#grandpa muto | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

unfriendlyamazon · 1 year

Text

sons (a yugioh fic)

a short uneven study on grandpa’s relationship with joey wheeler. i’ve never found a way to make him officially adopt him, but here we are. i didn’t do any editing and wrote it at 4am without fact checking the canon and mixing in a lot of half-formed headcanons for just about every character. i think it’s time to break into grandpa’s character

Title: sons Rating: G Characters: Muto Sugoroku, Jounouchi Katsuya, Muto Yugi Word Count: 2144 Warnings: Vague mentions to abusive parents and bullying Summary: Sugoroku wants to protect the children in his care, but sometimes all you can do is let them grow. A short introspection into his relationship with Jounouchi.

The first time Yugi had brought Jounouchi to his door, Sugoroku hadn’t known what to make of him. On the outside he was, in his own words, a punk. Bleached hair faded to uneven roots, knuckles bruised and calloused, his uniform unbuttoned with a casual distaste for authority. In short, he looked a lot like Sugoroku himself at that age. Aimless and lashing out, boys like that often just needed a little direction.

Similar things could be said about Yugi, of course. Sugoroku had taken in his grandson at a young age, at first to help his daughter and then to rescue him from her care entirely. But Yugi was soft. Gentle. As a child, too tomboyish for those around him, and then, after they’d sat down and chosen a name together, too effeminate. Sugoroku did what he could to protect the boy. A lifetime of less-than-savory behavior left him with a number of tricks up his sleeve. But children could only be shielded so much, and eventually Yugi had to go out into the world. He didn’t talk about the bullies, about the bruises, about the times his toys came home broken or missing. He was soft, but he had strength. Sugoroku recognized his sharp mind and his own wavering desires, which was why he gave him the puzzle box in the first place. A leftover trinket, he’d assumed, nothing more. But it kept his hands busy and his mind at work. There were few things in this world Yugi loved more than a game, and he always played until he beat it. So far, he remained undefeated.

Yugi never mentioned the missing piece, but Sugoroku had seen it all the same. Another day where his grandson came home with shoulders slumped, mouth downturned, feet dragging. Another day when he’d come home with hidden bruises and torn clothes. Getting the boy to talk about it was more difficult than unlocking the puzzle box. For him, it was a fact of life, and while it made for bad days, it never shook Yugi for long. A few days later, he was in high spirits again, showing off the completed puzzle to his grandfather.

And then after that, Jounouchi arrived.

Loud, brusque, uncensored. Jounouchi teased and prodded, grew angry with a word, calmed with another. Yugi brought him to the shop to show him the games they had. Sugoroku had watched as his grandson walked him around the shop, pointing out his favorites, showing off game pieces, badgering his grandfather to reveal his more rare or limited options. Jounouchi dazzled. Despite his boorish attitude and aggressive physicality, Sugoroku recognized a kindred spirit to his grandson. Two lonely boys looking to play a game together.

Things changed.

No longer were Yugi’s shoulders slumped, and the bullies seemed to back off. It didn’t take long for Sugoroku to put the pieces together. Where Yugi didn’t talk, Jounouchi talked plenty, and he often came into the store to find the two of them laughing as he mimed punching out another brute at school. Yugi had more than a new friend, he had a bodyguard. Yugi had taken one of his bullies and turned him around on the others. Anzu had mentioned it idly as she waited for Yugi downstairs, her own distaste for Jounouchi obvious, but a kernel of begrudging admiration. She’d been Yugi’s protector up until now, but high school meant new horizons, new interests, and less time. She’d seemed almost relieved to have someone else stand up for him, and Jounouchi’s friend as well. Loyalty ran deep between the four of them. It lightened Sugoroku’s heart.

Of course he’d been there. Sugoroku had loved learning and hated school. He’d fought, dyed his hair, stole, done anything and everything he could to be rejected by those around him. If it weren’t for a stern teacher and a book on Egypt, things might’ve ended up a lot different. Yugi himself only cared about the things that interested him, with low grades despite a quick mind and an ability to remember details Sugoroku quickly forgot. Games were the thing he liked, so Sugoroku gave him games. And Jounouchi seemed to enjoy them as well. He blundered more, didn’t think much on strategy but had a stalwart need to throw himself at every problem. Quick fingers meant he was better at cards. So when the new set of Duel Monsters packs arrived, he showed them to Yugi, who took them to school. As though it was any surprise when all four arrived to learn more.

There was a lot more to the game than even Sugoroku could realize. If he’d known how much it would consume the lives of the children in his care, he might have chosen something else. His own life was put into danger again and again, but that was par for the course. Besides, his grandson seemed to gain a new, invisible friend, one that occasionally made appearances at the dinner table, or when Sugoroku was showing off a new game to his grandson. Sugoroku took it in stride, same as he had everything else. And the boys blossomed.

It was Jounouchi himself who became determined to master the game. Yugi had a mind for strategy and a patience unrivaled, but Jounouchi had the same problems he always did. He valued strength and monsters and stumbled over magic cards. Time and time again he lost at the playmat, and each time he shuffled his cards and demanded a rematch. Yugi was smart but not much of a teacher. Sugoroku had stepped in.

The thing he loved most about card games was the time. Of course, there were quick games, but Sugoroku’s own favorites involved contemplation and knowing your opponent. So he sat across the playmat from Jounouchi and started to learn. It wasn’t difficult at first. Jounouchi was unfiltered and wore his heart on his sleeve. No wonder the boy had learned to fight. He was like a raw nerve, reactive to everything, surprisingly sensitive. Like Yugi, he faced his own bevy of bullies and brutes. While Yugi remained a stone in a river, Jounouchi had nearly washed away. As much as he spouted off the first thing that came to his head, more things lay deep underneath, careful guarded secrets he didn’t share easily. He was determined to forget his past, even when it reared its ugly head, and so he didn’t talk about it. Sugoroku was one of the few people that completely understood.

His home life was something else entirely.

“He doesn’t say anything,” Yugi had said when pushed. “But it’s his dad. I don’t think he’s home half the time, and when he is…”

It made sense. Jounouchi wasn’t part of any after school clubs, and he worked jobs where he could, and he never wanted to go home. When he didn’t work, he would spend his after school time with Yugi or his big friend, sometimes at the shop, sometimes at the mall, sometimes wandering Domino to find something to do. Whatever kept him on his feet, kept him moving.

Sugoroku had ensured his home was safe for his young grandson. If Jounouchi had nowhere to be, he would make sure he would be here.

“Training begins,” he’d announced, slapping down a deck of cards. “You want to be a duelist, don’t you?”

Yugi had shown Jounouchi the tournaments, and they watched televised ones from America, where Pegasus J. Crawford lorded over an arena. Sugoroku had turned up his nose at the spectacle. Crawford was the same as always, all showmanship, a ringmaster of his own circus. But the two boys watched, entranced. Jounouchi had announced that he’d be in that arena some day. It was the first hint at a future Sugoroku had seen, and so he challenged him. Jounouchi had yet to back down from a challenge.

Sugoroku could be a strict teacher. He didn’t hold back on strategy. The first few times Jounouchi played his cards, it was over in five turns. Then ten. When new packs came in, the boys would pick theirs, and he saw Jounouchi look at them more critically. But where Yugi waited and struck when the time was right, Jounouchi was head on. Best to build him a deck that played to his strategy. Warrior creatures with cards that heightened their attack power, defenders that could shield his life points from stronger monsters. And when he couldn’t win by force, he employed a little trickery. Skull Dice and Graceful Dice made their way into his deck. Sugoroku, who’d always been a gambler at heart, couldn’t be prouder.

Victories were never easy. Their journeys took them far away. Sometimes, Sugoroku tried to follow, still seeking to protect his grandson and his friend. Sometimes, all he could do was hope. They had allies everywhere, and both Yugi and Jounouchi made friends of their enemies. It was their greatest strength in the end.

And in between, Sugoroku made room at the table. Jounouchi spent most of his free time at the shop, or in Yugi’s room, or cleaning up around the place in gratitude. Dinners were now served to an extra seat, sometimes two, sometimes three, and then even more showed up at the door. Otogi’s child appearing had been something of a shock, and Jounouchi’s sister joined them once or twice. Whenever Mai Valentine was in town, she kicked up her heels on Sugoroku’s furniture and challenged the old man to a game. Lots of draws there. She was a tricky one.

Yugi seemed exhausted by the game after his adventures, but Jounouchi never wavered. It was after graduation that he sat across the table from Sugoroku and started laying out cards. They didn’t say much the first few rounds. All the kids were tired. Yugi was working at the shop full time until he found a path to follow, and Anzu had made her way to America. Honda was expected to take a job with his father, though he dragged his feet on it. He fiddled with Kaiba Corp technology, repairing Jounouchi’s old Duel Disk and opening up the holographic projectors to see how they worked. The world was a different place now, but the kids were still growing.

Jounouchi was no longer the live wire that Sugoroku had known. He was still excitable, easy to read, and devoted a little too much to chance, but adulthood opened new challenges for him, and new opportunities. Sugoroku would be there, as he always had, determined to make the world a little kinder to his boys.

“I got an invite to some tournament,” Jounouchi said as he laid down a monster card. “There’s prize money involved.”

“You’ve already won a lot of money,” Sugoroku said. He laid out a defense, holding off until he could hold the cards he needed in his hands.

Jounouchi smiled. “Nothing wrong with getting a little more.”

He knew Mai had already talked with him at length about the life of a professional duelist. It wasn’t easy to make a living on, but if others could do it, why couldn’t Jounouchi? And besides, if things were rocky, or he needed help, Sugoroku could always make a bed for him.

“It’s in Australia,” he announced and laid a card face down. “I’ve never been.”

Sugoroku had been to most places on the planet, even the remote ones. “You’ll have a lot of fun there.”

Finally the cards were in his hand. He played them strategically, ready to summon his monster. With one card, it’d set off a chain reaction that would readily win him the hand.

And of course, in response, Jounouchi played Roulette Spider. An absolute crock of a card. Sugoroku laughed every time. It could destroy anyone on the playmat, including the person who placed it down, but Jounouchi never backed down from a challenge, no matter his chances.

One hit knocked Sugoroku’s life points to zero. Incredible.

“You’ve come a long way,” he laughed. Holding out his hand to Jounouchi, he added, “You’ve got a long way to go.”

Jounouchi stared at his palm, eyes wide. He closed his own hand over his, and the two shook, a single strong mark of respect. And then all at once, Jounouchi was across the table, his arms wrapped around Sugoroku. He hugged the old man, who smiled and hugged him back.

“Thank you,” Jounouchi said, earnestly, honestly. It carried a weight that Sugoroku was prepared to hold.

Only two months after Anzu had boarded a plane to tearful goodbyes, Jounouchi did the same. He’d be back, at least, though Yugi’s spirits were low. One more goodbye. Sugoroku made dinner for those that remained behind. It was a sad celebration, but he knew the truth. His sons would always come back to him. One way or another, they’d find their way home.

#i have a lot of grandpa headcanons that i need to jot down #the timeline of duel monsters is so shaky too i feel like he was there for everything #anyway enjoy #fanfic #Sugoroku Mutou #yugi mutou #yugi muto #Jounouchi Katsuya #joey wheeler

40 notes · View notes