to do later. He read through the list of questions printed on the computer paper and frowned slightly. Yugi immediately felt his determination fall flat. Apparently, he couldn't understand what the homework was asking of him and had to wonder if this was his punishment for falling asleep in class so many times. He held in a somber groan at the trip to Burger World being nothing but a very distant dream now.
'No!' Yugi internally shouted with all of his being. 'I can do this. I can't just give up before I try.' Once he confirmed his decision with a simple nod of his head, Yugi stole a glance at Atemu. The reserved teenager still had his head down on the table and Yugi had to wonder why he was even here. If Atemu was tired, couldn't he sleep in the comfort of his own home? It didn't look like he was waiting for anyone either so why? Even though he pondered on these questions, Yugi didn't really care to know the answer. He liked the stranger's presence now that they were able to exchange a few words and he hoped the student felt the same. Maybe doing the homework here instead of giving up and going home would give the two of them another chance to talk some more. The boy could only hope.
Smiling at the hopeful thoughts running through his innocent mind, Yugi quietly slid off his chair and made his way to the bookshelves. It didn't take him long to find the section filled with historical literature, but it did take him a while to track down specific books he could use for his homework. As he repeatedly paced back and forth from one end of the shelf to the other, a few tutors had taken notice and asked him if he needed help. Yugi quickly declined the offers thrown his way since he didn't exactly know what he was really looking for anyway. After a while, when he managed to retrieve a few novels he thought would be somewhat helpful in his task, Yugi finally made his way back to his desk. Though, as the furniture came into view, the small boy noticed familiar spiked hair looking his way.
"Er…are you okay?" Yugi asked once he approached the desk and gently dropped the three books onto the wooden surface. From the expression the taller form was sporting, Atemu looked pretty curious and maybe even slightly frantic—like he had just woken up from a startling nightmare.
"Yes." Atemu nodded a bit, his eyes drifting from marble eyes to the borrowed books lying on the table. He let out a soft sigh, like he was relieved of something. "Sorry, I saw your stuff here, but I didn't know where you had gone."
"Oh, um…were you going to leave?" Yugi asked, trying to hide the disappointment in his chest. He was thankful for having this nice person politely watch his stuff while he was gone, but he couldn't help but feel a tug of sadness at his earlier hopes being cut so short. He couldn't be selfish and bug the stranger to stay a while longer, though. "I'm sorry for making you wait for me like—"
"No, I'm not leaving." Atemu cut in, smoothly. He raised an eyebrow again. "Unless you want me to…?"
"N-no! You can stay. If you want." Yugi violently shook his fists. He mustered a bright smile on his face as he sat down on the cushioned chair, which he found wasn't so hard to do. "I don't mind."
Atemu blinked. Yugi thought he was going to sleep again, but when the calmer student of the two hunched forward to rest his face on crossed arms once more—he had his neck turned so crimson eyes were watching the shy boy, instead. Yugi couldn't help but think that Atemu looked even more curious with the way his lips were hidden behind an arm and his piercing eyes widely observing. It seemed like he was fully awake now and Yugi had to restrain himself from chuckling at the rather childish look on the very mature facial features. He placed the history novels beside his book bag on the left and looked down at the history worksheet in front of him, ready to get it over with.
Tap.
Amethyst orbs looked up and immediately saw a slender finger lightly tap the second novel in the stack of his borrowed material. He tilted his head in confusion and traced the hand back to Atemu's observant, yet curious gaze on the history paper. Yugi was about to ask what the silent student was doing until it clicked in his mind.
"You want me to use this book?" Yugi asked, tapping his own pencil against the spine of the novel Atemu had touched. When crimson eyes nodded in response, Yugi pulled the book out from the stack and flipped it open. He could feel Atemu's intense, watchful gaze on him as he fiddled through the glossary and chapter pages, nervously, yet determinedly. Although, after scanning the material four long times, Yugi set the opened book down and sighed at his defeat of not being able to find the information. Before he could ask for Atemu's help, familiar hands grabbed the book and flipped the pages, himself. The smaller student raised both eyebrows as Atemu examined the index and swiftly shifted through the pages before setting the book back down in front of Yugi, which only took a mere minute or two. He pointed at a particular paragraph before bringing his arm back under his chin.
Yugi, rendered speechless and confused, briefly scanned the suggested paragraph and let a gasp escape once he understood. Large, innocent eyes darted from the novel's words to the question on his homework and back. A few key words popped up in both prints and he put two and two together. "You found the answer." He muttered, astonishingly, as he feverishly wrote the information from the book onto the paper. Once he finished, Yugi smiled at Atemu. "Thank you so much."
The quiet boy nodded. He flipped some pages of the same book and pointed at two more paragraphs again. Yugi, easily drawn back into his homework, followed his finger and read the long, suggested paragraphs silently. The huge marble eyes seemed to light up and sparkle once the answer clicked into his mind and boy fiercely wrote the information down as if he was going to forget it at any given moment. All the while, he knew Atemu was watching, patiently. The cycle of pointing and writing seemed to repeat over and over until they had finally made it to the last question. Yugi's heart raced as he drew out the small period after his last written word and he held the paper in the air like it was a trophy at a carnival booth. "We did it!"
A chuckle escaped the more mature male as he flashed a small smile toward the proud boy. He leaned back into the chair and crossed his arms over his uniformed chest. "Good job."
"Wow. I'm sure glad I came here and sat near you, Atemu." Yugi giggled a bit, unable to hold back the overjoyed smile on his childish face. "It would have taken me hours to figure this out."
"It was my pleasure, Yugi."
"You must be really smart. You found all those answers in a flash."
"No, I'm just well versed in History." Atem shook his head, modesty clear in his gaze. He turned his head toward the window, again, but his attention was still on the shy boy. Yugi noticed that the ear bud was gone and wondered when he had taken it off. "The rain seems to have let up a little."
"Really? That would explain why half the people here are gone." Yugi muttered, surveying the room. Well, more than half the people, actually. While the two of them were absorbed in Yugi's homework, all the girls had taken the opportunity to leave the premise and go home or venture off elsewhere while the sky was clear of rain, he guessed. The tutors Yugi recognized were still present, but the teachers had also fled the area with the female students, probably to head on home. The two tables occupied with male gamers were still hanging around, but they, too, were slowly packing up their things. Yugi glanced at the clock nailed to the tan wall and had to guess that no one was in the mood to stay around school any longer, because there was still plenty of time until the campus would lock down for the day.
"I guess I'll keep going." Yugi mumbled, more to himself than his helping hand. He set the completed history papers aside and took hold of the stack once more. Amethyst orbs scanned the sheets of paper three times before picking out his newest victim, Math. He felt a bit more daring now that he was able to complete History and he was sure that getting rid of Algebra would help him in the long run, too. Although he mustered such brave thoughts, one quick skim of the equations made Yugi take back every word. He looked up at Atemu.
"Uhm…are you good at Math, too?"
Another hour flew by as the two students worked together on Yugi's worksheets. Even in Math, Atemu seemed to be able to skillfully lead his way through each formula with just one glance at the foreign problems. Yugi was quite amazed at how the more mature one of the two made the effort to get him to understand the problems as well, making up their own equations to solve, instead of just telling him the answers. In no time at all, Yugi was able to finish the trial with a sense of ease and accomplishment he never thought he'd have. It didn't stop there, either. Soon, the new partners eagerly dived through the other assignments, completing them within a considerable amount of time. By the next hour and a half, Yugi was packing his newly finished homework into his back bag, ready to give them to their rightful teachers the next day.
"Uhm…you really went out of your way to help me. I can't thank you enough." Yugi stuttered, nervously. His face flushed a darker shade of hue once the collaboration and time got to him. Earlier, he walked into the library knowing nothing of this taller student, and now he was eternally thankful for this same stranger for helping him with what would have been hours' worth of work had he done it by himself. Atemu voluntarily helped this shy, nervous wreck of a boy and probably wasn't going to get anything in return. He had to do something. "If there's anything you need, I'll be glad to—"
"No need." Atemu cut him off. He smiled softly, something Yugi found the taller boy did more often as the time passed on. "Helping you kept me busy." A pause. "I think I would have been bored to death if you weren't around to distract me from those guys playing board games, earlier." A playful smirk curled on the mature one's facial features at his last remark, and Yugi thought the expression was mischievous, and yet cool.
"Why? Do you like games?"
"You could say I do." Atemu nodded. Judging from the proud gleam in his crimson irises, Yugi had a hunch that his library partner was as good at games as he was figuring out the answers to his homework. In the short time they spent together in the library, Atemu was quiet, reserved, and always observing, despite his sometimes childish looks and friendly remarks. Yugi couldn't help but think that the characteristics of the taller student were somehow fitting for a gamer—a good gamer at that. He had to wonder if Atemu learned and adapted to new games really quick since he figured out his homework in record time. When he voiced his thoughts, Atemu briefly confirmed them with a nod and explained that rules and equations were easy things to decode for him. Yugi suddenly wondered in the back of his mind if his possibly new friend thought he was an idiot while helping him. He didn't voice this new thought, though he didn't need to for Atemu to take notice.
"Do you enjoy playing games, as well?" Now it was Yugi's turn to blink. He didn't expect his desk partner to ask the questions. Though, when he saw the reserved student's facial features soften at the question he asked, Yugi figured out his intention for doing so. He instantly felt a pang of guilt stinging in his gut. Atemu was trying to cheer Yugi up.
"I do." Yugi answered. "I really love games." He added, feeling an overwhelming burst of glee rise in his stomach, now. The negative emotions he felt just moments before vanished, and he couldn't help but feel thankful to Atemu and for his inability to stay upset for very long. He really meant what he said.
"Is that so?" Atemu beamed, noting his desk companion's sudden enthusiasm. "What do you play?"
"I play all kinds of games." Yugi replied, confidently. He briefly explained about the Kame Shop his grandfather owned and how it specialized in selling games from all sorts of places. Staying indoors for most of his youth, Yugi learned how to master many, if not all the games in the store and was proud of his achievement. He also gave Atemu a list of games he could recall being on display that he knew of and, all the while, tried not to notice an observant gleam in his companion's eyes. "But, if I had to choose which game is my favorite game of all the ones in the shop, I guess it'd be Duel Monsters."
Red eyes seemed to light up the most at the last statement. Atemu flashed a knowing smile as he propped his elbows onto the table. "I enjoy that game, as well. I just learned it not too long ago."
"You did?" Yugi gasped. Could his usual lonely and uneventful day get any better? This stranger helped him with his homework and has a love for duel monsters! "Uhm…I…I hope we can play together one—"
"What is that?"
Yugi frowned. Pushing the slight hurt of being interrupted out of his mind, he tilted his head and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What is what?" He noticed that the red orbs on his desk partner's face were dead trained on something and when he, himself, followed the gaze, his heart stopped.
The bottom right corner of a golden box was peeking out from within the unzipped back bag.
"May I see it?" Atemu asked. His eyes were still fixed on the item and his voice was growing more curious by the second. Yugi shoved the mental image of what his acquaintance's offended expression would look like as he clutched his bag and yanked it into an embrace. He made sure his arms sealed the unzipped pocket closed and his head was lowered to hide the blush forming on his cheeks.
"Yugi? What—"
"I'm sorry. You can't." Yugi stated. He instantly regretted saying such harsh words to someone who was actually being nice to him for once, but he couldn't risk whatever chance he had with his treasure. He didn't even mention its existence to Anzu. He could feel the once friendly atmosphere between them crumble to their feet, and Yugi couldn't blame Atemu if he decided to walk out right then and there. He wouldn't blame him at all. "It was given to me by my grandfather and it really means a lot to me. I don't want someone to see it and take it away." He didn't even know why he bothered to explain, anymore.
Just when Yugi thought he'd be bombarded with even more questions from Atemu after revealing how valuable it was to him, none came. When he thought maybe Atemu would push his chair out, grab his own bag from the chair standing between them, and leave the library, nothing happened. All Yugi could hear was the light drizzle of rain tapping the window, again. Suddenly, in the awkward silence of the two students, Yugi wished the older would say something. Anything. Even if the words that came out of that deep voice were cruel and unforgiving, the smaller boy just needed to know what Atemu was thinking right now.
"I'm sorry, Yugi."
Silence.
"You know," Atemu started, softly. Yugi almost had to strain his ears to hear. "I was a bit surprised you sat here when you did." Yugi didn't lift his head at this and Atemu, who took notice, continued. "Yugi, would you like to see a treasure of mine?"
With curiosity winning him over, Yugi looked up, finally. Atemu flashed a small smile. "You don't have to show me your treasure. Here." With graceful motions, Yugi watched as the unusually talkative Atemu took hold of a chain hiding under his white dress shirt and pulled it over and off his head. He held the item towards Yugi, who immediately recognized the dog-like tag hanging onto the silver necklace as a cartouche—an accessory Egyptians used to write their names in hieroglyphs. However, there was nothing written on the small silver plate.
"Why isn't there anything written on it?" Yugi wondered aloud, taking hold of the cool accessory in his palm. "If it's yours, you should have your name engraved on it, right?"
"I should." Atemu nodded. Yugi could see the taller student's shoulder relax a bit at the more normal atmosphere, now. "I should engrave my name into it, but I don't want to."
"Why?"
Atemu paused at this. Crimson eyes seemed to be focused on air, but Yugi knew that he was thinking hard about his answer. The thoughtfulness the more mature student was currently displaying made Yugi realize that Atemu really wanted to be friends with him, just as he did. Suddenly, he felt a lot happier.
"I suppose the reason is because the cartouche won't be meaningful if I wrote on it now." Atemu replied, at last. Yugi furrowed his brows at such a vague explanation, which hadn't gone unnoticed. The reserved male lightly scratched his cheek, averting his gaze to think of what to say next. "Well…if I were to write on it without achieving some sort of goal, I'd be more prone to tossing it aside and forgetting about it, I guess." He shrugged.
"A goal? What kind of goal do you have?" Yugi pushed, taken over by curiosity.
Atemu chuckled a bit. Yugi had to guess it was because now he was being the nosy one, instead. He quickly apologized but Atemu simply shook his head and continued with his attempt to explain.
"I suppose I could be a better person, for one."
Yugi raised his eyebrows at this, but didn't push. He knew so little of his desk partner and shouldn't have been surprised that the skillful Atemu had some flaws, but it was still a bit shocking for him. In his amethyst eyes, the taller student was godly with the way he carried himself and spoke. For such a mature and observant person, Atemu's confession was also a sign of weakness, which felt wrong of Yugi to know. Atemu's eyes softened after a brief moment of silence and Yugi knew that he, too, was opening up a vital piece of information about himself that would normally hurt his pride.
"I don't really have a goal in mind, though." Atemu sighed, thoughtfully. "I guess the day I graduate would be okay."
"How about you engrave your name onto the cartouche when my wish is granted?"
Yugi resisted the urge to blush when a curious look was shot his way. He didn't mean to blurt out what he said, but he couldn't help but feel slightly sad at listening to Atemu's words. People usually felt their name was already special because their parents gave it to them, but Atemu wanted it to mean something to others. It sounded like Atemu wanted to leave his mark somewhere in this uneventful world and have something—his cartouche—for people to remember him by. When he thought of it this way, Yugi didn't mind sharing his wish with him. They had similar, if not the same, intentions.
"Your wish?" Atemu voiced, finally.
Yugi nodded. "My treasure is a puzzle and has a prophecy which is that whoever solves it gains the power and knowledge of darkness. I'm not entirely sure what it means, but if it really does have power, I hope it'll grant my wish once I complete it." He explained with a small smile of his own. It felt good to tell someone after eight years of secrecy.
Atemu stared at the smaller boy, dumbfounded. Yugi wondered if his explanation confused him, but found that wasn't the case when a chuckle escaped his new friend's face. He was about to tell Atemu that he was serious, but the giddy student spoke before he had the chance.
"That sounds wonderful. What is your wish?" Atemu smiled.
"That, I can't tell you."
Atemu pouted at this and waved his hand before Yugi could utter an apology. Calculative lips were about to say something when a loud buzzing noise disturbed his thoughts. Yugi watched meekly and curiously as Atemu fished out his cellphone from his school bag and gazed over the text message he received. Yugi waited for what felt like forever for those red eyes to look up at him, and when they did, he wished they hadn't done it so quickly.
"Sorry, I have to go." Atemu said, apologetic eyes gazing at Yugi's slightly disappointed ones. "I'm glad I got to meet you. I had quite a lot of fun, Yugi."
"Me too." Yugi muttered, wanting to say much, much more. He wanted to tell his table partner that he was also glad to have met him and that this was the most he's had fun besides fiddling with his treasure or talking to Anzu. He wanted to ask if they were considered friends now and that this wasn't just a one-time thing. He also wanted, more than anything, to tell Atemu that he didn't feel scared about school or the work when he was around. He wanted Atemu to know how grateful he was to him, but he couldn't find the words, anymore. He averted his gaze from the standing form shifting out of his chair, and tried to focus on something to block the sadness when it hit him. He was still holding the necklace.
"Wait! Atemu you forgot your cartouche." Yugi shot his head up and stared at a surprised Atemu standing behind his chair. Crimson marbles darted from the student's round face to the necklace and back until a smile broke out on his own.
"Hold onto it for me, will you?"
"What? But—" Yugi protested, a part of him willing himself to stop being the good guy for once. He knew that if he held onto something this important, Atemu was bound to look for him later. He knew it and that's why he clamped his mouth shut. "D-do you want to see my treasure?" He didn't know what else to offer as thanks for such a wonderful time, but maybe a peek wouldn't hurt. He trusted Atemu, now.
Surprisingly, wild tri-colored hair swayed a bit as the standing student shook his head. Atemu placed a firm hand on top of Yugi's small shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "Thank you, Yugi, but I'll wait until you finish it. It's important to you and I 'll respect that." Atemu paused at this and Yugi could see that he wanted to say something else. However, the expression vanished and was replaced by a kind smile, which got Yugi wondering for a moment. "I know your wish will come true, Yugi, whatever it may be."
With that, Yugi watched as Atemu pulled his hand away from his shoulder and turned to walk out of the library. He stared at the student's retreating back and noticed how confident it looked with each step it made. He wondered if he'd ever look like that someday, and when he looked down at the cartouche in his hands along with the millennium box peeking up at him through the small gap of his bag, he knew that he would. His silent wish for friends didn't seem like a distant dream now, especially since had another thing to motivate him to complete his treasure. He had to finish it now, for both himself and his desk partner.
Yugi looked up at the window and found that the rain was picking up again. As the drops of water tapped the glass, Yugi wondered if the weather was somehow congratulating his newfound aspiration for the future.
A/N: Wow, this took me a long time to write. Maybe more than a month. I'm getting used to their characters, but its not easy haha. I just wanted something to show my appreciation for the series and I hope this is enough. If you found it just a tiny bit enjoyable to read, then I'm happy.