Not Boyfriend (Part 1)

DIMENSION: ANIME (The One That Pays to Save the Day)

Game Shop.

"Hey." Tristan walked into the game shop. "So?" He looked at Yugi or Atem, or Téa or Masika both playing a Connect Four game?

"Atem," Atem told him. "It is our double day, and Yugi is out with Téa."

"Oh. So you're out with Masika?" Tristan asked.

"We are just playing a game," Atem told him. "Is something wrong?"

He couldn't help a small disapproving look at Masika. "I've got something to ask my friends, but I don't . . . really want to ask in front of her."

Masika gave him a small nod. "You should wish I leave this room?" She stood up. "If so, I declare I won."

Oh great. Tristan looked at Atem. "It's not a big deal."

"If you leave, it's a forfeit, and I win," Atem answered her.

Oh, not this! Did they both have to be super competitive gamer people? Was it just a thing in ancient Egypt? "Just, end the game with a draw?"

"It isn't a draw, I am being forced out of the room. To claim victory at such an expense?" She bowed. "Only The Greatest Pharaoh Atem."

Wait, that was actually kind of playful? Were these two finally getting along?

"We will postpone our position until after I talk to Tristan," Atem insisted, also not half as grumpy as he usually had been with her.

She left easily now and went softly up the stairs.

Huh. "She's getting better with you having killed her cat?" Tristan asked. He heard her footsteps become much louder.

"No." Atem didn't seem happy with his words. "The cat itself and patience will be the key. What is it you need to discuss?"

"Today," Tristan said to him. "I already knew something happened between Serenity and Kaiba. I didn't get mad at it, but." Did he know? "Do you know?" Atem gave a slight nod. "Masika is the one that made her cave into Kaiba's demand to move in. She was practically getting moved as soon as she called me on the phone to tell me about the! About the."

"It's not their fault," Atem said.

"I know." Their? "I know it's not Serenity's fault."

"It is not Seto Kaiba's fault either," Atem stressed. "He was not looking forward to this."

"Oh. Whatever." Tristan didn't want to handle that right now. "She's with him now, in his house. Going to be carrying his baby. I told her I wouldn't leave her and I understand everything's that happened to her."

"That's decent of you," Atem said.

Yeah. "Kaiba always gets everything he wants. If he wants Serenity, then I have to get Serenity first." Atem didn't seem to understand. "After Joey's deal with Mai goes through, I think I should . . ." He took a deep breath. "I think I should ask her to be Serenity Taylor." If he didn't, she'd be Serenity Kaiba!

"Oh." Atem sat back down in the chair. "If that is what your heart is telling you, you should follow it."

"My heart is telling me if I don't do something quick, Kaiba is going to push the envelope enough until he gets her as his Mrs. Really, Serenity told me the first thing he did after he gave her that stupid card was propose!"

"Masika left to help out Mokuba earlier," Atem told him. "I am guessing that means she did not accept his proposal?"

"No, she didn't accept, but she did move in with him. Stuff packed in a day, a night in the main Kaiba household, a spot picked out the next day, and her stuff unpacked just like that," Tristan pointed out. "If I'm married to her, she can stay with me. I could take care of her and that baby. She doesn't have to give into Kaiba." He noticed a strange look from Atem. "What?"

"I don't believe you should make such a proclamation yet," Atem said gently. "This might not be from your own heart, more from your own anxiety, Tristan."

Tristan stuck his hands in his pockets. "You think I'm jumping the gun?" Maybe he had been. That's why he wanted to talk to his friends.

"I think everyone is wrapped up enough in problems, that adding more stress might not help out."

Tristan watched as there was a heavy knock on the door. Bakura was outside. He didn't look friendly. "Yeah, maybe there is too much stress."

"Oh, not him. We were even in the middle of a game."

Tristan watched as Masika came back down. She was carrying her cat. She let it go on the floor. It went straight back up the stairs. "Which is you, and which is Serenity?"

Oh, what a- "That was a private conversation."

"I didn't listen in. I just guessed it was about Serenity," she said. "Serenity is like Ebonnee. She is confused by words, truths, feelings and hormones. She will run just like that if you don't give her time in whatever you are planning to do."

Oh. Tristan thought she'd just give him a hard time since she was the one who convinced Serenity to go in the first place. "Patience." He watched her approach the door where Bakura was waiting. "Are you allowed to leave like that?"

Tristan was surprised to get a look from not just Masika, but Bakura, and Atem.

"I told you, we have our own bodies today," Atem repeated.

"I change in 22 minutes back to Téa," Masika answered. She didn't say where she was going, just left out the door to talk to him.

Hm. "Do you trust her like that? I mean, not like that, with Téa?" Tristan asked him. "When spirits run the body, they have complete control. I know your great, Atem, but what about her?" Atem still didn't look too happy with his words. Oh yeah, maybe that was sore area? "Well? I mean, how do you know she's not using Téa's body with Bakura's when she isn't using her own like today?"

"Téa made her own deal with Masika," Atem told him. "That's all you need to know."

"Yeah, but . . ." He looked out the window. They weren't doing anything but talking. Still? "She was real close to him, when Téa isn't even there, she could be? You know? With him?" Atem didn't answer. "You should care, Man. Yugi is still obsessed with Téa."

"And Mokuba gets on me for distrust," Atem answered back. "I know how Yugi feels, but even he knows that he is in a friend zone. Téa and Masika run their own deal, with their own rules. Same as I do with Yugi. I do not know if anything is between them or not, nor do I want to."

Hm. Fine. "Yugi is on his date right now." Joey wasn't there, and his advice would probably be 'not'. ///Tristan: Give it time. That's the advice I got so far. But, what if Kaiba sweeps her off her feet and he gets her to marry him before I ask?/// "If I give it time, will Kaiba? That guy doesn't like to wait." He watched as Masika came in and took her spot again.

"Did you have enough time to think about your next move?" she asked Atem.

Atem quickly moved.

Masika stared at the move and her piece, and around the board for awhile.

"Thanks for the talk," Tristan said, not wanting to stick around just to watch a game of Connect Four. He left and went outside, seeing Bakura pulling away on his motorcycle. He wasn't the only one with one of those.

Call it overprotective, Yugi should probably know if anything was going on with those two. Tristan hopped on his motorbike and tailed him for a time to his home. When he arrived, Bakura was just looking back at him on the bike.

Tristan relaxed his arms over the bike. "Hey. I got a question."

Bakura just stared at him.

"Are you friends with Masika, or are you a boyfriend?"