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[lombax-lombardi]

Protective~

Summary: Sometimes you need someone to protect you, to keep you safe when times get hard. And sometimes that someone is closer then you think.

Genre: Fluff, self insert x canon, slight angst

Based on a lovely piece of art made for me by @xeensbin bless you~

She usually had to fend for herself, in most cases. Against all types of people, even her own family. You name it.

Then one day, during Duelist Kingdom she met the gang. They helped her out of a tricky jam, been friends with them ever since. Luckily she lived in Domino and not far from the school either so even after all the events that passed, she saw them every day.

Every single member of the group were like another piece of family to her.

Yugi was like a brother to her, and by proxy Yami his counterpart was as well. The two of them would do what they could to make her comfortable around them, well mostly Yami. Not everyday you meet an ancient ghost but he seems kind and Yugi would always give her a bright sunny smile every time he saw her.

Tea was like the sister she didn’t really have. Maddi does have an elder sister, named Janelle but with custody issues regarding the student herself, Janelle and her Aunt are always fighting over the young girl. And Tea was an outlet for her to have some girl time. Much needed girl time and of course she was very thankful for that.

Tristan, oh Tristan, was like another older brother, that big brother who would tease you but ultimately be there for you when things got rough. During Duelist Kingdom, her legs would give out sometimes due to the fact she never got much exercise so he would always give her a piggy back rise, much to her dismay. But it was worth it.

Then there was Bakura Ryou. Madilyn only met him a few times and some of those times were with that weird Ring around his neck, much like Yugi’s Puzzle. It also has a spirit in it and he was...not the kindest person ever but she can see that he was good at some point. But Bakura himself was a nice young man, much like Yugi would always give her a smile when he saw her.

And finally there was Joey Wheeler. What to say about him? Well he had an accent which got thick sometimes, a no can do attitude but has a huge heart. A very huge heart. She was surprised at how a street smarts kid had so much kindness. She heard through someone that he used to give Yugi a hard time but he saved him and that single act of courage changed him for the better. 

The brunette was sitting at her desk, shuffling her Deck before she was ready to walk home. Well home is a loose term. While the custody battle still droves on between her elder sister and her Aunt, Madilyn had been staying with Yugi and his Grandpa which she was always thankful for.

On the walk home she heard a question from Tea. “You don’t think your Aunt will do something crazy to try and get you back would she?” the other brunette shakes her head.

“No I don’t think so. My Aunt may be controlling yes but, I’m like a piece on a chess board. A very important piece. She can’t afford to lose me so she is just biding her time, waiting for my sister to make a mistake” 

“Eh, don’t ya worry ‘bout dat Maddi” the sound of Joey’s drawl caught her attention. “Not when ya got us to keep ya safe” she felt her mouth curl into a smile.

“Hahaha, thank you Joey, and the rest of you guys. You are the best~” she had never felt close to this many people before as her Aunt never left her have much of a social life. This was good.

Yugi smiled. This was really good, her mind was off the things that could happen, the things that haven’t happened yet. It was nice. That’s when he noticed his best friend Joey.

He couldn’t really tell what emotion he was displaying but he could sense something. It made his own heart feel at ease, mostly for her. They arrived at the Game Shop, both residents waved their friends goodbye as young Yugi opened the door for her.

“Aww you are such a gentleman Yugi” Maddi laughed again and he returned with another sunny smile. “I am still grateful for you and your Grandpa Yugi”

“It’s alright, I’d do the same thing for anyone else trust me” 

The afternoon continued as normal as Maddi was focusing her attention on other things, to keep her mind off of the things going on in her life. She was mindlessly doodling in her sketch book when her phone next to her started going off.

On the screen it was a message, from Joey asking her how she was really holding up. There is that big heart of his, wondering about her well being. She felt a smile creep on her face as she replied to him.

A few seconds later there was another reply and she sent another back. It went back and fourth for a few minutes or so, well into the night. She was putting herself down to sleep when her phone went off again. She looked again to see one final message.

If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me

She felt her heart swell. He was so so sweet, she thought as she placed her phone on her nightstand, laying her head against her pillow and staring at the roof. Her face turned red, she grabbed her pillow and pressed it against her face.

Silly Maddi! Silly Maddi! When are you ever going to admit that crush you’ve got so bad on him? Knowing herself probably never.

The next few weeks proved hard but stable, with court hearings and restless nights and some threats of kidnappings that Maddi was afraid to sleep at night. Good thing for that the gang, upon hearing this news, all decided to stay at Yugi’s with her to keep her safe.

“You guys don’t have to do this-” her voice got cut off when she saw that Tea pressed a finger against her lips.

“Shush. We are doing this because we care about you, no way is your Aunt going to take you away” she stood there with her hands on her hips, radiating some kind of strong energy. Maddi knew there was no point in arguing when she got like this.

“Fine fine! You win” she threw her hands up in the air, falling on her back in defeat. Tea chuckled. “Oh Maddi enough with being dramatic...now are you sure all the windows and doors are locked?”

“Yes Tea. Now go to sleep you dummy” She launched a pillow at her friends face, who grumbled in response while Maddi headed back upstairs. Tea was preparing her things when she noticed Joey sitting up, staring at the staircase she walked up.

“Joey? Are you okay?”

“Eh? Y-Yeah! Yeah I’m fine” he saw the look she was giving him. A look as if to stay ‘that is a terrible lie Wheeler’.

He sighs.

“I’m really concerned bout her Tea. I have this sinkin’ feelin’ in my gut dat something terrible is gonna happen” He felt her give him a pat on the back. “Then go upstairs and talk to her. Go on! You look sad enough as it is sitting there just get moving”

As if those were the words he was waiting for, the blonde got up and headed upstairs after the other female. He walked down the somewhat small hallway when he stopped. 

Crying.

He heard crying.

Oh no!

He opened the door to her room to see her on the mattress, body shaking due to her sobs. She lifted her head at the sound of her door opening, to see a blurry image of Joey standing there, due to her tears.

“Are you okay Maddi?” he knelt down beside her, resting his hands on her shoulders. “I....I’m.....” It was hard for her to speak.

“I’m scared Joey...I’m so scared....” 

That was it.

That was the breaking point for him. 

“Hey....Hey it’s gonna be okay...don’t you worry bout dat...” his tone of voice changed as he brought her into a hug. A very close hug, she could feel him run his fingers through her hair.

“But...”

“Don’t. I’ll protect ya. I promise”

And by his tone, it sounded like he meant it. “You won’t leave right?”

She felt his grip on her grow tighter. 

“I won’t.”